Modular Shower Kit with Pre-Pitched Pan to Reduce Installation Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
The shower kit industry faces challenges with the time-consuming and labor-intensive process of installing traditional tile shower floors due to the multi-pitch surfaces of shower pans, leading to increased labor costs and material waste, and existing solutions often result in inconsistent or low-quality installations.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of pre-sized and shaped shower pan, floor covering panels, and wall covering panels that can be easily installed, allowing for the creation of a finished shower with a uniformly pitched planar floor, accommodating any shower size or shape and drain location, using linear drains and pre-formed panels to reduce installation time and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional tile shower floors are installed by cutting and setting each individual tile to meet the pitch of the shower floor, then the shower floor can be customized to fit any pitch and shape, but the installation time and labor costs increase dramatically
Solution Approach 1:
The shower floor is segmented into a modular assembly consisting of a pre-pitched shower pan and separate wall panels. The pre-pitched pan provides the drainage slope, while wall panels are attached vertically to the pan's rim, eliminating the need to cut and pitch individual tiles while maintaining customization capability through different panel configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The shower pan is pre-formed with the required pitch and drainage configuration before installation. This preliminary preparation of the drainage slope eliminates the time-consuming process of cutting and pitching individual tiles on-site, while the modular wall panels allow for easy customization to different shapes and sizes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If numerous small individual tile pieces are used to make up the floor and wall covering surfaces, then the shower can be customized to any shape and size, but material waste increases and the installation environment becomes unwieldy
Solution Approach 1:
The shower system uses a segmented modular design where the shower pan and wall panels are separate components. This allows the pan to be optimized for drainage efficiency while wall panels can be selected in various sizes and configurations to match the desired shower shape, reducing the need for excessive cutting and material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the fundamental parameter of how the shower is constructed by using pre-formed, pre-pitched components rather than assembling individual tiles. This parameter change from tile-by-tile assembly to modular component assembly dramatically reduces material waste while maintaining the ability to customize shower shape and size through selective panel placement.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional shower kits are used that rely on skilled labor-intensive techniques, then high-quality installations can be achieved, but the lack of skilled labor makes these installations inconsistent, mediocre, or shoddy
Solution Approach 1:
The shower system is divided into distinct modular components (pre-pitched pan, wall panels, trim pieces) that can be independently manufactured to precise specifications. This segmentation allows each component to be factory-prepared with accurate dimensions and finishes, reducing dependency on installer skill while ensuring consistent quality across installations.
Solution Approach 2:
Critical precision work is performed in advance during manufacturing of the pre-pitched shower pan and wall panels. The drainage slope, panel dimensions, and attachment features are all pre-prepared with high precision, transferring the quality control from the installation phase to the manufacturing phase where it can be more consistently achieved.
4Loss of time
If one-piece and two-piece shower floor panels are used, then installation time is reduced, but the multi-pitch surfaces of traditional shower pans are incompatible with these panel solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the drainage pitch function (handled by the pre-pitched shower pan) from the floor panel function (horizontal surface panels). This segmentation allows the pan to provide the necessary slope while the panels provide a flat walking surface, making one-piece and two-piece panel configurations compatible with pitched shower pans.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-pitched shower pan acts as an intermediary component that mediates between the drainage requirements and the floor panel requirements. It provides the necessary pitch for drainage while presenting a rim or surface to which horizontal floor panels can be attached, thus bridging the incompatibility between pitched pans and flat panels.
Data Source
AI summary
A kit for manufacturing a shower, comprising a shower pan, one or more pre-sized and shaped floor covering panels, one or more pre-sized and shaped wall covering panels, and, in some of the embodiments, one or more pre-sized and shaped curb covering panels. The invention is also directed to a method for manufacturing a shower by the steps of: (i) installing a shower pan, (ii) installing one or more pre-sized and shaped floor covering panels, (iii) installing one or more pre-sized and shaped wall covering panels, and, in some of the embodiments, (iv) installing one or more pre-sized and shaped curb covering panels. The invention is also directed to a manufactured shower, comprising: a shower pan, one or more pre-sized and shaped floor covering panels, one or more pre-sized and shaped wall covering panels, and, in some embodiments, one or more pre-sized and shaped curb covering panels.