Screw-Free Shower Frame Joint Using Tapered Hook and Fastener
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current shower door frame assembly using screws is slow, difficult, and prone to gaps due to manufacturing tolerances, leading to loose joints that can cause water ingress, rust, and structural degradation, requiring multiple installers and being time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A screw-free joint system using a tapered hook and aperture with a deformable projection and a resilient fastener that mates with a notch, ensuring a tight fit without gaps and allowing for easy assembly by a single installer, with optional audible or tactile indications for complete assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If screws are used to assemble shower door frames, then a tight butt joint with no gap can be achieved, but the assembly process becomes slow, difficult, and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the screw fastening mechanism from the assembly process. Instead of using screws to join the vertical and horizontal profiles, the patent employs a screw-free connection system where profiles are joined through inserted elements that create tight joints without requiring traditional fasteners, thereby speeding up assembly while maintaining joint tightness
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system is designed to be self-aligning and self-securing. The inserted elements automatically position themselves to create tight butt joints between profiles without requiring precise screw placement or additional fastening operations, enabling quick assembly by a single installer while ensuring manufacturing precision
2Ease of operation
If the assembled frame is lifted into the shower area, then the shower door frame can be installed, but more than one person is required due to the weight and unwieldiness of the frame
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the shower door frame into separate, modular components that can be assembled piece by piece on the shower tray. Rather than assembling the complete frame and lifting it as one heavy unit, the screw-free connection system allows individual profile sections to be joined sequentially, reducing the weight that needs to be handled at any one time and enabling installation by a single person
Solution Approach 2:
The frame components are pre-configured with the screw-free connection elements already in place, allowing them to be easily assembled on the shower tray before final installation. This preliminary assembly arrangement reduces the effort required during the lifting and positioning phase
3Device complexity
If a butt joint is formed without screws between two metal extrusions, then assembly is simplified, but manufacturing tolerance stack up causes visible gaps or loose joints
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces localized features at the joint interface to compensate for manufacturing tolerances. The inserted connection elements include specific geometric features that locally adjust for dimensional variations in the metal extrusions, ensuring tight joints without requiring high precision across the entire component
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system incorporates elements with adjustable or compliant parameters that can adapt to tolerance variations. The inserted elements are designed to accommodate slight dimensional differences in the profiles through their geometry or material properties, maintaining joint tightness despite manufacturing variations
4Ease of manufacture
If a loose joint is formed due to manufacturing tolerances, then assembly is easier, but water may enter the joint causing rust, mould, and structural degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the potential harm of loose joints into a benefit by designing the screw-free connection system to inherently prevent water ingress. The inserted connection elements create a water-tight interface that actually improves upon traditional screwed joints by eliminating gaps where water could penetrate, while still maintaining ease of assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The inserted connection elements act as intermediaries between the metal profiles, providing both mechanical connection and water sealing functions. These intermediary components fill the joint space and prevent water from reaching the metal surfaces, eliminating the risk of rust and degradation while maintaining assembly simplicity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces installation time, eliminates the risk of loose joints over time, and prevents water ingress, ensuring a secure and attractive shower frame assembly without the need for screws.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one projection comprises at least one deformable projection
Implementation Method 2
the tapered hook 2 contacts at least part of the inner surface when the tapered hook 2 mates with the tapered aperture 5
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present invention relates to shower fittings. In particular, the present invention relates to joints for shower door frames and/or shower frames. There is provided a joint for connecting a first arm 1 to a second arm 4 of a shower door frame; the joint comprising: a tapered hook 2 connected to the first arm 1; a tapered aperture 5 connected to the second arm 4; a fastener 6 connected to the second arm 4; wherein the tapered hook 2 comprises a notch 22; such that the tapered hook 2 is arranged to mate with the tapered aperture 5, and the fastener 6 is arranged to mate with the notch 22.