Shower floor drain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shower floor drains are difficult to install, prone to leakage, susceptible to displacement, hard to clean, and aesthetically unattractive, with prior concealed drains being operationally difficult to access and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A concealed shower drain assembly featuring a rigid unitized structure with a horizontal deck, drainage box, and vertical flange, allowing for easy installation and secure fastening to the shower wall, along with a user-removable access panel for cleaning, and a design that accommodates high water flow rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional shower floor drains are used, then drainage function is provided, but installation is difficult and prone to leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the drain body, flange, and receiving element into a single integrated unitized structure. This merging of components simplifies installation by reducing the number of separate parts to be assembled and ensures reliable waterproofing through pre-formed gasket engagement, eliminating the leakage issues associated with conventional multi-component drains.
Solution Approach 2:
The drain assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: a drain body for water collection, a flange for wall mounting, and a receiving element for gasket engagement. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining ease of installation through the unitized construction.
2Shape
If concealed drains are used to improve aesthetics, then visual appearance is improved, but access for cleaning becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a removable access panel that can be easily detached to provide access to the drain interior for cleaning. This dynamic feature allows the drain to transition between a concealed aesthetic appearance during normal use and an accessible configuration for maintenance, resolving the contradiction between aesthetics and cleaning accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The access panel is pre-configured with removal features that allow users to easily access the drain interior without requiring tools or complex disassembly procedures. This preliminary design consideration ensures that cleaning can be performed readily while maintaining the concealed aesthetic appearance during normal operation.
3Ease of manufacture
If drains are secured away from shower walls, then installation is simplified, but secure attachment to wall is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a flange as an intermediary component that mediates between the drain body and the shower wall. The flange includes a receiving element that engages with a gasket and attaches to the wall, providing stable wall attachment while maintaining the simplicity of the overall installation process. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by enabling secure wall mounting without complicating the installation procedure.
Data Source
AI summary
A concealed-shower drain assembly has a rigid vertical flange continuously joined in fixed orientation along one side of a rigid horizontal deck member. An opening in the horizontal deck leads to a sealed drain box on the underside of the deck. A drain pipe at the bottom of the drain box provides egress of waste shower water from the drain box. A removable access panel is supported in the deck opening by a plurality of support posts affixed to the interior wall of the drain box. A continuous gap between the periphery of the access panel and the sides of the opening in the horizontal deck provides a flow path for shower waste water into the drain box. The drain assembly can be securely attached in place in a shower stall by nailing or screwing the rigid vertical flange directly to the framing of the shower stall.