One-Piece Shower Pan with Elevated Drain for Flush Tile Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower pans face challenges in installing tiles of varying thickness due to curvature issues, pre-installed drain pipes, limited tile options, and inability to control tile elevation, restricting flexibility in design and water management.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece prefabricated shower pan with a seat and a drain hole designed to accommodate conventional drain pipes, featuring a horizontal floor area inclined towards the drain, opposing sidewalls, and a water dam, allowing for tiles of varying thickness to be installed flush with the drain pipe, with a sand-finished surface for better adhesion and a seamless water barrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a shower pan has curvatures in its interior surface, then it provides a smooth molded finish, but tiles cannot be installed on the curved surface
Solution Approach 1:
The shower pan is divided into two functional layers: a molded base pan providing the curved shape and water collection, and a separate tileable surface layer that can be independently prepared for tile installation. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a horizontal dimension by creating a flat tile bed surface that extends across the curved basin. This additional planar layer provides a two-dimensional tile installation surface while the curved three-dimensional basin below continues to function for water collection and drainage.
2Reliability
If a drain pipe is pre-installed in the shower pan, then drainage function is provided, but tiles cannot be placed flush with the drain pipe
Solution Approach 1:
The drain pipe is positioned and secured in advance during the molding process, with its location and elevation predetermined. The tile bed surface is then formed to accommodate this pre-positioned drain, allowing tiles to be installed flush with the drain pipe top while maintaining proper drainage function.
Solution Approach 2:
The tile bed surface has different local properties: a flat general area for tile installation and a localized raised portion around the drain pipe. This local quality variation allows the drain pipe to protrude through the tile bed at the correct elevation, enabling tiles to be installed flush with the drain while maintaining the drainage function.
3Ease of manufacture
If custom-made shower pans with pre-installed tiles are used, then tile installation is simplified, but tile selection is limited to manufacturer options
Solution Approach 1:
The shower pan is prepared in advance with a flat, adhesive-ready tile bed surface and properly positioned drain pipe, but tiles are not pre-installed. This preliminary preparation allows builders to select and install their own tiles later, providing flexibility in tile selection while maintaining ease of installation through the pre-prepared surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The shower pan design creates a universal tile bed surface that can accommodate various tile types, sizes, and patterns. The standardized flat surface with properly positioned drain accepts different tile configurations, making the system versatile for different design preferences while maintaining consistent installation procedures.
4Ease of manufacture
If tiles are glued onto a shower pan, then tiles can be installed, but elevation of tiles cannot be controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The tile bed surface incorporates localized thickness variations and raised portions, particularly around the drain pipe area. These local quality differences in the bed surface elevation allow precise control over tile height and alignment, ensuring tiles install at the correct elevation relative to the drain pipe and surrounding surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The correct tile elevation is built into the shower pan structure during manufacturing, with the tile bed surface and drain pipe positioned at predetermined heights. This preliminary establishment of elevation references allows tiles to be installed at the correct height without requiring post-installation adjustment, as the elevation control is built in advance.
Data Source
AI summary
Described is a one-piece shower pan with a seat having no openings for water leakage, other than the drain hole. The shower pan includes a drain hole designed to fit a conventional drain pipe such that when the conventional drain pipe is fastened to the shower pan, the conventional drain pipe extends ½ to 2 inches above the bottom of the shower pan. In this way, when cement or other adhesive is floated on the interior surface of the shower pan, tiles of varying thickness can be installed in such a manner that the top surface of the tiles are substantially flush with the top portion of the conventional drain pipe. The shower pan also has a water dam with a fin extending vertically on the outer edge of the water dam as added protection against water migration outside the shower pan.