Shower Floor Sealing Membrane Insert

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing shower floor sealing systems face challenges such as leakage due to non-watertight connections between membrane parts, soiling of adhesive surfaces, and the need for multiple adhesives, which complicates the sealing process and increases the risk of errors and inefficiencies in achieving a watertight seal.

Innovation Solution

A sealing system featuring a tubular insert part with peripheral grooves and a sealing ring that can be easily inserted into outlet pipes without adhesives, allowing for a watertight connection on a vertical surface, and a flexible layer that can be pre-attached to the insert part in a controlled environment, ensuring reliable sealing without the need for additional adhesives or complex arrangements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If adhesive connections are used to attach membrane parts to the drain and floor, then the watertight layer can be arranged, but the connections may not be watertight due to soiling of adhesive surfaces and incorrect storage of sealant

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewatertight connectionVSAvoidsoiling of adhesive surface
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The membrane is pre-attached to the drain in the factory before the floor is cast. This preliminary action ensures the connection is made in a controlled environment where the adhesive surface cannot be soiled, eliminating the harm of dust and grit contamination that would occur during floor construction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A protective foil is introduced as an intermediary element between the adhesive surface and the construction environment. This foil prevents soiling of the adhesive surface during floor casting and construction, ensuring the adhesive connection remains watertight while allowing workers to walk on the floor.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If membrane parts are attached with adhesive, then the watertight layer can be formed, but multiple types of adhesive are required for different attachment locations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment processVSAvoidnumber of adhesive types
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The drain is designed with a universal attachment surface that can be attached to the membrane using a single type of adhesive. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for different adhesive types for different locations, simplifying the attachment process while maintaining ease of manufacture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If the membrane is attached before floor casting, then the connection can be made in controlled conditions, but the membrane may be soiled by liquid cement during casting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadhesive connection qualityVSAvoidliquid cement contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A protective foil serves as an intermediary barrier between the membrane and liquid cement during floor casting. This foil allows the membrane to be attached in controlled factory conditions while protecting it from cement contamination during construction, ensuring both connection quality and preventing soiling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Area of stationary object

If a thick adhesive layer is used to compensate for thickness differences in overlapping membrane parts, then coverage is improved, but the finishing layer thickness increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemembrane coverageVSAvoidfinishing layer thickness
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The membrane is pre-attached to the drain in the factory with precise positioning before the floor is cast. This preliminary action ensures proper alignment and coverage without requiring thick adhesive layers for compensation, allowing for thin finishing layers while maintaining complete coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3141670B1Shower floor sealing
Publication Date: 2019.05.15 EASY SANITAIRY SOLUTIONS BV
  • EP3141670B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3141670B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3141670B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A sealing system for a shower floor of a sanitary space, comprising a watertight flexible layer 2, such as a sealing membrane, the flexible layer comprising an insert part 3 for a watertight connection to an outlet opening 5 arranged in the shower floor. Further disclosed is a combination of a sealing system, a floor 12 in which an outlet pipe 13 is arranged, wherein the insert part 3 of the sealing system protrudes into the outlet pipe, and a finishing layer 17, such as a tile layer, arranged on the floor and over the watertight flexible layer 2.