Shower Enclosure Sill Drainage for Leak Control and Hidden Fasteners
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shower enclosures fail to prevent water leakage, are limited to either right or left-sided installation, and have aesthetically unpleasing fasteners visible from outside the shower area during installation.
Innovation Solution
The enclosure system features a sill with a drainage system that redirects leaked water back into the shower area and uses rollers with a mounting mechanism for secure installation, allowing for both right and left-sided configurations with minimal external fasteners, and hidden installation from within the shower.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional shower enclosures use standard drainage systems, then water may leak through physical connections, but the patent introduces a spill channel with barriers that redirects leaked fluid back into the enclosed space, preventing water leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The spill channel acts as an intermediary structure between the enclosed shower space and the external environment. It captures leaked fluid that escapes through barriers and redirects it back into the enclosed space, preventing water leakage without requiring complete sealing of all connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainage system implements local quality by creating specific zones with different functions: barriers block fluid at critical points, while the spill channel provides a controlled path for redirected fluid. This localized approach addresses leakage at specific problem areas rather than requiring universal sealing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional shower enclosures are manufactured for either right-sided or left-sided installation only, then manufacturing and installation are simplified, but the patent designs a universal enclosure that can be used for both right and left sided configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure system is designed with universal components that can function in both right-sided and left-sided configurations. The roller assembly, mounting brackets, and drainage system are configured to accommodate either installation orientation, eliminating the need for separate manufacturing lines for different configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates asymmetric elements that can be oriented in different directions. The mounting brackets and roller assemblies are designed with features that can be installed facing either direction, allowing the same component to serve both right-sided and left-sided installation requirements.
3Ease of operation
If conventional shower enclosures use visible fasteners for installation from outside the enclosed area, then installation process is simplified, but the patent executes installation from inside the enclosed area with hidden fasteners for esthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The installation procedure is inverted from the conventional approach. Instead of installing the enclosure from the outside with visible fasteners, the system is installed from the inside the enclosed shower area. This inversion allows fasteners to be hidden within the shower space, improving esthetics while maintaining installation feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening mechanism is extracted from the visible exterior and relocated to the interior of the enclosed space. This extraction removes the aesthetic drawback of visible fasteners while preserving the functional capability of secure installation through mounting brackets and fasteners positioned inside the shower area.
Data Source
AI summary
An enclosure, comprising a sill that includes a drainage system having a spill channel that has a first barrier and a second barrier, with the second barrier positioned below the spill channel and facing a lower distal end of an exterior side of a stationary panel. The enclosure further provides set of hinge and distal rollers for maximum articulation of non-stationary panels without much encroachment into a closed space.