Prefabricated multi-station plumbing fixture

July 18, 1961 j. _F. nelson etal 2,992,437

PREFABRICATED MULTI-STATION PLUMBING FIXTURE

Filed Nov. 28, 1958 ₃ Sheets-Sheet 1

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July 18, 1961 j. f. nelson etal 2,992,437

PREFABRICATED MULTI-STATION PLUMBING FIXTURE

Filed Nov. 28, 1958

Sheets-Sheet 2

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INVENTORS (JAMES F A/ELSOaS

G£oe&amp;E Σ. ΰθ7Ϋ

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July 18, 1961

J. F. NELSON ETAL

PREFABRICATED MULTI-STATION PLUMBING FIXTURE

2,992,437

Filed Nov. 28, 1958

Sheets-Sheet 3

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United States Patent Office _p, ,.,

Patented July 18, 1961

2,992,437

PREFABRICATED MULTI-STATION PLUMBING FIXTURE

James Foster Nelson, Woodland Hills, James Hunt, Montebello, and George I. Doty, La Canada, Calif., assignors to Logan Manufacturing Company, Glendale, Calif., a corporation of California

Filed Nov. 28,1958, Ser. No. 776,841 7 Claims. (Cl. 4—192)

This invention deals generally with plumbing fixtures, and more particularly with a prefabricated, multi-station plumbing fixture.

Briefly stated, this invention provides a plumbing fix» ture equipped with a long, prefabricated panel unit which is designed to be installed in a room after the walls of the room are finished. The unit mounts, on its opposite sides, one or more groups of fittings, each of which groups forms a station of the completed multi-station plumbing fixture. The illustrative form of the invention comprises a shower fixture in which each group of fittings includes a shower head, hot and cold water valves, and a soap dispenser. It will become clear as the description proceeds, however, that each station of the fixture may comprise a shower head and a single valve, such as is used in a temperate water installation. Also, each station may comprise other types of fittings, such as faucets in lieu of shower heads. Clearly, therefore, the invention is not limited to a shower fixture as described and illustrated herein.

As mentioned, the prefabricated panel unit of the invention is designed to be installed in a room after its walls are finished. To facilitate installation of the panel unit, the invention provides a novel detachable bracket type supporting means for mounting opposite ends of the panel unit on stationary building supports, such as finished building walls or vertical supporting columns. In some cases, the panel unit of this invention may be mounted in connection with a multi-station, surface mounted shower fixture of the character disclosed in copending application, Serial No. 776,941, filed November 28, 1958, and entitled Multi-Station Surface Mounted Plumbing Fixture. The several disclosed forms of the panel mounting means of the invention possess various novel features of construction and design which will become readily apparent as the description proceeds.

With the foregoing preliminary discussion in mind, a broad object of the invention may be stated as being the provision of a prefabricated panel unit for a multi-station plumbing fixture of the character described.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a prefabricated panel unit for a multi-station plumbing fixture of the character described, which unit embodies a novel detachable bracket type means for mounting opposite ends of the unit on stationary building supports.

Another object of the invention is. to provide a prefabricated panel unit for a multi-station plumbing fixture of the character described wherein the detachable bracket mounts for the panel unit are adjustable to compensate for slight variations in the horizontal spacing between the vertical building supports on which the ends of the unit are to be mounted.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a prefabricated panel unit for a multi-station plumbing fixture of the character described which may be supplied from either concealed or exposed piping.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a prefabricated panel unit for a multi-station plumbing fixture of the character described which is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to 5 install.

Other objects of the invention involve the provision of a prefabricated panel unit of the character described and mounting brackets therefor having various unique features of construction and design which produce a multi10 station plumbing fixture that is pleasing in appearance and adapted to installation in rooms of various sizes and shapes.

Briefly, the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are attained by the provision of a pre15 fabricated panel unit comprising an elongate, hollow housing. This housing has opposite, normally vertical side panels on which groups of fittings, such, as shower heads, valves and soap dispensers are mounted. These fittings are connected to liquid supply piping or headers within ²⁰ the housing. This piping is open and exposed through an opening in the housing to permit connection of such piping to liquid supply pipes in the building.

The panel unit has normally vertical ends which mount detachable brackets, for mounting opposite ends of the unit on stationary building supports. The invention provides various different types of brackets for accommodating the panel unit to mounting on different types of stationary building supports, such as walls or cylindrical columns. Another form of mounting bracket is especially designed to permit mounting of the panel unit of this invention in connection with a surface mounted, multistation shower fixture of the character disclosed in the aforementioned copending application, Serial No. 776,941.

Yet another form of bracket is designed to permit limited adjustment of the overall length of the unit to compensate for slight variations in the horizontal spacing between the stationary building supports on which the ends of the unit are to be mounted.

₄₀ The invention will be best understood from the following detailed description thereof taken in connection with the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a multi-station shower fixture made up of a series of the present prefabricated 45 panel units;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the panel units of FIG. 1, as viewed along line 2—2 of that figure, parts of the panel unit being broken away for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 3—3 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views of the various components making up the detachable mounting brackets on the panel unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view, partially broken away, 55 showing one end of a panel unit embodying a modified form of detachable bracket mount;

FIG. 7α illustrates a bracket part for the panel unit of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is an exploded, perspective view of a still fur60 ther modified form of the present detachable bracket mount;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view, on reduced scale, of the type of shower installation in which the mounting bracket of FIG. 8 is employed;

⁶⁵ FIG. 10 is a horizontal section through a mounting bracket of the character illustrated in FIG. 8 showing the bracket installed on a building wall;

2,992,437

FIG. 11 illustrates another way in which the panel units of this invention may be mounted;

FIG. 12 is a view in perspective of one end of a modified panel unit of the invention which is especially designed for mounting in connection with a multi-station shower 5 fixture of the character disclosed in the aforementioned copending application; and .'

FIG. 13 is an enlarged section taken along line 13—13 of FIG. 12. .

Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 6 of these drawings, 10 the shower fixture of FIG. 1 will be seen to comprise a series of identical panel units 20 of the invention. Each of these panel units is supported at one end on a wall 22 and at the other end on a cylindrical post or column 24.

Each side of each unit 20 has a pair of shower sta- 15 tions 26 made up of a shower head 28, a hot water valve 30, and a cold water valve 32. The fittings 28, 30 and 32 on only one side of the panel are visible in FIG. 1. FIG. 3, however, shows the fittings to be located on both sides of the panel. Located between the two shower stations 20 on each side of the panel is a liquid soap dispensing head 34. If desired, of course, each shower station 26 may include a soap dispenser or soap dish.

Hot and cold water and liquid soap are supplied to each of the panel units 20 through exposed hot and cold 25 water pipes 36 and 38, respectively, and a liquid soap supply pipe 40. If desired, each unit may contain its own soap supply tank in which case the external soap supply piping is eliminated. As shown, the pipes 36, 38 and 40 extend vertically downward from the ceiling of the room ³⁰to the upper, normally horizontal edge of the panel unit. In some cases, the liquid supply pipes may be located adjacent the column end of the unit.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the units 20 comprises a long, thin, panel-like housing 42. This housing ³⁵has a pair of spaced, parallel side panels 44 which are normally vertical and mount the several fittings 28, 30, 32 and 34. Normally upper and lower edges of the side panels are bolted or otherwise rigidly joined to the flanges of a pair of upper and lower channels 46 and 48. These channels form the upper and lower, normally horizontal edge walls of the housing 42.

Mounted in any convenient manner, not shown, within the housing 42, and extending lengthwise of the latter, are a hot water header or pipe 50, a cold water header or 45 pipe 52, and a liquid soap header or pipe 54. The several fittings 28 through 34 on the housing are connected to these pipes in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3.

The right ends of the pipes 50, 52 and 54, as the panel unit is viewed in FIG. 2, are capped. The left ends 50 of the pipes have vertically upwardly extending sections 50', 52' and 54', located adjacent the left-hand end of the’ unit. Fixed to the normally upper ends of these pipe sections are threaded female couplings 56. These couplings have flanges which are bolted or otherwise 55 rigidly attached to the web portion of the upper channel 46. This web portion has openings 58 which are aligned with the openings in the couplings 56. One end of the headers 50, 52 and 54 are thus seen to be open and exposed through openings in the housing 42 to permit their 60 connection to the hot and cold water and liquid soap supply pipes 36, 38 and 40 of the building. The pipes 36, 38 and 40 are connected to the panel unit 20 by merely threading the lower ends of the pipes in the couplings 56.

Opposite ends of the panel unit 20 are mounted on the wall 22 and column 24 by means of a pair of mounting brackets generally indicated at 60¹ and 62. As shown, these brackets are located within the open, normally vertical ends of the housing 42. As will now be described, γθ these brackets, as well as the other panel mounting brackets disclosed herein, comprise a first part which is secured to the panel unit, a second detachable part to be attached to a building support, and disengageable means for releasably connecting such parts. The panel unit mounted parts 75 of brackets 60 and 62 are identical and are illustrated in FIG. 6.

Bracket part 64 comprises a pair of normally vertical, flat side members or bars 66. These side bars are rigidly joined at opposite ends by rigid support members or cross bars 68 which are welded or otherwise firmly attached to the side bars 66.

The spacing between the outer surfaces of the side bars 66 of the bracket part 64 is substantially the same as the spacing between the inner surfaces of the housing side panels 44 to permit placing of a pair of bracket parts 64 between the side panels at opposite ends of the housing 42, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2. The bracket parts 64 are then rigidly attached to the side panels by screws or the like which extend through the illustrated holes in the side bars of the bracket parts. As shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the bracket parts 64 are normally vertical, approximately parallel to the opposite ends of the housing 42, and approximately centered between the upper and lower channels 46 and 48 of the housing.

The left-hand bracket 60 is completed by a second bracket part 70, illustrated in detail in FIG. 4. This bracket part comprises a narrow mounting plate 72 having mounting bolt holes 74 adjacent its opposite ends for attachment of the plate to the surface of the wall 22, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2. Rigid on the upper and lower ends of the plate 72 are generally L-shaped lugs or hooks 76. These lugs define, with the plate 72, upwardly opening, vertical slots 80 for receiving the cross bars 68 on the left-hand bracket part 64 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2.

The right-hand bracket 62 is completed by a second bracket part 82 illustrated in detail in FIG. 5. This bracket part comprises a channel 84 having side flanges 86 and a flat web 88. L-shaped lugs or hooks 90, generally similar to the lugs 76 on the bracket part 70, are welded to the web 88 of the channel 82 adjacent the opposite ends of the latter. These lugs define vertical, upwardly opening slots 92 for receiving the horizontal cross bars 68 on the right-hand bracket part 64, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2.

The panel unit 20, just described, is installed by first mounting the part 70 of the left-hand bracket 64 on the wall 22 at an appropriate distance above the surface of the floor. The bracket part 82 of the right-hand bracket 62 is placed on a column 24 in such a way that the side flanges 86 of the bracket part 82 partially straddle the column. The bracket part 82 is then rigidly attached to the column an appropriate distance above its lower end, by welding or otherwise securing the flanges to the column. At this time, the column 24 will not have been mounted in position.

The left end of the panel unit 20 now is supported on the bracket part 64 by engaging the cross bars 68 on the left-hand end bracket member 64 in the slots 80 of the bracket part 70. The cross bars 68 on the right-hand bracket part 64 are now engaged in the slots 92 on the right-hand bracket part 62 welded to the column 24, which, as mentioned, is not yet fixed in position. The panel and column are then positioned so that the panel is perpendicular to the wall 22 and the column is secured in position in any suitable manner, such as by bolting flanges 94 and 96 at opposite ends of the column to the floor and ceiling of a room. Finally, the hot and cold water pipes 36 and 38 and the liquid soap supply pipe 40 are threaded into the appropriate panel couplings 56. As many panel units as desired may be mounted in this way, in side-by-side fashion, in a room to form a multistation shower fixture of file character illustrated in FIG. 1. As mentioned earlier, each unit may include its own soap tank, in which case of course the external soap piping is eliminated.

The gap between the right end of each panel unit and its column 24 is closed by a pair of overlay side panels 97 which are bolted to the flanges of bracket part 82 and έ,δδ2,4ΒΫ . S a pair of upper and lower end caps 98 which are bolted to the channels 46 and 48 of the panel unit.

In some cases, each panel unit may be supplied with tot and cold water and, if desired, with liquid soap mrough concealed pipes which extend horizontally through a building wall. In this situation, the modified bracket part 100 of FIG. 7 is used on the wall end of the unit in lieu of the bracket part 64 in FIG. 2. The modified bracket part 100 of FIG. 7 is similar to the previously described bracket part 64 in that it comprises a pair of normally vertical side bars 102 which are spaced to fit between -and are bolted to the side panels 104 of the panel unit 106. In the bracket part 100, however, the forward side bar 102, as the panel unit is viewed in the drawings, is offset a distance toward the right-hand end of the unit with respect to the rear side bar 102. These side bars are rigidly joined at opposite ends by normally horizontal, L-shaped frame members 108. The frame members include cross bars 110 which are located at and extend parallel to the open end of the panel and correspond to the horizontal cross bars 68 of the previous bracket part 64.

The forward panel 104 of the panel unit 106 in FIG. 7 terminates short of the left-hand end of the unit and flush with the left-hand edge of the forward side bar 102 of the bracket part 100, as indicated in phantom lines. This leaves an access opening 112 at the left end of the unit 106.

As previously indicated, the panel unit 106 of FIG. 7 is designed for use in those installations where the tot and cold water pipes 114 and 116 and the soap supply pipe 118 extend horizontally through a building wall. The access opening 112 is provided to permit joining of these pipes to the hot and cold water headers or pipes 120 and 122 and the soap header or pipe 124 in the unit 106 by couplings 126 and 128. To permit coupling of the pipes in end-to-end fashion, as shown, the panel headers 120, 122 and 124 extend straight to the lefthand end of the panel unit 106 and have their open ends exposed through the access opening 112.

When mounting a panel unit of the character shown in FIG. 7, a bracket part 70α, shown in FIG. 7α, which is identical to the previously described bracket part 70 ex^C&lt;P ^thf ^dlustrated Pi?⁶ receiving openings in the ,---------------plsite 72α of the part, is mounied on a building wall in 45 lap the adjacent ends of the panel unit in every position such a way that the water pipes 114 and 116 and soap ’ .......

pipe 118 extend through the bracket openings. The left end of the panel unit is then supported on this bracket part by engaging the cross bars 110· of the modified _____________ bracket part 100 in the slots 80 α of bracket part 70ά. 50 U illustrates this type of panel mounting. For this purThe right end of the panel unit may be supported on a ---- . - - . . ... . .

column 24 in the manner previously described, or in any other convenient manner. The access opening 112 affords the additional advantage of allowing the panel unit _________________________ „ ____{___}

106 to be moved into mounting position from the side. 55 97 and the upper and lower end caps 98. The^opposite

The pipes 114, 116, 118 and headers 120·, 122, 124 ends (not shown) of the panel units may be supported are joined by the couplings 126 and 128. After the pipes are thus coupled, the access opening 112 is closed by a cover-panel 130 which is bolted to the forward flanges _ ____________________________,_Y1U1X of the. upper and lower channels of the panel unit 106. 60 ^a surface mounted shower fixture of the character disAs shown, this cover panel has an offset portion 130' which is designed to overlap the forward panel 104 of the, panel unit 106.

In some, cases, a panel unit may be mounted between _ . __________________________ a pair of -opposing building walls 202 and 204, as illus- 65 previously described bracket part 100 which is fixed within rated in FIG. 9. In such cases, the horizontal spacing between the walls is. fixed. For installations of this character,, the. modified adjustable bracket 206 of FIG. 8 is used -for-mounting one end of the panel unit on the wall. _ .. __________o ________________

The-other end of the unit may be mounted on the op- 70 P^anel units 304 and 306 of the prior surface mounted posing wall by means of the bracket 60 described earlier, ’ ' ' ' for-example.

Adjustable bracket 206 comprises a part 208 which is fixed to the panel unit and is identical with the bracket _ part 64 previously described. The bracket 206 com- 75 the panel units 304 and 306 and upper tod lower, 'rearprises a second adjustable part 210 which is designed to be mounted on a building- wall.

Adjustable bracket part 210 includes a channel 212 having side flanges 214. Opposite ends of these-side flanges are rigidly joined, along one edge of the flanges, by cross bars or plates 216. These cross bars have holes to receive mounting bolts for attaching the part 210 to the wall. Slidable between the flanges 214 of the channel 212 is a second channel 218. The second channel includes side flanges 220 which slidably engage the inner surfaces of the flanges 214 on the channel 212.

These two channels are adjustably connected by means of a series of bolts 222 which are received in holes in the flanges 214 of channel 212 and extend through slots 224 in the flanges 220 of the other channel 218; Clearly, therefore, the second channel 218 is capable of limited adjustment toward and away from a wall on which the first channel 212 is mounted.

The flanges 220 of the second channel 218 -are rigidly joined at opposite ends, along their edges remote from the first channel, by cross plates 226. Generally L-shaped hooks or lugs 228, similar to the lugs 76 on the bracket part 70 of FIG. 4, are welded to the cross plates 226. As before, these lugs define upwardly opening slots 230 for receiving the horizontal cross bars 232 on the bracket part 208.

When mounting panel units having the modified brackets 206, the adjustable bracket parts 210 are first secured to the walls, as illustrated in FIG. 8 and FIG. 10. The adjacent ends of the units are then supported on these adjustable bracket parts by engaging the horizontal cross bars 232 on the bracket parts 208 in the slots 230 of the adjustable bracket parts. As mentioned earlier, the other ends of the units may be supported on the opposing walls by means of the previously described brackets 60. The limited adjustability afforded by the brackets 206 permits limited adjustment of the effective overall length of the panel units to compensate for slightly varying horizontal distances between the walls on which the ends of the units &lt;0 are mounted. Side flanges 214 of the bracket channel 212 on each unit are formed with a series of threaded openings 234 to receive screws for attaching overlay panels 236 to opposite sides of the part 212. These overlay panels have offset portions 238 which are designed to overof adjustment of the adjustable brackets 206.

In some installations, it may be necessary to mount a pair of panel units, such as the first described panel unit 20, in end-to-end fashion on a vertical column 24. FIG.

pose, the adjacent ends of the panel units will each be supported on the column 24 by means of previously described bracket 62. As in FIG. 1, the supporting brackets in FIG. 11 are obscured from view by the overlay panels ends (not shown) of the panel units may be supported on additional columns 24 or on building walls.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate the manner in which a panel unit of this invention may be installed in conjunction with closed in the aforementioned copending application. In these figures, the panel unit 106 is identical to that previously described. The detachable bracket 300 for supporting the illustrated end of the panel on a wall comprises the the end of the panel unit in the manner previously described with reference to FIG. 7.

Bracket 300 comprises a second part 302 which is designed to be fixed to a building wall between a pair of shower fixture. This bracket part 302 comprises a hollow, open-ended panel unit 308 which extends normal to the panel unit 106. Panel 308 will be observed to have the same configuration in vertical section as the panels of

2,902,437 joining the adjacent upper and lower edges, respectively, of the side panels, a first mounting bracket part within each open end of the housing including rigid side members seating against the inner surfaces of the side panels and rigid upper and lower support members joining the side members and extending across the respective open end of the housing adjacent the edge walls, respectively, means securing said side members to the side panels, and a second bracket part at each end of the housing including a base, means for mounting the base on a vertical supporting surface, rigid upper and lower support members on the base releasably engaging under said support members, respectively, on the adjacent first bracket part, and said base on one second bracket part comprising an outwardly opening channel member for fitting over a vertical column.

4. In a prefabricated unit for a multi-station shower fixture, a long, thin, panel-like housing to support the pipes and fittings of the fixture, said housing having open, 20 normally vertical ends and including normally vertical sheet metal side panels and narrow top and bottom walls joining the adjacent upper and lower edges, respectively, of the side panels, a first mounting bracket part within each open end of the housing including rigid side mem25 bers seating against the inner surfaces of the side panels and rigid upper and lower support members joining the side members and extending across the respective open end of the housing adjacent the edge walls, respectively, means securing said side members to the side panels, and 30 a second bracket part at each end of the housing including a base, means for mounting the base on a vertical supporting surface, rigid upper and lower support members on the base releasably engaging under said support members, respectively, on the adjacent first bracket part, 35 one side panel terminating short of one end of the housing to define a side opening at said one end, a removable cover panel to close said opening, and means releasably securing said cover panel to the housing.

5. In a prefabricated unit for a multi-station shower 40 fixture, a long, thin, panel-like housing to support the pipes and fittings of the fixture, said housing having open, normally vertical ends and including normally vertical sheet metal side panels and narrow top and bottom walls joining the adjacent upper and lower edges, respectively, 45 of the side panels, a first mounting bracket part within each open end of the housing including rigid side members seating against the inner surfaces of the side panels and rigid upper and lower support members joining the side members and extending across the respective open 50 end of the housing adjacent the edge walls, respectively, means securing said side members to the side panels, a second bracket part at each end of the housing including a base, means for mounting the base on a vertical supporting surface, rigid upper and lower support members on the base releasably engaging under said support members on the adjacent first bracket part, said base on one second bracket part comprising a first member carrying said support members of the one part, a second member which is adjustable with respect to the first member in 60 the longitudinal direction of the housing and carries the means for mounting the base of said one part to a vertical supporting surface, and means for securing said first and second members in adjusted position.

6. The subject matter of claim 5 including cover pan65 els secured to opposite sides of said second member and slidably overlapping the adjacent ends of the side panels.

7. The subject matter of claim 5 wherein said first and second members comprise slidably interfitting channel members which extend parallel to the adjacent end of 70 the housing and have their side flanges slidably overlapping for adjustment of the channel member of said second member toward and away from the other channel member in a direction normal to the length of the channel members, and said means for securing the first 75 and second members in adjusted position comprise slots wardly offset flanges 308α and 308&amp; for seating against a building wall. Mounted on the front side of the normally vertical panel portion 310 of the panel 308 are a pair of generally L-shaped hooks or lugs 312. These lugs define with the panel portion 310 upwardly opening slots · for receiving the horizontal cross bars 110 on the bracket part 100 in the same manner as described with reference to the previous forms of the detachable panel brackets.

Located behind the panel 308 are a pair of generally Z-shaped mounting plates or brackets 314. One leg 316 1 of these brackets is designed to bear flat against a building wall and has holes to receive bolts for mounting the brackets to the walls. The other legs 318 of the brackets 314 bear flat against the rear side of the panel portion 310 directly behind the lugs 312, and have inner edges which : abut approximately on the center line of the panel 308. Attaching screws 320, passing through the lugs 312, the panel portion 310 and the brackets 314, join the same into an integral unit. The brackets 314 serve to carry the load of the panel unit 20 to the building wall. Overlay panles ' 321 are bolted to the surface mounted panels 304, 306 and 308, as shown, and close the gaps therebetween.

The water and soap pipes 120,122 and 124 in the panel unit 106 are joined, by couplings 126, 128, to short stub pipes 322, 324 and 326, which extend through openings in the brackets 314 and portion 310 of the surface mounted panel 308. Rearwardly of the panel portion 310, the stub pipes 322, 324, 326 are joined to T-couplings 328, 330, 332, located between the webs 334 of the Z brackets 314’ Additional stub pipes extend from these T-couplings through openings in the webs 334 of the brackets 314 and are coupled to the ends of the water and soap supply pipes 336, 338 and 340 within the surface mounted panels 304 and 306, as shown.

After the several panel units, just described, have been installed, the access opening in the side of the panel unit 106 is closed by the cover panel 130, as before.

It will be apparent, therefore, that there has been described and illustrated various forms of prefabricated panel units which are ideally suited to making up a multistation shower fixture and which are fully capable of attaining the objects and advantages preliminarily set forth.

While certain preferred forms of the invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent that numerous modifications in design and arangement of parts of the invention are possible within the scope of the following claims.