Universal tile accessory system

This present application claims benefit of priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/348,181, filed Feb. 6, 2006 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,534, which in turn claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/650,203, filed Feb. 4, 2005. The disclosure of each of the aforementioned applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a universal accessory system for use with tile, for example. Particularly, the present invention is directed to a universal tile accessory that is well suited for bathrooms.

2. Description of Related Art

Existing bathroom accessories are either ceramic elements that match the color and finish of specific ceramic wall tile or the “surrounds” with which these accessories are meant to be used, or they are stand-alone elements on wallboard or plaster surfaces. In the latter case, they may be made of ceramic metal, perhaps with architectural metal finishes, plastic or composites of different materials.

In recent years, because of the difficulty of stocking ceramic bathroom accessories in all of the colors and finishes available in bathroom tile that is sold, the fashion of having matching accessories has become less possible. Metal, ceramic, and plastic or composite bathroom accessories are available in hardware and home furnishing stores. Very few are bought through tile suppliers with matching tile any more. Of the ceramic tile manufacturers who still distribute ceramic accessories, only a few types of accessories are offered, usually a soap dish and toilet tissue holder and usually only in a white color. Some of the accessories attach with tile setting grout or adhesive. Other accessories attach with screws or proprietary clips. There are also accessories that do not mount to walls but sit on horizontal surfaces in the bathroom.

As can be seen, there is a continued need in the art for improvements to bathroom accessories and tile accessories in general. There also remains a need in the art for a bathroom or other tile accessory that is inexpensive and easy to make. The present invention provides a solution for these and other problems, as described herein.

The purpose and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in and become apparent from the description that follows. Additional advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the methods and systems particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof, as well as from the appended drawings.

In accordance with a first aspect, a universal tile accessory system, such as for bathrooms, is provided, which minimizes the number of different objects or elements which must be manufactured and stored in local warehouses for sale to the building trade.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a universal unit is provided for use singly or in pairs in a tile accessory system, preferably in a bathroom tile accessory system. If desired, one or more universal units may be mounted on a wall either individually or as a pair in spaced relationship to each other, depending on the application.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the universal unit has a back portion with a substantially flat front surface and a rear surface which is adapted and configured for mounting on a wall.

The universal unit also includes an outwardly extending projecting portion that extends perpendicularly outward from the front surface. This projecting portion preferably has two lateral and substantially parallel sides with at least one recess in one side for holding a separate accessory. If desired, the recess may be round, in which case the accessory may be, for example, a toilet tissue spindle, a towel bar or a grab bar, or the recess may be elongate in which case the accessory may be, for example, a shelf, a soap dish, a tumbler holder and/or toothbrush holder, among others. It will be recognized that the recesses may be any suitable shape depending on their specific application (e.g., round, elliptical, generally triangular or rectangular, elongate, etc.), as desired. If desired, for added safety and decorative purposes, the front edge of the projecting portion may be rounded.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the back portion of the universal unit may be square shaped and may have the dimensions of a standard ceramic tile or a non-standard ceramic tile. It will be recognized that a variety of dimensions may be considered to be standard, such as four by four inches, six by six inches, eight by eight inches, twelve by twelve inches, fourteen by fourteen inches, eighteen by eighteen inches, four by eight inches, or three by six inches, among others. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the back portion may be made of ceramic and the front surface thereof may have a glazed or unglazed tile finish designed to match a complete set of tiles of various shapes, such as square or rectangle tiles.

In accordance with still a further aspect of the invention, the front surface of the back portion may have four edges of substantially equal length and the lateral sides of the projecting portion may extend substantially parallel to one of the edges. Preferably, the projecting portion is off-set from the center of the back portion to facilitate packing two universal units together in a common packaging, such as a box, with the projecting portion of one facing the back portion of the other. In accordance with still a further aspect of the invention, the projecting portions of two universal units may be off-set sufficiently to permit a toilet tissue roll to fit between them when used in pairs. The offsets can be further varied, as desired, based on a given application. For example, the projecting portions may be off-set toward one edge or corner of the tile if a tile is used that is substantially larger than a roll of toilet tissue, such as a tile that is, for example, six by six inches, eight by eight inches, twelve by twelve inches, or larger, as desired. It will be further appreciated that the projecting portions may be sized relatively longer as desired to accommodate different rolls of material, such as paper towel rolls and the like. Preferably, the sizing and relative offset of projections corresponds to accommodating different objects to be secured between the projecting portions, as desired.

In accordance with yet a further aspect of the invention, if desired, one lateral side of a projecting portion of the universal unit may have more than one recess, such as two, three, four or five recesses, as desired. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, two recesses may be provided. The recesses may be of the same or different shapes. In accordance with one example, one recess may be round in shape and the other recess may be elongate in shape. The elongate recess may extend generally perpendicular to the front surface of the back portion and in direct alignment with the round recess.

In accordance with still a further aspect of the invention, the universal unit may be made of any suitable material, such as a ceramic material, a plastic material, a metal or a composite of different materials, as desired. The universal unit may be provided in any desired color, and may be provided with a surface finish, such as a glaze, a baked enamel finish, a painted finish, or a plated or anodized finish, among others, as desired.

In accordance with still a further aspect of the invention, the back portion of the universal unit and the projecting portion of the universal unit may be integral and made of the same material. By way of further example, the back portion of the universal unit and the projecting portion may be made separately of similar or different materials, as desired, and assembled prior to being received by the end user, or after being received by the end user.

In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the rear surface of the back portion of the Universal unit may be serrated to form lugs and cavities for improved adhesion when it is mounted on a wall. For added strength in mounting, the back portion of the Universal unit may have one or two openings extending through the back portion into the projecting portion to receive one or more attachment devices such as reinforcement studs or the like, as desired.