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Shower curtain barRelated Patent Categories: Baths, Closets, Sinks, And Spittoons, Tubs, With Movable Closure, Flexible TypeShower curtain bar description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060096023, Shower curtain bar. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
PRIORITY [0001] This application claims the priority under 35 USC .sctn.119 of Provisional Application 60/625,852 entitled "Shower Curtain Bar" filed on Nov. 8, 2004 and having John S. DeWees as an inventor. Application 60/625,852 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety but is not prior art. BACKGROUND [0002] Shower curtains, like shower doors, are used to hold water from a shower within a shower enclosure (e.g., shower stall, tub). Typically a shower rod is used to hold the shower curtains. The shower rod, as the name would suggest, is a cylindrical tube having a circular cross section. The shower rod extends across an opening in the shower enclosure. The shower rod may be permanently affixed to the shower enclosure walls using some type of mount. Alternatively, the shower rod could be designed to provide tension so that it may be temporarily affixed to the walls. The tension may be provided by a spring bracket or other means. The shower curtains are hung on the rods typically with hooks. The hooks slide on the rod and the shower curtain moves with the hooks. [0003] A problem with the typical shower rod is that the cylindrical shape may make it apt to rotate either within the mount or on the wall. Due to the construction of the typical rod and the circular cross section there is typically little or no flexibility in the rod. Accordingly, if a door was opened and hit the rod the rod would not give and the round cross section of the typical rod can mar the door. Moreover, the impact of the door can affect the integrity of the rod or the mounting of the rod. For example, a spring tension rod may fall if enough tension is lost when the rod either is moved or rotates when hit by a door. Additionally, the mounts used to hold the rod may loosen as they absorb the shock of a door hitting the rod. [0004] The limited flexibility also makes installation of the rod more complicated as the rod can not be flexed to fit into a mount. Another problem with installation of a rod is that due to the circular cross section of the rod, the edge of the rod needs to be parallel to the wall or receiving portion of the mount. If the walls are not parallel or if the rod or mounts are not installed level, the edge may not be parallel and portions of the edge may not be in contact with the wall or mount. For a spring loaded rod this may result is less surface area providing the tension and a less stable connection. In addition, a rod can not easily be installed in shower enclosures not having two parallel walls due to the circular cross section. That is, the mount and the edge of the rod need to be at the same angle so that the mount can receive the rod. For a spring loaded rod, the edge would have to be formed to have a specific angle that aligned with the walls. [0005] Additionally, a rod can not easily be formed to other shapes that may be desirable. For example, it may be desirable to have a shower rod that traced the curvature of a tub. However, due to the circular cross section of the rod the rod would require straight ends surrounding a curved portion so that he rod could be received by a mount. Such a configuration of different portions is not desirable and may not be ascetically pleasing. Additionally, if the rod needed to be shortened or the amount of arc needed to be reduced it would require cuts to each end of the rod so as to maintain the arc in the middle. Moreover, unless the straight portions were of significant length, the length of the curved rod could not be shortened too much without eliminating the straight portions. [0006] Furthermore, using a shower rod doesn't allow a curtain-to lay flat. Rather, if the shower curtain is placed directly on the rod the roundness of the rod will show through the curtain. If hooks are used the curtain may be folded or pleated where the hooks are located. Moreover, the round cross section may cause friction with some fastening systems. [0007] Accordingly, there is need for an apparatus to hang shower curtains that is not apt to rotate, is flexible, does not require an edge to be parallel to the wall or mount it is to be installed on, can be formed to different shapes and or sizes, can easily be modified and provides an aesthetically pleasing look (e.g., allows the curtain to lay flat). SUMMARY [0008] A shower curtain bar is provided to hold shower curtains. The shower bar has a rectangular cross section with a flat front face. The rectangular cross section means that the bar is not apt to rotate. The flat front face helps prevent doors from being marred as they make contact with the bar. The shower bar may be made of a flexible but strong material so that the bar can be twisted to aid in installation and support the weight of the shower curtains. For example, the exact formation of the bar can change to support installations that are not exactly in accordance with specifications (e.g., non parallel walls). The flexibility may also absorb contact from a door. [0009] The bar may be a single piece or may be multiple pieces that are connected together. In order to connect the pieces together the pieces may have grooves formed therein. A stint may be placed in the grooves of each piece of the bar to secure the bar together. [0010] The bar may be supported using mounting brackets. The mounting brackets be permanently attached or removably attached to walls. The removably attached mounting brackets may include one or more suction cups to secure the bracket to the wall. The mounting brackets may also include a handle to hold the bracket that can also be used to force the air out of the suction cup and thus provide a vacuum sealed connection to the wall. The mounting bracket may also include an arm that is angled out to receive the bar. For example, the angled portion may have fingers that are received within grooves in the bar. [0011] According to one embodiment, the shower bar may be curved for certain installations. For example, for shower stalls that only have one or two walls the shower bar may be curved so as to form a stall for an individual to shower within. According to one embodiment, the shower bar may be curved (arced) to follow an arc of a tub (e.g., edge between tub portion and platform portion). The curved shower bar enables a shower curtain hanging therefrom to drape within the outer edge of the bathtub thus keeping the water within the tub while at the same time providing use of the entire tub. The curved shower bar has a particular arc and depth to it depending on the specifications of the tub that it is used with. The arc and depth can be modified by cutting a single edge of the bar. [0012] The shower bar can be used with shower curtains that use hooks or with Hookless.RTM. shower curtains, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,232. The shower bar enables the shower curtains to lay flat against the bar. The shower bar may include designs on the face of it. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013] The features and advantages of the various embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description in which: [0014] FIGS. 1A-B illustrate perspective and cross-sectional views of an example shower bar, according to one embodiment; [0015] FIGS. 2A-B illustrate top views of example shower bar installations between parallel and perpendicular walls respectively, according to one embodiment; [0016] FIGS. 3A-C illustrate top views of example curved shower bar installations between parallel, perpendicular and single walls respectively, according to one embodiment; [0017] FIG. 4 illustrates several example bars that are made up of separate pieces that are connected together, according to one embodiment; [0018] FIG. 5 illustrates an example mounting bracket, according to one embodiment; [0019] FIG. 6 illustrates an example mounting bracket, according to one embodiment; [0020] FIG. 7 illustrates an example shower configuration using a curved shower bar and suction cup mounting brackets, according to one embodiment; and Continue reading about Shower curtain bar... Full patent description for Shower curtain bar Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Shower curtain bar patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Shower curtain bar or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Shower curtain bar Next Patent Application: Sanitary fixture proxy Industry Class: Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Shower curtain bar patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.14777 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Electronics: Semiconductor , Audio , Illumination , Connectors , Crypto , 174 |
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