Wall Niche Installations and Related Methods

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

Priority is claimed of and to German Patent Application Serial No. 20 2024 106 699.5, filed Nov. 20, 2024, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present technology relates generally to installation kits, assemblies and methods for making and installing wall niches.

Summary of the Claims

In accordance with one aspect of the technology, an installation kit is provided for producing a wall niche. The kit can include a watertight container having a rear wall and a peripheral wall and having an access opening on its front side. A frame can border the peripheral wall of the container and can be designed as a separate component and can be configured to be pushed onto the container from the front. The frame can include: a side wall area which, when the frame is pushed onto the container, borders the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the container, at least a portion of the side wall resting against at least a portion of the outer surface of the peripheral wall; and a front wall area which can extend outwards in a flange-like manner in relation to the side wall area and can form an angle of about 90° with the side wall area. A transition area between the side wall area and the front wall area can be shaped in such a way that, when the frame is pushed onto the container, the transition area forms a joint space which is accessible at the front side and extends at least substantially all the way around and is intended for receiving a mounting adhesive, which can be a sealing mounting adhesive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective, exploded view showing an installation kit according to one embodiment of the present technology including a container, a frame and a sealing collar;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the container;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the container;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the frame;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the frame;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the frame;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the container and the frame after some assembly steps have been carried out; and

FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of the container, the frame and the sealing collar after further assembly steps have been carried out.

The same reference numbers relate hereafter to identical or similar components or component ranges.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.

Definitions

As used herein, the singular forms “a” and “the” can include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a wall” can include one or more of such walls, if the context dictates.

As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to the complete or nearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. As an arbitrary example, an object that is “substantially” enclosed is an article that is either completely enclosed or nearly completely enclosed. The exact allowable degree of deviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend upon the specific context. However, generally speaking the nearness of completion will be so as to have the same overall result as if absolute and total completion were obtained. The use of “substantially” is equally applicable when used in a negative connotation to refer to the complete or near complete lack of an action, characteristic, property, state, structure, item, or result. As another arbitrary example, a composition that is “substantially free of” an ingredient or element may still actually contain such item so long as there is no measurable effect as a result thereof.

As used herein, the term “about” is used to provide flexibility to a numerical range endpoint by providing that a given value may be “a little above” or “a little below” the endpoint.

Relative directional terms can sometimes be used herein to describe and claim various components of the present invention. Such terms include, without limitation, “upward,” “downward,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” etc. These terms are generally not intended to be limiting, but are used to most clearly describe and claim the various features of the invention. Where such terms must carry some limitation, they are intended to be limited to usage commonly known and understood by those of ordinary skill in the art in the context of this disclosure. Generally, directional terms used in this application, such as “top” or “bottom” refer to the installed state. The formulations “substantially vertical” and “substantially horizontal” are to be construed such that the main extension direction is vertical and horizontal, respectively.

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list for convenience. However, these lists should be construed as though each member of the list is individually identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary.

Numerical data may be expressed or presented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such a range format is used merely for convenience and brevity and thus should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include all the individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that range as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. As an illustration, a numerical range of “about 1 to about 5” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 1 to about 5, but also include individual values and sub-ranges within the indicated range. Thus, included in this numerical range are individual values such as 2, 3, and 4 and sub-ranges such as from 1-3, from 2-4, and from 3-5, etc., as well as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, individually.

This same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical value as a minimum or a maximum. Furthermore, such an interpretation should apply regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristics being described.

Invention

The present technology relates generally to kits, assemblies and related methods for forming and/or installing wall niches. Such installation kits can be used in drywall construction to create a wall niche that can then be used, for example, as a shower shelf or the like. A major advantage of such installation kits is that it takes very little time to create the wall niche on site. In addition, if the container is waterproof, it can be integrated into a wall-side surface seal, as is installed in damp rooms, without any major problems. Examples of such installation kits are described, for example, in the publications DE 20 2018 001 321 U1 and EP 3 587 682 B1.

The present technology creates an alternative installation kit of the above-mentioned type that can be easily installed and can be installed in a visually varied manner.

In one aspect, the present technology can provide an installation kit for producing a wall niche, including a watertight container having a rear wall and a peripheral wall and having an access opening on its front side, and a frame which borders the peripheral wall of the container and is designed as a separate component and is configured to be pushed onto the container from the front, the frame having a side wall area which, when the frame is pushed onto the container, borders the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the container and, at least in some regions, rests against the outer surface of the peripheral wall, and a front wall area which extends outwards in a flange-like manner in relation to the side wall area and forms an angle of 90° with the side wall area. A transition area between the side wall area and the front wall area is shaped in such a way that, when the frame is pushed onto the container, it forms a joint space which is accessible at the front side and extends at least substantially all the way around and is intended for receiving a mounting adhesive, in particular a sealing mounting adhesive. Thanks to the fact that the container and the frame form separate components, the frame pushed onto the container can basically be moved freely along the side walls of the container and arranged in different positions accordingly. In this way, the visual appearance can be varied. Thus, the outer surface of the front wall area of the frame can be flush with the front edge of the peripheral wall of the container. It is also possible to have the front edge of the peripheral wall of the container project outwardly with respect to the outer surface of the front wall area of the frame. However, due to the two-part design of the container and frame, a gap inevitably remains between the components. On the one hand, this should be as small as possible in order to ensure a good relative alignment between the container and the frame. On the other hand, the gap should be sufficiently large to be able to properly seal it with a waterproof mounting adhesive, such as silicone adhesive or the like, in applications that are to be waterproofed, for example, if the installation kit is to be used to create a niche within a shower. In order to resolve these contradictory requirements for the gap width, the technology provides for a transition area between the side wall area and the front wall area of the frame, which is designed in such a way that it forms an at least essentially circumferential joint space for receiving the mounting adhesive. In this way, a sufficiently large joint is created despite the side wall area of the frame being in contact with the circumferential wall of the container in the assembled state.

According to a first variant of the present technology, the side wall area can have a single peripheral side wall, which, in particular in the case of a welded construction, results in a simple structure and simple production.

Alternatively, the side wall area can include a plurality of side wall area sections arranged or distributed around the periphery. This variant is advantageous if the frame is bent out of a sheet metal blank.

According to one embodiment of the installation kit according to the technology, the frame can include a plurality of corners, can be of round, square or rectangular design, and the side wall area can have a number of side wall area sections corresponding to the number of corners and the transition area can have a number of transition area sections corresponding to the number of side wall area sections.

The side wall area sections of the frame can each be trapezoidal and can taper towards the rear. Such a structure offers manufacturing advantages.

The front wall area can have a single continuous front wall or a plurality of front wall sections arranged or distributed around the periphery.

The container can advantageously be made of metal or plastic. In the case of metal, the rear wall and the side walls can be soldered or welded together. In the case of plastic, thermally produced connections or adhesive connections can be used.

However, the container can also be manufactured in one piece by means of deep drawing or the like.

The visible surface of the container can be provided with a coating, for example in the form of a powder coating, a varnish or the like.

The joint space can have, at least at one point, a width in the range from 3 to 5 mm and/or the joint space can have, at least at one point, a depth in the range from 3 to 5 mm.

According to one embodiment of the present technology, the frame can be produced from sheet metal, in particular can be bent from a single sheet-metal blank.

Mechanical fasteners can advantageously be provided for attaching the frame to the container. These fasteners can be used to fix the frame in the desired position on the container.

The side wall area can be provided with at least one slot extending in the direction of pushing-on, and the peripheral wall of the container can be provided with an outwardly projecting threaded pin that can be inserted into the slot, and a nut can fit the threaded pin and a washer can be provided. Advantageously, several pairs of slots can be provided along with associated threaded pins, which can be arranged in pairs opposite each other, in order to enable the frame to be fixed to the container as symmetrically as possible.

According to one embodiment of the present technology, a sealing collar can be provided which can be designed to be glued to the outer surface of the front wall area of the frame and can be dimensioned such that it projects outwards over the frame. Such an annular sealing collar serves to tightly connect the frame to a surface seal provided on the wall. It can also be formed by several individual sealing strips.

The sealing collar can be provided on one or both sides with an adhesion promoting layer, which can be in the form of a layer of fabric or nonwoven. Such an adhesion promoting layer can serve as a primer for tile adhesive, filler material or the like.

Turning now to the figures, FIGS. 1 to 7 show an exemplary installation kit 1 according to one embodiment of the present technology. The installation kit 1 can be used to create a wall niche and can include as main components a container 2, a frame 3 and a sealing collar 4. The container 2 and the frame 3 can have a rectangular shape when viewed from the front. However, it should be clear that, in principle, other shapes are also possible, such as, for example, the shape of any polygon, a circular shape or an oval shape, to name just a few examples.

The container 2 can be made, in one example, of sheet metal. Other materials, however, can also be used, such as plastic. The container can also be provided, at least on its visible surfaces when installed, with a coating, for example with a powder coating, a varnish or the like. The container 2 can include a rear wall 5 and a peripheral wall 6 connected to the rear wall in a watertight manner. The peripheral or side wall can be formed by four peripheral wall sections 6a-d (FIGS. 3 and 4), which can be arranged in parallel pairs. The container 2 can be provided with an access opening 7 (FIG. 4) on its front side. At positions lying opposite one another, threaded pins 8 (FIGS. 8 and 9) can be attached to the peripheral wall 6, which can then project outwards, in this case at right angles, from the peripheral wall 6. In the illustrated embodiment, four threaded pins 8 are provided, although in principle a different number can be chosen.

The frame 3, which in the present case can also be made of sheet metal, forms a separate component that is designed to be pushed onto the container 2 from the front. It can be bent out of, or formed from, a single sheet metal blank. The frame 3 can also be a welded construction, or can be formed of or from one or more plastic parts. The frame 3 can include a side wall area 9, which, when the frame 3 is pushed onto the container 2 (FIG. 8), can border the outer surface of the peripheral wall 6 of the container 2 and, at least in some regions, rest against the outer surface of the peripheral wall 6. A front wall area 10 can be designed to be circumferential and can extend outwards in a flange-like manner in relation to the side wall area 9 and can form an angle of about 90° with the side wall area 9. A transition area 11 can connect the side wall area 9 and the front wall area 10 to one another.

In the illustrated embodiment, the side wall area 9 has four circumferentially distributed side wall area sections 9a-d (FIGS. 6 and 7), which are each trapezoidal in shape and taper towards the rear and can, in this embodiment, each extend as close as possible to the corners on both sides. The front wall area 10 can be provided on its front and/or rear side (or can be formed as) an adhesion promoting layer, in particular in the form of a woven or nonwoven layer (14 in FIG. 1), in order to facilitate the attachment of the sealing collar 4 and/or the attachment of the frame 3 to a wall.

The transition area 11 can be formed by four transition area sections 11a-d (FIGS. 6 and 7). These can be configured in such a way that, when the frame 3 is pushed onto the container 2, the transition area 11 can form a joint space that is accessible at the front and extends partially or fully all the way around, for receiving a mounting adhesive, in particular a sealing mounting adhesive. The transition area can be realized by a correspondingly rounded bent edge, or any number of space or joint-producing geometries. The joint space can have a width b in the range of 3 to 5 mm, at least at one point or location, and/or a depth t in the range of 3 to 5 mm, at least at one point or location. One or more side wall area sections 9a and 9c can be arranged opposite each other and can be provided with slots 12 extending in the direction of pushing-on (e.g., in the direction shown by 15 in FIG. 1), the positions of which can be selected according to the positions of the threaded pins 8. Four nuts 13 that fit the threaded pins 8, and a corresponding number of washers, can also be provided to secure the components in a desired position.

The ring-shaped sealing collar 4 can be designed to be glued to the front outer surface of the front wall area 10 of the frame 3. The collar can be dimensioned in such a way that it projects outwards over the frame 3: that is, its largest outer diameter is greater than the outer diameter of the frame. The sealing sleeve or collar 4 can be provided on the front side with an adhesion promoting layer 14, which can be in the form of a woven or nonwoven fabric layer. Tiles or other veneer materials can be bonded to the face of the fabric layer. On the rear side, the sealing sleeve 4 can likewise be provided with such an adhesion promoting layer or with an adhesive layer to facilitate attachment to the frame 3.

To create a wall niche, for example in a shower, the frame 3 can be pushed onto the container 2 from the front in the direction of the arrow 15 shown in FIG. 1. During the pushing movement, the threaded pins 8 of the container 2 can be inserted into the corresponding slots 12 of the frame 3. The installer can choose how far to slide the frame 3 onto the container 2 to achieve the desired visual appearance. After reaching the desired position, the frame can be fixed in place using the nuts 13 and optionally the washers, as shown for example in FIG. 8. Thereupon, the gap between the container 2 and the frame 3 can be sealed by filling the joint space formed by the transition area 11 with a waterproof mounting adhesive 16, for example with silicone or the like. The container 2 with the frame 3 fixed to it can be inserted into a prefabricated opening 17 in a drywall construction 18 provided with a surface seal. To do this, for example, the rear side of the front wall area 10 of the frame 3 can be glued to the drywall construction 18. The sealing collar 4 can be glued from the front onto the frame 3 and the areas of the sealing collar 4 that project from the frame 3 can be glued onto the surface seal of the drywall construction 18, as shown for example in FIG. 9. The drywall construction 18 can be tiled or primed, as desired.

It should be clear that the embodiments described above are not to be understood as restrictive. Rather, changes and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of protection defined by the accompanying claims.

REFERENCE NUMBERS

• • 1 Installation kit
  • 2 Container
  • 3 Frame
  • 4 Sealing collar
  • 5 Rear wall
  • 6 Peripheral wall
  • 7 Access opening
  • 8 Threaded pin
  • 9 Side wall area
  • 9a-d Side wall area sections
  • 10 Front wall area
  • 11 Transition area
  • 11a-d Transition area sections
  • 12 Slot
  • 13 Nut
  • 14 Adhesion promoting layer
  • 15 Arrow
  • 16 Mounting adhesive
  • 17 Opening
  • 18 Drywall
  • b Joint width
  • t Joint depth