AU654060B2

AU654060B2 - Hob construction

Info

Publication number: AU654060B2
Application number: AU29622/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Trevor Maxwell Hill
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-11-25
Filing date: 1992-11-24
Publication date: 1994-10-20
Anticipated expiration: 2012-11-24
Also published as: AU2962292A

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: "HOB CONSTRUCTION" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to the Applicant:- This invention relates to the hobs customarily provided to at least partly define the floor area of a shower recess or cubicle. Such a hob comprises a mound or ridge in the floor over which a person may easily step when entering the cubicle. It serves to prevent shower water from escaping from the cubicle and running over the floor of the room in which the cubicle is situated.

Usually the cubicle is positioned so that one or more of its walls coincide with, or are part of, the walls of the room in which the cubicle is situated. Thus for the most part hobs are either straight in plan underlying the door of the cubicle or are right angled in plan underlying the door and an adjacent cubicle wall. In any event the ends of hobs according to the invention abut room walls or their equivalent.

or mo oi o 00 a G 0 o one o 0 o o D o os I 1 4. j. r j 2 Hitherto hobs have usually comprised a course of bricks set in mortar and laid end to end or a cast in situ concrete rib. That brick course or that rib has then usually been covered with floor tiles corresponding to those covering the cubicle floor or the room floor or i 5 both, as desired.

i It has been found that conventional hobs as discussed above are prone to develop cracks or other flaws allowing objectionable seepage of water from the cubicle into the surrounding structure. This is due to the lack of flexibility in the hob and the joints between it and the room's walls or floor, rendering it unable to accommodate the settling of the building on its foundations or the differential expansion and contraction of the hob and its surrounding floor and wall structures.

Therefore an object of this invention is to provide an improved hob construction better able to resist water seepage from the cubicle in the S 15 long term.

6 The invention consists in a cubicle hob in the form of an elongated mound in the floor of a building extending between two points on a wall or walls of the building, said hob comprising end abutments, which are short in the direction of the hob relative to the hob as a whole, at each end of the hob adhered to the floor and the wall adjacent each end, a rib member having inverted channel sectioned end portions overlying the respective end abutments, and a layer of resilient, waterproof, gap filling adhesive interposed between the rib member and the abutments and between the rib member and the floor.

Thus hobs according to the invention are in three main parts with a resilient filler therebetween. This enables the parts to move relative to -h i IC r~ 3 each other to a slight extent without fractures or cracks forming, and because of the relative smallness of the abutments adhered to the wall and floor they may move as one with those structures, and the adhesive bond between the abutments and the wall or floor may withstand differential expansion and contraction between those components without cracking.

According to another aspect the invention further provides a cubicle incorporating a hob according to the invention and further comprising a seamless waterproofing membrane applied to cover the floor area of the cubicle, at least the lower parts of the walls and the two end abutments.

Preferably the resilient layer of a water proof, gap filling adhesive is applied to the exposed surfaces of the abutments or to the inner surfaces of said end portions or both, and to the underside of the rib 00 o o oo member or the membrane surface underlying it in the finished cubicle or both whereby the rib member is adhered to the membrane and the o abutments.

The invention further provides a method of constructing a hob according to the invention comprising the steps of: adhering each end abutment to the floor and the wall at positions where the hob is to terminate, applying a painted on layer of a seamless waterproofing membrane to cover the floor area of the cubicle, at least the lower parts of the room walls and the end abutments, applying the resilient layer in the form of a water proof, gap filling adhesive to the exposed surfaces of the abutments or to the end parts of the inner surfaces of the member or both, and to the undersides of 40 -p 0000 4 the member or the membrane surface underlying them in the finished construction or both, and then emplacing the rib member in contact with the membrane and the abutments.

By way of example an embodiment of the above-described invention is described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an end abutment, being one component of a hob according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an end part of a rib member, being another component of a hob according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a partly cut away perspective view of a lower part of a shower cubicle including a hob according to the invention.

The illustrated embodiment comprises two end abutments 4 and a 15 rib member 5. Each of those components may be a fibre reinforced plastics moulding. At least the outer surface of the rib member 5 is smooth and preferably it incorporates a pigment providing an ornamental colouration.

Each end abutment 4 comprises a hollow box shaped body 6 comprising two side walls, a top wall and one end wall and a peripheral flange 7.

The rib member 5 comprises an inverted channel sectioned body 8 and edge flanges 9.

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0 01 00 0 000000 £000 00 0 1 00 The cubicle illustrated by figure 3 is effectively a partitioned off corner of a bathroom comprising a floor and two walls. In the present instance the room floor comprises timber bearers 10 supporting flooring panels 11. The walls comprise timber framing 12 and wall panels 13.

However, it will be appreciated that these components form no part of the invention and the floor and walls may be of any conventional construction.

In accordance with the invention two end abutments 4 are adhered to the panels 11 and 13 at positions where the hob is to terminate against the bathroom walls. The flanges 7 provide for a contact area for the adhesive, which may be any appropriate proprietary adhesive, for example a two pack epoxy resin adhesive.

:o A painted on layer of a seamless waterproofing membrane 14 is then applied to the panels 11 and 13 to cover the floor area of the 8° °o 15 cubicle and at least the lower parts of the room walls. That membrane also covers the two end abutments 4. The membrane 14 may also be a proprietary item, for example one of several acrylic or urethane based products sold for this purpose, and which harden on exposure to form a tough, impervious layer.

A water proof, gap filling adhesive is then applied to the exposed surfaces of the abutments 4 or to the end parts of the inner surfaces of J 0° the member 8 or both, and to the undersides of the flanges 9 or the membrane surface underlying them in the finished construction or both, and the rib member 5 is then emplaced in contact with the membrane 14 and overlying the abutments 4.

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6 Next the walls may be tiled in conventional manner and floor tiles put in place on a layer of cement 15 covering the flanges 9. This leaves the crown of the member 5 exposed and projecting above the floor tiles to constitute a hob.

In the illustrated instance the cubicle may be finished off by a transparent or other wall panel 16 and cubicle door (not shown) mounted in conventional manner by means of glazing strips and door abutments adhered to the member 5. In other embodiments the member may be moulded with appropriate formations integral with it.

Also the member may be shaped to provide a top wall with an inclined inner edge margin to shed shower water. It may of course be otherwise shaped for decorative purposes if desired.

4 4

Claims

1. A cubicle hob in the form of an elongated mound in the floor of a building extending between two points on a wall or walls of the building, said hob comprising end abutments, which are short in the direction of the hob relative to the hob as a whole, at each end of the hob adhered to the floor and the wall adjacent each end, a rib member having inverted channel sectioned end portions overlying the respective end abutments, and a layer of resilient, waterproof, gap filling adhesive interposed between the rib member and the abutments and between the rib member and the floor.

2. A hob according to claim 1 wherein each end abutment comprises a hollow box shaped body comprising two side walls, a top wall and one end wall and a peripheral flange.

3. A hob according either claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the rib member comprises an inverted channel sectioned body and edge flanges.

4. A hob according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each end abutment and/or the rib member is a fibre reinforced plastics moulding.

5. A hob according to any one of the preceding claims wherein S 20 the rib member is provided with a smooth outer surface.

6. A hob according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rib member is shaped to provide a top wall with an inclined inner edge margin. 1 .I I t r ct r c rr ct Irr~ ct r r I I- 1 ii 8

7. A hob substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A cubicle incorporating a hob according to any one of the preceding claims and further comprising a seamless waterproofing membrane applied to cover the floor area of the cubicle, at least the lower parts of the walls and the two end abutments.

9. A cubicle according to claim 8 wherein the resilient layer of a water proof, gap filling adhesive is applied to the exposed surfaces of the abutments or to the inner surfaces of said end portions or both, and to the underside of the rib member or the membrane surface underlying it in the finished cubicle or both whereby the rib member is adhered to o the membrane and the abutments.

010. A method of constructing a hob of the kind defined in any one of the preceding claims comprising the steps of: adhering each end abutment to the floor and the wall at positions where the hob is to terminate, II*, applying a painted on layer of a seamless waterproofing 0 membrane to cover the floor area of the cubicle, at least the lower parts 20 of the room walls and the end abutments, 0:.0i applying the resilient layer in the form of a water proof, gap filling adhesive to the exposed surfaces of the abutments or to the end parts of the inner surfaces of the member or both, and to the undersides of the member or the membrane surface underlying them in the finished i It .7 construction or both, and then emplacing the rib member in contact with the membrane and the abutments. Applicant Attorney TREVOR MAXWELL HILL Date 24 November 1992 ROBERT G. SHELSTON F.I.P.A.A. of CARTER SMITH BEADLE or r a ri It I (I r It I~ 1 L 1 (;(L1OI a a rIa a r i rLni rr i Ii A Ar o sqr I as I I 1 C ABSTRACT The invition relates to the hobs customarily provided to at least partly define the floor area of a shower recess or cubicle and provides an improved cubicle hob in the form of an elongated mound in the floor of a building extending between two points on a wall or walls of the building, said hob comprising two 2nd abutments 4, which are short in the direction of the hob relative to the hob as a whole, at each end of the hob adhered to the floor 11 and the wall 13 adjacent each end, a rib member 5 having inverted channel sectioned end portions 8 overlying the respective end abutments A and a layer of resilient, waterproof, gap filling adhesive interposed between the rib member 5 and the abutments 4 and between the rib member 5 and the floor

11. This enables the components to move relative to each other to a slight extent without fractures or cracks forming, and because of the relative smallness of the abutments 4 adhered to the wall 13 and floor 11 they may move as one with those structures, and the adhesive bond between the abutments 4 and the wall 13 or floor 11 may withstand differential expansion and contraction between those components without cracking. A cubicle incorporating a hob according to the invention further comprises a seamless waterproofing membrane 14 applied to cover the floor area 11 of the cubicle, at least the lower parts of the walls 13 and the two end abutments 4. The resilient layer of a water proof, gap filling adhesive is applied to the exposed surfaces of the abutments 4 or to the inner surfaces of said end portions 8 or both, and to the underside of the rib member 5 or the membrane surface 14 underlying it in the finished cubicle or both whereby the rib member 5 is adhered to the membrane 14 and the abutments 4.