Shower curtain bar
View Patent ↗In some embodiments an apparatus to hold shower curtains is disclosed. The apparatus includes a shower bar and mounting brackets. The mounting brackets are connected to at least one wall to receive the shower bar. The shower bar may be made of a flexible material that has a rectangular cross section and a rounded upper edge. The rectangular cross section enables the shower curtains to lay flat on the bar. The flexible material may enable the shower bar to be flexed during installation or to absorb contact from an object. Other embodiments are otherwise disclosed herein.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a pair of mounting brackets to mount to one or more shower walls, wherein the mounting brackets have a vertical groove formed therein having a rectangular cross section, wherein the grooves are at an angle extending outwards from a straight line between the mounting brackets mounted to the one or more shower walls, wherein each mounting bracket includes a mounting face to abut the shower wall, a front face extending substantially perpendicular from the mounting face, a receiving face extending substantially perpendicular from the front face so as to be substantially parallel to the mounting face, wherein the receiving face is shorter than the mounting face, and a inner face extending between the receiving face and the mounting face, wherein the receiving face has the vertical groove formed therein extending from the receiving face toward the mounting face at an angle, wherein the angle is away from the front face, and wherein the inner face has holes formed therein that extend through the mounting surface to accept screws for mounting the mounting brackets to the shower walls; and
a bar having a rectangular cross section that is less than the rectangular cross section of the grooves, wherein the bar has a continuous angle of curvature formed therein, wherein the bar is made of a flexible material that enables the bar to be flexed including along the angle of curvature, wherein the bar is to be inserted in the groove with the bar curving outward from the straight line between the mounting brackets, wherein the angle of curvature within the groove provides a tension that supports the bar in a substantially vertical plane to a shower floor, and wherein the vertical groove keeps the bar from twisting.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein configuration of the mounting brackets with respect to each other defines configuration of the bar therebetween.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the configuration of the bar therebetween includes distance the bar extends outward from the straight line between the mounting brackets and arced shape of the bar therebetween.
4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the configuration of the mounting brackets includes arrangement of the shower walls that the mounting brackets are mounted to, alignment of the mounting brackets with respect to each other, and distance separating the mounting brackets.
5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the continuous angle of curvature of the bar enables length of the bar to be shortened while maintaining the continuous angle of curvature by cutting a single end of the bar, and wherein the length of the bar further defines the configuration of the bar between the mounting brackets.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tension on the bar within the groove enables distance between mounting brackets to be reduced while still retaining the outward curvature of the bar from the straight line between the mounting brackets by reducing length of the bar, wherein the length can be reduced by cutting only one end of the bar.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tension on the bar within the groove enables distance the bar extends outward from the straight line between the mounting brackets to be reduced by reducing length of the bar, wherein the length can be reduced by cutting only one end of the bar.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vertical groove keeps the bar having a rectangular cross section from twisting.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising inserts, wherein the shower walls include tub insert walls and wherein the mounting brackets are secured to the shower walls through the tub insert walls, and wherein the inserts are placed between the mounting brackets and the shower walls to provide support to the tub insert walls.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the mounting brackets is a single piece.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tension created between the grove and the bar and the flexible nature of the bar enable the apparatus to be installed in various configurations.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the various configurations include arrangement of the shower walls that the mounting brackets are mounted to, alignment of the mounting brackets with respect to each other, and distance separating the mounting brackets.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the holes formed in the inner face are counter sunk.