SANITARY INSTALLATION AND ASSOCIATED ANGLED DOOR

Abstract

A sanitary installation is described that comprises at least one sanitary space, which can be closed, and whose pivot door is configured as a double-leaf angled door having a leaf composed of a material that is preferably transparent over its full area and having a leaf composed of an opaque material.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. A sanitary installation comprising at least one sanitary space that includes the respective sanitary units and that can be closed via a lockable pivot door, the sanitary installation comprising the pivot door, wherein the pivot door is configured as a double-leaf angled door having two leaves, a leaf of the two leaves being composed of a material that is transparent and a further leaf of the two leaves being composed of an opaque material, wherein the transparent leaf closes the sanitary space including the sanitary units in the unused or free state and the opaque leaf is transferred into the closed position corresponding to the occupied state by pivoting the transparent leaf when the sanitary space is entered.

13. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 12, wherein the transparent leaf is transparent over its full area.

14. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 12, wherein operating elements for pivoting, locking and unlocking the double-leaf angled door are only provided at mutually facing inner surfaces of both of the two leaves.

15. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 14, wherein the operating elements are configured as body-related operating strips.

16. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 14, wherein the body-related operating strips are operating strips that are actuatable by means of the hip, the thigh or the foot.

17. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 14, wherein the body-related operating strips are arranged in a region of a lower third of the leaves.

18. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 12, wherein the opaque leaf consists of stainless steel and the transparent leaf consists of clear glass.

19. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 12, wherein the double-leaf angled door is connected to an automatic drive in such a manner that it can be decoupled, said automatic drive being able to be triggered by actuation elements and/or sensors.

20. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 12, wherein the two leaves of the double-leaf angled door are designed such that they can be decoupled from one another.

21. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 12, wherein the two leaves of the double-leaf angled door are designed such that they can be decoupled from one another in the event of an emergency.

22. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 12, wherein the transparent leaf is used as a control and actuation element for at least one sensor that is associated with the position of the transparent leaf in its locked state.

23. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 22, wherein the transparent leaf controls cleaning, flushing and/or drying processes in the sanitary space.

24. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 22, wherein a cleaning and drying station is provided for the toilet seat of a toilet provided in the sanitary space, said cleaning and drying station receiving the toilet seat in the raised position and, just like the pivot movement of the toilet seat, being controllable in dependence on the position of the transparent leaf.

25. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 24, wherein the cleaning and drying station is a visible cleaning and drying station.

26. The sanitary installation in accordance with claim 23, wherein, for unisex use without an anteroom or with a common anteroom, each sanitary space is designed as a climatically closed unit sanitary space that is visibly directly accessible to every user.

27. An angled door comprising two leaves arranged substantially at a right angle to one another, wherein one leaf is composed of transparent material, and the other leaf is composed of an opaque material for use as a pivotable end for sanitary and toilet spaces.

28. The angled door in accordance with claim 27, wherein the angled door is configured as a public sanitary and/or toilet space.

29. The angled door in accordance with claim 27, wherein the leaf composed of a transparent material is composed over its full area of a transparent material.

30. The angled door in accordance with claim 27, wherein the leaf composed of a transparent material is composed of glass.

31. The angled door in accordance with claim 27, wherein the leaf composed of an opaque material is composed of stainless steel.

32. The angled door in accordance with claim 27, wherein the two leaves can be decoupled at their fixed angular position.

Description

[0034] Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained with reference to the following description of an embodiment example and to the drawing.

[0035] There is shown in the drawing:

[0036] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of a toilet installation in accordance with the invention comprising two sanitary spaces, wherein both spaces are shown in the free state, i.e. the unused state;

[0037] FIG. 2 the installation in accordance with FIG. 1, wherein in the left sanitary space the angled door is shown in the transition from the free state to the occupied state, i.e. in the state in which a person enters the room; and

[0038] FIG. 3 the system in accordance with FIG. 1, wherein the left sanitary space is shown in the occupied state and the right sanitary space is shown in the free state.

[0039] In conventional public toilets or toilet installations, there is the fundamental problem that, on the one hand, many users are not prepared to clean the toilet in the respective required manner after use and to leave the space in a hygienically unobjectionable condition and that, on the other hand, such installations are often confusing due to doors that are sometimes closed or only partly open in the unused state and a user must fear that a person is hiding in the space behind a door.

[0040] All this leads to the fact that the hygienic-aesthetic condition in these installations often leaves something to be desired and a subliminally uneasy feeling of insecurity can come over users when visiting such an installation.

[0041] The sanitary installation in accordance with the invention, such as is shown in FIG. 1, enables the user to see at a glance whether the cubicles are aesthetically clean and clearly “free”, whereby the current hygienic-aesthetic condition is no longer a secret and a subliminally uneasy feeling of insecurity can no longer arise.

[0042] Each sanitary space 1 of the installation, in which there is at least one toilet 2, which comprises a toilet seat 7 and preferably a cleaning station 9, and associated equipment such as a paper holder and in particular also a hand-washing basin, is equipped with an angled pivot door in accordance with the invention.

[0043] Each of these angled doors comprises a transparent leaf 3 and an opaque leaf 4, wherein the transparent leaf 3 is associated with the free state of the cubicle and the opaque leaf 4 is associated with the occupied state of the cubicle. The transparent leaf is in this respect preferably composed of clear glass; the opaque leaf 4 is composed of stainless steel or another opaque material.

[0044] At the mutually facing surfaces of the angled door, actuation elements 5, 6 are provided in the lower region of the respective door, by means of which actuation elements 5, 6 each of the two leaves 3, 4 is locked in the position closing the respective cubicle 1 and can be unlocked from this position.

[0045] As FIG. 1 shows, the cubicles are climatically sealed by the glass leaf in the unused state and it is possible to see immediately whether the cubicle or the sanitary space is in a hygienically unobjectionable condition and clean. Furthermore, it is immediately apparent that there are no concealed areas that could give rise to any feelings of insecurity with regard to people who may be hiding.

[0046] FIG. 2 shows the case where a person enters the left cubicle 1, i.e. the locking of the glass leaf has been released via the actuation element 5 or the actuation element 6 via hip, thigh or foot contact and the angled door—taken along by the respective person—is pivoted, whereby the passage opening is released by the glass leaf 3 and closed by the following opaque leaf 4 when the person is fully inside the cubicle. The unlocking via the actuation elements 5, 6 and the opening can again take place without using the hands. For this purpose, the actuation and locking elements are arranged in the lower region of the door so that the upper element can, for example, be triggered by the thigh or the lower element can be triggered by the foot or the footrest of a wheelchair.

[0047] Alternatively, the opening process can also be triggered automatically without operating elements by a motion sensor. A door movement is likewise possible in an automatic manner, wherein it is, however, in any case ensured that mechanical emergency actuation systems are provided. Thus, it is in particular possible to provide a releasable locking between the two leaves so that a single leaf can be pivoted in particular in the event of an emergency.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows the installation in accordance with FIG. 1 with an “occupied” cubicle shown at the left and a cubicle at the right that is indeed likewise closed, but is fully visible and can thus also be clearly checked with respect to the hygiene condition.

[0049] In the embodiment example shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, provision is made that after use of the toilet, the flush is triggered via a sensor and the toilet bowl is cleaned with high pressure. The toilet seat 7 is automatically raised into the cleaning position, wherein the cleaning and drying can be triggered immediately in the cleaning station 9 and/or on the opening of the cubicle via the glass leaf 3.

[0050] To leave the cubicle 1, the user has to unlock the door lock via the operating elements 5, 6 provided at the metal leaf 4, and indeed preferably again using the hip, the thigh, or the foot. In this case, the door or one of the two leaves can also be used to trigger the flush if the user has forgotten to flush.

[0051] If the glass leaf 3 is in the locked position again, further processes can be triggered in the fully visible cubicle that is always illuminated in the dark. For example, an automatic high-pressure floor cleaning can take place which a waiting visitor can also observe without it being possible for him to enter the cubicle since the cubicle is blocked for the cleaning time.

[0052] A further possibility to be mentioned is the attachment of movable handles 8 that make it easier for disabled users to use the toilet. These handles 8 are preferably attached at the ceiling side and can be moved from a lateral rest position into the user position located in the region of the toilet, wherein the control can again take place via sensors and the return of the handles 8 to the waiting position can also be controlled via the glass leaf 3.

[0053] It should also be mentioned that the states “free” and “occupied” can be indicated by corresponding colored signal elements or lighting elements to also facilitate the orientation for users who are not yet familiar with the door system in accordance with the invention that changes from transparent to opaque and back again.

[0054] Even though the installation in accordance with the invention can be designed in particularly high expansion or quality levels depending on the application, it is important to note that all the essential advantages described above are also provided by a simple mechanical solution.

[0055] It applies to all the embodiment variants that the respective user is aware when leaving the cubicle that the transparent door immediately provides a view into the cubicle and any waiting visitors can immediately see how the cubicle is currently being left.

[0056] This social control inevitably has the result that the user will leave the sanitary space only after careful inspection, i.e. the user will be strongly motivated by this social control to keep and to leave the cubicle in a clean condition in order not to be identified as a “dirty slob”.

[0057] In conjunction with the avoidance of hand contacts already described above and the reduction in germ transmission associated therewith, this aspect cannot be overestimated in its positive effect, which will lead to improved hygiene in public sanitary installations, for example at railway stations, in shopping centers, in public places, in hotels, restaurants, etc., and could even increase the acceptance of temporarily installed toilets.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

[0058] 1 cubicle [0059] 2 toilet [0060] 3 glass leaf [0061] 4 metal leaf [0062] 5 operating element [0063] 6 operating element [0064] 7 toilet seat [0065] 8 handle [0066] 9 cleaning station