Reinforced floors for modular bathrooms

Abstract

Reinforced floor components of prefabricated bathroom pods. The floor components are reinforced and integrated into bathroom pods or other building units in such a manner as to add significant strength to the bathroom pods to resist bending, twisting and sagging, and/or to aid in lifting and supporting the weight of the bathroom pods, and thereby add to the structural integrity of the prefabricated bathroom pods to which they are attached.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . In a prefabricated bathroom pod adapted to be placed on a floor substrate in a building, the bathroom pod comprising a ceiling, a plurality of walls, electrical wiring and plumbing accessories, an improvement comprising:
 a bathroom floor component including a floor member, the bathroom floor component supported by a support substrate,   wherein the walls connect the ceiling to the support substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one elongated floor strengthening member attached to the floor member. 
     
     
         3 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 2 , wherein the floor member is comprised of two or more floor panels attached to each other via at least one of the elongated floor strengthening members. 
     
     
         4 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 1 , further comprising a support frame connected to the floor member. 
     
     
         5 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 4 , wherein the floor member is comprised of two or more floor panels. 
     
     
         6 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 1 , wherein the floor member defines an upper surface and a drain opening, and at least a portion of the upper surface being sloped toward the drain opening. 
     
     
         7 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 5 , wherein the floor member defines an upper surface and a drain opening, and at least a portion of the upper surface being sloped toward the drain opening. 
     
     
         8 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 3 , further comprising apertures defined by the support substrate adapted to receive fasteners to connect the bathroom floor component to the walls. 
     
     
         9 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 4 , further comprising recesses in a bottom surface of the floor member to receive the support frame in nested relation. 
     
     
         10 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 1 , wherein the support substrate defines an outer peripheral flange having a width substantially the same as a width of the pod walls. 
     
     
         11 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 1 , wherein the pod walls include wall board members connected thereto, and wherein the support substrate defines an outer peripheral flange having a width substantially the same as a width of the pod walls plus the thickness of the wall board. 
     
     
         12 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 10 , further comprising splashwalls connected to peripheral edges of the floor member. 
     
     
         13 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 1 , wherein the floor member is polyethylene or polyethylene foam. 
     
     
         14 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 12 , wherein the splashwalls are polyethylene or polyethylene foam. 
     
     
         15 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 1 , wherein the floor member is polyurethane or polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         16 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 12 , wherein the splashwalls are polyurethane or polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         17 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 1 , wherein the floor member includes an entrance area to provide ingress into and egress out of the bathroom pod, and wherein an upper surface of the floor member at the entrance area is substantially coplanar with an upper surface of the floor substrate of the building. 
     
     
         18 . In a premanufactured bathroom pod adapted to be placed on a floor substrate in a building, the bathroom pod having a ceiling and a plurality of walls, a reinforced floor system comprising:
 a floor member defining a first drain opening and an upper surface, at least a portion of the upper surface being sloped toward the drain opening;   a waterproof membrane surrounding the floor member; and   a support substrate defining a peripheral flange adapted to reside in registry with bottom edges of the walls.   
     
     
         19 . The floor system of  claim 18 , wherein the floor member is comprised of two or more floor panels. 
     
     
         20 . The floor system of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a plurality of spaced apertures defined by said peripheral flange adapted to receive fasteners therethrough to attach the floor system to the walls.   
     
     
         21 . The floor system of  claim 20 , wherein the floor member is comprised of two or more floor panels. 
     
     
         22 . The floor system of  claim 21 , further comprising longitudinal strengthening members between and interconnecting the two or more floor panels. 
     
     
         23 . The floor system of  claim 18 , wherein the floor member is comprised of a first, upper, floor panel and a second, lower, floor panel, the slope in the floor member being defined by an upper surface of the upper floor panel, the recesses being defined by a bottom surface of the lower floor panel. 
     
     
         24 . The floor system of  claim 18 , further comprising compression resisting members integrated into the peripheral flange adapted to transfer weight from said walls. 
     
     
         25 . The floor system of  claim 24 , wherein the compression resisting members are metal bushings situated in said apertures, and further wherein the bushings are hollow and adapted to receive said fasteners. 
     
     
         26 . The floor system of  claim 24 , wherein the compression resisting members comprise a plurality of spaced apart blocks of material that have higher compression resistance than the peripheral flange. 
     
     
         27 . The floor system of  claim 18 , wherein the floor member is polyurethane or polyurethane foam. 
     
     
         28 . The floor system of  claim 18 , wherein the slope of the floor member is created by CNC milling. 
     
     
         29 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 18 , wherein the floor member includes an entrance area to provide ingress into and egress out of the bathroom pod, and wherein an upper surface of the floor member at the entrance area is substantially coplanar with an upper surface of the floor substrate of the building. 
     
     
         30 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 24 , wherein the floor member includes an entrance area to provide ingress into and egress out of the bathroom pod, and wherein an upper surface of the floor member at the entrance area is substantially coplanar with an upper surface of the floor substrate of the building. 
     
     
         31 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 18 , further comprising one or more additional drain openings defined by a non-shower area of the floor member. 
     
     
         32 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 18 , further comprising one or more additional showers provided in the bathroom pod. 
     
     
         33 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 18 , wherein the floor member defines one or more non-shower sloped areas which are adapted to receive and drain water. 
     
     
         34 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 18 , further comprising one or more non-sloped floor areas defined by the floor member. 
     
     
         35 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 18 , wherein the floor member defines one or more non-shower sloped areas. 
     
     
         36 . The bathroom floor component of  claim 18 , further comprising one or more shower benches associated with the bathroom pod. 
     
     
         37 . In a prefabricated bathroom pod comprising a ceiling, a plurality of walls, electrical wiring and plumbing accessories, an improvement comprising:
 a plurality of peripheral strengthening members;   a plurality of longitudinal strengthening members;   a plurality of plastic or foam floor members; and   wherein the plurality of peripheral strengthening members are joined to the plurality of longitudinal strengthening members, defining a plurality pockets, and at least one of the plurality of floor members is disposed in each of the plurality of pockets.