AU2011218735B2

AU2011218735B2 - Adjustable shower arm

Info

Publication number: AU2011218735B2
Application number: AU2011218735A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Andrew Cocks
Original assignee: Phoenix Industries Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Phoenix Industries Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-09-03
Filing date: 2011-09-02
Publication date: 2016-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 2031-09-02
Also published as: AU2011218735A1

Abstract

Abstract An adjustable shower arm, includes a body (16) defining a passageway (17) for water, and a pivot pin (38, 39) on the body connectable to either a wall attachment or a shower head for pivotal movement of the body with respect to the wall attachment or shower 5 head. A clamping mechanism includes a nut (42) that can be rotatably released to allow the aforesaid pivotal movement and can be rotatably engaged to prevent the pivotal movement by a clamping action. The nut has an inner portion (50) engageable with the pivot pin and an outer cover (52) engageable by fingers to rotate the nut. The outer cover has a first position relative to the inner portion in which the outer cover 10 engages the inner portion for rotation of the nut for the clamping action, and a second position in which the outer cover is freely rotatable with respect to the inner portion when the nut is preventing the aforesaid pivotal movement by clamping action, whereby the outer cover can be positioned in any desired orientation with respect to body of the shower arm.

Description

Adjustable shower arm

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to adjustable shower arms, and more particularly to the wing nut arrangement for locking and unlocking the adjustability of the shower arm.

Background of the invention

Adjustable shower arms have been developed to allow the height and angle of the shower head to be adjusted to provide a comfortable experience for individuals. A wall attachment is provided with a water supply line, and the shower arm positions and orients the shower head relative to the wall attachment. Two pivot points are provided, the first between the wall attachment and the shower arm and the second between the shower arm and the shower head. The pivot points are wing nut arrangements that allow the unclamping of the pivots to allow the angle of the shower arm with respect to the wall attachment and/or the shower head with respect to the shower arm to be adjusted. The wing nuts can then be tightened to clamp the pivots to hold the desired position. The adjustment of the shower arm means that the shower head can be raised or lowered for the different heights of individuals and the angle of the shower head can be changed so that the water shoots straight down or straight across the shower, or at an angle in-between.

The problem with existing adjustable shower arms is the inability to incorporate the standard wing nut design into modern stylish shower arm designs. Given the industrial appearance of standard wing nuts, there is a move by designers to steer clear of adjustable shower arms in higher end products. Unfortunately, this means that the functionality of such systems is also not incorporated.

There is therefore a need to provide an alternate design for adjustable shower arms that preferably maintains the functional advantages of the wing nut.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect the present invention provides an adjustable shower arm, including: a body defining a passageway for water; at least one pivot pin on said body connectable to either a wall attachment or a shower head for pivotal movement of the body with respect to said wall attachment or shower head; and a clamping mechanism including a nut that can be rotatably released to allow said pivotal movement and can be rotatably engaged to prevent said pivotal movement by a clamping action, the nut having an inner portion engageable with the pivot pin and an outer cover engageable by fingers to rotate the nut; wherein the outer cover has a first position relative to the inner portion in which the outer cover engages the inner portion for rotation of the nut for said clamping action, and a second position in which the outer cover is freely rotatable with respect to the inner portion when the nut is preventing said pivotal movement by clamping action, whereby the outer cover can be positioned in any desired orientation with respect to body of the shower arm.

According to a second aspect the present invention provides an adjustable shower arm assembly, including: a shower arm having a body defining a passageway for water, a first pivot pin on said body connectable to a wall attachment for pivotal movement of the body with respect to the wall attachment and a second pivot pin on said body spaced from the first pivot pin and connectable to a shower head for pivotal movement of the shower head with respect to said body; and a clamping mechanism at each pivot pin, including a nut that can be rotatably released to allow the respective pivotal movement and can be rotatably engaged to prevent the respective pivotal movement by a clamping action, the nut having an inner portion engageable with the pivot pin and an outer cover engageable by fingers to rotate the nut; wherein the outer cover has a first position in which the outer cover engages the inner portion for rotation of the nut for said clamping action, and a second position in which the outer cover is freely rotatable with respect to the inner portion when the nut is preventing the respective movement by clamping action, whereby the outer cover can be positioned in any desired orientation with respect to the shower arm.

Preferably, the inner portion of the nut has an externally splined section. Preferably the outer cover includes an internally splined section. The two splined sections align in the first position to engage, thus allowing rotation of the inner portion and outer cover together. The inner portion also preferably includes an internal thread, such that it can engage on an external thread on the pivot pin, whereby rotation of the inner portion onto the pivot pin clamps the nut against the wall attachment or shower head structures to prevent pivoting.

The splined connection between the inner portion and the outer cover allows the outer cover to slide along the inner portion, into engagement in the first position and out of engagement in the second position. The inner portion may include a groove adjacent the splined section such that sliding of the splines of the outer cover into the groove allows for free rotation of the outer cover with respect to the inner portion.

The wall attachment and the shower head preferably each include a mounting section that includes two parallel outer surfaces with a passage extending between them through the mounting section. The pivot pin may project perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension of the shower arm, with the pivot pin projecting through the passage to protrude from the mounting section to receive the nut. The shower arm may include an abutting surface, such that the mounting section slides onto the pivot pin, with the first outer surface coming into contact with the abutting surface. The nut is then threaded onto the pivot pin and clamps against the second outer surface, clamping the mounting section between the nut and the abutting surface to prevent said pivotal movement.

The outer cover may include finger depressions to allow for easy rotation of the nut. The outer cover may be a single structure or may be provided in two part form, whereby a retaining ring is provided that includes the internally splined section. The retaining ring may sit within a recess in the end of the outer cover, and may be secured by screws. The inner portion may include a friction o-ring. The o-ring preferably sits at the opposite end of the inner portion to the splined section. The o-ring preferably frictionally engages against an inner bore in the outer cover to slow down the sliding of the outer cover and thereby assists in holding the outer cover in either the first position or the second position. The o-ring is preferably held between two projecting rings, which may project out at a distances such that the sliding movement of the outer cover causes the internal splines to abut against them, preventing the outer cover from being fully removed from the inner portion.

Advantageously, the nut has an outer profile that corresponds to the profile of an adjacent part of the mounting section. The invention allows the nut profile to be rotated after tightening to be aligned with the mounting section.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a shower arm assembly according to the present invention, with the locking nut in the first, aligned, position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the shower arm assembly of Figure 1, with the locking nut in the second, unlocked, position;

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the shower arm assembly of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional bottom view of the shower arm assembly as seen in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a close up view of the area marked 5 in Figure 3, with the locking nut in the second position;

Figure 6 is a close up view of the area marked 6 in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a partially exploded isometric view of the shower arm assembly, corresponding to the view of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a partially exploded cross-sectional view of the shower arm assembly, corresponding to the view of Figure 4;

Figure 9 is a close up view of the area marked 9 in Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is an close up partially exploded isometric view of the detail shown in Figure 9.

Detailed description of the embodiments A shower arm 10 is shown in the Figures connected to a shower head 12 and a wall attachment 14. The shower arm 10 includes a tubular body or section 16 defining a passageway 17 through which water flows from the wall attachment 14 to the shower head 12 to expel the water out of the shower head outlet holes 18. The wall attachment is generally screwed onto the end of an outlet water pipe (not shown) projecting through the wall. The wall attachment 14 includes a base plate 20 with a projecting box-like mounting section 22 that is rectangular in cross-section and includes vertical outer side surfaces 26, 28. The mounting section 22 includes a generally cylindrical cross-passage 24 that extends across the mounting section between respective openings in side surfaces 26, 28. Similarly, the shower head 12 includes a mounting section 30 that is rectangular in cross-section and includes a generally cylindrical passage 32 that extends between respective openings in parallel outer end surfaces 34, 36.

The shower arm 10 includes at each end a pivot pin 38, 39 best seen in Figures 7, 8 and 9, which projects perpendicularly from the tubular section 16. The pivot pins 38, 39 project coaxially along the respective passages 24, 32 which thereby provide a rotatable bearing for the pivot pins. Each pin has an internal blind cavity 37 that opens at one end into the interior 17 of tubular arm section 16 and via side apertures 35 into a passage within the mounting section 22, 30. Passage 23, 31 in turn communicates with the water pipe or the interior chamber of the shower head respectively. Multiple O-rings are provided, as depicted in Figure 6. A first outer surface 26, 34 of the mounting section outer surfaces 26, 28, 34, 36 abuts against an opposing surface 40, 41 of the shower arm 10 that surrounds the respective pivot pin 38, 39. The shower arm 10 is therefore able to pivot or rotate its angular projection with respect to the wall attachment 14, such that it can project at right angles to the direction shown in the drawings to be perpendicular to the wall surface, or at any preferred angle. The shower head 12 can similarly be pivoted or rotated with respect to the shower arm 10. A clamping mechanism, best shown in Figures 6 and 9, includes a rotatable nut 42 with an internal thread 44 that threads onto a complementary external thread 46 on an end portion of the pivot pin 38, 39 that protrudes beyond surface 28, 36 of the mounting section 22, 30. Tightening rotation of the nut 42 on the pivot pin 38, 39 clamps an end surface 48 of the nut against surface 28, 36, thereby clamping the mounting section 22, 30 between surface 40, 41 on the shower arm and surface 48 of the nut 42, also preventing further rotation of the shower head 12 or arm 10. Rotating the nut 42 in the opposite direction releases the clamp to allow pivotal movement to be effected again to readjust the angular orientation of the arm 10 or the shower head 12.

Further details of each nut 42 can be seen in Figures 6 to 10. The nut 42 has a generally tubular inner portion 50 and an outer cover 52 having an outer partly rectangular profile 51 that matches the adjacent profile of the mounting section 22, 30 so that in two relative orientations there is a smooth contiguous alignment. The balance of the profile is a smooth half-cylinder 53. The inner portion 50 includes a bore 54 on which is formed the aforementioned internal thread 44 for engagement with the pivot pin thread 46. The end surface 48 that abuts mounting section 22, 30 in the clamping position of the nut is the inner end surface of tubular inner portion 50. The inner portion 50 further has an externally splined section 56 that extends for approximately a third of its length from end surface 48. The splined section 56 includes a series of uniformly and closely spaced ridges or splines 58 extending parallel to its axis. The middle third of the inner portion 50 is a groove 60, with the last third having two integrally projecting rings 62 defining a groove 64 between them into which sits an o-ring 66.

The outer cover 52 includes a body 67 with a blind bore 68 that receives inner portion 50. An enlarged recessed area 70 lies between bore 68 and the inner face of cover 52. The outer cover 52 sits over the inner portion 50, with the o-ring 66 frictionally engaging against the surface of the bore 68. The body 67 includes finger depressions 69 co-axial with the half-cylinder 53 to assist in turning the nut 42. A retaining ring 72 sits within recessed area 70, with which it is complementarily shaped, and is secured with screws 74. It will be appreciated that the retaining ring 72 is a separate component to the body 67 due to the complexity of manufacture; however it may be possible to make these as an integral component using additive manufacturing techniques. The retaining ring includes an internally splined section 76 that complements and is thereby slidingly engageable with splined section 56. Splined section 76 has a series of uniformly and closely spaced splines or ridges 78 extending parallel to its axis. The internal splined section 76 fits over the external splined section 56 such that in a first position the respective splines 58, 78 engage to key the outer cover 52 and the inner portion 50 for rotation together. This first position is shown in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 6.

Once the nut 42 is tightened, due to the non-circular exterior shape of the various components, the outer cover’s orientation is likely to be misaligned from the mounting section 30, as shown in Figure 2.

Due to the splined connection, the outer cover can be grasped and slid outwards along the splines 58 into a second position, shown in Figure 5. In the second position, the outer cover’s splined section 76 (Figures 9 and 10) is positioned in the groove 60 on the inner portion 50. This allows the outer cover 52 to freely rotate about the inner portion 50, which remains stationary because it is clamped against the mounting section 22, 30. The frictional engagement by the o-ring 66 limits the freedom of the sliding movement so that the cover does not accidentally move between the first and second positions and only moves when grasped and drawn by hand. The outer cover 52 is prevented from sliding off the end of the inner portion 50 when the splines 78 abut against the projecting rings 62, which are dimensioned to extend slightly beyond the inner diameter of the splines 78.

Whilst in the second position, the outer cover 52 can be rotated to re-align with the mounting section 30 or with the end of the tubular section 16, i.e. the respective surfaces are brought into smooth contiguous alignment. Thereafter, the cover is slid back into the first position where the two splines engage, as shown in Figure 1. It will be appreciated that the splines 58, 78 are preferably fine and close spaced so as to optimise the appearance of alignment but strong enough to firmly key the inner portion 50 and cover 52 together.

The advantage of the ability to reorientate the outer cover 52 is that the visual appearance of the shower arm is not compromised by industrial looking wing nuts. The latest trend of using rectangular cross-sectional components, which provide a higher end appearance, usually results in the functionality of products being compromised, in order to maintain the desired appearance. The present invention provides a product that allows for the incorporation of both functionality and good visual aesthetics.

While not illustrated herein, it would of course be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that other configurations of the clamping portion are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the clamping portion that engages with the pin could be located on the same side of the mounting section as the shower arm, while the outer cover may remains on the opposite side of the mounting section. In such a configuration, the pin may include a bore that extends along its length, through which the outer cover on one side of the mounting section may gain access to the clamping portion on the other side of the mounting section, to enable actuation of the clamping portion.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. An adjustable shower arm, including: a body defining a passageway for water; at least one pivot pin on said body connectable to either a wall attachment or a shower head for pivotal movement of the body with respect to said wall attachment or shower head; and a clamping mechanism including a nut that can be rotatably released to allow said pivotal movement and can be rotatably engaged to prevent said pivotal movement by a clamping action, the nut having an inner portion engageable with the pivot pin and an outer cover engageable by fingers to rotate the nut; wherein the outer cover has a first position relative to the inner portion in which the outer cover engages the inner portion for rotation of the nut for said clamping action, and a second position in which the outer cover is freely rotatable with respect to the inner portion when the nut is preventing said pivotal movement by clamping action, whereby the outer cover can be positioned in any desired orientation with respect to body of the shower arm.
2. An adjustable shower arm according to claim 1 wherein the inner portion of the nut has a first splined section and the outer cover includes a complementary second splined section, the two splined sections engaging in said first position to key the inner portion and outer cover for rotation together.
3. An adjustable shower arm according to claim 2 wherein the inner portion further includes a groove adjacent the first splined section such that sliding of the outer cover to position the splines in the groove allows free rotation of the outer cover with respect to the inner portion.
4. An adjustable shower arm according to claim 2 or 3 wherein said inner portion includes means to frictionally engage with the outer cover to oppose inadvertent sliding of the cover and thereby to assist in holding the outer cover in either the first position or the second position.
5. An adjustable shower arm according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the inner portion includes an internal thread engageable with an external thread on the pivot pin, whereby rotation of said inner portion onto the pivot pin clamps the nut against the wall attachment or shower head structures to prevent said pivotal movement.
6. An adjustable shower arm according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the outer cover includes finger depressions to facilitate rotation of the nut.
7. An adjustable shower arm assembly, including: a shower arm having a body defining a passageway for water, a first pivot pin on said body connectable to a wall attachment for pivotal movement of the body with respect to the wall attachment and a second pivot pin on said body spaced from the first pivot pin and connectable to a shower head for pivotal movement of the shower head with respect to said body; and a clamping mechanism at each pivot pin, including a nut that can be rotatably released to allow the respective pivotal movement and can be rotatably engaged to prevent the respective pivotal movement by a clamping action, the nut having an inner portion engageable with the pivot pin and an outer cover engageable by fingers to rotate the nut; wherein the outer cover has a first position in which the outer cover engages the inner portion for rotation of the nut for said clamping action, and a second position in which the outer cover is freely rotatable with respect to the inner portion when the nut is preventing the respective movement by clamping action, whereby the outer cover can be positioned in any desired orientation with respect to the shower arm.
8. An adjustable shower arm assembly according to claim 7 wherein the inner portion of the nut has a first splined section and the outer cover includes a complementary second splined section, the two splined sections engaging in said first position to key the inner portion and outer cover for rotation together.
9. An adjustable shower arm assembly according to claim 8 wherein the inner portion further includes a groove adjacent the first splined section such that sliding of the outer cover to position the splines in the groove allows free rotation of the outer cover with respect to the inner portion.
10. An adjustable shower arm assembly according to claim 8 or 9 wherein said inner portion includes means to frictionally engage with the outer cover to oppose inadvertent sliding of the cover and thereby to assist in holding the outer cover in either the first position or the second position.
11. An adjustable shower arm assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 10 wherein the inner portion includes an internal thread engageable with an external thread on the respective pivot pin, whereby rotation of said inner portion onto the pivot pin clamps the nut against the wall attachment or shower head structures to prevent said pivotal movement.
12. An adjustable shower arm assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 11 further including a wall attachment and a shower head that each include a mounting section that includes two parallel outer surfaces with a passage extending between them through the mounting section, which passage provides a bearing for the respective pivot pin projecting through the passage to protrude from the mounting section to receive the nut, for clamping the mounting section between the nut and an abutting surface of the shower arm to prevent said pivotal movement.
13. An adjustable shower arm assembly according to claim 12 wherein the nut has an outer profile that corresponds to the profile of an adjacent part of the mounting section, said free rotation of the outer cover permitting said profiles to be brought into alignment.
14. An adjustable shower arm assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 13 wherein the outer cover includes finger depressions to facilitate rotation of the nut.