AU630128B2 - Shower rose assembly - Google Patents

Description

L dL_, tf-j2e PCr WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION International Bureau INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (51) International Patent Classification 4 1/18, 1/30 (11) International Publication Number: Al ternatonal Publicaton Date: (43) International Publication Date: WO 90/05029 17 May 1990 (17.05.90) (21) International Application Number: (22) International Filing Date: 9 1 Priority data: PJ 1385 10 Noven PCT/AU89/00483 November 1989 (09.11.89) iber 1988 (10.11.88) AU SN (OAPI patent), SU, TD (OAPI patent), TO (OAPI patent),

US.

Published With international search report.

With amended claims.

(71X72) Applicant and Inventor: MCCABE, Stephen, Charles [AU/AU]; 9 Augusta Street, Glenhuntly, VIC 3163

(AU).

(74) Agent: GRIFFITH HACK CO.; 601 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004 (AU).

(31) Designated States: AT, AT (European patent), AU, b3, BE (European patent), BF (OAPI patent), BG, BJ (OAPI patent), BR, CF (OAPI patent), CG (OAPI patent), CH, CH (European patent), CM (OAPI patent). DE, DE (European patent), DK, FI, FR (European patnt), GA (OA- PI patent), GP, GB (European patent), HU, IT (European patent), JP, KP, KR, LK, LU, LU (European patent), MC, MG, ML (OAPI patent), MR (OAPI patent), MW, NL, NL (European patent), NO, RO, SD, SE, SE (European patent), 63.23 (54)Title: SHOWER ROSE ASSEMBLY (57) Abstract A shower rose assembly comprising a supply means (16), and a pair of shower roses (10) and (11) and each comprising a chamber into which water can be supplied from a common water supply via said supply means, ai.d at least one wall through which a plurality of outlet apertures (38) are provided and from which water can issue from the chambers in a plurality of narrow streams. A valve assembly (28) is also provided serving to close off the supply of water to the shower rose The chamber of each shower rose has an internal cross-sectional dimension smaller than for a conventional shower rose thus providing a constriction in the flow path through the assembly, whilst the supply means contains a branch conduit (17) which serves to provide a further constriction in the flow path through the assembly, with the constrictions serving to reduce the rate of flow of water through the assembly.

(Referred to in PC Gazette No. 16/1990, Section II).

Rfre oi PTGzteN.1/19,ScinI) -I I I I ,0 90/5029 PCr/AU89/00483 1 SHOWER ROSE ASSEMBLY Technical Field This invention relates to a shower rose assembly, and more particularly, to a shower rose assembly where water issues from a chamber having a wall through which an array of outlet apertures is provided from which the water can issue from the chamber in a plurality of narrow streams.

r, WO 90/05029 PCTr/AU89/00483 WO9/009- 2- Background Art Wat r authorities are ever increasingly encouraging conservation of water supplies as populations expand and the demand for water increases. One course of action adopted is the imposition of standards as to the maximum volume of water to pass through a shower system in a given period of time, which most systems using conventional shower roses exceed and thus cannot achieve the required standard, i1 0 It is therefor a primary object of the present invention to provide a shower rose assembly which reduces the volume of water passing through th- assembly but maintains a relatively high water oressure in the spray

S

and a high spray area.

There is also a need for such show- systems in situations where two or more persons may wish to shower i together in the same shower enclosure for reasons of water conservation, or other reasons, or in clubs or 1 institutions, where a plurality of shower roses are connected to a single inlet and a number of persons shower at the same time. The invention is also applicable to circumstances where the quantity of hot water available at any one time may be limited and thus water for showering needs to be conserved if a relatively large number of persons, such as a large family, or a sporting team, all need to shower over a time span in which the supply of hot water is likely to be exhausted and a relatively long time is necessary to generate i replacement hot water at the supply, and which time delay may be inconvenient. To date there are no shower systems known to me that meet these needs.

Disclosure of the Invention The invenT:ion therefore envisages a shower rose assembly comprising a supply means, and a shower rose defining a chamber, into which water is supplied from a L-~L~II~I~IILIII~~ EIIIILI i i I WO 90/05029 PCT/AU89/00483 3 water supply via said supply means, and having at least one wall through which a plurality of outlet apertures are provided and from which water can issue from saie chamber in a plurality of narrow streams, wherein said assembly incorporates a constriction in at least part of the flow path through the assembly whereby the rate cf faow of water passing through the assembly is reduced.

In one embodiment of the invention at least part of the internal cross-sectional dimension of the chamber is smaller than for a conventional shower rose thus providing said constriction.

Preferably the thickness of said shower rose is in the order of 2 mm to 10 mm, as compared with a conventional shower rose thickness of in the order of mm.

Alternatively, or in addition, the supply means in the assembly contains a constricted portion.

Preferably said shower rose assembly includes a plurality of shower roses to which water can be selectively delivered and from each of which, depending on the selection, water can issue through the respective outlet apertures.

Preferably the chambers defined by said shower roses may be incorporated in the one shower rose body with one or more partitions therein to separate said chambers.

Alternatively, each said chamber may be defined by its own shower rose body and all said chambers are connected to a common water supply.

It has been found that with a significantly thinner shower rose body, and therefore smaller internal chamber dimension to form a constriction in the flow path through the assembly, or by providing a constricted portion in the supply passage, water flowing through the assembly is reduced but water pressure is maintained in the system to cause a relatively strong stream of water WO 90/05029 PCT/AU89/00483 to issue from the shower rose or roses. In circumstances where a plurality of roses are supplied by a common water supply and are in connection therewithi the water still issues from each rose in relatively powerful and continuous streams than would be the case if two or more conventional sized roses were combined in a single assembly, where it would be normal for the chamber most remote from the common water supply to receive a significantly lesser amount of water so as to produce inadequate streams of water at relatively low pressure.

Such may even result in a stream pattern which is not constant, as would be demonstrated by controlling water supply to a conventional shower rose to a relatively small volume where the water issuing from each outlet aperture runs together with that from the other apertures across the face of the shower rose to combine and fall as a single stream rather than separate narrow relatively powerful streams.

Description of the Drawings One preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of an embodiment of the invention incorporating a pair of shower roses, forming a double shower rose coupled to a common water supply; Figure 2 is a plan view partly sectional of the i shower rose assembly of Figure 1; i Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a underneath view of one of the shower roses forming the assembly of this embodiment.

L ,WO 90/05029 P(J/AU8900483 5 Best Mode For Carrying Out The Invention Referring to the figures of the drawings, a doubleshower rose assembly is illustrated comprising a pair of shower roses 10 and 11 defined by separate shower rose bodies, each body defining a chanmber and having a substantially flat wall 12 and 13 through which outlet apertures 38 are formed and from which water supplied to said chambers would issue in a plurality of continuous narrow streams. In this embodiment of the invention water is supplied to the shower roses 11 through a supply conduit 14 connected to a water supply provided at an adjacent wall and incorporating a pivot joint 15 at the wall to allow the angle of the shower rose arrangement to be adjusted vertically as for conventional shower roses.

The supply conduit 14 communicates with the interior of a diverter/valve housing 16 containing a co-axial branch conduit 17 extending to one end of the housing and supported in sealing engagement with an end closure member 18 threadably received within that end of the housing. The branch conduit .17, in turn, passes through spaced apart partition members 19 and 20 which in effect separate the interior of the housing into a supply chamber 21 communicating with the supply conduit 14, a delivery chamber 22 for one of the shower roses (shower rose 10) and a valve chamber 23 associated with the other shower rose 11. The delivery chamber 22 has an outlet port 24 feeding the interior of the shower rose whilst the valve chamber 23 has an outlet port 35 feeding the interior of the other shower rose 11. The branch conduit 17 has a pair of diametrically aligned apertures 26 through which water in the supply chamber 21 can pass into the branch conduit 17. The branch conduit has a further pair of diametrically aligned apertures 27 communicating with the interior of the delivery chamber 22 for the shower rose 10, and it will be apparent that, with conventional hot and cold water controlling taps

I

ii-_ _1 WO 90/05029 PCtT/AU89/00483 6 associated with the shower arrangement and supplying water to the supply conduit 14, water will be supplied continuously, via supply chamber 21, apertures 26, branch conduit 17 (which constricts the flow of water), apertures 27, delivery chamber 22 and outlet port 24, to shower rose The end of the branch conduit 17 passing through partition member 20 and into valve chamber 23, is open to chamber 23 and forms a valve seat for co-operation with a valve assembly 28. The valve assembly 28 consists of a stuffing box 29 threadably received within the associated end of the housing 16 and through which an externally threaded spindle co-operating with an internally threaded axial bore through the stuffing box and operable by a handle 36, passes. The inner end of the spindle 30 carries a valve support member 31 having an axial blind hole 32 in the inner end thereof which receives the stem 33 of a non-return valve 34 carrying a sealing washer 35. The non-return valve is axially moveable to automatically move axially towards the valve seat formed by the end of the branch conduit 17 to close the end of the conduit when water pressure downstream of the valve chamber 23 exceeds the supply pressure. With the valve in the position shown in Figure 2 water can enter the valve chamber 23, via the conduit 17 which constricts the flow of water, and then through the outlet port 25 to the shower rose 11, but when the valve spindle is screwed fully inwardly the sealing washer 35 of the non-return valve 34 will seat on the valve seat provided by the end of the conduit 17, to prevent water entering the valve chamber 23 and from there entering the shower rose 11.

In such circumstances only shower rose 10 will be operable. By moving the valve 34 progressively further SWO 90/05029 PCT/AU89/0048 7 away from the valve seat, progressively greater volumes of water will be allowed to enter the valve chamber 23 and onto the shower rose 11.

The connections between the outlet ports 24 and 25 and their associated shower roses 10 and 11 may be pivotable connections to allow the angles of the two shower roses to be adjusted.

As will be evident from Figure 3 of the drawings, the thickness of the bodies for each shower rose is relatively small compared with the conventional shower rose and may be as small as 2 mm, or as large as mm, but preferably in the order of 5 mm or less. The peripheries of the shower rose bodies are of larger size defining a larger portion for their internal chambers to accommodate attachment of connecting conduits of conventional diameter through which the ports 24 and extend, but the size of the chambers very rapidly narrows to the relatively small size required for the remainder of the shower roses.

As shown in, Figure 4, the outlet apertures 38 in the shower roses may lie on a series of arcs, and amounting 62 apertures in each rose, for an overall total of 124 apertures compared with a conventional rose which normally has 133 outlet apertures.

As referred to previously, where a single rose in accordance with the inention is provided, or only rose 10 in this embodiment of invention is operative, theii is a saving in water due to the smaller thickness of the shower rose which causes a build-up of water pressure within the rose, and the streams of water issuing are still relatively strong. When the water supply is also supplied to the second shower rose 11, in the case of the preferred embodiment of the invention when the valve assembly 28 is open, the excess water p

-C

WO 90/05029 PCT/AU89/00483 -8 pressure in shower rose 10 allows flow of water to shower rose 11 and a satisfactory shower pressure is achieved in both shower roses.

IV4

Claims (6)

1. A shower head assembly comprising; a supply means for conducting water from a water supply in a shower to at least one shower head attached to said supply means, the or each said head having a chamber into which water is supplied from the water supply means, the or each said chamber heing formed by a pair of substantially planar walls, one said wall having a plurality of outlet apertures therv in from which water can issue from said chamber in a plurality of narrow streams and wherein the internal cross- sectional dimension of the or each said chamber is such as to form a constriction means for reducing the rate of flow of water passing from said supply means to said apertures.

2. A shower head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said cross-sectional dimension of the or aach said chamber is between 2 mm and 10 n-m.

3. A shower head assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said supply means also contains means to provide I said constriction.

4. A shower head assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of heads is S 25 provided to which water can be selectively delivered.

A shower head assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, including a valve assembly in said supply means operable to isolate one of said chambers from said water supply. 1;piiass en prbl oioaeon fsi hmbr rmsi If

6. A shower head assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS 21ST DAY OF AUGUST 1992 STEPHEN CHARLES MCCABE By His Patent Attorney GRIFFITH HACK CO Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia e