DK2381041T3 - Bath inlet and overflow fittings - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an inlet and overflow fitting for bathtubs, comprising an overflow body that can be fixed to a through-hole in the wall of the bathtub and comprises an overflow duct and a water supply, and comprising a drive part for a transmission part that can be operated by means of a rotary handle in order to open and close a drain valve in the bathtub, the overflow body comprising a bearing sleeve for a drive shaft that can be operated by means of the rotary handle, and an inflow element that can be fixed to the bearing sleeve being arranged between the rotary handle and the overflow body, the transmission part being provided with a Bowden cable, one end of which is received in a tubular holder of the overflow body, and the overflow duct and the water supply defining pipe axes.

An inlet and overflow fitting of this type is disclosed in DE 93 01 156 Ul, for example. This known inlet and overflow fitting has proven extremely successful in practice. However, it requires a certain installation depth between the back of the bathtub and the edge of the bathtub, particularly for the water supply. It has been found that the known inlet and overflow fitting according to DE 93 01 156 Ul cannot be assembled on bathtubs that have a relatively narrow bathtub edge. However, a narrow bathtub edge is sometimes desirable for design reasons. EP 1 076 135 A1 discloses an inlet and overflow fitting for bathtubs, comprising an overflow body that can be fixed to a through-hole in the wall of the bathtub and comprises an overflow duct and a water supply, the overflow duct and the water supply forming a tapered pipe arrangement, in which the pipe axis of the overflow duct and the pipe axis of the water supply form an angle of less than 50°. However, this known inlet and overflow fitting does not have a transmission part for opening and closing a drain valve of the bathtub. Accordingly, it does not comprise a bearing sleeve for a drive shaft that can be operated by a rotary handle, or a Bowden cable . DE 10 2004 062 634 B3 discloses an overflow fitting for a bathtub, in the wall of which an overflow hole is arranged that comprises a drain housing that is connected to the overflow hole on the outside of the bathtub and comprises a water-collecting chamber and a drain connecting piece, and a cover rosette that is associated with the overflow hole on the inside of the bathtub and protrudes into the interior of the bathtub. The overflow fitting comprises an integrated water inlet. The axis of the water supply connecting piece and the axis of the overflow pipe connecting piece form an angle of approximately 90°. EP 1 967 665 A2 discloses an inlet and overflow fitting for bathtubs, comprising an overflow body that can be fixed to a through-hole in the wall of the bathtub and comprises an overflow pipe connecting piece and a water supply connecting piece. The axis of the overflow pipe connection and the axis of the water supply connection form an angle of approximately 90° .

The object of the present invention is to provide an inlet and overflow fitting of the type mentioned at the outset which, while having a high inflow capacity and reliable overflow capacity as standard, is considerably flatter than conventional inlet and overflow fittings, so that it is suitable for being assembled on relatively narrow bathtub edges .

This object is achieved by an inlet and overflow fitting having the features of claim 1.

The inlet and overflow fitting according to the invention is characterised in that the longitudinal axis of the holder associated with the Bowden cable extends substantially in parallel with the pipe axis of the water supply, the side of the holder for the Bowden cable facing away from the rotary handle protruding neither with respect to the side of the water supply facing away from the rotary handle nor with respect to the side of the overflow duct facing away from the rotary handle, said sides extending substantially perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the rotary handle, and in that the overflow duct and the water supply form a tapered pipe arrangement, in which the pipe axis of the overflow duct and the pipe axis of the water supply form an angle of less than 50°, preferably less than 40°.

The structure according to the invention allows the overflow body to be considerably flatter in the region of the through-hole in the wall of the bathtub. This is because, according to the invention, the pipe axis of the water supply is oriented obliquely downwards so that the connection point of a water supply line leading to the water inflow line is relatively far down below the bathtub through-hole, where the installation depth is considerably greater than at the height of the bathtub through-hole on account of the wall profile, which is usually oblique, of the upwardly widening tub.

An advantageous embodiment of the inlet and overflow fitting according to the invention consists in that the water supply is formed as a plug-in connection having at least one spring element and/or latching element. This embodiment allows the water supply to be relatively narrow and also simplifies assembly of the inlet and overflow fitting.

For a shallow construction depth of the overflow body and a relatively low installation height of the inlet and overflow fitting inside the bathtub, according to another embodiment it is also expedient for the bearing sleeve receiving the drive shaft of the operating element/rotary handle to be provided with a thread, on which a fastening element is screwed, which comprises a through-hole through which the drive shaft passes, and a water inflow channel that extends in parallel with the central longitudinal axis of the bearing sleeve, the central longitudinal axis of the water inflow channel extending outside the bearing sleeve. In this embodiment, the functional axes for the inlet and the attachment of the fitting are therefore separate. In particular, the inlet and overflow fitting according to the invention does not require a separate inlet cover cap, thus reducing the installation height in the bathtub .

For a low installation height of the inlet and overflow fitting, it is also expedient for the water inflow channel to comprise a tub tap piece that is bent downwards with respect to the central longitudinal axis thereof and comprises an oval or slot-shaped outlet hole.

In order to be able to assemble the inlet and overflow fitting in a simple manner, it is also expedient for the water inflow channel arranged on the fastening element to comprise a pipe portion that is formed as a plug element and is connected in a releasable and fluid-tight manner to a connector that is formed on the overflow body and communicates with the water supply.

The part of the inlet and overflow fitting to be arranged inside the bathtub can be designed to be compact and relatively flat in particular when, according to another advantageous embodiment, the fastening element of the fitting comprises an annular portion, the external diameter of which is greater than the diameter of the through-hole in the wall of the tub, and comprises a smaller annular portion, the external diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the through-hole in the wall of the tub, the annular portions lying in planes that are spaced apart from one another and being integrally interconnected by transverse bars. In this case, the operating element or the rotary handle is preferably formed as a shell-shaped hollow body and the smaller annular portion of the fastening element is received inside the operating element/rotary handle.

Further preferred and advantageous embodiments of the inlet and overflow fitting according to the invention are specified in the dependent claims. The invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter on the basis of the drawings showing an embodiment, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a portion of a bathtub having an inlet and overflow fitting according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the inlet and overflow fitting in Fig. 1, comprising a rotary handle, which has been removed and is shown in an exploded view;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the overflow body of the inlet and overflow fitting of Fig. 2, assembled on a bathtub (shown in section);

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the overflow body of the inlet and overflow fitting in Fig. 3 (without the bathtub);

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the overflow body of the inlet and overflow fitting in Fig. 4 during assembly or arrangement on an overflow hole of a bathtub;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the overflow body of the inlet and overflow fitting in Fig. 5 being fixed on the overflow hole of a bathtub;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the overflow body of the inlet and overflow fitting of Fig. 6, with the rotary handle assembled thereon, shortly before the insertion of a water inflow line into the water supply of the overflow body; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the overflow body of the inlet and overflow fitting in Fig. 7, comprising a water inflow line connected to the water supply.

The bathtub inlet and overflow fitting 1 shown comprises an overflow body (overflow head) 2, which is fixed behind a bathtub 3 in a sealing manner to a through-hole 4 in the tub wall using a sealing ring 5. The overflow body 2 comprises an overflow duct 6, a water supply 7 and a cylindrical holder 8 for an end portion of a Bowden cable 9 for operating a drain valve (bottom valve) 10. The overflow duct 6 comprises a connecting piece-shaped connecting portion, onto which an overflow pipe 11 connected to the drain of the bathtub 3 can be pushed. The overflow pipe 11 is arcuate, a substantially vertical pipe portion 11.1 being connected to the overflow duct by means of a sleeve 12. A wave-shaped, flexible pipe portion 6.1 is integrated in the overflow duct 6 and allows for the length and/or angle of the overflow duct 6 to be adapted. The substantially horizontal or slightly sloping pipe portion 11.2 of the overflow pipe 11 is inserted into a connecting piece 13 of the drain housing 14 comprising the drain valve 10, and is connected to the connecting piece 13 in a water-tight manner by means of a union nut 15.

The overflow fitting 1 further contain a drive part for a transmission part for opening and closing the drain valve 10 of the bathtub, which drive part can be operated by means of a rotary handle (rotary rosette) 16. The overflow body 2 comprises a bearing sleeve (hollow-cylindrical holder) 17, the opening of which faces the tub through-hole 4 (see Fig. 6). A pinion (not shown) is mounted in the circular-cylindrical bearing sleeve 17 and is coupled to the Bowden cable 9 at one end and to a drive shaft 18 that is fastened in a torsional rigid manner to the rotary handle 16 at the other end. By means of the Bowden cable 9, a rotary movement of the rotary handle 16 is transmitted to a lifting and lowering mechanism that actuates the drain valve 10. The bearing sleeve 17 ends on or near the inner surface of the tub 3 or in or near the plane of the flange-shaped portion 19, of the overflow body 2, that supports the sealing ring 5. Δη inlet and fastening element 20 that can be fixed to the bearing sleeve 17 is arranged between the rotary handle 16 and the overflow body 2. The inlet and fastening element 20 is releasably connected to the overflow body 2 and extends through the through-hole 4 in the bathtub 2.

The overflow duct 6 and the water supply 7 of the overflow body 2 form a tapered pipe arrangement. The pipe axes of the overflow duct 6 and of the water supply 7 are oriented relative to one another such that a substantially V-shaped or Y-shaped pipe arrangement is formed (cf. Fig. 4). The pipe axis of the overflow duct 6 and the pipe axis of the water supply 7 form an angle a of preferably less than 45°. In the embodiment shown, the angle a is in a range of from approximately 34° to 36° (cf. in particular Fig. 4).

The cylindrical holder 8 for connecting the upper end of the Boden cable 9 is arranged above the water supply 7. The longitudinal axis of the holder 8 extends substantially in parallel with the pipe axis of the water supply 7 in this case .

The pipe axis of the overflow duct 6 is usually substantially vertical such that the water supply 7 and the cylindrical Boden cable holder 8 extend obliquely downwards.

The water supply 7 is formed as a plug-in connection and is provided with at least one spring element and/or latching element 21 for latching a plug connector 23, which is assembled on the water inflow line 22 in a fluid-tight manner by means of a pipe union piece. The plug connector 23 comprises a cylindrical sheath portion 24, on which a collar 25 is formed. The cylindrical portion of the water supply 7 is provided with through-openings 26, into which the spring element 21 is inserted. The spring element 21 is substantially U-shaped. The two legs of the spring element 21 comprise arcuate portions 27, which engage around the circular-cylindrical sheath portion 24 of the plug connector 23 when the plug connector is inserted, and are engaged on their backside by the collar 25. Annular grooves 28 are provided at the end of the plug connector 23, into which grooves sealing rings (not shown) are inserted and are pressed against sealing surfaces inside the water supply 7. When inserted, the collar 25 of the plug connector 23 is tensioned against the edges of the arcuate spring legs 27. The plug connector 23 is thus secured by the spring element 21 such that it cannot be released. However, rotation of the union piece 29 relative to the overflow body 2 remains possible when the plug connector 23 is inserted.

It can be seen in the drawings that the side of the Bowden cable holder 8 facing away from the rotary handle 16 does not protrude relative to the side of the water supply 7 facing away from the rotary handle 16 or relative to the side of the overflow duct 6 facing away from the rotary handle 16, said sides extending substantially perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the rotary handle 16 (cf. in particular Fig. 3 and 4) .

The inlet and overflow fitting 1 is fixed to the through-hole 4 in the wall of the tub by means of the fastening element 20. The bearing sleeve 17 receiving the drive shaft 18 is provided with an internal thread 30 for this purpose, on which thread the fastening element 20 is screwed by means of a banjo bolt 32 having a radial projection or flange 31. The fastening element 20 and the banjo bolt 32 comprise a through-hole 33, through which the drive shaft 18 passes, and a water inflow channel 34, which runs in parallel with the central longitudinal axis of the bearing sleeve 17. The water inflow channel 34 runs next to, preferably below, the bearing sleeve 17. The central longitudinal axis of the water inflow channel 34 and the central longitudinal axis of the bearing sleeve 17 are therefore separate. The spacing between the two axes is greater than the sum of the internal diameter of the cylindrical bearing sleeve 17 and the internal diameter of the water inflow channel 34.

The fastening element 20 is in the form of a flange. It comprises an annular portion 35, the external diameter of which is greater than the diameter of the through-hole 4 in the tub 3. It also comprises a smaller annular portion 36, the external diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the tub through-hole 4. The annular portions 35, 36 are coaxial, lie in planes spaced apart from one another and are integrally interconnected by means of transverse bars 37. The internal diameter of the smaller annular portion 36 is slightly larger than the diameter of the external thread of the banjo bolt 32 such that the radial projection or flange 31 of the banjo bolt 32 comes to rest on the annular portion 36 and tensions the fastening element 20 against the tub wall (cf. Fig. 6) .

The water inflow channel 34 integrally moulded on the fastening element 20 comprises a pipe portion 38 formed as a plug element. The end of the pipe portion 38 is provided with an annular groove 39 on the outside, into which a sealing ring (not shown) is inserted. The water inflow channel 34 or the pipe portion 38 is inserted into a connector 40 that is formed on the overflow body 2 and communicates with the water supply, and is releasably connected thereto in a fluid-tight manner on account of the sealing ring. The water inflow channel 34 also comprises a tub tap piece 41, which is bent downwards with respect to its central longitudinal axis and has an oval or slot-shaped outlet hole. One of the transverse bars 37 connecting the annular portions 35, 35 is integrally moulded on the tub tap piece 41.

The rotary handle 16 is formed as a shell-shaped hollow body such that the smaller annular portion 36 of the fastening element 20 is received inside the rotary handle 16.

Fig. 5 to 8 show a plurality of steps for assembling the inlet and overflow fitting 1 according to the invention. In a first step (Fig. 5), the overflow body 2 together with the sealing ring 5 is pushed into the intermediate space Z delimited by the outer edge 3.1 of the tub and the inner edge 3.2 of the tub (cf. Fig. 3). In a subsequent or second step (Fig. 6), the overflow body 2 is fixed to the tub through-hole 4 by means of the fastening element (fastening flange) 20 and the banjo bolt 32. In the subsequent or third step, the drive shaft 18, formed as a spline shaft, of the rotary handle (rotary rosette) 16 is pushed through the banjo bolt 32 into the pinion mounted in the bearing sleeve 17 (cf. Fig. 6). The banjo bolt 32 is provided with a spring element (e.g. spring washer) 42, which prevents axial displacement of the drive shaft 18, and therefore the rotary handle 16. Furthermore, the water inflow line 22 is screwed to the plug connector 23 outside the intermediate space Z that is delimited by the outer edge 3.1 of the tub and the inner edge 3.2 of the tub (cf. Fig. 7). In the fourth step, the water inflow line 22 together with the plug connector 23 screwed thereon is lastly inserted into the water supply 7, of the overflow body 2, formed as a plug connection (cf. Fig. 7 and 8). The plug-in water supply 7 also makes assembly much easier in narrow intermediate spaces Z.

The embodiment shows that the inlet and overflow fitting 1 according to the invention requires significantly less space, both behind and inside the tub. Final assembly of the inlet and overflow fitting 1 is simpler than for conventional inlet and overflow fittings, in particular due to the plug-in water supply 7.

The design of the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Instead, numerous variants are possible, which, despite having fundamentally different configurations, make use of the concept of the invention specified in the accompanying claims.

Claims (8)

A bathtub inlet and overflow fitting (1) having an overflow element (2) which can be secured by a passage opening of the vessel wall and having an overflow channel (6) and a water connection (7), and having a drive portion for a gear unit, which drive member can be actuated by means of a swivel handle (16) to open and close a drain valve (10) of the bathtub (3), the overflow element having a bearing sheath (17) for a carrier shaft (18) operable by means of the pivot handle and an inlet element (20) is provided between the pivot handle and the overflow element (20), which can be secured to the bearing housing, the gear part being provided with a Bowden pull (9), one end of which is accommodated in a tubular holder (8) of the overflow element and wherein the overflow channel (6) and the water connection (7) define pipe axes, characterized in that the longitudinal axis of the holder (8) associated with the Bowden cover (9) extends substantially parallel to the pipe axis of the water connection (7), where the side of theThe bowden pull holder (8) facing away from the swivel handle (16) neither protrudes relative to the side of the water connection (7) facing away from the swivel handle, nor protrudes relative to the side of the overflow channel (6). away from the pivot handle, said sides extending substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis (16) of the pivot handle (16), and the overflow channel (6) and water connection (7) forming a tapered pipe device in which the pipe axis of the overflow channel (6) and water connection (7) ) tube axis encloses an angle (a) of less than 50 °, preferably less than 40 °. Inlet and overflow luminaire according to claim 1, characterized in that the water connection (7) is formed as a plug connection with at least one spring and / or engagement element (21). An inlet and overflow luminaire according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bearing sheath (17) receiving the carrier shaft (18) is provided with a thread (30) on which is secured a fastening element (20) having a passage opening penetrated by the carrier shaft (18), and a water inlet channel (34) extending parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the bearing sheath, wherein the longitudinal center axis of the water inlet channel (34) extends outside the bearing sheath (17). An inlet and overflow luminaire according to claim 3, characterized in that the bearing housing (17) is provided with an internal thread (30) on which the fastening element (20) is screwed on by means of a hole screw (32) having a collar or radial projection (31). The inlet and overflow luminaire according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the fastening element (20) has a ring section (35), the outside diameter of which is larger than the diameter of the passage wall (4) of the vessel wall and comprises a smaller ring section (36), the outer diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the passage opening (4) of the vessel wall, wherein the ring sections (35, 36) lie in planes which are spaced apart from each other and are connected to one another by means of transverse ribs (37). The inlet and overflow luminaire according to claim 5, characterized in that the actuating element (16) is designed as a bowl-shaped hollow element, wherein the smallest ring section (36) of the fastening element (20) is accommodated within the actuating element (16). Inlet and overflow fitting according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the water inlet channel (34) arranged on the fastening element (20) has a pipe section (38) which is formed as a plug element and which is connected detachable and fluid tight with a connection piece (40) formed on the overflow element (2) and communicating with the water connection (7). Inlet and overflow luminaire according to one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the water inlet channel (34) has a downwardly angled vessel inlet (41) relative to its longitudinal center axis, which has an oval or slot-shaped outlet opening.