EP0488970A1

EP0488970A1 - Wall shower apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP0488970A1
Application number: EP91830522A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Vincenzo Sciola
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1990-11-30
Filing date: 1991-11-27
Publication date: 1992-06-03
Also published as: IT9005240A1; IT1242847B; IT9005240A0

Abstract

The invention discloses a wall shower apparatus which comprises a body case (10) having washing means in the form of bristles (12) sponge or horsehair in the front and means (13, 14) for its application for use on a wall in the rear and incorporates a tank (15) of water and soap provided with a pump (18) for the aspiration of the fluid from said tank and its sending to and among said washing means.

Description

The present invention pertains to a wall shower apparatus which has never been proposed nor available to date.
The principal purpose of the invention is to provide a shower accessory for shower baths and the like capable of delivering water and soap and of using the mixture for the washing of the person by means of bristles, sponge or horsehair, such delivery capable of being automatic or by manual control.
Another purpose of the invention is to provide a shower apparatus in which the washing means in the form of bristles, sponge or horsehair can be attached, or more advantageously, is movable, especially rotating, completely or partly for performing a useful massaging action as well.
A further purpose of the invention is to provide a shower apparatus which can be attached to a wall but more advantageously can be moved or positioned in at least one direction for convenient access and use for anyone.
These purposes and advantages are achieved with a shower apparatus essentially corresponding at least to claim 1 below.
In any case, greater details of the invention shall become more evident in the course of the description with reference to the attached indicative, but not limiting, drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of the shower apparatus sliding on guide rods;
Figure 2 shows a lateral view of the apparatus in Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows one part in cutaway front view and another part in cutaway rear view of the body of the apparatus;
Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section of the apparatus according to arrows IV-IV in Figure 1;
Figure 5 shows a longitudinal section according to arrows V-V in Figure 1; and
Figure 6 shows a transverse section according to arrows VI-VI in Figure 5.

The apparatus proposed here comprises a body case 10 consisting of, for example, two complementary elements 10a, 10b, combined peripherally and delimiting, when assembled, a cavity 11. The washing means in the form of bristles 12, as shown in the drawing, or consisting of sponge or horsehair, are applied on the front face of said body 10. Two pairs of openings 13, two by two, coaxial and parallel, in which are extended two guide rods with a cross section equal to that of said openings and with a length greater than that of the body, are provided on the rear face of the body 10. In the example illustrated, these guide rods 14 are attached to a wall, for example, in the space of a shower bath, in the vertical direction, and the body 10 of the apparatus is mounted and slides along such rods.
A tank 15 intended to contain a water and soap emulsion 16, which can be filled through a loading orifice with a plug and provided with a pump 17 for the control delivery of such an emulsion, is contained in the cavity 11 of the body case 10. The pump 17 can be of the piston type and operated manually by means of a lever 18 protruding from the body 10 as shown in the drawings. However, this does not exclude that the pump 17 may also be operated by an electric motor -- not shown -- favorably arranged and run.
In any case, the pump 17 is arranged for aspirating the emulsion from the tank 15 through a small opening or suction tube 19 and is connected to a tube 20 for the sending of the emulsion to the outlet openings 21 provided on the front surface of the body 10 among the washing means, bristles, sponge or horsehair, whatever they may be. In such a manner, the emulsion is distributed among the humidifying washing means by which a person can be washed, leaning and moving in relation to such means.
Thus, the apparatus described can be moved and positioned along at least one direction, which is vertically defined by the guide rods 14, for varying the position in height depending on need. It is, however, neither limiting nor exclusive, Actually, the apparatus may also be and may remain attached directly to the wall without losing its showering function.
The apparatus may also be moved in two orthogonal directions, for example, vertically and horizontally, by simply applying horizontal guide means between the body and the guide rods 14 or between said rods and the wall as well. Instead of a pair of vertical and/or horizontal rods, a single guide rod may also be provided with the possibility then, if necessary, of also being able to orientate the apparatus angularly around said rod.
However, when the apparatus is sliding on guide rods, as shown in the drawings, from one side, in the coaxial openings 13 of the body, they are preferably provided with lining 13a, for example, made of nylon, suitable for promoting sliding and, from the other side, the apparatus is provided with stopping means 22 interacting with said rods. The stopping means on each rod is thus made of a block 23 mounted in the body 10 -- see Figure 6 -- passing into an opening 13b made in the body orthogonally to the rod at the height of a guide lining 13a. Said block 23 acts on the rod 14 by means of a stopping seal with a high coefficient of friction and is normally maintained in the locking position by a spring 25. An unlocking lever 26 is connected to the block 23 for its unlocking, which lever is operated manually by means of a push button 27 accessible on the front side of the apparatus and intended for controlling, if that is the case and as shown in Figure 6, two levers for the simultaneous unlocking of the two stopping blocks acting on the two rods 14.
However, various changes in construction and detail can be introduced to the apparatus described above without hereby going beyond the scope of the invention. Thus, for example, the washing means, such as bristles, sponge or horsehair, besides being attached to the body 10, can be partly or completely movable for increasing the effectiveness. Said means can then be brought individually or in groups by revolving plates in the front plane of the apparatus, by drum elements or alternately by shaft supports guided and provided with alternating movements, perhaps with a support that is shifted in one direction when another adjacent support is shifted in the opposite direction.
Moreover, the water can be sent to the tank by means of a canalization connected to the distribution network and, if necessary, the apparatus may also incorporate a movable shower bath with this.

Claims

1) Wall shower apparatus characterized by a body case (10) having washing means in the form of bristles (12), sponge or horsehair in the front, having means (13,13a) for its application for use on a wall in the rear and incorporating a tank (15) of water and soap provided with a pump (17) for the aspiration of the fluid from said tank and its sending to and among said washing means.

2) Shower apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said body (10) is statically attached to a wall.

3) Shower apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which said body (10) can be moved and positioned along at least one direction on guide rods (14) applied to the wall.

4) Shower apparatus in accordance with claims 1 and 2 or 3, in which the washing means in the form of bristles, sponge or horsehair are attached to the said body.

5) Shower apparatus in accordance with claims 1 and 2 or 3, in which at least some washing means in the form of bristles, sponge or horsehair can be moved on said body with rotatory motion or alternating upright motion.

6) Shower apparatus in accordance with the above claims, in which the delivery pump (17) is operated manually with a lever (18).

7) Shower apparatus in accordance with claims 1 to 5, in which the delivery pump (17) is operated by an electric motor.

8) Shower apparatus in accordance with claim 3, in which the body (10) is provided with elements (13a) which slide along the guide rods (14) and with at least one stopping means (22) engaging with at least one guide rod for the positioning and the locking of the apparatus in more positions.

9) Shower apparatus in accordance with claim 8, in which the stopping means (22) comprise a block (23) normally inclined against the guide rod (14) by a spring (25) and acting on said rod by means of a stopping seal (24), an unlocking lever (26) being connected to said block, which lever is operated by a push button (27) for the unlocking of the block for the action of shifting and positioning the apparatus.

10) Shower apparatus in accordance with any of the above claims, in which the tank (15) has an orifice with a plug for the introduction of the fluid into the tank itself.

11) Shower apparatus in accordance with any of claims 1 to 9, in which the tank (15) is connected to a water supply canalization from outside.

12) Shower apparatus in accordance with any of the above claims in which is also incorporated a shower bath distributor movable with the apparatus itself.