EP0839235B1

EP0839235B1 - A shower device

Info

Publication number: EP0839235B1
Application number: EP96909456A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Henning Bergenwall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-04-03
Filing date: 1996-04-03
Publication date: 2002-11-27
Anticipated expiration: 2016-04-03
Also published as: SE507210C2; SE9501223D0; WO1996031666A1; EP0839235A1; SE9501223L; CA2217432A1

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

This invention relates to a shower device for a toilet seat according to the preamble of appended claim 1.

The term "give a shower" here used should be seen in a wide perspective. Accordingly, it is supposed to comprise anything from a well spread shower to a rather concentrated spraying or washing. The invention also includes that the shower head is variable in the meaning that the character of the shower can be adjusted in a way known per se or optionally. At a known device of the type mentioned above the carrier is turnably arranged around a horizontal axis, which will lead to the shower head being pivoted in a vertical plane. This gives the disadvantage in that the spraying direction of the shower head will vary as a function of the turning position of the turnable carrier around the horizontal axis. Apart from this being felt as unsatisfying from a cleaning point of view it can also render the user the very uncomfortable consequence in that unintentionally misdirected shower streams will soak clothes, assisting persons or other objects in the surrounding. Furthermore, it has turned out to be difficult for the user to get control over the position and the direction of the shower head at any given time. As the shower head, as a consequence of the turnability of the carrier around a horizontal axis, will describe an arc-shaped pivoting movement in a vertical plane, it is difficult to obtain an optimum weighing of the movement path of the shower head so that, on one hand, the shower head is in optimum position where it is to be used for shower purposes, and, on the other hand, the shower head is positioned in a well distanced, protected position when it is not to be used. Finally, a turnable embodiment of the carrier according to the known technique also reach a rather high cost for the construction of manoeuvring handle, water regulation valve and the bearing, and the support thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to further develop a device of the type defined in the introduction in such a way that the shower device associates an uncomplicated and thereby cheap constructional embodiment with good manoeuvrability.

This object is according to the invention obtained by providing such a device with the features of the characterizing part of appended claim 1.

The result of a device having this structure is that a vertical pivot axis will be located substantially in the intermediate region of the toilet bowl. This clearly increases the range of operability of the shower head and makes it possible, in particular to move the shower head back and forth relative to the toilet seat by combined pivoting movement, so that in practice the shower head can be brought to move back and forth generally in the middle region of the toilet bowl in a straight path. This ensures that the shower head can be adjusted into a position where optimum shower action is required.

US 3 513 487 describes a device having an arm which not fulfil the tasks prescribed for the link in accordance with the present invention. First of all, the arm described therein is relatively short. Thus, it is physically impossible to locate the pivot axis formed by a bushing into an intermediate region of the toilet bowl. Generally speaking the arrangement in US 3 513 487 is basically different from the structure according to the invention.

Furthermore, US 3 605 124 describes another shower device belonging to the prior art and to be mentioned here. However, that device is of a different type than that of the present invention and has the disadvantage that the shower head has to be moved to a position comparatively closely under the edge if a protected position shall be reached, which means that the shower head will be located comparatively close to the person sitting on the toilet seat, which may be experienced as unpleasant and also makes it difficult to obtain an appropriate spraying distribution from the shower head.

In the dependent patent claims advantageous further developments of inventions are defined. These further developments will be further discussed in detail hereinafter. However, especially the gadget presented in claim 6 should be mentioned, where the carrier along with the shower head and the conduits belonging thereto form a double-arm lever, on a first arm of which the shower head is arranged and on a second arm of which the handle is arranged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

With reference to the attached drawing, a more detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, presented by way of example, will follow hereinbelow.

On the drawing:

Fig. 1: is a perspective view illustrating a toilet seat provided with the shower device according to the invention, a part forming a sitting surface with attached, splash guarding mantle being illustrated in swung up position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The shower device according to the invention comprises a shower head 1, a water supply conduit 2 leading thereto, and a carrier 3 on which the shower head 1 and at least a portion of the conduit 2 are arranged.

The carrier 3 is movably arranged in relation to a support construction 4 to move the shower head 1 in a pivoting motion between an active position, seen in Fig. 1, in which the shower head is located to give a person sitting on the toilet seat, which is generally referred to with 5, a shower from beneath in his or her seat region, and an inactive position, not shown, in which the shower head 1 is brought aside. The carrier 3, and thereby the shower head 1, are pivotable around a generally vertical axis 6 to effect the pivoting of the shower head 1.

The device comprises a mantle 8 protruding down into a bowl 7 of the toilet seat. In the example, this mantle has a tube-like shape. In its active position, the shower head is, as seen from above, located within the width of the lower opening of the mantle 8, and in its inactive position the shower head is located beside this width. More precisely, the shower head 1 is thereby supposed to be located in-pivoted behind a rear portion of the mantle 8, so that a person sitting on the toilet seat can execute his or her needs that are normally executed on the toilet seat without the shower device, and particularly the shower head 1 thereof and the conduit running up to the latter, being in the way.

A valve 9 for regulation of the water supply to the shower head 1 is arranged on the pivotable carrier 3.

A handle for manoeuvring the pivoting movement of the carrier is arranged on the pivotable carrier 3.

The water supply conduit 2 extends over the toilet seat edge and is movable inside a space between this edge and a part 16 which forms a sitting surface and is arranged thereover. Normally, this one has the character of a seat ring.

The support construction 4 is attachable to the toilet seat 5 by means of the attachment members 18 (see Fig. 1) which also attaches the part 16, which forms a sitting surface, to the toilet seat. These attachment members 18 normally have the character of shafts projecting into and/or through holes arranged in the toilet seat edge behind the toilet bowl 7. These shafts can either present means which by means of friction engage with the limitation walls in the holes in the toilet bowl edge or, alternatively, these shafts can extend totally through the holes and, at the bottom, be engaged with nuts or other fixing elements. The support construction 4 presents holes or slots arranged to be protruded by the described attachment members 18, so that the portion presenting the holes or slots will be fixed by the support construction 4 against the toilet seat in a position between the upper edge surface thereof and portions of the attachment members 18 or parts belonging to the seat ring unit 16.

The seat ring 16 can be a tiltable lid 21. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the seat ring 16 with the mantle 8 belonging thereto can be tilted up while the attachment members 18 still retain the seat ring 16 in relation to the toilet seat.

The mantle 8 is fastened in relation to the part 16 forming a sitting surface. According to a possible embodiment the mantle 8 could be designed in one piece with the part 16 which forms a sitting surface. According to the embodiment shown in the Figure the mantle 8 is, however, arranged to have the character of separate part or additional part which, by means of holders 22, is fixed to the underside of the part 16 which forms the sitting surface. The holders 22 may have the character of blocks which, by means of screws or the like, are fixed to the part 16 which forms the sitting surface. Thereby, the blocks 22 may engage maintainingly with a flange arranged on the mantle 8.

According to a preferred embodiment the holders or blocks 22 form distance members which locate the underside of the part 16 which forms the sitting surface at a level above the upper surface of the edge of the toilet bowl, so that the already described space is formed therebetween. In the alternative embodiment already mentioned, where the mantle 8 is designed in one piece with the part 16 which forms the sitting surface, it is preferred that the distance keeping members are designed in one piece with the part 16 which forms the sitting surface as projections from the latter, whereby it is of course equivalent to, instead, provide the space by means of a recess designed in the underside of the part 16 which forms the sitting surface.

The shower device is used in the following way: when a person is to execute his or her needs at the toilet seat the shower device is located in the position with the shower head 1 pivoted outside the width of the lower opening of the mantle 8. As said needs accordingly have been executed, the user can use the shower device for cleaning purposes. Thereby, the user initially sees to that a certain water spraying takes place so that the right temperature of the water reaching the shower head 1 can be obtained. Thereafter the user can comfortably pivot the shower head 1 forward to a required position by pivoting the carrier 3 around the axis 6. As the right position has been obtained, the user can easily open the valve 9 to a required degree, and thereby, through the shower head 1, a pleasant cleaning shower is obtained at the required place. As the user finds that the cleaning operation has obtained the required result, the valve 9 is shut and the carrier 3 is pivoted so that the shower head 1 once again is located in the start position.

The support construction 4a is shown as formed by two

parts

31, 32, which are moveable in relation to each other and the first 31 of which forms a base part which is attachable to the toilet seat, while the other 32 is pivotable in relation to the base part around a second, generally vertical axis 33. The carrier 3 is pivotably arranged in relation of the second part 32 around the generally vertical axis 6 first mentioned.

The two

axes

6a and 33 are located at mutual distance, which means that the movements of the shower head 1 will be formed by the sum of two pivoting movements, namely the pivoting movement of the carrier 3 around the axis 6 in relation to the part 32 and the pivoting movement of the latter around the axis 33 in relation to the base part 31. Thereby the maneouver possibilities of the user also increase as to the position of the shower head 1a.

The pivotable part 32 has the character of a link extending from the region of the rear part of the toilet bowl in a forward direction to approximately the intermediate region of the toilet bowl, the part 32 being located on one side of the toilet bowl.

In this embodiment the base part 31 presents a screen piece 34 which projects down into the toilet bowl in the area of the rear part of the toilet bowl. The shower head 1 can be pivoted behind this screen piece so that, accordingly, the shower head 1 obtains a position in which it is protected by the screen piece 34 also when the part 16 which forms the sitting surface and the mantle 8a connected thereto are swung up to the position according to Fig. 1.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 1 the handle 35 has a generally rod-like shape, the diametrical axis of the rod-shape extending generally horizontally. At the handle 35 a valve 9 is arranged for regulation of the water supply to the shower head 1. The valve could, in a simple embodiment, only permit on and off turning of the water supply, but could, in a more advanced embodiment, also permit flow volume regulation.

During use of the embodiment according to Fig. 1, the user can manoeuver the shower head 1 by holding the handle 35, not only by means of pivoting movement around the vertical axis 6 but also by bringing the part 32 to pivot in relation to the part 31 around the axis 33. This means that the shower head 1 is substantially moved in the forward/backward direction of the toilet seat by pivoting around the axis 6a. By pivoting the part 32 in relation to the part 31 the shower head 1 will, in the main, be movable in the cross-wise direction of the toilet bowl. The particular advantage from the freedom of motion of the shower head 1 around two

pivot axes

6a and 33 arranged at mutual distance, is that the shower head 1 can be brought to move back and forth generally in the intermediate region of the toilet bowl in the forward/rearward direction thereof by suitable weighing of the pivoting movement components around each of these axes.

Of course, the invention is not just delimited to the embodiment having being exemplified on the drawing and described above. Accordingly, a lot of modifications of the practical embodiment can take place within the frame of the invention.

Claims

A shower device for a toilet seat, comprising a shower head (1a), a water supply conduit (2a) leading thereto, and a carrier (3a) on which the shower head (1a) and at least a portion of the conduit (2a) are arranged and which is moveably arranged in relation to a support construction (4a) to move the shower head in a pivoting movement between an active position in which the shower head is located to give a person sitting on the toilet seat a shower from beneath onto his or her seat region, and an inactive position in which the shower head is brought aside, the carrier (3), and thereby the shower head (1), being pivotable around a generally vertical axis (6) to effect the pivoting of the shower head in a generally horizontal plane of pivoting, characterized by the support construction (4a) being formed by two parts (31, 32) which are mobile in relation to each other, a first (31) of these parts forming a base part which is attachable to the toilet seat, while a second (32) of the parts is pivotable in relation to the base part around a second, generally vertical axis (33), the carrier (3a) being pivotably arranged in relation to the second part (32) around the generally vertical axis (6a) first mentioned, said second part (32) having the character of a link, the link (32) extending from the region of the rear part of the toilet bowl in a forward direction to approximately the intermediate region of the toilet bowl, said link (32) being located on one side of the toilet bowl.
A device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a mantle (8) projecting down into a bowl (7) of the toilet seat and that the shower head (1), as seen from above, is positioned within the periphery of a lower opening of the mantle in its active position and is positioned beside this periphery in its inactive position.
A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a valve (9) for regulation of water supply to the shower head (1) is arranged on the pivotable carrier (3).
A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a handle for manoeuvring the pivoting movement of the carrier (3) is arranged on the pivotable carrier (3).
A device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the valve (9), or at least a part (10) thereof, forms the handle.
A device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the carrier (3) and the shower head (1) with the conduit (2) belonging thereto form a double arm lever, on one arm (11) of which the shower head (1) is arranged and on the other arm (12) of which the handle (10) is arranged.
A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivot axis (6) of the carrier (3) is located outside an edge (14) which delimits the opening (13) of the bowl (7) of the toilet seat.
A device according to claim 7, characterized in that the water supply conduit (2) extends over the toilet bowl edge (14) and is mobile in a space (15) between said edge and a part (16) which forms a sitting surface and is arranged thereabove.
A device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support construction (4) is attachable to the toilet seat (5) by means of attachment members (18) which also attach a part (16), which forms a sitting surface, to the toilet seat.
A device according to claims 2 and 8, characterized in that the mantle (8) is fixed in relation to or designed in one piece with the part (16) which forms a sitting surface.