EP0930100B1 - Shower head - Google Patents
Shower head Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0930100B1 EP0930100B1 EP98310392A EP98310392A EP0930100B1 EP 0930100 B1 EP0930100 B1 EP 0930100B1 EP 98310392 A EP98310392 A EP 98310392A EP 98310392 A EP98310392 A EP 98310392A EP 0930100 B1 EP0930100 B1 EP 0930100B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- nozzle
- nozzles
- shower head
- component
- head according
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
- B05B1/00—Nozzles, spray heads or other outlets, with or without auxiliary devices such as valves, heating means
- B05B1/14—Nozzles, spray heads or other outlets, with or without auxiliary devices such as valves, heating means with multiple outlet openings; with strainers in or outside the outlet opening
- B05B1/18—Roses; Shower heads
- B05B1/185—Roses; Shower heads characterised by their outlet element; Mounting arrangements therefor
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
- B05B15/00—Details of spraying plant or spraying apparatus not otherwise provided for; Accessories
- B05B15/50—Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter
- B05B15/52—Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter for removal of clogging particles
- B05B15/528—Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter for removal of clogging particles by resilient deformation of the nozzle
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
- B05B15/00—Details of spraying plant or spraying apparatus not otherwise provided for; Accessories
- B05B15/60—Arrangements for mounting, supporting or holding spraying apparatus
- B05B15/62—Arrangements for supporting spraying apparatus, e.g. suction cups
Definitions
- the present application relates to a shower head and, more particularly, to a shower head in which the nozzles may be effectively descaled.
- shower heads are known for use in bathrooms and the like. These shower heads may be arranged in a number of ways, for instance fixed to a wall or provided with a handle and a connecting flexible tube.
- the shower heads are usually provided with a plurality of nozzles which produce respective jets of water to provide an overall spray pattern. Furthermore, some shower heads have two or more sets or arrays of nozzles and some operating means, such as a lever, for allowing a user to select between the sets of nozzles and vary the overall spray pattern.
- shower heads may be arranged merely for the selection of the number of sets of nozzles and, hence, the extent of the combined spray pattern.
- respective sets of nozzles can in some shower heads produce different types of jet stream and/or different types of spray pattern. With these shower heads, the user may select between the types of jet stream or spray pattern.
- the nozzles To produce fine jets of water, often of high pressure, the nozzles have to be of relatively small cross-sectional area. Unfortunately, this makes them particularly prone to scaling. In particular, limescale is deposited from the water in and around the downstream portion of the nozzle, causing the nozzle to become partly, if not totally, blocked.
- US 5,172,862 upon which the precharacterising portions of appended claim 1 and of claim 16 are based develops this idea further and provides a rotatable disk adjacent the face plate.
- the rotatable disk has an array of holes corresponding to the elastomeric teats such that, when the rotatable disk is rotated, it contacts the outer portions of the teats and deflects the outer portions in a circumferential direction so as to dislodge scale.
- DE-A- 3044310 considers elastomeric tube elements extending from a pipe body and uses a similar arrangement, with an outer sleeve having openings corresponding to the tube elements, to deflect the tube elements and the resulting shower jets.
- the descaling ability of the shower head is not as good as one might first think.
- the elastomeric teats are cleaned by wiping a member, such as one's finger, over the outermost end surface of the teat. This deflects the teats to one side in a pivoting movement about the position at which they extend from the face plate.
- a teat is deflected as a whole without particular deformation at its end, such that scale need not necessarily be cleared from within the rubber teat.
- a rubber teat having scale built up in its outlet opening can easily be deflected to one side at its base whilst leaving the scaled end of the teat intact.
- a further disadvantage of the elastomeric teat arrangement is that deflection is caused by rubbing the thinnest most vulnerable part of the rubber teat, often with hard scale particles. This can result in the teats being damaged very quickly.
- a method of descaling the nozzles of a shower head having nozzles constructed of a flexible resilient material extending continuously from an upstream portion to a downstream portion the method being characterised by:
- a shower head having:
- the flexible nozzle is deformed such that scaling will be more effectively broken up or released. Furthermore, since the nozzles are deformed by contact with their sides, rather than their ends, the relatively weak end surface is not rubbed or damaged.
- the nozzles are deformed by action on their side surfaces, it is not necessary for them to protrude beyond the face plate, which may itself be formed from the first and second components. As a result, the ends of the nozzles need not protrude beyond the face plate, such that-they do not spoil the appearance of the shower head and are not vulnerable to being damaged.
- the nozzles By supporting the nozzles, they are more stable and deform less with varying pressure. Furthermore, the material properties of the nozzles may be chosen to optimize flexibility and release of scale, since they do not have to be designed to be self supporting.
- the first component can extend along the entire length of the nozzle, preferably surrounding the entire peripheral extent of the outer surface of each nozzle at its upstream portion.
- the upstream portion of each nozzle is supported, but is not directly deflected by a second component.
- each nozzle is formed integrally with a flange which is mounted upstream of and against an inner surface of the first component which is substantially perpendicular to the extent of the nozzle.
- the flange may then be used to seal with upstream moving components of the shower head, for instance by means of lip seals. This has the advantage of avoiding the need for any seals around the first and second components.
- each nozzle is substantially cylindrical and the downstream portion of each nozzle is substantially conical.
- the conical section is used, since it allows nozzles to direct water jets at different angles according to the centre line of the cone of the respective nozzle, whilst allowing the molding tools to be withdrawn easily.
- the conical internal cross-section also helps to provide well formed jets.
- the upstream cylindrical outer cross-section allows a good transition between the downstream end of the nozzle where the greatest deflection occurs and the upstream portion of the nozzle where substantially only twisting occurs.
- the shower head includes a front face plate from which the jets of water issue and a rotatable bezel around the periphery of the face plate, one of the first and second components being connected to the bezel so as to cause shearing of each nozzle when the bezel is rotated.
- the first and second components may be common to all of the nozzles of the first array.
- the first component may have an inner periphery positioned substantially along the circle and the second component may have an outer periphery positioned substantially along the circle.
- That one of the first and second components which is connected to the bezel may actually be formed integrally with the bezel, but, by being formed separately, variations in appearance are possible, for instance a chromed bezel may be provided together with coloured components forming the face plate.
- the shower head is capable of producing more than one spray pattern and further comprises a movable member for changing between spray patterns, one of the first and second components being connected to the movable member so as to cause shearing of each nozzle when changing between spray patterns.
- the movable member may preferably be the bezel mentioned above.
- the shower head may include more than one array of nozzles according to the present invention, preferably arranged in two or more concentric circles.
- they are arranged such that movement of one component to shear an outer ring of nozzles will shear that outer ring of nozzles and then transmit the motion inwardly to shear also the inner ring of nozzles with respect to a third component.
- the nozzles of an array are formed from a single integral component, thereby simplify manufacture and construction.
- This approach can be extended to multiple arrays of nozzles.
- the shower head 2 is fitted to an extension 4, of which only the end is shown.
- the extension 4 may be part of a handle or a wall fixture.
- Water is guided up the inside of the extension 4 and into the shower head 2.
- the shower head 2 of Figures 1 and 2 includes three different arrays 6, 8, 10 of nozzles.
- a mechanism is provided within the shower head 2 to supply selectively the water from the extension 4 into one or more of the arrays 6, 8, 10 of nozzles.
- the internal structure of this particular shower head 2 is also arranged to provide different types of jets of water from the respective arrays of nozzles, in particular fine powerful jets from array 6, aerated jets from array 8 and normal or pulsating jets from array 10.
- a bezel 12 is also provided around the face plate 14 in which the nozzles are formed.
- the internal mechanism is operated so as to change between the various spray patterns and provide water selectively to one or more of the arrays 6,8,10.
- the outer array 6 of nozzles includes a series of nozzles 16 arranged in accordance with the present invention.
- the nozzle 16 is formed of an elastomeric material and comprises a downstream generally conically shaped portion 16a, an upstream generally cylindrically shaped portion 16b and a flange portion 16c with lip seals 16d.
- the nozzle 16 is supported by a first component 18 and a second component 20 which together form part of the face plate 14. These are also illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.
- the first component 18 is connected to the bezel 12.
- the bezel 12 is provided with extensions 12a which fit into corresponding recesses 18a in the first component 18. This rotationally fixes the bezel 12 to the first component 18, such that the bezel 12 may be used to rotate the first component 18.
- the bezel may be attached to the first component 18 in other ways, for instance using adhesive.
- the bezel 12 and first component 18 can be formed as an integral component.
- the advantage of forming them as separate components is that the bezel 12 may then be formed of a different material to that of the first component 18.
- the second component 20 is free to rotate relative to the first component 18. Therefore, when the bezel 12 and first component 18 are rotated, a relative rotation occurs between the first component 18 and second component 20.
- those parts of the first component 18 and the second component 20 which support the downstream portion 16a of the nozzle 16 move relative to one another and shear the downstream portion 16a of the nozzle 16 causing the scale in the downstream portion 16a to be dislodged from the nozzle 16.
- the nozzle 16 is only fixed where it joins the flange portion 16c, the length of the upstream portion 16b gradually absorbs the shearing of the downstream portion 16a as a gradually decreasing twist along its length.
- the flange 16c of the nozzle 16 is provided with two peripheral lip seals 16d. As illustrated in Figure 3, these are used to seal against internal side walls of the shower head 2. In this way, water which is ducted to the nozzles 16 need not at any stage come into contact with the relatively complex arrangement of first and second components 18,20 and bezel 12. In particular, the moving arrangement of the first and second components 18,20 is provided outside of the channelling of the water, such that it is not necessary to provide any water seals in the moving parts.
- downstream portion 16a of the nozzle 16 are conical in shape.
- the divide between the first and second components 16,18 lies substantially along the central axis of this cone.
- consecutive downstream portions 16a will have internal conical sections with axes at different angles.
- three different angles ⁇ for instance -4°, 0°, 4° or 0°, 4°, 8° etc, may be used in sequence around the array of nozzles 16, such that a spread of water jets is formed.
- the internal cross-section may be entirely conical as shown in Figure 3 or only partly conical as shown subsequently in Figures 9 and 12.
- the outer sections of the downstream portion 16a of the nozzle 16 should all be the same, such that all of the supporting areas of the first and second components 18,20 can be of the same shape and dimension and not require the nozzles 16 to be inserted with a particular orientation.
- a shower head is merely provided with an array of nozzles 16 as discussed above without any further array of nozzles.
- the bezel 12 would be used only for cleaning the nozzle 16.
- two further arrays, 8 and 10 are provided and the bezel 12 also functions to operate the mechanism within the shower head 2 to redirect water between the various arrays 6,8,10.
- first component 18 it may be undesirable for the first component 18 to have complete freedom of movement against the second component 20, since a user could over-rotate the first component 18 relative to the second component 20 and thereby damage the nozzle 16. This may be a problem, particularly where the bezel 12 is also used to operate a fairly stiff internal mechanism and where this operation is transmitted through the first and second components 18,20.
- the first and second components 18,20 should be provided with some kind of interlocking arrangement.
- the first and second components 18,20 should be arranged such that only a limited amount of relative rotation is possible.
- the first component 18 once the first component 18 has rotated relative to the second component 20 sufficient to provide the required shear and deformation of the nozzle 16, then it should engage with the second component 20 so as to rotate the second component 20 directly without any further relative rotation.
- Figure 5 illustrates a possible embodiment.
- An outer surface of the second component 20 is formed with a series of outwardly facing teeth 22.
- An inner surface of the first component 18 is formed with a corresponding series of inwardly facing indents 24.
- the indents 24 are slightly bigger than the teeth 22 such that, with the teeth 22 of the second component 20 in the indents 24 of the first component 18, a small amount of relative rotation is possible between the first component 18 and second component 20.
- the relative sizes of the teeth 22 and indents 24 are determined according to the size of the nozzle 16 and the radius of the circle along which they are positioned.
- a nozzle 16 is to be sheared such that the side wall of one half of the nozzle 16 is sheared to a position adjacent the centre of the other half of the nozzle 16. Therefore, the relative sizes of the teeth 22 and indents 24 should be chosen such that a side surface of a tooth 22 engages a corresponding side surface of an indent 24 when the nozzles 16 have been sheared to the extent mentioned above. In this way, any further shearing of the nozzles is prevented and further transmission of forces between the first component 18 and the second component 22 occurs between the side surfaces of the teeth 22 and indents 24, rather than through the nozzles 16.
- teeth 22 and indents 24 allow relative rotation and shearing in both directions.
- the nozzles 16 return to their unsheared and undeformed state.
- an additional sprung mechanism is provided to return the first and second components 18,20 to their aligned state when no relative rotation is imposed by the user. In other words, in its "at rest" state, where a user is not rotating the bezel 12 or first component 18, the first component 18 is forced to a position where its supporting surfaces are aligned with the supporting surfaces of the second component 20 and the nozzles 16 are not deformed.
- Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment including this preferred feature.
- the inner surface of the first component 18 is formed with a resilient cantilevered arm 26 having a return indent 28.
- the return indent 28 is of substantially the same shape and size as the teeth 22.
- the return indent 28 is positioned in the first component 18 such that, in its at rest state when it fully engages a tooth 22, the supporting surfaces of the first component 18 are aligned with the supporting surfaces of the second component 20.
- the return indent 28 and arm 26 In use, when the first component 18 is rotated relative to the second component 20, the return indent 28 and arm 26 is forced outwards by riding up a tooth 22. In this way, when the rotating force is released from the first component 18, the resilient inward force of the arm 26 causes the return indent 28 to ride back down into its engaged position with the tooth 22, thereby causing the first and second components 18,20 to be re-aligned.
- the teeth 22 and indents 24 can have a square section. However, as will be apparent from the above, for the functioning of the return indent 28, the teeth 22 and indents 24,28 should have generally sloped side surfaces.
- the resilient returning force of the cantilever arm 26 should be strong enough to overcome frictional forces to return the first and second components 18,20 to their aligned state, but should not be so great as to prevent relative rotation for the purposes of shearing the nozzles.
- the force required to overcome the cantilever arm 26 should be less than that required to operate the internal mechanism.
- Figure 6 illustrates schematically an alternative return mechanism.
- a generally "M" shaped spring member 30 is formed on the inner surface of the first component 18.
- This spring member 30 can work in one of two ways.
- the respective tooth 22 can cause the spring member 30 to be deflected inwardly as the tooth 22 rotates relative to it.
- the spring member 30 can securely grip the side surfaces of the tooth 22, such that the central portion of the spring member 30 is actually rotated with the tooth 22 relative to the first component 18.
- the spring member 30 acts to return the first component 18 to the position where its supporting surfaces aligned with those of the second component 20.
- the spring member 30 is not formed integrally with the first component 18, but is made of spring steel and is merely fitted to the inner surface of the first component 18.
- Each array of nozzles may be constructed and arranged in the manner described above. However as illustrated more clearly in Figure 9, whereas the third component 18 of the outer array of nozzles 16 is connected to or formed integrally with the bezel 12, the first component 18 of the inner array of nozzles 16 is connected to or formed integrally with the fourth component 20 of the outer array of nozzles.
- Figure 10 illustrates an integral outer fourth component 18 and inner third component 20 of the type previously discussed with reference to Figure 4.
- Figure 11 illustrates an outer fourth component 20 and inner third component 18 corresponding to the first and second components described with reference to Figure 5.
Description
- The present application relates to a shower head and, more particularly, to a shower head in which the nozzles may be effectively descaled.
- A large variety of different shower heads are known for use in bathrooms and the like. These shower heads may be arranged in a number of ways, for instance fixed to a wall or provided with a handle and a connecting flexible tube.
- The shower heads are usually provided with a plurality of nozzles which produce respective jets of water to provide an overall spray pattern. Furthermore, some shower heads have two or more sets or arrays of nozzles and some operating means, such as a lever, for allowing a user to select between the sets of nozzles and vary the overall spray pattern. Shower heads may be arranged merely for the selection of the number of sets of nozzles and, hence, the extent of the combined spray pattern. Alternatively, respective sets of nozzles can in some shower heads produce different types of jet stream and/or different types of spray pattern. With these shower heads, the user may select between the types of jet stream or spray pattern.
- To produce fine jets of water, often of high pressure, the nozzles have to be of relatively small cross-sectional area. Unfortunately, this makes them particularly prone to scaling. In particular, limescale is deposited from the water in and around the downstream portion of the nozzle, causing the nozzle to become partly, if not totally, blocked.
- For a traditional type shower head merely having a face plate with a series of holes forming the nozzles, it has been proposed to provide a series of pins within the shower head which can be moved into and through the holes so as to clear the scale. This does not provide any direct means for removing scale from around the nozzle outlets, which, if nothing else, leaves the shower head looking unsightly.
- It has also been proposed to provide a face plate from which elastomeric teats extend, the elastomeric teats forming the nozzles. With this arrangement of shower head, the user can rub the teats with his or her thumb or fingers, thereby deflecting them. The purpose of this deflection is to deform the teats so that the hard inflexible scale breaks up or at least becomes detached from the teats.
- US 5,172,862, upon which the precharacterising portions of appended claim 1 and of
claim 16 are based develops this idea further and provides a rotatable disk adjacent the face plate. The rotatable disk has an array of holes corresponding to the elastomeric teats such that, when the rotatable disk is rotated, it contacts the outer portions of the teats and deflects the outer portions in a circumferential direction so as to dislodge scale. - DE-A- 3044310 considers elastomeric tube elements extending from a pipe body and uses a similar arrangement, with an outer sleeve having openings corresponding to the tube elements, to deflect the tube elements and the resulting shower jets.
- With this kind of shower head, it is necessary for the elastomeric teats to extend beyond the face plate of the shower head in order to allow them to be flexed. This makes the shower head inherently unsightly and also leaves the nozzles themselves vulnerable to damage. This is of particular concern, since the teats are small and have to be made from relatively thin soft material to allow adequate deflection.
- Furthermore, the descaling ability of the shower head is not as good as one might first think. As explained above, the elastomeric teats are cleaned by wiping a member, such as one's finger, over the outermost end surface of the teat. This deflects the teats to one side in a pivoting movement about the position at which they extend from the face plate. Thus, a teat is deflected as a whole without particular deformation at its end, such that scale need not necessarily be cleared from within the rubber teat. In particular, a rubber teat having scale built up in its outlet opening can easily be deflected to one side at its base whilst leaving the scaled end of the teat intact.
- A further disadvantage of the elastomeric teat arrangement is that deflection is caused by rubbing the thinnest most vulnerable part of the rubber teat, often with hard scale particles. This can result in the teats being damaged very quickly.
- In view of the above problems, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of descaling the nozzles of a shower head having nozzles constructed of a flexible resilient material extending continuously from an upstream portion to a downstream portion, the method being characterised by:
- providing for at least the downstream portion of each nozzle, a first component conforming to part of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle and a second component conforming to substantially the remainder of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle, such that the downstream portion of the nozzle is substantially fully supported; and
- relatively moving the first and second components such that they engage diametrically opposite sides of the nozzles so as to shear the nozzles.
-
- According to the present invention there is also a shower head having:
- at least a first array of nozzles for issuing
respective jets of water to form a spray pattern, each
nozzle being constructed of a flexible resilient material
and extending continuously from an upstream portion to a
downstream portion; characterized in that:
- the shower head also has, for at least the
downstream portion of each nozzle:
- a first component conforming to part of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle; and
- a second component conforming to substantially the remainder of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle, such that the downstream portion of the nozzle is substantially fully supported; wherein
- the first and second components engage diametrically opposite sides of the nozzles and are relatively movable so as to shear the nozzles.
-
- In this way, it is ensured that the flexible nozzle is deformed such that scaling will be more effectively broken up or released. Furthermore, since the nozzles are deformed by contact with their sides, rather than their ends, the relatively weak end surface is not rubbed or damaged.
- Since the nozzles are deformed by action on their side surfaces, it is not necessary for them to protrude beyond the face plate, which may itself be formed from the first and second components. As a result, the ends of the nozzles need not protrude beyond the face plate, such that-they do not spoil the appearance of the shower head and are not vulnerable to being damaged.
- A further problem with the previous design of shower head is also overcome, namely that the teats extending beyond the face plate inevitably change in size and shape according to the water pressure, thereby making the resulting spray pattern relatively unstable.
- By supporting the nozzles, they are more stable and deform less with varying pressure. Furthermore, the material properties of the nozzles may be chosen to optimize flexibility and release of scale, since they do not have to be designed to be self supporting.
- The first component can extend along the entire length of the nozzle, preferably surrounding the entire peripheral extent of the outer surface of each nozzle at its upstream portion.
- In this way, the upstream portion of each nozzle is supported, but is not directly deflected by a second component. This is particularly advantageous, since the deflection of the downstream portion of the nozzle by the second component can gently reduce along the length of the upstream portion up to the base of the nozzle, where no deflection occurs.
- Preferably, an upstream end of each nozzle is formed integrally with a flange which is mounted upstream of and against an inner surface of the first component which is substantially perpendicular to the extent of the nozzle.
- The flange may then be used to seal with upstream moving components of the shower head, for instance by means of lip seals. This has the advantage of avoiding the need for any seals around the first and second components.
- Preferably, the upstream portion of each nozzle is substantially cylindrical and the downstream portion of each nozzle is substantially conical.
- The conical section is used, since it allows nozzles to direct water jets at different angles according to the centre line of the cone of the respective nozzle, whilst allowing the molding tools to be withdrawn easily. The conical internal cross-section also helps to provide well formed jets. The upstream cylindrical outer cross-section allows a good transition between the downstream end of the nozzle where the greatest deflection occurs and the upstream portion of the nozzle where substantially only twisting occurs.
- Preferably, the shower head includes a front face plate from which the jets of water issue and a rotatable bezel around the periphery of the face plate, one of the first and second components being connected to the bezel so as to cause shearing of each nozzle when the bezel is rotated.
- The first and second components may be common to all of the nozzles of the first array.
- This is particularly advantageous when the centres of the nozzles are positioned substantially around a common circle, since then the first component may have an inner periphery positioned substantially along the circle and the second component may have an outer periphery positioned substantially along the circle.
- That one of the first and second components which is connected to the bezel may actually be formed integrally with the bezel, but, by being formed separately, variations in appearance are possible, for instance a chromed bezel may be provided together with coloured components forming the face plate.
- Preferably, the shower head is capable of producing more than one spray pattern and further comprises a movable member for changing between spray patterns, one of the first and second components being connected to the movable member so as to cause shearing of each nozzle when changing between spray patterns.
- The movable member may preferably be the bezel mentioned above.
- In this way, whenever a user moves the member or rotates the bezel to change spray patterns, the nozzles are automatically deflected to clean them of any limescale.
- The shower head may include more than one array of nozzles according to the present invention, preferably arranged in two or more concentric circles.
- Preferably, they are arranged such that movement of one component to shear an outer ring of nozzles will shear that outer ring of nozzles and then transmit the motion inwardly to shear also the inner ring of nozzles with respect to a third component.
- Of course, this arrangement can be repeated with any number of concentric rings of nozzles.
- Preferably, the nozzles of an array are formed from a single integral component, thereby simplify manufacture and construction.
- This approach can be extended to multiple arrays of nozzles.
- The present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
- Figure 1 illustrates a partial side cross-section of a first embodiment;
- Figure 2 illustrates the face plate of the first embodiment;
- Figure 3 illustrates a nozzle according to the present invention;
- Figure 4 illustrates part of an arrangement of the first embodiment;
- Figure 5 illustrates part of another arrangement of the first embodiment;
- Figure 6 illustrates an alternative spring return mechanism for the first embodiment;
- Figure 7 illustrates a partial side cross-section of a second embodiment;
- Figure 8 illustrates the face plate of the second embodiment;
- Figure 9 illustrates two nozzles according to the present invention;
- Figure 10 illustrates a combined third and fourth component for use in the second embodiment;
- Figure 11 illustrates another combined third and fourth component for use in the second embodiment;
- Figure 12 illustrates two nozzles according to the present invention.
-
- As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the shower head 2 is fitted to an
extension 4, of which only the end is shown. Theextension 4 may be part of a handle or a wall fixture. - Water is guided up the inside of the
extension 4 and into the shower head 2. - The shower head 2 of Figures 1 and 2 includes three
different arrays extension 4 into one or more of thearrays array 6, aerated jets from array 8 and normal or pulsating jets fromarray 10. - In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, a
bezel 12 is also provided around theface plate 14 in which the nozzles are formed. By rotating thebezel 12 relative to the rest of the shower head 2, the internal mechanism is operated so as to change between the various spray patterns and provide water selectively to one or more of thearrays - The nature of the internal arrangement of the shower head with respect to varying the spray patterns is not of particular relevance to the present invention, since the present invention concerns the scaling of arrays of nozzles.
- In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the
outer array 6 of nozzles includes a series ofnozzles 16 arranged in accordance with the present invention. - Figure 3 illustrates a cross-section through one
such nozzle 16. - The
nozzle 16 is formed of an elastomeric material and comprises a downstream generally conically shapedportion 16a, an upstream generally cylindrically shapedportion 16b and aflange portion 16c withlip seals 16d. Thenozzle 16 is supported by afirst component 18 and asecond component 20 which together form part of theface plate 14. These are also illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. - As can be seen particularly in Figure 4, the
first component 18 surrounds theupstream portion 16b of thenozzle 16 completely, but only encircles part of thedownstream portion 16a. The remainder of thedownstream portion 16a is surrounded by thesecond component 20. Figure 4 also shows that each of thenozzles 16 can be formed with acommon flange 16c and that common first andsecond components nozzles 16 of the array by providing them as annular members. - As illustrated in Figure 3, the
first component 18 is connected to thebezel 12. In this embodiment, thebezel 12 is provided withextensions 12a which fit into corresponding recesses 18a in thefirst component 18. This rotationally fixes thebezel 12 to thefirst component 18, such that thebezel 12 may be used to rotate thefirst component 18. Of course, the bezel may be attached to thefirst component 18 in other ways, for instance using adhesive. Indeed, thebezel 12 andfirst component 18 can be formed as an integral component. However, the advantage of forming them as separate components is that thebezel 12 may then be formed of a different material to that of thefirst component 18. - As has been mentioned above and as can be seen in Figure 1, the
bezel 12 is rotatable relative to the rest of the handset 2. - During use of the shower head, the
bezel 12 can be rotated relative to the handset 2 in order to change the spray pattern in use. However, since thebezel 12 is rotationally fixed to thefirst component 18, rotation of thebezel 12 will also cause rotation of thefirst component 18 and all of thenozzles 16 which it supports. - The
second component 20 is free to rotate relative to thefirst component 18. Therefore, when thebezel 12 andfirst component 18 are rotated, a relative rotation occurs between thefirst component 18 andsecond component 20. In particular, those parts of thefirst component 18 and thesecond component 20 which support thedownstream portion 16a of thenozzle 16 move relative to one another and shear thedownstream portion 16a of thenozzle 16 causing the scale in thedownstream portion 16a to be dislodged from thenozzle 16. Furthermore, since thenozzle 16 is only fixed where it joins theflange portion 16c, the length of theupstream portion 16b gradually absorbs the shearing of thedownstream portion 16a as a gradually decreasing twist along its length. - As mentioned above, the
flange 16c of thenozzle 16 is provided with twoperipheral lip seals 16d. As illustrated in Figure 3, these are used to seal against internal side walls of the shower head 2. In this way, water which is ducted to thenozzles 16 need not at any stage come into contact with the relatively complex arrangement of first andsecond components bezel 12. In particular, the moving arrangement of the first andsecond components - As discussed above, the
downstream portion 16a of thenozzle 16 are conical in shape. Preferably, the divide between the first andsecond components downstream portions 16a will have internal conical sections with axes at different angles. By way of example, three different angles , for instance -4°, 0°, 4° or 0°, 4°, 8° etc, may be used in sequence around the array ofnozzles 16, such that a spread of water jets is formed. The internal cross-section may be entirely conical as shown in Figure 3 or only partly conical as shown subsequently in Figures 9 and 12. - Despite the variation of internal sections, it is proposed that the outer sections of the
downstream portion 16a of thenozzle 16 should all be the same, such that all of the supporting areas of the first andsecond components nozzles 16 to be inserted with a particular orientation. - It may be that a shower head is merely provided with an array of
nozzles 16 as discussed above without any further array of nozzles. In this case, thebezel 12 would be used only for cleaning thenozzle 16. However, for the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, two further arrays, 8 and 10 are provided and thebezel 12 also functions to operate the mechanism within the shower head 2 to redirect water between thevarious arrays - For either of these arrangements, it may be undesirable for the
first component 18 to have complete freedom of movement against thesecond component 20, since a user could over-rotate thefirst component 18 relative to thesecond component 20 and thereby damage thenozzle 16. This may be a problem, particularly where thebezel 12 is also used to operate a fairly stiff internal mechanism and where this operation is transmitted through the first andsecond components - In order to deal with this problem, the first and
second components second components first component 18 has rotated relative to thesecond component 20 sufficient to provide the required shear and deformation of thenozzle 16, then it should engage with thesecond component 20 so as to rotate thesecond component 20 directly without any further relative rotation. - Figure 5 illustrates a possible embodiment.
- An outer surface of the
second component 20 is formed with a series of outwardly facingteeth 22. An inner surface of thefirst component 18 is formed with a corresponding series of inwardly facing indents 24. Theindents 24 are slightly bigger than theteeth 22 such that, with theteeth 22 of thesecond component 20 in theindents 24 of thefirst component 18, a small amount of relative rotation is possible between thefirst component 18 andsecond component 20. The relative sizes of theteeth 22 and indents 24 are determined according to the size of thenozzle 16 and the radius of the circle along which they are positioned. - Preferably, during shearing, a
nozzle 16 is to be sheared such that the side wall of one half of thenozzle 16 is sheared to a position adjacent the centre of the other half of thenozzle 16. Therefore, the relative sizes of theteeth 22 and indents 24 should be chosen such that a side surface of atooth 22 engages a corresponding side surface of anindent 24 when thenozzles 16 have been sheared to the extent mentioned above. In this way, any further shearing of the nozzles is prevented and further transmission of forces between thefirst component 18 and thesecond component 22 occurs between the side surfaces of theteeth 22 and indents 24, rather than through thenozzles 16. - It would be possible to arrange the spacings and sizes of the
teeth 22 and indents 24 such that shearing of thenozzles 16 is only possible in one direction. However, in the preferred embodiment, theteeth 22 and indents 24 allow relative rotation and shearing in both directions. - Clearly, it is preferable that when the shearing mechanism is released, the
nozzles 16 return to their unsheared and undeformed state. In this regard, it is possible to rely merely on the elasticity of thenozzles 16 to return the first andsecond components second components bezel 12 orfirst component 18, thefirst component 18 is forced to a position where its supporting surfaces are aligned with the supporting surfaces of thesecond component 20 and thenozzles 16 are not deformed. - Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment including this preferred feature.
- Although special parts could be provided, this embodiment makes use of the
teeth 22. The inner surface of thefirst component 18 is formed with a resilient cantileveredarm 26 having areturn indent 28. Unlike thenormal indents 24, thereturn indent 28 is of substantially the same shape and size as theteeth 22. Furthermore thereturn indent 28 is positioned in thefirst component 18 such that, in its at rest state when it fully engages atooth 22, the supporting surfaces of thefirst component 18 are aligned with the supporting surfaces of thesecond component 20. - In use, when the
first component 18 is rotated relative to thesecond component 20, thereturn indent 28 andarm 26 is forced outwards by riding up atooth 22. In this way, when the rotating force is released from thefirst component 18, the resilient inward force of thearm 26 causes thereturn indent 28 to ride back down into its engaged position with thetooth 22, thereby causing the first andsecond components - For the purposes of limiting relative rotation between the first and
second components teeth 22 and indents 24 can have a square section. However, as will be apparent from the above, for the functioning of thereturn indent 28, theteeth 22 and indents 24,28 should have generally sloped side surfaces. - Finally, it will be appreciated that the resilient returning force of the
cantilever arm 26 should be strong enough to overcome frictional forces to return the first andsecond components second component 20 is connected to an internal mechanism to change the spray pattern, the force required to overcome thecantilever arm 26 should be less than that required to operate the internal mechanism. - Preferably, three such return mechanisms are provided around the periphery.
- Figure 6 illustrates schematically an alternative return mechanism. In this embodiment, a generally "M" shaped
spring member 30 is formed on the inner surface of thefirst component 18. Thisspring member 30 can work in one of two ways. Therespective tooth 22 can cause thespring member 30 to be deflected inwardly as thetooth 22 rotates relative to it. Alternatively, thespring member 30 can securely grip the side surfaces of thetooth 22, such that the central portion of thespring member 30 is actually rotated with thetooth 22 relative to thefirst component 18. In either case, thespring member 30 acts to return thefirst component 18 to the position where its supporting surfaces aligned with those of thesecond component 20. In an alternative embodiment, thespring member 30 is not formed integrally with thefirst component 18, but is made of spring steel and is merely fitted to the inner surface of thefirst component 18. - It is also possible for a shower head to include two or more concentric rings of
nozzles 16 and such a shower head is illustrated schematically in Figures 7 and 8. - Each array of nozzles may be constructed and arranged in the manner described above. However as illustrated more clearly in Figure 9, whereas the
third component 18 of the outer array ofnozzles 16 is connected to or formed integrally with thebezel 12, thefirst component 18 of the inner array ofnozzles 16 is connected to or formed integrally with thefourth component 20 of the outer array of nozzles. In this respect, Figure 10 illustrates an integral outerfourth component 18 and innerthird component 20 of the type previously discussed with reference to Figure 4. Similarly, Figure 11 illustrates an outerfourth component 20 and innerthird component 18 corresponding to the first and second components described with reference to Figure 5. - Thus, in use, when a user rotates the
bezel 12 and outerthird component 18, the outer array ofnozzles 16 are sheared until theteeth 22 prevent further relative rotation with the outerfourth component 20. Further rotation of thebezel 12 will rotate the outerfourth component 20 and also the innerfirst component 18. This rotation will then shear the inner array ofnozzles 16 until theteeth 22 of the inner array prevent further rotation with the innersecond component 20. Further rotation of thebezel 12 may then be used to rotate the innersecond component 20 so as to operate some internal mechanism for changing spray patterns. - For each array of
nozzles 16, appropriate return mechanisms may be provided, for instance of the type illustrated in Figures 5 and 11 or Figure 6. - For ease of manufacture, it is possible to provide two or more arrays of
nozzles 16 from a single moulding. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Figure 12.
Claims (16)
- A shower head having:at least a first array (6) of nozzles (16) for issuing respective jets of water to form a spray pattern, each nozzle (16) being constructed of a flexible resilient material and extending continuously from an upstream portion to a downstream portion; characterized in that:the shower head also has, for at least the downstream portion of each nozzle (16):a first component (18) conforming to part of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle (16); anda second component (20) conforming to substantially the remainder of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle (16), such that the downstream portion of the nozzle (16) is substantially fully supported; whereinthe first (18) and second (20) components engage diametrically opposite sides of the nozzles (16) and are relatively movable so as to shear the nozzles (16).
- A shower head according to claim 1 wherein, for each nozzle (16), the first component (18) extends along the entire length of the nozzle from the upstream portion to the downstream portion.
- A shower head according to claim 2 wherein, at the upstream portion of each nozzle, the first component (18) surrounds the entire peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle (16).
- A shower head according to claim 3 wherein an upstream end of each nozzle (16) is formed integrally with a flange (16c) which is mounted upstream of and against an inner surface of the first component (18), the inner surface being substantially perpendicular to the extent of the nozzle (16) from the upstream portion to the downstream portion.
- A shower head according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the upstream portion of each nozzle (16) is substantially cylindrical.
- A shower head according to any preceding claim wherein the downstream portion of each nozzle (16) is substantially conical.
- A shower head according to any preceding claim including a front face plate from which the jets of water issue and a rotatable bezel (12) around the periphery of the face plate, one of the first (18) and second (20) components being connected to the bezel (12) so as to cause shearing of each nozzle (16) when the bezel (12) is rotated.
- A shower head according to any preceding claim wherein the first (18) and second (20) components are common to all of the nozzles (16) of said first array.
- A shower head according to any preceding claim including an integral nozzle member comprising all of the nozzles (16) of said first array.
- A shower head according to any preceding claim wherein the centres of the nozzles (16) of said first array are positioned substantially around a common circle.
- A shower head according to any preceding claim wherein downstream surfaces of the first (18) and second (20) components form at least part of the face plate of the shower head, beyond which the nozzles (16) do not extend.
- A shower head according to any preceding claim for producing more than one spray pattern and further comprising a movable member (12) for changing between spray patterns, one of the first (18) and second (20) components being connected to the movable member (12) so as to cause shearing of each nozzle (16) when changing between spray patterns.
- A shower head according to claim 12 further comprising at least a second array (8,10) of nozzles for producing at least another spray pattern.
- A shower head according to any preceding claim having at least an additional array (6) of nozzles (16) for issuing respective jets of water to form a spray pattern, each nozzle (16) being constructed of a flexible resilient material and extending continuously from an upstream portion to a downstream portion; the shower head also having, for at least the downstream portion of each nozzle (16): a third component (18) conforming to part of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle (16); and a fourth component (20) conforming to substantially the remainder of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle (16), such that the downstream portion of the nozzle (16) is substantially fully supported; wherein the third (18) and fourth(20) components engage diametrically opposite sides of the nozzles (16) and are relatively movable so as to shear the nozzles (16).
- A shower head according to claim 14 wherein one of the first (18) and second (20) components of said first array (6) is formed integrally with one of the fourth (20) and third (18) components respectively of said additional array (6).
- A method of descaling the nozzles of a shower head having nozzles (16) constructed of a flexible resilient material extending continuously from an upstream portion to a downstream portion, the method being characterised by:providing for at least the downstream portion of each nozzle (16), a first component (18) conforming to part of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle (16) and a second component (20) conforming to substantially the remainder of the peripheral extent of the outer surface of the nozzle (16), such that the downstream portion of the nozzle (16) is substantially fully supported; andrelatively moving the first (18) and second (20) components such that they engage diametrically opposite sides of the nozzles (16) so as to shear the nozzles (16).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9801177A GB2333251B (en) | 1998-01-20 | 1998-01-20 | Shower head |
GB9801177 | 1998-01-20 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0930100A2 EP0930100A2 (en) | 1999-07-21 |
EP0930100A3 EP0930100A3 (en) | 2001-01-10 |
EP0930100B1 true EP0930100B1 (en) | 2003-06-25 |
Family
ID=10825580
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP98310392A Expired - Lifetime EP0930100B1 (en) | 1998-01-20 | 1998-12-17 | Shower head |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0930100B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69815804T2 (en) |
GB (1) | GB2333251B (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP6115761B2 (en) * | 2013-03-11 | 2017-04-19 | パナソニックIpマネジメント株式会社 | shower head |
DE102016225987A1 (en) * | 2016-12-22 | 2018-06-28 | Hansgrohe Se | Effervescent spray outlet device and shower equipped therewith |
EP3369485B1 (en) * | 2017-03-01 | 2020-12-16 | Fabrizio Nobili | Improved showerhead |
KR102470192B1 (en) * | 2020-02-28 | 2022-11-23 | 박성호 | Booster pump box for fire extinguishing |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE3044310C2 (en) * | 1980-11-25 | 1984-09-27 | Friedrich Grohe Armaturenfabrik Gmbh & Co, 5870 Hemer | Shower equipment |
DE3943062C2 (en) * | 1989-12-28 | 1999-07-15 | Grohe Armaturen Friedrich | Shower head |
DE9303986U1 (en) * | 1992-11-04 | 1993-08-12 | Friedrich Grohe Ag, 58675 Hemer, De | |
DE4447115C2 (en) * | 1994-12-29 | 1998-11-19 | Hansa Metallwerke Ag | Shower head, especially for a hand shower |
-
1998
- 1998-01-20 GB GB9801177A patent/GB2333251B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1998-12-17 EP EP98310392A patent/EP0930100B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1998-12-17 DE DE69815804T patent/DE69815804T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
DE69815804T2 (en) | 2004-05-19 |
GB2333251A (en) | 1999-07-21 |
EP0930100A3 (en) | 2001-01-10 |
EP0930100A2 (en) | 1999-07-21 |
GB2333251B (en) | 2001-09-12 |
GB9801177D0 (en) | 1998-03-18 |
DE69815804D1 (en) | 2003-07-31 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
CA2455445C (en) | Faucet spray head assembly | |
US5788157A (en) | Shower head | |
US5172862A (en) | Shower head | |
US5961046A (en) | Shower fixture with inner/outer spray ring | |
US5699964A (en) | Showerhead and bottom portion thereof | |
US5730362A (en) | Shower head with impact protection plate | |
US7344094B1 (en) | Flexible neck faucet sprayer | |
JP6687589B2 (en) | Shower jet dispenser and shower device including the same | |
US5730363A (en) | Shower head | |
TW522046B (en) | Showerhead engine assembly and its faceplate | |
EP0861127A1 (en) | Method for manufacturing diffusors for shower heads | |
EP0566723A4 (en) | Body spray nozzle. | |
EP0930100B1 (en) | Shower head | |
JP7319373B2 (en) | Automatic return type shower head and shower device with side switching lever | |
JP2021535785A (en) | Wiping member, wiping device, cleaning robot and control method of cleaning robot | |
GB2396683A (en) | Water inlet control mechanism for a cleaning brush | |
JP5529452B2 (en) | shower head | |
CN108602075B (en) | Spray head | |
CN111467064A (en) | Water dental floss device | |
CN215843654U (en) | Multifunctional water outlet shower socket combined device | |
US20100065666A1 (en) | Water economiser with manual impulse control to be mounted on a tap spout | |
CN212490211U (en) | Water dental floss device | |
CN219664046U (en) | Water flow shaper | |
CN217963012U (en) | Double-sided shower head | |
KR100787907B1 (en) | Injection nozzle device of bidet |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): DE FR GB |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Free format text: AL;LT;LV;MK;RO;SI |
|
PUAL | Search report despatched |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A3 Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE |
|
AX | Request for extension of the european patent |
Free format text: AL;LT;LV;MK;RO;SI |
|
RIC1 | Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant |
Free format text: 7B 05B 1/18 A, 7B 05B 15/02 B |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 20010215 |
|
AKX | Designation fees paid |
Free format text: DE FR GB |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 20020402 |
|
GRAH | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA |
|
GRAH | Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOS IGRA |
|
GRAA | (expected) grant |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009210 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Designated state(s): DE FR GB |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: GB Ref legal event code: FG4D |
|
REF | Corresponds to: |
Ref document number: 69815804 Country of ref document: DE Date of ref document: 20030731 Kind code of ref document: P |
|
ET | Fr: translation filed | ||
PLBE | No opposition filed within time limit |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009261 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: NO OPPOSITION FILED WITHIN TIME LIMIT |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: GB Ref legal event code: 732E |
|
26N | No opposition filed |
Effective date: 20040326 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: GB Ref legal event code: 732E Free format text: REGISTERED BETWEEN 20120301 AND 20120307 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: GB Ref legal event code: 732E Free format text: REGISTERED BETWEEN 20151001 AND 20151007 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: PLFP Year of fee payment: 18 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: PLFP Year of fee payment: 19 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Payment date: 20170110 Year of fee payment: 19 Ref country code: FR Payment date: 20170113 Year of fee payment: 19 |
|
PGFP | Annual fee paid to national office [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Payment date: 20170106 Year of fee payment: 19 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: DE Ref legal event code: R119 Ref document number: 69815804 Country of ref document: DE |
|
GBPC | Gb: european patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20171217 |
|
REG | Reference to a national code |
Ref country code: FR Ref legal event code: ST Effective date: 20180831 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: DE Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20180703 Ref country code: FR Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20180102 |
|
PG25 | Lapsed in a contracting state [announced via postgrant information from national office to epo] |
Ref country code: GB Free format text: LAPSE BECAUSE OF NON-PAYMENT OF DUE FEES Effective date: 20171217 |