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
  • 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
• • 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
  • B05B15/65—Mounting arrangements for fluid connection of the spraying apparatus or its outlets to flow conduits

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a shower head particularly intended for users concerned with improved hygienic conditions.
• the shower head can be easily walked on various parts of the body which can be infected and, in any case, carriers of germs; it can also be immersed in the bath water, and then the polluted water can penetrate inside the shower head through the exit holes, taking with it germs which can easily proliferate in the middle of lime deposits and get transmit as well demonstrated some recent studies of health and public hygiene services.
• the inside of the shower head becomes covered with tartar which is the source of generally invisible malfunctions of the shower head, in particular by blocking the water outlet orifices.
• a shower head comprising a diffuser detachable manually and without tools from the rest of the head in order to replace it if necessary after each user (for example in hotels) or if it is scaled or soiled, also allowing, when it is removed, to access the interior parts of said shower head to clean them.
• a shower head particularly intended for users concerned with improved hygienic conditions, comprising a body consisting of a water inlet duct and a head. leading to a diffuser through which water can escape remarkable in that it comprises means connecting the diffuser to the head so as to make it easily removable and without tools to ensure its replacement.
• the diffuser Insofar as it is capable of being changed regularly, the diffuser has lower lifetime constraints, it can then be made of a common material and therefore inexpensive.
• the different methods of fixing the diffuser to the head of the shower head which will be detailed below, allow any new user or maintenance personnel to replace the diffuser as part of usual services, for example , together with the daily replacement of cups, soap and the like in hotel rooms.
• the diffuser assembly is sealed by an O-ring; however, he is well known that this seal tends to fall during disassembly; similarly, it is known that it loses its elastic characteristics over time.
• the shower head incidentally comprises a device preventing the return of contaminated water into the water supply network, in particular when there is a cut in the network and the shower head is immersed in the bathtub or shower tray.
• the shower head can be equipped with a flange disposed parallel to the diffuser inside the head, making it possible to reduce the volume occupied by the water inside the head and thus reduce areas susceptible to contamination.
• FIG. 2 is a view in elevation and in longitudinal section passing through the plane of symmetry of the shower head according to the invention
• FIGS. 3, 4, 5a and 5b represent on a larger scale and in partial vertical section, different embodiments and fixing of the diffuser fitted to the knob of FIG. 2
• FIG. 6 is a view in elevation and in axial section of the head according to a particular embodiment of the knob fitted with a flat flange above the diffuser 3.
• a shower head 1 comprising a body 2 incidentally forming the gripping element of the assembly 1 and provided at its end with a diffuser 3 through which the water can escape in jets 4.
• the body 2 is conventionally a hollow element which consists of two parts, that is to say a water inlet duct 5 and a head 6.
• the water inlet duct 5 consists of a tubular duct of generally cylindrical shape, the external part of which forms the grip handle for the shower head 1 and it can advantageously have an ergonomic external shape. It comprises at one of its ends means 7 for connection to the water supply network 8, well known to those skilled in the art, and by the other end, it opens into the head 6; the latter consists of a domed shell, generally hemispherical around a main axis of symmetry A (fig. 2), which comprises, in the substantially diametral plane, a circular base 9 open downward and receives at its apex 10 and substantially tangentially to its surface, the water inlet pipe 5.
• the diffuser 3 comes to cover the base 9 of the head 6; it consists of a flat and thin plate 11 cut from a rigid and inexpensive material (metal strip or plastic for example) and pierced with holes 12 allowing the formation of water jets 4 it also includes an annular part 13 which supports the means for fixing the diffuser 3 to the base 9 of the head 6 which will be detailed below.
• a non-return valve 14 is disposed inside the shower head 1.
• the non-return valve 14 disposed in the shower head 1 blocks the contaminated water in only part of the shower head 1.
• the non-return valve 14 will preferably be disposed at the outlet. of the water inlet pipe 5 in accordance with FIG. 2.
• the non-return valve 14 can also be used to prevent the network from defusing following the pressure drop when the shower head 1 is hung on the wall.
• a flat flange 15 is arranged inside the head 6, parallel to the plane of the diffuser 3 and, close to the latter. It thus defines two spaces, the first 16 is delimited by the flange 15, the base 9 of the head 6 and the diffuser 3, the second 17 is delimited by the flange 15, the head 6 and the water inlet pipe 5.
• the first volume 16 represents the only part of the head 6 of the shower head 1 which comes into contact either with clean water coming from the supply network or with infected or contaminated water located in the bathtub or the bottom shower tray.
• the second volume 17 is on the contrary completely closed, it contains only air and cannot be filled with water coming from the shower or from the water supply network 8; moreover, this volume 17 contains all the surfaces which are difficult to clean and which are thus isolated from any pollution. Incidentally, since this volume 17 contains only air, the shower head 1 is lightened, which allows it to float, it is then easier to locate it. To prevent this volume 17 from filling up with water in the event that it is not completely airtight, it is also possible to fill it with a material of low density which will only slightly affect its lightness.
• the diffuser 3 may also include a ring 18 covering the fixing means of the diffuser 3; this ring 18 is mounted free to rotate according to the executions which are specified below, to prevent any untimely disassembly of said diffuser 3, except knowing the disassembly procedure that only qualified or qualified personnel can hold.
• the diffuser 3 consists of a flat or thin metal or plastic plate 11 which closes the base 9 of the head 6; this plate 11 is pierced with holes 12 necessary for the formation of water jets 4; a rod 35 of elastic material, for example rubber, is deposited on the inner face of the planar part 11 covering the contact surface between the planar part 11 and the end of the base 9 of the head 6 to form the seal sealing the diffuser 3; the diffuser 3 also includes a clamping frame 13 which is fixed to the base 9 of the head 6 and thus counter-clamping the plate 11.
• the clamping frame 13 is of annular shape and of generally rectangular section; it comprises on the upper part of its internal face, fastening means 19 which cooperate with fastening means 19 'arranged at the same level on the base 9 of the head 6, to ensure its fixing to the head 6, by screwing or by any self-locking system with lugs or bayonets (in the case of a circular shape) for example.
• the clamping frame 13 comprises, in the lower part of its internal face a circular shoulder 20 facing inwards which comes to bear on the periphery of the plate 11 to clamp it against the base 9 of the head 6.
• the diffuser 3 can also form a single piece consisting of a flat part 11 ′ pierced with holes 12 provided at its periphery with an annular skirt 21 which is perpendicular to it and extends towards the top 10 of the knob, on which are arranged fixing means 22, 22 ', similar to the fixing means 19-19' of the clamping frame 13 described above; the flat part 11 ′ is also provided on its inner face with a seal 35 obtained as previously for example for casting a rod of elastic material which comes to cover the surface in contact with the end of the base 9 of the head 6.
• the diffuser 3 is in principle made of a sufficiently rigid material, as has been said, to withstand the mechanical stresses resulting from the pressure of the water.
• the diffuser 3 can be made of a plastic material having a certain flexibility, for example polyethylene, which it is then possible to use for fixing the diffuser 3: the latter comprises for this purpose a circular rod 23 extending, at least in part, on the internal face of the annular skirt 21 and it is capable of fitting into a groove 24 of complementary shape, produced all around the base 9 of the head 6, as shown in Figure 5a. It is obvious that the diffuser can also be fixed on the internal face of the head 6; for this purpose, as shown in FIG.
• a plastic material having a certain flexibility for example polyethylene
• the annular skirt 21 has an external diameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of the base 9 of the head 6, the circular rod 23 extends at least partially on the external face of the skirt annular 21 and it is able to fit into a circular groove 24 of complementary shape produced on the internal face of the base 9 of the head 6; finally, the flat part 11 ′ extends beyond the annular skirt 21 to form a circular shoulder 36 facing outwards, this shoulder 36 comes into contact with the end of the base 9 of the head 6 and receives the seal 35, in order to provide the airtightness of the diffuser 3.
• the mounting of the knob 1 will now be specified in its particular variant equipped with a flange 15 inside the head 6.
• the flange 15 consists of a simple flat, thin solid plate of the same type as the diffuser 3 which is housed in a circular groove 25 arranged inside the head 6, near its base 9.
• the inlet duct of water 5 is extended to open in a sealed manner in an opening 26 made in the center of the flange 15.
• the latter then defines two spaces, as has been said; a first space 16 which comes into contact with the water, whether clean or dirty, is between the diffuser 3 and the flange 15; a second space 17, located on the other side of the flange 15, is delimited by the head 6, the flange 15 and the water inlet pipe 5; this space 17 is, in principle, never in contact with water.
• the shower head 1 comprises, as already mentioned, a circular ring 18 free to rotate about the axis of symmetry A of the head 6 and it covers either the clamping frame 13 of the diffuser 3 in its general variant, ie the side skirt 21 in its second variant, made of metal or plastic, moreover.
• This ring 18 consists of an inverted L-shaped section ring, the large wing 27 of which has an internal diameter equal to the outside diameter of the frame 13 (or of the skirt 21) of the diffuser 3 and of length substantially equal to its height; the small wing 28 of the L forms a shoulder facing inward for the ring 18.
• the ring 18 is locked in axial translation towards the diffuser 3 by a flange 33 formed on the periphery of the head 6, near its base 9
• This collar 33 has an outside diameter equal to the inside diameter of the large wing 27 of the ring 18 to slow the movement of the latter.
• the ring 18 must then be pulled towards the top 10 of the head 6 to discover the fixing member of the diffuser 3, which allows its disassembly.
• valve 14 preventing backflow of contaminated water can advantageously be replaced by a member which is well known to those skilled in the art, making it possible to regulate the pressure or the flow rate of water distributed by the shower head 1; it is obvious that one could even imagine coupling the valve 14 and the regulating member to benefit from the respective advantages.
• the cover 37 may be worthwhile to replace or complete the cover 37 with a specific packaging of the diffuser 3 in an airtight sachet as are, in the hotel sector, the doses of shampoo or the cups for example.
• the use of a new diffuser 3 will be guaranteed by the fact that the bag has not been torn or opened.
• shower head 1 is given by way of nonlimiting examples and therefore one could use forms of shower head or any other fixing means (19, 19 ', 22, 22') of the diffuser 3 on the head 6 ensuring equal simplicity and same security of mounting and dismounting thereof, without departing from the invention.

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• Nozzles (AREA)
• Bathtubs, Showers, And Their Attachments (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26212141

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (5)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 2001
  • 2001-01-29 AU AU2001231933A patent/AU2001231933A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-01-29 EP EP01903992A patent/EP1313567A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-01-29 WO PCT/FR2001/000274 patent/WO2001054822A2/fr not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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