EP1375007A1

EP1375007A1 - Dispenser assembly for a shower head diffusor

Info

Publication number: EP1375007A1
Application number: EP02425393A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giovanni Maria Mazzola
Original assignee: Ergon Srl
Current assignee: Ergon Srl
Priority date: 2002-06-17
Filing date: 2002-06-17
Publication date: 2004-01-02
Anticipated expiration: 2022-06-17
Also published as: DE60231967D1; ATE428505T1; EP1375007B1

Abstract

A delivery assembly (3) for a shower head diffusor (1), of the type comprising fixing means for mounting the assembly (3) on a plate (2) of a shower head diffusor (1). The delivery assembly (3) comprises at least one nozzle (5) made of elastic material.

Description

The subject of the present invention is a delivery assembly for a shower head and, in particular, a delivery assembly that can be mounted, in a removable way, on a shower head diffusor.
One of the most widespread problems as regards diffusors of showers is represented by lime deposit and in particular lime deposited on the outlet holes for the water. With the passage of time these deposits obstruct the outlet holes, so reducing the efficiency of the diffusor.
In an attempt to solve this problem, diffusors for showers have been proposed, which are equipped with removable metal nozzles, i.e., ones screwed on a plate element of the diffusor itself. In this way, it is possible to remove each nozzle from the plate to clean or replace it.
Even though the presence of the nozzles guarantees high performance for the diffusor, and the possibility of their removal enables cleaning of the nozzles and/or their replacement to be carried out, whenever necessary, with this type of diffusor it is possible to intervene only a posteriori, i.e. when the lime is already deposited.
Cleaning of the nozzle is, moreover, a laborious operation, which requires time and which is frequently ineffective.
An object of the present invention is to provide a shower head diffusor which will enable the removal of any lime that may have deposited without removing the nozzles from the plate and which is in any case provided with removable nozzles to enable their replacement.
Another object of the present invention is to provide nozzles for diffusors of showers, the installation and removal of which is simple and immediately understandable and the unit cost of which is lower than that of nozzles for the said purposes currently present on the market.
The above and other objects are achieved by the present invention, which concerns a delivery assembly for a shower head diffusor, of the type comprising fixing means for mounting the assembly on a plate of a shower head diffusor, characterised in that said delivery assembly comprises at least one nozzle made of elastic material.
The elasticity of the material of which the nozzles are made means that they are elastically deformable, just by passing one's hand over them, in order to break up any lime that may have deposited on them in the gaps between the nozzle and the containment seat, so as to detach the deposit and enable its removal without removing the nozzle from the plate.
According to a preferential aspect of the present invention, the removable nozzles are made of rubber, i.e., of a material, which, by its very nature, has a high elasticity and on which the lime does not stick.
According to an advantageous feature of the present invention, the removable nozzle comprises a top flange provided with an outer edge having a thickness greater than the rest of the flange.
According to another preferential aspect of the present invention, each delivery assembly further comprises a bushing, which is associated to the nozzle and can be inserted at least partially in a through seat made in the plate.
According to a further advantageous feature of the present invention, the seat and the bushing define a housing for withholding the outer edge of the flange, which can close around the edge itself. In this way, when the bushing and the nozzle are fixed in the seat provided, a grip is obtained around the outer edge, which is of greater thickness, of the flange, which withholds the nozzle securely in position.
According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the delivery assembly further comprises a bushing, which is associated to the nozzle and can be inserted in a through seat made in the plate, and a domed or cap-like element with a hole out of which the nozzle comes for covering at least partially the nozzle and the bushing.
According to this alternative embodiment, the fixing means comprise one first thread, which is set underneath on the bushing and can be engaged with a corresponding thread made inside the cap-like element and at least one second thread, which is set on top of the bushing and can be engaged with a corresponding thread made inside the seat provided in the plate or in a nut.
Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more clear from the following description, provided purely by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, with reference to the attached schematic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a shower head diffusor provided with two delivery assemblies according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded cross-sectional-view of the components of the delivery assembly according to the present invention;
Figures 3a, 3b, 3c are cross-sectional views of alternative embodiments of the delivery assembly according to the present invention;
Figures 4a, 4b are cross-sectional views of further alternative embodiments of the delivery assembly according to the present invention, respectively mounted on a plate of small thickness and on a plate of increased thickness;
Figure 5 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the components of the delivery assembly according to the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4a.

Figure 1 is a partial cross section of a diffusor 1 for a shower provided with two delivery assemblies 3 according to the present invention mounted in a removable way on the plate 2 of the diffusor. In detail, Figure 1 is a partial illustration of the bottom plate 2 of a diffusor 1, in which there are mounted, in a removable way, and each in an appropriate seat 4, two delivery assemblies 3. Each assembly 3 is provided with a nozzle 5 made of elastic material and with special fixing means for anchoring the assembly 3 to the plate 2. Preferably, the nozzle 5 is made of rubber. Rubber is notoriously a material on which lime does not adhere, and for this reason it is frequently used in fields of application which present the same problems. Each nozzle 5 is inserted from the top down into the through seat 4, made in the plate 2 of the diffusor 1, and is provided at the top, as may be seen more clearly in Figure 2, with a flange 6 having an outer edge 7 with a thickness greater than the rest of the flange 6. The flange 6 of the nozzle 5 resting on the bottom edges 8 of the seat 4, which project radially towards the centre of the seat, withholds the nozzle 5 in the seat 4 whilst the fixing means block the position and ensure tightness thereof.
The delivery assembly 3 is moreover made up of a bushing 9 of dimensions such as to enable its insertion inside the seat 4 for positioning of the nozzle. The fixing means, which block the bushing in the seat, simultaneously ensure fixing of the nozzle in the seat itself.
The bottom surface 10 of the bushing 9 and the internal bottom surface of the seat are provided with a profile, which defines a housing 11 for withholding the outer edge 7 of larger thickness of the flange 6 of the nozzle. Consequently, when the delivery assembly made up of the nozzle 5 made of rubber, the bushing 9 and the fixing means is installed in the seat 4 on the plate 2, the bushing 9 and the internal bottom surface of the seat 4, at the edges 8, grip in the housing 11 for withholding the edge of larger thickness 7, further guaranteeing fixing in position of the nozzle 5.
The bushing 9 is moreover provided, in a position corresponding to its side wall 13, with a thread designed to engage with a corresponding thread made on the internal side wall 14 of the seat 4.
Furthermore, in order to enable the bushing 9 to be screwed so that it is hidden away inside the seat 4, the latter is provided internally, i.e. in an area corresponding to the pipe 15 for passage of water in the nozzle, with a seat for engagement of an Allen wrench (not illustrated).
In the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 3a, the bushing is not screwed hidden away in the plate 2 of the diffusor 1, but presents, as compared to the latter, when completely screwed in the seat 4, a projecting portion 16. The projecting portion 16 is provided with a hexagonal profile, like a bolt, designed to engage with a wrench for enabling screwing of the bushing 9 inside the seat 4.
In the alternative embodiment illustrated in Figure 3b instead, the bushing 9 has a longitudinal dimension smaller than the dimensions of the seat 4, and an elastic means is provided as fixing means.
In particular, as fixing means a spring washer 17 is provided, which acts radially in compression against the side wall 14 of the seat 4 and which, at the same time, bears upon the bushing 9, so preventing any movement thereof.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3c, the seat 4 in the plate 2 of the diffusor is made in such a way that the bushing 9 and the nozzle 5 are inserted from underneath. Consequently, the restricting edges 8 of the cross section of the seat 4 are made at the top in the plate 2.
According to the above embodiment, the bushing 9 has a thread on the external side wall 13, which is designed to engage with a corresponding thread made on the internal peripheral wall 14 of the seat 4, and a portion projecting at the bottom 18 with respect to the plate 2 with an external hexagonal profile like a bolt. In this case, screwing of the bushing 9 in position is from the bottom upwards, carried out, in a known way, using a wrench on the hexagonal projecting portion 18. In this embodiment, moreover, as illustrated in Figure 3c, the bushing 9 has an internal dimension designed to contain the nozzle 5, which comes out of it at the bottom. With this arrangement of the elements making up the delivery assembly 3, the housing 11 for withholding the edge 7 of larger thickness of the flange 6 is made between the internal top surface of the seat 4 and the top surface of the bushing 9.
Figure 4a illustrates a further alternative embodiment of the delivery assembly 3 according to the present invention. In particular, in this embodiment the delivery assembly 3 is made up of a bushing 9, which is associated to a nozzle 5 made of rubber and can be inserted in the seat 4 of the plate 2 by fixing means and by a domed or cap-shaped element 20. The element 20 is provided, as is illustrated more clearly in Figure 5, with a hole 29 for enabling the nozzle 5 to come out.
The bushing 9, once again as illustrated in Figures 4a, 4b and 5, has, at the top on the external side wall 13, a thread 24, which is designed to engage with a corresponding thread (not directly illustrated), made on the internal side wall 14 of the seat 4. In the proximity of the bottom end of the bushing 9, but at a sufficient distance therefrom, there is a flange 21, which is in turn provided with a thread 26 that can be engaged with a corresponding thread 27 made on the internal side wall 22 of the cap-like element 20.
In this embodiment, the nozzle 5 is withheld at the bottom edges 28 of the cap-like element 20, the latter being screwed to the bushing and consequently to the plate 2 of the diffusor. The bushing 9, at the bottom surface of the flange, and the cap-like element 20, at the edges 28 of the hole 29 made for the nozzle 5 to come out, define a housing 23 for withholding the outer edge 7 with larger profile of the flange 6 of the nozzle 5. Furthermore, to achieve better tightness of the delivery assembly 3, provided between the flange 21 of the bushing 9 and the plate 2 is a seal or gasket 30 of a known type, generally referred to as O-ring.
This embodiment enables adjustment of the diffusors currently used with metal nozzles to the nozzles made of rubber according to the present invention. For this purpose, it is in fact sufficient to unscrew the metal nozzle from its seat provided on the plate 2 of the diffusor and to screw in its place the delivery assembly 3 according to the present invention. In addition, in the case where it is desired to install the nozzle 5 on a plate of a diffusor that is of small thickness, it is sufficient, as illustrated in Figure 4b, to engage the top portion of the bushing 9, i.e. the portion that is obtained - when the delivery assembly is installed - beyond the plate 2 and directed towards the inside of the diffusor, with a threaded nut 31.

Claims

A delivery assembly for a shower head diffusor, of the type comprising fixing means for mounting the assembly on a plate of a shower head diffusor, characterised in that said delivery assembly comprises at least one nozzle made of elastic material.
A delivery assembly according to Claim 1, characterised in that said at least one nozzle is made of rubber.
A delivery assembly according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said nozzle comprises a top flange provided with an outer edge with a thickness greater than the rest of the flange.
A delivery assembly according to any of the preceding Claims, characterised in that it further comprises a bushing, which is associated to the nozzle and can be inserted at least partially in a seat of a shower head diffusor.
A delivery assembly according to any of the preceding Claims, characterised in that said fixing means block the bushing and the nozzle, in a removable way, in said seat.
A delivery assembly according to Claim 4 or 5, characterised in that said seat and said bushing define a housing for withholding said outer edge of the flange.
A delivery assembly according to any of Claims 4 to 6, characterised in that said fixing means comprise a thread, which is made on said bushing and can be engaged with a corresponding thread made on the inner surface of said seat.
A delivery assembly according to any of Claims 4 to 6, characterised in that said fixing means comprise elastic means which act radially in the seat for fixing the bushing and the nozzle in said seat.
A delivery assembly according to any of Claims 1 to 3, characterised by further comprising a bushing which is associated to the nozzle and can be inserted at least partially into one of said through seats made in the plate, and a cap-like element with a hole out of which the nozzle comes for covering at least partially said nozzle and said bushing.
A delivery assembly according to Claim 9, characterised in that said bushing and said cap-like element define a housing for withholding said outer edge of the flange.
A delivery assembly according to Claim 9 or 10, characterised in that said fixing means comprise a first thread, which is set underneath on the bushing and can be engaged with a corresponding thread made inside the cap-like element, and at least one second thread, which is set on top of the bushing and can be engaged with a corresponding thread made inside the seat provided in a shower head diffusor and/or in a nut.
A diffusor for a shower provided with a plate and with one or more through seats, characterised by comprising one or more delivery assemblies according to any of the preceding Claims which are individually mounted in a removable way each in one of said seats.