FR2672368A1 - Removable shower head for sanitary ware - Google Patents

Abstract

A removable shower head (24) for sanitary ware (30) is described, which can be removed from the upper part of the sanitary ware in order to direct a flow of water towards the desired point. The shower head (24) comprises a housing formed of an upper cover (114) and a lower cover (137), the upper cover including several ribs (136, 138, 140), one of which can interact with an internal surface of the lower cover, in order to increase the stability of the housing.

Description

 The present invention relates to a valve piece, in which a shower can be extracted outside the sanitary to direct a stream of water at will. More particularly, it relates to a piece of fittings which it is easy to assemble.

 There are known sanitary ware of the type in which a nozzle can be extracted from the sanitary ware. Sets of this type in the prior art are relatively complex and therefore difficult to assemble. A relatively large number of parts is required, hence the increase in assembly time. In addition, it is sometimes difficult to assemble the various elements and put them in the correct alignment.

 Another problem which most of the prior art sets raise is that the nozzle can often be extracted in a direction such that the stream of water is directed towards the outside of the sanitary, which is annoying. For example, the user can remove the nozzle and place it in an incorrect direction so that the stream of water is directed towards the floor surrounding the sanitary.

 The subject of the present invention is a fitting for sanitary fittings characterized by its ease of assembly, which makes it possible to reduce the assembly time, while ensuring that all the elements are in correct alignment. Furthermore, the object of the invention is to describe a piece of taps in which the shower head cannot be extracted by having an incorrect orientation.

 A piece of taps according to the present invention comprises a shower element mounted on an entry cover so that it can be extracted and direct a stream of water to the desired location. The hand shower is mounted laterally from the center of the inlet cover. A gasket securely mounts the shower in its fixing tail so that it can direct a stream of water from its mounting position on the sanitary and be used as a normal tap. The shower head is mounted so that it can be rotated so as to take the lining out of a seat located in the fixing tail of the shower head to make it easier to extract the shower head. The mounting tail has a rotation guide, preventing the hand shower from turning away from the center of the inlet cover, so if you turn the hand shower to begin its extraction, it is drawn towards the center of the inlet cover.

 In one embodiment described, the fixing tail comprises an upper ramped face so as to guide the spray and the lining upwards out of the tail when they are subjected to rotation. Preferably, this guide extends over a first arc of the outer surface of the tail, a flat end being present at one end of the circumference and a ramped part at the opposite end. The shower has a lower surface which moves along the ramped upper face of the fixing tail, and further comprises a channel received on the rotation guide. The channel preferably extends over a second arc approximately equal to the first and has flat ends at each end. In the case where the spray is rotated away from the center, a flat end of the channel abuts against the flat end of the guide, preventing rotation.

On the other hand, in the case where the shower is subjected to a rotation in the direction of the center, the other end of the channel is guided upwards from the ramp, and the shower is guided out of its fixing tail at extraction and use.

 Preferably, the entry cover is mounted on three holes which extend through the upper part of the sanitary block. A central hole receives the actuator of a lifting rod, a lateral hole receives the handle of a mixing tap in order to regulate the temperature of the water distributed by the spray, and the opposite lateral hole receives the tail of attachment of the hand shower as well as the hand shower. The fixing tail is forced to turn towards the central hole.

 In another aspect of the present invention, a shower housing is made up of upper and lower covers of plastic material which engage to allow rapid assembly of the shower. In a disclosed embodiment, tabs are formed at the anterior and posterior positions of the lower cover and are engaged in notches provided at corresponding locations on the upper cover.

 Preferably, the upper cover has ribs which are in contact with surfaces of the lower cover to impart rigidity to the housing. There are preferably three ribs, the central rib extending into a notch in the lower cover so as to be in alignment with the assembled spray and to impart rigidity to it. Preferably, the central rib has a finger at a laterally inner end which extends downwards beyond the notch and abuts against the inner face of the lower cover. This finger gives rigidity to the assembled spray to resist a force laterally compressing the spray in the direction of the interior.

 In another aspect of the present invention, the fluid supply line passing through the spray can be easily mounted and placed in correct alignment through a tab, key and notch arrangement. In a described embodiment of the present invention, the lower cover has elements which fix an elbow connected to a water supply hose in the correct position.

 In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elbow comprises lugs received in channels formed on the flat face of the lower cover, so as to define and fix the elbow in the correct rotational position. A ramp surface is preferably formed between the channel and the initial position of the elbow. The elbow is rotated to move to the correct position, and the legs climb up the ramp, eventually being guided to enter the channels at the correct position. The protruding tabs on the lower cover define the opposite end of the channels so that the elbow cannot rotate beyond this position.

 In an embodiment which is even more preferred, the channels maintain the tabs at a small distance from the nominal plane of the lower cover, urging them in the upward direction.

This creates a force moment so that the rest of the elbow is pulled down so as to ensure that it is properly attached to the bottom cover, and will not vibrate.

 In addition, the lower cover has notches which extend across the nominal planar face, and the elbow has keys at its lower end which are initially in alignment with the notches. The keys pass through the notches to define the initial position of the elbow.

When the elbow rotates relative to the bottom cover, the keys move away from the notches and provide a locking member on an opposite side of the bottom cover from the legs and channels. When the elbow is in a position such that the keys are in alignment with the notches, the legs will be placed against the ramped surface.

The present invention will be better understood from the following description given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a valve piece according to the present invention.

 Figure 2 is an exploded overview of the valve part of the present invention.

 Figure 3 is a perspective view, partially in a flat, of a shower mounted on a bowl.

 Figure 4 is a view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3.

 Figure 5 is an exploded view of the hand shower assembled according to the present invention.

 Figure SA is a perspective view of part of the spray.

 Figure 6 is a bottom view of the hand shower.

 Figure 7 is a perspective view of the housing of the shower.

 Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Figure 7.

 Figure 9 is a sectional view of part of the housing of the shower.

 Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Figure 8.

 FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of part of the housing of the spray head shown in FIG. 8.

 Figure 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of Figure 11.

 FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of part of the housing of the shower head shown in FIG. 8.

 Figure 14 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of Figure 12.

 In Figure 1, there is shown a valve piece 20 comprising an inlet cover 22 on which is mounted a water shower 24, which can be extracted, at a lateral end and a handle 26 for opening / closing mixing with opposite side end. The handle 28 of an elevation rod is shown in the middle of the inlet cover 22, and actuates a stopper for the bowl 30 as shown. The entry cover 22 is mounted on three holes extending through the upper part 32 of the bowl. The hand shower 24 can be moved outwards to the extraction position 34, the flexible hose 36 connecting the water supply to the hand shower in order to direct a stream of water to the desired location.

 As will be seen in FIG. 1, the hand shower 24 is mounted near a lateral end of the bowl 30, and it is undesirable to rotate it further to move it away from the center of the inlet cover 22, because its outlet could be directed towards the outside of the bowl 30. It is for this reason that the shower head 24 is caused to rotate only in the anticlockwise direction and in the direction of the center of the entry cover 22.

 Figure 2 is an exploded overview of the valve part 20 which comprises a mixing body 38 forming a sub-assembly brazed on two pipes 40 and 42 which supply cold strip and hot water to the body, in which they are mixed in the known manner to be sent into the outlet pipe 44. A one-way valve 41 is preferably fixed by a ring 43 in each pipe 40, 42. The outlet pipe 44 is connected to a hose 36 at the right of fittings threaded 45, 46. The hose 36 has been shown to be relatively short; however, it will be noted that it would have a much greater length so that the shower head 24 can be moved to direct a stream of water around the bowl 30.

 The mixing body 38 is received inside a boss 47 formed on the entry cover 22. Keys 48 of the boss 47 are coupled to notches 50 so as to put the body 38 in correct alignment. A nut 52 is received on the threads 54 to fix the body 38, and a cap 56 is screwed down to retain the elements. The cap 56 has a skirt portion 58 which is received on the nut 52. The mixing handle 26, FIG. 1, extends through the cap 56 and is connected to suitable mechanisms located inside the body. 38. This structure is well known in the art and is not part of the present invention.

 The tail 60 of the elevation rod extends through a central opening 62 formed in the entry cover 22, and is fixed by a spacer 64 made up of an internal ductile ring mounted to press fit on the threads of the tail 60. A washer 66 and a nut 68 also fix the tail 60. The spacer 64 ensures that the tail 60 is not too tight after assembly, and also allows the valve piece 20 to be assembled at least in part during of the expedition. The elevation rod 28, Figure 1, extends through a central opening in the tail 60 and is connected to a suitable elevation mechanism, as is known in the art.

 The tail 70 for fixing the shower head is received in a third opening 72 made in the entry cover 22. Keys 74 located on the underside of a lip 75 extending radially outward are received in notches 76 so as to correctly place the tail inside the opening 72. A nut 78 is received on the threads of the outer periphery of the tail 70 to fix it in the opening 72. The combination of a washer and d a nut can also be used to fix the tail 70 further.

 A seal 81 is connected to the lower part of the hand shower 24 and sits the hand shower securely in the opening 72 in a mounting position. The hand shower 24 can be used to direct the water while it is in this mounting position and the trim 81 ensures that the hand shower 24 is mounted securely to resist movement due to the forces caused by the discharge of the current. water. It may be desirable to provide assistance when extracting the hand shower from the opening 72, since the lining 81 is tightly seated. The lip 75 has a ramped upper surface 80 which guides the spray head out of the opening 72 when it is rotated. The hand shower 24 can rotate on the upper surface 80 and the gasket 81 is no longer seated and guided at least in part out of the opening 72. However, as discussed above, it is desirable to allow the shower 24 to rotate so as to direct the stream of water to the outside of the bowl. In the embodiment described, it would not be desirable to allow the hand shower 24 to rotate clockwise as this would move it away from the center of the inlet cover 22. For this purpose, a rotation guide 82 is formed on the upper surface 80, and has a ramped surface 84 at one end of its circumferential extent and a flat end 86 at the opposite end.

 The details of the rotation of the hand shower 24 towards the outside of the opening 72 are shown in FIG. 3. The hand shower 24 has a lower part 100 which is received on the upper ramped surface 80 of the fixing tail 70. Then that the hand shower 24 rotates anti-clockwise, the surface 80 guides it vertically in the upward direction out of the opening 72.

 This helps the user to remove the hand shower 24 from the opening 72. A channel 102 extends over a small circumferential extent of the lower part 100 and has flat ends 104. A bend 106 is mounted inside the hand shower for supplying the fluid coming from the hose 36 to its outlet orifice.

 It will be noted that the shower head 24 is normally received in the vertical direction from the bottom from the position shown in FIG. 3, the rotation guide 82 being received inside the channel 102.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation guide 82 extends over a circumferential arc which is approximately equal to the circumferential arc along which the channel 102 extends. The ends 104 are formed at each circumferential end of the channel 102 , and consequently, one end 104 abuts against the flat end 86 of the guide 82, while the other end 104 is placed in the vicinity of the ramp 84. In the case where the user tries to rotate the spray head 24 clockwise, the end 104 would abut against the flat end 86 and rotation would be prevented. However, when the user turns the hand shower 24 anti-clockwise, the end 104 is guided towards the top of the ramp 84 and the lower part 100 is always guided upwards on the ramped surface. 80. In this way, the hand shower 24 is lifted slightly out of the opening 72, peeling off the lining 81 so that the user can easily remove the hand shower 24 to use it.

 Figure 5 is an exploded view of the hand shower 24, showing the elbow 106 received in a lower cover 112 which is engaged on an upper cover 114 to form the hand shower 24. The elbow 106 is connected to the outlet 118 of the hand shower the head 119 is arranged in the vicinity of the outlet orifice 120. The outlet orifice 120 is received in a narrow assembly between pipes, the end bore 122 being in the lower cover 112.

An elastic foam lining 123 is placed inside the internal surface of the upper cover 114 and urges the head 119 into the bore 122.

The fine adjustment between the outlet orifice 120 and the end bore 122 gives the assurance that the outlet 118 is placed correctly inside the spray. Optional keys 124 of the elbow 106 can be received within the notches 126 formed in the outlet 118 so as to still ensure correct alignment and positioning in rotation. A set 128 with a check valve and an O-ring 130 are preferably received between the elbow 106 and the outlet 118.

 The lower cover 112 is engaged in the upper cover 114 by means of a front tab 132 received in a notch 133 and a rear tab 134 received in a notch 135. Preferably, a tab is first placed in one notch and the other tab is engaged in the other notch.

 The upper cover 114 has a rear rib 136 resting on a rear edge 137 of the lower cover 112 and a front rib 138 resting on a front edge 139 when the covers 112, 114 are engaged together. The ribs provide additional rigidity to the assembled hand shower 24.

 A central rib 140 has an outer portion 142 which is received in a notch 144 formed in the lower cover 112. A finger 146 is formed at the inner end of the central rib 140 and extends beyond the notch 144 , abutting against the inner wall 148 of the lower cover 112. It will be noted that the upper cover 118 has symmetrical ribs 136, 138 and 140 on the opposite lateral side received on the corresponding structure of the lower cover 112. Fingers 146 add stability , preventing inward bending of the walls of the hand shower 24. This is particularly desirable since the lower cover 112 and the upper cover 114 are preferably of molded plastic and may require additional rigidity. Preferably, the covers can be chromed.

 The elbow 106 has tabs 150 which extend radially outward. A lower portion of the elbow 106 extends through an opening 151 in the lower cover 112. Notches 152 are formed in the cover 112. Keys, described below, are formed on the lower surface of the elbow 106 and are initially in alignment with the notches 152 when the elbow 106 is inserted into the opening 151. The keys being in this position, the tabs 150 are placed in the vicinity of ramps 153, ensuring that the elbow 106 is in the mounting position correct.

 A channel 154 is distant from the ramp 153 and a projecting tab 156 is distant and located on the opposite side of the channel 154. The elbow 106 is inserted in the opening 151 and is rotated in the opposite direction of the clockwise as shown in this figure. The legs 150 are guided upwards on the ramps 153 and engage in the channels 154 to define and fix the elbow 106 in the correct position of rotation relative to the lower cover 112. Projecting legs 156 prevent the continuation of the elbow rotation 106.

 In FIG. 5A, the details of the reception of the tabs 150 have been shown in the channels 154. The tab 150 is initially received in the position 151, shown in phantom, in which it is in a nominal plane 158 of the lower cover 112 , contiguous to the ramp 153. During the rotation of the elbow 106, the tab 150 is driven upward on the ramp 153 and ends up engaging in the channel 154.

The protruding tab 156 prevents any further rotation of the elbow 106. As shown, the channel 154 has a lower surface which extends a short distance above the nominal plane 158 of the lower cover 112. The channels 154 thus slightly bend the legs 150 in the vertical direction from the top from a position of relaxation in the nominal plane 158 and, a moment of force is created which biases the center of the elbow 106 in the direction of the bottom against the bottom cover 112, ensuring that 'it is securely mounted. The lining 81 is received on the opposite end of the elbow 106 to block this elbow on the lower cover 112.

 Figure 6 is a bottom view of the hand shower 24 and shows the elbow 106 having keys 160. As described above, the keys 160 are in alignment with the notches 152 and the elbow 106 is inserted into the opening 151. The elbow 106 is then turned until the legs 150 are in alignment with the channels 154, see FIG. 5A. At this time, the keys 160 have moved away by rotation from the notches 152, blocking the elbow 106 on the lower cover 112. In addition, the keys 160 have different thicknesses to ensure a correct initial position of the elbow 106.

 We will now describe in detail, in connection with FIGS. 7 to 14, the structure of the lower cover 112 and of the upper cover 114. As shown in FIG. 7, the shower head 24 consists of the lower cover 112 engaged in the upper cover 114 .

 As shown in FIG. 8, the upper cover 114 has notches 133 and 135 which receive the tabs 132 and 134, respectively, from the lower cover 112. The ribs 136 and 138 abut against the surfaces 137 and 139 of the flanges, respectively. The central rib 140 is received in the notch 144.

 FIG. 9 is an upward view of the upper cover 114. As can be seen, the upper cover 114 is symmetrical with respect to the axis of laterally opposite pairs of the ribs 136, 138 and 140.

 Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Figure 8. The upper cover 114 has the central rib 140 with the outer part 142 received in the notch 144 and the finger 146 abutting against the wall inside 148 of the lower cover 112. The fingers 146 thus confer additional rigidity against the bending exerted laterally towards the inside of the spray head 24.

 FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the section of FIG. 8 identified by the reference 11.

The tab 132 of the lower cover 112 is received in the notch 133 provided in the upper cover 114.

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken along the line 12-12 of Figure 11. As shown, the tab 132 is received in the notch 133.

 FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the section of FIG. 8 identified by the reference 13.

The tab 134 of the lower cover 112 is received in the notch 135 provided in the upper cover 114.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line 14-14 of FIG. 13. As shown, the tab 134 is received in the notch 135.

 It will be noted that, although the valve part 20 has been described in detail, other known elements are not shown. For example, the details of the mixing valve inside the body 38 are not disclosed as they are well known in the art.

 The present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments which have just been described, it is on the contrary liable to modifications and variants which will appear to those skilled in the art.

Claims (6)

 1 - Hand shower, characterized in that it comprises  - A housing (24) consisting of an upper cover (114) and a lower cover (137), the lower cover (137) having an inlet opening (151) and an outlet opening (122), l the inlet opening (151) being intended to be connected to a water supply (36), and means (106, 118) for communicating a fluid between the inlet opening (151) and the outlet opening (122); and  - one of said upper (114) and lower (137) covers having at least one tab (132, 134) and the other has at least one notch (133, 135), the tab being engaged in the notch to fix the upper and lower covers to each other, and form said housing.  2 - Hand shower according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper (114) and lower (137) covers have a front tab (132) and a notch (133) contiguous to the outlet opening (122), and a tab rear (134) and a notch (135) contiguous to the inlet opening (151).  3 - Shower head according to claim 2, characterized in that the upper cover (114) has a multitude of ribs (136, 138, 140) on each lateral side, the ribs being supported on the lower cover (137) in places located between the front (132) and rear (134) legs to provide additional stability to the housing (24).  4 - Shower head according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper housing (114) has three ribs (136, 138, 140) on each lateral side of the upper cover (114), a central groove (140) being received in a notch (144) formed in the lower cover (137).  5 - Shower head according to claim 4, characterized in that the central rib (140) extends towards the lower cover (137) over a first distance at a location closer to the inner face of the upper cover (114), and s extends over a second distance greater than the first at an interior location further from the upper cover so as to form an internal finger (142) which abuts against an internal wall (148) of the lower cover (137), providing additional stability to against a force applied to the housing and directed laterally towards its interior.  6 - hand shower according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper cover (137) has a central rib (140) received in a notch (144) formed in the lower cover (137), this central rib extending towards the cover lower (137) a first distance to a location closer to an inner face of the upper cover (114), and extending a second greater distance than the first to an inner location further away from the upper cover (114) so as to form an inner finger which abuts against an inner wall (148) of the lower cover (137), providing additional stability against a force applied to the housing and directed laterally towards its interior.