GB1582733A

GB1582733A - Spray assemblies for a sitz bath

Info

Publication number: GB1582733A
Application number: GB36933/77A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Dieter Graesslin Feinwerktechnik
Current assignee: Dieter Graesslin Feinwerktechnik
Priority date: 1976-09-04
Filing date: 1977-09-05
Publication date: 1981-01-14
Also published as: CH621378A5; DE2639963C3; DE2639963B2; SE433237B; DE2639963A1; FR2363311A1; FR2363311B3; SE7709917L

Abstract

The device has a shower tube (3), having nozzles (14), which is mounted on a bearing bridge (1). The bearing bridge (1) is fastened on the WC body (8) and is designed such that it bears an obliquely directed water-supply tube (2) in which the shower tube (3) is located. If a water valve (4) is opened by means of a control lever (13), the shower tube (3), under the action of the water pressure, is moved telescopically out of the water-supply tube (2). It is returned by means of a tension spring. A flow-actuated instantaneous heater may be provided upstream of the water valve (4). The device is of simple construction and has the advantage that it can be placed easily on existing WCs. <IMAGE>

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SPRAY ASSEMBLIES FOR A SITZ BATH (71) We, DIETER GRASSLIN FEINWERK TECHNIK, a German Company, of D-7742 St.

Georgen, Postfach 103, Federal Republic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The present invention relates to spray assemblies for use with a sitz bath, such as a bidet. Such spray assemblies are known in which a hollow plunger or shower tube is arranged telescopically in axial bearings in a water inlet pipe, movement of the plunger in the pipe being effected by means of an electric motor or by water pressure.

With such spray assemblies, there is a need for a technical and economic solution that makes it possible to satisfy daily hygiene requirements without incurring unrealistic purchase and installation costs while using available bidets and water supplies.

Bidets in combination with such spray assemblies are known in which a water supply pipe having a shower plunger and a spray head facing upwards in the area of the basin of the bidet is disposed in the body of the basin in a form-locking manner, in which arrangement the manually controllable plunger that is displaceable telescopically in axial bearings by means of an electric motor is coupled to a water stop-valve and consequently actuates this when in the extended position (Closomat-Swiss Trade Mark).

Such arrangements are not only extremely costly-needing a special design of the basin body, take up too much space and relatively expensive overall, but they also require a special installation. Consequently these arrangements can only be recommended for new buildings with suitably large toilets and an installation provided specifically for them.

In addition a bidet has become known in which a part carrying the spray head is brought radially and axially into the desired spraying position by the water under pressure used for spraying and is returned to the original position by a spring once the water supply has been shut off (German Patent Specification 116 699).

This device, which is also built into a basin body in a form-locking manner, certainly meets requirements as regards basic technical function but could be greatly improved as far as universal and economical installation and desired comfort in use are concerned.

The underlying object of the invention is to provide a simple spray assembly for a sitz bath.

According to the invention, there is provided a spray assembly for use with a sitz bath, comprising a support member and a telescopic spray device having means for detachably mounting the same on said support member, said telescopic spray device comprising a water-inlet pipe and a hollow plunger arranged coaxially therewithin for movement between an extended and a retracted position, said plunger having at least one water exit orifice at one end thereof, and said support member having means for detachably mounting the support member with the spray device on the basin of a sitz bath in a position such that said plunger extends, when in its extended position, over the upper edge of said sitz bath to bring said one end to a point within the sitz bath below said upper edge.

So that the invention will be more readily understood, an exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional side view of a bidet or sitz bath having a spray assembly; Figure 2 is a plan view of the bidet illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional view of a water-inlet pipe having a shower tube telescopically arranged therein; Figure 4 is a sectional view of a valve for controlling the water supply to the spray assembly; and Figure 5 is a sectional view of a water heater associated with the spray assembly.

Figures 1 and 2 show a spray assembly which comprises a support member 1 for locating and detachably supporting the water-inlet pipe 2 in which a hollow plunger 3, 3' is telescopically arranged. Water is sup plied to the hollow plunger 3, 3' via a manually controllable valve 4. In the illustrated embodiment, the support member also carries a basin seat 5 and optionally, although not shown, also a basin cover. The support member 1 is provided with fixing means in the form of U-shaped channels 6 in which the heads of bolts 7 engage, said fixing means being provided for detachably mounting the support member to a part 9 of the bidet basin 8. The reference 10 identifies an upper edge surface of the part 9, against which the support member rests.

As will be described in more detail hereinafter, when the bidet is not in use, the plunger 3 is held retracted in the tube 2 by means of a tension spring 20 (Figure 3). The water valve 4 is closed when a lever 13 occupies the position shown at 11, in which position the exit end of the plunger 3 is completely covered by an edge section 12 of the basin seat 5. When the control lever 13 is moved in the direction of arrow 44, water under pressure enters the inlet pipe 2 and the hollow plunger 3 thereby to forcibly extend the plunger 3 out of the water-inlet pipe 2, to the position shown in broken lines, against the action of the spring 20. Water emerges from the hollow plunger 3 through an upwardly facing nozzle means 14. As will be seen from Figure 1, the inlet pipe 2, and consequently also the plunger 3 extends at an acute angle to the upper edge 10 of the basin 8.This angling of the pipe 2 enables that part of the support member 1 adjacent the surface 10 to be kept low, with the upper surface of said support member 1 rising towards the rear, and ensures that the plunger 3 provides for sensible showering from a hygenic viewpoint and can be guided and supported correctly in its terminal positions. The majority of the different elements forming the described shower arrangement can be made of a plastics material. Provision is also made however for certain parts to be surfacetreated with metallic coatings or to be made directly from metals and combined with the remaining plastics elements. In this respect the plunger 3 can, in particular, be made from a chromium-plated profiled metal tube.

Figure 2 is a detailed plan view of the support member 1 having the aforementioned U-shaped channel 6 and bolts 7 for fixing the shower arrangement to a standard bidet basin. The water-inlet pipe 2 is mounted in a channel-like recess on a mounting surface 15 of the support member 1 by means of two clips 16, so as to be flush with the upper face of the mounting surface 15. Figure 2 also shows the extended position of the plunger in dash-lines. The basin seat 5 can be pivotably mounted on the support member 1. The water-valve 4 is operated by the control lever 13.

The water-inlet pipe 2 shown in Figure 3 comprises a cylindrical plastics element having a water connector 16 at one end and a bearing 17 at the other end for supporting the plunger 3, which plunger may be of square cross-sectional shape and made of metal. The plunger 3 is provided at the end thereof adjacent bearing 17 with the upwardly facing nozzle means 14, whilst at the other end of the plunger there is provided a bearing sleeve 18 with a sealing ring 19. The plunger 3 is held retracted in an inoperative position in the pipe 2 by means of the spring 20. When the lever 13 is manipulated to permit water to enter the pipe 2, the plunger 3 will be forced out of said pipe by the force of water acting on a piston surface arranged on said plunger, said plunger being extended to its operative position against the action of the spring 20, in the direction of arrow 21.Arranged in the nozzle means 14 is an adjustable regulating valve 22, by means of which the pressure at which the water emerges from the nozzle means 14 can be adjusted. The valve 22 comprises a spring 48 which biases a valve body 49 against a valve seating 50 arranged on the hollow plunger 3. The spring 48 is stronger than the spring 20, so that the plunger 3 will be extended beyond the covering edge section 12 of the basin seat 5 before the valve body 49 is moved away from the seating 50. The pressure at which water will emerge from the nozzle means 14 can be set to individual requirements by means of the valve 22 with the aid of an adjuster screw 23 acting on the spring 48. When the water is turned off, the tension spring 20 will retract the plunger to its inoperative position in the water-inlet pipe 2.

One advantage afforded by the illustrated tension spring 20, as opposed to a compression spring, is that the dimensions of the water-inlet pipe 2, together with the plunger 3, can be kept extremely small.

Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the water-valve 4 for controlling the flow of water to the water-inlet pipe 2. The valve comprises a valve body 24 which may be made from a plastics material, having a concentrically mounted cylindrical slide 25.

The slide 25 is operated manually by means of the control lever 13 via an eccentric shaft 26 having a recess or aperture arranged therein. In Figure 4, the reference 27 identifies a water-inlet connector, while the reference 28 indicates a water-outlet for connection to the water-inlet pipe 2 of the shower arrangement. When the lever 13 is moved to open the valve 4, the aperture on the shaft 26 is moved into register with the slide 25 and the slide will move into said aperture as a result of the water pressure acting on the slide, whereby water can flow in the direction of arrow 30 around the slide head 29 to the hollow plunger 3 via the connector 28. When the lever 13 is moved to close the valve, a cam surface on the shaft 26 will force the slide 25 downwardly in a manner such that a slide head 29 sealingly seats against a valve cover 31 forming a valve seating.Part of the support member is shown in Figure 4 by the reference 1.

In the illustrated embodiment there is provided a so-called flow-controlled continuous-flow heater by which the water can be heated. Referring to Figure 5, the illustrated heater comprises a casing 32 having a water chamber 33 in which an electrically operated heating-coil 34 is arranged. The reference 35 identifies an inlet for water under pressure and the reference 26 identifies an outlet for water under pressure. The reference 37 identifies a so-called flow valve.

When no water is drawn off, the water chamber 33 is subjected to the full water inlet-pressure, which acts on a piston 38 against the force of a spring 39 arranged in the flow valve. The piston 38 carries a permanent magnet 41 which acts through a plastics partition wall 40 on a second permanent magnet 42 mounted on a contact bridge 43. Arranged spaced apart from the contact bridge 43 are contacts 45. Whilst the water chamber 33 is subjected to the full water inlet-pressure the permanent magnet 40 will attract the magnet 42 against the pressure of respective springs so that the contact bridge 43 is held away from the contact element 45.

When the shower is operated and water flows between the inlet and outlet 35 and 36 let 35 and 36 respectively, the pressure in the water chamber 33 will fall whereupon the piston 38 will be forced downwards by the action of the spring 39, whereby the magnetic attractionforce of the two magnets 41 and 42 declines and the contact bridge moves into contact with the contact elements 45 to close the circuit. A relay 46 is actuated to turn on the heating coil 34. The reference 47 identifies a thermostat in the circuit of the heating coil 34.

It is advantageous not only that a basin cover and/or a basin seat having the abovedescribed spray assembly can be bolted and fixed to any basin body with the fixing means provided there on the upper edge of the basin body without any more space being needed than before, but also that the water supply needed to operate the arrangement can be simply attached to the existing flushing pipe of the basin using a flange without any particular expense.

The simple, clear and economic design of the assembly is also advantageous as this can be made relatively inexpensively and installed without any specialised knowledge.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A spray assembly for use with a sitz bath, comprising a support member and a telescopic spray device having means for detachably mounting the same on said support member, said telescopic spray device comprising a water-inlet pipe and a hollow plunger arranged coaxially therewithin for movement between an extended and a retracted position, said plunger having at least one water exit orifice at one end thereof, and said support member having means for detachably mounting the support member with the spray device on the basin of a sitz bath in a position such that said plunger extends, when in its extended position, over the upper edge of said sitz bath to bring said one end to a point within the sitz bath below said upper edge.

2. A spray assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the plunger is arranged to be extended from the water-inlet pipe against the action of a spring by pressure of the water entering said pipe.

3. A spray assembly as claimed in Claim 2, wherein said spring is a tension spring, one end of which is attached to one end of the pipe and the other end of which is attached to an end of the hollow plunger.

4. A spray assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the plunger is provided in the region of said at least one orifice with an adjustable valve by means of which the amount of water emerging from said orifices and the pressure of said water can be adjusted.

5. A spray assembly as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said adjustable valve comprises a valve body which is biassed against a valve seating by means of a biassing spring, and an adjusting screw with which the force exerted by said spring can be adjusted.

6. A spray assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims in which, for controlling the flow of water to said waterinlet pipe, there is provided a water valve, wherein said valve comprises a valve body having a valve seating, a valve slide having a valve head movable in said housing between an open position and a closed position in which it sealingly abuts against said seating, and a shaft having camming surfaces for engaging said slide and an aperture or recess therein, said shaft extending transversely of said valve slide and having mounted on one end thereof a valve lever movable between a first and a second position corresponding respectively to said open position and said closed position, the arrangement being such that when the lever is turned to said second position said recess or aperture is moved into register with said valve slide to allow movement of the slide away from said seating.

7. A spray assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein there is provided means for heating the water flowing to said inlet pipe.

8. A spray assembly substantially as

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. cam surface on the shaft 26 will force the slide 25 downwardly in a manner such that a slide head 29 sealingly seats against a valve cover 31 forming a valve seating. Part of the support member is shown in Figure 4 by the reference 1. In the illustrated embodiment there is provided a so-called flow-controlled continuous-flow heater by which the water can be heated. Referring to Figure 5, the illustrated heater comprises a casing 32 having a water chamber 33 in which an electrically operated heating-coil 34 is arranged. The reference 35 identifies an inlet for water under pressure and the reference 26 identifies an outlet for water under pressure. The reference 37 identifies a so-called flow valve. When no water is drawn off, the water chamber 33 is subjected to the full water inlet-pressure, which acts on a piston 38 against the force of a spring 39 arranged in the flow valve. The piston 38 carries a permanent magnet 41 which acts through a plastics partition wall 40 on a second permanent magnet 42 mounted on a contact bridge 43. Arranged spaced apart from the contact bridge 43 are contacts 45. Whilst the water chamber 33 is subjected to the full water inlet-pressure the permanent magnet 40 will attract the magnet 42 against the pressure of respective springs so that the contact bridge 43 is held away from the contact element 45. When the shower is operated and water flows between the inlet and outlet 35 and 36 let 35 and 36 respectively, the pressure in the water chamber 33 will fall whereupon the piston 38 will be forced downwards by the action of the spring 39, whereby the magnetic attractionforce of the two magnets 41 and 42 declines and the contact bridge moves into contact with the contact elements 45 to close the circuit. A relay 46 is actuated to turn on the heating coil 34. The reference 47 identifies a thermostat in the circuit of the heating coil 34. It is advantageous not only that a basin cover and/or a basin seat having the abovedescribed spray assembly can be bolted and fixed to any basin body with the fixing means provided there on the upper edge of the basin body without any more space being needed than before, but also that the water supply needed to operate the arrangement can be simply attached to the existing flushing pipe of the basin using a flange without any particular expense. The simple, clear and economic design of the assembly is also advantageous as this can be made relatively inexpensively and installed without any specialised knowledge. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A spray assembly for use with a sitz bath, comprising a support member and a telescopic spray device having means for detachably mounting the same on said support member, said telescopic spray device comprising a water-inlet pipe and a hollow plunger arranged coaxially therewithin for movement between an extended and a retracted position, said plunger having at least one water exit orifice at one end thereof, and said support member having means for detachably mounting the support member with the spray device on the basin of a sitz bath in a position such that said plunger extends, when in its extended position, over the upper edge of said sitz bath to bring said one end to a point within the sitz bath below said upper edge.

8. A spray assembly substantially as

hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the drawings forming part of this Specification.

9. The combination of a spray assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims with a sitz bath.

10. A combination as claimed in Claim 9, wherein said support member forms an extension of a seat of said sitz bath and is inclined upwardly from a first location adjacent said seat to a second location remote therefrom.

11. A combination as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the orificed end of the hollow plunger lies beneath said seat in the retracted position of the plunger.

12. A combination as claimed in Claim 10 or Claim 11, wherein the plunger extends at an acute angle to the upper surface of the basin.

13. A combination of a spray assembly with a sitz bath, the combination being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the drawings forming part of this Specification.