GB2120363A - Shower valve - Google Patents

Abstract

A shower valve having a pair of ceramic discs (30, 32) capable of relative angular adjustment to vary the degree of mixing of the hot and cold water flowing into a mixing chamber. So that the valve can be opened and closed without affecting a previously adjusted temperature setting, a control handle (54) can be turned to rotate both ceramic discs (30, 32) together to vary the output volume and a temperature control handle (52) can be adjusted to rotate one disc (32) relative to the other disc (30) to vary the output temperature. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Shower valve The invention relates to shower valves.

Shower valves are known which have a pair of ceramic discs a lower one of which is fixed and the other of which is rotatably adjustable by means of a temperature control knob, the fixed disc being provided with through apertures communicating with inlet water supply pipes and the movable disc being provided with specially shaped apertures which can be brought into overlying relation with the apertures in the fixed disc to an adjustable extent to vary the volume and degree of mixing of the hot and cold water flowing into a mixing chamber to which an outlet connection is made. Shower valves of this kind generally work quite well but usually have one particular disadvantage, this being that when the valve has been closed it is difficult to re-adjust the delivery temperature on re-opening the valve.The invention aims to provide a shower valve in which the temperature setting is not altered by the closing and re-opening of the valve.

According to the invention, there is provided a shower valve having a pair of disc elements located within a mixing chamber, one of said disc elements being provided with through apertures which can be positioned to communicate with waterways connected to sources of hot and cold water respectively, and the other of said disc elements being provided with shaped apertures which can be brought into overlying relation with the through apertures of said one of the discs to an adjustable extent to vary the degree of mixing of the hot and cold water flowing into the mixing chamber, means for rotating said other of said disc elements being constituted by a rotatably mounted driving sleeve connected to a temperature control handle, and means for opening and closing the valve being constituted by an outer control handle drivably connected to a spindle which extends rotatably through the driving sleeve, said spindle being drivably connected to said one of the disc elements, the arrangement being such that the valve can be closed without affecting the relative positioning of the two disc elements, and such that, assuming the temperatures of the hot and cold water supplies remaining unaltered, the valve can be re-opened with a previously adjusted mixed water temperature setting. The control handle will preferably be provided with a pair of diametrically opposed arcuate slots through which extend respective rod elements connected to the driving sleeve, the latter being connected to said other of the driving disc elements.Respective sleeve elements will preferably be slidably located in the waterways and be acted on by respective coil springs by means of which they are urged into engagement with said one of the disc elements.

Stop means may be provided to limit the extent of movement of the handle in opposite directions to open and close the valve. The valve may have a valve body with oppositely disposed apertures receiving respective plug-in connectors for conveying hot and cold water to the valve respectively, means being provided for retaining the connectors in the apertures in the valve body and also for securing the shower valve in position on a wall, said means being constituted by a mounting bracket capable of being attached to a wall and provided with a pair of resilient clip formations which can be snap fitted on reduced diameter portions of the connectors, the arrangement being such that when the bracket has been appropriately located on a wall the connectors can be plugged into the body part and the reduced diameter portions of the connectors can be snap fitted in the clip formations to secure the valve to the wall. In this case, the piug-in connectors can be elbow connectors and be provided with respective O-rings to form leakproof seals in oppositely disposed apertures in the valve body.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Fig. 1 is an axial section through a shower valve embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is an exploded view thereof, Fig. 3 is a part sectional side view, and Fig. 4 is a view showing the valve being attached to a wall.

Referring now to the drawings, the shower valve there illustrated includes a valve body 10 provided with cored cavities 12 and 14 for the flow of hot and cold water respectively into the valve. Respective elbow connectors 1 6 and 1 8 are provided with O-ring seals 20 which are shown plugged into apertures which extend laterally into the cored cavities 12 and 14. Means which are provided for retaining the elbow connectors plugged into the apertures in the valve body and also for securing the shower valve in position on a wall are constituted by a synthetic plastics mounting bracket generally indicated 11. As best shown in Fig. 1, the mounting bracket is provided with a pair of countersunk holes 13 through which respective screws can extend into suitable plugs in the wall.The bracket is also provided at its opposite ends with respective resilient clip formations 1 5 which can be snap fitted on reduced diameter portions 1 7 of the elbow connectors 1 6 and 1 8. The arrangement is such that when the bracket has been appropriately located on the wall from which the elbow connectors project at an approximate appropriate spacing and/or angle, the waterpipes to which the elbow connectors are secured can approach the body of the valve either in the horizontal or vertical plane thus enabling a "concealed" or "exposed" version to be assembled to the fittings.The elbow connectors can be plugged into the apertures in the body part and the reduced diameter portions of the connectors can be snap fitted in the clip formations 1 5 to secure the valve to the wall.

The valve is provided with an escutcheon plate 19 with a rubber "boot" 21 which when the valve body has been secured to a wall can be fitted over the body to hide the connections from view.

Flow passages extend in parallel from the cored cavities to communicate with a mixing chamber 22, and counterbored portions of said flow passages accommodate respective coil springs 24, respective washers 25, respective O-rings 26, and portions of respective sleeve elements 28.

Located within the mixing chamber are a pair of ceramic discs 30 and 32 the lower one 30 of which abuts against the ends of the sleeve elements 28 and the other one 32 of which is rotatably adjustable relative to the disc 30. The disc 30 is provided with through apertures 34 and 36 which, when the disc is located as shown in Fig. 1, communicate with the waterways through the sleeve elements 28 and thus with the sources of hot and cold water respectively. The rotatably adjustable disc is provided with specially shaped apertures 38 and 40 which can be brought into overlying relation with the apertures in the disc 30 to an adjustable extent to vary the degree of mixing of the hot and cold water flowing into the mixing chamber.An elbow connector 42 which is plugged into an axial hole 43 opening from the underside of the valve communicates with the mixing chamber and serves to convey mixed water to a flexible outlet pipe 44 and to a shower head (not shown).

A closure member 46 for the mixing chamber has a skirt portion which enagages a screwthread within an outer part of the valve body and which abuts against the disc 32. Means for rotatably adjusting the disc 32 are constituted by a driving sleeve 48 which is rotatably mounted within the closure member 46. An outer end of the driving sleeve is provided with a pair of rod elements 59 connected to a temperature control handle 52.

Means for opening and closing the valve are constituted by an outer control handle 54 drivably connected to a spindle 56 which extends rotatably through the driving sleeve 48, the inner end of the spindle being drivably connected to the disc 30.

The control handle 54 is provided with respective diametrically opposed arcuate slots 58 through which the rod elements 59 of the driving sleeves 38 extend. Consequently, it will be understood that the temperature control handle 52 can be turned, through a limited range of movement relative to the control handle 54, to displace the disc 32 relative to the disc 30 and thereby vary the degree of mixing of the hot and cold water flowing into the mixing chamber. A transparent lens 62 is provided in an aperture through the temperature control handle 52; through this can be observed differently coloured zones within a recess in the control handle 54 in which the handle 52 is located, this giving an indication of the temperature setting. A skirt portion 60 of the control handle 54 extends so as to embrace a part of the valve body.The control handle can be turned through a limited range of movement to rotate both discs together whereby the degree of mixing of the hot and cold water remains unchanged but whereby the apertures 34 and 36 extending through the disc 30 are equally restricted or opening up to the flows of water through the sleeve elements 28 and may of course both be closed when the handle is turned through the full extent of its movement in the clockwise sense. Stop means which are provided to limit the extent of movement of the control handle in opposite directions to open and close the valve are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and are constituted by a stop pin 64 projecting from the basal surface of the mixing chamber to such an extent that it acts as an abutment for a side surface of the disc 30.

Thus there is provided a shower valve having a pair of ceramic discs one of which is rotatably adjustable relative to the other to vary the water outlet temperature but which can be opened or closed by the rotation of both discs together so that a previously adjusted outlet temperature can be maintained on re-opening of the valve.

However, various modifications may be made.

For example, the means described and illustrated for retaining the elbow connectors in position in the valve body and for securing the valve to a wall surface are not essential and could be replaced by more conventional means.

Claims (7)

1. A shower valve having a pair of disc elements located within a mixing chamber, one of said disc elements being provided with through apertures which can be positioned to communicate with waterways connected to sources of hot and cold water respectively, and the other of said disc elements being provided with shaped apertures which can be brought into overlying relation with the through apertures of said one of the discs to an adjustable extent to vary the degree of mixing of the hot and cold water flowing into the mixing chamber, means for rotating said other of said disc elements being constituted by a rotatably mounted driving sleeve connected to a temperature control handle, and means for opening and closing the valve being constituted by an outer control handle drivably connected to a spindle which extends rotatably through the driving sleeve, said spindle being drivably connected to said one of the disc elements, the arrangement being such that the valve can be closed without affecting the relative positioning of the two disc elements, and such that, assuming the temperatures of the hot and cold water supplies remaining unaltered, the valve can be re-opened with a previously adjusted mixed water temperature setting.

2. A shower valve according to claim 1, in which, the control handle is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed arcuate slots through which extend respective rod elements connected to the driving sleeve, the latter being connected to said other of the driving disc elements.

3. A shower valve according to either one of the preceding claims, in which respective sleeve elements are slidably located in the waterways and are acted on by respective coil springs by means of which they are urged into engagement with said one of the disc elements.

4. A shower valve according to any one of the preceding claims, in which stop means are provided to limit the extent of movement of the handle in opposite directions to open and close the valve.

5. A shower valve according to any one of the preceding claims, the valve having a valve body with oppositely disposed apertures receiving respective plug-in connectors for conveying hot and cold water to the valve respectively, means being provided for retaining the connectors in the apertures in the valve body and also for securing the shower valve in position on a wall, said means being constituted by a mounting bracket capable of being attached to a wall and provided with a pair of resilient clip formations which can be snap fitted on reduced diameter portions of the connectors, the arrangement being such that when the bracket has been appropriately located on a wall the connectors can be plugged into the body part and the reduced diameter portions of the connectors can be snap fitted in the clip formations to secure the valve to the wall.

6. A shower valve according to claim 4, in which the plug-in connectors are elbow connectors and are provided with respective O-rings to form leak-proof seals in oppositely disposed apertures in the valve body.

7. A shower valve constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.