GB2154901A - Shower head - Google Patents

Abstract

In a shower head having an upper body 11 adapted for attachment to a water supply pipe, and a lower body 12 swivelably supported on the lower end of the upper body, said bodies conjointly defining a water passageway therethrough, an internal cavity (25, 26, 27) in the lower body 12 comprises a substantially cylindrical chamber 25 coaxially aligned with and spaced upstream from a discharge orifice 33 by a frusto- conical chamber 27 which is of a converging funnel-shaped configuration in the downstream direction, with a bladed member 29 being disposed within the cylindrical chamber 25 for dividing the main water stream into several smaller streams and for causing these streams to be discharged into the frusto-conical chamber 27 in different directions to effect a swirling of the streams. The member 29 may be rotatably or fixedly positioned. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Shower head The present invention relates to a shower head.

More particularly the present invention relates to a shower head of the jet type and, in particular, to a shower head for permitting discharge of an improved water jet which permits more efficient utilization of a minimal quantity of water so as to achieve a uniform dispersement of water over a substantial area.

According to the present invention there is provided a shower head comprising an upper body adapted for attachment to a water supply pipe or duct, and a lower body pivotally supported on the lower end of the upper body, with said upper and lower bodies conjointly defining a water passageway therethrough, said passageway at its upper end terminating in said upper body and being adapted for connection to said water supply pipe, and said passageway at its lower end, being defined by a discharge orifice provided at the-lower end of said lower body, for permitting external discharge of a water jet, said lower body having an internal cavity formed therein upstream of said discharge orifice, said internal cavity including a substantially cylindrical chamber coaxially aligned with and spaced upstream from said discharge orifice, said cavity further including a frustoconical chamber which is of a converging funnel-shaped configuration in the downstream direction and extends axially from said cylindrical chamber to said discharge orifice, and a bladed member disposed within said cylindrical chamber for dividing the main water stream into several smaller streams and for causing these streams to be discharged into the frusto-conical chamber in different directions so as to effect a swirling of the streams as they are supplied into said frustoconical chamber.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper body adapted to be connected to a pipe and/or to an electric water heater.

The upper body has a lower body pivotably supported thereon by means of a hollow sphere which defines a flow passage therethrough. This hollow sphere has a projecting stem portion which is threadedly joined to the lower body. The Iwoer body defines, in the interior thereof, a first frusto-conical cavity which is aligned with the flow passage and, adjacent the larger diameter end thereof, a seat on which is positioned a bladed rotor for imparting a swirling motion to the water stream flowing through the shower head. A further frusto-conical cavity is formed in the lower body directly below the rotor, this latter cavity converging into a coaxially aligned discharge orifice through which the water jet is discharged from the lower end of the shower head.The opposed frusto-conical cavities, having the rotor positioned therebetween, break the main water stream into several smaller streams which are directed circumferentially around the lowermost cavity so that the water stream, when discharged from the discharge orifice, is uniformly dispersed and spread out over a large area while permitting a minimum quantity of water to be utilized for discharge through the shower head.

The present invention will now be further described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one embodiment of a shower head constructed according to the present invention; Figure 2A is a plan view of a bladed rotor for use in the shower head of Figure 1; Figure 2B is a side view of the rotor of Figure 2A; and Figure 3 is an end view of the lower or discharge end of the shower head of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, there is illustrated a shower head 10 constructed according to the present invention, which shower head is formed by an upper body 11 having a lower body 1 2 pivotably supported thereon.

The upper body 11 is formed by an upper tubular portion 1 3 which is of an angled configuration and which is internally threaded at its upper end 14, to permit connection to a supply pipe or the like. The body 11 also includes a cup-shaped lower portion 1 6 which has an internal threaded region which is engaged with a threaded region on the lower end of the upper portion 1 3. This upper body 11 defines a main passage 1 5 therethrough for supplying a stream of water to the lower body 12.

The lower body 1 2 is formed by three main parts which have threaded regions which enable said parts to be fixedly connected together in coaxial relationship, the first being swivel part 1 7, the second being upper body part 18, and the third being lower body part 19.

The swivel part 1 7 is provided with a sphere or ball 21 at its upper end, which ball is sealingly but pivotably supported on the upper body 11, by the said lower body part 16. The ball 21 has a stem portion 22 fixed thereto and projecting axially therefrom, which stem is externally threaded and is thus engaged with an internal complimentory thread in the upper body part 18. The swivel part 1 7 has a flow passage 23 extending coaxially throughout its length, the upper end of passage 23 passing through the ball 21 so as to be in open communication with the passage 15.

The upper and lower body parts 1 8 and 19, when threaded together as illustrated in Figure 1, define a substantially cylindrical member having an external surface which is of a truncated conical configuration. These two parts 1 8 and 1 9 cooperate to define therein an interior cavity or chamber which communicates with the lower end of the flow passage 23. This interior chamber is defined by a pair of opposed frusto-conical cavities 26 and 27 which are coaxially aligned relative to the lower body 1 2 and relative to the lower passage 23. The upper frusto-conical cavity 26, which is formed adjacent the lower end of the upper body part 18, communicates with and extends axially away from the lower end of the flow passage 23, being concentric and coaxially aligned therewith.This frusto-conical cavity 26 diverges outwardly similar to a funnel, as it projects axially toward the lower end of the body. Adjacent the lower or largediameter end of the cavity 26, there is formed a cylindrical cavity 25 which terminates in an annular seat 28, which seat supports thereon a bladed wheel or rotor 29, the latter being positioned within the cylindrical cavity 25.

This wheel 29, as shown in greater detail in Figures 2A and 2B, includes a plurality of inclined blades 31 disposed around a central hole 32, which hole is aligned with the passage 23. This bladed wheel 29, which functions as a whirling element so as to cause a swirling of the water passing through the shower head, is normally freely supported on the seat 28 and is thus free to rotate in response to the reaction caused by the passage of water through the shower head. However, the bladed element 29 can be fixedly positioned relative to the seat 28 if desired.

Further, the center of the bladed element can be closed, if desired, rather than being provided with the opening 32.

The other frusto-conical cavity 27 is formed within the lower body part 1 9 and is disposed downstream of the bladed wheel 29. This cavity 27 begins at the seat 28 and extends coaxially downwardly therefrom. The cavity 27 is of a converging funnel-shaped configuration which, at its small-diameter end, communicates with a small discharge hole or orifice 33, which hole 33 is also coaxially aligned with passage 23. The hole 33 opens outwardly through the bottom surface 34 of the lower body 12, which lower surface 34 is of a generally concave or inwardly rounded configuration.

The lower body part 1 9 is also provided with a pair of annular grooves 36 and 37 projecting axially inwardly from the lower surface 34. These grooves 36 and 37, which are concentric relative to one another and relative to the discharge orifice 33, project axially inwardly of the part 1 9 to a limited axial extent, the individual grooves having a triangular or funnel-shaped cross section. These latter grooves reduce the quantity of material in the lower body part, and at the same time improve the appearance of the shower head.

In operation, the stream of water as supplied from a conventional water pipe or the like enters the upper end of the passage 1 5 and flows therethrough into the passage 23, from which water is discharged into the cavity 26. The stream of water supplied into cavity 26 is directed against the bladed wheel 29, the latter being either fixed or freely rotatable.

The inclined blades 31 cause the stream of water, when passing axially across the wheel, to be divided into several smaller streams, with these individual streams all being directed at slightly different directions due to the inclination of the blades. These differently directed smaller streams, as discharged into the lower cavity 27, have a swirling or whirling movement imparted thereto. These whirling streams are then converged as they pass axially downwardly of the frusto-conical cavity 27, with the water then being discharged through the discharge orifice 33.

Due to the whirling or swirling of the water as caused by the upper and lower frustoconical cavities and the positioning of the bladed element therebetween, the stream of water as discharged from the orifice 33 achieves a substantial spreading of the water in the shape of a jet stream, which spreading occurs over a large area in relationship to the quantity of water being discharged, and a uniform spreading or distribution of the water occurs throughout the area of the discharged jet.

Accordingly, the shower head of the present invention thus permits more efficient and practical usage of water, permitting minimization in the quantity of water discharged from the shower head, and at the same time permitting a more desirable and uniform distribution of the water, so that the resultant discharged jet has a more homogeneous distribution of water droplets, with this distribution occurring over a larger area.

Claims (4)

1. A shower head comprising an upper body adapted for attachment to a water supply pipe or duct, and a lower body pivotally supported on the lower end of the upper body, with said upper and lower bodies conjointly defining a water passageway therethrough, said passageway at its upper end terminating in said upper body and being adapted for connection to said water supply pipe, and said passageway at its lower end, being defined by a discharge orifice provided at the lower end of said lower body, for permitting external discharge of a water jet, said lower body having an internal cavity formed therein upstream of said discharge orifice, said internal cavity including a substantially cylindrical chamber coaxially aligned with and spaced upstream from said discharge orifice, said cavity further including a frustoconical chamber which is of a converging funnel-shaped configuration in the downstream direction and extends axially from said cylindrical chamber to said discharge orifice, and a bladed member disposed within said cylindrical chamber for dividing the main water stream into several smaller streams and for causing these streams to be discharged into the frusto-conical chamber in different directions so as to effect a swirling of the streams as they are supplied into said frustoconical chamber.

2. A shower head assembly comprising an upper body mountable on a water supply pipe and/or an electric water heater, and a lower body pivotally mounted on the upper body by a hollow sphere, the sphere being pivotably seated in the upper body and having a projecting pipe-like part which is threadededly engaged with and surrounded by an upper part of the lower body, the sphere and the pipe-like part having a flow channel extending axially therethrough, the lower body also having a lowerpart which is threadedly fixed to said upper part, said lower body having a cylindrical cavity defined therein, which is in communication with and substantially coaxially aligned with said channel, said cylindrical cavity being defined in part by a seat formed on said lower body, a rotor-like element being positioned within said cylindrical cavity and supported on said seat, said rotor-like element having a plurality of inclined blades for causing a stream of water passing therethrough to be divided into a plurality of smaller streams which are deflected in different directions and which are imparted with a circumferential swirling motion, said cylindrical cavity also including a frusto-conical chamber which is disposed directly below said rotor-like element, said frusto-conical chamber extending away from said rotor-like element and being of a converging funnel-like shape and terminating at a discharge, orifice provided in said lower body.

3. A shower head assembly as claimed in claim 2, in which the cylindrical cavity includes a further frusto-conical chamber disposed directly above said rotor-like element, said further frusto-conical chamber extending axially from the lower end of said flow channel and diverging radially outwardly with a funnel-like shape and terminating adjacent said rotor-like element.

4. A shower head constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.