GB2202131A

GB2202131A - Slideable mounting

Info

Publication number: GB2202131A
Application number: GB08714051A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Karl Heinrich Echtermeier
Original assignee: DELVAC GmbH
Current assignee: DELVAC GmbH
Priority date: 1987-03-16
Filing date: 1987-06-16
Publication date: 1988-09-21
Anticipated expiration: 2007-06-16
Also published as: GB2202131B; DE8703949U1; GB8714051D0

Abstract

The improvement is for a slideable mounting, preferably a wall mounting, for a hand-held shower head (10). Previous mountings have the drawback that the adjustment of the hand-held shower head in the provided position is frequently inadequate and has a complicated construction. In comparison therewith, the present mounting comprises a guide (13) containing a spring loaded stopping mechanism, operated by an actuating button 24, for adjusting and holding the guide on the vertical rod 11. For further adjustability of the hand-held shower head (10), it is proposed to connect a holder (15) serving for mounting of the latter, by a ball and socket joint (14) to the guide (13) thus allowing movement of the shower head in two further planes. <IMAGE>

Description

A MOUNTING The invention relates to a mounting, preferably a wall mounting, according to the preamble of claim 1.

The mounting in question serves primarily for receiving a hand-held shower head for showers or the like. In this case the mounting is constructed so that the hand-held shower head can be fixed as required at different heights and inclinations with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rod. A mounting of this type may also serve receiving other objects, which are to be fixed in the same way.

Known mountings of this type have at their diposal an actuating button, which is directly spring-loaded against the actuating direction. In this case the actuating buLton simultaneously serves as a stopper, in that it is pressed by way of lateral guides along an inclined plane by the spring-loading directly against the rod. These mountings have several drawbacks. On the one hand, for structural reasons, they may have only relatively small guides, so that surface pressures are produced on the relatively small frictional surfaces. Consequently operating disturbances can hardly be avoided in the long term. On the other hand, on account of the small guide surfaces, the actuating button tends to tilt, so that it is necessaryto allocate-twoparallel compression springs to the latter. This results in a relatively complicated construction.

In addition, the known holders have at their disposal several adjusting mechanisms, namely separate mechanisms for vertical and lateral adjustment and adjustment of the inclination. This also necessitates a complicated construction of the known mounting.

Based on this it is the object of the invention to provide a mounting, preferably a wall mounting for a hand-held shower head, which with a simple construction ensures reliable-and long-lasting operation.

In order to achieve this objective, the invention comprises the characterising features of Claim 1. Accordingly the guide is held on the rod by a spring-loaded stopper.

Due to this measure it is not necessary to allocate any compression springs to the actuating button, also the latter is not supported directly on the rod. Accordingly the actuating button serves exclusively for moving the stopper in the release direction. Since the actuating button is no longer spring-loaded, the danger of tilting of the latter also no longer exists.

Furthermore it is proposed that the stopper and the actuating button have corresponding bevels, by which they are connected to each other. Appropriately the stopper and the actuating button have at their disposal two bevels, which extend in opposite directions and indeed with a different pitch.

Due to this a (flat) pair of bevels between the push button and the stopper serves for the movement of the stopper when actuating the push button in the release direction and vice versa. The second (steeper) pair of bevels serves for centering the actuating button in a direction perpendicular to the actuating direction.

The bevels provide relatively large contact surfaces between the actuating button and the stopper. With the relative movement occurring between the bevels for actuating this stop, wear phenomena cannot occur in practice.

Also, an optimum guide is ensured by the bevels between the actuating knob and the stopper.

According to a further proposal, arresting of the guide takes place by a separate brake bush, which is associated with a wedge member of the stopper provided with the bevels, the contact surface of the brake bush on the rod appropriately being provided with a brake member consisting of a material having a high coefficient of friction, in particular an elastomer (rubber). Consequently, the wedge member and the actuating button may be made from a material with a low coefficient of friction, namely preferably from synthetic material, due to which low friction is ensured between the corresponding bevels.

On the other hand, wherever a greater friction is desired, namely at the end of the brake bush supported on the rod, the coefficient of friction can be increased in a simple manner by the brake member consisting of an elastomer. If necessary, the brake member can easily be exchanged, if the latter should be worn.

A particularly essential development of the mounting consists in the connection according to the invention of the guide and of the holder of the sliding member by a ball-and-socket joint. As a single swivel connection of the holder, the latter allows both a variation of the inclination as well as a lateral adjustment of the holder for the hand-held shower head. The construction of the mounting according to the invention is thus improved with respect to known mountings of this type, because a second swivel connection is no longer required.

It is also proposed to provide the ball and socket joint with means for protection against torsion. This can be achieved in a particularly simple manner by the arrangement of two opposing pins or cylindrical projections on the ball journal of the ball and socket joint; namely on the ball head. The latter project into a ball housing for receiving the ball head with clearance or into corresponding recesses in the ball housing. Due to these means for preventing torsion, the ball and socket joint allows only a sidewards adjustment and a variation of inclination of the holder or of the hand-held shower head, thus a movement of the latter approximately in two planes extending perpendicularlv with respect to each other.

It is also proposed according to the invention to arrest the ball and socket joint by resilient pre-tensioning.

A compression spring likewise serves for this. In a particularly appropriate embodiment of the invention, a single compression spring may serve simultaneously for resilient pre-tensioning of the ball journal on the ball and socket joint and for pressing the braking jaw of the stopper against the rod. This provides an essential simplification of the holder according to the invention in comparison with that of the prior art, because only one compression spring is required for all the arresting functions.

One embodiment of the mounting according to the invention will be described in detail hereafter with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic general view of a holder with a hand-held shower head and Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the holder.

The present embodiment of the invention relates to a holder for a hand-held shower head 10. The holder comprises a rod 11 and a sliding member 12. The latteris composed of a guide 13 mounted to move up and down on the rod 11 and a holder 15 connected to the guide 13 by a ball and socket joint 14, into which holder the hand-held shower head 10 can be inserted. The ball and socket joint 14 is covered by â resilient sheathing, namely bellows 16, held between the guide 13 and the holder 15.

In the embodiment illustrated, the rod 11 is attached to a vertical wall 17 and indeed by two sockets 18 associated with the opposite ends of the rod 11. The sockets 18 are constructed so that they keep the rod 11 running parallel to the walls 17 at a slight distance therefrom.

Figure 2 shows the inside of the sliding member 12 fitted on the rod 11. Accordingly the guide 13 completely surrounding the rod 11 comprises two housing halves 19 separated centrally, whereof the plane of separation 20 lies in the section plane of Figure 2. The housing halves 19 are connected to each other by a clamping or drop-in connection and indeed on the one hand by a cover plate 21 fitted to the end face of the housing directed towards the wall 17 and on the other hand on the opposite end face by a member of the ball joint 14 which is to be described in more detail hereafter.

Located on the side of the rod 11 pointing away from the wall 17 in a corresponding recess 22 of the housing are the parts of a stopper 23 and an actuating button 24 connected thereto. In this case the actuating button 24 projects by a lower region from the lower open recess 22 of the housing.

On its side directed towards the stopper 23 (directed away from the rod 11), the actuating button 24 comprises two bevels 25 and 26. The latter extend in opposite directions and in the actuating button 24 form a V-shaped recess 27. The pitches of the bevels 25 and 26 are different.

The bevel 25 directed towards the end of the actuating button 24 projecting from the housing is namely flat (inclined by less than 450 with respect to the plane of the actuating button 24), whereas the opposite bevel 26 is steeper (inclined by more than 450 with respect to the plane of the actuating button 24). The actuating button 24 is supported by the side directed away from the recess 27 on a support wall 28 extending parallel to the rod 11 on the two halves 19 of the housing.

The stopper 23 consists of a wedge member 29 and a brake bush 30. On its side directed towards the actuating button 24, the wedge member 29 likewise comprises two bevels 31 and 32, which are constructed to correspond to the bevels 25 and 26 on the actuating button 24.

Thus the wedge member 29 has a V-shaped elevation 33, which projects into the recess 27 of the actuating button 24 whilst bearing against the latter. Two of the bevels 25, 26; 31, 32 respectively cooperate in the guide 13 so that when the actuating button 24 is pushed upwards the lower (flatter) bevels 25, 31 move the stopper 23 away from the rod 11. After releasing the actuating button 24, due to which the stopper 23 may again move towards the rod 11, the upper (steeped bevels 26, 32 serve to bring the actuating button 24 into its initial position, thus to center it with respect to the wedge member 29.

The wedge member 29 is connected to the brake bush 30.

For this purpose, a cylindrical section 34 of the brake bush 30 pointing towards the rod 11 is guided through a corresponding through hole 35 arranged therein. The length of the cylindrical section 34 on the brake bush 30 is measured so that the latter also projects through the actuating button 24 and indeed an elongated slot 68 provided therein and a corresponding through hole 36 in the support wall 28 of the housing halves 19.

The elongated slot 68 in the actuating button 24 ensures that the actuating button 24 can be pushed upwards unimpeded by the cylindrical section 34.

Provided on the (free) end of the cylindrical section 34 of the brake bush 30 directed towards the rod 11 is a brake member 37 of rubber or the like, which is supported directly on the rod 11. The brake member 37 is held by a shoulder 39 projecting into a bore 38 in the cylindrical section 34.

On the end remote from the brake member 37, the brake bush 30 comprises a collar 40 with a diameter which is larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical section 34. Consequently the brake bush 30 is supported on the flat rear side 41 of the wedge member 29 remote from the bevels 31 and 32. The end of the collar 40 on the brake bush 30 is spring-loaded b a compression spring 42 in the direction of the rod 11. The compression spring 42 is arranged transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rod 11 in the housing of the guide 13, thus approximately in the longitudinal direction of the latter.

The end of the compression spring 42 directed towards the rod 11 is held centrally by a bore 43 in the collar 40 of the brake bush 30.

Due to this construction of the guide, by pushing the actuating button 24 upwards on the bevels 25, 31, the wedge member 29 with the brake bush 30 can be moved away from the rod 11 against the direction of force of the compression spring 42 and indeed so far that the brake member 37 is raised from the wall of the rod 11 associated therewith for the friction-free upwards or downwards movement of the sliding member 12 on the rod 11. After the actuating button 24 is released, the pre-tensioned compression spring 42 moves the wedge 'member 29 with the brake bush 30 back towards the rod 11, until the brake member 37 is again supported on the latter. In this case, the actuating button 24 is simultaneously brought back into its initial position by the bevels 26, 32.

The ball and socket joint 14 comprises a ball journal 44 and a ball housing 45. A ball head 46 of the ball journal 44 is held positively in the ball housing.

For this purpose the ball housing 45 comprises a bearing member 47 with a bearing socket 48, which is constructed to correspond to the ball head 46 and in which part of the ball head 46 is supported. The ball head 46 is held in the bearing socket 48 of the bearing member 47 by a further part of the ball housing 45, namely a sleeve nut 49. The latter comprises a front, approximately circular opening 50, through which the ball journal 44 projects by a cylindrical projection 51 arranged on the ball head 46. The dimensions of the opening 50 are such that they allow tilting of the ball journal 44 in the region provided, but at the same time also limit the admissible tilting range of the ball journal 44.

The holder 15 for the hand-held shower head 10 is connected in a suitable manner to the cylindrical projection 51 of the ball journal 44 and indeed in the present case by a positive drop-in connection 52. Alternatively, the cylindrical projection 51 may be connected to the holder 15 by a press-fit or a corresponding screw-thread.

The ball housing 45 of the ball joint 14 is attached to the end face of the housing associated therewith, namely of the two housing halves 19 of the guide 13 and indeed by a plug-in connection which is not shown in Figure 2, for example a dove-tail guide. The latter is constructed so that at the same time a connection of the two housing halves 19 takes place at this end face of the guide 13. In this case the bearing member 47 and the sleeve nut 49 of the ball housing 45 are screwed to each other by an external screw thread 53 arranged on the bearing member 47.

Two opposing pins 54 are associated with the ball head 46 of the ball journal 44 on the half directed towards the bearing member 47, which pins 54 project with clearance into corresponding recesses 55 between the bearing member 47 and the sleeve nut 49. In this case, the clearance of the pins 54 in the bearing member 47 is sufficiently great in order to be able to move the holder 15 by the ball and socket joint 14 sufficiently in the plane of the drawing and in a direction perpendicular to tit plane of the drawing.

Alternatively the ball head 46 may be provided with opposing, attached cylindrical projections. The latter project into corresponding guide grooves in the ball housing 45 and thus allow tilting of the ball journal 44 in only two orthogonal planes.

The ball journal 44 of the ball and socket joint 14 is arrested in the pre-set position of the holder 15 by a pressure member 56 which is held in a central through hole 57 in the bearing member 47 and comprises a contact surface 58 on the latter constructed to correspond to the ball head 46. The contact surface 58 thus forms part of the bearing socket 48.

The pressure member 56 receives the pre-tensioning force necessary for arresting the ball journal 44 due to the compression spring 42, which also serves for pre-tensioning the brake bush 30. For this purpose the end of the compression spring 42 associated with the pressure member 56 is held by a bore 59 in the pressure member 56.

The compression spring 42 is located in the region of a cylindrical recess 60 on the rear side of the bearing member 47 directed towards the rod 11. This recess 60 on the one hand serves for receiving a collar 61 on the pressure member 56 and on the other hand the collar 40 of the brake bush 30 partly projects into the recess 60. In this way, the end of the brake bush 30 directed towards the collar 40 is held centrally in the sliding member 12, whereas the opposite end of the brake bush 30 directed towards the rod 11 is held in the through hole 36 in the support wall 28. This is necessary for supporting the stopper 23 against the direction of movement of the actuating button 24 extending at right angles to the unlocking and locking direction of the latter.For this purpose, a further support, namely a flat portion 62 on the upper side ol the wedge member 29 is provided, which when the actuating button 24 is pushed upwards, is supported against a corresponding, upper contact surface 63 on the two housing halves 19.

The bellows 16 serving for covering the ball and socket joint 14 between the guide 13 and the holder 15 of the sliding member 12 comprise at their opposing end regions peripheral inner ribs 64, which engage in corresponding grooves 65 on the holder 15 or at the transition point between the bearing member 47 and the housing halves 19. Consequently the bellows 16 simultaneously cover the plug-in connection between the bearing member 47 and the two housing halves 1.

At its front free end, th? holder 3 5 col risos- twe clamping jaws 66 lying one beside the other, with an obliquely directed, cylindrical or s3ightJy conical seat 67, which is open at the front, for the insertion of a rear housing part of the hand-lleld shower head 10. The seat 67 can be modified accordingly for receiving other objects.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Mounting, preferably wall mounting, with a rod and a sliding member able to move up and down thereon and comprising a tilting holder, in particular for a hand-held shower head, and a guide which can be arrested and is associated with the rod, wherein the guide comprises a stopper which is supported in a spring-loaded manner on the rod and an actuating button associated therewith.

2. Mounting according to claim 1, wherein the stopper and the actuating button comprise corresponding bevels.

3. Mounting according to claim 2, wherein the stopper and the actuating button comprise two opposed bevels with different pitches.

4. Mounting according to one of more of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stopper comprises a wedge member and a brake bush pre-tensioned in the direction of the rod, preferably by a compression spring.

5. Mounting according to one or more of claims 2 to 4, wherein the bevels associated with the stopper are arranged on the wedge member.

6. Mounting according to claim 5, wherein the actuating button is located between the wedge member and the rod.

7. Mounting according to claim 2 and one or more of the other claims, wherein the bevels associated with the actuating button form a V-shaped recess in the latter, in which the correspondingly constructed partial member projects in reyions by the bevels forming a V-shaped elevation, with t corresponding bevels bearing against each other in pairs.

8. Mounting according to claim 4 and one of more of the other claims, the brake bush is constructed in the form of a sleeve and is guided or mounted in a correspondingly constructed through hole in the wedge member and by an elongated slot in the actuating button.

9. Mounting according to claim 8, wherein an end of the brake bush projecting through the actuating button is associated with a brake member comprising an elastic material, in particular an elastomer, which in the fixed state of the sliding member is supported on the rod.

10. Mounting, preferably wall mounting, with a sliding member able to move up and down on a rod comprising a guide associated with the rod and a tilting holder for a hand-held shower head or the like, in particular according to one or more of claims 1 to 9, wherein the holder is connected to the guide by a ball and socket joint.

11. Mounting according to claim 10, wherein the ball and socket joint comprises a ball journal with a cylindrical projection attached to the holder and of a ball head mounted to tilt in a ball housing arranged on the guide.

12. Mounting according to claim 10 and 11, wherein the ball housing comprises a bearing member and a sleeve nut holding the ball head in the bearing member.

13. Mounting according to one or more of claims 10 to 12, wherein means fpr preventing torsion (pins) are associated with the ball and socket joint.

14. Mounting according to claim 10 and one or more of the other claims, wherein the ball and socket joint is covered by a resilient sheathing, in particular bellows, which is attached between the holder and the guide.

15. Mounting according to claim 10 and one of more of the other claims, wherein the ball journal can be arrested in the pre-set position of the ball and socket joint.

16. Mounting according to claim 15, wherein the ball journal can be arrested by a compression spring acting in its longitudinal direction on the ball head.

17. Mounting according to claim 15 and 16, wherein located between the ball head and the compression spring is a pressure member, in particular comprising an elastic material (elastomer), provided with a pressure surface constructed to correspond to the ball head.

18. Mounting according to claim 1 and one or more of the other claims, wherein a single compression spring is located betwen the ball head or the pressure member and the brake bush associated with the rod.

19. Mounting substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.