GB2354059A - Delivery spout - Google Patents

Abstract

A delivery spout comprises an outer tube 1 which is preferably made by injection moulding a plastics material. Tubes 5, 6 (preferably PVC, aluminium alloys or non-toxic copper alloys) within tube 1 convey the cold and hot water respectively from a supporting body 3 to an outlet element 4. The tubes 5, 6 are preferably sealed with body 3 and element 4 (or end body 20, figure 2) by 'O' rings 7, 8. Where an end body (20) is provided the outlet element 4 is mounted at one end of the body (20) and the tubes (5, 6) are sealed with the other end of the body (20). The water is conveyed through the body (20) by holes (11, 12). The element 4 or body (20) may be secured to the tube 1 by a snap type of clamping taking advantage of the flexibility properties of the plastics material.

Description

2354059 TITLE: Delivery Spout The present invention relates to a delivery

spout made of a die-cast plastic material, for a domestic basin having, two hot and cold water flows, designed to meet British Standard BS 5412, which can have both a chromium plated and colored outer aspect.

To keep the hot water separated from the cold water, conventional diecast faucets comprise,a separating wall extending through the overall extension of the water delivery tube, thereby greatly complicating the moulding thereof both for making the shell and in the casting operating proper.

It is moreover necessary that hot water and cold waters merge with one another during the 10 delivery end operation.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a water delivery spout (made with a comparatively small diameter tube made of a plastic material by injection and then chromium plated or painted), having a circular crown cross-section with engaged therein two non-toxic material tubes for delivering, hot and cold water.

1 In this connection it should be pointed out that hot water conventionally flows through the inner tube whereas cold water flows in the section difference remaining between said hot water tube and the outer tube. In this case, as it should be apparent, the outer portion must be chromium plated, painted and processed by any other suitable processing method. Thus, because of the mentioned contact with non-food products, it is very difficult to provide a true non-toxic property. The end portion is coupled to a single-hole faucet and it may be made of a brass material or of a plastic material, depending on requirements.

Also known is the fact that starting from January 1, 2000, some brass alloys will be prevented from being used in home applications, as required by item 10 of the document No. 75 0 issued 2 by the CEN (European Standardizing Committee) with the cooperation of the TC 133 (Technical Committee) of October 25, 1996. This switching from brass products to plastic material products will involve practical and technical problems, since it will be necessary to switch from metal melt materials to a die-cast or pressure injected plastic material, specifically designed for providing truly non-toxic properties which cannot be assured by conventional brass melting processes.

The outer portion of the delivery spout can comprise a plastic material tube which can be easily made by an injection moulding method, and which can be chromium plated on its outside in order to provide very good aesthetic characteristics.

The material forming the outer portion of the spout can be a chromium plated ABS material, whereas the two inner tubes for hot and cold water can be made of a food compatible PVC material, aluminium alloys, non-toxic copper alloys, the head member being also made of a plastic material of the above mentioned types, or of brass or other non- toxic materials.

By the proposed approach, even the manufacturing cost would be slightly greater than that of conventional faucets, the functional and hygienic properties of the end products would be greatly improved, since the hot and cold waters are separated, thereby it would be possible to use food compatible cold water and/or hot water in either in a separated or mixed condition, for dish washing applications and other domestic uses.

The end delivery spout, moreover, has the feature that it does not mix hot water and cold water at the portion thereof inside the faucet, but only after the exiting from the delivery assembly.

In order to achieve the above mentioned aim and objects, two discrete plastic material tubes having suitable mechanical characteristics have been used, whereas the above mentioned outer plastic material tube would operate to provide a satisfactory aesthetic aspect, and the inner parts providing the required mechanical strength.

3 The present invention provides two possible embodiments of the outer spout body, i.e. one including a single-piece outer tube, of a plastic material, havin the outlet ends thereof closed by the end head member supporting the two PVC inner tubes, and the other embodiment providing to use three component pieces, i.e. the body tube, the solid end portion for mixing the two water types upstream of the head member and, finally, the end delivery head member.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will be made hereinafter, exclusively by way of an example, to the accompanying drawings, where:

Figure I is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first embodiment of the two-piece water delivery spout Figure 2 is a further cross-sectional view illustrating a second embodiment of the delivery spout, being made of three main pieces.

With reference to Figure 1 related to the first constructional embodiment, it is a cross sectional view illustrating the several component parts of the delivery spout.

More specifically, it is possible to see in this figure the outer tube 1 holding therein the cold and hot water tubes 5 and 6 respectively. The tube I is made of a chromium or colored plastic material and is provided with an outlet waterjet splitting or breaking element 4. Said outlet jet breaking element 4 is provided with recesses for receiving sealing O-Ring 7 for locking at their set positions the tubes 5, 6 on the waterjet breaking element 4.

More specifically, said water jet breaking element 4 is affixed within the end portion of the tube 1 by a snap type of clamping, by exploiting the flexibility properties of the plastic material forming said tube 1. The jet breaking element, in particular, can also be made of an non-toxic material or a brass material or any other suitable material, for example ceramics.

A hot water inner tube 6 is made of any suitable plastic materials adapted to resist against a 4 70-80'C temperature generated by the water boiler. Said inner tube directly comes from and is affixed to the other end portion of the supporting body 3 haing suitable recesses or slots for receiving the O- Ring seals therein, thereby turning about a conventional type of control block, which has not been herein shown. A tubular inner body 2 is provided with slots or recesses 9, 10 for engaging therein O-Ring seals or resilient ring elements coupling said tubular body to the outer tube 1. In this position too there are provided sealing O-Ring elements 8 for clamping the tubes 5, 6 in the body 2.

In this connection it should be apparent that other prior or known clamping means could also be used.

In the second disclosed embodiment, shown in Figure 2, like elements have been indicated by the same reference numbers as used in Figure 1, so they will not be further disclosed. The embodiment shown in Figure 2 is differentiated from the first embodiment because of the addition of an end body 20, provided with throughgoing holes 11, 12 ending in the cavity 13 and separated by the jet breaking element 4.

More specifically, this end body or portion 20 is coupled by a clamping ring element to the tube 1, in a substantially conventional manner.

Claims (1)

1. A plastic material made water delivery spout including separated hot water and cold water tubes arranged in an outer tube, said outer tube having exclusively an aesthetic function, characterized in that said hot and cold water tubes are coupled at an end portion therefor to a water jet breaking element or an end head element and are held, from the start to the end thereof, inside the delivery spout.

2.A delivery spout characterized in that said delivery spout provides a double water and cold water flow, the hot water and cold water being separated inside a faucet to cause the two hot and cold water flows to merge exclusively at the outlet region of the two water flows, 10 immediately after the delivery spout.

3.A delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein the outer portion of the delivery spout is made of a plastic material tube (1) made by a melting-injection process, in particular of an ABS material, and being chromium plated on an outside thereof I 4.A delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein the outer tube holds in its is inside two other smaller tubes (5, 6), for example made of a food compatible plastic material, food compatible PVC, aluminium alloys, non-toxic copper alloys or other plastic materials, and being designed for supplying hot and cold water.

5.A delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein the end delivery head element (4), in a type of the device, has the feature that said head element does not mix hot water with 20 cold water in the inside of the faucet, but exclusively after the outlet thereof from said delivery spout, characterized in that the inner tubes (5, 6) are coupled to said head element 4 which is in turn fixedly engaged in the end spout or mouth of the outer tube (1).

6.A delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein said end delivery spout (4) is scaled by O-Ring sealing means with respect to the tube of said spout (1).

6 TA delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein said tubes (5, 6) are sealed by O-Ring sealing means with respect to the end head element of the delivery spout (4).

8.A delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein all the view-exposed outer portions(l, 20) are made of a single color plastic material.

1 9. A delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein, in a second embodiment of said delivery spout, the spout tube is made as a two piece element, i.e. a tubular body portion (1) and an end portion (20) delimiting a cavity (13) in which said jet breaking element (4) operates to separate hot water from cold water.

I O.A delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein between the main body (1) 10 and supporting body (2), clamping or resilient ring elements are engaged in suitable recesses of the supporting body (2).

1 LA delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein the supporting body (2) can turn with respect to a flow-rate driving/control element of any conventional types.

12.A delivery spout according to the preceding claims, wherein the end head element (4) of the faucet is made of a heat and thermal distortion resistant plastic material, a copper alloy, an aluminium alloy, or a food compatible ceramics material.

13.A delivery spout substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings..