ITTO970422A1 - THREE-WAY ADJUSTABLE SHOWER DEVICE. - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION of the industrial invention entitled:

"Three-way adjustable shower device"

DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an adjustable shower device, and in particular to a shower nozzle which is capable of offering a variety of adjustment functions including controlling the supply of hot and cold water, offering the outlet of the water in the form of projection, spraying or spraying.

2. Description of the prior art

A traditional shower nozzle usually requires a tap to control and regulate the temperature and flow rate of the water. It has the following disadvantages:

to. It usually requires many attempts by a user to adjust the tap before obtaining the desired temperature and flow rate of the water.

b. There is usually some distance between the hot water supply and the shower nozzle. It takes a relatively long time before a desirable and stable water temperature is reached. A user usually showeres intermittently, which makes adjusting the water temperature even more troublesome.

c. In multi-unit residences or in a house where more than one user takes a shower at the same time, the water outlet pressure from the common water tank fluctuates, which makes it difficult to regulate the water temperature.

d. In the light of the above, the respective adjustment of the tap tends to cause a lot of waste of water and fuel. Also, users are prone to damage due to eye stimulation.

And. A shower nozzle is usually only capable of performing a water spraying function. It is not suitable when a user wants it for other applications, such as heavy flow, spraying, etc. Although some shower nozzles are capable of providing more than one form of water spray, a user normally needs two hands to make the adjustment, and therefore this is not comfortable.

A number of prior devices have been disclosed to alleviate the aforementioned disadvantages, but they are for the most part able to offer only a partial improvement. For example, US Patents Nos. 5,402,812, 5,427,318, 4,629,124, 3,637,143, 3,542,331, 2,789,011. There is still room for improvement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide regulation functions and features, including water flow control, water temperature regulation and a three-way water outlet selection (i.e. spraying, projection and sprinkling). .

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable shower device which is easy to use and allows a user to perform the desired adjustment with one hand without many attempts. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable shower nozzle which can be used easily and effectively, and is thus able to reduce the waste of water by saving energy for heating the water.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pipe with a double internal flow passage intended to be connected at one end to a double pipe elbow for the supply of hot and cold water and to be connected at another end. to an adjustable shower nozzle. The adjustable shower nozzle has an adjustment cell and an adjustment button to adjust the temperature and the water flow to a desired value. It also has a water collection cell and a spring-loaded valve means for controlling the way the water flows.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide flexible hose means with two connection fittings intended to be connected to a double pipe elbow and to a shower nozzle, respectively, or, as described in another embodiment, using a flow guide adapter and a branch adapter in place of a double hole ring and a double pipe washer. By combining the flow guide adapter and the branch adapter, tangling can be prevented of a double-pipe hose.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention are highlighted in the following description referring to the attached drawing. The accompanying drawings are provided for reference and illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a three-way adjustable shower device according to the present invention.

Figure 2 represents an exploded view of the three-way adjustable shower device according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a partially interrupted top view of a double flow passage according to the present invention.

Figures 4A to 4E represent different positions of an adjustment valve.

Figure 5 is an exploded view of spring valve means.

Figure 6 is a partially interrupted perspective view of a spring valve means.

Figure 7 represents an operating condition of the spring valve means for the projection of water outlet.

Figure 8 represents an operating condition of the spring valve means for spraying.

Figure 9 represents an operating condition of the spring valve means for spraying.

Figure 10 represents a top view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 11A and 11B represent perspective views of a roller valve and a half-wheel valve according to another embodiment.

Figure 12 is a three-dimensional view of the double-pipe elbow of the three-way adjustable shower device in another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13 is a drawing showing an exploded view of a double pipe elbow in another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 14 is a drawing showing an exploded view of a hose means in another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 14a is a drawing showing the operation of a flow guide washer and a bypass adapter in an embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 14.

Definition of reference numbers

1 shower body

10 shower arm

11 shower nozzle

12 regulation cell

13 adjustment opening

14 opening

20 passage of water

21 push button

22 valve washer

3 assembly cap

30 protuberance

1 threads

32 cap washer

retaining ring

0 ring washer

1 ring rods

ring slits

ring spring

water collection cell

button hole

water outlet

double flow passage

threaded fitting

regolation valve

nozzle tabs

nozzle openings

nozzle ring

nozzle drum

spray cap

threads

nozzle hooks

cap rods

nozzle spring

nozzle slits

spray cap washer outlet washer

ring hooks

spraying drum

drum washer

drum openings

spaced openings in the drum tab ring

opening the drum

drum neck

hook

spraying slit

<'> spraying opening

button flange

button head

openings in the button

button washer

nozzle

flow output

connection fitting hose sleeves hose washers double hose double hose flow guide washer collar

branch adapter

through hole

tubular portion

washer

half spring valve

spraying slit

double pipe elbow

90 clamping rings

91 clamping heads

92 elbow washers

93 elbow entries

94 elbow exit

94th exit of the elbow

95 seat of the shower nozzle 95a seat of the shower nozzle 96 containment cell

97 branch pipe

98 stop washer

99 stop control rod 0 hose means

Or by means of a flexible hose

00 double hole ring

01 double hole

208 passage of water

209 tang

210 friction track

211 roller valve

212 half-wheel valve

13 concave notch

60 passage of the duct

61 spacer

62 arrest

963 riser water outlet

964 descending water outlet

200 wheel valve cell

201 roller valve openings

202 tang slot

203 wheel stop

204,205 stop of the half-wheel

206 grid cap

207 roller valve washer

970 locking member

971 locking block

972 washer

980 guide cell

981 washer

982 etching

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FORM OF IMPLEMENTATION

FAVORITE

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the present invention comprises a shower body 1, a regulating valve 2, an assembly cap 3, a double-pipe elbow 9, a flexible tube means 0, and a spring-loaded valve means. 100. The double-pipe elbow 9 has an elbow outlet 94 and a shower nozzle seat 95 intended to receive a connection fitting 02 at one end, and has two clamping heads 91 screwed respectively at another end. on two inlets 93 of the elbow, then through two clamping rings 90 and two washers 92 of the elbow connected respectively to cold and hot water supplies.

The elbow outlet 94 is connected with a hose means 0 which includes a pair of connecting fittings 02, a pair of hose sleeves 03, a double-pipe hose 05, a double hole 01, a pair of double bore rings 00 and a pair of double pipe washers 04. The other end of the hose means 0 is connected to a threaded fitting 19 of a shower arm 10 which has a double flow passage 18 internally disposed for passage through it of hot and cold water, respectively.

The washers 92 of the elbow provided along the outer peripheries of the clamping rings 90 have the purpose of preventing water escaping from the inlets 93 of the elbow.

The double flow passage 18 opens into a regulation cell 12 located in the shower nozzle 11. The regulation cell 12 has a regulation opening 13 at the top and an opening 14 at the bottom.

Inside the regulating cell 12, there is a regulating valve 2 which has a push button 21 on top, a water passage 20 and a valve washer 22 at one end connected to one end of the double flow passage 18 The regulating valve 2 is supported by an assembly cap 3 which includes a cap washer 2, a protuberance 30 to reduce the resistance to movement of the regulating valve 2 and threads 31 intended to engage firmly with the opening 14. By moving push button 21, valve 2 can be raised or lowered, or moved to the right or left.

Therefore the opening of the water passage 20 can be aligned with the double flow passage 28 in various positions to regulate the flow rate and the temperature of the water. Figures 4D and 4E show only the passage of hot or cold water. Figures 4B and 4C show both hot and cold water inlet. Various water temperatures can be adjusted as desired. Figure 4A shows that the water flow is interrupted. Then the water leaves the regulating valve 2 and flows into a water collection cell 15 located in the shower nozzle 11 to regulate the water outlet mode.

Figures 10, 11A and 11B show another embodiment of the means for regulating the flow rate and the temperature of the water. Instead of a control cell 12, there is in its place a wheel valve cell 200. The wheel valve cell 200 includes two wheel valve openings 201 which traverse the side walls of the shower spout. In the roller valve cell 200, there are three wheel stops 203, 204, 205 and a grille cap 206. There is a roller valve 211 disposed on one side of the roller valve cell 200. The roller valve 211 it has an internal water passage 208, a concave notch 213 and a knurling 210 formed on its circumference. There is a tang 209 which passes through a slot 202 for the tang obtained at the top inside the shower nozzle. There is a half wheel valve 212 located on another side of the wheel valve cell. The half-wheel valve 212 also includes a water passage 208 and a spigot 209 which passes through another slot for spigot 202. The water passages 208 may be in fluid communication with the double flow passage 18, with a washer. of the roller valve 207 arranged between them to prevent water leaks. The concave notch 213 can engage with the roller stop 203 thus allowing the roller valve 211 to rotate within the two ends of the concave notch 213. The half-wheel valve 212 is rotatable within the range of the stops 204 and 205. Therefore, through the knurl 210, the roller valve 211 and the semi-roller valve 212 can be rotated to align the water passage 208 with the double flow passage 18. Consequently, it is possible to allow the passage into the cell of water collection 15 of different flow rates of hot and cold water.

With reference to Figure 2, the water collection cell 15 has a button hole 16 at the top of the shower nozzle 11 and a water outlet 17 at the bottom. A spring-loaded valve means 100 is screwed into the water outlet 17 with an outlet washer 86 disposed between them.

With reference to Figures 5 and 6, the spring valve means 100 comprises a retaining ring 4, a spraying drum 5, a button flange 6, a nozzle 7, a spray cap 8, two springs 43 and 83, a a pair of double hooks 44 and 81, three washers 40, 50 and 85. With reference to Figure 6, a broken perspective view of a spring valve means is shown. The ring washer 40 sits on the bottom of the retaining ring 4 which includes a pair of ring rods 41 inserted through ring openings 52 formed adjacent a pair of drum tabs 53 on the sprinkler drum 5 The inner edge of the ring washer 40 contacts the neck 55 of the drum. Ring spring 43 surrounds ring rods 41 and drum tabs 53. The upper ends of the rods 41 of the ring then engage with the pair of button openings 61 located in the flange 6 of the button. The bottom of the spraying drum 5 includes a drum washer 50. The nozzle 7 includes a pair of nozzle tabs 71 each of which has a nozzle opening 72 made adjacent it to engage with a pair of cap rods 82 disposed on the spray cap 8. A nozzle spring 83 surrounds the stems 82 of the cap and the tabs 71 of the nozzle. A spray cap washer 85 engages a nozzle ring 73 7. The cap rods 82 engage with a pair of drum openings 51, thereby causing the spraying drum 5 to engage the nozzle drum 74. The spring 43 of the ring is then compressed against the flange 6 of the button. The hooks 44 of the ring pass through the openings 56 of the hooks in the tongue 53 of the drum, then engage with the slots 42 of the ring, and finally release the spring 43 of the ring.

The spring 83 of the nozzle is compressed against the openings 51 of the drum. The nozzle hooks 81 pass through the hook openings 56 and engage with the nozzle slots 84, and thereby release the nozzle spring 83. Thus the assembly of the spring valve means 100 is completed.

Referring now to Figure 2, the spring valve means 100 is screwed into the water outlet 17 through threads 80 from below with the outlet washer 86 disposed between them, and a button washer 62 is disposed in the hole 16 of the button .

Reference may be made to FIG. 7 for use of the present invention for projection. Upon repetitive pressing of the button head 60, the ring spring 43 forces the ring hooks 44 to engage with the ring slots 42. The drum opening 54 and the spraying slot 57 are blocked by the ring washer 40. The water thus exits through the spraying opening 58.

In FIG. 8, water passes from the drum opening 54 into the nozzle drum 74 and then exits through the flow outlet 70.

With reference to Figures 7 and 9, in the water projection condition, by repetitively pressing the nozzle 7, the spring 83 of the nozzle forces the hooks 81 of the nozzle to engage with the slits 84 of the nozzle. The nozzle ring 73 and the sprinkler opening 58 raise or lower together. Spray aperture 87 and spray aperture 58 are open or blocked by spray cap washer 85 and drum washer 50. The water passes through the spray slot 87 and the spray cap 8 in the form of sprays.

With reference to Figures 12 and 13, a three-dimensional view and an exploded view of the double-pipe elbow are shown in another embodiment of the present invention, in which a containment cell 96 is arranged in the center of the elbow means 9a, two passages for conduits 960 protrude from the two ends of the containment celia 96, and the outlets of the passages of conduits 960 are connected to branch pipes 97 with a locking member 970, respectively, which is fixed to the outlet of the passage of conduit 960 with a locking block 971 and a washer 972. The other end of the branch pipe 97 is connected to a clamping head 91 with a clamping ring 90 in order to connect it to the hot and cold water pipes mounted in the wall. An elbow outlet 94a is provided at the bottom of the containment cell 96, and is divided into upper and lower parts by a spacer 961 disposed in the center of the containment cell 96. There is a stop 962 mounted transversely on the bottom of the spacer 961 for dividing further the lower part of the containment cell in four portions, two upright water outlets 263 and two descending water outlets 964 open onto the surface of the spacer 961, respectively, and a stop washer 98 is provided on the upper part of the spacer 961. lower side of the stop washer 98, there are left and right guide cells 980 arranged in correspondence with the ascent and descent direction of the water. A sealing washer 981 is mounted around the periphery of the guide cell 980, an attachment 982 is fixed on the guide cell 980, and a stop control rod 99 is disposed on the attachment 982, while a shower spout seat 95 is provided at the front end of the stop control rod 99 for the insertion of the shower body 1.

The structure described above is characterized in that the hot and cold water can exit separately and sequentially from the elbow outlet 94a through the riser water outlet, the guide cell 980 and the descending water outlet 964 while the left and right guide cells 980 of the stop washer 98 normally cover and close the left and right upright and downward water outlets. If it is necessary to shut off the water supply, the stop control rod 99 is actuated so that the coupling 982 follows by moving the stop washer 98 to the other side, and at this point the guide cell 980 only closes mounted water outlet 963 of spacer 961 so as to achieve the purpose of stopping the water flowing out of elbow outlet 94a.

Referring to Figure 14 and Figure 14a, which show an exploded view of a hose means and the operation of the flow guide washer and bypass adapter in another embodiment of the present invention, guide washers of the flow 06 provided for a flexible tube means Oa are respectively connected to the outlet 94 of the elbow and to the threaded fitting 19. The assembly of the flexible tube means Oa can be achieved by initially coupling two connection fittings 02 and two collars 07 to the two end of a double-pipe hose 05, and then inserting a tubular portion 080 of the branch adapter 08 into a double hole 01 and then connecting it firmly with the collars 07. A washer 081 is mounted around the outer surface of the branch adapter branch 08. When the connection fitting 02 is in engagement with the elbow outlet 92 and the threaded fitting 19, the contact surfaces internal and external of the branch adapter 08 and the flow guide washer 06 are tightly coupled to each other so that cold and hot water can pass through the flow guide washer 06 and the branch adapter 08 to each other via a 09 through hole provided in them. The branch adapter 08 can rotate freely in the connection fitting 02 without tangling with the double-pipe hose 05, resulting in easier operation of the shower body 1.

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated by way of description, various modifications of the described embodiment of the invention and also other embodiments thereof may be evident for those skilled in the art. Consequently, it is intended that the appended claims cover all the embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS 1. Three-way adjustable shower device, comprising: a double pipe elbow having two elbow inlets for hot and cold water, respectively, a seat for a shower nozzle and an elbow outlet; a hose means having a first double flow passage inside for hot and cold water, respectively, and two ends, one end connected with the double-hose elbow outlet, and the other end connected with a body of shower, wherein the shower body has a shower arm with a second internal double flow passage connected at one end thereof with the first double flow passage, a regulating cell located at the end of the second double flow passage having an adjustment opening at the top and an assembly cap screwed to the bottom with a protuberance formed on the upper surface of the assembly cap, and a water collection cell located within a shower spout extending beyond the shower, in which the water collection cell has a button hole at the top and a water outlet at the bottom; wherein the aforementioned flexible tube means is capable of controlling the water supply to the regulation cell and the water exiting the water collection cell; a regulating valve located inside the regulating cell above the assembly cap having an internal water passage, and a push button at the top accessible from the regulating opening of the shower body to regulate the temperature and the flow rate of the water; and a spring valve means comprising a spring cap, a nozzle, a retaining ring, a sprinkler drum, a button flange, a pair of springs, four hooks and three washers, in which the spring cap has threads on its outer rim and two symmetrical cap rods on its inner rim with a nozzle slit adjacent to each cap rod, the nozzle has two symmetrical nozzle tabs and two nozzle openings with a nozzle drum located between them and a flow outlet on the bottom; the retaining ring has two symmetrical ring rods at the upper rim with a ring slot adjacent each ring rod; the spraying drum has two symmetrical drum openings, two ring openings and two drum tabs, and a drum neck having a plurality of drum openings formed therein, the button flange has two symmetrical button openings and one button head; by means of the combination of the components described above, the shower body can be operated with one hand to release the water in different forms of projection, sprinkling or spraying. 2, Three way adjustable shower device according to claim 1, wherein the two inlets of the double pipe elbow use a pair of clamping heads to connect with a hot water pipe and a cold water pipe in the wall respectively, wherein the aforementioned pair of clamping heads is fixed to the inlet pipes by means of a pair of clamping rings and a pair of washers. 3. Three-way adjustable shower device according to claim 1, wherein the hose means is connected at a first end to the outlet of the double-pipe elbow by means of a double-hole male, a connecting fitting and a connecting sleeve, and is connected at its end with a first end of the shower arm. The three-way adjustable shower device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating valve is made in a substantially spherical shape capable of rotating in various directions to allow the passage of water in its interior to be connected with, or move away from the first double flow passage of the hose means so as to be able to control a different flow rate and water temperature by means of the regulating valve. The three-way adjustable shower device according to claim 1, wherein the spring valve means is mounted as follows: the ring washer is disposed on the bottom of the retaining ring, the rod of the ring passes through a opening the ring of the spraying drum which engages with the retaining ring; a ring washer surrounds a spray drum neck, the ring spring surrounds a pair of spray drum tabs, the ring rod engages with the push button opening of the push button flange, the push button washer drum is disposed on a spray drum opening which is inserted into the nozzle which has a spray cap washer disposed thereon, the cap rod passes through the drum opening and is disposed within the nozzle spring which also holds the nozzle tab so that the cap rod engages an opening in the spray drum; pressure of the nozzle spring against the drum opening to cause a nozzle hook to engage with an opening in the nozzle tab, once the nozzle slot is engaged, the nozzle spring is released , the ring spring then rests against the push button opening, after the nozzle hook passes through an opening in the drum tab and engages with a slot in the ring, the ring spring is released, so that, with repetitive pressing of the button head and nozzle of the spring valve means, a water outlet form can be selected between projection, spraying and spraying. The three-way adjustable shower device of claim 1, wherein the regulating cell further comprises a roller valve cell comprising two tang slots, three wheel stops and two roller valves located in two openings of the cell wheel valve, wherein each wheel valve has an internal water passage designed to connect with or move away from the dual flow passage to allow water to exit at various temperatures and flow rates. 7. Three-way adjustable shower device according to claim 1, wherein its double-pipe elbow can be replaced, comprising its replacement by an elbow means with a containment cell disposed in its central part, two conduit paths protruding from the two ends of the containment cell, where the duct path outlets are connected to the branch pipes with a locking member, respectively., which is fixed to the outlet of the duct passage with a locking block and a washer, the other end of the branch pipe is connected to a clamping head with a clamping ring in order to connect it to the hot and cold water pipes mounted in the wall, an elbow outlet is provided on the bottom of the containment cell which is divided into upper and lower parts by a spacer placed in the center of the containment cell, a stop mounted transversely on the bottom of the spacer re has the purpose of further dividing the lower part of the containment cell into four portions, two riser water outlets and two descending water outlets open onto the surface of the spacer, respectively, a stop washer is provided on the upper part of the spacer, on the bottom side of the stop washer, there are left and right guide cells arranged in correspondence with the rising and descending water directions, a sealing washer is mounted around the periphery of the guide cell, one attachment is fixed on the guide cell and a stop control rod is provided on the connection, while a shower nozzle seat is provided at the front end of the stop control rod for the insertion of the shower body, and by operating the above stop control it is possible to stop the flow of water, a hose means having a first internal double flow passage for hot and cold water, respectively, and two ends, one end connected with the double hose elbow outlet, and the other end connected with a shower body, · a shower body comprising a shower arm with a second internal double flow passage connected at a first end thereof with the first double flow passage, a regulating cell located at the other end of the second double flow passage having an opening of adjustment at the top and an assembly cap screwed to the bottom with a protuberance formed on the upper surface of the assembly cap, and a water collection cell located within a shower nozzle extending beyond the shower arm, in which the water collection cell has a button hole on the top and a water outlet on the bottom, <"> in which the aforementioned hose means is capable of controlling the water supply to the control cell and the outlet water from the water collection cell; a regulating valve located inside the regulating cell above the assembly cap, having an internal water passage, and a push rod at the top, accessible from the regulating opening of the shower body, to regulate the temperature and the flow of water; and a spring valve means comprising a spring cap, a nozzle, a retaining ring, a spray drum, a button flange, a pair of springs, four hooks and three washers, wherein the spring cap has threads on the its outer edge and two symmetrical cap rods on its inner edge with a nozzle slit adjacent each cap rod, the nozzle has two symmetrical nozzle tabs and two nozzle openings with a nozzle drum located between them and a flow outlet on the bottom, the retaining ring has two symmetrical ring rods on the upper edge with a ring slit adjacent to each ring rod, the spraying drum has two symmetrical drum openings, two openings ring and two drum tabs, and a drum neck having a plurality of drum openings formed therein, and the button flange has two symmetrical openings d the button and a button head, by means of the combination of the components described above, the shower body can be operated with one hand to let the water out in different forms of projection, sprinkling or spraying. 8. Three-way adjustable shower device according to claim 1, wherein its hose means may comprise a flow guide washer for connection respectively made by first coupling two connecting fittings and two collars at the two ends of the hose double-pipe, and then inserting a tubular portion of the branch adapter into a double hole and then securely fastening it with the collars, a washer is mounted around the outer surface of the branch adapter, when the connecting fitting is in engagement with the elbow outlet and the threaded fitting, the outer and inner contact surfaces of the branch adapter and the flow guide washer are tightly coupled to each other so that hot and cold water can pass through the flow guide washer and the branch adapter to each other via a through hole provided in them, and the adapter d The branch can rotate freely in the connection fitting without tangling with the double-pipe flexible hose with the consequence of facilitating the use of the shower body.