US20230175239A1

US20230175239A1 - Water Drip Regulation Attachment for Spigots and Faucets

Info

Publication number: US20230175239A1
Application number: US18/045,510
Authority: US
Inventors: Jay Dorrell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-12-03
Filing date: 2022-10-11
Publication date: 2023-06-08

Abstract

The present invention relates to a drip attachment for residential and commercial outdoor spigots/faucets for avoiding freezing of water pipes and spigots and minimizing wastage of water by limiting dripping of water to 5-40 drops per minute. The attachment is designed to mount onto a spigot and provides extrusion of water flowing from the spigot to release 5-40 drops of water per minute. More specifically, the attachment has a screw-on section having female threads for engaging to the spigot and has fixed baffles/valves in an extrusion section limiting number of drops of water. The screw-on section has a rubber gasket for prohibiting any leakage and the attachment has a tapered water drip portion and a bottom opening for releasing water drops in a desired rate.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/285,697, which was filed on December 3^rd, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to faucets and spigots. More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel attachment for a standard residential or commercial water spigot. The attachment is mounted to the spigot for regulating the flow rate of water flowing from an unattended spigot. The attachment has a fixed set of valves for regulating flow and for maintaining a drip rate of only 5-40 drops of water per minute, thereby prohibiting freezing of pipes, unintentional sealing of the drip and minimizing wastage of water. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.

BACKGROUND

By way of background, water pipes and faucets especially those positioned in the open such as, in a backyard of a home, can become frozen in cold weather. For example, swimming pool supply lines, water sprinkler lines, outdoor faucets, and more are exposed to severe cold and snowfall which can become frozen. Once the water in the pipe freezes, a large pressure is created between the closed faucet and the blockage that may also explode or rupture the pipe, as water has a property of expansion upon freezing. The bursting of a pipeline can be extremely dangerous and may injure a resident while also creating slippery conditions and substantial amounts of structural damage. A burst pipe can also allow a large amount of water to pour into a home thereby accumulating water everywhere.
Frozen pipe repair is expensive and can often rack up thousands of dollars in damages. Also, water related repairs are time consuming and individuals are required to arrange water damage restoration and remediation means while the repair is being performed. Individuals desire a device and a method that can prevent their pipes from becoming frozen.
Generally, individuals, upon detecting a frozen pipe, try to increase temperature around the frozen pipe. Individuals typically use a hair dryer, torch, space heater, and the like to raise the ambient temperature in the space around the frozen pipe section. However, this method is ineffective as individuals may not have access to hard-to-reach areas of the frozen pipe. Further, the temperature of only a relatively small area around the frozen pipe is actually increased. Further still, continuous heating of a frozen pipe may also crack the pipe. Individuals desire a more convenient way of prohibiting freezing of pipes.
Many individuals deploy plumbing insulation around pipes, however the method to install insulation along all water pipes is very expensive. Individuals desire an inexpensive and convenient device that can help in prohibiting freezing of pipes.
It is a known fact that outdoor pipes and faucets are less likely to freeze during cold weather conditions when a continuous stream of water circulates through the pipes and drips out of the faucets. However, continuously dripping of water, by keeping spigots/faucets at a high speed, is a wastage of water and is neither environmentally nor cost friendly. It leads to wastage of a natural resource. Individuals desire a device that can allow them to drip water from faucets/spigots at a rate adequate to avoid freezing while also not wasting excessive water.
Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an inexpensive device that easily prevents frozen pipes in cold weather. There is also a long-felt need in the art for a device that can be used with any conventional faucet and spigot for controlling constant dripping of water at a very low rate of several drops per minute. Additionally, there is a long-felt need in the art for a faucet attachment that prevents freezing of water pipes while not wasting excessive water. Moreover, there is a long-felt need in the art for a pipe freezing prevention device that obviates a need to maintain a warm ambient temperature around a frozen pipe. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for a faucet attachment device that obviates the requirement of installation of plumbing insulation. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for a faucet attachment device that is easy and inexpensive to use and can be used with any faucet/spigot. Finally, there is a long-felt need in the art for a user-friendly and effective plastic/metal attachment that can be easily used with a standard residential or commercial outside water spigot for regulating dripping of water to avoid freezing while reducing wastage of water.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a drip attachment for faucets/spigots. The drip attachment has a one-piece structure, is lightweight, portable and can be used with any conventional residential or commercial outdoor spigot. The attachment comprising a top screw-on section, a middle extrusion section, and a bottom drip exit portion. The top screw-on section having a plurality of female threads positioned therein for a secure attachment to the faucet, the extrusion section having a plurality of baffles for providing extrusion effect to regulate flow of water received from the faucet, the drip exit portion is substantially tapered and is fluidly coupled to the extrusion section enabling the regulated water drops to continuously exit for prohibiting freezing of a pipe associated with the faucet, and the faucet, wherein the 5-40 drops per minute are enabled for minimizing wastage of water.
In this manner, the standard residential outside water spigot drip attachment of the present invention accomplishes all of the foregoing objectives and provides users with a simple and non-mechanical plastic/metal attachment for regulating flow rate of outdoor faucets/spigots to keep pipes from freezing while minimizing wastage of water to maintain flow rate to several drops every minute. The attachment can be used with any existing spigot and thus obviates plumbing insulation and maintaining a high ambient temperature around pipes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a drip attachment for faucets/spigots. The drip attachment has a one-piece structure and further comprising a top screw-on section, a middle extrusion section, and a bottom drip exit portion. The top screw-on section having a plurality of female threads positioned thereon for a secure attachment to the faucet, the extrusion section having a plurality of baffles for providing extrusion effect to regulate flow of water received from the faucet, the drip exit portion is substantially tapered and is fluidly coupled to the extrusion section enabling the regulated water drops to continuously exit prohibiting freezing of a pipe associated with the faucet, and the faucet, wherein the 5-40 drops per minute are enabled for minimizing wastage of water.
In yet another embodiment, the drip attachment is made of poly vinyl chloride (PVC).
In yet another embodiment, the drip attachment is made of lightweight metal.
In yet another embodiment, the screw-on section has a rubber gasket for prohibiting any water leakage from the attachment.
In yet another embodiment, the attachment has a length of about 2″ to about 5″ measured from the screw-on section to the drip exit portion.
In yet another embodiment, the drip attachment is reusable and can be used with any conventional residential faucet/spigot.
In yet another embodiment, a method for prohibiting freezing of water pipes and faucets in cold weather is described. The method involves the steps of providing an attachment configured to mount to a faucet/spigot, the attachment having a plurality of valves for providing an extrusion effect to the flow of water received from the faucet; mounting the attachment to the water outlet of the faucet by screwing-on the attachment; turning on the faucet by turning about one full turn to release water; providing an extrusion effect to the water received by the attachment; and releasing 5-40 drop of water per minute from the attachment to maintain a constant flow of water inside the faucet and associated pipe while minimizing wastage of water.
In yet another embodiment, a simple drip attachment for mounting onto a spigot is disclosed. The attachment is made from hard, durable plastic or metal and looks similar to a water hose attachment. The attachment has a screw-on section, a water hose-type rubber gasket inserted into the screw-on section, a fixed set of baffles/valves for providing extrusion principle, a water drop release portion for releasing water drops, the attachment enables only 5-40 drops of water to be released from the spigot per minute for prohibiting freezing of water inside a pipe of the spigot while also not wasting excessive water. Extrusion is a process used to enable fluid flow through objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing materials or liquids through an opening of the desired cross-section or taper. The pushing can be created by water pressure being exerted from the activated water pipe, through the baffles/valves, and into the water drop release portion. Extrusion can be continuous as long as the water spigot is in the ‘running’ orientation.
Numerous benefits and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon reading and understanding of the following detailed specification.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of a spigot drip attachment of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 1B illustrates a top perspective view of one potential embodiment of the spigot drip attachment of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 1C illustrates a bottom perspective view of one potential embodiment of the spigot drip attachment of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the process of attaching one potential embodiment of the faucet attachment of the present invention to a faucet in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of the faucet attachment of the present invention being mounted onto a faucet in accordance with the disclosed architecture; and

FIG. 4 illustrates an internal illustrated view of one potential embodiment of the drip attachment device of the present invention releasing drops of water in accordance with the disclosed architecture to prevent freezing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long-felt need in the art for an inexpensive device that easily prevents frozen pipes in cold weather. There is also a long-felt need in the art for a device that can be used with any conventional faucet and spigot for controlling constant dripping of water at a very low rate of several drops per minute. Additionally, there is a long-felt need in the art for a faucet attachment that prevents freezing of water pipes while not wasting excessive water. Moreover, there is a long-felt need in the art for a pipe freezing prevention device that obviates a need to maintain a warm ambient temperature around a frozen pipe. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for a faucet attachment device that obviates the requirement of installation of plumbing insulation. Further, there is a long-felt need in the art for a faucet attachment device that is easy and inexpensive to use and can be used with any faucet/spigot. Finally, there is a long-felt need in the art for a user-friendly and effective plastic/metal attachment that can be easily used with a standard residential or commercial outside water spigot for regulating dripping of water to avoid freezing while reducing wastage of water.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a novel simple drip attachment for mounting onto a spigot/faucet. The attachment includes a top screw-on section, a water hose-type rubber gasket inserted into the screw-on section, a fixed set of baffles/valves in a middle extrusion section for providing extrusion principles to water, a bottom water drop release portion for releasing water drops, wherein the attachment enables only 5-40 drops of water per minute to be released from the spigot for prohibiting freezing of water inside a pipe of the spigot while also not wasting excessive water.
Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of the spigot drip attachment of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. The spigot drip attachment 100 of the present invention is designed as a plastic or metal attachment for a standard residential outside water spigot for regulating flow of water to a rate that avoids freezing of pipes while minimizing wastage of water. The drip attachment 100 includes a one-piece structure and can be easily screwed onto any residential or commercial faucet/spigot for offering a fail-safe approach to pipe freeze mitigation for consumers.
More specifically, the drip device 100 has a screw-on section 102 used for easily screwing onto a male threaded spigot/faucet end. The screw-on section 102 has a cavity 108 functions as a faucet adapter and forms a seal around the faucet for eliminating leakage of liquid. An extrusion section 104 extends below from the screw-on section 102 and is configured to operate on principle of extrusion thereby enabling (i.e., metering) about 5-40 drops of water to be released from drip exit or nozzle 106. The drip exit portion 106 is positioned at the bottom of the drip attachment 100 and releases drops of water at a constant rate.
The attachment 100, once screwed onto a faucet, does not require any maintenance and is easy to install and use. Preferably, the faucet to which the attachment 100 is attached, can be turned (i.e., counterclockwise) about ½ to 1 full turn for effectively activating the attachment 100. It should be noted that the attachment 100 enables generally only 5-40 drops of water to be released and thus avoids freezing of pipes while minimizing wastage of water even when the faucet is turned on for long periods.
The attachment 100 can be made of heavy-duty plastic like poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) or a lightweight metal. The attachment 100 may come in a variety of colors and has a total length from about 2″ to about 5″, thus making the attachment 100 portable and easy for storage.
FIG. 1B illustrates a top perspective view of the spigot drip attachment 100 of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. As illustrated, the screw-on section 102 has a plurality of female thread cut-outs 110 positioned on its interior surface. The cut-outs 110 allow a secure and tight mounting of the attachment 100 on the male threaded faucet/spigot. The screw-on section 102 also has a water hose-type rubber gasket 112 for creating a seal and prohibiting any leakage around the faucet.
The extrusion section 104 includes a continuous opening 114 comprising a fixed set of baffles/valves as illustrated in FIG. 5 . The extrusion section 104 functions to control pressure of the water received from a faucet and therefore only a desired number of water drops are dripped from the attachment 100.
FIG. 1C illustrates a bottom perspective view of the spigot drip attachment 100 of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. As illustrated, the drip exit or nozzle 106 has an opening 116 for releasing drops of water. The drip exit portion 106 is from about 0.25″ to about 0.75″ in length, inclusive, and is fluidly coupled to the extrusion section 104. Further, the drip exit portion 106 is tapered and helps in uniform and slow dripping of water. As illustrated, the drip exit portion 106 includes a relatively larger receiving portion 107 proximal to the extrusion section 104 that tapers or narrows to a relatively smaller discharging portion 109 distal to the extrusion section 104.
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view showing the process of screwing the faucet attachment 100 to a faucet 300 in accordance with the disclosed architecture. As illustrated, for mounting the attachment 100 to a faucet spigot 202, the attachment 100 is held upright and the female threaded screw-on section 102 is mounted and screwed to the water outlet 204 of the faucet 300. The screw-on section 102 is then screwed like a conventional hose connector to screw-on the male threads 206 of the water outlet 204.
The faucet spigot 202 can have male threads 206 for receiving female threads 110 or alternatively in other embodiments, the screw-on section 102 can be easily mounted to a faucet that does not have male threads (not illustrated).
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view showing the faucet attachment 100 being mounted onto a faucet 300 in accordance with the disclosed architecture. It should be noted that only the screw-on section 102 makes physical contact with the faucet spigot 202 such that the water outlet 204 of the faucet spigot 202 rests on the water hose-type rubber gasket 112 (illustrated in FIG. 1B) when the attachment 100 is mounted onto the faucet spigot 202.
The extrusion section 104 receives a quantity of water from the faucet spigot 202 and, using the principle of extrusion, drips or meters out from about 5 drops to about 40 drops per minute, thereby maintaining a constant, albeit slow flow of water from inside the pipe 302 to both prevent freezing and limit wastage of water.
FIG. 4 illustrates an internal view of the components of the drip attachment 100 of the present invention for releasing drops of water in accordance with the disclosed architecture. As illustrated, the screw-on section 102 circumscribes a portion of the faucet's water outlet 204 such that the female threads 110 maintain a secure attachment with the faucet spigot 202. The faucet 300 is activated by opening a handle 304 for enabling flow of water 404. The fixed set of valves 402 positioned inside the extrusion section 104 performs principle of extrusion and thus enables only a metered amount of drops 406, and more specifically from about 5 drops to about 40 drops, of water to release from the drop exit portion 106.
The rubber gasket 112 prevents leakage of water from the attachment 100 and provides flow of water from faucet spigot 202 to the drop release end 106. The attachment 100 accordingly maintains slow water movement and prevents freezing of the water inside the pipe and faucet, thereby reducing the pressure therein. Further, the attachment saves water by dripping or metering a predetermined number of water drops per minute and thus, is an easy to implement solution that is inexpensive and can be used with any conventional spigot/faucet.
The invention also discloses a method for prohibiting freezing of water pipes and faucets in cold weather using a simple and non-mechanical attachment for faucets. The method involves the steps of providing the attachment that is configured to mount to a faucet/spigot, the attachment having a plurality of valves for providing an extrusion effect to the flow or pressure of water received from the activated faucet. The attachment is mounted to the water outlet of the faucet by screwing-on the attachment and turning on the faucet by turning about one full turn to release water. An extrusion effect to the water (i.e., pressure of the water flow) received by the attachment is provided by turning ‘on’ the faucet which results in a controlled and metered release of water (i.e., 5-40 drops of water per minute) from the attachment to maintain a constant flow of water inside the faucet and associated pipe while minimizing wastage of water.
The faucet/spigot attachment 100 of various embodiments of the present invention includes a variety of colors, sizes, and materials and can be used with any outdoor faucet. Any of conventional manufacturing and molding techniques can be implemented to manufacture the attachment 100. The attachment 100 regulates (i.e., meters) the flow rate of outdoor faucets to keep pipes from freezing while minimizing wastage of water.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “faucet/spigot attachment”, “attachment”, “spigot drip attachment”, “drip attachment for faucets/spigots”, and “simple drip attachment” are interchangeable and refer to the spigot drip attachment 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the spigot drip attachment 100 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the spigot drip attachment 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the spigot drip attachment 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the spigot drip attachment 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the spigot drip attachment 100 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences. Further, whenever a range of dimensions is given, the same is inclusive of the outer limits.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

Claims

what is claimed is:

1. A drip device for metering a faucet to control a water flow therethrough, the drip device comprising:

a screw-on portion having a female threaded section for screwing onto a male threaded faucet spigot end;

an extrusion portion having at least one baffle for passing the water flow therethrough; and

a drip exit portion having a tapered nozzle that narrows from a first end proximal to said extrusion portion to a second end distal to said extrusion portion.

2. The drip device of claim 1, wherein said screw-on portion comprises a cavity for passing the water flow therethrough.

3. The drip device of claim 2, wherein said screw-on portion comprises a terminal end having a rubber gasket therearound for sealing against the male threaded faucet spigot end.

4. The drip device of claim 3, wherein said drip device comprises a length from about 2 inches to about 5 inches, inclusive.

5. The drip device of claim 4, wherein said drip exit portion includes a length from about 0.25 inches to about 0.75 inches.

6. The drip device of claim 5, wherein said drip device meters a plurality of water drops from an actuated water faucet from about 5 drops to about 40 drops per minute.

7. The drip device of claim 6, wherein said drip device is comprised of a PVC plastic.

8. The drip device of claim 6, wherein said drip device comprised of a lightweight metal.

9. A drip device for metering a faucet to control a water flow therethrough, the drip device comprising:

a drip exit portion having a tapered nozzle that narrows in size from a first end proximal to said extrusion portion to a second end distal to said extrusion portion, and wherein a distance from said first end to said second end is between 0.25 inches to about 0.75 inches, inclusive.

10. The drip device of claim 9, wherein said screw-on portion comprises a cavity for passing the water flow therethrough.

11. The drip device of claim 10, wherein said screw-on portion comprises a terminal end having a rubber gasket therearound for sealing against the male threaded faucet spigot end.

12. The drip device of claim 11, wherein said drip device comprises a length from about 2 inches to about 5 inches, inclusive.

13. The drip device of claim 12, wherein said drip device meters a plurality of water drops from an actuated water faucet from about 5 drops to about 40 drops per minute.

14. The drip device of claim 13, wherein the drip device is comprised of a PVC plastic.

15. The drip device of claim 13, wherein the drip device is comprised of a lightweight metal.

16. A method for prohibiting a freezing of a water pipe and a faucet in cold weather, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a faucet attachment configured to threadingly mount to a faucet spigot end, wherein said faucet attachment comprises an extrusion portion for providing an extrusion effect to a flow of water received from the faucet spigot end when activated;

attaching said faucet attachment to the faucet spigot end;

turning on the faucet by opening a faucet handle to release a flow of water;

controlling the flow of water through said faucet attachment by extruding at least a portion of the flow of water from a threaded screw-on portion, through said extrusion portion, and out through a drip exit portion;

wherein said controlling the flow of water includes a metered drip of water from said drip exit portion;

wherein said extrusion portion includes at least one baffle for passing the flow of water therethrough;

wherein said drip exit portion includes a tapered nozzle narrowing from a first end proximal to said extrusion portion to a second end distal to said extrusion portion; and

wherein a distance from said first end to said second end is from about 0.25 inches to about 0.75 inches, inclusive.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said screw-on portion includes a cavity for passing the flow of water therethrough.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said screw-on portion includes a terminal end having a rubber gasket therearound for sealing against the threaded faucet spigot end.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said faucet attachment includes a length from about 2 inches to about 5 inches.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said faucet attachment meters a plurality of water drops from an actuated water faucet from about 5 drops to about 40 drops per minute.