US2903710A - Retractable and adjustable shower head - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet l fix HOT

/INVENTO R. RAYMOND c. PEARSON ATTORNEY Sept. 15, 1959 R. c. PEARSON RETRACTABLE AND ADJUSTABLE SHOWER HEAD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 25, 1955 INVENTOR. RAYMOND C. PEARSON BY Arron/Er v United States Patent RETRACTABLE AND ADJUSTABLE SHOWER HEAD Raymond C. Pearson, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Application March 25, 1955, Serial No. 496,706

1 Claim. (Cl. 4-145) This invention relates to domestic shower devices and the like, and particularly to an adjustable and retractable shower head.

The main object of my invention is to provide a bath room with a shower device or head that is adjustable to various heights in order to accommodate children and adults, and old or infirm people sitting in a bath tub, and adapted to be adjustable in a flexible manner to allow free manipulation of the same.

A related important object of this invention is to have such a shower head that has a shiftable extension of flexible character which may be turned, twisted and moved about as desired for making the shower more effective as a type of bath.

Another object of the invention is to have a shower head that has a useful range of operative positions, from an upper high position for tall people or for merely rinsing the hair, to an extreme low position suitable for a childs shower.

It is also an object to include means for conveniently locking the shower head in position at any selected level. It is even an object, withal to have the shower head quickly and conveniently lowered to position and locked in attained position and also the water turned on without further ado, and'the water turned off, the head raised or retracted to original high position above the bath tub when finished.

It is, of course an important object of the invention to provide a special-shower head device that not only is safe and convenient to use, butallows-feeble and infirm people to sit in the tub and rinse off even the last vestiges of soap and suds so that afterwards they may stand and step out of the tub with a sure footing, while an additional safety feature is found in the complete retraction or upward withdrawal of the shower head when it is no longer to be used, so that a clear path without any obstruction is had for getting out of the tub when done with the shower and/or bath.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bath tub provided with a shower device or system made according to the invention and embodying the same in a practical form;

Figure 2A is a diagrammatic or schematic layout of the shower device as a whole showing the same in one condition of operation or adjustment;

Figure 2B is another similar diagrammatic layout or view of the same shower device showing the head is locked in position with the shower turned on;

Figure 2C is still another layout or view of the same showing the shower head in the process of being raised;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the depending forward portion of the stationary part of the shower head of Figure 1 immediately below the 2,963,710 Patented Sept. 15, 1959 curve thereof from which the shower nozzle depends; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the valve cylinder of the shower control valve of the device with an indicating chart to indicate the effect of the various positions of rotation of the valve.

Throughout the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts and features.

Bathrooms are often provided with shower devices of various kinds, some adjustable after a sort, but mostly set rigidly at a fixed height and only capable of angular adjustment to a limited extent if at all. To be sure, some shower devices can be adjusted manually by means of various expedients that are frequently unsightly or unwieldy, and more or less inconvenient and messy. Any height adjustment of the shower head is notoriously absent, and automatic vertical adjustment that should be desirable is unheard of. In fact, overall convenience in connection with a shower bath and the use of a shower device of any improved character is scarcely to be expected in conventional bath rooms and baths.

Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to me that a shower installation should be vertically adjustable in substantially automatic manner for any selected height adjustment, should be convenient to operate and easily retracted or raised out of the way into idle position when finished with. As a result, I have succeeded in producing a special shower device or system along the lines already alluded to, as will now be set forth in detail in the following.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring also. again to the drawing, as shown in Figure 1, the two water connections 5 and 6 to the hot and cold water supply of the house involved have the individual control valves 7. and 8.. In addition, these connections merge into a fixture 9 having an upwardly extending single nipple 10 to which is connected a control valve housing or casing 11 within which the valve'cylinder 12 is partly rotatable into three different positions, as will be. explained, and provided with a manual handle or lever 13 by which to turn the valve cylinder to desired position. As will specifically appear, this handle or lever is the exclusive, and entire control for the shower device,. and istherefore of great importance herein. r.

Intoithe upper. portion of the valve casing 11 is fitted securelyfan upwardly extending pipe structure 14 which is curved over forwardly toward the tub 15 at 16, and is preferably of multiple tube construction so that it contains three substantially parallel passages therethrough. In Figures 2A, 2B 20 these passages with the valve control therefor are diagrammatically shown together with the shower head or nozzle in such fashion as to facilitate noting the operation. Thus, the valve 12 is represented by the valve member 12a and 12b for including the passages of said valve 12, the two curved forward passages 17 and 18 and the vertical rear passage 19 that naturally are all simultaneously controlled by valve 12.

Within the extreme end 20 of spout or head member 16 is slidably fitted a piston head 21, best seen in Figure 3, which is provided with a smooth tube 22 of plastic, semi-hard rubber or even metal, but rubber or partially flexible plastic are preferred. At the lower end, this head end 20 has a flexible cup washer 23 wiping externally upon tube 22 to allow it to slide therethrough without leakage when the piston head 21 slides or reciprocates within tube member 16.

Simultaneously, within the tube 22 extends the outer end of a central water tube or pipe 24 that extends throughout pipe 1 4, 16 to valve casing 11 wherein it con nects with water supply fixture 9 through rear vertical passage 19 of valve 12 in intermediate position thereof. In other words, tube 24 remains stationary at all times and piston 21 with its depending tube 22 is movable externally of this tube 24 within tubular member 16. At its lower end, member 22 is widened into a shower nozzle 25 of any desired form, and as tube 22 is semi soft, it allows this nozzle to be swung about manually during the shower.

On the other hand, the head chamber 26 between the head end 20 and piston at 26 has a connection at 27 for a tube or pipe 28 (Figure 1) that extends partly externally of tube member 16 and may enter the side of tube or pipe 14, and whether partly or wholly located within outer pipe 14 non-the-less connects with either passage 17 or 18 of valve 12 within valve casing 11. The internal chamber of pipe 14, 16 connects with either of these two valve passages independently of tube 24- or tube 28, while tube 24 connects independently with the valve by rear passage 19 as already intimated. The passages of these tubes are independent but may be interconnected or crossed by manipulation of valve 12 by means of handle 13, and their purpose is now to be noted.

Referring now more directly to Figures 2A, 2B and 2C, the chambers and passages in or accompanying pipes 14 and 16, etc., are indicated together with valve 12 as valve portions 12a and 12b. Noting Figure 2A, when lever 13 is swung to the right so that pointer 29 points to Down at the left as per chart 30, valve 12 by its passage 17 connects fixture 9 with pipe 14, 16 and causes water to force piston 21 down to lower the shower nozzle 25 to the low position indicated at 31 in Figure 1. As soon as the desired position of this nozzle is reached, the lever 13 is turned down to locate pointer 29 at On when the channels 17 and 18 in valve 12 will be idle but rear passage 19 will connect fixture 9 with pipe 24 and thus supply water to shower tube 22 and nozzle 25, the cold or hot water being controlled as to proportions of each by faucets 7 and 8. Meanwhile, the nozzle 25 is hydraulically locked in position by the neutral position of valve 12 so that piston 21 can neither rise nor fall in tube 16.

When the shower is no longer required, turning lever 13 to the left so that pointer 29 is located at Up will immediately cause water from fixture 9 to rise through passage 18 in valve 12 nto pipe chamber 26 beneath piston 21 and instantly begin to raise it and thereby retract the nozzle upwards to the uppermost position thereof indicated at 32. The faucets 7 and 8 may then be turned off and the entire apparatus will be idle until again required. When the piston is raised or lowered, in each 4 case the water on the oppositeside of the same is released through pipes 24 and 22. In any event, the operation is thus automatic by control from valve 12.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claim.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

A retractable and adjustable shower head having individually operable means connecting hot and cold water supply to the same, said means merging into a fixture having an upwardly connected nipple connected with a valve housing having a valve cylinder with a plurality of openings rotatable within a plurality of fixed positions, a curved pipe structure extendingupwardly from said housing, said structure containing a plurality of pipes selectively connectible with said openings to control water supply thereto, said pipes including a pipe within a pipe and a third pipe outside of the said first two-pipes and connected to the space between said first two pipes'at the free end of the latter, a piston sealinglyslidable in said space, a flexible tube joined'to the piston and sliding over said free en'd'of said first pipe, means sealing said end of saidsecond pipe with said tube, access of water to'said pipes being provided by turning to a predetermined position .a handle on said valve cylinder,-said tube terminating in a shower nozzle, one of said pipes in said pipe structure responsive to an opening in'said valve cylinder to allow passage of water to actuatesaid piston and thereby lower said fiexibleitube relative to a bath tub, another of said pipes responsive to asecond opening of said valve cylinder to supply water, to said flexible tube, another of said pipes responsive to a third opening of said valve cylinder to actuate said piston to hydraulically raise said flexible tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 691,975 Schaaf Jan. 28, 1902 717,368 Emzinger Dec. 30, 1902 1,215,202 Schelter Feb. 6, 1917 1,230,328 Sailer June 19, 1917 1,799,815 Hoif Apr. 7, 1931 2,256,144 Gifford et a1 Sept. 16, 1941 2,680,650 Miscovich June '8, '1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 459,502 Great Britain Jan.-8, 1937 1,087,901 France Sept. 1, 1954 1; man-M. a.

Images