WO2004106651A1

WO2004106651A1 - Height-adjustable showerhead

Info

Publication number: WO2004106651A1
Application number: PCT/IT2003/000345
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vincenzo Magistro
Original assignee: Idrosystem S.R.L.
Priority date: 2003-06-03
Filing date: 2003-06-03
Publication date: 2004-12-09
Also published as: AU2003242993A1

Abstract

This invention concerns a shower comprising a water supply showerhead, a support arm for said showerhead communicating with a water supply pipe, a first showerhead connection articulated joint at the distal end of the support arm, and a second articulated joint connecting the arm to the water supply pipe. Said articulated joints are designed to permit step rotation of the showerhead with respect to the arm and of the arm with respect to the pipe on a vertical plane, and to lock the showerhead and arm in a desired angular position for adjusting the shower in height.

Description

"Height-adjustable showerhead shower"

This invention refers to showers of the "showerhead" type, that is comprising a water supply showerhead supported by an arm projecting from the wall, in the case of bathrooms, or in any case from the supply pipe to which it is connected. As is known, in the case of this type of shower, the height of the showerhead is not adjustable. To adjust the height of the appliance that supplies the jet of water, use is made of adjustable shower rails, that is showers where the supply appliance is connected to the hydraulic system by means of a flexible hose and runs along a vertical upright fastened to the wall.

The aim of this invention is on the other hand to present a shower with a height-adjustable showerhead.

Another aim of the invention is to supply a showerhead type shower with a new configuration and combination of parts, adjustable in height in a simple and quick way, without the need for fastening/release mechanisms.

Yet another aim of the invention is to present a showerhead type shower where the jet of water can be set in any direction. These aims are achieved with a showerhead type shower according to the claims and which will be described in greater detail hereunder with the aid of the attached drawings, which are approximate and not limitative, in which: Fig. 1 shows a schematic exploded view of the shower in question; Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the shower before coupling of its parts; and

Figures 3, 3a and 3b provide a schematic view of the shower in three different positions. The shower in question comprises a showerhead 11 supplying a jet of water supported and hydraulically supplied by a support arm 12 that extends from a plate 13 or other wall retention part positioned on the water connection. The showerhead 11 is connected to the arm 12 by means of a first articulated joint 14; the arm 12 is in turn connected to the plate 13 by means of a second articulated joint 15 of the same type as the first.

The first articulated joint 14 permits a step rotation of the showerhead 11 with respect to the arm 12 on a vertical plane; the second articulated joint 15 permits a step rotation, always on a vertical plane, of arm 12 with respect to plate 13. More specifically, each articulated joint 14, 15 consists of two complementary parts 14', 14" and 15', 15" facing each other perpendicularly with respect to the rotation axes X of showerhead 11 and X' of arm 12. From one of the two parts, for example that indicated by 14' and 15', a pin 16 extends axially that fits into a corresponding axial housing 17 obtained in the other part 14",

15". The pin 16 is locked axially in said housing 17 by means of a snap ring 18. The articulated joints 14, 15, besides permitting the rotation of the showerhead and arm, are traversed by a hole 28 to permit water to flow through them. Said hole 28 communicates on one side with duct 12' inside arm 12 and, on the other, with the showerhead 11 (the first articulated joint 14) or with the hydraulic system upstream of the arm (the second articulated joint 15). More specifically, the housing 17 coincides with part of hole 28, which also traverses pin 16. O-rings 19 are fitted to the latter to prevent water leaking from the articulated joints. For the step rotation of the articulated joints, between the two parts that make them up, three balls 20 are placed around pins 16 and intended to be housed in three of a plurality of adjacent hemispheric housings 21 obtained in one of the two parts, for example 14", 15", of the articulated joints around rotation axes X, X', like a crown. The balls 20 are pushed to settle in the housings 21 by respective helical springs

22 fitted in respective housings 23 obtained in the other part 14', 15' of the articulated joints. One of the housings 23 for the springs 22 communicates with the outside of part 14', 15^* of the articulated joints through a threaded hole 24 in which a grub screw 25 is screwed thanks to which the force of one of the three springs 22 can be set.

The showerhead 11 , besides rotating around axis X thanks to the first articulated joint 14, is coupled in swivel form to part 14' of said articulated joint, that is susceptible to turning by 360° around an axis Y at right angles to axis X. For this purpose, the showerhead is fitted on a second rotation pin 26 that extends from said part 14' of articulated joint 14, said pin 26 also being surrounded by seal items 27, for instance O-rings, and axially secured to said pin 26 by means of a snap ring. In actual fact therefore, applying a torque on arm 12 produces the step sliding of balls 20 in the corresponding housings 21 , until the desired angular position of arm 12 has been found which determines the height of showerhead 11. Thanks to the thrust of springs 22, the arm is stably locked in said position. By rotating showerhead 11 in the same way with respect to arm 12, it is possible to ensure, whatever the angle of arm 12, that this is always parallel with the floor to obtain a vertical jet of water, as is clearly shown in figures 3-3b. Obviously the showerhead can also be tilted and turned as required to direct the jet of water in a desired direction different to vertical.

Claims

1. Shower comprising a showerhead (11) supplying water and a support arm (12) for said showerhead communicating with a water supply pipe, characterised by the fact that the showerhead is connected to the distal end of the support arm through a first articulated joint (14) and the arm is connected to the water supply pipe through a second articulated joint (15), said articulated joints being suitable for permitting the showerhead to rotate with respect to the arm and the arm to rotate with respect to the pipe on a vertical plane, and the showerhead and arm to be locked in a desired angular position for the height adjustment of the shower.

2. Shower according to claim 1 , where in articulated joints (14, 15) are traversed by a hole (28) for allowing water to flow through them.

3. Shower according to claim 1 or 2, where in each articulated joint comprises two parts, complementary to each other (14', 14", 15', 15"), coupled axially and susceptible to step turning the one with respect to the other.

4. Shower according to claim 3, where in between the two parts of each articulated joint at least three balls (20) are placed, which are intended to house in respective housings (21) chosen from a plurality of adjacent hemispheric housings obtained in one of said parts around the rotation axis of the articulated joint like a crown, said balls being pushed to settle in said housings by respective elastic means (22) located in respective housings (23) obtained in the other of said two parts of the articulated joint.

5. Shower according to claim 4, wherein at least one of said elastic elements (22) is adjustable by means of a sgrub screw (25) screwed into a threaded hole (24) obtained in continuation of housing (23) of said elastic means and accessible from the outside of the articulated joint opposite the balls.

6. Shower according to any of the claims 3-5, wherein a part of the articulated joint is provided with an axial pin (16) intended to fit into a complementary housing (17) axially obtained in the other part of the articulated joint, said pin being withheld in said housing by means of a snap ring (18) provided in said housing.

7. Shower according to claim 6, wherein the pin (16) of the articulated joints is traversed by hole (28) for the flow of water, and wherein the corresponding housing (17) coincides with part of said hole.

8. Shower according to claim 5, wherein around each pin (16) at least one water seal part (19) is placed.

9. Shower according to any of the previous claims, wherein the showerhead is coupled in swivel form to the articulated joint connected to the support arm, the showerhead rotation axis being at right angles to the articulated joint rotation axis.