Patent Application
20060207010
The present invention relates to a shower, and more particularly to showerhead mounted adjacent a shower or tub surround to facilitate leg shaving within a waterfall effect.
Oversized luxury showers and tubs are becoming increasing desirable in new construction and bathroom renovations. Such showers typically include one or more multi-function showerheads that have a plurality of spray modes, including various standard sprays and pulsed sprays. These showers will also often include hand-held shower sprayers. Luxury tub surrounds typically include numerous water jets or other water effects which are utilized to fill the tub.
Disadvantageously, even with the multitude of showerheads and spray devices, women must contend with difficulties while shaving their legs. The contortions required to shave legs may prove difficult and minimize the comfort and enjoyment of bathing. A woman typically uses the ledge of a tub or seat within the shower to raise her foot above the floor to facilitate leg shaving. Furthermore, the woman must move her leg in and out of the water spray or retrieve and replace a hand-held sprayer to rinse her legs which may minimize the warmth and comfort of the bathing experience.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a convenient showerhead assembly for a woman to shave her legs without minimizing the warmth and comfort of the bathing experience.
A showerhead assembly according to the present invention includes a showerhead assembly mounted to a shower wall above a footrest. The showerhead is pivotable such the showerhead permits the water to be showered as sheets directly on the footrest to provide a waterfall effect on a bather's foot thereby permitting lathering and shaving of the bather's leg while providing a soothing massage affect to the foot. When pivoted to another position, the showerhead showers the bather's leg thereby permitting convenient rinsing prior and after to shaving.
The present invention therefore provides a convenient showerhead assembly for a woman to shave her legs without minimizing the warmth and comfort of the bathing experience.
The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows:
The shower 10 includes a showerhead assembly 18 mounted to the wall 14 adjacent to a ledge 20 of the shower 10. It should be understood that although a ledge of a particular component arrangement is disclosed in the illustrated embodiment, other arrangements such as a shower surround ledges or tub surrounds will likewise benefit from the instant invention.
The showerhead assembly 18 includes a deflector 22 such as a footrest and a showerhead 24 mounted to the wall 14. The deflector 22 is preferably located just above the ledge 20, however, it should be understood that the deflector 22 may be located at any convenient height along the wall 14. The deflector 22 is preferably of a concave shape such that water from the showerhead 24 is directed to impinge off the deflector 22 and into the base 12. The deflector 22 also preferably includes a textured surface to further facilitate support of a foot while shaving. It should be understood that although a footrest is disclosed in the illustrated embodiment, other arrangements such as a deflector which directs water flow onto a bather's back will likewise be usable with the instant invention.
The showerhead 24 is mounted to the wall 14 generally above the footrest 22. Notably, the showerhead 24 is located relatively low in height on the wall 14. The showerhead 24 is generally rectilinear in shape such that water is dispensed as sheets therefrom generally parallel to the wall 14 for a waterfall-like effect. It should be understood that although a rectilinear waterfall shower is preferred, other showerheads with other shower effects will also be usable with the present invention.
Referring to
Although particular step sequences are shown, described, and claimed, it should be understood that steps may be performed in any order, separated or combined unless otherwise indicated and will still benefit from the present invention.
The foregoing description is exemplary rather than defined by the limitations within. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, however, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. For that reason the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.
