1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a handheld hygienic sprayer or bidet apparatus that may be installed on standard, pre-existing toilet or other water supply lines to aid in spraying water in an ergonomic manner for cleaning and hygiene purposes and that may optionally include a mounting base for securely holding the sprayer in a manner that may disguise its presence or be more aesthetically pleasing.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of a bidet is standard in many parts of the world, including Europe and Asia. A stand-alone bidet is a frequently installed fixture in these parts of the world. In the United States and other western countries, it is less common to have a bidet installed in residential bathrooms or hotel bathrooms. For improved hygiene, to aid with cleanliness for persons with disabilities or limited mobility, or for cultural reasons, it is often desirable to add a bidet to an existing bathroom facility. Installation of a permanent bidet fixture in an existing bathroom is expensive, requiring the addition of plumbing and sufficient floor space to accommodate the fixture, which may require relocation of walls and other fixtures. To avoid this expense, there are many known bidet systems that may be added to a standard toilet. These typically involve connecting a hose having a handheld sprayer to the water line that supplies water to the toilet. The sprayer may then be used when needed much like a traditional bidet.
Many prior art handheld bidet systems include sprayers that are adapted from kitchen sink sprayers or shower head sprayers. These sprayer designs are not well suited for use in a bidet application for several reasons. Many of these sprayers have a trigger to actuate the flow of water that is located on the side of the sprayer opposite the side where the water is discharged. When being used while seated on a toilet, it may be difficult to depress the trigger while holding the sprayer at the proper angle to direct water to the areas to be cleaned, particularly for persons with disabilities or limited mobility. Additionally, the water is sprayed at an angle that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sprayer. This angle is not the most ergonomic design for a sprayer being used as a bidet. The overall ergonomics of these types of sprayers, including a shorter hand surface and surface materials that may be slippery when wet, are not ideal for bidet use.
Many prior art handheld bidet systems lack an adequate docking station to discretely store the sprayer when not in use. It is desirable to be able to store the sprayer when not in use in a manner that minimizes the appearance of the bidet system, as some users may prefer that the existence of the handheld bidet system not be obvious to guests, or that it blends in with the other fixtures in the bathroom for aesthetic reasons. Some systems include a simple hook-type device to hold the sprayer, which does nothing to disguise the fact that it is a bidet sprayer and is not particularly attractive. Other systems include elaborate and substantially sized cabinets or special toilet tanks to house the bidet system, which are not discrete and may require a substantial amount of space for installation in the bathroom. Examples of these more elaborate systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,543,339 and 6,163,898, for example.
The handheld bidet apparatus disclosed herein may be added to standard and preexisting toilet or other fixtures through the use of an adapter that connects to the water supply line and allows water to be supplied to the toilet (or other fixture) and the handheld sprayer. According to one embodiment of the invention, the hand held sprayer comprises an angled end having a spray head disposed on the underside of the angled portion, rather than the terminal end as is typical with many prior art sprayers. The resulting angle of the water spray from the sprayer head, relative to the longitudinal axis of the sprayer body (the portion generally held by the user during use), is ergonomically designed to achieve efficient cleaning in an easy to use manner and without requiring the user to hold the sprayer in an awkward position to reach all areas that requiring cleaning. For users with limited mobility or disabilities, this water spray angle is particularly beneficial. The hand held sprayer also preferably comprises a trigger to activate the flow of water from the spray head that is located on the same side of the sprayer as the spray head (the same side as the water flow). The preferred trigger location is also ergonomically designed to facilitate easier spraying, particularly when used as a bidet while the user is seated on a toilet. According to another preferred embodiment, the handheld sprayer can swivel to further aid in ease of use and in reaching all areas that require cleaning with the water spray and includes an elongated handle comprising surface materials that resist slippage, particular when wet.
According to another embodiment, the apparatus has a mounting base that is designed to at least partially conceal the handheld sprayer for aesthetic purposes. The mounting base may be mounted to a wall near the toilet or other water supply line, to the surface of a toilet tank, bath tub, or similar fixture, using conventional mounting devices, such as anchors and screws, or using an adhesive pad or strips. According to another embodiment, the mounting base may be hung from the edge of a toilet tank, bath tub, or similar fixture using a detachable hanger. The mounting base, sprayer, and other parts of the apparatus may be made in various finishes, to match or coordinate with each other and the other fixtures or surfaces in the bathroom.
These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claims in conjunction with the drawings. Although the discussion of the preferred embodiment will focus on use of the apparatus as a bidet for use with a toilet, it may be understood that the embodiments of the invention may be used with other fixtures, such as a bath tub or shower, and may be used for other cleaning purposes, such as cloth diapers. The apparatus will typically be used with water from any available pressurized water system, such as a municipal water supply, but may also be used with a supply of other fluids, such as water containing a cleaning fluid or soap.
The apparatus of the invention are further described and explained in relation to the following drawings wherein:
Referring to
A preferred embodiment of mounting base 12 is depicted in
Mounting plate 24 has receiving apertures 52 that align with mounting apertures 46 for receiving the attachment mechanism to attach holder body 22 to mounting plate 24. When the attachment mechanisms are screws, apertures 52 are each part of a receiving body 54 that has a threaded interior portion and is sized to accommodate the screws. Alternatively, receiving body 54 could be located on the back side of holder body 22. Preferably, the uppermost end of mounting plate 24 does not extend beyond top edge 42 of holder body 22 and the lower most end of mounting plate 24 does not extend beyond the lower edge of stabilizing arms 34, and the sides of mounting plate 24 do not extend beyond the sides 28, so that the mounting plate 24 is completely concealed behind holder body 22 when in use. Mounting plate 24 also comprises a frame 50 having a plurality of horizontal reinforcing ribs 64 and vertical reinforcing ribs 66 to provide structural support to the frame 50 while allowing the overall thickness of frame 50 and total material used in the mounting plate 24 to be reduced. Frame 50 also includes at least one mounting aperture 56. Preferably there are two apertures 56, spaced apart longitudinally to provide stability. If mounting base 12 is to be mounted on a wall, screws and anchors, toggle bolts, and similar devices may be used to attach frame 50 to the wall through apertures 56. Once mounted to the wall, holder body 22 may be attached to mounting plate 24 through apertures 46 and 52. Alternatively, mounting plate 24 may be mounted to the wall, toilet tank, side of a bath tub, or similar surface using an adhesive panel. Preferably the adhesive panel has adhesive on both sides, one side to adhere to the back side of frame 50 and the other to adhere to the mounting surface.
As another alternative, mounting plate 24 may be hung from any suitable lip, such as the lip on a toilet tank, using hanger 26. Hanger 26 preferably comprises a vertical body 70, upper surface 72, hanging lip 74, mounting lip 78, and mounting face 80. The distance 76 between the back side of vertical body 70 and the front side of hanging lip 74 is designed to at least accommodate the thickness of the typical lip, or upper edge, on a toilet tank. A double sided adhesive strip may also be placed on the back side of vertical body 70 to adhere hanger 26 to the side of the toilet tank or similar fixture from which it is hung, which prevents rattling that may occur if the distance 76 is substantially larger than the lip from which it is hung. Since hanging lip 74 will carry the weight, it is not necessary that any adhesive strip placed on the back side of vertical body 70 be substantial enough to support mounting plate 24, holder body 22, and sprayer 14. Mounting face 80 preferably includes a mounting aperture 82 that aligns with optional hanger mounting aperture 58 on frame 50. A screw is the preferred mechanism for attaching hanger 26 to mounting plate 24, but other attachment mechanisms may be used. When used with a screw, aperture 58 is preferably part of a receiving body 60 that has a threaded interior portion and is sized to accommodate the screw. Alternatively, receiving body 60 could be located on mounting face 80. Frame 50 also preferably comprises a lip 62 that mates with mounting lip 78. If hanger 26 is used, it is preferably attached to mounting plate 26 prior to attaching holder body 22 to mounting plate 26. Most preferably, handheld bidet apparatus 10 comprises a kit containing adhesive pads and hanger 26 and may also include screws and wall anchors to provide multiple options for securing mounting base 12 to a variety of surfaces near the fixture with which apparatus 10 is to be used. Mounting base 12 may be installed before or after adapter 18 is connected to the water supply.
A preferred embodiment of sprayer 14 is depicted in
Sprayer head 104 preferably comprises a plurality of openings to allow water spray 105 to flow in small streams, although a single opening may also be used. Although there is some variation in the angle of water spray 105 when multiple openings are used in sprayer head 104, water spray 105 exits sprayer head 104 in a direction substantially perpendicular to sprayer head 104. With sprayer head in this preferred location on the underside of angled portion 103 (rather than at the terminal end 107, as is common in prior art sprayers), the resulting angle α of water spray 105 relative to the longitudinal axis of longitudinal body 102 is preferably acute. In the preferred embodiment depicted in
Trigger or actuator 108, for activating sprayer valve 116 and turning on or off the flow of water spray 105, is located on the rear side (the same side as water spray 105) of sprayer 14. This location for trigger 108 also facilitates ease of use. Preferably, trigger 108 is located just below the transition from body 102 to angled portion 103. This location allows the user's thumb or finger to hook on the angled portion 103 to provide support for the sprayer 14 when in use. In combination with grip surfaces 106 and 110, having the trigger in this preferred location further aids in the user being able to maintain control over the sprayer 14 when in use. Although a simple push-button type trigger is preferred, other types of actuators may be used, such as a pull-type trigger or a slider.
Referring to
A preferred embodiment of adapter 18 is depicted in
The handheld hygienic sprayer or bidet apparatus according to the invention most preferably comprises a kit having an adapter for connecting to the water or other fluid supply (while also allowing supply of water or other fluid to the fixture), supply hose, sprayer, and mounting base, along with at least two mechanisms for mounting the mounting base to or from a surface near the fixture. Such a kit would preferably be available in different finishes to match or coordinate with the décor and fixtures in the bathroom where it will be used. The various parts may also be available separately.
References to front (or forward) and rear (or back) herein generally refer to the direction when the sprayer 14 is docked on mounting base 12 and mounting base 12 is secured to a substrate, such as a wall or toilet tank. The wall or toilet tank would be in the rear direction, with the mounting base 12 and sprayer 14 being progressively forward thereof. The use of certain plumbing parts, such as washers and valves, are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be used in connection with the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate upon reading this specification and the description of preferred embodiments herein that modifications and alterations to the apparatus and methods may be made within the scope of the invention and it is intended that the scope of the invention disclosed herein be limited only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims to which the inventor is legally entitled.