Patent Application
20220145653
The present disclosure is directed generally to water jet fixtures for use in spas, pools, jacuzzis, and the like. The present disclosure is directed more specifically to lower and low profile water jet fixtures that protrude a smaller or lesser distance into the tub.
Artificial water structures, such as conventional hot tubs, spas, and jetted bath tubs, as well as whirlpool baths, swimming pools, and the like, hereinafter referred to and defined as “spas”, comprise various components and features, such as jets. In the most common embodiments, jets for spas inject water together with air, if desired, against the bodies of users usually partially immersed therein. Such jets allow the users to control the water or aerated water input to the spa.
Spas are generally constructed in a variety of materials and methods. Initially, stand-alone spas were made by pool contractors and such by digging a hole in the ground and installing rebar, plumbing, electrical components, and other items. The rebar was then covered with cement, gunite, or other similar materials. A variety of interior finishes, including plaster, tile, and pebble coat finishes are available. The materials are very expensive and produce a product that is generally immobile. Some spas, including those integrated with swimming pools are still constructed this way.
In the early 1970s, the portable hot tub or spa came into being. The first examples were made from wood, which was shaped and fashioned into a circle and surrounded by bands of steel to maintain the circular shape. The installer would then wet the wood for some time, allowing the wood to expand to seal the joint to prevent leaks. At this time, due to the construction method, there were limited choices for consumers in regards to the lighting options of these hot tubs. Most designs only offered one incandescent light in the bottom of the spa, mainly for safety reasons. These first spas were improved upon by the addition of seating and through-wall jets that would provide massage action using water circulated through a pump.
Newer spas with multiple jets became popular and as a result produced a demand for improved methods of manufacturing spas. Such methods use gel-coat and fiberglass to create a vessel to hold the water, which in turn allowed for the addition of more hydrotherapy jets. These new spas also were enclosed in a housing, or skirt, which made it possible to leave the spa sitting above ground.
“Portable” spas evolved with the advent of single sheet thermoforming manufacturing. This method uses a single sheet of plastic which is formed into a female mold, removed from the mold, and reinforced using a variety of different materials, such as high density polyurethane, polyester-based resin, fiberglass, or epoxy.
Current spa tubs are generally relatively deep vacuum formed tubs having a smooth acrylic interior surface and a relatively rougher fiberglass back.
The spa tubs are provided with a number of fixtures, including water jet assemblies. The appeal of a spa tub is primarily due to the hydrotherapy provided by the number of pressurized water jets recessed into the tub wall, which provide a massaging action. Spa jets are typically recessed in the tub wall to minimize the distance that the jet face protrudes beyond the wall surface in order to optimize bather comfort, to prevent clothing and the like from becoming snagged, and to prevent damage to the spa jets. In particular, each hydrotherapy jet assembly is connected to a pressurized water supply and an air supply. The pressurized water flows through a hydrotherapy jet assembly having a nozzle. As the water flows through the nozzle, air is drawn from an inlet into a low pressure area and mixes with the water. The mixture of pressurized water and air thereby provide an aerated therapeutic jet of water.
One well-known prior art hydrotherapy jet assembly fixture includes four components: a wall fitting, a gasket, a jet valve body, and caulk. Another well-known prior art hydrotherapy jet assembly fixture includes a jet body, a jet internal assembly, a gasket, and a nut. Yet another well-known prior art hydrotherapy jet assembly fixture includes a jet body, a jet internal assembly, and a grommet.
Other prior art in the spa industry include various types of water jets, water features, devices for attaching fixtures to spas, devices for lighting spas, such as U.S. Pat. No. 9,719,667 for spa jet lighting clips for attaching LED to jet housings, U.S. Pat. No. 8,978,174 for a mechanism for holding the jet internal/nozzle assembly in the jet body, U.S. Pat. No. 10,611,008 for grommet jet installation tools.
With regard to water jet installation methods, there are different methods depending on the type of jet fitting. To install a jet assembly consisting of a wall fitting, a gasket, a jet valve body, and caulk, a hole is first drilled in the tub from the inside of the tub through to the back of the tub at the desired location of the fixture. Next, the back of the tub surrounding the drill site must be ground smooth, flat, and parallel to the interior of the tub. This grinding is done by eye and introduces a margin for potential error into the installation. Newer hole saw bits are available that allow for this hole to be cut from the back side through to the interior of the tub, and include grinding discs that can grind the wall around the hole all in one step. The gasket is placed onto the wall fitting, and the wall fitting is inserted through the drilled hole from the interior of the tub, such that the gasket is between the wall fitting and the interior surface of the tub. The jet valve body is then attached to the portion of the wall fitting exiting the back of the tub. However, as the tubs are relatively deep, two persons are required to install the fixture in the tub; one person holds the wall fitting stationary from the interior of the tub, while the other person threads the jet valve body onto the wall fitting from the back of the tub such that the wall fitting and the jet valve body sandwich the tub wall. A bead of caulk seals the jet valve body to the back of the tub wall. The jet assembly is then connected to a water conduit and an air conduit.
To install a jet assembly consisting of a jet body, a jet internal assembly, a gasket and a nut, a hole is first drilled in the tub wall from the inside of the tub through to the back of the tub at the desired location of the fixture. Next the back of the tub surrounding the drill site must be ground smooth, flat, and parallel to the interior of the tub. This grinding is done by eye and introduces a margin for potential error into the installation. Newer hole saw bits are available that allow for this hole to be cut from the back side through to the interior of the tub, and include grinding discs that can grind the wall around the hole all in one step. The gasket is placed onto the jet body, and the jet body is inserted through the drilled hole from the interior of the tub, such that the gasket is between the jet body flange and the interior surface of the tub. The nut is then attached to the portion of the jet body exiting the back of the tub. However, as the tubs are relatively deep, two persons are required to install the fixture in the tub. One person holds the jet body stationary from the interior of the tub, while the other person threads the nut onto the jet body from the back of the tub such that they sandwich the tub wall. A bead of caulk may be used to further seal the jet body to the tub wall. The jet assembly is then connected to a water conduit and an air conduit. Finally, the jet internal assembly is installed into the jet body. The jet internal assembly typically consists of a decorative flange to hide the jet body flange, a nozzle assembly, and a diffuser, which may include a mechanism to turn on or turn off the flow of water and/or air to the jet.
To install a jet assembly consisting of a jet body, a jet internal assembly, and a grommet, a hole is first drilled in the tub wall from the inside of the tub through to the back of the tub, or from the back of the tub to the interior of the tub, at the desired location of the fixture. The grommet is inserted through the drilled hole from the interior of the tub, such that the grommet flange is contacting the interior surface of the tub. The jet body is then pushed through the grommet from the interior side of the tub and/or pulled through the grommet from the back of the tub such that the jet body flange is contacting the grommet flange. To aid in this installation, the installer may use a rubber mallet, tamp for hammer, slide hammer, or other tool from the interior of the tub and/or a pulling device from the back of the tub to push/pull the jet body into position. Likewise, a lubricant may be used on the inside of the grommet, the outside of the jet body, or both. Once the grommet and jet body are seated, the jet assembly is then connected to a water conduit and an air conduit. Finally, the jet internal assembly is installed into the jet body. The jet internal assembly typically consists of a decorative flange to hide the jet body flange and grommet flange, a nozzle assembly, and a diffuser, which may include a mechanism to turn on or turn off the flow of water and/or air to the jet.
In contrast to the installation methods discussed above, with the increased ease of installation, grommet-style jets typically require only one installer to install this type of jet and can be installed more quickly than other types of jets. These are just some of the reasons why this type of jet assembly is becoming more and more popular amongst hot tub manufacturers. Another reason for the popularity of grommet-style jets is that they do not require the use of secondary sealants such as caulk or silicone. Yet another reason is that this type of jet assembly has fewer components. However, due to the installation process, the grommet and jet body must each have a flange substantially wide enough and thick enough to prevent the components from squeezing through the mounting hole as the installation forces are applied. The stack-up of these flanges can make it more challenging to minimize the overall jet height, namely, the distance the jet protrudes from the spa wall. Additionally, it is not uncommon for a spa manufacturer to use both grommet-style fittings and threaded/nut-style fittings together in the same spa. It would be advantageous for each of the grommet and nut type fittings to have a consistent height (or depth) dimension from the spa wall after installation.
As the industry has continued to grow, spa features have also continued to evolve. In the pool and spa industry, for example, lighting has taken on an increasingly significant role. Early hot tubs used incandescent lights to illuminate the hot tub for safety. These early incandescent lights did not allow for convenient color changing and the bulb life was short. The lights used plastic colored lenses to change the light color (e.g., red or blue) but were not user friendly and were difficult to store and install. The incandescent lights used colored lens covers which were mounted to the light in an area located underwater. Because of the light location, removing and exchanging the lens was difficult and time consuming. The lenses were also only available in a few colors so consumers had few aesthetic options to choose from. Furthermore, the lights did not offer any accent or ambiance lighting characteristics and were mainly designed to light the bottom foot area of the hot tub for safety reasons.
Soon thereafter, fiber optic lighting became popular and consumers had more colors and features to choose from. New light features included, but were not limited to, bar top lighting and control lighting. Fiber optic systems also allowed for some accent lighting features in the spas, but the fiber optic systems were also very labor intensive to install/manufacture and very difficult to fix once the product is placed in its final location.
Due to the continuing rise in popularity of lighting in water containment vessels, and particularly in spas, accent lighting continues to evolve. The newest trend in lighting appeared with the advent of light emitting diodes (LED lights). LED lights are durable, low cost, high-illumination, high-efficiency lights that are easily adaptable to the spa industry. LED lights have a major cost advantage over fiber optic systems and are also more reliable. As a result, many spa fittings have been adapted to receive LEDs for lighting purposes. The LEDs may be incorporated into a spa fitting by integrated ports, snap-on clips, attached by adhesive, or by other means known in the art.
One such spa fitting that can benefit from the addition of lighting is the spa jet. Typically, spa jets are illuminated by attaching a light source to a transparent or translucent jet body. The lights are typically attached to the outside of the jet body on the dry side of the tub wall and therefore are more easily accessible through the spa skirt/cabinet/paneling if a light should need to be replaced. In application, the jet body flange is typically covered by a jet internal assembly, a decorative flange or faceplate made of plastic and/or metal attached to a plastic nozzle structure. Portions of the nozzle or nozzle structure are made of transparent or translucent material and allow the light to transmit into the water stream. When the water stream is aerated, it can produce a brighter and more dynamic light display. However, when the water is not flowing, or if the water stream is not aerated, the lighting effect becomes a single static point of light in the center of the jet.
What is needed in the art is a method, design, and construct of a low profile spa jet for use in connection with spas. It is to such methods, designs, and constructs, and others, that preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are directed.
It is a goal of the present disclosure to provide a low profile jet for both grommet and nut type installations while achieving the same finished height (depth) from the spa wall surface after installation. When mounted side by side in the spa, one could not easily tell the difference between the two.
As mentioned above, jets are typically recessed into pockets molded into the spa wall. However, molding these pockets limits how many different jet configurations are possible for each molded shell. Jets can only install into the designated locations (e.g., the recessed pockets), and it would be unsightly to leave a jet pocket blank (without a jet).
If the spa jet were made to be low profile enough to eliminate the need for these recessed pockets, then the jets could be installed anywhere in the molded tub without the need for recessed pockets. In this way, a spa manufacturer could use the same molded shell to create multiple finished spa configurations. For example, the spa manufacturer could produce a spa with twenty jets, a spa with forty jets, and a spa with sixty jets from the same molded shell thereby creating multiple spa models with the same molded shell.
A further advantage of a low profile jet is that it improves bather comfort, both with water and without water. Typically, consumers are reluctant to “wet test” spas as they are shopping. That is to say, consumers rarely change into a bathing suit in the spa showroom to test out a spa with water in the tub. More commonly, a consumer will do a “dry test”, meaning they will get into the spa without water wearing their clothes. When the spa is full of water the human body becomes buoyant and there is less body weight applied against the spa jets or other features in the spa. However, when sitting in a spa without water there is no buoyancy to take body weight off of the jets or any other features protruding from the spa wall. A low profile jet will be more comfortable in a “dry test” as it will not protrude as far from the spa wall.
To achieve optimum “dry test” comfort, some spa manufacturers may still choose to recess the low profile jets so that none of the jet protrudes beyond the recessed pocket. Yet another advantage of a low profile jet is that a shallower pocket is required to make the jet face completely flush with the spa wall. A shallower pocket is easier to mold and requires less draft. This can allow for more complex and precise pocket shapes.
Briefly, the invention includes a low-profile jet for both threaded/nut and grommet installation, wherein the jet protrudes into the spa tub less than 0.5″. In exemplary embodiments, the jet face/flange is interchangeable between threaded and grommet jet bodies without changing the relationship to the spa wall, namely, the jet protrudes the same amount in the installed state for both styles of jet body. For example, it is contemplated that one cannot tell the difference between a threaded jet and a grommet jet of the present disclosure when the jets are mounted side-by-side.
The inventive jet face/flange is removable and/or interchangeable before and after the jet body and jet internal are installed in the spa. The jet internals and the nozzle assembly stay in the jet body when the face/flange is removed, however, the jet internals and the nozzle assembly also can be removed and interchanged independently from the jet face/flange.
The inventive jet face/flange can be clocked/turned/rotated at various increments along the jet body circumference for various orientations relative to water and air inlets. For one example, the jet face/flange can be clocked in <90 degree increments, such as in preferably <10 degree increments. In an exemplary embodiment of the current design, a 3″ version and a 5″ version of the jet can have 4.5 degree increments along >45 degrees of the jet body circumference, and preferably between 45 degrees and 135 degrees of the jet body circumference, and more preferably between 45 degrees and 90 degrees of the jet body circumference. For another example, a 3″ version of the jet is adjustable along 108 degrees of the jet body circumferences. For yet another example, a 5″ version of the jet is adjustable along 135 degrees of the jet body circumference.
It is another goal of the present disclosure is to provide light to the transparent or translucent jet body flange or grommet flange for a low profile jet leaving a portion, or portions, of the lighted flange exposed to create unique and interesting accent lighting shapes and effects.
In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, a light ring and/or accent lighting can be built into the jet body. Such a light ring and/or accent lighting can be used for lighting a portion or portions of the jet that are visible from inside the spa (wet side) when the jet assembly is installed in the spa (mainly the jet body flange). Generally, the light source/s for illuminating the light ring and/or accent lighting is/are located on the dry side of the spa wall.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
These features, and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art when the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments is read in conjunction with the appended drawings in which like reference numerals represent like components throughout the several views.
The example, representative or preferred embodiments are best understood from the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawing figures. It should be noted that the various features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions may be arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of discussion.
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred or representative embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred or representative embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
It is a goal of the present disclosure to provide a low profile jet for both grommet and nut type installations while achieving the same finished height (depth) from the spa wall surface after installation. When mounted side by side in the spa one could not easily tell the difference between the two.
As mentioned above, jets are typically recessed into pockets molded into the spa wall. However, molding these pockets limits how many different jet configurations are possible for each molded shell. Jets can only install into the designated locations (e.g., the recessed pockets), and it would be unsightly to leave a jet pocket blank (without a jet).
If the spa jet were made to be low profile enough to eliminate the need for these recessed pockets, then the jets could be installed anywhere in the molded tub without the need for recessed pockets. In this way, a spa manufacturer could use the same molded shell to create multiple finished spa configurations. For example, the spa manufacturer could produce a spa with twenty jets, a spa with forty jets, and a spa with sixty jets from the same molded shell thereby creating multiple spa models with the same molded shell.
A further advantage of a low profile jet is that it improves bather comfort, both with water and without water. Typically, consumers are reluctant to “wet test” spas as they are shopping. That is to say, consumers rarely change into a bathing suit in the spa showroom to test out a spa with water in the tub. More commonly, a consumer will do a “dry test”, meaning they will get into the spa without water wearing their clothes. When the spa is full of water the human body becomes buoyant and there is less body weight applied against the spa jets or other features in the spa. However, when sitting in a spa without water there is no buoyancy to take body weight off of the jets or any other features protruding from the spa wall. A low profile jet will be more comfortable in a “dry test” as it will not protrude as far from the spa wall.
To achieve optimum “dry test” comfort, some spa manufacturers may still choose to recess the low profile jets so that none of the jet protrudes beyond the recessed pocket. Yet another advantage of a low profile jet is that a smaller pocket is required to make the jet face completely flush with the spa wall. A shallower pocket is easier to mold and requires less draft. This can allow for more complex and precise pocket shapes.
Briefly, the invention includes a low-profile jet for both threaded/nut and grommet installation, wherein the jet protrudes into the spa tub less than 0.5″. In exemplary embodiments, the jet face/flange is interchangeable between threaded and grommet jet bodies without changing the relationship to the spa wall, namely, the jet protrudes the same amount in the installed state for both styles of jet body. For example, it is contemplated that one cannot tell the difference between a threaded jet and a grommet jet of the present disclosure when the jets are mounted side-by-side.
The inventive jet face/flange is removable and/or interchangeable before and after the jet body and jet internal are installed in the spa. The jet internals and the nozzle assembly stays in the jet body when the face/flange is removed, however, the jet internals and the nozzle assembly also can be removed and interchanged independently from the jet face/flange.
The inventive jet face/flange can be clocked/turned/rotated at various increments along the jet body circumference for various orientations relative to water and air inlets. For one example, the jet face/flange can be clocked in <90 degree increments, such as in preferably <10 degree increments. In an exemplary embodiment of the current design, a 3″ version and a 5″ version of the jet can have 4.5 degree increments along >45 degrees of the jet body circumference, and preferably between 45 degrees and 135 degrees of the jet body circumference, and more preferably between 45 degrees and 90 degrees of the jet body circumference. For another example, a 3″ version of the jet is adjustable along 108 degrees of the jet body circumferences. For yet another example, a 5″ version of the jet is adjustable along 135 degrees of the jet body circumference.
It is another goal of the present disclosure is to provide light to the transparent or translucent jet body flange or grommet flange for a low profile jet leaving a portion, or portions, of the lighted flange exposed to create unique and interesting accent lighting shapes and effects.
In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, a light ring and/or accent lighting can be built into the jet body. Such a light ring and/or accent lighting can be used for lighting a portion or portions of the jet that are visible from inside the spa (wet side) when the jet assembly is installed in the spa (mainly the jet body flange). Generally, the light source/s for illuminating the light ring and/or accent lighting is/are located on the dry side of the spa wall.
In the following detailed description, a few exemplary, or representative, embodiments are described to demonstrate the inventive principles and concepts. For purposes of explanation and not limitation, representative embodiments disclosing specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of an embodiment according to the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that other embodiments that depart from the specific details disclosed herein remain within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, descriptions of well-known apparatuses and methods may be omitted so as to not obscure the description of the representative embodiments. Such methods and apparatuses are clearly within the scope of the present disclosure.
The terminology used herein is for purposes of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. The defined terms are in addition to the technical and scientific meanings of the defined terms as commonly understood and accepted in the technical field of the present teachings.
As used in the specification and appended claims, the terms “a”, “an”, and “the” include both singular and plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, “a device” includes one device and plural devices.
Relative terms may be used to describe the various elements' relationships to one another, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device and/or elements in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, terms such as “over”, “above”, “below”, “top”, “bottom”, “upper”, and “lower” may be used to describe the various elements' relationships to one another, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device and/or elements in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the device were inverted with respect to the view in the drawings, an element described as “above” another element, for example, would now be below that element.
The terms “substantial” or “substantially” mean to within acceptable limits or degrees acceptable to those of skill in the art. For example, the term “substantially parallel to” means that a structure or device may not be made perfectly parallel to some other structure or device due to tolerances or imperfections in the process by which the structures or devices are made. The term “approximately” means to within an acceptable limit or amount to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Where a first device is said to be connected or coupled to a second device, this encompasses examples where one or more intermediate devices may be employed to connect the two devices to each other. In contrast, where a first device is said to be directly connected or directly coupled to a second device, this encompasses examples where the two devices are connected together without any intervening devices other than electrical connectors (e.g., wires, bonding materials, etc.).
Exemplary, representative or preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures, in which like reference numerals represent like components, elements or features. It should be noted that features, elements or components in the figures are not intended to be drawn to scale, emphasis being placed instead on demonstrating inventive principles and concepts.
As can be seen, the jet faces/flange assemblies 1 and 5 extend from the spa wall 3 only a relatively small distance, thus showing the low profile aspect of the present disclosure. The spa jet assembly comprising the jet face/flange assembly 1 shown in
As will be described below in more detail, even though the jet face/flange assemblies 1 and 2 are very different and have different nozzle configurations, they preferably are constructed to ensure that they extend substantially equal distances away from the spa wall 3 when they are in their installed states. It should be noted that the inventive principles and concepts are not limited to the jet face/flange assemblies having any particular designs or configurations, as will be understood by those of skill in the art in view of the description provided herein.
As will be described below in more detail, the jet face/flange assemblies 1 and 5 are removable and/or interchangeable before and after the jet housing (not shown) and the jet internal assembly (not shown) are installed in the spa wall 3. For example, with reference to
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, jet face/flange assembly 1 comprises a flange 1a and a stainless steel (SS) escutcheon 1b and jet face/flange 5 comprises a flange 5a and a SS escutcheon 5b. In accordance with the embodiment depicted in
The spa jet assembly can have different spa wall interface configurations for removably coupling the jet housing to the spa wall. In accordance with one representative embodiment, the spa wall interface comprises a grommet. In accordance with another representative embodiment, the spa wall interface comprises a threaded/nut configuration.
The jet face/flange assembly 10b can be, for example, one of the jet face/flange assemblies 1 or 5 shown in
With reference to
The jet housing 10 is removably coupled by the grommet 10d to the spa wall (not shown). The jet face/flange assembly 10b is removably coupled, or secured, to the jet housing flange 11. The jet housing flange 11 is adapted to be removably secured to the jet face/flange assembly 10b either before or after the jet housing 10a has been installed in a spa wall and either before or after the jet internal assembly 10c has been installed and the water and air connections 13 and 12, respectively, have been connected to external water and air connections (not shown), respectively. This feature allows the jet face/flange assembly 10b to be interchanged with a different jet face/flange assembly of the same or different configuration or design while the jet housing 10a and the jet internal assembly 10c remain in the installed positions.
With reference to
The nozzle configurations 14 shown in
The jet housing 20 is removably coupled by the threaded/nut configuration to the spa wall (not shown). The threaded/nut configuration comprises a male threaded surface 22 disposed on the outer surface of the jet housing 20a adjacent the jet housing flange 11 and a female threaded surface on the threaded nut 20d. These threaded surfaces threadingly engage one another to removably secure the jet housing 20a to the spa wall.
The jet face/flange assembly 20b is removably coupled, or secured, to the jet housing flange 21. The jet housing flange 11 is adapted to be removably secured to the jet face/flange assembly 20b either before or after the jet housing 20a has been installed in a spa wall and either before or after the jet internal assembly 20c has been installed and the water and air connections 13 and 12, respectively, have been connected to external water and air connections (not shown), respectively.
The grommet style jet housing 10a and the threaded style jet housing 20a are constructed so as to allow the insertion of a same jet internal assembly 14 into the jet housings 10a and 20a, although jet internal assemblies having different configurations can be used with the jet housings 10a and 20a. As the use of the grommet 10d adds some distance between the jet housing 10a and the jet face/flange assembly 10b, the upper structure of the jet housings 10a and 20a surrounding or forming the mouths of the jet housings 10a and 20a preferably are constructed somewhat differently, as will be described below in more detail with reference to
As will be described below in more detail, the jet face/flange assemblies 10b and 20b can have one or more snap features that engage one or more respective notch features of the jet housing flange 11 to removably couple the jet face/flange assemblies 10b and 20b to the jet housing flanges 11 of the jet housings 10a and 20a, respectively.
In accordance with this representative embodiment, portion 8 of the jet housing 10a is left exposed, i.e., not covered by the jet face/flange assembly 31, for lighting purposes. The jet housing 10a can be made of a light transmissive material, such as PVC, for example, which is preferred for gluing pipe/hose, or any other suitable transparent or translucent material. In accordance with this embodiment, the jet housing 10a includes a clip 32 for attaching one or more lighting elements, such as LEDs, for example, to the jet housing 10a. (See U.S. Pat. No. 9,719,667, which is incorporated by reference herein). LEDs may be attached to cylindrical ports/holes in the grommet 10d, as will be described below in more detail. Lighting elements can also be disposed in ports molded into the jet housing 10a or into ports molded into the grommet 10d.
Light emitted by the lighting element(s) (not shown) passes through the translucent or transparent material of the jet housing 10a and passes through the exposed portion 8 of the jet housing 10a so that it is visible by the spa user. The exposed portion 8 can be textured to enhance lighting effects. A light diffusing additive can be included in the resin comprising the jet housing 10a to enhance lighting effects.
In accordance with this representative embodiment, the grommet style spa jet assembly 30 has one or more features 33 to allow for a puller tool (not shown) to assist in installation (see U.S. Pat. No. 10,611,008, which is incorporated by reference herein). A pusher tool (not shown) may also be used to seat the jet housing 10a in the grommet 10d.
The jet internal assembly 20c (nozzle 14, barrel 15, diffuser assembly 16) can be removed from the jet housing 20a and interchanged into any other jet housing 20a of the same size. In accordance with this representative embodiment, the jet internal assembly 20c is installed in or removed from the jet housing 20a by gripping grip fins 36 with fingers and exerting a rotational force on the jet internal assembly 20c until tabs 37 on the jet internal assembly 20c engage with or disengage from spring clips 38 within the jet housing 20a. Such an engagement/disengagement configuration for this purpose is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,978,174, which is incorporated by reference herein. Other engagement/disengagement mechanisms are known that are suitable for this purpose as well. The jet face/flange assembly 20b comprising the flange and the escutcheon can be snapped onto (or threaded, bayonet lock, press fit, etc.) and removed from the jet housing 20a independently from the jet internal assembly 20c and interchanged with any other jet face/flange assembly of the same size having the same or a different configuration. The jet face/flange assembly may comprise various shapes and designs to provide custom looks for different spa manufacturers using the same spa jet assembly platform disclosed herein.
The key features 44 interact with the teeth 57 to allow the rotation and releasable holding in place of the jet face/flange assembly 20b relative to a circumference of the jet housing 11, as will be discussed below in more detail with reference to
It should be noted that although the clock/turning/rotating feature has been described with reference to the threaded/nut style spa jet assembly 20, it applies to the grommet style spa jet assembly 10 as well as to other spa jet assemblies disclosed herein and to all of the embodiments of the jet face/flange assemblies disclosed herein.
In the side plan view shown in
In order to ensure that threaded/nut style and grommet style spa jet assemblies 20 and 10, respectively, have the same overall height to allow the interchangeability and low profile benefits discussed herein to be realized, the gap 61 shown in
The flange segments of the grommet 10d prevent the jet housing 10a from pulling through the grommet 10d and the mounting hole in the spa wall. The jet housing 10a can have features 62 to allow for a puller tool to assist in installation, and a pusher tool may be used to seat the jet housing 10a in the grommet 10, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,611,008, which is incorporated by reference herein.
As indicated above, the jet face/flange assemblies can have a variety of configurations.
The jet face/flange assemblies 65 can be removably secured to (e.g., snapped onto) the respective jet housings 20a at various locations and/or intervals using suitable coupling mechanisms, such as those discussed above with reference to other embodiments. An installer can determine the orientation relative to the water and air connections 12 and 13, respectively. It should be noted that the jet face/flange assemblies 65 can be used with any of the jet housings discussed herein, such as with the grommet style jet housing 10a and variations thereof, for example.
The low profile grommet style spa jet assembly 70 shown in
The jet face/flange assembly 72 preferably is formed from metal, such as stainless steel, which may have a thinner wall thickness and therefore result in a lower profile jet. Prior to the molding process being performed to form the jet housing 73, the portion 71 of the jet face/flange assembly 72 that has the holes 75 formed in it can be inserted into the mold part (not shown) that is used to mold the jet housing 73. The molding material that will comprise the jet housing 73 is then poured into the mold part and envelopes the portion 71, flowing through the holes 75. The mold material is a plastic material, such as PVC, for example. Once the mold material is cured and the molded jet housing 73 is removed from the mold part, the portion 71 remains embedded in the molded jet housing 73.
The formed metal jet face/flange assembly 72 can be made in custom designs, and decorative plastic covers (not shown) can snap over the jet face/flange assembly 72 to provide two-tone options, for example; however, this may result in a taller profile. As discussed above, at least one portion 76 (
An alternative to the clock/turning/rotating features described above is to provide the jet housing 10a with the notch features 92 at angular increments along the circumference of the jet housing 10a to receive the snap features 91 on the jet face/flange assembly 81 at different angular orientations relative to the circumference of the jet housing 10a. The notch features 92 can be sized such that the jet face/flange assembly 81 cannot rotate after installation. Multiple notch features around the circumference of the jet housing 10a allows for incremental adjustment of the jet face/flange assembly 81 around the circumference of the jet housing 10a. This allows patterned, asymmetrical, and/or non-circular jet face/flange assembly designs to be adjusted such that all jet faces/flange assemblies being used in the spa are in alignment with each other while the water/air connections on the jet housings can be positioned in different orientations to optimize plumbing and piping efficiency.
The low profile grommet style spa jet assembly 80 shown in
As indicated above, light emitted by the LEDs held in the ports 87 passes through the grommet 83 and through the opening, or slit, 82 formed in the jet face/flange assembly 81. The opening, or slit, 82 can have lighted design elements disposed therein that interact with the light entering the opening, or slit, 82 to achieve a desired or preselected optical effect that is visible to the spa user.
The LED-containing nut 160 can be threaded onto, for example, the male threaded portion 22 of the jet housing 20a shown in
The various embodiments described herein are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. The described embodiments comprise different features, not all of which are required in all embodiments of the disclosure. Some embodiments of the present disclosure utilize only some of the features or possible combinations of the features.
Variations of embodiments of the present disclosure that are described, and embodiments of the present disclosure comprising different combinations of features as noted in the described embodiments, will occur to persons with ordinary skill in the art. It will be appreciated by persons with ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described herein above. Rather the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.
In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. Thus, it is the express intention of the applicant not to invoke 35 USC § 112(f) for any limitations of any of the claims herein, except for those in which the claim expressly uses the words “means for” together with an associated function.
Therefore, although selected aspects have been illustrated and described in detail, it will be understood that various substitutions and alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as defined by the following claims.
The present application is a nonprovisional application claiming priority to and the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/111,397, filed on Nov. 9, 2020, entitled “LOW PROFILE SPA JET”, which is incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63111397 | Nov 2020 | US |
