Patent Application
20070292237
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the invention, it is believed the same will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative in nature and not intended to be limiting of the invention defined by the claims. Moreover, individual features of the drawings and the invention will be more fully apparent and understood in view of the detailed description.
Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals indicate similar elements throughout the views.
The exemplary nut 10 may be configured to be connected or attached to a conventional faucet mounted water filter system such that nut 10 may be used to attach, connect, or mount the water filter system to a water faucet. For example, threads 19 may be configured to threadingly engage external threads disposed on an end of a water faucet in order to attach, connect, or mount the water filter system to the water faucet. Although not required, nut 10 may also include a gasket or seal (not shown) that is configured to make the nut connection to the faucet waterproof or leak proof. It is understood that this and other examples shown and described herein are used for illustration purposes, and not limitation. It is also understood that nut 10 may be used to connect other devices such as other water devices such as a sprayer to water supplies such as a hose, pump, etc. as known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
As set forth above, plurality of gripping areas 13 may be disposed within body 16 along circumference 11. Gripping areas 13 may comprise a surface 15, a pressure bearing face 12, and a non-pressure bearing face 14. Surface 15 may be fabricated from the same material as the body or a separate material such a low durometer plastic. A low durometer plastic may be desirable for at least a portion of surface 15 in order to provide a soft touch or feel to a user when making contact or gripping nut 10. An exemplary plastic that may be used to partially cover or fabricate surface 15 may comprise a low durometer elastomer.
Pressure bearing face 12 may comprise an angle of leverage α and non-pressure bearing face 14 may comprise an angle of leverage β. Angle of leverage α is measured from a hypothetical line 1 that is tangent to circumference 11 and a hypothetical line 2 that is tangent to the slope of the initial curvature (conic, spherical or linear) defining face 12. Angle of leverage β is measured from a hypothetical line 3 that is tangent to circumference 11 and a hypothetical line 4 that is tangent to the slope of the initial curvature (conic, spherical or linear) defining face 14. In the present invention, angle of leverage α may range from about 10 degrees to about 90 degrees, and angle of leverage β may range from about 0 degrees to about 90 degrees. The angle of leverage (α and β) defines the angle of the face (e.g., pressure bearing face 12 or non-pressure bearing face 14) available to make contact with a user's hand or fingers when attempting to grip and turn the nut. For example, the greater the angle of leverage (the closer the angle is to 90 degrees), the greater the slope of the face and thus the more face that is available for the user's hand or fingers to apply pressure against. As used herein, a “non-pressure bearing face” is defined as a face that has an angle of leverage (e.g., angle β) that is less than the angle of leverage (e.g., angle α) of an adjacent pressure bearing face of the same nut.
In the one exemplary embodiment set forth in
It has been discovered that since nut 10 includes gripping areas 13 that comprise a pressure bearing face and a non-pressure bearing face (i.e., angle β is less than angle α), nut 10 provides a user both visual and tactile signals as to which rotational direction is the correct direction such as which rotational direction is required to tighten nut 10 to install a filter system onto a faucet. It is understood that the nut may be alternatively configured to provide visual and tactile signals as to which rotational direction is required to loosen nut 10. A nut of the present invention that provides visual and tactile signals as to which single rotational direction is correct is defined herein as unidirectional This is very beneficial to a user when trying to install a faucet mounted water filter system onto a water faucet because the visual and tactile signals simplify and expedite the installation of the filter system by eliminating uncertainty about correct rotation of the nut. Such visual and tactile signals found in the present invention are absent from conventional nut designs.
Conventional nut designs generally have gripping areas or protrusions/ribs that include two pressure bearing faces adjacent to each other and lack a non-pressure bearing face. Such designs provide conventional nuts with a symmetrical shape. Since the nuts do not have gripping areas with a pressure bearing face and a non-pressure bearing face (having an angle of leverage less than the angle of leverage of the pressure bearing face), conventional nuts do not provide a user visual or tactile signals as to the correct and/or desired rotational direction (e.g., which direction is required to tighten and/or install the nut). If anything, the conventional nut designs provide a user visual and tactile signals that the nut may be rotated in either direction, thus allowing the user to become confused as to which is the correct rotational direction.
In addition, body 16 may be fabricated such that it has a top surface 17 that is configured to be level or linear (i.e., no curvature) such that a user may use the top surface to align the nut in an orientation that permits easy threading of the nut onto the faucet during the installation of the water filter system. As shown in
The plurality of pressure bearing faces 12 may be positioned or spaced-apart from each other at a variety of intervals along circumference 11. For example, each pressure bearing face of the plurality of pressure bearing faces may be spaced from each other at an angle θ of from about 1 degree to about 180 degrees, alternatively from about 30 degrees to about 90 degrees. In the exemplary embodiment shown in
Referring to
As set forth above, nut body 116 may be fabricated using any conventional methods such as compression or injection molding and/or machining from a variety of conventional materials, including but not limited to metals, plastics such as polymers (e.g., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, polyethylene), composite materials, or any combination thereof as known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Aperture 118 may also include internal threads 119 located within it. In addition, threads 119 may also comprise any conventional threading and be fabricated from a variety of materials such as metal, plastics (e.g., polymers), composite materials, or any combination thereof as known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In the exemplary embodiment shown, threads 119 are a separate unit that is inserted into aperture 118 and attached to body 116.
The exemplary nut shown may be configured to be connected to a conventional faucet mounted water filter system such that nut 100 may be used to attach, connect, or mount the water filter system to a water faucet. Threads 119 may be configured to threadingly engage external threads disposed on an end of the water faucet in order to connect the water filter system to the water faucet. Nut 100 may include other components such as a gasket described above herein or other components as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. It is understood that nut 100 may be used to connect other devices such as other water devices such as a sprayer to water supplies such as a hose, pump, etc. as known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
As shown in
In the exemplary embodiment, angle of leverage α may range from about 10 degrees to about 90 degrees, and angle of leverage β may range from about 0 degrees to about 90 degrees. The angle of leverage (α and β) defines the angle of the face (e.g., pressure bearing face 112 or non-pressure bearing face 114) available to make contact with a user's hand or fingers when attempting to grip and turn the nut. For example, the greater the angle of leverage (the closer the angle is to 90 degrees), the greater the slope of the face and thus the more face that is available for the user's hand or fingers to apply pressure against.
In the exemplary embodiment, angle of leverage α is about 60 degrees and angle of leverage β is about 30 degrees. Since the angle of leverage β of non-pressure bearing face 114 is less than the angle of leverage α of pressure bearing face 112, nut 100 provides a user with both visual and tactile signals as to the correct, required, or desired rotational direction (e.g., which direction is required to tighten and/or install nut 100 onto a device such as a water supply, particularly a faucet). As set forth above, such visual and tactile signals discovered and found in the present invention are absent from conventional nut designs. Pressure bearing faces 112 and non-pressure bearing faces 114 and their corresponding angles of leverage cause nut 100 and gripping areas 113 to have an asymmetrical shape relative to any plane (e.g., R-R′) that contains the longitudinal axis L-L′ of nut 100.
Still referring to
Referring to
As set forth above, nut body 216 may be fabricated using any conventional methods such as compression or injection molding and/or machining from a variety of conventional materials, including but not limited to metals, plastics such as polymers (e.g., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, polyethylene), composite materials, or any combination thereof as known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Aperture 218 may also include internal threads 219 located within it. In addition, threads 219 may also comprise any conventional threading and be fabricated from a variety of materials such as metal, plastics (e.g., polymers), composite materials, or any combination thereof as known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In the exemplary embodiment shown, threads 219 may be formed within and be integral to aperture 218 or be a separate unit that is inserted into aperture 218 and attached to body 216.
Again, the exemplary nut shown may be configured to be connected to a conventional faucet mounted water filter system such that nut 200 may be used to attach, connect, or mount the water filter system to a water faucet. Threads 219 may be configured to threadingly engage external threads disposed on an end of the water faucet in order to connect the water filter system to the water faucet. Nut 200 may include other components such as a gasket described above herein or other components as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. It is understood that nut 200 may be used to connect other devices such as other water devices such as a sprayer to water supplies such as a hose, pump, etc. as known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
As shown in
In the exemplary embodiment, angle of leverage α is about 60 degrees and angle of leverage β is about 15 degrees. Since the angle of leverage β of non-pressure bearing face 214 is less than the angle of leverage α of pressure bearing face 212, nut 200 provides a user with both visual and tactile signals as to the correct rotational direction (e.g., which rotational direction is required to tighten and/or install nut 200 onto a device such as a water supply, particularly a faucet). Such visual and tactile signals found in the present invention are absent from conventional nut designs. Pressure bearing faces 212 and non-pressure bearing faces 214 and their corresponding angles of leverage cause nut 200 and gripping areas 213 to have an asymmetrical shape relative to any plane (e.g., Q-Q′) that contains the longitudinal axis L-L′ of nut 200. Unlike the gripping areas of the other exemplary embodiments set forth above herein, gripping areas 213 of this exemplary embodiment do not comprise a smooth, curvilinear shape such as a conic arc. As shown, gripping areas 213 comprise a linear shape.
All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
