The present application relates generally to shower plumbing fixtures and, more particularly, to an on-wall shower system that may be retrofit to existing in-wall shower plumbing. Consumers often desire the look of an exposed pipe shower, where the vertical piping connection between the valve and the shower arm is outside of the shower wall versus concealed inside the shower wall. Tub/shower valves are typically kept in place for up to 30 years due to the difficulty and expense of having them replaced. The ability to add other useful features/items, such as a hand shower, or converting to a system with a drastically different appearance and function, such as an on-wall shower system, can be hampered by these difficulties in replacement.
As such, it is desired to provide a shower system having the ability to add features without the need to disturb the shower wall structure or finish, such as breaking tile supported by the shower wall. Such activity is disruptive, and can be expensive because of the skilled trades involved. A device that could be installed on the shower wall by the homeowner, using a standard existing valve body as its water supply, would eliminate the need for such difficult installation and resulting expenses.
The present invention relates to an on-wall shower mounting system illustratively including a tubular main body having an upper supply/shower arm connection, an adjustable hand shower nest, a diverter valve and a main hub. The shower mounting system attaches to a pre-existing main control valve and drop eared elbow in the shower wall. The design is configured to work with a variety of existing control valves. For some installations, the upper supply/shower arm connection may not be located exactly above the main control valve. This offset would not normally be noticeable in a typical shower installation because the main control valve and the shower arm have no visible connection outside of the shower wall. By connecting these two points with the on-wall shower system, even a relatively small offset may become noticeable, which might be undesirable from an aesthetic perspective.
One illustrative feature of the on-wall shower mounting system of the present disclosure is the supply elbow connector that has an eccentric arrangement, thereby allowing the installer to rotatably adjust its position to accommodate a lateral offset (out of plumb) between the upper supply/shower arm connection and the lower main control valve. Additionally, the system of the present disclosure includes a lower tube section between the diverter valve and the main control valve that doesn't carry water and, as such, may be trimmed to length by the installer to accommodate a range of distances between the upper supply/shower arm connection and the lower main control valve. Furthermore, an adjustable connection is provided between the valve handles and the valve cartridge of the main control valve. Because the shower mounting system is affixed to the outside surface of the finished shower wall, but the position of the valve/cartridge relative to the finished shower wall can vary from installation to installation, an adjustment means is provided to connect the external handles to the internal valve cartridge.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a shower mounting system includes a riser assembly having a riser tube extending between a lower end and an upper end, and a connector supported by the upper end of the riser tube. A lower mount is operably coupled to the lower end of the riser tube, and an upper mount is operably coupled to the connector of the riser assembly. The upper mount includes a supply elbow having a rearwardly facing inlet tube configured to be fluidly coupled to a water supply pipe supported by a shower wall and defining a rotational axis, and a forwardly facing outlet tube fluidly coupled to the connector of the riser assembly and defining an outlet axis. The rotational axis is spaced apart from the outlet axis such that the outlet tube is eccentrically mounted relative to the inlet tube, thereby providing for a lateral adjustment of the outlet tube as the supply elbow is rotated about the rotational axis.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a shower mounting system includes a riser assembly having a riser tube extending between a lower end and an upper end, and a connector supported by the upper end of the riser tube. The riser assembly further includes a first fluid conduit received within the riser tube and extending between a lower fluid coupler and an upper fluid coupler, and a second fluid conduit received within the riser tube and extending parallel to the first fluid conduit between a lower fluid coupler and an upper fluid coupler. A lower mount is operably coupled to the lower end of the riser tube, and an upper mount is operably coupled to the connector of the riser assembly. The upper mount is configured to permit lateral adjustment of the upper end of the riser tube.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a shower mounting system includes a riser assembly having a riser tube extending between a lower end and an upper end, and a connector supported by the upper end of the riser tube. The riser assembly further includes a first fluid conduit received within the riser tube and extending between a lower end and an upper end, and a second fluid conduit received within the riser tube and extending parallel to the first fluid conduit between a lower end and an upper end. An upper mount is operably coupled to the connector of the riser assembly, and the lower mount is operably coupled to the lower end of the riser tube. A shower arm includes an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being fluidly coupled to the connector of the riser assembly. A showerhead is fluidly coupled to the outlet end of the shower arm, and a hand shower is supported by the riser assembly. A diverter valve is supported by the lower end of the riser tube and is configured to selectively divert water between the showerhead and the hand shower.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.
The present invention is best described with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, which are described herein. The embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings. Therefore, no limitation of the scope of the claimed invention is thereby intended. The present invention includes any alterations and further modifications of the illustrated devices and described methods and further applications of the principles of the invention which would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
With reference initially to
With further reference to
With reference to
With reference to
A valve member 92 is supported within the valve body 72 such that movement of the valve member 92 diverts water from the inlet port 74 to one of the first outlet port 76 and the second outlet port 78. The valve member 92 illustratively includes a diverter cylinder 94 receiving a diverter stem 96. A retaining ring 98 illustratively secures the diverter cylinder 94 within the valve body 72.
The diverter stem 96 illustratively includes openings 100 defining a passageway 102 that is selectively alignable with either the first outlet port 76 or the second outlet port 78. The diverter stem 96 is illustratively secured to a diverter handle adapter 104 via a fastener, such as a bolt 106. A diverter control handle 108 receives the handle adapter 104 such that rotation of the handle 108 causes rotation of the handle adapter 104 and the diverter stem 96, thereby diverting water flow between the first outlet port 76 (and the overhead showerhead 32) and the second outlet port 78 (and the hand shower 34).
With reference to
A supply adapter 117 may threadably couple with the elbow 116 and the inlet tube 112 of the supply elbow 110. The inlet tube 112 of the supply elbow 110 inserts into the supply adapter 117 and is secured to the shower wall 14 with anchors, such as screws 118 (
The rearwardly facing inlet tube 112 of the supply elbow 110 defines a rotational axis 124. The forwardly facing outlet tube 114 is fluidly coupled to the riser assembly 12 and defines an outlet axis 126. The rotational axis 124 is spaced apart from the outlet axis 126 such that the inlet tube 112 is eccentrically mounted relative to the outlet tube 114. As such, lateral adjustment of the outlet tube 114 is provided as the supply elbow 110 is rotated about the rotational axis 124 (as shown by
A supply anchor 127 couples the supply elbow 110 with the upper connector 42. More particularly, a set screw 128 secures the supply anchor 127 to the supply elbow 110, and the upper connector 42 threadably couples with the supply anchor 127. The outlet tube 114 of the supply elbow 110 is received within the first inlet port 56 of the upper connector 42. A supply escutcheon 129 is received over the supply anchor 127.
With reference now to
With reference to
A conventional valve cartridge 136 is received within the valve body 133 and is configured to control the flow of water from the hot water inlet 22 and the cold water inlet 24 to the outlet 26. The outlet 26 is fluidly coupled with the supply elbow 110 via the water supply pipe 115. The valve cartridge 136 may be a conventional thermostatic valve cartridge including a volume control input 144 and a temperature control input 146, illustratively a valve stem. A mounting nut 148 illustratively secures the valve cartridge 136 within the valve body 133. An o-ring 150 is illustratively supported by the mounting nut 148.
With reference to
With reference to
During assembly, the escutcheon 156 is illustratively pushed over the wall plate 152 and then rotated into place, locking into the locking ring 158. The mounting hub 132 is then pushed through the opening 161 in the escutcheon 156, engaging the inner wall plate seal 162, and snapping into place with the lips 176 of fingers 174 engaging groove 178 in the mounting hub 132.
With reference to
A glide ring 190 may be positioned axially intermediate the volume control handle 184 and the mounting hub 132. A temperature control handle adapter 194 is illustratively secured to the temperature control stem 146 of the valve cartridge 136 via a screw 195. A temperature control handle 196 is illustratively coupled to the temperature control handle adapter 194 to allow a user to rotate the stem 146 and control temperature of water provided to the outlet 26 of the valve body 133 and, therefore to the water supply pipe 115.
With reference to
The overhead showerhead 32 is fluidly coupled to the outlet of the upper connector 42 via a conventional tubular shower arm 208. The hand shower 34 is fluidly coupled to the second outlet of the diverter valve 30 via flexible hose 84. As detailed above, operation of the diverter valve 30 switches outlet water flow between the overhead showerhead 32 and the hand shower 34.
With reference to
With reference to
A volume control handle adapter 250 is coupled to the valve cartridge 136 via conventional fasteners, such as snaps that engage into recesses in the valve cartridge 136. The volume control handle adapter 250 illustratively includes expansion ferrules 254 configured to receive bolts 252 for expanding bosses 256 on the adapter 250 to hold the volume control handle 184 in place (
A stem extension 260 is illustratively coupled to the stem 146 of the valve cartridge 136 via screw 262. A temperature control handle adapter 264 is coupled to the stem extension 260, illustratively through a snap connection, such as fingers 266 including lips 268 configured to snap over a flange 270 of the volume control handle 184. The temperature control handle 196 is secured to the temperature control handle adapter 264.
Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the spirit and scope of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/263,996, filed Dec. 7, 2015, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
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