This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/IB2005/003794 filed on Dec. 15, 2005, which claims the benefit of Italian Patent Application No. TO2004A000893 filed Dec. 22, 2004. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure applies to a perfected device for taking showers at alternating temperatures, the so-called Scottish shower or fitness shower.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A shower at alternating temperatures consists of supplying water at a relatively high temperature and water at a relatively low temperature to shower heads during alternating periods, whereby cycles of warm and cold-water flow are realized, which produce physiological reactions, which it is assumed produce a feeling of well-being. In practice, this process is carried out by periodically switching the inflow to the showerheads between the outlet of a thermostatic mixer, which supplies the warm water at a preset temperature, and the inflow from a water pipe that supplies the cold water. However, this known process for showering at alternating temperatures involves several disadvantages.
A first disadvantage is found in the fact that during the period of cold-water flow, the thermometer element, which is part of the thermostatic mixer and measures the temperature of the mixed water, cools down, as it is not immersed in the flow of mixed water, which is interrupted, and the element must again be brought up to temperature when the flow of warm water starts again. Warming the thermometer element requires a certain time, and during this transition period, the mixer delivers water at a temperature that is higher than the preset temperature. This causes discomfort to the person who is taking a shower, and it also involves the risk of burns, particularly when the inflow to the thermostatic mixer consists of water at a high temperature from a boiler, when said water is at a very high temperature. This disadvantage is especially serious when the thermostatic mixer uses a thermometer element of the metallic type, whose response is considerably slower than the type of thermometer element with wax.
Another disadvantage is the fact that while the temperature of the water flow at a relatively higher temperature can be preset as desired by the user by setting the thermostatic mixer accordingly, the temperature of the water flow at a relatively lower temperature cannot be set during the period of cold-water flow, because this is water that is supplied directly from the water pipe. Depending on the time and the season in question, this temperature can be very different from the one desired by the user and is generally too cold to correctly take a shower at alternating temperatures.
A task of the present disclosure is to perfect devices for showering at alternating temperatures so that the disadvantages of known devices are eliminated or ameliorated. In particular, a first objective of the disclosure is to create a device that ensures that the thermostatic mixer always supplies mixed water at the preset temperature, so that the water flow, when the showering cycle switches from cold-water flow to warm-water flow, has the desired temperature immediately, and not only after a transitional period. A further objective of the disclosure is to create a device that enables the user not only to set the flow temperature of the warm water according to his requirements and wishes, but also to set the flow temperature of the cold water at a level that is more or less above the temperature of the water supplied from the water pipe. It is also an objective of the disclosure to create devices for showering at alternating temperatures whose handling and adjustment is particularly simple and convenient for the user. And finally, it is an objective of the disclosure that the previously cited tasks be accomplished by means of inexpensive devices.
The first objective is inventively achieved with a device for taking showers at alternating temperatures, which in the known art comprises a supply pipe for one or more showerheads, a warm water pipe that is connected to the outlet of a thermostatic mixer, a cold water pipe that is connected to a delivery pipe, and switching means for switching the connection of the delivery pipe for the shower heads in relation to the warm water pipe and the cold water pipe, in that the switching means comprises a first control means that can assume two positions, in one position connecting the delivery pipe with the cold water pipe, and in the second position not connecting the delivery pipe with the cold water pipe, and a second control means that can assume two positions, the delivery pipe being connected with the warm water pipe in the first position, while in the second position the connection between the delivery pipe and the cold water pipe is constricted, without being interrupted; wherein the two control means are mutually coordinated in such a way that the second control means assumes its first position when the first control means does not connect the delivery pipe with the cold water pipe, and the second control means assumes its second position when the first control means connects the delivery pipe with the cold water pipe.
Thanks to these features, during the periods of cold-water flow, a limited amount of water coming out of the thermostatic mixer will be added to the cold water coming out of the water pipe. This amount can be small enough so that its influence on the temperature of the water supplied to the showerheads is negligible, so that the method of functioning of the inventive device is equivalent to the method of functioning of a known device, but a limited flow of mixed water continuously passes through the thermostatic mixer, and this flow, despite its small magnitude, maintains the temperature of the thermometer element of the thermostatic mixer. As a result, when inflow to the shower is switched to warm water after a period of cold-water flow, the thermostatic mixer is already prepared to supply water at the preset temperature, and there is no transitional period with a flow of water at an excessively high temperature.
The second position of the second control means can advantageously be adjusted by the user so that a larger or smaller constriction of the connection of the supply pipe to the warm water pipe can be realized.
In this way, the user can adjust the total amount of the additional mixed water added to the cold water coming from the water pipe during the period of cold-water flow, so that during these periods, the cold water supplied can be more or less modified in relation to the water coming out of the water pipe.
The device advantageously has a single actuating means available to the user which controls both control means, in order to switch from a flow of warm water to a flow of cold water, and vice versa, and this actuating means can be moved between two positions, which are defined by catches, so that the user can switch from one flow mode to the other flow mode by moving the actuating means between the catches, without having to concern himself with the adjustment of the position of the actuating means. In addition, the catch corresponding to the position for the flow of cold water is preferably adjustable, so that the user can set the temperature of the cold water before showering, without having to think about this while taking a shower.
The two control means can be made of a deflector that comprises a fixed plate with two openings that are connected to the warm water pipe or, as the case may be, to the cold water pipe, and a movable plate, that is displaceable through the action of an actuating means and has an opening that is connected to the delivery pipe, wherein the displacement path of the movable plate is limited by two catches, the first catch determining a position in which the opening of the movable plate is connected only to the opening that is connected to the warm water pipe, while the second catch determines a position in which the opening of the movable plate is connected to both the opening that is connected to the cold water pipe and, to a limited extent, to the opening that is connected to the warm water pipe.
The second catch is preferably provided with means for adjusting its position.
Alternatively, the second control means can consist of a deflector in the shape of a pusher, which comprises a first section for blocking or unblocking a channel connected to the cold water pipe and a second section for unblocking or only partially blocking a channel connected to the warm water pipe.
The deflector in the form of a pusher is preferably provided with means for setting the degree of partial blocking of the channel connected to the warm water pipe.
These and additional characteristics, objectives, and functions of the objective of the present disclosure are seen in more detail in the following description of a few embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which depict non-restrictive examples, of which;
The two plates, the fixed plate 5 and the movable plate 9, which in this case form the deflector, are illustrated individually in
The fixed plate 5 has two admeasurement openings 6 and 7, to which the warm water pipe 4 coming from the thermostatic mixer 3, or, as the case may be, the cold water pipe 2 coming from the water pipe, are connected. A third central opening 8 is connected to the delivery pipe 12 for the showerheads (not shown).
The movable plate 9 has an admeasurement opening 10 intended for interaction with the openings 6 and 7 of the fixed plate 5, as well as a central opening 11 connected to the admeasurement opening 10 and intended for connection with the opening 9 of the fixed plate 5.
In
In
It is actually sufficient to displace the movable plate 9 into a position in which its opening 10 is also connected to the opening 6 of the fixed plate 5, unless it is connected to the opening 7 of the fixed plate 5 to a greater extent than the greatly reduced extent seen in
It should be kept in mind that the described embodiments of the fixed and movable plates are only examples, which is why these plates can be given different physical forms that realize the same functions.
In addition,
In this case, the actuating agent of the deflector is a rod 14 that is trued with a recess 15. This rod 14 passes through the pipes 2 and 4 and serves as a sluice. In the position according to
In the position according to
In addition, the pusher 17 is screwed onto the rod 14 in an adjustable position, so that the user, by rotating the pusher 17, can preset the position assumed by the rod 14 when the pusher 17 is pushed, and in this way can preset the size of the passage available to the warm water during cold-water flow, and the user can, if he wishes, determine a variation of the temperature of the water in the periods of cold-water flow.
Alternatively, the rod 14 can be rotatably moved between certain positions and display configurations that are suitable for realizing the same behavior in the manner described above.
The inventive device therefore makes it possible, with essentially simple means and in a secure manner, to eliminate the disadvantages of known devices for showering at alternating temperatures, particularly the discomfort and potential risk that result from the delay in response of the thermometer element of a thermostatic mixer, and it makes it possible for the user, with embodiments that exploit all of the possibilities offered by the disclosure, to modify the temperature of the water during periods of cold-water flow, whereby this function is not present at all in known devices. In addition, the device puts the user in a position to use these functions in an extremely simple way by determining operation before taking a shower and not having to perform any further manipulation during the act of showering.
It should be kept in mind that the disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments that are illustrated as examples. A number of modifications are described, and additional modifications are within the competence of a person skilled in the art. These and additional modifications, as well as any replacements by technical equivalents, can be added to the examples described and illustrated without exceeding the extent of protection of the disclosure and this patent.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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TO2004A0893 | Dec 2004 | IT | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4183377 | Bernat | Jan 1980 | A |
4258751 | Humpert | Mar 1981 | A |
5551630 | Enoki et al. | Sep 1996 | A |
Number | Date | Country |
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2260845 | Jun 1974 | DE |
2735544 | Feb 1979 | DE |
29720701 | Apr 1998 | DE |
1094378 | Apr 2001 | EP |
10131249 | May 1998 | JP |
WO03095752 | Nov 2003 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20070290055 A1 | Dec 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/IB2005/003794 | Dec 2005 | US |
Child | 11767058 | US |