Patent Application
20140069519
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plastic faucet body with copper connecting legs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional faucet comprises a faucet body, and more particularly to a H-shaped faucet body with two inlets. This H-shaped faucet body comprises two seat portions mounted on two sides thereof, a connecting portion defined between the two seat portions, and two support feet extending downwardly from two bottom ends of the two seat portions. Each support foot has an inlet formed on a bottom end thereof for flowing cold water or hot water and has a channel for communicating with each seat portion. The each seat portion is used to receive a valve member controlled by a handle. The connecting portion has at least one outlet defined on a middle section thereof so as to connect with a water pipe or a shower via a hole.
To fix the faucet body, each support foot has outer threads molded on an outer surface thereof so as to screw with a washbasin by ways of a nut, and then a cover is covered in the washbasin, thus connecting the faucet body.
It is well known that the handle is provided to control the valve member so that the hot water and the cold water flow into the at least one outlet at a desired ratio, thus controlling water temperature.
Conventional faucet body is casting molded from copper material, so sand core and sand mold are required prior to casting mold the faucet body, and copper liquid is poured, finally the sand core is removed. In addition, the faucet body is machined, including reaming, drilling, and milling. But the machining process is complicated and takes a long time. Likewise, the tools for machining the faucet body are damaged easily, and the faucet body is casting molded from copper material, thereby casing high production cost.
A conventional integrally plastic faucet body and a method for making thereof are disclosed in CN Publication No. 101664980. A faucet body is overmolded from plastic material, and two support feet are made of plastic material, wherein each support foot has a toothed component or a copper leg insert molded from copper material, thus producing the faucet body made of copper material and plastic material. However, a slit generates on a connection zone of the copper leg and the support foot, thus leaking water and having water pollution.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a plastic faucet body with copper connecting legs which is capable of overcoming the shortcomings of the conventional plastic faucet body with copper connecting legs.
To obtain the above objectives, a plastic faucet body with copper connecting legs provided by one embodiment of the present invention contains:
a plastic member injection molded from plastic material and including two seat portions mounted on two sides thereof, a connecting portion defined between the two seat portions, and two support feet extending downwardly from two bottom ends of the two seat portions; each support foot having an inlet formed on a bottom end thereof and a channel arranged in the each support foot and communicating with each seat portion; the connecting portion having at least one exit defined on a middle section thereof and having a tunnel defined therein and communicating with the each seat portion;
two copper connecting legs made of cooper material, and each copper connecting leg being engaged on an outer wall of the each support foot of the plastic member and having a threaded section formed on the outer wall thereof; characterized in that:
a bottom end portion of the each copper connecting leg beyond a bottom end of the each support foot forms a distance so that between an inner fence of the each copper connecting leg and the bottom end of the each support foot is defined a receiving chamber for receiving a distal end of a cold water pipe or a distal end of a hot water pipe;
a lower coupling portion forms on a connection zone of the bottom end of the each support foot and the inner wall of the each copper connecting leg;
a groove communicates with the receiving chamber and connects with the lower coupling portion;
a seal element is retained with the groove so as to stop cold water from the cold water pipe or hot water from the hot water pipe flowing into the lower coupling portion.
In addition, a plastic faucet body with copper connecting legs provided by another embodiment of the present invention contains:
a plastic member injection molded from plastic material and including two seat portions mounted on two sides thereof, a connecting portion defined between the two seat portions, and two support feet extending downwardly from two bottom ends of the two seat portions; each support foot having an inlet formed on a bottom end thereof and a channel arranged in the each support foot and communicating with each seat portion; the connecting portion having at least one exit defined on a middle section thereof and having a tunnel defined therein and communicating with the each seat portion;
two copper connecting legs made of cooper material, and each copper connecting leg being engaged on an outer wall of the each support foot of the plastic member and having a threaded section formed on the outer wall thereof; characterized in that:
a bottom end portion of the each copper connecting leg beyond a bottom end of the each support foot forms a distance so that between an inner fence of the each copper connecting leg and the bottom end of the each support foot is defined a receiving chamber for receiving a distal end of a cold water pipe or a distal end of a hot water pipe;
a lower coupling portion forms on a connection zone of the bottom end of the each support foot and the inner wall of the each copper connecting leg;
at least one groove is defined on an upper side and a lower side of an external peripheral face of the each support foot relative to an inner fence of each copper connecting leg;
the each copper connecting leg is fitted with the each support foot, after the seal element is retained in each groove such that cold water from the cold water pipe or hot water from the hot water pipe is stopped from flowing into the lower coupling portion.
Thereby, the lower coupling portion of the connection zone of the each support foot and the inner wall of the each copper connecting leg is moved to an upper position, such that receiving chamber is defined on the inner fence of the each copper connecting leg so as to receive the cold water pipe or the hot water pipe, and one groove is formed so as to retain the seal element and to stop the cold water from the cold water pipe or the hot water from the hot water pipe flowing into the lower coupling portion, thus avoiding water pollution. In addition, the each copper connecting leg can be also fitted with the each support foot, after the seal element is retained in each groove so as to stop water, which flows into the lower coupling portion, leaking outwardly.
The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The plastic member 10 is injection molded from plastic material and includes two seat portions 11 mounted on two sides thereof, a connecting portion 12 defined between the two seat portions 11, and two support feet 13 extending downwardly from two bottom ends of the two seat portions 11. As shown in
The two copper connecting legs 20 are made of cooper material, and each copper connecting leg 20 is engaged on an outer wall of the each support foot 13 of the plastic member 10 and has a threaded section 201 formed on the outer wall thereof.
An improvement of the plastic faucet body of the present invention contains:
a bottom end portion of the each copper connecting leg 20 beyond a bottom end of the each support foot 13 forming a distance S so that between an inner fence 21 of the each copper connecting leg 20 and the bottom end of the each support foot 13 being defined a receiving chamber 30 for receiving a distal end of a cold water pipe or a distal end of a hot water pipe 40, as illustrated in
a lower coupling portion a formed on a connection zone of the bottom end of the each support foot 13 and the inner wall of the each copper connecting leg 20;
a groove 50 communicating with the receiving chamber 30 and connecting with the lower coupling portion a;
a seal element 60 retained with the groove 50 so as to stop cold water from the cold water pipe or hot water from the hot water pipe 40 flowing into the lower coupling portion a;
the each support foot 13 having a stepped fitting portion 134 formed on a bottom end thereof, and the stepped fitting portion 134 having a diameter smaller than that of the each support foot 13; an outer fence 135 of the stepped fitting portion 134 and the inner fence 21 of the each copper connecting leg 20 defining a part of the groove 50, and the lower coupling portion a located at a bottom fence 51 of the groove 50;
the seal element 60 being an O ring made of rubber material, and the seal element 60 having an external rim 61 contacting with an outer fringe 135 of the stepped fitting portion 134 and an external periphery 62 retaining with the inner fence 21 of the each copper connecting leg 20.
In this embodiment, the seal element 60 is retained in the groove 50 so as to stop the cold water from the cold water pipe or the hot water from the hot water pipe 40 flowing into the lower coupling portion a and flowing out of the connection zone of the each support foot 13 and the each copper connecting leg 20.
It is to be noted that the faucet body 1 is provided to couple with three kinds of cold water pipes or hot water pipes 40. A first kind of cold water pipe or hot water pipe 40 is a wedged connecting pipe 40 as shown in
Referring further to
As shown in
As shown in
As illustrated in
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201220455548.1 | Sep 2012 | CN | national |
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of application Ser. No. 13/714,533, filed Dec. 14, 2012.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13714533 | Dec 2012 | US |
| Child | 13753644 | US |
