Patent Application
20240218645
This disclosure relates to a shower head assembly incorporating an extendable wand handle and adaptable shower head.
The present invention results from the inventor's experience in working to overcome an emergency medical condition during which she personally experienced the hardships of individuals disabled by physical constraints to accomplish even simple everyday tasks such as taking a shower without assistance. More specifically, many people find it physically difficult to be flexible enough to move so as to perform even basic hygiene tasks such as showering or bathing without assistance. Even if the individual has mobility with their arms and hands to be able to sit in a tub or on a shower bench and manipulate a washcloth or shower head, it can be difficult for some individuals to be able to effectively wash their feet or back.
Although any number of conventional shower heads are available which permit a user to move the shower head around to perform a shower that provides shower sprinkler water to much of the user's body, the present inventor's personal experience in recovering from a medical condition made her realize how difficult a conventional shower head, even if configured as a wand on a flexible hose, can be to use. A conventional shower head does not permit the user to perform a satisfactory shower over such body areas as their feet or the bottoms of their feet or their back when body mobility has been compromised by a medical condition such as a stroke, broken bones, or even simple normal physical problems such as being overweight or other conditions limiting physical movements. Even perfectly healthy individuals may have difficulty with, for example, scrubbing their back or feet effectively during a shower without using bath accessories such as a shower brush having a length designed to permit the user to independently scrub such areas as their feet or back.
The present invention discloses a shower head assembly configured with a flexible hose and a shower wand that is configured to be selectively extendable to permit a user to much more easily reach troublesome body areas such a feet, bottom of the feet, and back.
In a preferred exemplary embodiment, one face of the shower head of the shower head assembly is configured as a conventional shower sprinkler head while the other face of the shower head is configured to accommodate any number of bath accessories, including, for example, a scrub brush, or a sponge.
Therefore the user can use such attachable bath utensils as a component on the shower wand itself, without having to rely on additional bath accessories such as scrub brushes, sponges, etc., and without having to exert themselves to apply such bath accessories on difficult places to reach on their body. In preferred exemplary embodiments, the shower head is configured to permit water and/or soap to be selectively emitted from the selected attachment.
The shower head assembly of the present invention thereby provides an apparatus that serves as a bath utensil that makes taking personal showers or baths easier, more efficient, and even more enjoyable for persons with (or without) physical disabilities but also provides a shower utensil that makes it easier for a caregiver to provide showers or baths for other individuals such as children or incapacitated individuals. With a proper brush attachment, the shower head could be useful for washing hair. Therefore, the present invention would be useful not only in bathrooms of personal residences but also in such places as hospitals and veterinary clinics.
Additionally, the shower head of the present invention can be used for such other purposes as providing a shower or bath for pets, as a tool for cleaning physical areas such as the shower stall or bathtub or surrounding areas, or for quickly and easily scrubbing and/or rinsing an article of clothing, etc. Thus, the shower head of the present invention could be a useful tool in any number of environments both inside and outside of a bathroom or medical facility.
In one example, a shower head assembly includes a shower head component having a first face and a second face opposite to the first face. The first face includes a shower sprinkler head configured for allowing water to flow therethrough. The second face includes an attachment fitting configured for selectively attaching to cleaning utensils. The shower head assembly further includes a rigid wand handle having a proximal end attached to the shower head component and a distal end that is selectively attachable to a water hose. The rigid wand handle is configured to extend and retract, such that the rigid wand handle has an extended configuration and a retracted configuration. The rigid wand handle may be curved or straight. The rigid wand handle may have a telescoping construction that includes an inner handle portion disposed inside of an outer handle portion. The shower head assembly may further include a reservoir disposed in the rigid wand handle. The reservoir may be configured for storing and dispensing soap.
The accompanying drawing illustrates several exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention according to the exemplary embodiments. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the particular arrangements illustrated in the drawing is merely exemplary and are not to be considered as limiting of the scope of the invention or the claims herein in any way.
The present invention provides a shower head assembly that makes taking a shower or bath more efficient and convenient. Additionally, the shower head assembly could be used in diverse other cleaning applications such as, for example, pet grooming or even washing vehicles.
The invention is described by reference to various elements herein. It should be noted, however, that although the various elements of the inventive apparatus are described separately below, the elements need not necessarily be separate. The various embodiment may be interconnected and may be cut out of a singular block or mold. The variety of different ways of forming an inventive apparatus, in accordance with the disclosure herein, may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.
Generally, one or more different embodiments may be described in the present application. Further, for one or more of the embodiments described herein, numerous alternative arrangements may be described: it should be appreciated that these are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting of the embodiments contained herein or the claims presented herein in any way. One or more of the arrangements may be widely applicable to numerous embodiments, as may be readily apparent from the disclosure. In general, arrangements are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice one or more of the embodiments, and it should be appreciated that other arrangements may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments. Particular features of one or more of the embodiments described herein may be described with reference to one or more particular embodiments or figures that form a part of the present disclosure, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific arrangements of one or more of the aspects. It should be appreciated, however, that such features are not limited to usage in the one or more particular embodiments or figures with reference to which they are described. The present disclosure is neither a literal description of all arrangements of one or more of the embodiments nor a listing of features of one or more of the embodiments that must be present in all arrangements.
Headings of sections provided in this patent application and the title of this patent application are for convenience only and are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way.
Devices and parts that are connected to each other need not be in continuous connection with each other, unless expressly specified otherwise. In addition, devices and parts that are connected with each other may be connected directly or indirectly through one or more connection means or intermediaries.
A description of an aspect with several components in connection with each other does not imply that all such components are required. To the contrary, a variety of optional components may be described to illustrate a wide variety of possible embodiments and in order to more fully illustrate one or more embodiments. Similarly, although process steps, method steps, or the like may be described in a sequential order, such processes and methods may generally be configured to work in alternate orders, unless specifically stated to the contrary. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be described in this patent application does not, in and of itself, indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. The steps of described processes may be performed in any order practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously despite being described or implied as occurring non-simultaneously (e.g., because one step is described after the other step). Moreover, the illustration of a process by its depiction in a drawing does not imply that the illustrated process is exclusive of other variations and modifications thereto, does not imply that the illustrated process or any of its steps are necessary to one or more of the embodiments, and does not imply that the illustrated process is preferred. Also, steps are generally described once per aspect, but this does not mean they must occur once, or that they may only occur once each time a process, or method is carried out or executed. Some steps may be omitted in some embodiments or some occurrences, or some steps may be executed more than once in a given aspect or occurrence.
When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device or article may be used in place of a single device or article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that a single device or article may be used in place of the more than one device or article.
The functionality or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices that are not explicitly described as having such functionality or features. Thus, other embodiments need not include the device itself.
Techniques and mechanisms described or referenced herein will sometimes be described in singular form for clarity. However, it should be appreciated that particular embodiments may include multiple iterations of a technique or multiple instantiations of a mechanism unless noted otherwise. Alternate implementations are included within the scope of various embodiments in which, for example, functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art.
The apparatus of the present invention provides a shower head assembly that can be useful in any number of cleaning applications. The shower head assembly includes an extendable rigid wand handle and a shower head component having and accessory attachment fitting.
The extendable wand 104 has a distal end 104b that is configured to be attached to a flexible hose 106 which, in turn, has its opposite end configured to attach to a conventional shower head plumbing pipe. In some embodiments, this hose 106 could be configured so as to permit the length of the hose 106 to be lengthened to suit the intended use of the shower head assembly. In other cleaning applications such as vehicle washing, the hose 106 or the extendable wand 104 could be configured to mate with a garden hose or outside spigot head.
The extendable rigid wand 104 can be fabricated in various configurations. In the exemplary embodiments for primary use as a shower head for bathing, the extendable wand 104 can include a flow control valve 108 for controlling water flow to the shower head 102. The rigid wand handle 104 may further include a soap reservoir 116 configured to store and dispense soap. A button 118 on the handle 104 may be pressed by a user in order to release the handle 104 to allow the handle to extend and/or retract.
As shown in
The flow control valve 108 may be configured to control whether the water moving through the hose 106 and rigid wand 104 is directed to the sprinkler head 102 or the utensil attached to the attachment fitting 110.
The extendable rigid wand 104 can be fabricated in any of various ways. For example, a narrower inner rigid tube could be fitted inside a wider outer rigid tube in a manner that permits the inner tube to slide to different desired positions using, for example, washers that provide a watertight seal for the wand assembly 104. Another possibility is to use a coiled flexible tube inside the narrower inner rigid tube that extends as the inner and outer tube sections are changed in length and that conducts water from the hose end to the shower head component 102. Yet another possible configuration is to have a coiled water hose fitted inside the outer wand handle having one end connected to the shower head 102 and the other end connected to the hose end 104b of the wand 104, such that the end of the coiled hose connected to the hose end can be pulled outside the outer wand handle. It should be clear to one having ordinary skill that the extendable wand 104 could be based on other mechanisms that permit the wand 104 to be extended while still providing water flow from the hose 106 to the shower head component 102. In one example, as shown in
In preferred embodiments, the rigid wand 104 is sufficiently rigid to permit a reasonable amount of force for scrubbing. Such rigidity could be provided, for example, by fabricating the wand handle 104 to be ribbed in a longitudinal direction or by fabricating the wand handle 104 with sufficiently rigid material such as metal.
It should also be clear to one having ordinary skill in the art that the shower head assembly 100 could be fabricated using any number of different materials, based on, for example, cost, durability, etc. As non-limiting examples, various components could be fabricated using any of various plastics, metal or metal alloys, resins, polymers, etc.
In another example, shown in
Similar to the exemplary shower bead assembly depicted in
As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodiments may be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term “coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. The embodiments are not limited in this context.
As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising.” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and Bis false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and Bis true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.
Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciate still additional alternative structural and functional designs for a system and a process for creating an interactive message through the disclosed principles herein. Thus, while particular embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to the precise construction and components disclosed herein. Various apparent modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the method and apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/436,392, filed Dec. 30, 2022, entitled “Shower Head Assembly With Extendable Wand Handle And Adaptable Shower Head,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63436392 | Dec 2022 | US |
