The invention relates to a shower head, in particular, a shower head that is attached to a fitting such that it is pivotable.
A pivotable shower head configured from a few parts is already known (cf. U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,444). A seal serves to both seal the joint and brake pivoting of the housing of the shower head. However, that shower head contains no sprayer disk.
The problem addressed by the invention is creating a shower head that is as simply constructed as possible, inexpensive to manufacture, and consists of as few parts as possible.
In order to solve that problem, the invention proposes a shower head having those features stated in claim 1. Elaborations on the invention are covered by the subclaims.
In the simplest case, the shower head proposed by the invention consists of two parts, namely, a housing and a sprayer-disk element, along with a seal.
Under an elaboration on the invention, it may be provided that the housing is cup-shaped, where the opening for inserting a connecting element is arranged in the vicinity of the base of the cup, in which case, it may be provided that the sprayer disk covers the opening in the cup.
Under a further elaboration on the invention, the connection between the sprayer-disk element and the housing may be arranged in the vicinity of the opening for the connecting element.
According to the invention, it may be provided that the device for connecting the housing and the sprayer disk is a snap-on connector. In assembling the housing, all that needs to be done is insert the connecting element through the opening for the connecting element and insert the sprayer-disk element into the housing. The latter will then automatically snap into place in the connector at the right location thereon.
It will also be feasible to provide that the joining device has a bayonet fitting or a threaded fitting requiring no screws.
The seal may be a simple, mass-produced, O-ring seal that is available at low cost.
It will also be feasible, and is covered under the invention, if the seal has a large surface area, i.e., is, for example, a sleeve.
Under an elaboration on the invention, it may be provided that the sprayer-disk element has a roughly cylindrical extension on its inner surface, to whose outer edge the sprayer disk is attached. In particular, that extension, together with the sprayer-disk element, may be configured in the form of a single, monolithic unit.
Under an elaboration on the invention, it may be provided that the cylindrical extension of the sprayer-disk element interacts with a cylindrical extension on the inner surface of the housing, where it may be provided that the joining device acts between the two cylindrical extensions.
Under an elaboration on the invention, in order to arrive at a particularly favorable design, it may be provided that the seal for the connecting element and the seal for the edge of the sprayer disk are fabricated, in particular, are injection molded, as a single, monolithic unit.
In particular, it may be provided that the seal for the sprayer disk is part of an elastomer disk abutting against the inner surface of the sprayer disk, facing the openings from which jets of water exit.
The invention proposes that the seal that seals the edge of the sprayer disk to the housing be loaded in compression along a direction normal to the plane of the openings in the housing from which jets of water exit.
In order to allow a tight sealing between the edge of the sprayer disk and the housing in the case of a housing for which the cylindrical extension extends far into the as well, in accordance with the invention, the sprayer disk may be inherently “springy,” which may, for example, be achieved by providing that the sprayer disk has a section that is thinner than the remainder thereof.
According to the invention, the joining device may be arranged closer to the opening for the connecting element than to the opening on the opposite end from which water exits, when viewed along the longitudinal axis of the housing of the shower head.
Under an elaboration on the invention, it may be provided that the connecting element has a roughly spherical end section that engages the housing and is pivotable with respect to the housing. The housing may thus be pivoted about the connecting element, which is attached to the end of a line, where, in particular, it may be provided that the seal will simultaneously also allow setting the former to a certain angle.
Other features, details, and benefits will be evident from the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of the invention and the drawings, which depict:
The cylindrical extension 8 on the inner surface of the sprayer disk 6 has several “snap”-type latching elements 11 that have a protrusion 12 on their outer surface, each of which is arranged in a through hole, distributed around its circumference. Those latching protrusions 12 engage the circumferential, V-shaped groove 10 when the sprayer-disk element in inserted into the housing 1.
A seal 13 that is configured in the form of an elastomer disk 14 and abuts against the inner surface of the sprayer disk 6 is provided for sealing the edge of the sprayer disk 6 to the rim 5 of the housing 1. That seal 13 is loaded in compression in the longitudinal direction in the vicinity of the zone where the edge of the sprayer disk 6 contacts the housing, where “the longitudinal direction” is that extending from the base 2 of the housing to the opening in its opposite end where jets of water exit.
The seal 13 in the form of an elastomer disk 14 continues along the inner surface of the cylindrical extension 8 of the sprayer-disk element 7, all the way out to the free end of the cylindrical extension 8. Its elastomeric material grips the housing through openings near the end of the cylindrical extension 8 that extend radially outward, and seals the housing with respect to leakage to the ambient. A seal 15, against which the end of the connecting element 4 abuts over a large area, is thus formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical extension 8. That seal 15 is pressed against the connecting element 4, in the vicinity of its end, by the cylindrical extension 8 of the sprayer-disk element 7, with the assistance of the pressure exerted by the cylindrical extension 9 of the housing 1.
In the case of the example shown, the connecting element 4 has a roughly spherical end section 16 arranged in the interior of the housing 1. The abutment of the seal 15 against the outer surface of its spherical end section 16 under pressure yields a braking effect in order that the housing 1 will be arrested at a preset position. However, the housing 1 may be pivoted with respect to the end section 16. The end section 16 has a through hole 17 for water to pass through. The section of the connecting element 4 that protrudes from the housing 1 is configured such that it may be screwed onto a water pipe or a hose fitting.
The elastomer disk 14 forming the seal 13 is also molded on the sprayer disk 6 such that portions thereof extend through openings in the latter, where those portions thereof that are molded thereon such that they extend through the latter form the openings through which jets of water exit.
The shower head is assembled as follows: The connecting element 4 is initially inserted into the housing 1 from the latter's open end with its upper end section, i.e., its top end, as shown in
An O-ring 20 that is held in place between the base 2 of the cup and the upper edge of the cylindrical extension 8 on the inner surface of the sprayer-disk element is provided for sealing the joint between the housing 1 and the connecting element 4. That O-ring 20 is also compressed by the upper edge of the cylindrical extension 8 in order that it will, in a similar manner, effect both a sealing and a braking of the housing 1 with respect to the end section of the connecting element 4.
In the case of this particular embodiment, a seal 27 arranged in a radially open groove serves to seal the sprayer disk 26 to the rim 5 of the housing. The sprayer-disk element 26 is configured such that it has a section 27 that is thinner than the remainder thereof in order to take up manufacturing tolerances. In this case as well, the zone extending around the edge of the disk 26 from which jets of water exit will also be pressed against the housing 1.
The upper section 15 of the seal that seals the joint between the cylindrical extension 8 of the sprayer-disk element and the end section 16 of the connecting element 4 is joined to the elastomer disk 14 by a channel 32 molded onto the outer surface of the cylindrical extension 8 of the sprayer-disk element. Once again, the cylindrical extension 8 is axially located by latching elements 11 having protrusions 12 that engage circumferential grooves in the spherical surface of the connecting element 4.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
101 08 248 | Feb 2001 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP02/01604 | 2/15/2002 | WO | 00 | 3/31/2004 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO02/066169 | 8/29/2002 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3876151 | Katva | Apr 1975 | A |
3998390 | Peterson et al. | Dec 1976 | A |
4497444 | Arnold | Feb 1985 | A |
5213267 | Heimann et al. | May 1993 | A |
5398872 | Joubran | Mar 1995 | A |
5697557 | Blessing et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20040164184 A1 | Aug 2004 | US |