Patent Grant
8366025
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shower head that is fixed on a wall and is capable of being adjusted its angle to spray water splashes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional shower head is fixed on a wall and capable of being lifted a flowing path by rotating a cover, but it is force-consuming to operate the shower head due to the cover is fixed at a higher position. Another conventional shower head disclosed in CN Pub. No. 201143473Y is capable of being lifted its flowing path by using a pull line, however its structure is quite complicated, thereby operating the shower head inconveniently.
A structure of conventional shower head to lift a flowing path disclosed in the CN Pub. No. 101862711A is capable of being rotated to lift the flowing path, but it still has the following defects:
1. The pull line is applied to actuate a ratchet shaft to rotate, however a forcing angle and direction of the pull line will be close to a horizontal angle to make the pull line be at a higher forcing point without being operated easily by the older and children.
2. A dead angle of the pulling force will generate, so a pulling block will not actuate the ratchet shaft to rotate smoothly. Even though the ratchet shaft is actuated to rotate, the pull line will support a larger pull force to decrease its service life. In addition, only small part of the pull force is used to rotate the pulling block and the ratchet shaft, and most part thereof will act on an abnormal operating direction and angle of the pulling block and the ratchet shaft to break the structure among the pulling block, the ratchet shaft, and the related components, thus further breaking or losing the lifting function of the flowing path.
3. Such a conventional shower head can not be equipped with a knob member because when adjusting a certain angle of the knob member, the forced direction of the pull line is changed greatly to cause a dead angle without operating the shower head smoothly.
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 shower head which is capable of overcoming the shortcomings of the conventional shower head.
Further object of the present invention is to provide a shower head that the pulling force is provided on the pushing member in the axial direction without generating a dead angle during operation, thus operating the shower head effortlessly and smoothly. Furthermore, the second pull line falling vertically is applied to be operated easily by the old and children.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a shower head of which the first and the second pull lines are served to provide the pulling force so that when the head assembly rotates on the tube member, various spray angles of the water splash can be adjusted without stopping lifting the water splash level
To obtain the above objectives, a shower head provided by the present invention contains:
a body including an inflow passage, a plurality of distributing passages extending from the inflow passage to distribute the water so as to generate multi-level water splash, and a first groove communicating with the inflow passage; the first groove including a ratchet seat, the ratchet seat including a plurality of ratchet blocks fixed thereon, and between any two adjacent first ratchet blocks is defined a second groove;
a rotary disk installed in the inflow passage of the body and including a second disc portion, a post portion extending downward from the second disc portion, an opening passing through the second disc portion and the post portion; the second disc portion including at least one third bore to alternatively communicate with the distributing passages with rotation; the post portion including at least one annular ratchet integrally formed on a bottom end thereof to engage with the ratchet seat, such that the ratchet is acted by an axial pushing force, a peripheral driving force, and an axial restoring force in order to rotate a predetermined angle on the ratchet seat so that the third bore of the second disc portion is rotated to communicate with another distributing passage;
a first resilient element used to provide a driving force and the restoring force onto the rotary disk;
a pushing member fixed in the opening of the rotary disk and including a number of second ratchet blocks to be retained in the second grooves of the ratchet seat of the body so as to be limited to move vertically; the second ratchet blocks moves upward when the pushing member is pulled by an axial pulling force to move upward, teeth of the rotary disk are pushed by the pushing member to disengage from the first ratchet blocks, and the rotary disk is released by the pulling force to move back to an original position;
a second resilient element used to provide the restoring force onto the pushing member after releasing the pulling force;
a pulling device served to provide the pulling force on the pushing member and including an external portion extending from the body to be forced and an internal portion located at the body to be pulled, the internal portion at least containing a pull line member with a suitable length to insert through the inflow passage of the body
The present invention will be clearer from the following description when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to
The body 10 includes an inflow passage 101, a plurality of distributing passages 102 extending from the inflow passage 101 to distribute the water so as to generate multi-level water splash, and a first groove 103 communicating with the inflow passage 101; the first groove 103 includes a ratchet seat 104.
The body 10 includes a tube member 10a to flow the water inward and a head assembly 10b as shown in
The housing 11 includes a tunnel 111 formed therein to define one part of the inflow passage 101, an inlet segment to form the shower head 1 secured on a top end thereof, and a projection 112 extending from an outer surface of a peripheral wall thereof, and the projection 112 includes a through hole 113 communicating with the tunnel 111 and a positioning slot 114 proximate to the through hole 113. The housing 11 also includes a joint 110 screwed on a top end thereof to connect with an inlet pipe and to receive a throttle valve and a filter.
The spherical member 12 is screwed with a bottom end of the housing 11 so that a spherical knob 105 is formed on a bottom end of the tube member 10a as shown in
The holder 13 is defined between the spherical member 12 and the housing 11 as illustrated in
The cover 14 is locked on the projection 112 of the housing 11.
The washer 15 is forced by the cover 14 to be further retained in the positioning slot 114 of the projection 112.
The housing 11 is used to form a spherical mount 106 as illustrated in
The head assembly 10b as shown in
The passage assembly 16 is provided to form one parts of the inflow passage 101 and the distributing passages 102 and includes a first circular plate 16a, a second circular plate 16b, and a third circular plate 16c.
The first circular plate 16a includes a first disc portion 161, an upper shaft portion 162 extending upward from a top surface of the first disc portion 161, a lower shaft portion 163 extending downward from a bottom surface of the first disc portion 161 as illustrated in
In this embodiment, the ratchet seat 104 includes six first ratchet blocks 107 fixed in an equiangular arrangement manner, and between any two adjacent first ratchet blocks 107 is defined a second groove 108.
In this embodiment, the cavity 164 of the first circular plate 16a includes six inlets 165 formed on the bottom surface thereof in an equiangular arrangement manner as shown in
Between the second circular plate 16b and the first circular plate 16a are defined three sets of first distributing rooms 166 as illustrated in
Between the third circular plate 16c and the second circular plate 16b are defined three second distributing rooms 168 to communicate with the first distributing rooms 166 individually, and each second distributing room 168 includes a plurality of outlets 169 to spray the water.
The passage assembly 16 is capable of forming three distributing passages 102 by ways of the three inlet sets 165, the three sets of first distributing rooms 166, and the three second distributing rooms 168. Because each set of distributing passage 102 is capable of being formed one water splash mode, there are three water splash modes provided in this embodiment. Since the structure of the distributing passage 102 is well-know, only some features are described as follows.
The screwing element 17 is screwed with the top end of the upper shaft portion 162 of the first circular plate 16a.
The pads 18 are fixed on a top end of the cavity 164 of the first circular plate 16a and limited by the screwing element 17 so that the spherical knob 105 is limited by the pads 18, such that the first circular plate 16a allows to rotate on the spherical knob 105, thereby adjusting a spray angle of the water splash.
The stopping member 19 as shown in
The casing 181 as illustrated in
The nozzle member 182 as shown in
The lid 183 as illustrated in
The rotary disk 20 as shown in
The second disc portion 21 includes at least one third bore 211, wherein there are two opposite third bores 211 provided in this embodiment to alternatively communicate with one set of inlets 165 with rotation, accordingly the water flows into the inlet 165 and the cavity 164 via the cavity 164 of the first circular plate 16a to generate the water splash.
To enhance the tightness between the second disc portion 21 and the cavity 164 of the first circular plate 16a, a sealing ring 16d is fixed between the second disc portion 21 and the cavity 164 and includes six fourth bores 16e secured thereon in an equiangular arrangement manner and two fixing pegs 16f extending upward from a bottom end thereof to retain with two first recesses 160 on the bottom surface thereof as illustrated in
The post portion 22 includes at least one annular ratchet 221 integrally formed on a bottom end thereof, there are six teeth 222 provided in an equiangular arrangement manner to engage with the six first ratchet blocks 107 of the ratchet seat 104, such that when the ratchet 221 is acted by an axial pushing force, a peripheral driving force, and an axial restoring force in order, it rotates 60 degrees on the ratchet seat 104 in a predetermined circumferential direction so that the third bore 211 of the second disc portion 21 is rotated to communicate with another inlet set 165 of the first circular plate 16a, thus lifting water splash level.
The fitting portion 24 includes a second recess 241 formed therein to communicate with the opening 23.
The first resilient element 30 as illustrated in
The pushing member 40 as shown in
The second sleeve 43 as illustrated in
The second resilient element 50 as illustrated in
The pulling device 60 includes a first pull line 61, a spherical member 62, a shank 63, a second pull line 64, and a guiding member 65 as illustrated in
The first pull line 61 includes two tabs 611 formed on two ends thereof respectively to insert through the first bore 131 of the holder 13 and the fifth bore 431 of the second sleeve 43, and the tabs 611 are defined between the second sleeve 43 and the stem 41 to connect with a top end of the pushing member 40. In this embodiment, the first pill line 61 is a soft steel wire.
The spherical member 62 is defined between the two washers 15 of the positioning slot 114 of the housing 11 and includes a first pore 621 formed thereon.
The shank 63 includes a first extension 63a and a limiting nut 63b screwed on an outer side of the first extension 63a; the first extension 63a inserts through the first pore 621 of the spherical member 62 and includes a second pore 631 to insert the first pull line 61 so that the tabs 611 of the first pull line 61 are limited on the top side of the second pore 631 to prevent the tabs 611 from disengaging from the shank 63, such that the first pull line 61 is coupled with an inner end of the shank 63. The first extension 63a includes an axial second fitting portion 632 disposed on an inner side of the limiting nut 63b.
The second pull line 64 includes a second extension 64a, a ring 64b connected with a top end of the second extension 64a, and a loop 64c coupled with a bottom end of the second extension 64a; the ring 64b is fitted on the axial second fitting portion 632 of the shank 63 and is axially limited by the limiting nut 63b, such that the second pull line 64 falls vertically, and when the loop 64c is pulled downward, the shank 63 is actuated to rotate so that the first pull line 61 is actuated to pull the pushing member 40.
The guiding member 65 is fixed in the tunnel 111 of the housing 11 and is positioned by the joint 110 and includes a third groove 651 formed thereon to insert the shank 63 and to limit the shank 63 to slide in the third groove 651 so that the first pull line 61 is pulled in an axial direction.
It is preferable that the first pull line 61, the first bore 131 of the holder 13, the fifth bore 431 of the second sleeve 43, the pushing member 40, and the rotary disk 20 are fixed on a centrally axial segment of the tube member 10a and the tube member 10a to assemble the shower head 1 precisely and to keep the pulling force of the first pull line 61 acting axially along or close to the pushing member 40, thus obtaining a largest pulling force to operate the shower head effortlessly.
The shower head 1 is pulled downward to lift the water splash level. In operation, the loop 64c of the second pull line 64 of the pulling device 60 is pulled downward to actuate the shank 63 so as to generate a lever movement by using the spherical member 62 as a fulcrum, hence the first pull line 61 is pulled upward to actuate the pushing member 40 to move upward. Thereafter, the pushing member 40 matches with the first resilient element 30 to disengage the ratchet 221 of the post portion 22 from the ratchet seat 104 so that the ratchet 221 rotates obliquely by means of the teeth 222 and the first ratchet blocks 107, such that after the pulling force is released, the pushing member 40 and the pulling device 60 return back to an original position by using the second resilient element 50, and the rotary disk 20 finishes an engaging and positioning process by ways of the first resilient element 30, thereby lifting the water splash level.
Referring to
a shank 63 to be moved by a user so that a spherical member 62 is used as a rotating fulcrum to generate a lever movement so that a first pull line 61 is actuated to force an axial pulling force on a pushing member 40.
With reference to
a pulling device 60 including a first pull string 66, the first pull string 66 includes an inner end connecting with a top end of a pushing member 40 and an outer end extending out of a peripheral wall of a body 10 and falling downward in a certain length so that the first pull string 66 forms an inner and an outer portions of the pulling device 60. To move the first pull string 66 smoothly, a guiding structure is fixed in the tube member 10a to achieve a supporting and guiding effect.
The pulling devices 60 of the first, the second, and the third embodiments of the present invention all include an external portion extending from the body 10 to be forced and an internal portion located at the body 10 to be pulled, the internal portion at least contains a pull line member with a suitable length to insert through the inflow passage 101 of the body 10, wherein the pull line member is embodied as the first pull lines 61 of the first and the second embodiments and a partial first pull string 66 of the third embodiment.
Thereby, the pulling force is provided on the pushing member 40 in the axial direction without generating a dead angle during operation, thus operating the shower head effortlessly and smoothly. Furthermore, the second pull line 64 falling vertically is applied to be operated easily by the old and children.
The first and the second pull lines 61, 64 are served to provide the pulling force so that when the head assembly 10b rotates on the tube member 10a, various spray angles of the water splash can be adjusted without stopping lifting the water splash level.
While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2949240 | Koolnis | Aug 1960 | A |
| 4273289 | Jette | Jun 1981 | A |
| 4398668 | Jette | Aug 1983 | A |
| 4651930 | Magaha, Jr. | Mar 1987 | A |
| 5768721 | Kersten | Jun 1998 | A |
| 6474621 | Vogel | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 8113446 | Kline et al. | Feb 2012 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20120261488 A1 | Oct 2012 | US |
