Patent Application
20140151464
The present invention relates to a shower soap dispenser and cartridge.
It is well known that many shower heads are provided with soap liquid, shower cream, shampoo so that users take a shower.
Shower equipment with liquid dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,203 and includes a supply unit for supplying soap liquid, cologne liquid or other liquid additives into a first outlet via a channel. The first outlet is fixed over a second outlet of a shower head. The liquid additives are sprayed toward a diffuser plate and then flow downwardly to further mix with water flowing out of the shower head.
However, the liquid additives of the supply unit are guided into the shower head directly, a flow tunnel of a pipe through the channel, or an opening of a distal end of the channel, wherein the pipe connects with the shower head. The flow tunnel has a decreased portion defined therein relative to the opening of the channel, such that after water flows through the flow tunnel, a vacuum suction force produces in the opening so as to suck the liquid additives into the flow tunnel, such that the liquid additives mix with the water, hence the user allows taking a shower. Such shower equipment is embodied by ways of Venturi tube principle, and other shower equipments embodied by using Venturi tube principle are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,070, US Publication No. US2007/0163040A1 and US2012/0080109A1. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,248 discloses a switch is fixed on the opening so as to control outflow of the liquid additives. Some shower soap dispensers are integrally connected with a shower head as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,248.
But above-mentioned shower equipments/shower soap dispensers still have some defects. For example, a back pressure generates as the user adjusts a watering mode of the shower head, so wash water mixed from the liquid additives and the water flows back to the supply unit, thus deteriorating the liquid additives. In addition, the opening is blocked by impurities in the water. Also, if these shower equipments/shower soap dispensers operate at a low water pressure, the liquid additives cannot be sucked into the flow tunnel. It is to be noted that since these shower equipments/shower soap dispensers are embodied by ways of Venturi tube principle, a diameter of flowing water has to be diminished, so the shower head can not supply water fully, thus lowering shower efficiency.
Although the diameter of the opening is reduced to enhance the vacuum suction force of the opening, the outflow of the liquid additives is limited.
A shower spa fixture and cartridge is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,622 and is embodied by means of Venturi tube principle, wherein water close to an upper channel of a pipe is guided to flow into a container and to mix with two additives, and then the water mixed with the two additives is supplied to a shower head via a lower channel of the pipe. Nevertheless, such shower spa fixture and cartridge still has above-described shortcomings.
A shower head liquid dispenser disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,541 contains a water flow controlling structure mounted in a lower end of a channel of a pipe, like a lip-shaped element, such that a water pressure is increased to push a plug in a cartridge, and liquid additives in the cartridge are pressed into a lower end of the channel of the pipe and then are delivered into a shower head. Also, a spring clip is used to control a tunnel of a hose so as to start/stop a supply of the liquid additives and to adjust the outflow of the liquid additives. A compression spring is applied to push the plug back to an original position. But this shower head liquid dispenser has to use the water pressure to resist against an elasticity of the compression spring and a resistance of the liquid additives in the hose. Unfortunately, a pressing force of the liquid additives is reduced or failed at a low water pressure. Furthermore, the spring clip looses easily without stopping the flowing of the liquid additives. A similar shower dispensing head is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,311, but liquid additives are not delivered into a shower head, the liquid additives flows out of an outlet outside the shower head.
Also, a shower soap dispenser is disclosed in US Publication No. 2011/0024457A1 and contains a turbine blade driven by waterpower so as to drive a pump, such that a supply of soap liquid is achieved. However, this shower soap dispenser operates badly at a lower water pressure and lowers a water supply.
An automatic fluid dispenser is disclosed in US Publication No. 2010/0213279 and contains a pump driven by electricity so as to supply soap liquid. Also, a similar fluid dispenser is disclosed in TW Patent No. 1280874. Yet such a fluid dispenser is complicated and is produced at a high cost. Likewise, it operates at high power consumption and causes power leakage and short circuit.
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 soap dispenser and cartridge which is capable of overcoming the shortcomings of the conventional shower soap dispenser and cartridge.
To obtain the above objectives, a shower soap dispenser provided by the present invention contains:
a water pipe including an upper segment for connecting with the water supply pipe, a lower segment for coupling with the shower head, and a seat defined between and communicating with the upper segment and the lower segment; a channel passing through the upper segment, the lower segment, and the seat; a pipe joint connecting with the seat and extending outwardly from an outer wall of the water pipe; the seat having a groove defined therein and communicating with the channel; the pipe joint having a tunnel defined therein; at least one feeding hole formed on the seat so as to communicate with the groove and the tunnel; the pipe joint also having an abutting portion and at least one orifice defined on a distal end thereof;
a shower soap cartridge including a body, a seal element, a plug, a cover, and a resilient element, wherein
the body has a chamber portion, a first connecting portion mounted on one end of the chamber portion, and a second connecting portion disposed on another end of the chamber portion; the chamber portion has a cylindrical cavity defined therein; the first connecting portion is coupled with the pipe joint of the water pipe and has an outlet communicating with the cylindrical cavity, and a diameter of the outlet is smaller than that of the cylindrical cavity, the second connecting portion has an intake communicating with the cylindrical cavity;
the seal element is placed into the body from the intake and axially moves in the cylindrical cavity so as to stop the outlet communicating with the cylindrical cavity; and between an external rim of the seal element and the cylindrical cavity is defined a slit; when the first connecting portion of the body couples with the pipe joint of the water pipe, the seal element is pushed by the abutting portion of the pipe joint to move toward the intake, thus removing from the outlet;
the plug is placed into the body from the intake and axially moves in the cylindrical cavity, such that between the plug and the seal element is defined a store room so as to store a soap filled from the intake of the body, and as the soap runs out, the plug is biased against the seal element;
the cover is connected with the second connecting portion of the body so as to close the intake;
the resilient element is fixed between the cover and the plug so that the plug is pushed by the resilient element to press a soap in the store room toward the outlet during which the soap forces on the seal element, so before the first connecting portion of the body couples with the pipe joint of the water pipe, the seal element stops the outlet communicating with the cylindrical cavity, and when the first connecting portion of the body is in connection with the pipe joint of the water pipe, the soap is pressed into the tunnel from the slit through the at least one orifice;
an on/off valve is installed on the seat of the water pipe and includes a housing fixed in the groove and moving between a close position and an open position, the housing includes a valve hole communicating with the channel and closes the at least one feeding hole when the on/off valve is fixed at the close position, such that a soap in the tunnel of the pipe joint does not flow into the channel via the at least one feeding hole, and when the on/off valve is fixed at the open position, the housing removes from the at least one feeding hole, so the soap in the tunnel of the pipe joint flows into the channel via the at least one feeding hole and then mixes with a shower water flowing through the channel so as to produce a shower soap water, thereafter the shower soap water is guided into the shower head.
Preferably, the seat has a horizontal through aperture passing through the channel so as to define the groove in the seat, and a diameter of the horizontal through aperture is greater than that of the channel so that the groove has two fixing walls defined on two sides thereof and two opposite concave faces formed between the two fixing walls, wherein one of the two concave faces is adjacent to the pipe joint and passing through the two feeding holes; the housing is formed in a column shape and rotates between the close position and the open position; the housing also has a passage defined on a middle portion thereof so as to form the valve hole and has two opposite convex faces defined on an outer surface of the middle portion thereof so as to contact with the two concave faces of the seat; the housing further has two closing walls arranged on two sides of the two convex faces thereof so as to close the two fixing walls and has two coupling portions mounted on two sides of the closing walls thereof; the on/off valve further includes two rotatable knobs disposed on the two sides of the groove of the seat and coupling with the two coupling portions of the housing so that the housing is axially limited in the groove, and each rotatable knob is rotated to drive the housing.
Preferably, the housing has two opposite notches and two opposite cutouts defined on each coupling portion; the two rotatable knobs are formed in a sleeve shape and are fitted onto the two coupling portions, wherein each rotatable knob has two opposite hooks and two opposite insertions fixed therein, such that the two hooks retain with the two notches, so the two rotatable knobs connect with the two coupling portions, and the two insertions are inserted into the two cutouts so that the two rotatable knobs rotate circumferentially along the two coupling portions of the housing.
Preferably, an extending direction of the two feeding holes is identical to that of the pipe joint, and the two feeding holes and the pipe joint incline toward the upper segment, such that an angle is defined between an axial line of the pipe joint and that of the channel, and the angle is between 30 and 60 degrees.
Also, a shower soap cartridge provided by the present invention contains:
a body including a chamber portion, a first connecting portion mounted on one end of the chamber portion, and a second connecting portion disposed on another end of the chamber portion; the chamber portion including a cylindrical cavity defined therein; the first connecting portion being coupled with the pipe joint of the water pipe and having an outlet communicating with the cylindrical cavity, and a diameter of the outlet being smaller than that of the cylindrical cavity, the second connecting portion having an intake communicating with the cylindrical cavity;
a seal element being placed into the body from the intake and axially moving in the cylindrical cavity so as to stop the outlet communicating with the cylindrical cavity; and between an external rim of the seal element and the cylindrical cavity being defined a slit; when the first connecting portion of the body couples with the pipe joint of the water pipe, the seal element being pushed by the abutting portion of the pipe joint to move toward the intake, thus removing from the outlet;
a plug being placed into the body from the intake and axially moving in the cylindrical cavity, such that between the plug and the seal element is defined a store room so as to store a soap filled from the intake of the body, and as the soap runs out, the plug being biased against the seal element;
a cover being connected with the second connecting portion of the body so as to close the intake;
a resilient element fixed between the cover and the plug so that the plug is pushed by the resilient element to press a soap in the store room toward the outlet during which the soap forces on the seal element, so before the first connecting portion of the body couples with the pipe joint of the water pipe, the seal element stopping the outlet communicating with the cylindrical cavity, and when the first connecting portion of the body is in connection with the pipe joint of the water pipe, the soap being pressed into the pipe joint from the slit through at least one orifice of the pipe joint.
Thereby, the shower soap dispenser of the present invention is operated easily by rotating the two rotatable knobs of the on/off valve to the open position or the close position so as to supply soap or to stop supplying soap. In addition, the soap is fed into the shower water by means of the spring without decreasing water flow. Also, soap supply will not be influenced by water pressure. In other words, the soap is supplied well at a lower water pressure. Therefore, the disadvantages of conventional soap supply by using waterpower or electricity to drive pump is eliminated.
Preferably, the shower soap cartridge includes the spring for indirectly acting on the seal element so as to produce the self-sealing effect, the shower soap cartridge is removed from the water pipe randomly, and a soap liquid in the shower soap cartridge will not leak. Accordingly, different shower soap cartridges are capable of being removed or replaced according to using requirement.
In addition, the water pipe of the shower soap dispenser 1 extends outwardly along the water supply and the shower head, and the shower soap cartridge obloquies toward the upper segment of the water pipe, so the shower soap cartridge doesn't interfere the user or is hit by the user in a shower.
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.
Referring further to
The water pipe 10, as shown in
As shown in
With reference to
Preferably, as illustrated in
Referring further to
The pipe joint 15 of the water pipe 10 has an outer screwing section 154 formed around an outer surface thereof, and the abutting portion 152 is defined between the outer screwing section 154 and the top end of the pipe joint 15.
As illustrated in
the body 21 has a chamber portion 211, a first connecting portion 212 mounted on one end of the chamber portion 211, and a second connecting portion 213 disposed on another end of the chamber portion 211; the chamber portion 211 has a cylindrical cavity 214 defined therein; the first connecting portion 212 is coupled with the pipe joint 15 of the water pipe 10 and has an outlet 215 communicating with the cylindrical cavity 214. The first connecting portion 212 integrally extends outward from the chamber portion 211 and conically becomes decreased, and a diameter of the outlet 215 is smaller than that of the cylindrical cavity 214. In addition, the second connecting portion 213 has an intake 216 formed on an opening thereof so as to fill soap and communicating with the cylindrical cavity 214.
The cylindrical cavity 214 of the body 21 has a closing fence 217 formed therein and around the outlet 215, and the first connecting portion 212 has an inner screwing section 218 arranged around an inner surface of the outlet 215, such that the inner screwing section 218 of the body 21 is screwed with the outer screwing section 154 of the pipe joint 15. The second connecting portion 213 also has second inner threads 219 arranged around an inner surface of the intake 216.
The seal element 22 is placed into the body 21 from the intake 216 and axially moves in the cylindrical cavity 214 so as to stop the outlet 215 communicating with the cylindrical cavity 214, as shown in
The seal element 22 is circular, and a diameter of the external rim of the seal element 22 is smaller than a diameter of an inner surface of the cylindrical cavity 214, such that the slit 220 is defined between the external rim of the seal element 22 and the inner surface of the cylindrical cavity 214. Also, the seal element 22 is circular so as to contact with the closing fence 217 tightly, thus stopping the outlet 215 communicating with the cylindrical cavity 214.
The plug 23 is placed into the body 21 from the intake 216 and axially moves in the cylindrical cavity 214, such that between the plug 23 and the seal element 22 is defined a store room 230 so as to store a soap liquid L filled from the intake 216 of the body 21 as illustrated in
The cover 24 is connected with the second connecting portion 213 of the body 21 so as to close the intake 216.
The cover 24 has an end wall 241 formed on a top end thereof and has a peripheral wall 242 integrally extending outward from the end wall 241. The peripheral wall 242 has second outer threads 243 arranged thereon so as to screw with the second inner threads 219 of the second connecting portion 213, such that the cover 24 connects with the body 21, and the end wall 241 of the cover 24 abuts against the intake 216 of the housing 21. The peripheral wall 242 has a slot 244 defined therein so as to receive the spring 25.
The spring 25 is fixed between the slot 244 of the cover 24 and the plug 23 so that the plug 23 is pushed by the spring 25 to press the soap liquid L out of the outlet 215 during which the soap liquid L forces on the seal element 22, so before the first connecting portion 212 of the body 21 couples with the pipe joint 15 of the water pipe 10, the seal element 22 stops the outlet 215 communicating with the cylindrical cavity 214, as shown in
Referring further to
In this embodiment, the housing 31 is formed in a column shape and rotates between the close position and the open position. The housing 31 also has a passage defined on a middle portion thereof so as to form the valve hole 311 and has two opposite convex faces 312 defined on an outer surface of the middle portion thereof so as to contact with the two concave faces 133 of the seat 13. Also, the housing 31 further has two closing walls 313 arranged on two sides of the two convex faces 312 thereof so as to close the two fixing walls 132 and has two coupling portions 314 mounted on two sides of the closing walls 313 thereof.
Referring further to
As shown in
Moreover, the housing 31 has a limiting protrusion 316 fixed on a coupling portion 314 relative to the circular tab 134 so that the limiting protrusion 316 is retained in the limit recess 135 of the seat 13 as shown in
With reference to
It is to be noted that, as illustrated in
The spring 25 is applied to push the plug 23, and any component for pushing the plug 23 is capable of replacing the spring 25 of the present invention.
The shower soap dispenser 1 is fixed on a wall-fixed shower head 3. The water supply pipe 2 of this shower head 3, is made of metal material, extends outwardly from the wall, and tilts downwardly at a certain angle. Because the angle θ between the axial line of the pipe joint 15 and the axial line of the channel 14 is 30 to 60 degrees, as shown in
Referring to
Preferably, the seal element 22 is spherical and its diameter is limited to be smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical cavity 214 and larger than a diameter of the outlet 215. In addition, the slit 220 is defined between a spherical seal element 22 and the cylindrical cavity 214, and the outlet 215 is closed if necessary. Of course, the spherical seal element 22 moves in the cylindrical cavity 214 freely.
Preferably, the shower soap dispenser 1 is applicable for a typical water supply pipe 2 and the shower head 3, such as a wall-fixed shower head 3. In installation, the shower head 3 is rotatably disconnected from the water supply pipe 2, and the water pipe 10 of the shower soap dispenser 1 is screwed between the water supply pipe 2 and the wall-fixed shower head 3, as illustrated in
While the shower soap cartridge 20 is connected with the pipe joint 15, the soap liquid L is pushed by the spring 25 via the plug 23 and flows into the tunnel 151 of the pipe joint 15 and the two feeding holes 16. In the meantime, the on/off valve 30 is shifted to the open position as shown in
When the seal element 22 of the shower soap cartridge 20 is connected with or disconnected from the water pipe 10, it is pushed away or produces a self-sealing effect. Accordingly, the shower soap cartridge 20 is removed randomly so as to replace another shower soap cartridge 20 filled with another soap liquid L based on using requirement. The soap liquid L and the another soap liquid L are shower cream, shampoo, or essence.
Preferably, after the shower soap cartridge 20 runs out of the soap liquid L, the spring 25 is biased against the seal element 22, and then the user replaces another shower soap cartridge 20 or refills another soap liquid L into the shower soap cartridge 20, wherein the user removes the shower soap cartridge 20 and then refills the another soap 20 into the shower soap cartridge 20, or the shower soap cartridge 20 is kept at its original position and the another soap liquid L is refilled therein. Anyway, before refilling the another soap liquid L, the cover 20 is rotatably removed, and then the spring 25 and the plug 23 are removed so that the another soap liquid L is refilled into the cylindrical cavity 214 of the housing 21. However, a maximum height of refilling the another soap liquid L has to be limited so as to facilitate the installation of the spring 25 and the cover 24 and to let the spring 25 have a preferred compression force. According to calculation or actual test, the maximum height is controlled by selecting a spring element with a suitable free length and elasticity coefficient. After determining the maximum height, the user is capable of refilling the another soap liquid L at suitable quantity in some ways. As shown in
Thereby, the shower soap dispenser 1 of the present invention is operated easily by rotating the two rotatable knobs 32 of the on/off valve 30 to the open position or the close position so as to supply soap or to stop supplying soap. In addition, the soap liquid L is fed into the shower water W by means of the spring 25 without decreasing water flow. Also, soap supply will not be influenced by water pressure. In other words, the soap is supplied well at a lower water pressure. Therefore, the disadvantages of conventional soap supply by using waterpower or electricity to drive pump is eliminated.
Preferably, the shower soap cartridge 20 includes the spring 25 for indirectly acting on the seal element 22 so as to produce the self-sealing effect, the shower soap cartridge 20 is removed from the water pipe 10 randomly, and a soap liquid L in the shower soap cartridge 20 will not leak. Accordingly, different shower soap cartridges 20 are capable of being removed or replaced according to using requirement.
In addition, the water pipe 10 of the shower soap dispenser 1 extends outwardly along the water supply 2 and the shower head 3, and the shower soap cartridge 20 obloquies toward the upper segment 11 of the water pipe 10, so the shower soap cartridge 20 doesn't interfere the user or is hit by the user in a shower.
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.
