1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plumbing accessories, and particularly to a water/soap dispenser adapted to be coupled to taps or faucets that provides selective dispensing of water, soap, and/or a water-soap mixture for easy and convenient cleaning.
2. Description of the Related Art
Washbasins in many households and buildings are typically surrounded by necessary clutter, such as soaps, toiletries, and other implements for grooming and cleaning. Unfortunately, most of these types of items are generally unsecured and can be easily misplaced. Moreover, they tend to occupy much of the limited counter space available around the washbasin.
There is a need for an integrated device that permits selective dispensing of washing liquid and/or soap with a universal control for easy operation to thereby increase convenience for cleaning and conserve space. Thus, a water/soap dispenser solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The water/soap dispenser includes a housing configured to be mounted to existing faucets. An internal pipe assembly within the housing directs water from the faucet and a cleaning product from a pump assembly coupled to the pipe assembly to the outlet of the dispenser. A water valve assembly is also coupled to the pipe assembly to selectively open and close for passage of water through the pipe assembly. A universal actuator is coupled to the water valve assembly, and selective operation of the universal actuator facilitates substantially concurrent activation of the water valve assembly to open water flow and the pump assembly to dispense a certain amount of cleaning product into the water flow. A dial assembly is rotatably mounted to the housing and includes one or more outlet ports, each outlet port facilitating a different flow character to the liquid being dispensed, as determined by the user.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The water/soap dispenser, a first embodiment of which is generally referred to by the reference number 10, provides an attachment to conventional or existing faucets or taps that dispenses water and/or cleaning products in an easy manner. The water/soap dispenser 10 includes a body or housing 12 adapted to be mounted or installed onto the outlet end of a conventional or existing faucet or tap, an internal pipe assembly 20 inside the housing 12 for directing water and/or the cleaning product to be dispensed, a water valve assembly 30 coupled to the pipe assembly 20 to facilitate selective dispensing of water, a pump assembly 40 coupled to the pipe assembly 20 to facilitate selective dispensing of the cleaning product, a universal actuator 50 for actuating the water valve assembly 30 and/or the pump assembly 40, and a dial assembly 60 coupled to the housing 12 for selective positioning of outlet openings to facilitate desired flow out of the water/soap dispenser 10.
As best seen in
The mounting collar 14 is preferably provided with internal threads 14a to facilitate selective mounting onto the outlet end of most conventional faucets or taps F in place of the aerator. When mounted, the mounting collar 14 defines an inlet through which water from the faucet F can flow through the housing 12. The mounting collar 14 can also be provided with other coupling mechanisms that conform to various other faucet configurations, such as outer threads for faucet ends with internal threads, and clamp mechanisms.
The product supply spout 16 is preferably a curved, hollow pipette, pipe, or straw projecting from the top of the housing 12. The product supply spout 16 communicates with the chamber 13 and forms an access port for the user to pour the desired liquid product into the chamber 13. The product supply spout 16 includes a cap 16a to cover and seal the opening of the product supply spout 16 when not in use. The product supply spout 16 can be configured in various shapes other than curved without departing from the scope of the invention. Additionally, the product supply spout 16 can be configured as a port opening substantially flush or extending a short distance from the housing 12, shorter than shown in the drawings, so long as the product supply spout 16 provides access to facilitate feeding or refill of the chamber 13 as needed or desired. The product supply spout 16 is preferably disposed at or near the top of the housing 12 to maximize the holding capacity of the liquid soap S in the chamber 13.
The cap 16a can be selectively coupled to the product supply spout 16 vis-à-vis friction-fit or threaded engagement. Moreover, the cap 16a can be provided with a chain, a dongle arrangement, or other tether connected to the product supply spout 16 to assist in preventing inadvertent misplacement or loss of the cap 16a by the user.
The internal pipe assembly 20 includes an elongate elbow pipe 21 having a first end 21a projecting a short distance from a side surface of the housing 12 and a second end 21b extending towards the outlet 15 at the bottom of the housing 12 and communicating therewith. An intermediate pipe 22 extends from the elbow pipe 21 and communicates with the inlet defined by the mounting collar 14 and the internal passageway of the elbow pipe 21, thereby providing a flow path between the faucet F and the elbow pipe 21. An internal baffle 23 divides a leg section 21c of the elbow pipe 21 and includes a pass-through opening 23a therein. The leg section 21c is a part of the elbow pipe 21 that extends outside the housing 12 and includes the first end 21a. The pass-through opening 23a interacts with the water valve assembly 30 to selectively permit water to flow from the faucet F through the elbow pipe 21 and out of the housing 12. Thus, the intermediate pipe 22 permits passage of water from the faucet F to the leg section 21c, and the pass-through opening 23a permits passage of water from the leg section 21c towards the outlet 15.
As best seen in
The valve stem 31 is preferably configured as a plunger or piston having a head 31b disposed at the opposite or second end of the valve stem 31. The head 31b, which can also be referred to as a “piston head,” “plunger head,” or “valve head,” is preferably dimensioned and configured to conform to the interior dimensions and shape of the leg section 21c. This arrangement stabilizes the second end of the valve stem 31, while the first end thereof is stabilized by the screw cap 32. Moreover, relatively close tolerances can be maintained between the head 31b and the inner surface of the leg section 21c to substantially prevent wobbling movement of the valve stem 31 during reciprocation.
A biasing mechanism 33, such as a coil or tension spring, is mounted on the valve stem 31 between the head 31b and the inner surface of the screw cap 32. The biasing mechanism 33 normally biases the valve stem 31 into a closed state, which will be further described herein.
A valve plug 34 is fixed to the outer face of the head 31b. The valve plug is dimensioned and configured to cover or obstruct the inlet from the mounting collar 14 and the pass-through opening 23a. Due to this connection to the head 31b, the valve plug is movable between obstructed and unobstructed positions corresponding to the closed and open states of the valve stem 31. Thus, selective reciprocation of the valve stem 31 opens or closes the inlet and the pass-through opening 23a, allowing selective flow or dispensing of water therethrough. The biasing mechanism 33 maintains the valve plug 34 in the closed position (shown in
While the valve assembly 30 facilitates dispensing of water, the pump assembly 40 facilitates substantially concurrent dispensing of a desired cleaning product, such as liquid soap S, for washing hands, dishes, clothes, and the like. The pump assembly 40 includes a pump outlet coupling 41 mounted to the outlet 21b of the elbow pipe 21. The pump outlet coupling 41 acts as an interface between the chamber 13, the second end 21b of the elbow pipe 21, and the outlet 15 to allow the contents of the chamber 13 to dispense into the water flowing through the elbow pipe 21. The mounting of the pump outlet coupling 41 can be facilitated by any known conventional means, such as threads, friction-fit, clamps, and the like, and the mounting can be detachable or fixed. Additionally, the pump outlet coupling 41 can be provided as a unitary feature of the elbow pipe 21.
The pump outlet coupling 41 includes an outlet pipe 41a extending into the interior of the pump outlet coupling 41. The outlet pipe 41a communicates with an intermediate reservoir 41b extending into the chamber 13 or in a direction opposite from the outlet pipe 41a. During use, the intermediate reservoir 41b holds a small amount of the liquid soap S that will be pumped through the outlet pipe 41a.
The pump assembly 40 also includes an elongate piston casing 42 extending into the chamber 13 from the interior wall of the housing 12 spaced away from, and in coaxial alignment with, the intermediate reservoir 41b. The piston casing 42 is preferably configured as a substantially cylindrical housing having one end wall or proximal end wall defined by the inner wall of the housing 12 and the opposite end wall at the distal end thereof.
An elongate piston 43 is reciprocally mounted within the piston casing 42, and the piston 43 is configured to reciprocate between start and end positions during a pumping operation. The piston 43 includes a first end 43c that extends outside the housing 12a predetermined distance through the proximal end wall of the piston casing 42, an abutment flange 43a disposed between opposite ends of the piston 43, and a piston head 43b disposed at a second or opposite end, the piston head 43b extending outside the piston casing 42. The abutment flange 43a limits reciprocating movement of the piston 43 along the length of the piston casing 42. Additionally, a biasing mechanism 44 is disposed between the abutment flange 43a and the distal end wall of the piston casing 42. The biasing mechanism 44 can be a coil spring or a tension spring similar to the biasing mechanism 33, and the biasing mechanism 33 normally biases the piston 43 towards the start position, as shown in
In use, actuation of the piston 43 forces the piston head 43b to enter into the intermediate reservoir 41b as the piston 43 travels from the start position to an end position within the intermediate reservoir 41b. This action creates a pressure head that acts against any liquid soap S trapped inside the intermediate reservoir 41b and forces the trapped liquid soap S to eject out of the outlet pipe 41a.
The universal actuator 50 facilitates substantially concurrent actuation of the valve assembly 30 and the pump assembly 40, as well as selective actuation of either assembly. As best seen in
Each actuating fin 52 is preferably trapezoidal in shape, presenting at least two side edges extending at different respective angles. These side edges allow different actuations to occur, depending on the rotation of the lever 51, and they act as angular cams. For example, in the position shown in
In another example, the lever 51 can be pulled in the counter-clockwise direction so that the actuating fins 52 will rotate about the pivot 31a and pull the valve stem 31 connected thereto, the upper left corner of the respective actuating fin 52 acting as a fulcrum. This action causes the connected valve plug 34 to move from the normally closed position to the open position. The lever 51 can be rotated until the angled side edge 52a of each actuating fin 52 abuts the screw cap 32, thereby fixing or setting the open state of the valve assembly 30. In this example, the counter-clockwise actuation of the lever 51 facilitates water flow only.
The universal actuator 50 also permits independent operation of the pump assembly 40. The user can push the lever 51 away from contact with the first end 43c of the piston 43 and manually depress the piston 43 from the first end 43c to dispense the liquid soap S independent of the water.
The dial assembly 60 is rotatably coupled to the bottom of the housing 12 and includes one or more dispensing ports for the water, soap, and/or water-soap mixture. The rotatable connection between the dial assembly 60 and the housing 12 can be facilitated by any conventional means known in the art, such as friction-fit couplings, snap-fit couplings, and the like. The dial assembly 60 permits the user to selectively control the flow characteristic of the liquid dispensing out of the water/soap dispenser 10.
As best seen in
A second embodiment of a water/soap dispenser 100 is shown in
As best shown in
The internal components of the water/soap dispenser 100 are substantially the same as the water/soap dispenser 10, and each first dispenser port 163 and second dispenser port 164 is arranged on the dial 162 so that selective rotation of the dial 162 over a predetermined arc will align the selected dispenser port with the outlet 15. Each dispensing port is preferably configured to facilitate a different flow character to the contents or liquid flowing out of the elbow pipe 21. For example, the outlet end of the first dispensing port 163 includes a plurality of perforations 163a to facilitate a shower or sprinkler effect to the liquid flowing through the outlet 15. The second dispensing port 164 includes an unobstructed opening 164a for normal or standard flow.
The housing 112 includes various features to facilitate operation of the dial assembly 160. One side of the housing 112, preferably the side that conveniently faces the user, is provided with an elongate slot 119. A portion of the dial 162 extends outward through the slot 119 to provide manual access to the dial 162 for selective rotation thereof. Indicia, such as a first or sprinkler symbol 118a and a second or normal symbol 18b, can be provided adjacent the slot to visually assist the user in determining which direction to rotate the dial 162 for the desired flow characteristic.
The housing 112 also includes an inner bottom panel 112a, which has the outlet 15 formed thereon, and an outer bottom panel 112b. A housing outlet port 117 depends from the outer bottom panel 112b. The housing outlet port 117 is fixed and coaxially aligned with the outlet 15. In use, after the desired first outlet port 163 or second outlet port 164 has been fixed in place by the user, the outlet 15, the selected outlet port 163 or 164, and the housing outlet port 117 are all aligned so that the liquid flowing through the outlet 15 feeds into the selected outlet port 163 or 164 and out through the housing outlet port 117. Thus, selective operation of the dial 162 determines the type of flow exiting the outlet port 117. As with the dial housing 62, the dial 162 may be provided with a detent mechanism and the like to lock the dial 162 at predetermined angular intervals corresponding to the aligned positions of the outlet ports 163, 164.
It is to be understood that the water/soap dispenser 10, 100 encompasses a variety of alternatives. For example, it is contemplated that the water/soap dispenser 10, 100 can be provided with various sealing mechanisms, such as O-rings, gaskets, and the like, to prevent undesirable leaks in the overall dispenser and/or in select components of the dispenser. Moreover, the water/soap dispenser 10, 100 can be constructed from a variety of materials, such as plastic, PVC, metal, composites, and combinations thereof. Furthermore, the chamber 13 can be utilized to hold other liquid or semi-liquid products, such as lotions, oils, emulsions, and the like, to be dispensed along with the water. Conversely, the housing 12, 112 can be attached to sources of liquid other than water, so long as the mounting hardware permits.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
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