U.S. patent application number 12/858775 was filed with the patent office on 2011-12-01 for fountain faucet.
Invention is credited to Fred C. Dittman, III.
Application Number | 20110290901 12/858775 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45021271 |
Filed Date | 2011-12-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110290901 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dittman, III; Fred C. |
December 1, 2011 |
Fountain Faucet
Abstract
A faucet for producing a water-fountain for drinking or rinsing
a person's mouth. The fountain-faucet comprises a main body and a
valve. The main body defines an exterior surface and an outlet
water passage located inside the main body. The outlet water
passage is in communication with a water outlet. The valve produces
a fountain of water when a user puts a finger under the water
outlet, which creates a back-pressure sufficient to cause a
fountain of water to pass through the valve. The valve is located
in the main body and is in operable communication with the outlet
water passage and the exterior surface of the main body such that
when a person puts a finger under the water outlet a back-pressure
causes water to pass through the valve to produce a fountain of
water. In another embodiment the valve is preplaced with a conical
shaped funnel.
Inventors: |
Dittman, III; Fred C.;
(Houston, TX) |
Family ID: |
45021271 |
Appl. No.: |
12/858775 |
Filed: |
August 18, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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61348003 |
May 25, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
239/24 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E03B 9/20 20130101; E03C
1/0404 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
239/24 |
International
Class: |
E03B 9/20 20060101
E03B009/20 |
Claims
1. A fountain-faucet, comprising: a main body having an exterior
surface and an outlet water passage located inside the main body,
wherein the outlet water passage is in communication with a water
outlet; and a valve for producing a fountain of water when a user
puts a finger under the water outlet, said valve being located in
the main body, wherein said valve is in operable communication with
the outlet water passage and the exterior surface of the main body
such that when a person puts a finger under the water outlet a
back-pressure causes water to pass through said valve to produce a
fountain of water.
2. A fountain-faucet, comprising: a main body having an exterior
surface and an outlet water passage located inside the main body,
wherein the outlet water passage is in communication with a water
outlet; and a conical shaped funnel for producing a fountain of
water when a user puts a finger under the water outlet, said funnel
being located in the main body, wherein said funnel is in operable
communication with the outlet water passage and the exterior
surface of the main body such that when a person puts a finger
under the water outlet a back-pressure causes water to pass through
said funnel to produce a fountain of water.
3. A fountain-faucet, comprising: a main body having an exterior
surface and an outlet water passage located inside the main body,
wherein the outlet water passage is in communication with a water
outlet; and a means for producing a fountain of water when a user
puts a finger under the water outlet, said means for producing a
fountain of water being located in the main body, wherein said
means for producing a fountain of water is in operable
communication with the outlet water passage and the exterior
surface of the main body such that when a person puts a finger
under the water outlet a back-pressure causes water to pass through
said means for producing a fountain of water.
4. The fountain-faucet of claim 3, wherein the means for producing
a fountain of water is a valve, the valve functioning by being
responsive to back-pressure caused when a person presses their hand
or finger under the water outlet whereupon the valve opens to
produce a fountain of water.
5. The fountain-faucet of claim 3, wherein the means for producing
a fountain of water is a conical shaped funnel, the funnel
functioning by being responsive to back-pressure caused when a
person presses their hand or finger under the water outlet
whereupon the funnel opens to produce a fountain of water.
6. The fountain-faucet of claim 5, wherein conical shaped funnel
comprises a nozzle, wherein the nozzle is fitted with an inlet
opening to allow water from the outlet water passage to pass
through the conical shaped funnel when a person presses a hand or
finger under the water outlet of the faucet.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/348,003, filed May 25,
2010. The entire content of U.S. Provisional Patent Application
Ser. No. 61/348,003 is incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to drinking and oral hygiene
devices. More specifically, the invention is a fountain-faucet for
producing a fountain of water for drinking or rinsing a person's
mouth.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,144, water faucets of the
type commonly used in households provide a stream of water directed
downwardly towards the sink. To get a drink of water, a container
such as a cup or glass must be filled. In households with multiple
people, this can require numerous glasses being used on a daily
basis. A water fountain like device could help eliminate the need
for washing numerous glasses, and makes getting a drink of water
more convenient.
[0005] A bathroom faucet capable of producing a fountain of water
would likewise save on cups and also enable a person who has just
brushed their teeth to rinse their mouth without having to cup
their hands under the faucet. Similarly, at a dental office a
patient could wash out their mouth after dental work on their teeth
and/or mouth without requiring a cup.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 3,079,088, discloses a fountain attachment for
faucets. The '088 attachment converts an ordinary water faucet into
a drinking fountain. The '088 inventive device comprises a housing
containing a rotatable disc with a boss on one surface thereof
which provides a valve control for selectively causing water from
the faucet either to flow through a down stream spout or through a
fountain channel, as desired.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,775, discloses a drinking fountain
attachment for a faucet, such as a kitchen or bathroom faucet, the
attachment having a tubular body portion threaded at the upper end
for attachment to a downwardly extending faucet and having an
orifice opening in the tubular side wall, a spigot element fixed to
the exterior of the tubular body communicating with the orifice,
providing means for discharging water therefrom in an upward
direction to provide a fountain drinking stream. A tubular control
member is rotatably supported to the tubular body lower end. A
tubular elastomeric member is received within the body and control
member and secured at each end in tension whereby the control
member is retained in rotatable axial alignment with the body
member, the elastomeric member serving to restrict flow of water
through the tubular body and control member when the control member
is rotated to thereby direct water out the orifice and the spigot
to produce a drinking fountain.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 2,320,530 discloses a fountain device. The
'530 fountain device is fitted to a faucet to provide a user with a
drinking fountain. The '530 device comprises a spout and a pull
knob.
[0009] None of the above inventions and patents, taken either
singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant
invention as claimed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] A faucet for producing a water-fountain for drinking or
rinsing a person's mouth. The fountain-faucet comprises a main body
and a valve. The main body defines an exterior surface and an
outlet water passage located inside the main body. The outlet water
passage is in communication with a water outlet. The valve produces
a fountain of water when a user puts a finger under the water
outlet, which creates a back-pressure sufficient to cause a
fountain of water to pass through the valve. The valve is located
in the main body and is in operable communication with the outlet
water passage and the exterior surface of the main body such that
when a person puts a finger under the water outlet a back-pressure
causes water to pass through the valve to produce a fountain of
water. In another embodiment the valve is preplaced with a conical
shaped funnel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1A shows a perspective environmental view of a device
according to the invention.
[0012] FIG. 1B shows a perspective environmental view of a device
according to the invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 shows a close up view of a tip according to the
invention.
[0014] FIG. 2B shows a close up view of a threaded tip according to
the invention.
[0015] FIG. 2C shows a close up view of a tip with a nozzle
according to the invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a device according to the
invention.
[0017] FIG. 3A shows a perspective view of a device according to
the invention.
[0018] FIG. 4 shows a prior art device.
[0019] FIG. 5A shows a partially cutaway view of a device according
to the invention.
[0020] FIG. 5B shows a partially cutaway view of a device according
to the invention.
[0021] FIG. 5C shows a partially cutaway view of a device according
to the invention.
[0022] FIG. 5D shows a partially cutaway view of a device according
to the invention.
[0023] FIG. 6A shows a partially cutaway view of a device according
to the invention.
[0024] FIG. 6B shows a partially cutaway view of a device according
to the invention.
[0025] FIG. 6C shows a partially cutaway view of a device according
to the invention.
[0026] FIG. 7 shows a partially cutaway view of a device according
to the invention.
[0027] FIG. 8 shows a Table of parts.
[0028] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The present invention is directed to drinking and oral
hygiene devices. More specifically, the invention is a
fountain-faucet for producing a fountain of water for drinking or
rinsing a person's mouth. The fountain-faucet of the present
invention is denoted by the reference numeral 100 as a whole. A
summary of component parts are listed in Table 1 (see FIG. 8).
[0030] The fountain-faucet 100 comprises a main body 120. The main
body 120 defines a main body exterior surface 140. An outlet water
passage 160 is located inside the main body 120. The outlet water
passage 160 is in communication with a water outlet 180. During
normal operation water W travels through the outlet water passage
160 and exits out of the water outlet 180.
[0031] The main body 120 defines an aperture 200 located between
the exterior surface 140 and the outlet water passage 160. The
aperture 200 encloses a mechanism such as a tip 260 or valve 280
which in default mode does not allow water from the outlet water
passage 160 to exit through the aperture 200, but when a person
restricts the flow of water W exiting the water outlet 180
back-pressure results and the mechanism responds to the resulting
water back-pressure by allowing water to travel through the
aperture 200 to produce a fountain of water 240. A person using the
fountain-faucet 100 of the present invention can drink or rinse
their mouth using the fountain of water 240.
[0032] The mechanism can be a valve 280. In one embodiment the
mechanism is a tip 260 in the form of a conical funnel with open
opposite ends; FIG. 2 shows a close up view of tip 260. The tip 260
can be provided with an external thread 270. A tip 260 having an
external thread 270 is shown in FIG. 2B).
[0033] In one embodiment the tip 260 has a nozzle 263 with a nozzle
inlet opening 264 as shown in FIG. 2C; this embodiment the tip 260
is particularly useful for use with respect to high pressure
faucets. More specifically, FIG. 2C shows a tip 260 in the form of
a conical shaped funnel comprising a nozzle 263, wherein the nozzle
263 is fitted with an inlet opening 264 to allow water from the
outlet water passage 160 to pass through the conical shaped funnel
when a person presses a hand or finger under the water outlet
180.
[0034] The tip 260 can be any tip having a through-funnel that
allows water to flow through the tip. A non-limiting example of
such a tip provided with writing instruments such as pens, e.g., a
Zebra G301 pen such as the Zebra G301 gel retractable black ink
pen.
[0035] The inventor discovered that even though the tip 260 is open
both ends, water does not travel through the tip 260 until the
inventor obstructs the flow of water out of outlet 180 by, for
example, putting his/her finger F, thumb, palm, or hand up against
the water outlet 180 (see, e.g., FIGS. 1A and 1B).
[0036] In one embodiment, the mechanism for producing a water
fountain 240 is a valve 280. The valve 280 can be any suitable
valve able to produce a fountain of water 240. The valve 280 is
fitted into aperture 200 of main body 120 (see FIG. 3A). The valve
works by being responsive to water back-pressure created when a
user obstructs the flow of water out of outlet 180. For example,
when a user of the fountain-faucet 100 puts a finger F across
outlet 180 the backpressure causes the valve 280 to open to produce
a water fountain 240.
[0037] The valve 280 can be any suitable valve. For example, in
FIG. 6A the valve is a Schrader valve (represented by alpha-numeric
label 280a) with an elongated valve stem 300. The valve stem 300
includes stem-end 310. The stem-end 310 is located proximate to the
water outlet 180 such that a person's hand or part thereof can
easily access the stem-end 310 to push the stem-end 310 upwards.
The valve stem 300 is coupled to a spring 320. A person can
activate the valve 280 to produce a fountain of water 240 by
placing, for example, a finger F up against water outlet 180 and
pushing the stem 300 upwards against the spring 320 thereby
allowing water in the outlet water passage 160 to pass through the
valve 280a to produce a water fountain 240.
[0038] A person can adjust the height of the water fountain 240.
For example, if a finger is pressed firmly against the water outlet
180 and seals the water outlet 180 to the extent that water can not
exit through the water outlet 180 then the height of the water
fountain 240 is maximized. The water fountain 240 disappears when a
faucet user stops obstructing the flow of water out of water outlet
180 and/or lets the valve stem 300 return to its default position
causing the valve 280a to close.
[0039] It should be understood that the fountain-faucet and the
various elements described herein are set forth merely to
facilitate a complete understanding of the device 100, and should
not be read as limiting the invention.
* * * * *