U.S. patent number 3,837,013 [Application Number 05/354,744] was granted by the patent office on 1974-09-24 for movable shower head and soap tray assembly.
Invention is credited to Oliver Thurston Davis, Norman R. Jones.
United States Patent |
3,837,013 |
Davis , et al. |
September 24, 1974 |
MOVABLE SHOWER HEAD AND SOAP TRAY ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A movable shower head and soap tray assembly having an elongated
rod adapted to be mounted on the wall of a shower. A holder for a
shower head is slidably mounted on and frictionally held at any
desired position on the rod. The shower head holder has a plurality
of recesses for maintaining a removable shower head at a plurality
of angles with respect to the vertical. A soap dish is also
slidably mounted on and frictionally held at any desired position
on the rod.
Inventors: |
Davis; Oliver Thurston (Dunlap,
TN), Jones; Norman R. (Dunlap, TN) |
Family
ID: |
23394734 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/354,744 |
Filed: |
April 26, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/605; 248/75;
248/274.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E03C
1/06 (20130101); E03C 1/066 (20130101); A47K
5/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47K
5/00 (20060101); A47K 5/02 (20060101); E03C
1/06 (20060101); A47k 003/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;4/145,148,149,158
;239/293,588 ;248/75,39 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
66,600 |
|
Oct 1954 |
|
FR |
|
1,036,819 |
|
May 1951 |
|
FR |
|
453,378 |
|
Sep 1936 |
|
GB |
|
J842,7X3 |
|
Jan 1956 |
|
DT |
|
1,456,791 |
|
Sep 1966 |
|
FR |
|
Primary Examiner: Huckert; John W.
Assistant Examiner: Gerstein; Milton
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Martin; J. T. Ferguson, Esq.;
Gerald J. Baker; Joseph J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An assembly of the character described, the combination
comprising:
a. an elongated rod adapted to be mounted on the wall of a
shower,
b. a shower head having a flexible hose for connection to a source
of water for said shower head,
c. a holder for said shower head, said holder having means for
enabling said shower head to be moved to a plurality of positions
relative to said holder,
d. a support block having a recess forming a cylindrical wall
therethrough, the diameter of said recess being slightly less than
the diameter of said rod to thereby slidably mount and frictionally
hold said support block at any desired position relative to said
rod, and
e. means for securing said holder to said support block, said means
serving to vary the degree of said frictional engagement by
controlling the pressure exerted by said holder against said
support block.
2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a soap
dish slidably mounted and frictionally held at any desired position
on said elongated rod.
3. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said soap dish is
mounted on a support block by securing means, said support block
having a recess forming a cylindrical wall extending therethrough
the diameter of said recess being slightly less than the diameter
of said elongated rod.
4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said support block
is made of plastic like material.
5. An assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said cylindrical
wall frictionally engages said elongated rod to hold said soap dish
at a desired position on said rod and the amount of frictional
engagement can be controlled by said securing means.
6. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said shower head has
an extension on one end thereof and said shower head holder has a
plurality of spaced-apart recesses therein such that when said
extension is separately positioned in each of said recesses, said
shower head is at a different angle with respect to the
vertical.
7. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said support block
is made of plastic-like material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a removable shower head and soap dish
assembly which can be mounted on the wall of a shower and wherein
the shower head and soap dish can be moved to and frictionally held
at any desired position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shower heads which are wall mounted and which can be raised or
lowered to a plurality of positions are not new. Such shower heads
generally fall into two catagories: those which are slidably
mounted on an elongated rod and held in various positions by means
of a set screw or those which are slidably mounted in a track and
held in various positions by means of friction generated by complex
spring biasing means. The former type have proved to be
unsatisfactory due to the fact that it is very difficult to adjust
the position of the shower head when water is running therefrom
using one hand to position the head and the other to loosen and
tighten the set screw.
The latter types are costly to purchase, expensive in their
installation, and have complex spring biasing means for generating
friction which eventually succumbs to rusting and other types of
corrosion, thus, requiring constant maintenance.
The shower head and soap tray assembly of the present invention
eliminates the forementioned deficiencies inherent in the prior art
devices by providing a shower head and soap tray which is
comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and which can be raised or
lowered to any position with one hand while taking a shower and
maintained at that position.
In addition, the shower head can be easily positioned at a
plurality of angles with respect to the person taking a shower or
can be removed entirely and used in the hand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The shower head and soap tray of the present invention comprises an
elongated rod which is mounted on the wall of a shower stall or
bathtub. A support block made of semi-resilient material has a
recess therethrough forming a cylindrical-shaped wall having a
diameter slightly less than the outside diameter of the elongated
rod. The rod is forced into the recess and is held at any position
on the rod by means of the friction generated between the wall and
the rod. A shower head holder is secured to the support block by
means of screws. The shower head holder has a plurality of recesses
at various angles with respect to the rod. A shower head is
provided having a flexible hose for attachment to a source of
water. The shower head has an extension at one end thereof which
can be inserted in any of the aforementioned recesses to thereby
position the shower head at various angles to the person taking a
shower. An additional support block is provided similar to the
shower head holder support block to which is attached a soap dish.
The soap dish can also be raised, lowered, and maintained in any
desired position on the rod.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the movable shower head and soap
tray assembly of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the shower head holder.
FIG. 2A is a plane view of the shower head holder.
FIG. 3 is a plane view of the soap dish.
FIG. 3A is a front view of the soap dish.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 where like numerals indicate
like parts, the movable shower head and soap tray assembly of the
present invention is illustrated as having an elongated chrome
plated metal rod 10 which may either be solid or tubular. The metal
rod 10 is vertically mounted on a wall 12 and spaced therefrom by
means of an upper bracket 14 and a lower bracket 16.
A shower head 18 has a spray nozzle 20 connected to one end thereof
and a hose connection 22 at the other end. The hose connection 22
has a finger-like extension member 24 integrally formed therewith,
the purpose of which will be more fully described later. A flexible
hose 26 is attached at one end to the hose connection 22 and at the
other end to a conventional double-valve faucet 28. The faucet 28
has a valve (not shown) in the outlet 32 thereof which is actuated
open or closed by means of knob 30 to thereby divert water from the
outlet 32 into the flexible hose 26 via outlet connection 34.
FIGS. 2 and 2A show a shower head holder 36 having a mounting
bracket 37 which is secured to a spacer block 38 and a support
block 40 by means of screws 42. The shower head holder 36 has a
plurality of recesses 44 adapted to receive the finger-like
extension member 24. The recesses 44 are formed at various angles
with respect to the vertical such that the angle of the shower head
18 can be varied depending on which recess 44 the extension member
24 is inserted by the user.
The support block 40 is made of a semi-rigid plastic-like material
which is self-lubricating in nature. The block 40 has a recess 46
forming a cylindrical wall 48 extending lengthwise from one outer
surface 50 to the opposite outer surface.
The recess 46 has substantially the same diameter as the metal rod
10 or slightly less. The width A of the support block 40 is chosen
to be slightly greater than the diameter of the recess 46 such that
when the rod 10 is inserted into the recess 46, a slight bulge 52
results adjacent the recess 46. A recess 46 of approximately
three-eighths inch diameter, a rod of approximately three-eighths
inch diameter and a support block 40 having a width A of
approximately one-half inch has proved to be very satisfactory,
there being developed just sufficient friction between the wall 48
of recess 46 and the outside surface of rod 10 to enable the
support block 40 to be easily moved on the rod 10 and yet remain
there.
If additional friction be required to maintain the support block 40
at a desired position, the screws 42 can be tightened down until
the necessary friction is achieved. As can be seen, tightening of
the screws 42 forces the spacer block 38 against the bulge 52 which
in turn increases the frictional engagement between the cylindrical
wall 48 and the rod 10.
A soap dish 54 having a mounting bracket 55 is also provided as
shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A. The bracket 55 is secured to a support
block 56 and spacer block 57 by means of screws 58. The support
block 56 is identical in construction with support block 40 and
functions to maintain the soap dish 54 in the desired position on
the rod 10 in the same manner as the support block 40. Similarly,
friction between the cylindrical wall 48 and rod 10 can be
increased by tightening down on screws 58.
The shower head 18 and soap dish 54 can thus be moved to any
vertical position or horizontal direction which is practical for
use, the shower head 18 being further capable of being positioned
at a plurality of angular positions with respect to the user.
Although we have shown and described a certain embodiment of our
invention, it will be understood that we do not wish to be limited
to the exact construction shown and described, but that various
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended
claims.
* * * * *