U.S. patent number 3,830,432 [Application Number 05/344,225] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-20 for shower construction.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hans Grohe KG. Invention is credited to Klaus Grohe.
United States Patent |
3,830,432 |
Grohe |
August 20, 1974 |
SHOWER CONSTRUCTION
Abstract
A shower construction, comprises a water supply pipe having a
longitudinally extending water delivery bore which is closed at its
outer end and which includes a transversely extending bore
discharge passage connecting the delivery bore adjacent the closed
end and a shower head which is provided with a receiving bore so as
to receive the closed end of the water supply pipe and to cover the
discharge passage. The shower head is rotatable in respect to the
supply pipe, and it has a plurality of angularly spaced radially
extending water discharge conduits which terminate in a distinctive
discharge fitting at their outer ends. The water head is rotatable
to align a selective discharge conduit and fitting with the water
supply pipe water delivery bore.
Inventors: |
Grohe; Klaus (Schiltach/Black
Forest, DT) |
Assignee: |
Hans Grohe KG (Shiltach/Schur,
DT)
|
Family
ID: |
5840551 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/344,225 |
Filed: |
March 23, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
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Mar 29, 1972 [DT] |
|
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2215344 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
239/394;
239/587.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B
1/1645 (20130101); B05B 1/185 (20130101); B05B
15/62 (20180201) |
Current International
Class: |
B05B
1/14 (20060101); B05B 1/18 (20060101); B05B
1/16 (20060101); B05B 15/00 (20060101); B05B
15/06 (20060101); B05b 001/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;239/390,394,587 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wood, Jr.; M. Henson
Assistant Examiner: Mar; Michael Y.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: McGlew and Tuttle
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A shower construction comprising a water supply pipe having a
longitudinally extending water delivery bore closed at its outer
end and a transverse bore for the discharge passage connecting the
delivery bore adjacent the closed outer end terminating in a planar
end face, said water supply pipe having an elongated central
tubular pipe portion with said water delivery bore and a
surrounding outer hollow supply pipe housing surrounding said
central tubular pipe portion being substantially shorter in
longitudinal dimension and terminating in a parting plane spaced
longitudinally inwardly from the closed outer end of said supply
pipe, a shower head having a central hub portion rotatable on the
closed end of said water supply pipe and an outer surrounding
hollow head housing with an outer surface flush with the outer
surface of said hollow supply pipe housing, said hub portion having
a supply pipe bore into which the closed end planar end face of
said water supply pipe extends, a pivot bolt engaged through said
planar end face, said head having a plurality of angularly spaced
radially extending water discharge conduits each terminating in a
distinctive discharge fitting, said head being rotatable about said
bolt relative to said water supply pipe to selectively align a
water discharge conduit with the transverse bore discharge of said
water supply pipe in different angular positions of said head
relative to said supply pipe, said head being of a polygonal form
and having a plurality of sides each with a separate discharge
conduit having a distinct discharge fitting thereon.
2. A shower construction, according to claim 1, wherein the hollow
head housing is threaded at its end opposite to said closed outer
end and tapers outwardly from said threaded end to said closed
outer end, said head tapering outwardly from the juncture of the
outer housing portion of said head with the outer housing portion
of said water supply pipe.
3. A shower construction according to claim 1, including a ring
packing surrounding said transverse bore discharge passage between
said water supply pipe and said head, said angularly spaced water
discharge conduits of said head being selectively alignable within
the ring packing.
4. A shower construction according to claim 1, wherein said head
and said supply pipe have abutting wall surfaces with detent means
defined therebetween impeding rotation of said head relative to
said supply pipe when said transverse bore discharge passage is
aligned with a selective one of said water discharge conduits.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the construction of shower
fittings and, in particular, to a new and useful shower
construction for a shower or bath fixture which includes a head
portion which is rotatable around a supply pipe and which is
provided with one or more distinctive heads which are selectively
connectable to the supply pipe for the discharge of water
therethrough.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In addition to the well-known sieve or screen-type shower heads
whose discharge includes a plurality of jet orifices arranged
around a circular surface, there are many other types of shower
head constructions, such as showers with nozzle jet heads and froth
sprayers. Among the nozzle jet heads, there are those which produce
a single highly concentrated hard water jet and those which have a
regulatable spray effect. The froth sprayer has the property that
it is provided with means for greatly aerating the water jet before
it leaves the head thus making it very soft and imparting a
bubbling or frothing effect to the water as it impinges on the
skin. Showers of this nature are finding increased use in such
devices as cosmetic treatment devices and particularly for
therapeutic treatment of various diseases and, in such cases,
certain jet properties are preferred, depending on the disease to
be treated, or the skin sensitivity of the respective person. A
disadvantage of the known showers is that they have only one
sprayer head with one spray discharge fitting so that the
discharging water stream can be adapted to only one specific skin
sensitivity or one specific therapy. In order to remedy this
disadvantage, it has been considered possible to install several
different shower heads, for example in a shower booth, or in a
bathroom, but for cost reasons, this has usually not been
feasible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a
shower which includes a single shower head which is regulatable in
order to produce distinctive water discharge streams. The invention
provides a shower head which is rotatable around its associated
water supply pipe and it is provided with one or more passages
which may be aligned with a discharge bore of the supply pipe in
order to provide flow of the fluid through a selected head fitting
which produces a distinctive water stream discharge. The invention
provides an inexpensive shower construction in which the
installation cost, as well as the cost of the parts, are very low.
The head includes fittings which are capable of producing several
different jet characteristics of the water stream which is
discharged and which will correspond to the individual's wishes or
to the therapy instructions which are desirable. In the preferred
arrangement, the shower head is rotatably mounted on the supply
pipe or any extension thereof. The head may be directly rotatable
on a fixed end of the delivery pipe or on an extension thereof
which may be pivoted to the main supply pipe.
In a preferred form of the invention, the shower head is designed
as a truncated pyramid shaped hollow body which is rotatably
mounted by means of a hub portion thereof on the closed end of a
supply pipe. The supply pipe is advantageously provided with a
radial bore which is surrounded by a ring of packing which abuts
against the interior surface of the hollow head and the head may be
rotated to align a selective discharge conduit with the transverse
bore of the water delivery conduit. In end elevation, the shower
head is advantageously polygonal, such as of triangular form, and
its sides are each provided with a separate shower head fitting.
Each fitting produces a distinctive water spray for jet discharge
and the three separate fittings may advantageously comprise, for
example, a sieve sprayer, a nozzle sprayer, and a froth
sprayer.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an
improved shower construction which includes a head which is
rotatable in respect to a supply pipe and which carries a plurality
of different shower fittings which are each separately communicable
with the supply bore of the supply conduit so that the liquid may
be discharged selectively through a particular type of shower head
fitting.
A further object of the invention is to provide a shower with a
head fitting of generally triangular configuration having side
walls which contain separate shower head fittings and which are
separately connectable through internal passages to the supply
conduit.
A further object of the invention is to provide a shower which is
simple in design, rugged in construction, and economical to
manufacture.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention
are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and
forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of
the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects
attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying
drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated
preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the Drawings:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a shower
constructed in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a front end elevational view of the shower head shown in
FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line III--III of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line IV--IV of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line V--V of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of another embodiment of the
invention; and
FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of the shower shown in FIG.
6.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings in particular, the invention embodied
therein in FIGS. 1 to 5, comprises a hand shower, generally
designated 1, which includes a shower handle portion 2 and a shower
head portion, generally designated 3, both of which are designed as
hollow bodies. The rear end of the hand shower 1 includes a
threaded shoulder 4 for the attachment of the shower to a water
supply, such as a flexible hose, as is customary for hand
showers.
In accordance with the invention, the interior of the handle
portion 2 includes a water supply pipe 5 having a longitudinally
extending bore 5' for the passage of water therethrough. The outer
shell portion of handle 2 ends at an end face 6 against which the
outer shell 7 of the shower head 3 applies. The pipe 5 extends into
a receiving hub 8 of the shower head 3. The pipe 5 includes a
closed end 10 which extends into the hub 8 and this end has a
threaded bore 11 which receives a holding screw 12 which extends
through the head 3. The screw 12 holds the shower head 3 on the
water supply pipe 5 so that the shower head 3 is rotatable about
the axis 15 of the pipe 5. The pipe 5 also includes a radially
extending bore 13 which communicates with the bore 5' at the outer
end thereof and which defines a transverse bore discharge for the
water. A ring packing 14 seals the inner wall of the hub 8 from the
outer wall of the pipe end 10 which extends into it.
It is thus seen in FIG. 2, that the shower head 3 has a triangular
form in end elevation and approximately resembles a truncated
pyramid. The head 3 includes three side walls 16, 17 and 18, which
extend obliquely to the longitudinal axis and which carry a
different or distinctive water discharge fitting 19, 20 or 21. In
the embodiment shown, the jet body 19 is a froth sprayer which
produces a highly aerated soft full water jet. The jet body 20 is a
sieve sprayer, and comprises several rings 22 which are nested
together, and which present fluted jet orifices 23 on their
circumference. The jet body 21 is a nozzle sprayer, and this
produces a highly concentrated thin water jet. Each of the jet
bodies 19, 20 and 21 connects to a respective water discharge
conduit 24, 25 and 26. The head 3 is constructed so that it may be
rotated to cause a selected water discharge conduit 24, 25 or 26 to
align with the radial bore 13 at a certain angle of position of the
shower head 3 while the other two openings become cutoff from the
water supply, as indicated in FIG. 5.
In order to secure the shower head 3 against inadvertent rotation,
the device includes a ball detent 27 which is carried on the rear
end of the shower head 3 and engages into a groove at each angular
setting of the particular shower fittings 19, 20 and 21.
In the embodiment indicated in FIGS. 6 and 7, there is provided a
shower, generally designated 1', which includes a head 28 in the
form of a truncated pyramid as in the other embodiment. The head 28
is rotatably mounted by its hub portion 29 on a pipe section 30
which forms an extension of a water supply pipe 35. The head 28 is
secured by means of a screw 31 which is threaded into the closed
end of the pipe section 30. The pipe section 30 is part of a
housing body 32 which is pivotally secured on a spherical head 34
of the water supply pipe 35 by means of a cap nut 33. The shower
head construction shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 differs from the shower
head 3 of the other embodiment essentially in respect to the fact
that its side walls 16', 17' and 18' are inclined in an opposite
sense in respect to the central axis 36. The head includes shower
fittings 19', 20' and 21' which are similar to the fittings shown
in the other embodiment, for example.
In order to adjust the showers of both embodiments, it is only
necessary to rotate the shower head 3 or the shower head 28 by
120.degree. to a new detent position.
Instead of providing the rotary shower head 3 or 28 with three
different jet fittings, any number may be provided, such as two, or
more than three, with a correspondingly shaped form of shower
head.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and
described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles
of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be
embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
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