U.S. patent number 3,831,860 [Application Number 05/316,042] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-27 for low flow volume shower head.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Wrightway Mfg. Co.. Invention is credited to Gilbert V. Gullaksen, George W. Jatho.
United States Patent |
3,831,860 |
Gullaksen , et al. |
August 27, 1974 |
LOW FLOW VOLUME SHOWER HEAD
Abstract
A low flow volume shower head wherein a disk having a flow
restricting orifice extends across the water flow passage of the
head so as to restrict the flow of water discharged from the head.
The flow restricting disk is positioned upstream from a perforated,
jet-forming disk that also extends across the flow passage. The
area of the orifice in the flow restricting disk is less than the
total area of the apertures in the perforated disk by a
predetermined amount; the orifice in the flow restricting disk is
spaced upstream from the jet-forming disk by a predetermined
distance; and the space between the jet-forming disk and a portion
of the flow restricting disk having the orifice therein is of a
predetermined volume.
Inventors: |
Gullaksen; Gilbert V. (Monee,
IL), Jatho; George W. (Oak Lawn, IL) |
Assignee: |
Wrightway Mfg. Co. (Chicago,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23227213 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/316,042 |
Filed: |
December 18, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
239/500;
239/553.3; 239/504; 239/590.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B
1/30 (20130101); E03C 1/08 (20130101); Y02A
20/40 (20180101); Y02A 20/414 (20180101); E03C
2001/026 (20130101); E03C 2001/082 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B05B
1/30 (20060101); B50b 001/34 (); B05b 001/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;239/396,427,461,472,499,500,504,523,524,552,553.3,558,559,590.3 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Ward, Jr.; Robert S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hibben, Noyes & Bicknell
Claims
We claim:
1. A low flow volume shower head comprising, a tubular shower head
body having an inlet end adapted to be connected to a source of
liquid under pressure, a liquid outlet end spaced from said inlet
end, and a bore therethrough extending between said ends, said bore
defining passage means extending between said inlet and outlet ends
of said body, jet-forming means disposed in said passage means
between said ends for converting liquid entering said inlet end
into a plurality of discrete jets, and orifice means disposed in
said passage means upstream from said jet-forming means for
restricting the volume of liquid flowing through said passage means
and out of said outlet end, the cross sectional area of said
orifice means being less than the total cross sectional area of
said jet-forming means, and the portion of said passage means
downstream from said jet forming means coacting with said jets to
control the angle of dispersion of the flow discharging from the
outlet end of said body, whereby the volume of liquid flowing
through said shower head is restricted at all times by said orifice
means and the stream of liquid discharging from the outlet end of
said body is in a predetermined pattern.
2. The shower head of claim 1, further characterized in that said
jet-forming means comprises a plate member extending across said
passage means and having a plurality of apertures therein, and said
orifice means comprises another plate member extending across said
passage means and having a central opening therein, the apertures
in said first mentioned plate member being spaced radially
outwardly of the opening in said other plate member.
3. The shower head of claim 2, further characterized in that said
apertures in said first mentioned plate member are arranged in a
ring, said opening in said other plate member is concentric with
the center of said ring of apertures, and the diameter of said
portion of said passage means downstream from said first mentioned
plate member is greater than the diameter of said ring of
apertures.
4. The shower head of claim 2, further characterized in that the
cross sectional area of said opening is about 28 percent less than
the total cross sectional area of said apertures plus or minus
about 10 percent.
5. The shower head of claim 4, further characterized in that cross
sectional area of said opening is about 0.0143 square inches, and
the total cross sectional area of said apertures is about 0.0199
square inches.
6. The shower head of claim 2, further characterized in that
opening in said other plate-like member is spaced upstream from
said first-mentioned plate member by about 0.063 inches plus or
minus about 10 percent.
7. The shower head of claim 6, further characterized in that at
least the portion of said other plate-like member having said
opening therein is spaced in an upstream direction from said
first-mentioned plate-like member to provide a space therebetween,
and the volume of said space is about 0.00803 cubic inches plus
about 5 percent or minus about 2 percent.
8. The shower head of claim 7, further characterized in that only
the central portion of said other plate-like member is displaced in
an upstream direction from said first-mentioned plate member to
define said space therebetween, the peripheral portion of said
other plate-like member engaging the upstream side of said
first-mentioned plate member.
9. The shower head of claim 8, further characterized in that the
downstream side of said central portion of said other plate-like
member comprises a portion of a spherical surface.
10. The shower head of claim 1, further characterized in that the
end of said bore adjacent to the outlet end of said body is
counterbored, and said counterbore coacts with said jets to effect
partial aeration of the liquid stream discharging from the outlet
end of said body.
Description
This invention relates to shower heads, and more particularly
relates to a shower head having a restricted flow capacity for
water conservation purposes.
The current concern with matters affecting the ecology and natural
resources has resulted in the creation of many new, and the
redesign of many existing, devices in order to give effect to these
considerations. Fresh water is one of the natural resources that is
presently the subject of extensive conservation efforts, some of
which are now being directed to devices which curtail or restrict
excessive domestic use of fresh water. In this regard, physicians
and sanitation workers have heretofore advocated the use of
showers, instead of tub bathing, as a preferred form of personal
cleanliness. However, even though showers are usually less wasteful
of water than tub bathing, large quantities of water can be used
during showering, particularly in areas where high pressures are
maintained in the water mains. Consequently, there has been and
there is now a progressively growing need for a shower producing
device for domestic, institutional and industrial use, which will
limit the volume of water delivered and thereby assist in the
conservation of this resource.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to
provide a novel shower head construction having a restricted flow
capacity which prevents the use of excessive amounts of water.
Another object is to provide a novel shower head of the foregoing
character, wherein the normal shower producing characteristics
thereof are unchanged.
A further object is to provide a novel shower head of the character
described, which is simple in construction, reliable in operation
and economical to manufacture.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the
following detailed description and accompanying drawing, in
which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the outlet end of a shower
pipe having a control valve assembly connected thereto and a swivel
shower head embodying the features of the present invention
connected to the control valve assembly;
FIG. 2 is a somewhat enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal sectional
view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are fragmentary, transverse, sectional views taken
substantially along the lines 3--3 and 4--4, respectively, of FIG.
2; and
FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the water conserving and
spray generating parts of the shower head illustrated in FIGS. 1
and 2.
In FIG. 1, a low flow volume shower head embodying the features of
the present invention is illustrated and indicated generally at 10.
The shower head 10, in the present instance, is shown connected to
the socket portion 11 of a swivel assembly 12. The connecting
portion, indicated at 13, of the swivel assembly 12 may, for
example, be connected to the lower end of a flow control valve
assembly 14 having a plunger 16 that is laterally shiftably mounted
therein. Movement of the plunger 16 in opposite directions serves
to progressively open or close a flow passage (not shown) in the
valve. Consequently, the amount of water flowing through the shower
head 10 can be regulated, depending upon the position of the
plunger. The upper end of the control valve 14 is shown threaded
onto the lower or discharge end of a shower pipe 17.
Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the shower head 10
comprises an elongated tubular body or casing 21 having a central,
axially extending bore 22 therethrough comprising passage means
through the body. The upper end of the bore 22 is counterbored as
at 23 to define a shoulder 24, and the upper portion of the
counterbore 23 is threaded as at 26 to receive the externally
threaded lower tubular portion 27 of the swivel assembly socket
portion 11, or the threaded terminal end of a water supply conduit,
such as the shower pipe 17. The lower end of the bore 22 may be
counterbored or undercut, as at 28, to soften the stream
discharging from the shower head 10, as will be described more
fully hereinafter.
In order to convert the flow of water from the conduit 17 into a
plurality of discrete jets, jet-forming means is provided in the
body 21. Such jet-forming means, in the present instance, comprises
a plate member or disk 40 having at least one and preferably a
plurality of apertures 42 therethrough. The diameter of the disk 40
is greater than the diameter of the bore 22 and somewhat less than
that of the counterbore 23 so that the disk 40 is marginally
retained on the shoulder 24 when the disk is mounted in the
body.
As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, twelve apertures 42 are provided in
the disk 40, the apertures being arranged in a ring in equidistant,
circumferentially spaced relation with the center of the ring
concentric with that of the disk 40. According to the illustrated
specific embodiment of the invention, the diameter of each aperture
is about 0.046 inches so that the total area of the apertures is
about 0.0199 square inches. The distance between the centers of
each diametrically oppositely arranged pair of apertures is about
0.405 inches.
With the foregoing construction, it will be apparent that water
entering the upper end of the body 21 will be converted into a
plurality of discrete jets upon passing through the ring of
apertures 42 in the disk 40, the jets issuing from the lower end of
the body 21 in a conical pattern. The angle of divergence of the
jets is such that when the shower head 10 is positioned about 7
feet above the floor, a circular pattern having a diameter of
approximately 18 inches will be formed on the floor. The
counterbore or undercut 28 provides an annular space or void
surrounding the jets of water issuing from the apertures 42, which
serves to soften the stream by causing a partial aeration
thereof.
According to the present invention, the shower head 10 includes
orifice means for restricting the flow of water through the head so
that, for a given line pressure, a substantial reduction in the
volume of the water discharged from the head is achieved. Such
orifice means, in the present instance, comprises another
plate-like member or disk 50 of substantially the same diameter as
the disk 40 and having a central opening 52 therethrough of smaller
cross sectional area than the total cross sectional area of the
apertures 42. Thus, assuming that the total cross sectional area of
the ring of apertures 42 in the disk 40 is about 0.0199 square
inches, the area of the opening 52 in the disk 50 is preferably
about 0.0143 square inches, which is about 28 percent less than the
cross sectional area of the apertures 42. However, the
aforementioned percentage difference between the cross sectional
areas of the apertures 42 and opening 52 could vary plus or minus
10 percent.
Since the distance between the centers of each diametrically
oppositely arranged pair of the apertures 42 is about 0.405 inches,
as previously described, and, since the center of the ring of
apertures 42 is concentric with that of the opening 52 and the
latter is preferably circular in form and has an area of about
0.0143 square inches, the apertures 42 are spaced radially
outwardly of the opening 52. This relationship is best seen in FIG.
4.
In addition to the foregoing relationship, the opening 52 is spaced
upstream from the upper surface of the disk 40 on which the disk 50
rests by about 0.063 inches plus or minus about 10 percent or
between about 0.069 inches and 0.057 inches. To This end, at least
a portion of the disk 50, in this instance the central portion 53
thereof, is displaced or bulged in an upstream direction from the
margin, indicated at 54, of the disk to provide the aforementioned
desired spacing between the opening 52 and disk 40. In the present
instance, the central portion 53 comprises a portion of a hollow
sphere having an inside radius of curvature of about 0.665 inches.
When the margin 54 of the disk is resting on the upper surface of
the disk 40, the volume of the space, indicated at 55, between the
central portion 53 of the disk 50 and the upper surface of the disk
40 is about 0.00803 cubic inches plus about 5 percent or minus
about 2 percent. In other words, the volume of the space 55 may be
within the range of about 0.00843 to about 0.00787 cubic
inches.
It will be understood that the aforementioned upstream spacing of
the opening 52 from the upper surface of the disk 40 and the volume
of the space 55 could be provided by forming the central portion 53
of the disk 50 to some shape other than that shown in FIG. 2, or
could be formed without any displacement of the central portion 53
relative to the peripheral portion 57. For example, the central
portion 53 could be made cylindrical, instead of a segment of a
sphere, or could be flat with an appropriately sized washer
interposed between the margins of the disks.
In FIG. 2, the disks 40 and 50 are shown held on the shoulder 24 in
the body 21 by the lower end 27 of the swivel assembly socket
portion 11 and by the lower end of a cylindrical gasket 56 in the
socket portion. A sealing washer 57 may be provided between the
upper surface of the margin 54 of the disk 50 and the engaging
structure of the socket portion 11.
Since the area of the opening 52 in the flow restricting disk 50 is
about 28 percent less than the total area of the apertures 42 in
the disk 40, plus or minus about 10 percent, a significant
restricting or choking action of the flow through the shower head
10 is obtained. Tests have shown that when the flow restricting
disk 50 is present in the shower head 10 and the line pressure of
water at the head is about 10 pounds per square inch, the volume of
water discharged by the shower head is about 20 percent less than
the amount that would be discharged if the disk 50 were not
present. Moreover, if the flow restricting disk 50 is present and
the shower head 10 is operating at a line pressure of about 100
pounds per square inch, the volume of water discharged is about
33-1/3 percent less than the amount that would be discharged if the
disk 50 were omitted.
While only one embodiment of the invention has been herein
illustrated and described in detail, it will be understood that
modifications and variations thereof may be effected without
departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the
appended claims.
* * * * *