Portable shower head

Abstract

A portable shower head includes a diverter movable between first and second positions. In the first position, water from the shower inlet is discharged through a spray forming member. In the second position, water from the inlet passes tangentially into a diverter chamber. An oscillating plate is positioned within the diverter chamber and provides a pulsating discharge from the diverter through a spray head which is positioned concentric with and interiorly of said spray forming member.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a portable shower head having both a steady spray discharge and a pulsating discharge.

One purpose of the invention is a shower head of the type described which is attached by a flexible conduit to a wall outlet so that it can be moved by the user during a shower.

Another purpose is a shower head of the type described in which the pulsating discharge is controlled by an oscillating plate which, in its rest position, is positioned off center from its supporting pivotal connection.

Another purpose is a shower head of the type described in which water is directed into the diverter chamber in a tangential or swirling manner.

Another purpose is a shower head having a reciprocally removable diverter member to control both a pulsating spray and a steady spray.

Another purpose is a shower head of the type described in which there is a space inside of the spray forming member which space receives a portion of the water flowing past the spray forming member to maintain the proper position of the spray forming member during water discharge.

Other purposes will appear in the ensuing specification, drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated diagramatically in the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the shower head,

FIG. 2 is a top view of the shower head,

FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the shower head with the cover removed,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section showing the shower head in the spray position,

FIG. 5 is a partial vertical section, similar to FIG. 4, showing the shower head in position for a pulsating discharge,

FIG. 6 is a partial section taken on line 6--6 of FIG. 3 illustrating the stop for the reciprocal diverter,

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the diverter,

FIG. 8 is a top view of the spray forming member, and

FIG. 9 is a partial vertical section of a modified form of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is designed as a specific improvement on the structure shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,410.

Looking particularly at FIGS. 1 and 2, a shower head indicated generally at 10 may have a handle 12 and an integral housing 14. The handle 12 may have a threaded adapter 16 for use in attaching the shower head to flexible conduit. The shower head shown and described herein is portable in that it may be held by the user and moved around to direct either one of the two spray discharges at various parts of the body. A control know 18 is used to vary the type of discharge as will appear hereinafter and is positioned on a shaft 20 illustrated in FIG. 3, which extends outwardly from the housing 14.

Looking particularly at FIGS. 4 and 5, the handle section 12 of the shower head defines a water passage 22 which extends from the adapter 16 to the housing 14. Positioned within the housing is a diverter member indicated generally at 24 and which includes a piston 26 having an upwardly projecting stem 28 with a rack formed along one side thereof. A pinion 32, integral with shaft 20 is in engagement with the rack 30 and thus rotation of the control knob 18 is effective to reciprocally move piston 26. As particularly shown in FIG. 6 the shaft 20 may mount integral stops 34 and 35 which are positioned to bear against a housing portion 36 and thus limit movement of rack 30 and piston 26.

Formed within piston 26 is a chamber 38 and positioned within chamber 38 is an oscillating plate 40. A projection 42 integral with piston 26, extends downwardly, as shown in FIG. 4, toward plate 40 to limit its movement within chamber 38. Piston 26 has a downwardly extending skirt 44 which cooperates with a retainer 66 to mount a spray head 46. Uniformly spaced slots or grooves 48 in the exterior of the spray head form a discharge path. The spray head may have an upwardly extending projection 50, the apex of which supports the oscillating plate 40. It is important that the center line of plate 40 indicated at 52, be slightly offset from the point of contact with projection 50 when the plate 40 is in the rest or inoperative position. Thus when water is admitted into chamber 38, it will cause the plate to oscillate and move back and forth on projection 50 within the chamber. If the center line 52 of plate 40 rest precisely on the apex of projection 50, water within the plate would not cause oscillation and the plate would remain in a stable position. By having the center line slightly offset, the flow of water will cause the plate to move back and forth within the chamber. The movement of the plate within the chamber causes a pulsating discharge through grooves 48.

FIG. 5 illustrates the position of piston 26 when the shower head is used to provide a pulsating discharge. There are a pair of piston inlet passages 54 which are in communication with a housing inlet 56. Inlet 56 in turn is in communication with water passage 22. The passages 54 are each in communication with an exterior annular groove 58 such that water at inlet 56 will be circumferentially passed to both passages 54 for subsequent flow into chamber 38. Passages 54 are not directed at the center of chamber 38, but instead are directed in a more tangential manner. Each of the passages 54 have a wall 60 which defines the direction of flow of the incoming water and the flow path will be somewhat tangential to the sides of chamber 38 and will create a swirling movement of water within the chamber. The swirling movement of water is effective to initiate the oscillating action of plate 40.

When piston 26 is in the position of FIG. 4 water flows from inlet 56 into an annular area 62 surrounding skirt 44. Positioned within this annular area is a spray forming member 64 held in position by retainer 66 depending from the bottom of piston skirt 44. Retainer 66 has an upwardly extending V-shaped ridge 68 which is positioned against the bottom of spray forming member 64. In the alternative, the ridge may be on the bottom of the spray forming member. The top or upper surface 70 of the spray forming member has a plurality of upwardly extending bumps 72 which seat against a lower surface 74 of the piston 26. As clearly indicated in FIG. 4, there is an annular space 76 behind spray forming member 64 and water flows into this area through notches 78 formed in surface 74 of piston 26. Thus water in space 76, behind the spray forming member, assists in maintaining the spray forming member concentric with the piston and in the proper position to carefully define a spray discharge without extrusion leakage.

The outer surface of spray forming member 64 is formed by a plurality of uniformly spaced grooves or notches 80 which may be formed at varying angles to define a somewhat cone shaped spray. Such a construction is known in the art.

Piston 26 may have a pair of seal rings 82 and 84 positioned in appropriate grooves on the exterior of the piston, with the seal rings being in sealing engagement with a body member 86 forming a portion of the housing 14. Seal rings 82 and 84 are on opposite sides of piston water passages 54.

The housing 14 may include, in addition to the body member 86, a cover 88 which may have suitable indicia on its outer surface, with the cover being suitably attached to the housing 14, as shown at 90. A lower portion 92 of the housing may have an upwardly extending skirt 94 which seats the body 86 within the housing. The entire assembly may be suitably assembled by sonic welding or the like into an integral structure.

FIG. 9 shows a modified form of the invention in which oscillating plate 96 positioned within the chamber 38 of FIGS. 4 and 5 may have a downwardly extending projection 98 similar to the projection 50. The upper surface 100 of spray head 102 may be substantially flat or plane. The pivotal mounting of the oscillating plate may be formed either by a projection on the spray head and a plane surface on the plate or the reverse. In either case it is important that, in the rest position, the point of contact of the projection, whether it be on the plate or on the spray head, be slightly radially offset from the center of its facing surface.

In operation, when the shower head is in the position of FIG. 4, water will flow from passage 22, through inlet 56 to spray former 64. Water will pass downwardly through the various slots or grooves 80 to form a spray discharge of generally conical configuration.

When the spray head is moved to the position of FIG. 5, through the described rack and pinion, the entire piston moves downwardly so that inlet 56 is now in register with circumferentially extending groove 58 which provides water for the generally tangentially directed water passages 54. Water will thus pass into chamber 38, causing plate 40 to oscillate on its pivotal mounting. The oscillation of plate 40 will provide a pulsating discharge through the grooves 48.

Whereas the preferred form of this invention has been shown and described herein, it should be understood that there may be many modifications, substitutions and alterations thereto.

Claims

We claim:

1. A shower head including a housing, a water inlet in said housing, water discharge means mounted in said housing and including a diverter movable in said housing between first and second positions, a spray forming member attached to said diverter and passage means in said housing connecting said inlet and spray forming member when said diverter is in said first position,

a chamber in said diverter and passage means in said diverter connecting said inlet and chamber when said diverter is in said second position, a spray head attached to said diverter and defining an outlet for said chamber, and an oscillating member positioned in said chamber and pivotally mounted on said spray head for providing a pulsating discharge for said outlet.

2. The structure of claim 1 further characterized by and including means on said housing defining a reciprocal path for said diverter, and a handle extending outside of said housing and having means thereon cooperating with said diverter for effecting reciprocal movement thereof.

3. The structure of claim 2 futher characterized by and including seal means positioned on the exterior of said diverter and in sealing contact with the means on the housing defining said reciprocal path.

4. The structure of claim 2 further characterized in that the cooperating means on said handle and diverter include a rack on the diverter and a pinion on the handle.

5. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that said spray forming member is positioned exteriorly of and concentric with said spray head, an annular chamber positioned about said diverter, said spray forming member being positioned in said annular chamber, said annular chamber being in communication with said inlet when said diverter is in said first position.

6. The structure of claim 5 further characterized by and including an annular space positioned inside of said spray forming member and outside of a portion of said diverter, and cooperating means on said spray forming member and diverter defining passage means between said space and said annular chamber for admitting water into said space.

7. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that the pivotal mounting for said oscillating member includes a projection on said spray head extending toward said member, the center line of said member being offset from the center of said projection when said member is in the rest position.

8. The structure of claim 7 further characterized by and including means on said housing defining a reciprocal path for said diverter, said spray forming member being positioned concentric with and exteriorly of said spray head.

9. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that the pivotal mounting of said oscillating member includes a projection on said member bearing against a substantially plane surface of said spray head, the center line of said projection being radially offset from the center of said spray head when said member is in the rest position.

10. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that said diverter passage means are in communication with the exterior of said diverter, said diverter passage means being formed and adapted to discharge water into said diverter chamber in a swirling manner.

11. The structure of claim 10 further characterized in that said diverter passage means includes wall means extending generally tangentially of said chamber.

12. The structure of claim 11 further characterized by and including seal rings extending about the exterior of said diverter and on opposite sides of said diverter passage means.

13. A shower head including a housing, a water inlet in said housing, water discharge means mounted in said housing and including a spray forming member and a diverter, said diverter being movable between first and second positions in said housing, passage means in said housing connecting said spray forming member and inlet when said diverter is in said first position

a chamber in said diverter and passage means in said diverter connecting said inlet and chamber when said diverter is in said second position, a spray head attached to said diverter and defining an outlet for said chamber, and an oscillating member positioned in said chamber and pivotally mounted on said spray head for providing a pulsating discharge for said outlet.

14. The structure of claim 13 further characterized in that the pivotal mounting for said oscillating member includes a projection on one of said member and spray head and a substantially plane surface on the other facing said projection, the centerline of said plane surface being offset from the center of said projection when said member is in the rest position.

15. The structure of claim 14 further characterized in that said diverter passage means are formed to direct water in a generally tangential path into said chamber.