Weight Assembly for a Faucet

• US 20190331278A1
• Filed: 03/26/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globe Union Industrial Corporation
• Original Assignee: Globe Union Industrial Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Yiping, Ni, Kuotung, Huang, Chungyi
• Granted Patent: US 10,711,936 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/04 Water-basin installations specially adapted to wash-basins or baths valves, faucets, mixing valves, taps F16K
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/0404 Constructional or functional features of the spout
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/18 Sinks, whether or not connected to the waste-pipe
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 2001/0415 having an extendable water outlet
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 55/00 Devices or appurtenances for use in, or in connection with, pipes or pipe systems the preceding groups and groups F16L57/00, F16L59/00 take precedence; repairing or joining pipes on or under water F16L1/26; nozzles B05B; cleaning of pipes B08B9/02; arrangements of draining devices for water main or service pipe systems E03B7/08; devices for preventing bursting of water pipes by freezing E03B7/10; draining devices for hydrants E03B9/14; for domestic plumbing installations E03C1/00; steam traps for draining of liquids from enclosures containing gases or vapours F16T; arrangements for sealing leaky tubes or conduits of heat-exchangers F28F11/00

Abstract

A weight assembly is fixed on a hose of a faucet and contains: a tubular retainer and a counterweight. The tubular retainer includes a first segment, a second segment, a fitting orifice, an opening, an engagement portion, and a forced portion. The counterweight includes a third segment, a fourth segment, a through orifice, and a press portion. After the tubular retainer is fitted on the hose, the fourth segment of the counterweight moves toward the first segment of the tubular retainer so that the press portion presses the forced portion of the tubular retainer after the tubular retainer is accommodated into the through orifice, and the forced portion retracts inward to actuate the engagement portion to engage with the hose.

Claims

1. A weight assembly being fixed on a hose of a faucet and comprising:

a tubular retainer including a first segment, a second segment, a fitting orifice defined between the first segment and the second segment, an opening formed on a side of the fitting orifice and communicating with the fitting orifice so that the hose is fitted with the fitting orifice via the opening, an engagement portion arranged on an inner wall of the fitting orifice relative to the second segment so as to engage with the hose and to avoid a movement of the hose in the fitting orifice, and a forced portion formed on an outer wall of the tubular retainer relative to the second segment;

a counterweight including a third segment, a fourth segment, a through orifice defined between the third segment and the fourth segment so that the counterweight is fitted onto the hose by way of the through orifice, and a press portion formed on an inner wall of the through orifice relative to the fourth segment, such that after the tubular retainer is fitted on the hose, the fourth segment of the counterweight moves toward the first segment of the tubular retainer so that the press portion presses the forced portion of the tubular retainer after the tubular retainer is accommodated into the through orifice, and the forced portion retracts inward to actuate the engagement portion to engage with the hose.

2. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tubular retainer includes two positioning extensions extending from two sides of the opening respectively, wherein a channel is defined between the two positioning extensions so that the hose s fitted into the fitting orifice via the channel and the opening;

the through orifice of the counterweight includes a fixing notch defined on the inner wall of the through orifice and extending from the third segment to the fourth segment so that the two positioning extensions are engaged into the fixing notch from the fourth segment of the counterweight to the third segment of the counterweight, and the tubular retainer is limited to rotate relative to the counterweight.

3. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the two positioning extensions have two first tilted guide faces formed on two tops of the two positioning extensions respectively opposite to the fixing notch, the fixing notch has two second tilted guide faces arranged on two opposite sides of a bottom of the fixing notch individually opposite to the two positioning extensions, and the two first tilted guide faces of the two positioning extensions are respectively guided by the two second tilted guide faces to slide into the fixing notch.

4. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the engagement portion of the tubular retainer has multiple locking teeth.

5. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the engagement portion of the tubular retainer has two meshing sets, and each of the two meshing sets has the multiple locking teeth extending around each meshing set, wherein the two meshing sets circumferentially extend from the two sides of the opening respectively, and the engagement portion has a partition opposite to the opening.

6. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the forced portion of the tubular retainer has an externally conical face formed thereon, and the press portion of the counterweight has an internally conical face for contacting with the externally conical face so as to force the forced portion to flexibly retract inward.

7. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein a circular groove is defined among the externally conical face and the two meshing sets so that the forced portion is formed in a trumpet shape to flexibly retract inward, and the forced portion is connected with an outer surface of a bottom of the second segment opposite to each of the two positioning extensions, such that when the forced portion is pressed to actuate the two positioning extensions to move closes to each other, the two positioning extensions drive the two meshing sets to engage with the hose tightly.

8. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the counterweight includes an internal sleeve and an external sleeve fully or partially covering the internal sleeve, wherein the internal sleeve is made of metal, and the external sleeve is made of rubber.

9. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the through orifice of the counterweight has a connection trench opposite to the third segment, a diameter of the connection trench is more than the through orifice so that the connection trench is fitted on a screw nut above the hose before connecting the counterweight with the tubular retainer, and the screw nut is rotated loosely and tightly by rotating the counterweight.

10. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the connection trench has an inner wall formed in a polygon shape so that the connection trench is fitted with a polygonal rim of the screw nut and rotates the screw nut.

11. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the through orifice of the counterweight has two connection trenches formed on two ends of the through orifice respectively, wherein a diameter of each of the two connection trenches is more than the through orifice.

12. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the two connection trenches has an inner wall formed in a polygon shape so that each connection trench is fitted with a polygonal rim of the screw nut and rotates the screw nut.

13. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the counterweight includes an anti-slip structure configured to be grasped by a user.

14. The weight assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the anti-slip structure has a plurality of peripheral faces surrounding around an outer wall of the anti-slip structure and spaced apart from one another of the plurality of peripheral faces.