SWIVEL SPRAY APPARATUS

• US 3,647,144 A
• Filed: 03/31/1970
• Issued: 03/07/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James Richard Griffin, Richard Grant Parkison
• Original Assignee: James Richard Griffin, Richard Grant Parkison
• Inventors: Griffin, James Richard, Parkison, Richard Grant
• Primary Examiner(s): Wood, Jr., M. Henson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grant, Edwin D.
• Application Number:
  US05/024,260
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 239/451,452,453,456,460 138/43,46 137/525,525.3
• US Class Current: 239/456
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/1681 with a selecting mechanism comprising a gate valve, sliding valve or cock and a lift valve
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/18 Roses; Shower heads with means for adding soap or the like E03C1/046; jet regulators E03C1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/654 using universal joints
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/086 Jet regulators or jet guides, easily mountable on the outlet of taps
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 2001/082 Outlets connected by an universal joint
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/58 comprising a movable discharge-nozzle

Abstract

A swivel type of apparatus, suitable as a plumbing fitting, for providing a single stream or a spray stream. The apparatus includes a ball type of swivel employing an O-ring positioned along the axis of the ball structure so as to seal the swivel arrangement against leakage. The apparatus also includes a handcontrolled slider component which may be moved either to a position so as to render the apparatus capable of supplying the single stream, or to another position so as to provide the spray stream. The apparatus also includes a flow controller in the form of a pair of disks for rendering the two types of streams developed by the apparatus substantially free of the effect of varying pressures of the liquid supplied to the apparatus. The disks include (1) a rigid disk having a plurality of small apertures which are parallel to each other and (2) a flexible disk mounted closely adjacent to the rigid disk, the flexible disk having a smaller number of apertures of larger diameter. The flexible disk also includes a plurality of flexible projections which normally are barely in contact with the rigid disk and which become compressed to reduce the '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'open'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' area of fluid transmission as the pressure of the fluid rises above a predetermined value so as to render the exit stream substantially independent of the pressure variations.

Claims

1. Spout apparatus for connection at the end of a faucet comprising means for producing a single stream, means for producing a spray stream, manually adjustable means for selectively operating the single stream producing means or the spray stream producing means, and a flow controller for rendering the apparatus substantially free of incoming fluid pressure variations exceeding a predetermined level, said flow controller including two adjacent normally parallel disks having apertures through which fluid traverses, one of said disks having flexible projections which become deflected as the pressure level rises above the predetermined level and effectively reduces the fluid transmission area of said apertures.

2. Spout apparatus according to claim 1, including a ball-type swivel structure for changing the flow direction of the emitted stream.

3. Spout apparatus according to claim 2, in which one of the disks of the flow controller is made of a flexible material and the other disk is made of a rigid material, both disks including a plurality of apertures, the number of apertures in the rigid disk exceeding the number in the flexible disk.

4. Spout controller apparatus according to claim 3, in which the manually adjustable means includes a concaval outer body which may be gripped by the fingers of the user to select the desired stream to be emitted.

5. Spout apparatus for a faucet comprising a flow controller consisting of two adjacent normally parallel disks each having a plurality of apertures through which fluid may flow, one of the disks having flexible projections to be deflected in accordance with elevation of the fluid pressure above a predetermined value, a ball-type swivel member having a central aperture, said swivel member being contiguous to and downstream of the flow controller, a director structure shaped so as to produce a spray stream, a plurality of screens which are parallel to each other and through which the fluid may flow to emit a single stream, and a concavally shaped outer body coupled to said director structure and said screen structure, the concaval surface of said outer body being grippable by the hand of the user to move the outer body to select the path of fluid flow either through the director structure or through the screen structure.

6. Spout apparatus for a faucet according to claim 5 including a socket cup for retaining the flow controller and the swivel structure while permitting angular adjustability of the swivel structure.

7. Spout apparatus comprising means for establishing a plurality of different stream patterns, means for selecting one of the stream patterns for transmission through the apparatus to the exclusion of the other stream patterns, and means for rendering all of the stream patterns emitted by the apparatus substantially free of pressure variations in the incoming fluid exceeding a predetermined value, said rendering means including a pair of closely adjacent parallel disks each embodying a plurality of apertures, one of the disks including a plurality of flexible projections adjacent to the other disk, the projections being distorted in response to the magnitude of the applied pressure.

8. Spout apparatus according to claim 7, in which the selecting means includes a manually controllable concaval member which may be gripped by the user to control the stream pattern to be selected.

9. Spout apparatus according to claim 7, including a ball-type swivel structure for manually adjusting and controlling the angular path of fluid flow through the apparatus.

10. Spout apparatus for selectively generating either one of two different fluid stream patterns, comprising means including a central exit flow path for generating the first of the streams, means including an exit flow path coaxial with the central exit flow path for generating the second of the streams, a manipulable outer body which is concavally shaped and which, when manipulated in one direction, will render the apparatus operative to generate the first stream and, when manipulated in the opposite direction, will render the apparatus operative to generate the second stream, and a flow controller upstream of said stream generating means for rendering the generated streams substantially independent of changes in fluid pressure exceeding a predetermined value, said flow controller including a pair of adjacent disks each having a plurality of apertures through which the fluid may traverse continually, the upstream disk having a plurality of flexible projections which become deflected by increased fluid pressures above said predetermined value to modify the effective areas of said apertures of the downstream disk.

11. Spout apparatus according to claim 10 in which the manipulable body is so shaped and proportioned that the flow paths are substantially balanced so that no springs are required to change from the stream of one of the flow paths to the stream of the other flow path.

12. Spout apparatus according to claim 10 in which the manipulable outer body is concaval in shape.

13. Spout apparatus according to claim 10 which includes a ball-type swivel structure for manually changing the direction of the selected flow path of the apparatus.