Shower head adapted to produce steady or pulsating flows
First Claim
1. A shower head capable of alternately dispensing a fine, steady stream and a heavier, pulsating stream with a massaging effect, includinga housing having a water inlet and a water outlet,a face plate covering said outlet, said face plate being generally circular and including an outer peripheral set of fine outlet holes and an inner set of larger outlet holes, said plate including at least one radial, pulse-averaging channel leading to said fine outlet holes,a rotatable dial plate within said housing and contiguous with said outer cover, said dial plate having openings therein positioned to be in alignment with said channel when in one rotative position and with said larger holes when in a different rotative position, and means associated with said dial plate for rotating same from one position to the other,an inlet chamber within said housing, said chamber being formed by said dial plate, sides, and an upper wall portion, said upper wall portion having a central opening therein to receive water from a water inlet,a spinner mounted for rotational motion within said chamber and positioned to receive all water entering through said central opening, said spinner being adapted to discharge said water into said chamber in a direction to rotate said spinner,vanes associated with said spinner to be rotated thereby, said vanes being positioned above and adjacent to said rotatable dial plate and being dimensioned so as to periodically cut water passing from said chamber through the holes to create a pulsating motion in said water,whereby said shower head may provide a pulsating stream of water from said larger holes and a steady stream of water from said finer holes and permit the user to select the type stream desired.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A shower head is provided which can, alternatively, provide a fine, steady stream of shower water or a coarser, pulsating stream of shower water to produce a massaging effect. All of the water stream is, initially, pulsed, but the pulsation is removed when a steady stream is desired.
The incoming water enters the spinner of a Hero'"'"'s engine axially; it causes rotation of the engine spinner as it leaves the tangentially directed exit spouts of the engine. The water then enters a chamber having a circular outlet cover plate carrying small peripheral holes and larger, more centrally located holes inside the periphery.
A rotatable dial plate is positioned between the circular outer cover plate and the plenum chamber. This plate has holes in it which can be aligned with the large inner massaging holes, with channels leading to the outer peripheral holes, or at a position in between. The position of the dial plate is controlled by an associated control arm. Thus, the position of the holes used differs between the type of spray desired, i.e., steady or massaging.
A cutting vane rotates with the engine spinner and "chops" the water before it passes through the holes in the dial plate. If the water then goes out to larger holes, it is pulsing and so gives a massage effect. If it passes through the channels to the peripheral holes, there is an averaging effect, and the pulsation is substantially removed by the time the water leaves the peripheral holes.
The control arm is held in position by a spring-pressed washer which allows it to be removed slightly from the cover to have a U-shaped brush slipped between the cover and the control arm for use in washing.
106 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A shower head capable of alternately dispensing a fine, steady stream and a heavier, pulsating stream with a massaging effect, including
a housing having a water inlet and a water outlet, a face plate covering said outlet, said face plate being generally circular and including an outer peripheral set of fine outlet holes and an inner set of larger outlet holes, said plate including at least one radial, pulse-averaging channel leading to said fine outlet holes, a rotatable dial plate within said housing and contiguous with said outer cover, said dial plate having openings therein positioned to be in alignment with said channel when in one rotative position and with said larger holes when in a different rotative position, and means associated with said dial plate for rotating same from one position to the other, an inlet chamber within said housing, said chamber being formed by said dial plate, sides, and an upper wall portion, said upper wall portion having a central opening therein to receive water from a water inlet, a spinner mounted for rotational motion within said chamber and positioned to receive all water entering through said central opening, said spinner being adapted to discharge said water into said chamber in a direction to rotate said spinner, vanes associated with said spinner to be rotated thereby, said vanes being positioned above and adjacent to said rotatable dial plate and being dimensioned so as to periodically cut water passing from said chamber through the holes to create a pulsating motion in said water, whereby said shower head may provide a pulsating stream of water from said larger holes and a steady stream of water from said finer holes and permit the user to select the type stream desired.
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7. A shower head capable of producing a pulsed output, if desired, said shower head including
a housing having a water inlet, an outer cover forming part of said housing and having holes therein forming a water outlet, the holes in said outer cover forming two sets, one set for pulsed and one set for steady-stream water, a plenum chamber within said housing to receive all the water entering said inlet and to dispense all the water leaving said water outlet, said chamber having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, a spinner within said chamber to periodically close said outlet opening to cause pulsation in said water, said spinner being actuated by water entering said inlet opening, means directing said pulsed water to at least some of the holes in said outer cover, and means for removing the pulses from the water going to one of said sets, whereby all of the water used by said shower head passes through said plenum chamber and all is pulsed as it leaves said chamber.
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12. In a shower head adapted for alternately dispensing a fine steady spray and a heavy pulsating spray, said shower head including a housing having a water inlet opening and an outer circular face plate including fine peripheral outlet holes and large inner holes, that improvement including,
a control plate inside said housing and mounted (1) contiguous with the inner surface of said face plate and (2) for motion relative to said face plate, said control plate including a plurality of control holes mounted radially inwardly from said peripheral holes, said control plate and said face plate together defining at least one channel leading from said control holes to said peripheral outlets when said control plate is in one position, said control holes connecting with said large inner holes when said control plate is in another position, a plenum chamber positioned within said housing to receive water and deliver same to said control holes, and means for periodically pulsing said water as it enters said control holes, whereby steady or pulsating spray may be delivered depending upon the position of said control plate.
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16. A shower head for dispensing water in either steady or pulsed streams, including
a housing with a water inlet, a round face plate on said housing having small holes about its perimeter and a plurality of sets of large holes located inwardly of said small holes, vanes for periodically interrupting all the water entering said housing to make it pulsating, a multi-position control plate between said vanes and said face plate, said control plate having openings therein to receive said pulsating water, said openings being so located as to direct said pulsating water to said sets of large holes when said control plate is in one position, de-pulsing channels formed between said control plate and said face plate leading between said control plate openings and said small holes when said control plate is in a different position, and means for moving said control plate from one of said positions to the other of said positions, whereby the user may receive either steady or pulsed streams of water from said shower head.
Specification