Adjustable shower head

• US 3,997,116 A
• Filed: 10/28/1975
• Issued: 12/14/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Moen, Inc. (Canada) (Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Stanadyne Corporation (Stanadyne Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Moen, Alfred M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ward, Jr., Robert S.
• Application Number:
  US05/626,034
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 239/460, 239/587, 239/582, 239/583, 239/600, 285/166, 285/184, 285/376, 285/276, 285/375, 285/277, 285/267-269
• US Class Current: 239/460
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/3086 the controlling element being a grooved body, which is movable in the outlet orifice
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/654 using universal joints
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 2001/082 Outlets connected by an universal joint

Abstract

An adjustable shower head has a pivotal attachment of the body of the shower head to a conventional swivel or ball member which includes a releasable retainer interlocked to the shower head in a tamperproof manner. At the discharge end of the shower head there is a removable spray forming member and means for creating water pressure behind the spray forming member to maintain it in an appropriate spray forming position.

Claims

1. In an adjustable shower head, an elongated generally tubular body member, a sleeve movably mounted on the exterior of said body member, a spray forming member attached to the downstream end of said body member, water discharge openings in said body member upstream of said spray forming member, the interior of said sleeve being variably positionable relative to the exterior of said spray forming member to vary the discharge therefrom,

a ball member at the upstream end of said body member, and means for pivotally and releasably attaching said body member to said ball member including a retainer, a ring carried by said retainer and having an inner diameter less than the diameter of said ball member and bearing thereagainst, said retainer having a pair of oppositely positioned projections on the interior thereof, a pair of cooperating oppositely positioned grooves on the exterior of said body member, spring means positioned in said body member and biased against said body member and ball member, circumferential shoulder means on the exterior of said body member and axially spaced from the terminus of the axially extending grooves on the exterior of said body member, axial relative movement between said retainer and body member causing said retainer projections to move in said axial grooves, with subsequent rotary relative movement between said retainer and body member causing said projections to move away from said grooves, said spring means thereafter urging said projections against said shoulder means, thereby interlocking said retainer and body member.

2. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that said shoulder means extend generally circumferentially about said body member.

3. The structure of claim 1 further characterized in that said spring means is supported within said body member at one end thereof and bears effectively against said ball member at the other end thereof.

4. The structure of claim 1 further characterized by and including an annular groove adjacent the downstream end of said body member, said spray forming member being removably recessed into said groove, and at least one water passage in said body member connecting the interior thereof with the interior surface of said spray forming member.

5. The structure of claim 4 further characterized by and including an annular chamber formed between the interior surface of said spray forming member and said body member groove, said water passage opening into said annular chamber.

6. In an adjustable shower head, an elongated generally tubular body member, a ball member at the upstream end of said body member and means for pivotally attaching the body member to the ball member, a sleeve movably mounted on the exterior of said body member, an annular groove adjacent the downstream end of said body member, a separate spray forming member formed of a yielding distortable material removably recessed into said groove, a chamber formed by said groove and the interior circumferential surface of said spray forming member, water passages connecting said chamber with the interior of said body member, water discharge openings in said body member upstream of said spray forming member, the interior of said sleeve being variably positionable relative to the exterior of said spray forming member to vary the discharge therefrom.

7. The structure of claim 6 further characterized in that the pivotal attachment of said body member and ball member includes a retainer releasably attached to said body member, a ring carried by said retainer and having an inner diameter less than the diameter of said ball member and bearing thereagainst, oppositely disposed grooves in an exterior portion of said body member and cooperating inwardly-directed projections on said retainer for use in attaching said retainer to said body member.

8. In a shower head, a generally tubular body member, means at one end of said body member for forming a water discharge, a ball member at the upstream end of said body member, and means for pivotally and releasably attaching said body member to said ball member including a retainer, a ring carried by said retainer and having an inner diameter less than the diameter of said ball member and bearing thereagainst, said retainer having a pair of oppositely positioned projections on the interior thereof, a pair of cooperating oppositely positioned grooves on the exterior of said body member, spring means positioned in said body member and biased against said body member and ball member, circumferential shoulder means on the exterior of said body member and axially spaced from the terminus of the axially extending grooves on the exterior of said body member, axial relative movement between said retainer and body member causing said retainer projections to move in said axial grooves, with subsequent rotary relative movement between said retainer and body member causing said projections to move away from said grooves, said spring means thereafter urging said projections against said shoulder means, thereby interlocking said retainer and body member.