Shower dispenser

• US 4,358,056 A
• Filed: 12/28/1979
• Issued: 11/09/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L'Aimee Laboratories Limited
• Original Assignee: Emmett Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Greenhut, Bart E., Saphir, Oded
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Forman, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US06/108,130
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 239/302-305, 239/318, 222/162, 222/166, 222/167, 222/192, 222/168, 222/454, 222/455
• US Class Current: 239/305
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/046 Adding soap, disinfectant, or the like in the supply line or at the water outletpreventing contamination of drinking-water pipes E03C1/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 4/903 Shower head with material dispensing

Abstract

An apparatus for mixing a bathing liquid into shower water, of a type that includes a reservoir assembly for holding the liquid and a mixer coupling connected between a water outlet and shower head to mix bathing oil from the reservoir with water flowing towards the shower head. The reservoir assembly includes a reservoir that can hold a small quantity of bathing liquid, a container which can hold more than the reservoir to repeatedly fill it, and a housing that pivotally supports the container to flow bathing liquid into the reservoir until the liquid reaches the level of the opening in the container. The mixer coupling includes a venturi to pass shower water and draw in bathing liquid, a chamber between the venturi inlet and the shower water entrance, an air vent leading to the chamber, and a diaphragm freely movable in the chamber against and away from the air vent to permit the outflow of liquid from the coupling when the shower is turned off.

Claims

1. A shower dispenser for mixing a liquid into shower water that will flow through a shower head, comprising:

a reservoir assembly for holding a liquid to be dispensed;

a conduit connected to said reservoir assembly to carry liquid therefrom; and

a mixer coupling for connecting a shower water supply and said conduit, to a shower head, to mix water from the outlet and liquid from the reservoir assembly;

said reservoir assembly including a housing forming first and second reservoirs which can each hold a small quantity of liquid to be mixed into the shower water, a pair of containers which are each detachably mounted to said housing and which can each hold more than one of said reservoirs to repeatedly fill it, said housing supporting each of said containers in pivotal movement to enable pivoting of the container in a predetermined direction about a pivot axis, and each reservoir and corresponding container having openings which are connected at least when the container pivots, whereby to fill the reservoir.

2. A shower dispenser for dispensing a bathing liquid that can be mixed with shower water to flow through a shower head, comprising:

a reservoir assembly (170) for holding a liquid to be dispensed, and having an outlet (190) for dispensing the liquid;

said reservoir assembly including a housing (176), and said reservoir assembly also including a dispensing holder (178) in the form of an elongated hollow member pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis on said housing and having a container coupling with a hole (184) for receiving the neck of a bottle, so that the holder and bottle can be tilted up to flow bathing liquid from the bottle into the hollow dispensing holder,

said reservoir assembly including a housing member with a portion (189) which lies in said holder and which does not pivot with said dispensing holder, said housing member portion positioned to block the free inflow of fluid through said coupling hole until the dispensing holder is raised by more than a predetermined angle of about 90°

.

3. A shower dispenser for mixing a liquid into shower water that will flow through a shower head, comprising:

a reservoir assembly for holding a liquid to be dispensed;

a conduit connected to said reservoir assembly to carry liquid therefrom; and

a mixer coupling for connecting a shower water supply and said conduit, to a shower head, to mix water from the outlet and liquid from the reservoir assembly;

said reservoir assembly including a housing forming a reservoir which can hold a small quantity of liquid to be mixed into the shower water, a detachable container with upper and lower portions, which is detachably mounted at its upper portion to said housing and which can hold more than the reservoir to repeatedly fill it, said housing supporting said container in pivotal movement about a largely horizontal axis to enable pivoting of the container, in a direction to raise the lower portion of the container and said reservoir and container having openings which are connected at least when the container has been pivoted, to fill the reservoir.

4. The dispenser described in claim 3 wherein:

said housing including a stationary housing portion, and a largely cylindrical holder pivotally mounted about a horizontal axis passing along the axis of the cylindrical holder, said holder having an opening on one side for attachment to said container so the container normally hangs down from said holder but its bottom can be raised to pivot the holder.

5. A shower dispenser for mixing a liquid into shower water that will flow through a shower head, comprising:

a reservoir assembly for holding a liquid to be dispensed;

a conduit connected to said reservoir assembly to carry liquid therefrom; and

a mixer coupling for connecting a shower water supply and said conduit, to a shower head, to mix water from the outlet and liquid from the reservoir assembly;

said reservoir assembly including a housing forming a reservoir which can hold a small quantity of liquid to be mixed into the shower water, and a detachable container which can hold more than the reservoir to repeatedly fill it and which has upper and lower container portions;

said detachable container having walls forming a single container opening at its upper portion through which it can be initially filled and out of which liquid can be dispensed, said housing having a housing opening and having detachable fastening means for holding said opening walls of said container in alignment with said housing opening, said housing pivotally supporting said container about a largely horizontal axis so the container can be pivoted to lift its lower portion to dispense liquid out of said container opening and through said housing opening into said reservoir, said housing having means for substantially preventing the flow of liquid back into said container when said container is lowered.