Plumbing spout

• US 5,215,260 A
• Filed: 02/25/1992
• Issued: 06/01/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kohler Company
• Original Assignee: Kallista, Inc. (Band Digital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robbins, Tom E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morris, Lesley D.
• Application Number:
  US07/841,149
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 239/589, 239/590.5, 239/597, 239/599, 239/553-553.5, 239/590.3, 137/801
• US Class Current: 239/590.5
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/06 in annular, tubular or hollow conical form
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/085 designed to produce sheets or curtains of liquid, e.g. water walls
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/0404 Constructional or functional features of the spout
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/08 Jet regulators or jet guides, e.g. anti-splash devices

Abstract

A plumbing spout is disclosed that discharges a hollow cylinder of water. In one form, the inside of the cylinder can be viewed from the top of the spout. Concentric walls are provided in a spout body to equalize the pressure of the entering water around the spout circumference. An inner wall extends below an outer wall when the fluid discharges from the spout to assist in cylinder formation. The portion of the inner wall that extends below the outer wall preferably also flares outwardly.

Claims

1. A plumbing spout for discharging a continuous sheet of liquid, wherein the sheet defines a closed perimeter in a horizontal plane and a cavity within the sheet, the spout comprising:

a spout body having an inner wall that encloses upon itself to surround an inner core, and an outer wall that surrounds the inner wall with a chamber defined therebetween;

a divider that divides the chamber into a pressure modification channel that extends substantially around the core and that assists in evening out circumferential differentials in liquid pressure around the core, and an outlet chamber that extends substantially around the core;

means for permitting liquid to pass from the pressure modification channel to the outlet chamber;

a radially peripherally extending inlet for carrying liquid from a source to the pressure modification channel;

an outlet extending circumferentially substantially around the core and extending from the outlet chamber, the outlet being formed by inner wall and outer wall surfaces that extend a sufficient distance parallel to each other such that the liquid can adopt a flow path substantially parallel to the wall surfaces when it passes between the surfaces, the outlet being further formed by an inner wall surface extending beyond an outer wall surface at an outlet terminus;

whereby liquid can enter the pressure modification channel in a circumferentially unbalanced pressure manner, and exit the outlet terminus in a substantially circumferentially pressure equalized form.

2. The spout of claim 1, wherein an inner wall surface also flares radially outward at the outlet terminus.

3. The spout of claim 2, wherein the core is hollow.