Shower head

• US 5,246,169 A
• Filed: 05/15/1992
• Issued: 09/21/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Friedrich Grohe AG & Co. KG (LIXIL Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Friedrich Grohe AG (LIXIL Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rapp, Hans-Joachim, Heimann, Bruno
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): YOUNG, KAREN MERRITT
• Application Number:
  US07/883,834
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 239/443, 239/444, 239/446-449, 239/436, 239/394, 239/558, 239/559, 239/553-553.5, 239/381, 239/562
• US Class Current: 239/447
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/1645 the outlets being rotated during selection
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/0404 the motor comprising a movable ball

Abstract

A shower head has a housing having an end wall provided with a plurality of sets of spray nozzles, a partition element defining in the housing a pressurizable inlet chamber and formed offset from the axis with an axially throughgoing outlet hole, and a valve element rotatable in the housing on the partition about the axis, overlying the outlet hole, and formed offset from the axis with a plurality of axially throughgoing apertures radially equispaced from the axis and angularly spaced thereabout, selectively alignable with the partition hole, and each associated with a respective set of the nozzles. The housing also is formed with respective passages connecting the apertures with the respective sets of nozzles. One of the elements is provided with a restriction formation for progressive restriction of the outlet hole from a fully open to fully closed condition on rotation of the valve element through a predetermined angular stroke.

Claims

1. A shower head comprising:

a housing having an end wall provided with a plurality of sets of spray nozzles;

a partition element defining in the housing a pressurizable inlet chamber and formed offset from the axis with an axially throughgoing outlet hole;

a valve element rotatable in the housing on the partition about the axis, overlying the outlet hole, and formed offset from the axis with a plurality of axially throughgoing apertures radially equispaced from the axis and angularly spaced thereabout, selectively alignable with the outlet hole, and each associated with a respective set of the nozzles, the housing also being formed with respective passages connecting the apertures with the respective sets of nozzles, the outlet hole and the apertures being of such angular extent that in any position of the valve element at least one of the apertures is at least partially aligned with and in fluid communication with the outlet hole; and

means including a restriction formation on one of the elements for progressive restriction of the outlet hole from a fully open to fully closed condition on rotation of the valve element through a predetermined angular stroke.

2. The shower head defined in claim 1 wherein one of the apertures is formed on a face of the valve element turned toward the partition with angled flanks constituting the restriction formation.

3. The shower head defined in claim 2 wherein the angled flanks have a depth at an edge of the respective aperture that is equal to about three-tenths of an angular width of the respective aperture.

4. The shower head defined in claim 2 wherein the angled flanks have opposite edges spaced apart by about 90°

relative to the axis.

5. The shower head defined in claim 1 wherein the valve element has a lobe forming one of the aperture and a part-spiral outer edge constituting the restriction formation.

6. The shower head defined in claim 5 wherein the lobe is displaceable between 40°

and 90°

between a position fully blocking the outlet hole and a position fully exposing same.

7. The shower head defined in claim 1 wherein the outlet hole is angularly elongated.

8. The shower head defined in claim 1 wherein the valve element is formed with four such apertures two of which are diametrically across from each other and provided with the restriction formation.

9. The shower head defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the apertures is angularly elongated and has a periphery provided with an O-ring engaging the partition.

10. A shower head comprising:

a housing having an end wall provided with a plurality of sets of spray nozzles;

a partition element defining in the housing a pressurizable inlet chamber and formed offset from the axis with an axially throughgoing outlet hole; and

a valve element rotatable in the housing on the partition about the axis, overlying the outlet hole, and formed offset from the axis with a plurality of axially throughgoing apertures radially equispaced from the axis and angularly spaced thereabout, selectively alignable with the outlet hole, and each associated with a respective set of the nozzles, the housing also being formed with respective passages connecting the apertures with the respective sets of nozzles, the apertures and hole being of such angular dimensions that in any angular position of the valve element the outlet hole axially at least partially overlaps at least one of the apertures.