Shower head

• US 5,344,080 A
• Filed: 06/28/1993
• Issued: 09/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kitagawa Industries Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Kitagawa Industries Company Limited
• Inventors: Matsui, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weldon, Kevin P.
• Application Number:
  US08/083,895
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 239/436-449
• US Class Current: 239/449
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/1627 with a selecting mechanism comprising a gate valve, a sliding valve or a cock B05B1/1681 takes precedence; gate valves or sliding valves in general F16K3/00; cocks in general F16K5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/18 Roses; Shower heads with means for adding soap or the like E03C1/046; jet regulators E03C1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/0024 to a single position

Abstract

The shower head is composed of a spray head disposed at the forward end of a spray housing, a distributor disposed in the spray housing and having first and second supply openings, and a selector. By rotating the spray housing, the selector can be moved axially in the distributor. The shower head also has a first chamber disposed at the forward end of the distributor, a straight spray nozzle disposed at the forward end of the first chamber, and a needle valve. The needle valve can be slid in the first chamber and is composed of a needle and a circular plate resiliently urged to a closed position. Only when the selector pushes forward the circular plate to provide a straight spray does the straight spray nozzle communicate with the inside of the distributor. In other cases the distributor is closed by the circular plate so that the inside of the shower head is protected from dust or other foreign particles.

Claims

1. A shower head comprising:

a housing defining an axis;

a shower face disposed in said housing and being provided with a first nozzle for spraying a straight jet of water and a second nozzle for spraying water in a mode different from that sprayed by of said first nozzle;

a first chamber defined by said housing and connected to said first nozzle;

a second chamber defined by said housing, separated from said first chamber and connected to said second nozzle;

a water supply tube in said housing and fast therewith, for supplying water to said first nozzle and said second nozzle, having a first opening connected to said first chamber, and a second opening connected to said second chamber;

a spring biased valve supported in said first chamber and biased to close said first opening;

a selector valve slidably mounted in said water supply tube and moveable between first and second positions to connect a supply of water to said first opening or to said second opening; and

a means for slidably moving said selector valve to and from said first position in which water is supplied through said second opening and a second position in which water is supplied through said first opening and the spring biased valve is opened against said spring bias;

whereby

when said selector is in said first position, said shower head issues water from said second nozzle,

when said selector is in said second position said showerhead issues water from said first nozzle, and

when in the second position the selector valve physically contacts the spring biased valve in order to open the spring biased valve.

2. The shower head of claim 1 wherein said spring biased valve includes a needle valve able to move through and project from said first nozzle as said spring biased valve is moved thereby to adjust and control issuance of water from the first nozzle.

3. The shower head of claim 1 wherein the water supply tube is cylindrical, the first opening opens longitudinally of the tube to allow the selector valve to come into contact with the spring biased valve to open this valve, the second opening extends radially through the tube and the selector valve is a spool valve.

4. The shower head of claim 3 wherein the shower face defines a plurality of spray perforations to provide a further, fine spray, mode of spraying water.

5. The shower head of claim 4 wherein a third chamber defined by said housing, separated from said first and second chambers is connected to said spray perforations and said water supply tube has a third, radially disposed, opening for supplying water to said spray perforations by way of said third chamber.

6. The shower head of claim 5 wherein said selector valve is slidably mounted to selectably also connect a supply of water to said third opening and said slidably moving means is also for moving said selector to and from a third position in which water is supplied to said third opening.

7. The shower head of claim 1 wherein said mode is selected by rotation of said housing about said axis relative, to a stationary part of said shower head and said slidably moving means comprises a splined interconnection between said housing and said selector valve to maintain alignment therebetween about said axis and a threaded interconnection between said slidable moving means and said stationary part to slidably move said selector valve to and from said first and second positions upon said rotation of said housing.

8. The shower head of claim 1 wherein the selector valve only opens the spring biased valve while in said second position.