Shower support bracket

• US 5,704,080 A
• Filed: 06/26/1996
• Issued: 01/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hausa Metallwerke AG
• Original Assignee: Hansa Metallwerke AG (Paasikivi Family)
• Inventors: Kuhne, Josef
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Charles E.
• Application Number:
  US08/670,711
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 4/567-570, 248/219.3, 248/218.4, 248/230.2, 248/295.11, 248/316.2, 248/316.3
• US Class Current: 4/605
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/06 Devices for suspending or supporting the supply pipe or supply hose of a shower-bath showers per se A47K3/28
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/066 allowing height adjustment of shower head

Abstract

A shower support bracket can be moved axially on a shower rail and can be locked in various axial positions on the aforesaid rail by means of a clamping device. The clamping device locks on concealed gripping surfaces in a groove at the back of the shower rail. It consists of a clamping piece (7) which has two clamping jaws (7b, 7c) separated from each other by a gap (13). A wedge-shaped expanding projection (14) extends into the gap (13) between the clamping jaws (7b, 7c) such that, as the clamping piece (7) and expanding projection (14) move relative to each other, the two clamping jaws (7b, 7c) move at varying distances apart and by so doing are pushed at varying depths into the receiving hole (5) for the shower rail and in this way are pressed against the gripping surfaces of the shower rail with varying degrees of force.

Claims

1. Shower support bracket for attaching a hand shower to a shower rail, in the back of which, facing away from the user, there is a groove with at least one gripping surface, comprising

a) a housing;

b) a hole which receives the shower rail such that it has sliding movement;

c) a clamping device which consists of at least one clamping piece which can be pressed against the gripping surface of the shower rail with varying degrees of force in order to brake or stop the sliding movement;

d) means on said housing for supporting a component of the hand shower,

characterized in that

e) the clamping device comprises;

ea) a clamping piece (7) which has two clamping jaws (7b, 7c) separated from each other by a gap (13), which can be expanded elastically by increasing the intervening gap (13);

eb) a wedge-shaped expanding projection (14), the narrow front face of which is aligned with the gap (13) between the clamping jaws (7b, 7c) of the clamping piece (7),

whereby

ec) the clamping piece (7) and expanding projection (14) can be moved relative to each other such that, depending upon the relative position of the clamping piece (7) and the expanding projection (14), the expanding projection (14) penetrates to varying depths into the gap (13) between the two clamping jaws (7b, 7c) and in this way expands the clamping jaws (7b, 7c) to varying degrees so as to contact said at least one gripping surface.

2. Shower support bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping jaws (7b, 7c) are flexible in design, at least in one clamping direction.

3. Shower support bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping piece (7) has the form of a clamping slide with linear movement and that the expanding projection (14) is fixed.

4. Shower support bracket according to claim 3, characterized in that the clamping slide (7) can be moved by means of an operating bar (8) which can be screwed into a fixed part (2) and carries at its outer end a manual actuator (10).

5. Shower support bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping piece (7) and the clamping jaws (7b, 7c) are made in a single piece and are made of plastic, and each of the clamping jaws (7b, 7c) are flexibly connected to a main body (7a) of the clamping piece (7) by means of relatively narrow material bridges.

6. Shower support bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that

a) the hole (5) to receive the shower rail is formed in a rail guide part (2) which can be turned relative to the housing (1, 26);

b) the clamping piece (7) or the expanding projection (14) can slide in a recess (6) in the rail guide part (2) which is open towards the housing (1,

     26);

c) the gripping surfaces and/or the faces of the clamping piece (7) which act in combination with the expanding projection (14) are set at such an angle that with this relative movement the clamping piece (7) or the expanding projection (14) also moves radially towards the housing (1) or away from the housing (1) and, depending upon the relative position, is held on the housing (1) with varying degrees of force.

7. Shower support bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for supporting (20) is formed on a supporting part (3) which can be turned relative to the housing (1, 26) at least about a certain angle.

8. Shower support bracket according to claim 7, characterized in that the turning capability is limited by a stop device (22, 23) which consists of:

a) a curved recess (22) going through the supporting part (3);

b) a pin (23) which is attached to the housing (1) and which passes through the recess (22).

9. Shower support bracket according to claim 7, characterized in that

a) the supporting part (3) is housed in a slit-like recess (17) in the housing (1) which can be expanded elastically,

b) there are preformed on to the supporting part (3) cylindrical bearing projections (18) which engage in corresponding holes (19) in the side walls of the slit-like recess (17).

10. Shower support bracket according to claim 9, characterized in that a braking device (24, 29, 30) is mounted between the supporting part (3) and the housing (1, 26).

11. Shower support bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing is composed of an inner housing (1) which forms the said means for supporting and an outer, visible housing (26) which consists of several parts which are linked together but are detachable (26a, 26b).

12. Shower support bracket according to claim 11, characterized in that, the visible housing (26) has, positioned above the rail guide part (2), shoulders (26c, 26d) which lock the rail guide part (2) axially in position.