Shower head support with adjustable arm

• US 5,855,348 A
• Filed: 01/24/1997
• Issued: 01/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fornara & Maulin SPA
• Original Assignee: Fornara & Maulin SPA
• Inventors: Fornara, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Braun, Leslie A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): King, Anita M.
• Application Number:
  US08/788,956
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 248/286.1, 248/291.1, 248/295.11, 248/298.1, 248/316.17, 248/514, 4/615, 4/567, 4/570, 239/460
• US Class Current: 248/291.1
• 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 head support comprises a supporting tube (14) on which a sliding element (46) with an adjustable seat for a shower head (52) can slide and be locked in position. The tube or arm on which the sliding element slides is supported at only one end on a fixed base (12) so that it can be rotated to assume and maintain a desired position around an axis of rotation (a). The new support allows the shower head to be set at a desired height using an arm half the length of the vertical arms commonly used at the present that are fixed at both ends; it also allows the shower head to be set easily in a variety of desired positions around the axis of rotation.

Claims

1. A shower head support comprising:

a fixing base having a fixing base plate for fixing said base to a shower or bathroom wall;

a substantially L-shaped arm, said arm being defined by opposite distal ends and operatively supporting a sliding element for a shower head at least when said shower head is passing water, and

whereby said sliding element can be positioned on a first leg of said L-shaped arm and adapted to slide longitudinally therealong, wherein said arm second leg is adapted to be rotatably adjustable about a first axis extending along said second leg of said arm with one of said opposite ends of said arm engaging said base, the first leg of said arm including said other of said opposite ends of the arm being free.

2. A shower head support according to claim 1, characterized in that said first axis (a) is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the arm and to said fixing plate of said base.

3. A shower head support according to claim 1, characterized in that said base has a first fixing plate portion 16 for attachment to and parallel with the wall and a second fixing plate portion 18 attached to and orthogonal to said first fixing plate portion, the arm at said one end engaging said base being integral with a pivot (30);

said base (12) has a circular seat (22) for said pivot; and

movement resisting means being provided to restrain said pivot and said seat so that reciprocal rotation is allowed only if greater moments than a pre-set moment are applied to the arm.

4. A support according to claim 3, characterized in that said pivot has a shoulder part and neck-shaped internally threaded end part (32) engaging with a screw with a wide head (36), a first washer (38) being provided between said shoulder of said pivot and said second fixing plate portion and a second washer (40) between the wide head of the screw and said second fixing plate portion, said screw being screwed into the pivot with a preset calibration.

5. A shower head support according to claim 1, characterized in that the free end of the arm is provided with a knob (28) with a slightly greater diameter than that of the arm to prevent the sliding element from slipping off of said free end.

6. A shower head support according to claim 1, characterized in that said arm is rotatably adjustable around said first axis, said first axis being parallel to said fixing base plate.

7. A shower head support according to a claim 1, characterized in that said arm is rotatably adjustable around an axis of rotation which is perpendicular to said fixing base plate.

8. A shower head support according to claim 1, characterized in that said base is made of two sections, a first section for fixing to the wall and a second section, bearing said arm, rotatably adjustable on the first section about a second axis different from said first axis.

9. A shower head support according to claim 8, characterized in that said second section of the base is rotatably adjustable on the first section around said second axis at a right angle to the first axis of rotation of the arm on the second section.

10. A shower head support according to claim 1, characterized in that said support comprises a spool (130) between said base (12) and said arm (114), said spool being coupled to the base to be rotatably adjustable on it, said arm (114) being fixed to the spool.

11. A shower head support according to claim 10, characterized in that the spool has a circular seat (143) to receive a length of shower hose.

12. A shower head support according to claim 10, characterized in that said base and spool comprise a circular seat (22) in the base, a neck (132) of the spool being accommodated in said seat and engaged by a screw (36).

13. A support according to claim 1 wherein said arm is rotatable through approximately 180°

between two opposed positions proximate the wall in each position.

14. A shower head assembly comprising:

a shower head;

a support comprising;

a fixing base having a fixing base plate for fixing said base to a shower or bathroom wall;

a substantially L-shaped arm, said arm being defined by opposite distal ends and operatively supporting a sliding element for said shower head at least when said shower head is passing water, and

whereby said sliding element can be positioned on a first leg of said L-shaped arm and adapted to slide longitudinally therealong, wherein said arm second leg is adapted to be rotatably adjustable about a first axis extending along said second leg of said arm with one of said opposite ends of said arm engaging said base, the first leg of said arm including said other of said opposite ends of the arm being free.