Water draining fixture with light guide illumination means

• US 6,126,290 A
• Filed: 06/10/1999
• Issued: 10/03/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gunter Veigel
• Original Assignee: Gunter Veigel
• Inventors: Veigel, Gunter
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Negron, Ismael
• Application Number:
  US09/319,713
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 362/552, 362/583, 362/562, 362/577, 362/581, 362/96, 362/109, 239/289, 239/18-20, 339/602
• US Class Current: 362/96
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/0404 Constructional or functional features of the spout
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/004 Sanitary equipment, e.g. mirrors, showers, toilet seats or paper dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0006 Coupling light into the fibre in general G02B6/4298
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/262 Optical details of coupling light into, or out of, or between fibre ends, e.g. special fibre end shapes or associated optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/381 of the ferrule type, e.g. fibre ends embedded in ferrules, connecting a pair of fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4298 coupling with non-coherent light sources and/or radiation detectors, e.g. lamps, incandescent bulbs, scintillation chambers

Abstract

A water draining fixture (1) for plumbing applications with which light is introduced into a water jet (6) emanating from an outlet opening (5) of a fixture head (3), with a water conduit (4) guiding the water to the outlet opening (5), and with a light guide (8) guiding the light separate from the water conduit (4) from a light source located outside of the water draining fixture (1) up to exit out of at least one light outlet opening (19), wherein a plurality of water outlet openings (5) surround the at least one centrally disposed light outlet opening (19) in a ring-shaped fashion and are connected to the water conduit (4) at an annular space (7) surrounding the light guide (8) in the vicinity of the fixture head (3). The centered exiting light is shielded towards the outside by the ring-shaped surrounding water jets to at least minimize glare.

Claims

1. A water draining fixture for plumbing applications comprising:

a water draining fixture handle having a conduit to transport water through said handle;

a light guide disposed in said handle and separated from said conduit to transport water through said handle;

and a fixture head in liquid communication with said conduit and in optical communication with said light guide, said fixture head having a central light outlet opening for passing light from said light guide out of said fixture head, said fixture head having a plurality of water outlet openings surrounding said light outlet opening in a ring-shaped manner to produce a plurality of water jets exiting out of said water outlet openings, said fixture head also having an annular space disposed between and communicating with said water outlet openings and said conduit to conduct water from said conduit to said water outlet openings, whereby said water jets surround light exiting through said light outlet opening out of said fixture head.

2. The fixture of claim 1, further comprising means disposed in said water conduit for switching light, said light switching means activated by flowing water.

3. The fixture of claim 1, further comprising a light-water hose and a coupling member for coupling said hose to said fixture handle, wherein said light guide comprises at least one of light pipes, individual light guide legs, and optical fibres which surround said water conduit, wherein said at least one of light pipes, individual light guide legs, and optical fibres join together into one of a common light guide and a light guide bundle at an output end of said light guide proximate said fixture head.

4. The fixture of claim 1, further comprising a plate member disposed in the fixture head for interrupting an optical path of the light.

5. The fixture of claim 4, wherein said plate member comprises a chopper plate.

6. The fixture of claim 4, wherein said plate member comprises at least one of color-selective plates and luminosity collimators.

7. The fixture of claim 1, further comprising a light distributor disposed in said fixture head to pass light from said light guide towards said light outlet opening.

8. The fixture of claim 7, wherein said fixture head has an opening within which said light distributor is mounted.

9. The fixture of claim 7, wherein said light distributor reflects light towards said light outlet opening.

10. The fixture of claim 7, further comprising a dispersive body disposed within said fixture head in an optical path of light proximate said light outlet opening.

11. The fixture of claim 10, wherein said dispersive body is ring-shaped.

12. The fixture of claim 10, wherein said dispersive body is disposed downstream of said light distributor, said light distributor having an output side matched to said dispersive body.

13. The fixture of claim 10, further comprising means for directing a light beam opposite to an outlet direction of said water jets.