Shower head assembly
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A shower head assembly comprising:
- a housing body having upper and lower ends opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction, an inner annular wall interposed between the upper and lower ends, extending along a rotating axis which is transverse to the longitudinal direction, and terminating at an inner end surface which is disposed transverse to the rotating axis so as to cooperate with said inner annular wall to confine a chamber, said inner end surface being provided with first and second inlet ports communicated with said chamber, and a main inlet formed in said inner annular wall to communicate with said chamber, and extending radially relative to the rotating axis and toward said upper end so as to be adapted to communicate with a water supply channel;
a shower base including an upper wall anchored to said lower end, and a lower wall opposite to said upper wall in the longitudinal direction, said lower wall including a central portion, and a surrounding portion surrounding said central portion, said central and surrounding portions respectively having central and surrounding outlet ports for outward spraying of water;
first and second through-flow ducts formed in and through said housing body, said first and second through-flow ducts having first and second proximate ends which are disposed between said upper and lower ends, and which are connected to and which are communicated with said first and second inlet ports respectively, and first and second distal ends which extend into and through said upper wall so as to communicate with said central and surrounding outlet ports respectively;
a valve member received in said chamber, and having an annular surrounding wall and a valve end surface which are rotatable relative to said inner annular wall and said inner end surface respectively about the rotating axis, said valve member further having a communicating duct which has an inflow port that is formed in and that extends along said annular surrounding wall and that is communicated with said main inlet when said annular surrounding wall is rotated relative to said inner annular wall, said communicating duct further having an outflow port which extends through said valve end surface in an axial direction parallel to the rotating axis, such that when said valve member is turned about the rotating axis to a first position, said outflow port is registered with said first inlet port to communicate said communicating duct with said first through-flow duct so as to permit water to be discharged from said central outlet port, and when said valve member is turned to a second position, said outflow port is registered with said second inlet port to communicate said communicating duct with said second through-flow duct so as to permit water to be discharged from said surrounding outlet port; and
an elongated operating member having an inner connecting end secured on said valve member, and an outer operating end extending outwardly from said inner connecting end in the axial direction and outwardly of said housing body so as to be operated externally to turn said valve member between the first and second positions.
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Abstract
A shower head assembly includes a shower base mounted on a lower end of a housing body to confine central and surrounding conduits, a valve member disposed to be turned to control water flow from a main inlet of the housing body to flow into one of the central and surrounding conduits, and an elongated operating member which has an inner connecting end secured to the valve member, and an outer operating end extending outwardly of the housing body so as to be operated externally to turn the valve member.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A shower head assembly comprising:
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a housing body having upper and lower ends opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction, an inner annular wall interposed between the upper and lower ends, extending along a rotating axis which is transverse to the longitudinal direction, and terminating at an inner end surface which is disposed transverse to the rotating axis so as to cooperate with said inner annular wall to confine a chamber, said inner end surface being provided with first and second inlet ports communicated with said chamber, and a main inlet formed in said inner annular wall to communicate with said chamber, and extending radially relative to the rotating axis and toward said upper end so as to be adapted to communicate with a water supply channel;
a shower base including an upper wall anchored to said lower end, and a lower wall opposite to said upper wall in the longitudinal direction, said lower wall including a central portion, and a surrounding portion surrounding said central portion, said central and surrounding portions respectively having central and surrounding outlet ports for outward spraying of water;
first and second through-flow ducts formed in and through said housing body, said first and second through-flow ducts having first and second proximate ends which are disposed between said upper and lower ends, and which are connected to and which are communicated with said first and second inlet ports respectively, and first and second distal ends which extend into and through said upper wall so as to communicate with said central and surrounding outlet ports respectively;
a valve member received in said chamber, and having an annular surrounding wall and a valve end surface which are rotatable relative to said inner annular wall and said inner end surface respectively about the rotating axis, said valve member further having a communicating duct which has an inflow port that is formed in and that extends along said annular surrounding wall and that is communicated with said main inlet when said annular surrounding wall is rotated relative to said inner annular wall, said communicating duct further having an outflow port which extends through said valve end surface in an axial direction parallel to the rotating axis, such that when said valve member is turned about the rotating axis to a first position, said outflow port is registered with said first inlet port to communicate said communicating duct with said first through-flow duct so as to permit water to be discharged from said central outlet port, and when said valve member is turned to a second position, said outflow port is registered with said second inlet port to communicate said communicating duct with said second through-flow duct so as to permit water to be discharged from said surrounding outlet port; and
an elongated operating member having an inner connecting end secured on said valve member, and an outer operating end extending outwardly from said inner connecting end in the axial direction and outwardly of said housing body so as to be operated externally to turn said valve member between the first and second positions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
said lower wall of said shower base further including an annular intermediate portion interposed between said central and surrounding portions and having an intermediate outlet port for outward spraying of water, said shower head assembly further including a third through-flow duct formed in and through said housing body and having a third proximate end which is connected to and which is communicated with said third inlet port, and a third distal end which extends into and through said upper wall so as to communicate with said intermediate outlet port, whereby in the third position, water in said communication duct is led via said third through-flow duct to flow through said upper wall so as to be discharged from said intermediate outlet port. -
3. The shower head assembly of claim 2, wherein each of said central, surrounding, and intermediate outlet ports includes a plurality of nozzle projections respectively provided with a plurality of jet channels therein which are communicated with a corresponding one of said first, second and third distal ends of said first, second and third through-flow ducts.
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4. The shower head assembly of claim 3, further comprising an anchoring member which includes a ball portion having a main flow duct passing therethrough to be adapted to communicate with the water supply channel, said upper end of said housing body defining a socket portion therein which extends inwardly and towards said inner annular wall so as to communicate with said main inlet, said ball portion being rotatably received in said socket portion to form a ball-socket joint such that when said ball portion is rotated relative to said socket portion, said main inlet is kept in fluid communication with said main flow duct.
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5. The shower head assembly of claim 3, wherein said lower end of said housing body has a surrounding wall extending in the longitudinal direction and terminating at a bottom surface, said bottom surface including a central area through which said first distal end of said first through-flow duct passes, and a surrounding area surrounding said central area through which said third distal end of said third through-flow duct passes, said second distal end of said second through-flow duct passing through said surrounding wall of said lower end of said housing body.
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6. The shower head assembly of claim 5, further comprising a threaded engaging member for securing said upper wall of said shower base to said surrounding wall of said lower end of said housing body, said lower wall of said shower base having a periphery which is secured to a periphery of said upper wall to confine a receiving space therebetween, said receiving space being divided into central, surrounding and intermediate conduits which are respectively associated with said central, surrounding and intermediate portions and which respectively communicate said central, surrounding and intermediate outlet ports with said first, second and third distal ends of said first, second and third through-flow ducts.
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7. The shower head assembly of claim 3, further comprising a pad member disposed on said inner end surface, and having first, second and third through holes which extend therethrough in the axial direction and which are registered with said first, second and third inlet ports.
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8. The shower head assembly of claim 7, wherein said valve end surface is formed with first, second and third recesses which are arranged to surround the rotating axis, said shower head assembly further comprising a positioning pin disposed in said pad member and urged by a biasing action in the axial direction to extend outwardly of said pad member so as to engage one of said first, second and third recesses for retention therein.
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9. The shower head assembly of claim 3, wherein said outflow port is of a dimension such that when said valve member is turned to a fourth position, said outflow port is communicated with said first and third inlet ports to communicate said communicating duct with said first and third through-flow ducts and permit water to be discharged from said central and intermediate outlet ports.
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Specification