Showerhead

• US 7,537,175 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toto Limited
• Original Assignee: Toto Limited
• Inventors: Yamahigashi, Masato, Miura, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): HWU, DAVIS D
• Application Number:
  US11/277,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20060151640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 239/589, 239/596, 239/266, 239/390, 239/391, 239/392, 239/436, 239/555, 239/533.14, 239/590.3, 239/525, 239/526
• US Class Current: 239/589
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/185 characterised by their outlet element; Mounting arrangements therefor

Abstract

Disclosed is a showerhead (1) capable of preventing damages in major or peripheral components and water leakage even if it is increased in size. The showerhead comprises a lower plate (2) formed with a plurality of discharging holes (2c) for discharging shower water therethrough, an upper plate (4) connected to the lower plate and formed with a water inlet port (4c), and a channel-defining member (6) disposed between the lower and upper plates to define an effective channel (6c, 6d) for allowing hot water entered between the lower and upper plates from the water inlet port to be led to each of the discharging holes, and an ineffective channel, so as to reduce a pressure-receiving area of the lower or upper plate to be subjected to a water pressure.

Claims

1. A showerhead comprising:

a lower plate formed with a plurality of discharging holes for discharging shower water therethrough;

an upper plate connected to said lower plate and formed with a single water inlet port at the center of said upper plate; and

a channel-defining member having arc-shaped channel walls disposed between said lower and upper plates to define an effective channel between said arc-shaped channel walls, said effective channel including at least one channel extending radially from the center of said channel-defining member and at least one channel extending concentrically around the center of said channel-defining member, and an ineffective channel between said lower and upper plates, said effective channel allowing hot water entering said single water inlet port to be led to each of said discharging holes disposed around the periphery of said single water inlet port, said ineffective channel reducing a pressure-receiving area of said lower or upper plate to be subjected to a water pressure.

2. The showerhead according to claim 1, wherein:

said lower plate and said upper plate have mutually opposed surfaces at least partly formed to be approximately flat and parallel to one another, said lower plate and said upper plate being joined together along their outer peripheral regions while sandwiching said channel defining member between said approximately flat and parallel regions thereof;

and said channel-defining member is disposed in contact with said lower plate or said upper plate, and provided with a channel wall defining said effective channel in cooperation with said lower plate or said upper plate, said channel wall being formed to have a height which increases in a direction from the periphery to the center of said channel-defining member.

3. A showerhead provided with a shower plate formed with a plurality of discharging holes for discharging shower water therethrough and a showerhead body connected to said shower plate and formed with a single water inlet port at the center of said showerhead body, and designed to allow hot water entered from said water inlet port to be discharged through said discharging holes disposed around the periphery of said single water inlet port, said showerhead comprising:

a plurality of arc-shaped channel walls channel wall disposed between said shower plate and said showerhead body to define an effective channel between said plurality of arc-shaped channel walls and an ineffective channel isolated from said effective channel, said effective channel leading hot water fed from said central water inlet port to each of said periphery of said discharging holes, so as to reduce a pressure-receiving area of said shower plate or said showerhead body to be subjected to a water pressure; and

a watertight member disposed between said shower plate and said showerhead body and in watertight contact with said channel wall so as to define said effective channel in cooperation with said channel wall.

4. The showerhead according to claim 3, wherein said watertight member includes:

a watertight portion disposed between said showerhead body and said shower plate to water-tightly seal the contact region with said channel wall; and

a plurality of discharging nozzles formed on said watertight portion to protrude, respectively, from said discharging holes so as to discharge shower water therethrough.

5. The showerhead according to claim 4, which is designed to be mounted to a ceiling or a wall surface of a bathroom in such a manner that said shower plate is positioned approximately parallel to a floor surface, and said discharging holes or discharging nozzles are positioned approximately perpendicular to the floor surface.

6. The showerhead according to claim 5, wherein said shower plate is formed in an approximately flat shape.

7. The showerhead according to claim 6, which further includes a plurality of fasteners for fastening said shower plate and said showerhead body together, wherein said shower plate has a back surface formed with a plurality of fastener receiving portions arranged at given intervals to receive therein said corresponding fasteners, and each of said fasteners is engaged with a corresponding one of said fastener-receiving portions while penetrating said showerhead body, so as to fasten said shower plate and said showerhead body together.

8. The showerhead according to claim 5, which further includes a plurality of fasteners for fastening said shower plate and said showerhead body together, wherein said shower plate has a back surface formed with a plurality of fastener receiving portions arranged at given intervals to receive therein said corresponding fasteners, and each of said fasteners is engaged with a corresponding one of said fastener-receiving portions while penetrating said showerhead body, so as to fasten said shower plate and said showerhead body together.

9. The showerhead according to claim 3, which is designed to be mounted to a ceiling or a wall surface of a bathroom in such a manner that said shower plate is positioned approximately parallel to a floor surface, and said discharging holes or discharging nozzles are positioned approximately perpendicular to the floor surface.

10. The showerhead according to claim 9, which further includes a plurality of fasteners for fastening said shower plate and said showerhead body together, wherein said shower plate has a back surface formed with a plurality of fastener receiving portions arranged at given intervals to receive therein said corresponding fasteners, and each of said fasteners is engaged with a corresponding one of said fastener-receiving portions while penetrating said showerhead body, so as to fasten said shower plate and said showerhead body together.

11. The showerhead according to claim 9, wherein said shower plate is formed in an approximately flat shape.

12. The showerhead according to claim 11, which further includes a plurality of fasteners for fastening said shower plate and said showerhead body together, wherein said shower plate has a back surface formed with a plurality of fastener-receiving portions arranged at given intervals to receive therein said corresponding fasteners, and each of said fasteners is engaged with a corresponding one of said fastener-receiving portions while penetrating said showerhead body, so as to fasten said shower plate and said showerhead body together.