Dual turbine showerhead

• US 8,905,332 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Water Pik Incorporated (Church & Dwight Company Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Water Pik Incorporated (Church & Dwight Company Incorporated)
• Inventors: Luettgen, Harold A., Golichowski, Gary D., Sokol, Gary L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dinh Q
• Application Number:
  US13/020,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20110121098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 239380-383, 239/443, 239/444, 239/446, 239/447, 239/397, 239/390, 239/240, 460/1, 461/5, 4675-677, 137/883, 137/867, 222/548
• US Class Current: 239/463
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/1654 about an axis parallel to the liquid passage in the stationary valve element
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/18 Roses; Shower heads with means for adding soap or the like E03C1/046; jet regulators E03C1/08
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/04 driven by the liquid or other fluent material discharged, e.g. the liquid actuating a motor before passing to the outlet B05B3/023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87877 Single inlet with multiple distinctly valved outlets

Abstract

A dual turbine showerhead provides multiple spray modes emanating from the head. The showerhead includes an inlet orifice, a backplate, a first turbine located side-by-side with a second turbine, a faceplate forming a first orifice group and a second orifice group, a first fluid channel in fluid communication with the first and second turbines and the first orifice group, and a second fluid channel in fluid communication with the second orifice group. In another embodiment, the showerhead includes first and a second turbines located side-by-side and a valve body that channels a fluid to the first turbine and the second turbine. In another embodiment, the showerhead includes a first and a second turbine located side-by-side along a centerline of the showerhead, a corresponding outlet region is arranged along the centerline and additional outlet regions are laterally spaced therefrom.

Claims

1. A showerhead comprising

a body having an inlet for connection to a water conduit;

a first outlet nozzle group formed on a faceplate coupled to the body;

a second outlet nozzle group formed on the faceplate;

a first turbine fluidly connected to the first outlet nozzle group;

a second turbine fluidly connected to the second outlet nozzle group, wherein the first and second turbines are located side-by-side within the body; and

a valve body in fluid communication with the first and second turbines and operative to channel a fluid to either the first turbine, the second turbine or both the first and the second turbines.

2. The showerhead of claim 1, the faceplate further comprising a third outlet nozzle group and a fourth outlet nozzle group formed thereon, wherein the third and fourth outlet nozzle groups are in fluid communication with the valve body.

3. The showerhead of claim 2, wherein the showerhead is configured to dispense water through the first, second, third, and fourth outlet nozzle groups to create modes of operation for the showerhead.

4. The showerhead of claim 3, wherein the modes of operation are controlled by an actuator operably connected with the valve body.

5. The showerhead of claim 3, wherein the modes of operation activate multiple of the first, second, third, and fourth outlet nozzle groups simultaneously.

6. The showerhead of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth outlet nozzle groups comprises a group of nozzles that are generally mirrored about a horizontal or a vertical axis by a corresponding group of nozzles in a respective outlet nozzle group.

7. The showerhead of claim 1, further comprising a backplate arranged in the housing, wherein the backplate and faceplate jointly define a backplate channel, and the first and second turbines are located within the backplate channel.

8. The showerhead of claim 1, wherein:

the first turbine is operative to intermittently interrupt fluid flow exiting the first outlet nozzle group; and

the second turbine is operative to intermittently interrupt fluid flow exiting the second outlet nozzle group.

9. The showerhead of claim 1, wherein:

the first turbine includes an at least partially open inlet end and an at least partially open outlet end so that the fluid is flowable axially through the first turbine from the inlet end to the outlet end; and

the second turbine includes an at least partially open inlet end and an at least partially open outlet end so that the fluid is flowable axially through the second turbine from the inlet end to the outlet end.