Plumbing fixture with heating elements

• US 9,957,699 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kohler MIRA Limited (Kohler Company)
• Original Assignee: Kohler MIRA Limited (Kohler Company)
• Inventors: Peel, Kevin T.
• Primary Examiner(s): McManmon, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLON MORALES, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US15/005,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20160158773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 4567, 4615, 4676
• 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 1/24 incorporating means for heating the liquid or other fluent material, e.g. electrically
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/24 Applying particulate materials
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/006 Arrangements or methods for cleaning or refurbishing water conduits
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/074 Arrangement of water treatment devices
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/075 Arrangement of devices for control of pressure or flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/078 Combined units with different devices; Arrangement of different devices with respect to each other
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/02 Plumbing installations for fresh water
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/04 Water-basin installations specially adapted to wash-basins or baths valves, faucets, mixing valves, taps F16K
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/0404 Constructional or functional features of the spout
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/0409 Shower handles
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/044 having a heating or cooling apparatus in the supply line water heaters, e.g. with continuous flow, F24H
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/055 Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 1/44 Details of seats or valve members of double-seat valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/22 with an actuating member for each valve, e.g. interconnected to form multiple-way valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 11/24 with an electromagnetically-operated valve, e.g. for washing machines
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 19/00 Arrangements of valves and flow lines specially adapted for mixing fluids multiple-way valves F16K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 19/006 Specially adapted for faucets
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 27/0263 multiple way valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/04 using a motor
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 49/002 : Electric heating means
• CPC Class Codes: F17D 1/00 : Pipe-line systems conveying articles or materials through a pipe- line by means of a fluid carrier B65G51/00, B65G53/00; liquids B67D; special devices for transferring liquids from bulk storage containers into vehicles or boats or vice versa, e.g. loading or unloading vehicles or portable containers B67D7/00; conveying material which has been excavated by a dredger or soil shifter through a pipe-line E02F7/10; sewer pipe-line systems E03F3/00; thermal insulation of pipe-lines F16L59/00; central heating systems F24D
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 11/13 : characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 11/16 : Controlling mixing ratio of fluids having different temperatures, e.g. by sensing the temperature of a mixture of fluids having different viscosities
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1393 : characterised by the use of electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1858 : by varying the mixing ratio of fluids having different temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/19 : characterised by the use of electric means G05D23/1393 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 : using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0617 : specially adapted for fluid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 : Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0329 : Mixing of plural fluids of diverse characteristics or conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0391 : Affecting flow by the addition of material or energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0424 : Liquid cleaning or flushing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/6606 : With electric heating element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7759 : Responsive to change in rate of fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8376 : Combined
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8593 : Systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86389 : Programmer or timer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87668 : Single actuator operates plural flow control means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87684 : Valve in each inlet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87692 : With common valve operator

Abstract

A shower head that includes a stem, a spray head coupled to the stem and including a plurality of outlets for discharging water into at least one spray pattern, and a valve provided within one of the stem and the spray head. The valve has a body including a waterway located therein for water to flow through, and a flow control valve located within the body and configured to control the flow of water to the plurality of outlets. The shower head also includes an electric heater extending through at least a portion of the body of the valve and configured to heat at least a portion of the body to an elevated temperature sufficient to kill organisms within the waterway.

Claims

1. A shower head comprising:

a stem;

a spray head coupled to the stem and including at least one outlet for discharging water;

a valve comprising;

a body having a waterway located therein for water to flow through; and

a flow control valve located within the body and configured to control the flow of water to the at least one outlet; and

an electric heater extending through at least a portion of the body of the valve and configured to heat at least a portion of the body of the valve to an elevated temperature sufficient to kill organisms within the waterway;

wherein the waterway is defined by a wall that comprises a thermally-conductive material, the valve is provided in the stem, and a body of the stem comprises a thermally-insulating material.

2. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the electric heater is potted into a bore that extends through the body of the valve using a thermally-conductive adhesive.

3. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the waterway of the valve is fluidly connected with the at least one outlet through an outlet conduit extending through at least a portion of the stem.

4. The shower head of claim 3, wherein the spray head is pivotally coupled to the stem via a pivot, and wherein the water enters the spray head through the pivot from the outlet conduit.

5. The shower head of claim 3, further comprising a spray head mount coupled to an end of the stem, wherein a portion of the spray head is received in an opening of the spray head mount and is pivotally coupled to the spray head mount via two opposing pivots, such that the spray head is pivotable relative to the spray head mount and the stem.

6. The shower head of claim 3, further comprising a heating element disposed within a body of the stem and configured to heat internal wetted surfaces of the outlet conduit to an elevated temperature sufficient to kill organisms within the outlet conduit.

7. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the shower head is a moveable handset, such that the stem is configured to detachably engage a shower head dock.

8. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the valve is a mixing valve and the body of the mixing valve includes a first inlet configured to receive cold water, a second inlet configured to receive hot water, a mixing chamber configured to mix hot and cold water, and an outlet that opens to an outlet conduit of the shower head, which is fluidly connected to the plurality of outlets of the spray head.

9. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the valve is a mixing valve that includes a mixing chamber, and the waterway is at least part of the mixing chamber of the mixing valve.

10. The shower head of claim 8, wherein the flow control valve is a first flow control valve of the mixing valve that is configured to control flow of cold water, and the mixing valve further comprises a second flow control valve configured to control flow of hot water.

11. The shower head of claim 10, further comprising:

a first stepper motor mounted on a side of the body of the valve that is opposite to the outlet of the mixing valve, the first stepper motor being configured to control movement of the first flow control valve; and

a second stepper motor mounted on the side of the body of the valve and configured to control movement of the second flow control valve.

12. The shower head of claim 11, further comprising a controller provided within the stem, the controller being configured to control operation of the first and second stepper motors to control both a flow rate and a temperature of the water supplied from the outlet of the mixing valve.

13. The shower head of claim 12, further comprising a user interface for communicating a selected flow rate and a selected temperature of the water to the controller via at least one control signal.

14. The shower head of claim 13, wherein the user interface is disposed on an outside surface of the stem of the shower head.

15. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the at least one outlet is provided on a first side of the spray head, and the spray head further includes at least one more outlet provided on a second side of the spray head opposite the first side, and wherein the shower head is selectively configured to discharge water from one of the first and second sides.

16. The shower head of claim 15, wherein the spray head is rotatable within a spray head mount about diametrically opposed pivots, such that when the spray head is rotated to a first position, in which the first side of the spray head faces a first direction, water is discharged through the at least one outlet in the first side, and when spray head is rotated to a second position, in which the second side of the spray head faces the first direction, water is discharged through the at least one outlet in the second side.

17. The shower head of claim 15, wherein the shower head is a moveable handset, such that the stem is configured to detachably engage a shower head dock.

18. A shower head comprising:

a stem configured to detachably engage a dock such that the shower head is a movable handset;

a spray head coupled to the stem and including at least one outlet for discharging water;

a mixing valve provided within the stem of the shower head, the mixing valve comprising;

a body including a waterway located therein for water to flow through;

a first flow control valve located within the body and configured to control the flow of hot water to the at least one outlet; and

a second flow control valve located within the body and configured to control the flow of cold water to the at least one outlet, wherein the waterway is fluidly connected with the at least one outlet through an outlet conduit extending through at least a portion of the stem;

an electric heater extending through at least a portion of the body of the mixing valve and configured to heat at least a portion of the body to an elevated temperature sufficient to kill organisms within the waterway;

a heating element disposed within a body of the stem and configured to heat internal wetted surfaces of the outlet conduit to an elevated temperature sufficient to kill organisms within the outlet conduit; and

a liner provided within the body of the stem and configured to define at least a portion of the internal wetted surfaces of the outlet conduit, wherein the liner comprises a thermally-conductive material and the heating element is configured to heat the liner.

19. The shower head of claim 18, wherein the heating element is in direct contact with the liner and the body of the stem comprises a material that is different than the material of the liner.