Shower assembly with radial mode changer

• US 8,348,181 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Water Pik Incorporated (Church & Dwight Company Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Water Pik Incorporated (Church & Dwight Company Incorporated)
• Inventors: Whitaker, Carl T., Leber, Leland C., Williams, Brian Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorman, Darren W
• Application Number:
  US12/560,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20100065665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 239/436, 239/443, 239/444, 239446-449, 239/548, 239/556, 239558-562, 239/567, 239/581.1
• US Class Current: 239/447
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/1636 by relative rotative movement of the valve elements B05B1/1672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/169 having three or more selectively effective outlets
• 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 1/3026 the controlling element being a gate valve, a sliding valve or a cock B05B1/3006, B05B1/326 take precedence; gate valves or sliding valves in general F16K3/00; cocks in general F16K5/00
• 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

Abstract

A shower assembly having a plurality of spray modes for expelling water includes a housing having a water inflow and a water outflow. The shower assembly provides a manifold defining a cavity having a sidewall. One or more mode apertures formed in the sidewall of the cavity are in fluid communication with the water outflow. A radial mode changer provided in the shower assembly defines a hollow passageway in fluid communication with the water inflow, and further defines a plurality of recessed ports in fluid communication with the hollow passageway. The radial mode changer is rotatably received in the cavity of the manifold and may be rotated relative to the manifold to align at least one of the recessed ports with at least one of the mode apertures for providing flow from the water inflow into the water outflow via the radial mode changer.

Claims

1. A shower assembly having a plurality of spray modes for expelling water through different nozzles, the shower assembly comprising

a housing having a water inflow and a water outflow;

a manifold defining a cavity having a sidewall, wherein two or more mode apertures are formed in the sidewall of the cavity, and wherein each of the mode apertures corresponds to one of the plurality of spray modes and is in fluid communication with the water outflow; and

a radial mode changer formed in a shape complementary to the manifold cavity, the radial mode changer defining a hollow passageway in fluid communication with the water inflow, further defining two or more recessed ports in fluid communication with the hollow passageway, and further including a seal structure provided on a top portion of the radial mode changer;

wherein

the radial mode changer is received in the cavity of the manifold such that the radial mode changer may be rotated relative to the manifold to align at least one of the recessed ports with at least one of the mode apertures such that water may flow from the water inflow into the water outflow via the radial mode changer; and

the top portion of the radial mode changer extends axially above the manifold whereby the seal structure seals against the water inflow.

2. The shower assembly of claim 1, wherein water flows into the radial mode changer in a direction which is transverse to the direction in which water is expelled from the radial mode changer.

3. The shower assembly of claim 2, wherein

the water inflow terminates in an inflow passageway that extends axially downward towards a top surface of the radial mode changer, and

the inflow passageway receives the top portion of the radial mode changer to seal against the seal structure.

4. The shower assembly of claim 3, wherein

the seal structure further comprises one or more annular ridges provided on the top portion of the radial mode changer;

a annular seal is seated adjacent the one or more annular ridges; and

when the radial mode changer is received within manifold, the inflow passageway sealingly abuts the annular seal.

5. The shower assembly of claim 1, further comprising a mode changer knob extending from a bottom surface of the housing, wherein the mode chamber knob is coupled to the radial mode changer such that rotation of the knob effects rotation of the radial mode changer.

6. The shower assembly of claim 1, wherein the water outflow further comprises:

a front channel plate; and

a rear channel plate;

wherein

when the front channel plate and the rear channel plate are attached together, the plates form a plurality of continuous mode chambers that are each separate from the other of the plurality of the continuous mode chambers, and

one or more outlet flow paths are defined by the plurality of continuous mode chambers.

7. The shower assembly of claim 6, wherein the recessed ports of the radial mode changer are configured relative to the mode apertures of the manifold such that water flow at a given time may be provided to each of the mode chambers individually, or any combination of two or more spray modes.

8. The shower assembly of claim 6, wherein one or more of the plurality of mode chambers comprise a plurality of outlet apertures, each of the outlet apertures corresponding to a respective nozzle such that flow into the mode chambers may be expelled from the shower assembly via the nozzles.

9. The shower assembly of claim 1, wherein one or more seal cups are accommodated in the one or more recessed ports, and wherein the one or more seal cups each define one or more exit apertures for directing water to the water outflow.

10. A shower assembly comprising

a housing having a water inflow and a water outflow;

a showerhead operably connected to the housing and including a first group of nozzles and a second group of nozzles;

a manifold defining a manifold cavity and having a sidewall;

a plurality of mode apertures formed in the sidewall of the manifold cavity; and

a radial mode changer at least partially received within the manifold cavity, including

a cylindrical body defining

a first hollow passageway in fluid communication with the water inflow; and

two or more recessed ports in fluid communication with the hollow passageway; and

further having

a top portion including a seal structure extending from a top end of the cylindrical body axially above the manifold when received therein;

wherein

when the radial mode changer is rotated to a first position relative to the manifold to align one of the two or more recessed ports with one of the plurality of mode apertures, water from the water inflow flows through the radial mode changer to provide water outflow to the first group of nozzles; and

when the radial mode changer is rotated to a second position relative to the manifold, the one of the two or more recessed ports aligns with two of the mode apertures such that water from the water inflow flows through the radial mode changer to provide water outflow to the second group of nozzles.

11. The shower assembly of claim 10, wherein

the top portion has a first open end in communication with the first hollow passageway.

12. The shower assembly of claim 11, wherein

the radial mode changer further comprises a bottom portion extending from a bottom end of the cylindrical body axially below the manifold when received therein and defining a second hollow passageway separated from the first hollow passageway by a wall forming a top end of the bottom portion.

13. The shower assembly of claim 10, wherein the first group of nozzles does not include any nozzles from the second group of nozzles.

14. The shower assembly of claim 10, wherein the second group of nozzles includes nozzles from the first group of nozzles.