MULTI-FUNCTION SHOWER HEAD

POMME DE DOUCHE MULTIFONCTION

English Abstract

The instant invention is, in broad aspect, a shower head that
provides a series of spray effects. The object of the instant inven-
tion includes to efficiently provide a shower head user with a varie-
ty of spray effects and to reduce the complexity of the multifunc-
tion shower head. The shower head (10) includes an inlet port to
establish fluid communication with a source of water and at least
two outlet ports (58 and 60) to direct a spray with various effects to
the user. A pushrod (36) disposed in fluid communication between
the inlet port (56j and the outlet ports (58 and 60) selectively opens
the outlet ports (58 and 60) to allow the user to continuously select
any combination of spray effects, which may include a continuous
stream or a pulsating jet. The pushrod (36) is actuated by a rotat-
ing cam ring (16) operated by the user. The cam (16) moves the
pushrod (36) transversely across the inlet port (56) and, under con-
trol of the user, directs water from the inlet port (56) to the outlet
ports (58 and 60). The cam ring (16) maintains the pushrod (36) in
the selected orientation.

Claims

9
Claims
1. A shower head providing a plurality of spray
effects, comprising:
inlet port means for establishing fluid communication
with a source of water;
first outlet port means for directing a spray of water
with a first effect to a user of said shower head;
second outlet port means for directing a spray of water
with a second effect to said user; and
pushrod means internally contained in said shower head
and oriented generally perpendicular to the flow of water
from said inlet port means, said pushrod means, disposed
between said inlet port means and said first and second
outlet port means, for selectively opening said outlet port
means to establish fluid communication with said inlet part
means; and
cam means, controlled by said user, for positioning said
pushrod means to selectively open said first and said second
outlet port means, whereby said user can continuously select
any combination of. said first and second effects.
2. A shower head a defined in claim 1, wherein said
shower head further comprises:
a cam surface mounted for arcuate movement about said
inlet port means and contacting said pushrod means; and
a cam follower mounted on said pushrod means and
contacting said cam surface, whereby rotation of said cam
means causes transverse movement of said pushrod means as
determined by said cam surface.
3. A shower head as defined in claim 1, wherein said
inlet port means comprises:
a surface defining a cavity, said cavity having an
upstream opening for receiving water from said source and
also having a downstream opening generally smaller in area
than said upstream opening; and
passageway means, supporting said pushrod means, for
providing fluid communication between said downstream opening
and said f first and second outlet port means under the control
of said pushrod means.

10
4. A shower head as defined in claim 3, wherein each
of said first and second outlet port means comprises:
at least one outlet passage in fluid communication with
said passageway means, whereby said pushrod means
controllably directs water from said downstream opening in
said inlet port means through said passageway means, to said
at least one outlet passage; and
a plurality of spray means, each of said spray means
corresponding to one of said outlet passages, for generating
a series of spray effects, each of said spray means being in
fluid communication with said at least one outlet passage.
5. A shower head as defined in claim 3, wherein said
pushrod means comprises:
an elongated member moveable transversely through said
passageway means, said member including valve sealing means,
selectively moveable across said downstream opening, for
selectively opening portions of said passageway means to
allow communication between said downstream opening and said
first and second outlet port means.
6. A shower head as defined in claim 2, wherein said
cam means further comprises:
means disposed on the outer surface of said shower head
for receiving operative control from said user and
translating said operative control to said cam surface.
7. A shower head as defined in claim 4 wherein said
plurality of spray means comprises:
first spray means for providing a continuous spray; and
second spray means for providing a pulsating spray from
said shower head.
8. A shower head as defined in claim 7 wherein said
first spray means comprises a face plate in fluid
communication with one of said outlet passages, said face
plate defining a series of angled bores in constant fluid
communication with said one of said outlet passages.

9. A shower head as defined in claim 7 wherein said
second spray means comprises:
a face plate defining a series of discharge passages;
rotor means, disposed in said shower head for rotation
adjacent said discharge passages, for interrupting the flow
of Water through each of said passages; and
channel means, in fluid communication with said
discharge passages and one of said outlet passages, for
providing a tangential stream of water against said rotor
means to impart rotation to said rotor means and to supply
water to said discharge passages.
10. A method for generating a plurality of spray
effects in a multi-function shower head having an inlet port
and at least two outlet ports, with each of said ports
providing a different spray effect, comprising:
directing water through said inlet port;
transversely moving a valve control rod which is
completely enclosed within said shower head across said inlet
port to selectively direct the flow of said water to one or
more of said outlet ports; and
controlling said transverse movement of said valve
control rod with a cam surface operated by the user of said
shower head.

Description

WO 92/02305 PGT/US9H/tB5539
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- THE DESCRIPTION
M(ULTI-FUNCTION SHOWER HEAD
Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to valves and more particularly to '
valves used for shower head devices.
3ackground Art
Mufti-function shower heads have been developed to provide the user with
a selection of various types of effects such as a continuous spray, a
pulsating jet or
"message" effect, an aerated spray, and the like.
The designs of current mufti-function shower heads are complex in terms of
mechanisms used to select aniong the various types of sprays. Such mechanisms
require, for example, multiple O-rings and valuing mechanisms and gears that
are
difficult to fabricate and assemble. A typical example is shown in U.S.
Patents No.
3,672,648, 3,801,019, and 4,190,207, all of which reflect a design that has
been
widely sold. Furthermore, and as also reflected in the identified patents,
many prior
designs had difficult and complex mechanisms to convert the user's mechanical
force into the required orientation and thus required various gearing and
levers to
orient the mechanical forces properly. ,
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the current invention to efficiently
2o provide a shower head user with a variety of spray effects.
Another object of the invention is to. reduce the complexity of a mufti-
function shower head.
A further object is to reduce the force required for the user to operate a
shower head.
Disclosure of Invention
The present invention, in a broad aspect, is a shower head that provides a
series of spray effects. The shower head includes an inlet port to establish
fluid
communication with a source of water and at least two outlet ports to direct a
spray
with various effects to the user. A pushrod disposed in fluid communication
~ between the inlet port and the outlet ports selectively opens the outlet
ports to allow ,
the user to continuously select any combination of spray effects, which may
include
a continuous stream or a pulsating jef.

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In accordance with one feature of the invention, the pushrod is actuated by
a rotating cam ring operated by the user. The cam moves the pushrod
transversely
across the inlet port and, under control of the user, directs water from the
inlet port
to the outlet ports. The cam ring maintains the pushrod in the selected
orientation.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the inlet port includes
a cavity having an 'upstream and a downstream opening, with the downstream
opening being generally smaller in area than the upstream opening.. The inlet
port
also provides a passageway in which is located the pushrod and it is through
the
passageway that fluid communication is established between the downstream
opening
to and the outlet ports.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the outlet ports
include a series of outlet passages disposed in the valve body in fluid
communication
with the passageway such that the pushrod controllably directs water from. the
downstream opening in the inlet port through the passageway to one or more of
the
outlet passages. The outlet passages either direct water to bores that produce
a
constant spray, or angularly direct water against a rotor adjacent a series of
openings to create a series of pulsating jets.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the
2 0 accompanying drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a shower head according to the
present invention;
Fig. 2 shows a side view of the pushrod portion of the invention shown in
Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 shows an end view of the pushrod shown in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 shows a side view of the inlet port housing of the invention shown in
Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the housing shown in Fig. 4, taken
3 o through the plane A-A;
Fig. 6 shows top view of the inlet housing shown in Fig. 4;
Fig. 7 shows a top view of the cam ring portion of the invention shown in
Fig. 1;

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Fig. 8 shows a plan view of the back side of the face plate portion of the
invention shown in Fig. 1; , .
Fig. 9 shows an outward view of the face plate portion of the invention
shown in Fig. 1; and
Fig. 10 shows a side view of the rotor portion of the invention shown in Fig.
1.
Best Mode For Carryino Out The Invention
Referring more particularly to the drawings, Figs. 1-9 show the various parts
of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 1, the shower head 10 according to
the
1o present invention includes an outer shell 12, that is threadingly engaged
to a valve
body 14. In the upper part of the shell is mounted a ball joint 24 maintained
within
the shell by a split ring 26 and sealed by an O-ring 28. Within the ball joint
is
located a flow control ring 30, a flow control restrictor 32 and a screen
washer 34.
The valve body 14 has a generally cylindrical cavity forming an inlet port.
The upper end of the cavity, relative to the orientation shown in Fig.' 1, is
of a large
cross-sectional area and mates with the ball joint 24. Disposed at the lower
end of
the cavity is a downstream opening 56, which is of a smaller area. The
downstream
opening 56 functions as the inlet port relative to the outlet ports to be
described
herein. The inlet port is shown more fully in Fig. 6, which is a top view of
the
2 o valve body 14.
The downstream opening 56 communicates with a passageway 54, which is
also shown in cross-section in Fig. 6, as well as end-wise in Fig. 4. The
passageway has at least two outlet ports 58 and 60, as shown in. Figs. l and
5. For
purposes of this discussion, the ports 58 and 60 will be respectively referred
to as
a first outlet port (58) and a second outlet port (60). The first outlet port
58 '
communicates with the face plate 18 of the shower head. The face plate 18 is
retained against the valve body 14 by a retainer ring 20 which, via threads
52,
engages the valve body. A series of O-rings 28 mounted at various locations
around
the retainer ring and the face maintain sealing engagement between the parts.
The face plate 28 has two portions. The first portion, as shown most clearly
in Figs. 8 and 9, consists of a series of angled bores 62 which communicate
with
the first opening 58. These bores produced a constant spray. The second
portion
of the face plate 28 consists of a series of bores 64 grouped pair-wise around
the

W~ 92/02305 PCd'/LJ~9l/056 9
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periphery of the face plate, as shown in Figs. 8 and
9. These holes receive water
through two channels, 66 and 68, which communicate with'
an annular cavity 76,
in the rear side of the face plate, as shown in Figs.
1 and 8. This annular cavity
76 is in fluid communication with the second outlet '
port 60. Disposed between the
face plate 28 and the valve body I4 is a rotor 22, which
is shown in more detail in
Fig. 10. The rotor has a rotor base 48 with a series
of blades 50 spaced about the
periphery. The rotor is oriented such that water from
the channels 66 and 68
tangentially impacts the rotor blades 50, thereby imparting
rotation. The spinning
rotor thus breaks the flow of water from the annular
cavity 76 to the outlet bores
to 64, thereby producing a pulsating effect.
Operation of the present invention is controlled by
a pushrod 36 disposed
within the passageway 54 in the valve body 14. The pushrod
36 is an elongated
member having left and right cam following surfaces
44, 46. In the middle portion
of the pushrod are two areas of reduced diameter 40 .
and 42 to allow the flow of
water. Also located on the pushrod 36 are. a series
of O-ring channels 38a, b, and
c which have mounted thereupon another series of O-rings
28. The left O-ring
channel 38a and the right O-ring channel 38c are used
to establish a fluid seal fox
the pushrod within the passageway 54. The central 0-ring
cavity 38b with the
accompanying O-ring communicates with the downstream
inlet port 56 to direct
2o water from the inlet port 56 through the first and second
outlet pons 58 and 60 as
controlled by the user. When the pushrod is in the orientation
shown in Fig. l, all
of the water flows from the downstream inlet 56 to the
first outlet 58 and thereafter
through the series of angled bores 62 to produce a continuous
spray effect.
Conversely, if the pushrod 36 is moved to the right
side of the downstream opening
56, the first outlet passage S8 would be sealed and
the second outlet passage 60
would be open, thereby producing the pulsating "jet"
effect described hereinabove.
Alternatively, there can be a mixture of water flowing
between the first and
second outlet ports 58 and 60 if the middle O-:ring
channel 38b of the pushrod 36
was orientated somewhere between the full left position
as shown in Fig. 1 and the
full right position as described.
Control of the location of the pushrod is done by a
cam ring 16 which is
shown in more detail in Fig. 7. Cam ring I6 is mounted
in the shower head by the
retainer ring 20. It is free to rotate under control
of the user. As shown in Fig. 7,

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the cam ring 16 has a series of outer teeth 74 which arewsed by the user to
turn the
cam ring. Disposed within the cam ring 16 are two cam surfaces 70 and 72 which
engage the left and right cam follower surfaces 44 and 46 on the pushrod 36.
As can be seen, the present invention represents a much simpler valve
5 mechanism that requires few parts and yet which can be made to perform all
the
necessary functions for providing various spray effects. It also requires much
fewer
parts to orient the user's force in the manner necessary for proper operation.
In the foregoing description of the present invention, a preferred embodiment
of the invention has been disclosed. It is to be understood that other
mechanical and
design variations are within the scope of the present invention. For example,
the .
present invention could be easily adapted for a hand-held shower head.
Furthermore, a series of pushrods or a pushrod with additional flow control
surfaces
could be used to provide a series of different spray effects. Accordingly, the
present invention is not limited to the particular arrangement which has been
.15 illustrated and described herein.

Representative Drawing