Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
A ~ e~
5 iFlELD OF THE li'~lVENTlON AND PRIOR ART
This invention relates to a shower de~ice for a toilet se3t, com-
prising ~ shower hea~, a wat~r suppiy conduit le~ding there~o,
and a Garrier on which the s5~ower head and at le~st a portion of
10 the conduit are arr2nged and which is movably arranged in re-
lation to a support constru~tion to move the shower he~d in a
pi~roting mov~rnent between an active positlon in whi~h the
sh~wer h~ad is lo~ated to ~ive a person sitting cn the toilet seat
a shower from beneath in his or her seat region, and an inactive
15 positiGn in which the ~hcwer head is brought aside.
The term "give a shower" her~ used should be s~en in a wide
per~pective. Accordingly, it is supposed t~ comprise anything
from a well spread show~t to ~ rather concentrated spraying or
20 waslling. The ii~vention a~so inrludes tha~ the shower head Is
variable in t~e me~ning that the ch3racter of the ~hower can be
adjusted in a w~y known per se or optionally. At a know~ device
of the type mentioned above the carrier is turn~bly arranged
~rouna a horizon~al axis, which will lea~ to the shower head
25 b~in~ pivo~ed in a vertical plane. l his gives the disadvantage in
th~t the sprayin~ direction of the shower he~d will ~lary as a
f~lnction of the turning position of the turnable carrier around the
horizontai ~xis. Ap3rt ~rom this being felt as unsatisfyin~ ~rom a
cleaning point of view it c~n a!so render the user the very ~Jn-
30 comf~rtabl~ consequ~nc~ in th~t ~nintentionally misdire~tedshower streams will soak clothes, assisting persorls or other
objects in th~ surrounding. ~urthermore, it has turned out to be
diffi~ult for the user to get control ovdr th~ position and the di-
~ection cf the shower head at any giv~n time. As the shower
35 head, as a consequence of the turnabillty of the carrier around a
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
horizontal axis, wii, descri~e an arc-sh~ped pivoting movement
in a vertical plane, ~t is difficult to obtain an optirnum weighlng
of the movelnent path of the showcr head s~ that, on one hand,
the shower head is in optimum positi~n wher~ it is to be used
5 fo~ shoYver purposes, and, on the other hand, the shower he~d
is positioned in a well dist~nced, protected position when it is
not t~ be used. Finally, a turnable embodiment of the carrier ac-
cnrding to th~ known technique also reach a rather high cost for
the c~nstru~ion o~ manoeuvring handle, water regulation valve
10 and the ~earing, and the support thereo~.
SUMMARY OF THF INVENT!ON
The object of the present invention is to further develop the in-
1~ iti~lly stated prior art in such a way that the shower device as-
s~ciates an uncomplicated and ther~by cheap constructional
embodiment with good manoeuverability.
According to the invention this object is obtained by the c~rrier,
20 and thereby the shower head, bein3 pivotable around a gener-
ally ~ertical axis to effoct the pivoting o~ the shower head in a
generaily horiz~ntal plane of pivotin~.
Accordingly, the spraying dir~ction of the shower head will
25 thereby be generally the same during the whole pivoting move-
ment, which reduces the risk for unintenticnal showers in wrong
direction. Furth~rmore it becomes substantially easier for the
user or an assisting perSon to manoeuYre tha carrier and
thereby set the sh~wer head in i~s optimum position when the
30 carrier is pivotable around a Y~rtical axis in a way accordlng to
the invention. Fina~ly, t~is pivotability a~so leads to a relatively
uncomplicated embodiment as a consequence of the whole
carrier being piY~tably positioned on the support construction
and the water supply system, that is the st~owe~ head, the water
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
supply conduitand ~ valve forrogulating the wate~supply, be-
ing positione~ onthe very carrier.
In thç dependent patent claims advantageous further develcp-
ments of inventions ar~ defined. The~e f~rth~r developments
will be further discussed in detail h~rein~ften However, espe-
cially the g~get pfesented in c5aim 6 should ~e mentioned,
where the carrier along wi~h the sh~wer head and the conduits
belonging thereto form a doubte-arm lever, on a first arm of
10 whioh the shower h2ad is arranged and on a second arm of
which the h~ndle is ~rranged.
Furthermore an ad~antageous embodiment is defined in claim
11, which embo~im~nt sees to that the moYement of the shower
15 head will be c~mposed of pivcting movements around two dif-
ferent, g~neraily ~/ertical axes, which ~ives n~ore possibiiities
for th~ user o~ an assisting person to se~ the shower head.
BRI~F DESCRIPTIO~ OF lrHE DRAWIN~S
With reference to tho attac.hed drawingsl a more detaile~ de-
scription of em~odiments of the invention, presented by way of
example, will follow hereinbelow.
25 On the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a toilet ~eat provided
with the s~ow~r ~evice accord.ng to the invention, a
part forming a sitting surface with attached, splash
guardin3 mantle ~eing illustrated in swung up position,
Fig. 2 is a view simiiar to 'he one of Fig. 1, but i!lustrating the
part form!ng a sitting surface as swung down,
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
Fig. 3 is a vi~w similar to the one of Fig. 2, but showing th~
shower device in another position,
Fig. 4 is a view of the toilet se~t and the shower device as
s~en fr~m the fr~nt.
Flg. 5 Is a perspecti~e view of the shower device fn Isola~ion,
and
~0 Fi~. 6 is a view similar to the one of Fig. 1 of an alternative
embodim~nt.
DETAILEI~ DESCRIPTION OF P~FCR~F~ EMBOOIr~ENTS
16 The embodiment according to Figs. 1-5
The shower de~,~ice according tG the invention comprises a
shower head, a water s~pply eonduit 2 leading thereto, and a
carrier 3 on which the shouter he3d 1 and at least a portion of
20 the conduit 2 are arrang~d.
The carrier 3 is movably arranged in rel~tion to a support Gon-
struction 4 to move the show~r he~d 1 in a pivoting motlon be-
tw~en an active posltlon, seen In F13s. 1 and 2, in which the
25 shower head is located t~ give a person sitting on the toilet
se~t, wllich is gene~ally referred to with 5, a shower from be-
neath in his or her seat region. and an inactive position, as
seen in f ig. 3, in which the shower head 1 is brought aside. The
carrier 3, ~nd ths~eby th~ showe~ head 1, are piYotable ~round
30 a generally ve~tical axis 6 to ef'ect the pivoting of the sho~er
head 1 in a generally horizon~al plane of pivoting.
The devfce cornprises a mantle 8 protr~lding down into a bowl 7
o~ the tollet seat. In the example, this m~nt!e has a tube-like
35 shape. In its active positio~, the showe~ head is, as seen frorn
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
abov~, located within the width of the lower opening of the
mantle 8, and in its inaGtiYe posltion the shower he~d is loca~ed
beside th3s width~ More preciseiy, the show~r head 1 is thereby
suppose~ to be iacated as in Fig. 3, that is in~pivo~ed b~hind a
5 rear portion of the mantl~ 8, so that a person sitting on th~ toilet
seat can exeeute his or her needs that are normally exeeuted on
the toilet seat without the showe~ device, and particu!arly the
shower head 1 ther~of and the ~onduit running up to the latter,
bein3 in the way.
A valve 9 for re~ul3tion o~ the watet ~uppiy to the shower hezd
1 is arranged on the pivot~ble c.arri~r 3.
A handle for manoeuvrir,~ the pivoting rnevement of the carrier
15 is arrang~d on the pivotable carrier 3.
In the illustrated exam,cle, the valve 9 or at least a p~rt there¢f
forms the desired manoeuv~ g handle. In the example ~he
Yalve g comprises a m~Y~le manoeu~rlng m~mber 10. It is
20 this movable manoeuvring member 10 of the valve 9 which
forms the m~n~euvring handle for the carrier 3 in the ~xample.
In the example, the rnanoeuYring member 10 for the valve ~ is
designed as being turnably moveable. This is no necessity, ~nd
25 the move~ble manoeuvring rnem5~r 10 can be movea~le In
other aspects for water regulatlon. In the case of a turnable
m~noeuvring member~ it ~s p~inted out tha~ this does not need
lo be turn~bl~ around a gene-ally vertic~l axis, as can be seen
from the drawing fi~ures, but that the turriability could take
30 place around turning axes orientats~ in another way. ~lowever,
it has turned out to be possibl~ to obtain not only good water
regulation, ~ut also good manoeuvrabiEity for the very carrier by
means of a manoeuYrin~ member which is turnably arranged
around a generally vertical axis and which also forms a ma-
35 noeuvring handle for the carrier 3.
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
The carrier 3, alGng with the shower head 1 with th~ con~uit 2
~elonging th~reto, form a double-arm iever, on one arm 1~ of
which the shower hea~ 1 is attached and on the oiher ~rm 12 of
5 whichthe handie 9, 10 is located.
The pivot axis 6 of the carrier 3 is located outside an edge 14
which deiimits th~ opening 13 of ~he t~ilet seat S.
10 The water supply conduit 2 extends over th~ toilet seat edge
14 and is moYable inside a sp~ce 1~ between this edge 14 and
a part 16 which forms ~ sitting s~ ace ~nd is arr~nged there-
o~ler, N~rmally, this one has the character of a se3t ring.
1~ In Fig. 4 it is illustrated how the m~ntle 8 projects down Into the
toilet bowl 7 and how the cond~lit 2 running to the shower head
1 will pass over the toilet b~wl edge 14 and thereafter extend
obli~uely downw~rds in the toilet bowl between the inside of the
latter and the man~e 8~ the conduit 2 in the nearness o~ the
20 shower head 1 being ben~ so that the end portion of t~e conduit
extends upwards and will ~e ended by the shower head 1. To
obt~in an embodiment which is advantageous from ~ hygienical
point of view, this one c~n present easily mountable and de-
mountable shower mouth pieces of disposable character or of
2~ an easily cleanable design.
The supporl constructien 4 is 3ttachable to the toilet seat 5 by
means of the att~chmer.t memb~rs 18 (see Fig. 1) which als~
affaches the part 16, which ~orrns a sitting surface, to the toilet
30 seat. These attachment m~mbers 18 normally have tl~e charac-
ter of shafts pr~jecting into andJor through holes arranged in the
t~ilet seat edge behind the toiiet bowl 7. These shaft~ e~n
either present m~ans whi~h by meanr of f~icti~n engage with
the limitation wall~ in the holes in the toilet bowl edg~ ~r, alter-
3~ natively, these shafts c~n extend totally through the holes and,
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
at the bottom, be engageci with nuts or other fixing elements. As
can be most cl~arly seen in Fig. ~, the support construction 4
pfe~ents i~o~es or slots 1~ arranged to be protruded by the de-
scribed atlachment members 18 so that the p~rtion 20 present-
ing the holes or slots 19 will be fixed by th~ support construc-
tion 4 against the toiiet seat in a position between the upper
edge surfaGe thereof and p~rtions of th~ attaohment members
18 ~r parts belonging to the seat ring unit 16.
10 As can be seen in Fi~s. 2 and 3, the s~at rin3 1~ ~an be a tilt-
able lld 21. As c~n be seen in Fig. 1, the seat ring 16 with the
mantle 8 beion~ing tt~ereto can be tilted up ~Nhile the attarh-
ment rnembers 18 still retain the seat ring 16 in relation to the
toilet s~at.
The m~ntl~ 8 is fastened in r~Jati~n to the p~ forming a sit-
ting sufface. According t~ a posslble embodiment the mantle 8
colJld be designed in one piece with the part 16 wh1ch forms a
sitting surf~ce. According to the embodiment shown in the Fig-
20 ure the mantie 8 is, howe~er, arr~nsed to have the character ofseparat~ part or additi~n~l part which, by means of holders 22,
is fixed to the und~rside o; the part 16 which forms the sitting
sur~ce. The h~lde~s 22 m~y have the character of blocks
whlch, ~y n~eans of screws or the like, are fixed to the part 16
25 whieh fQrms the sitting surface. Tl~ereby, the blo~ks 22 may en-
gag~ maintainingly with a flange 23 arrsnged on the mantle 8.
Ac~Qrding to a pre~erred embo~iment the holders or blocks 22
fl~rm distance m~rnbers ~Ivhich locat~ the undersid~ of the part
30 ,8 wh'ch forms the sitting surface at ~ level above tlle upper
surf~ce of the ed3r~ 14 cf the toilet bowl, so that the already de-
scribed space 1~ is formed therebetween. In the alternative
ern~odlment already mentioned, where the mantJe 8 is designed
in one piece with the part 16 which forms the si~ting surface, it
3~ is preferred that th~ distance ke~ping members are desi3ned in
- CA 02217432 1997-10-03
one piec~ with the part 16 which forms the sitting surface as
projeotions from the latter, whereby it is of course equivalent to,
instead, pro~Jid2 the space 1 S by me~ns of a recess designed in
the underside of the part 16 which forms the sitting surf~ce.
As Gan be seen from the ~igures the support surfa~e 4 h~s the
character ~f an ang!ed arm, where one shank forms the portion
20 which presents the holes or slots 19 for attachment to the
toilet seat, while the other shank is connected with its outer
1Q end to the c~rrler 3 througll a hinge ~Ivhich forms the vertical
pivot axis 6. In the example, the hinge is formed by a tap or bolt
extending to said shank and a portion of the carrier 3.
The support c~nstruction 4 can be composed by two parfs 24,
15 25, which ~re interconnected by means of ~ fixing memb6r ~6,
for example a bolt or scre\lv. AlternatiYely, the support construc-
tion 4 also can be formed by one single material pi~ce. The
valve 9 is fixed to the carrier 3 at a dist~nce fronn its pivot axis
6 in relation to the support constr~iction 4. As is most clearly
20 shown in Fig. S the val~/e 9 presents a valve housing 27, in
which the v31ve member which is moveable by means of the
manoeuvring member 10 can be bfoug~t to act openlng or
throttling regarding the water supply to the shower head 1.
25 The conduit, which is generally referred to with 2, comprises a
rigid portion 28 which extends f~o~n the valv~ housin~ 27 to the
shower head 1 with the illustrated, bent shape, the conduit ex-
tending throu~h a supporl 29 arranged on the carrier 3 for the
canduit. In the exampl~, this s~pport 29 h~s the character of a
30 flap of the carrier, which flap is bent downwards and which Is
provided with a hole for passage of the conduit with relatively
tight fitting.
Moreover, the conduit 2 c~mprises a portion 3G which extends
36 from the valve housin~ 27 to a suit~ble water resource. Even if,
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
in reality, othsr en~bodiments can be possible, a prefe~red em-
bodiment is that the conduit portion 30 is forrned ~y ~ flexible
hose which extends to a mixing aggregate which k arranged at
a suit~ble place, for example ~t the wall beside the toilet seat,
5 and is arranged to mix hot and cold wat~r in required p~rtions,
so th~t a pleasant temperature of the water teaving the shower
head 1 can be obt~ined~ Thereby, the mixing ~ggregate is suit-
ably of thermostatioal type. E~y such an embodlment the u~lv~ 9
is a simple volume reg~lation valve without capacity t~ mix cold
10 and hot wat~r. According to ~n alternati~/e embodlment o~ the
invention it would, howeverl be posslble t~ arrange a mixir,g
valve, f~r instance o~ thermostatica! type~ on the carrier 3,
somethln~ which reqllires that cold and hot water conduits are
drawn to this ~alve.
The shower device is used in the foliowing way: when ~ person
is to execute his or h~ needs at the toilet seat the sho~er de-
vice is located in the position according to ~ig. 3, that is with
the shower head 1 pivoted outside the width of the lower open-
20 ing of ~he mantle 8. As said needs accordingly have been exe-
cute~, the user can use the shower devi~e for cleanins pur-
poses. Thereby. the user initially sees to that a certain ~rater
spraying tak~s place so that the right temperature of the water
reaching the shower haad 1 can b~ o~tained. Thereafter fhe
25 user can comfoltably pivot the shower head 1 for~Yard to a re-
quired position by pivoting the carrier 3 around the axis 6. As
the right positlon has b~en obtained, the ~ser can easiiy op~n
the val~e 9 to a required degree, and thereby, through the
shower head 1, a pleasant cleaning shower is ob'ained at the
30 re~uir~d piace. As the user flnds that the cleaning oper~tion has
obtain~d the requlred resul~, the valve g is shut and the carrier
3 is plvoted so that the shower head 1 once again is located in
the position according to Fig. 3.
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
r~e embo~iment ae~rd~ng to Fi~. ~
In Fig. 6 an aitemative to the already desoribed ~m~odirnent is
illustrated. In Fig. 6 thc same r~feren~-e numerals vvi~i be used
5 ~or the same or similar parts as in the foregoin~ embodiments,
but only with th2 addition of t~e letter a ~
In Fig. 6 the support construction 4a is shown as ~ormed i~y two
parts 31, 32, which are moYe~bie in rel~tion to each other and
1~ the first 31 of which forrns a base part which is attach~ble to the
toilet seat, ~hile the other 32 is piv~table in relation t~ the base
part around a second, genera!ly ~artical axis 33. The carrler 3a
is pivotably arran8ed in rel~on of the second part 32 around
the generaily vertical ~xis 6a first ment'on~d.
The two 3xas 6a and 33 are located at m~ltual distance! which
means that the movements of the shower head 1 a will be
formed by tha sum ~ two piYoting rnovements, namely the
pi~otin~ movement of the carrier 3~ aro.~nd the axis 6~ in rela-
20 tion to the part 32 and the pivoting movement of the latteraround the ~xis 33 in relation to th-- base part 31. Thereby the
rnaneower possibilities of the user also increas~ as to the po-
sit10n o~ the shower head 1 a.
2~ The pivctable part 32 has the character of ~ link extending from
the region of the rear part of the toilet bowl in a forward dir~c-
tion to approximately the intermediate region of th~ toilet bowl,
the part 32 being loca~ed ~n one si~e of the toilet bowl.
30 In this embodiment the base part ~1 presen~s a screen plece 34
which projects d~wn into the toliet bowl In the area of the re~r
part of the toilet bowl. The shower hcad 1a can be pivoted be-
h~rd this screen pTece so that, accordingly, the shower head 1~
obta~ns a posltlon In whioh it is prot~cted by the ssreen piece
3~ 34 also when the pant 16a which ~orms the sitting surfac~ ~nd
CA 02217432 1997-10-03
the mantle 82 connected theretc are swung up to the position
aceordin~ ~o Fig. 6.
In the embodinlent accordirl~ to Fi~. 6 the handl~ 3~ s a gen-
eraily rod-like shap~, the di~met~ic~l 3XiS of the rod-shap~ ex-
tending generally horizontally. At the handle 3~ a valve 9a is ar-
ranged for regulati~n of the water supply to the shower head 1a.
The valve could, in a simple embodiment, only permit on an~ off
turnlng o~ the water s~pply, but could, in a more ~dvan~ed em-
10 bodiment, also permit flow volume r2gulation.
~uring use of the embo~iment accordEng to Fi~. 6, ti~e user canmanoeuver the shower head 1a by holding the hand'e 35, not
only by m~ans of pivoting movement around the vertica! axis 6
15 but also by bringing the pa~t 3~ to pivot in rel~lion to the part 31
~round the axls 33. This me~ns that the shower head 1a i~
substantially mo~red in the forwa~dJbackward di~e~tion of the
toilet seat ~y pi~oting around the axis 6a. E3y pivoting ~he part
32 in reiation to the p~rt 31 the shower head 1a will, In the
20 m3in, be movable in the cross-wtse direction of th~ toi~et bowl.
The p~rticular advantase from the freedom of motion of the
shower head 1a around two pivot axes 6a and 33 arr~nged at
mutuai distance, is that the shower h~ad 1 a can be
brou~htto moYe back and fo~h ~enerally in the intermediate
re3ion of the to.let bow! in the fon~ard/rearwar~ direction
thereof by s~itable wei~hing ofthe pi~oting movement compo-
nents around each of these axes.
Of cour-~e, the invention is not just delimited to the embodi-
ments h~ving being exemplified onthe drawings and describedabove. Accordingly, a lot cf modifir-ations ofth~ practical e~-
bodiment can t~ke place within the frame of the inYentlon
