Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WEIGHT ASSEMBLY FOR A FAUCET
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a weight assembly for a faucet being
fixed on a house.
Description of the Prior Art
A conventional spray hose assembly includes a hose and a spray head,
and one end of the hose is connected to a water supply source, and another end
thereof is coupled to the spray head. In a normal state, the hose is fixed
under a
tank, and the spray head is positioned in a receiving seat of the tank so that
when
a user pulls the spray head, the hose extends outward from an opening of the
receiving seat. Moreover, a weight assembly is installed on the hose so that
the
spray head returns back to the receiving seat when in no use by using the
weight
assembly's weight.
A conventional weight assembly is integrally made and formed in an
oval shape, includes a hole to insert and retain a hose, however when the
weight
assembly is assembled, it has to be fitted from one end of the hose and then
moved toward a suitable position along the hose, thus having an inconvenient
assembly. For example, when two ends of the hose are connected, the weight
assembly is not easy to be removed, and because a size of the hole is fixed,
as
the hole is in a small size, the weight assembly can not be moved along the
hose
easily. Even though the weight assembly is capable of being moved along the
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hose, the hose is deformable and broken easily. While the hole is in a large
size,
the weight assembly can not be fixed on the hose securely.
Another conventional weight assembly includes two part pieces, each
including a groove extending thereon vertically, and the part pieces are
connected together by ways of a retaining member with screws, such as a screw
bolt, so as to retain a hose between the grooves. Nevertheless, the part
pieces
have to be aligned with the hose, and then one of the part pieces is inserted
by
the retaining member to be further screwed in a screwing bore of another part
piece, thus connecting the part pieces together. But after the part pieces are
connected together, they can not be fixed on the hose directly. In other
words,
the retaining member has to be removed from the part pieces first so that the
part
pieces are disassembled from each other, and then the grooves of the part
pieces
are used to receive the hose so as to have further installing process. While
the
weight assembly is removed from the hose, the retaining member is removed so
that the part pieces are disassembled from each other and removed form the
hose
further, having time consuming installation.
US Pat. No. 6460570 discloses a weight assembly including a body
having a plane extending vertically, and including an open groove, a depth of
which is more than a half of a diameter of a hose so as to receive the hose,
and
including a retaining member with inner screws to pass through the groove and
to screw with outer screws of the plane of the body so that the weight
assembly
is fixed on the hose tightly.
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However, before fixing or removing the retaining member, it has to be
removed form the body or the hose. For example, after the body is fixed on the
hose, it has to be screwed with the retaining member further, thus removing
and
screwing the retaining member repeatedly to cause an inconvenient assembly.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the
afore-described disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a weight
assembly for a faucet that is capable of overcoming the shortcomings of the
conventional weight assembly for a faucet.
Further object of the present invention is to provide a weight assembly
for a faucet that is installed to the hose without being dissembled its
related
components in advance, thus having easy and quick installation. Also, the
second retaining member is capable of being operated by fingers to obtain easy
operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a weight assembly
for a faucet that is assembled completely before package and is fixed on the
hose
directly without being disassembled and using any tools to finish installation
process quickly.
Also another object of the present invention is to provide a weight
assembly for a faucet that is disassembled from the hose quickly by manually
rotating the second retaining member, thus replacing and maintaining the
weight
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assembly conveniently.
To obtain the above objectives, a weight assembly for a faucet provided
by the present invention contains:
a body including an open groove horizontally extending thereon along a
X-axis direction, and the groove including a first opening, a vertical height
of
the groove being slightly more that a diameter of the hose so that the hose is
inserted into the groove, and a horizontal depth of the groove along a Y-axis
direction being larger than the diameter of the hose so that the hose is
received
in the groove completely; the body including a hole vertically arranged along
a
Z-axis direction to pass through a middle section of the groove; and the body
further including an upper receiving seat and a lower receiving seat disposed
on
a top and a bottom ends thereof along the Z-axis direction respectively, and
the
hole passing through the upper receiving seat and the lower receiving seat;
a first retaining member received in the hole of the body, the upper
receiving seat, and the lower receiving seat, and including an open locking
recess mounted on a middle section thereof, the locking recess including a
second opening to correspond to the first opening; the locking recess
including a
concavely arcuate defining fence to match with an outer wall of the hose; a
vertical height of the second opening on the Z-axis direction being equal to
or
more than the vertical height of the groove so that the hose is inserted to
the
locking recess via the second opening;
a second retaining member used to screw with a top end of the first
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retaining member so that the first retaining member is actuated to move upward
along the Z-axis direction, and the hose is retained between the defining
fence of
the first retaining member and an inner wall of the groove.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a weight assembly being installed
on a hose of a faucet according to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the assembly of the weight
assembly for the faucet according to the preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view showing the assembly of the weight
assembly for the faucet according to the preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 4 is another cross sectional view showing the assembly of the
weight assembly for the faucet according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the exploded components of the
weight assembly for the faucet according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the assembly of the
weight assembly for the faucet according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
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Fig. 7 is another perspective view showing the assembly of the weight
assembly for the faucet according to the preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a first retaining
member of the weight assembly for the faucet according to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view showing the operation of the weight
assembly for the faucet according to the preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 10 is another cross sectional view showing the operation of the
weight assembly for the faucet according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention;
Fig. 11 is another cross sectional view showing the operation of the
weight assembly for the faucet according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention will be clearer from the following description
when viewed together with the accompanying drawings, which show, for
purpose of illustrations only, the preferred embodiment in accordance with the
present invention.
Referring to Fig. 1, a weight assembly 1 for a faucet 2 according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention is fixed on a house 3 of the
faucet
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2, and the house 3 includes a spray member 4 connected therewith so that water
sprays out of the spray member 4 via the house 3.
As shown in Figs. 2-5, the weight assembly 1 includes a body 10, a first
retaining member 20, and a second retaining member 30.
The body 10 is formed in an oval shape and includes an open groove 11
horizontally extending thereon along a X-axis direction, and a depth of the
groove 11 is more than 1/2 of width of the body 10 on a Y-axis direction, and
the
groove 11 includes a vertical height along a Z-axis direction, any positions
of
the vertical height on the X-axis direction are equal.
The groove 11 includes an elongated first opening 111, and the vertical
height of the groove 11 is slightly more that a diameter of the hose 3 so that
the
hose 3 is inserted into the groove 11 as illustrated in Fig. 9, but a
horizontal
depth of the groove 11 along the Y-axis direction is larger than the diameter
of
the hose 3 so that the hose 3 is received in the groove 11 completely. In this
embodiment, the horizontal depth of the groove 11 along the Y-axis direction
is
more that 1.5 times of the diameter of the hose 3, e.g. the horizontal depth
of the
groove I1 along the Y-axis direction is 2.5 times larger that the diameter of
the
hose 3.
An inner wall of the groove 11 on the Y-axis direction is formed in a
concave arc shape to contact with a semicircular outer wall of the hose 3 as
illustrated in Fig. 9.
With reference to Figs. 6 and 7, the body 10 includes a key-shaped hole
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12 vertically arranged along the Z-axis direction, wherein a part of the hole
12
passes through a middle section of the groove 11, and a diameter of the hole
12
is more that an innermost portion of the groove 11 on the Y-axis direction so
that
the hole 12 includes a longitudinal slot 121 formed therein to provide guiding
and limiting functions.
The body 10 further includes an upper receiving seat 13 and a lower
receiving seat 14 disposed on a top and a bottom ends thereof along the Z-axis
direction respectively, and the hole 12 passes through middle sections of the
upper receiving seat 13 and the lower receiving seat 14, the upper receiving
seat
13 includes an annular first stopping fringe 131 defined on a top wall
thereof,
and the lower receiving seat 14 includes a U-shaped second stopping fringe 141
defined on a top wall thereof.
In this embodiment, the upper receiving seat 13 is formed in a circular
groove shape, and the lower receiving seat 14 is formed in a rectangle shape
to
provide a limiting function, but the shape of the lower receiving seat 14 is
not
limited, e.g., the lower receiving seat 14 is capable of being formed in any
shape,
such as a non-circle shape, to obtain the limiting function.
The body 10 is made of a metal material 101 and includes a rubber
material 102 covered thereon, however, the body 10 also allows to be covered
by the metal material.
The first retaining member 20 is received in the hole 12 of the body 10,
the upper receiving seat 13, and the lower receiving seat 14, and formed in a
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column shape, and includes a limiting segment 21 formed in a rectangular block
shape to retain with the lower receiving seat 14 so that the first retaining
member 20 is limited without rotating. Of course, the shape of the limiting
segment 21 is not limited, e.g., the limiting segment 21 is capable of being
formed in any shape, such as a non-circular block shape, to retain with the
lower
receiving seat 14.
The limiting segment 21 includes a column-shaped engaging portion 22
extending from a top end thereof, and the column-shaped engaging portion 22
includes an open locking recess 221 mounted on a middle section thereof, the
locking recess 221 includes a concavely arcuate defining fence 222 to match
with the outer wall of the hose 3 as shown in Fig. 10. The locking recess 221
further includes a narrow second opening 223 to correspond to the first
opening
111, and a vertical height of the second opening 223 on the Z-axis direction
is
equal to or more than the vertical height of the groove 1l so that the hose 3
is
inserted to the locking recess 221 via the second opening 223 as shown in Fig.
9.
The limiting segment 21 of the first retaining member 20 includes a
restraining fence 211 by using a top wall of the engaging portion 22 to abut
against the second stopping fringe 141 of the body 10 upward so that the first
retaining 20 is limited without moving upward.
The engaging portion 22 of the first retaining member 20 includes a
screw pillar 23 extending into the upper receiving seat 13 of the body 10 from
a
top end thereof.
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The engaging portion 22 of the first retaining member 20 includes a
sliding block 24 vertically extending on another side thereof relative to the
second opening 223 along the Z-axis direction as shown in Fig. 8 so as to
slide
in the slot 121 of the body 10 along the Z-axis direction to limit the first
retaining member 20 to rotate in the body 10. Thereby, the first retaining
member 20 is limited without rotation by ways of the limiting segment 21, the
lower receiving seat 14, the sliding block 24, and the slot 121.
The second retaining member 30 includes a bore 31 to screw with the
screw pillar 23 of the first retaining member 20, when the second retaining
member 30 retains with the first retaining member 20, the first retaining
member
moves upward along the Z-axis direction, the hose 3 is retained between the
defining fence 222 of the first retaining member 20 and the inner wall of the
groove 11 as illustrated in Fig. 10.
The second retaining member 30 includes a circular abutting rim 32 to
15 abut against the first stopping fringe 131 of the upper receiving seat 13
as the
hose 3 is retained tightly.
The second retaining member 30 includes a plurality of ribs 33
arranged on a top end thereof to be rotated by user's fingers. In this
embodiment,
there are four ribs provided on the top end of the second retaining member 30
to
20 form a rotable knob so that the user rotates the second retaining member 30
without using any tools easily to fix the hose 3.
The weight assembly 1 is installed at a suitable position of the hose 3,
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and before installing the weight assembly 1 on the hose 3, the body 10, the
first
and the second retaining members 20, 30 are assembled together in advance, and
during installing process, the first retaining member 20 is fixed on a
vertical
position of the body 10 along the Z-axis direction, if the second opening 223
is
located at the vertical position of the body 10 along the Z-axis direction,
the
hose 3 is capable of being inserted into the locking recess 221 via the first
opening 111 of the body 10, and then the first retaining member 20 is rotated
tightly by user's fingers after confirming the hose's position, so that the
hose 3 is
retained between the defining fence 222 of the first retaining member 20 and
the
inner wall of the groove 11, thus finishing an installation of the weight
assembly
1.
If the second opening 223 is located between the defining fence 222 of
the first retaining member 20 and the inner wall of the groove 11, the hose 3
can
not be inserted into the locking recess 221 from the second opening 223, and
the
second retaining member 30 is rotated releasably so that the first retaining
member 20 moves upward along the Z-axis direction, wherein when a bottom
end of the second opening 223 of the first retaining member 20 is equal to or
lower than a bottom end of the groove 11, the hose 3 is capable of being
inserted
into the locking recess 221 via the second opening 223 to rotate the second
retaining member 30 tightly.
It is to be noted that the concave arc-shaped inner wall of the groove 11
and the concavely arcuate defining fence 222 of the first retaining member 20
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are used to retain the hose 3, and the hose 3 is not deformable. For example,
after the weight assembly 1 is installed on the hose 3 as shown in Fig. 10,
the
hose 3 is retained between the concave arc-shaped inner wall of the groove 11
and the concavely arcuate defining fence 222 without deformation.
Thereby, the weight assembly 1 is installed to the hose 3 without being
dissembled its related components in advance, thus having easy and quick
installation. Also, the second retaining member 30 is capable of being
operated
by fingers to obtain easy operation.
Therefore, the weight assembly 1 is assembled completely before
package and is fixed on the hose 3 directly without being disassembled and
using any tools to finish installation process quickly.
Likewise, the weight assembly 1 is disassembled from the hose 3
quickly by manually rotating the second retaining member 30, thus replacing
and maintaining the weight assembly 1 conveniently.
The second retaining member 30 is a rotable screw element to screw
with the screw pillar 23 of the first retaining member 20 in this embodiment,
however, any type of connection with the top end of the first retaining member
and engagement with the first retaining member 20 to retain the hose 3 are
allowed to be embodied in this present invention.
20 While we have shown and described various embodiments in
accordance with the present invention, it is clear to those skilled in the art
that
further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the
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present invention.
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