Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02724300 2010-12-02
FAUCET CONNECTING STRUCTURE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a faucet connecting structure to prevent
an outlet pipe from vibration when it is connected on a body of a faucet.
Description of the Prior Art
An outlet pipe and a body of a conventional facet are fitted with each
other and then welded together, however a welding connection will generate
weld craters to be ground and polished further, having poor appearance and
high
production cost.
To solve above-mentioned defects, an improved connecting method is
developed to control a working precision of a connection of the outlet pipe
and
the body of the conventional facet. Nevertheless, such an improved connecting
method of the outlet pipe and the body has to be kept at a certain connecting
precision so as to connect the outlet pipe and the body well, having high
production cost. In addition, if the connecting precision is not precise
enough,
related parts can not be fitted with each other properly, accordingly the
outlet
pipe will vibrate during connecting with the faucet to influence connecting
quality of the faucet badly.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the
afore-described disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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The primary object of the present invention is to provide a faucet
connecting structure which is capable of overcoming the shortcomings of the
conventional faucet connecting structure.
To obtain the above objectives, a faucet connecting structure provided by the
present invention contains:
a body including an internal chamber, and the internal chamber including
a groove disposed on a top end thereof, the groove including an orifice formed
on a top end thereof;
an outlet pipe including an inlet end and an outlet end; the inlet end
including an connecting segment to be inserted into the groove from the
orifice
of the body, and the connecting segment including a slot secured on an outer
surface thereof; wherein the slot is comprised of a peripheral fence, an
internal
fence, and an external fence;
a retaining loop made of a resilient material and formed in a C-ring shape
to define a C-shaped peripheral wall and an elongated opening to be expended
and retracted elastically; the peripheral wall including an outer face formed
in a
wave shape, and the outer face including a plurality of adjacent first raised
portions and first recessed portions, and the first raised portions being
formed a
first flexible deforming structure; the peripheral wall also including an
inner
face formed in a wave shape, and the inner face including a number of adjacent
second raised portions and second recessed portions, the second raised
portions
being formed a second flexible deforming structure, and the second raised
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portions being in response to the first recessed portions respectively, the
second
recessed portions corresponding to the first raised portion individually;
the peripheral wall of the retaining loop including a first end and a second
end axially formed thereon, and the first end including a rib radially
extending
outward therefrom;
the retaining loop being retained in the slot of the connecting segment of
the outlet pipe by using the opening, and the rib engaging with the internal
fence
of the slot, thereafter the retaining loop is further inserted into the groove
of the
body, such that the retaining loop is pressed by one radial force from the
groove
and the peripheral fence by ways of the first and the second flexible
deforming
structures of the outer and the inner faces of the retaining loop to cause one
flexible deformation and one radial engaging force against the groove and the
slot of the outlet pipe, hence the retaining loop, the body, and the outlet
pipe
engage with one another tightly, and the outlet pipe is limited securely
without
vibration with the body when a user touches the outlet pipe;
a limiting means used to limit the retaining loop in the groove of the body
to prevent the outlet pipe from disengagement from the body.
Thereby, the retaining loop is pressed by one radial force from the groove
and the peripheral fence by ways of the first and the second flexible
deforming
structures of the outer and the inner faces of the retaining loop to cause one
flexible deformation and one radial engaging force against the groove and the
slot of the outlet pipe. Therefore, the retaining loop, the body, and the
outlet pipe
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engage with one another tightly, and the outlet pipe is limited securely
without
vibration with the body when a user touches the outlet pipe.
The flexible deformation generating from the forced retaining loop is
served to eliminate a fitting gap between the body and the outlet pipe so as
to
enhance connecting strength, such that a working precision between related
parts is lowered to decrease production cost and increase yield rate of the
product.
Likewise, the retaining loop is fixed on the connecting segment of the
outlet pipe in advance and then is connected with the body to avoid
conventional
welding process and grinding process, thereby preventing from weld craters and
enhancing aesthetics appearance.
The limiting means is used to limit the retaining loop in the groove of the
body to prevent the outlet pipe from axially moving and rotating relative to
the
body, connecting the faucet securely.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the exploded components of a faucet
connecting structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a retaining loop of
the faucet connecting structure according to the first embodiment of the
present
invention;
Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line A-A of Fig. 2;
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Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view showing an inlet end of an outlet pipe of
the faucet connecting structure according to the first embodiment of the
present
invention;
Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view showing the operation of the faucet
connecting structure according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 6 is another cross sectional view showing the operation of the faucet
connecting structure according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 7 is also another cross sectional view showing the operation of the
faucet connecting structure according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view showing the retaining loop of the faucet
connecting structure causes a flexible deformation after it is forced
according to
the first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the assembly of the faucet
connecting structure according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the exploded components of a
faucet connecting structure according to a second embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view showing the operation of the faucet
connecting structure according to the second embodiment of the present
invention;
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Fig. 12 is another cross sectional view showing the operation of the faucet
connecting structure according to the second embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the assembly of the faucet
connecting structure according to the second embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing the exploded components of a
faucet connecting structure according to a third embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing the assembly of the faucet
connecting structure according to the third embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 16 is a cross sectional view taken along the line B-B of Fig. 15;
Fig. 17 is an amplified view of Fig. 16.
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 faucet connecting structure according to a first
embodiment of the present invention comprises a retaining loop 10, a body 20,
an outlet pipe 30, and a limiting means 40.
The retaining loop 10, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is made of a resilient
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material, such as a rubber material or a plastic material, and is formed in a
C-ring shape to define a C-shaped peripheral wail 101 and an elongated opening
102 to be expended and retracted elastically.
The peripheral wall 101 includes an outer face 11 formed in a wave shape,
and the outer face 11 includes a plurality of adjacent first raised portions
111 and
first recessed portions 112, and the first raised portions 111 are formed a
first
flexible deforming structure 10a; wherein there are ten first raided portions
111
and ten first recessed portions provided in this embodiment.
The peripheral wall 101 includes an inner face 12 formed in a wave shape,
and the inner face 12 includes a number of adjacent second raised portions 121
and second recessed portions 122, and the second raised portions 121 are
formed
a second flexible deforming structure 10b, and the second raised portions 121
are in response to the first recessed portions 112 respectively, the second
recessed portions 122 correspond to the first raised portion 111 individually;
wherein there are ten second raised portions 121 and ten second recessed
portions 122 provided in this embodiment.
The peripheral wall 101 of the retaining loop 10 includes a first end 13
and a second end 14 axially formed thereon, and the first end 13 includes a
rib
131 radially extending outward therefrom.
The first raised portions 111, the first recessed portions 112, the second
raised portions 121, the second recessed portions 122 of the retaining loop 10
axially extend from the first end 13 to the second end 14.
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The opening 102 of the retaining loop 10 is capable of being fixed on a
middle section of one of the first raised portions 111, a middle section of
one of
the first recessed portions 112, or any positions of the first raised or the
second
recessed portions.
The first and the second flexible deforming structures 1Oa, I Ob generate a
radially flexible deformation when they are pressed by a radial force as
illustrated in Fig 8, wherein a dotted line represents a unforced profile
before the
first and the second deforming structures are forced, and a solid line means a
forced profile after the first and the second deforming structures are forced.
It is
to be noted that the first flexible deforming structure 1Oa generates the
flexible
deformation when it is acted by the radial force, because the first raised
portions
111 of the first flexible deforming structure 1 Oa correspond to the second
recessed portions 122 of the second flexible deforming structure 10b
respectively to provide a flexible deforming space. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8,
when the first flexible deforming structure 1Oa is acted by an outward radial
force, it causes a first flexible deformation and an outward radial engaging
force
against the first flexible deformation to be applied in further connecting
process
of the faucet. Also, due to the second raised portions 122 of the second
flexible
deforming structure 10b correspond to the first recessed portions 112
individually so as to provide another flexible deforming space, when the
second
flexible deforming structure l Ob is acted by an inward radial force, it
generates a
second flexible deformation and an inward radial engaging force against the
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second flexible deformation to be used in further connecting process of the
faucet.
The body 20, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5, includes an internal chamber
21, and the internal chamber 21 includes a groove 211 disposed on a top end
thereof, and the groove 211 includes an orifice 212 formed on a top end
thereof.
The outlet pipe 30, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, includes an inlet end 21 and
an outlet end 32; the inlet end 31 includes an connecting segment 33 to be
inserted into the groove 211 from the orifice 212 of the body 20, and the
connecting segment 33 includes a slot 331 secured on an outer surface thereof
to
retain the retaining loop 10; wherein the slot 331 is comprised of a
peripheral
fence 332, an internal fence 333, and an external fence 334.
The retaining loop 10 is retained in the slot 331 of the connecting segment
33 of the outlet pipe 30 by using the opening 102, and the rib 131 engages
with
the internal fence 333 of the slot 331, thereafter the retaining loop 10 is
further
inserted into the groove 211 of the body 20 as illustrated in Figs. 5-7, such
that
the retaining loop 10 is pressed by one radial force from the groove 211 and
the
peripheral fence 332 by ways of the first and the second flexible deforming
structures 10a, 10b of the outer and the inner faces 11, 12 of the retaining
loop
10 to cause one flexible deformation and one radial engaging force against the
groove 211 and the slot 331 of the outlet pipe 30. Thereby, the retaining loop
10,
the body 20, and the outlet pipe 30 engage with one another tightly, and the
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outlet pipe 30 is limited securely without vibration with the body 20 when a
user
touches the outlet pipe 30.
It is to be noted that the rib 131 of the retaining loop 10 is capable of
being positioned between the internal fence 333 of the slot 331 and a top end
of
an inner surface of the body 20 to provide an abutting and engaging effect as
a
pad.
Besides, a diameter of the first flexible deforming structure I Oa is slightly
more that an inner diameter of the groove 211 when the first flexible
deforming
structure 10a is not forced so that the first and the second flexible
deforming
structures 10a, 10b obtain excellent flexible deformation and radial forcing
force.
The limiting means 10, as illustrated in Figs. I and 2, includes a locking
hole 41 and a movable engagement block 42; the locking hole 41 is disposed at
a position of the body 20 relative to the groove 211, wherein the locking hole
41
is directly formed on the body 20 in this embodiment; and the engaging block
42
is fixed on the outer face 11 of the retaining loop 10, wherein the engagement
block 42 is directly formed on the outer face 11 of the retaining loop 10 in
this
embodiment as shown in Fig. 5 so that the engagement block 42 is retained into
the locking hole 41 of the body 20, thus axially limiting the retaining loop
10 in
the groove 211.
The engagement block 42 integrally extends from the first raised portion
1 I 1 of the outer face 11 of the retaining loop 10 close to the second end
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the limiting means 40 further includes a U-shaped cutout 43 comprised of two
first recesses 431 on two sides of the engagement block 42 respectively and a
second recess 432 below a bottom end of the engagement block 42, such that the
engagement block 42 of the first raised portion I I1 swings inward as the
first
raised portion 111 is forced as shown in Fig. 5 without preventing the
retaining
loop 10 from being placed into the groove 211, and the engagement block 42 is
aligned with the locking hole 41 to return back to its original position and
to be
retained in the locking hole 41, thus limiting the outlet pipe 30 to move
axially
in relation to the body 20.
The engagement block 42 is selectively located at one of the first raised
portions 111 so that when it is pressed, the second recessed portion 122
allows
to provide a space to make the engagement block 42 swing inward as illustrated
in Fig. 4, thus further connecting with the retaining loop 10 well.
To guide the retaining loop 10 into the groove 211 smoothly, on a
connection of the second end 14 and the outer face 11 of the retaining loop 10
is
formed a tilted or arcuate guiding face 141 as illustrated in Fig. 5, and on
the
orifice 212 of the groove 211 is arranged an annularly inclined plane 213.
With reference to Figs. 9-13, a difference of a faucet connecting structure
according to a second embodiment of the present invention from that of the
first
embodiment comprises:
a limiting means 50 including a positioning aperture 51, a screw bore 52,
and a fixing bolt 53 with screws; the positioning aperture 51 is fixed on an
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annularly peripheral wall 101 of a retaining loop 10; the screw bore 52 is
disposed on a groove 211 of a body 20; thereby after the retaining loop 10 is
inserted into the groove 211 of the body 20 with a connecting segment 33 of
an.
outlet pipe 30, the fixing bolt 53 is screwed with the screw bore 52 of the
body
20 so that a distal end of the fixing bolt 52 is inserted into the positioning
aperture 51 to retain the retaining loop 10 with the body 20 and to limit the
outlet pipe 30 to move axially and rotate in relation to the body 20.
Referring to Figs. 14-17, a difference of a faucet connecting structure
according to a third embodiment of the present invention from that of the
first
embodiment comprises:
an outlet pipe 30 including a housing 301 and a connector 302 connected
to one end of the housing 301; the connector 302 being used to form a
connecting segment 33;
a limiting means 60 including a cover 61 and a screwing segment 62
formed on an outer surface of a top end of a body 20; the cover 61 is fitted
to an
outer surface of a slot 331 before the retaining loop 10 is fixed to the slot
331 of
the connecting segment 33 so as to be defined between a rib 131 and the
housing
301 of the retaining loop 10, and then the cover 61 is screwed with the
screwing
segment 62 so that the rib 131 of the retaining loop 10 is defined between the
cover 61 and the outer surface of the top end of the body 20, hence the
retaining
loop 10 is axially limited in a groove 211 of the body 20, and the outlet pipe
30
can not disengage outward from the body 20 and is rotated to control a
direction
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of an outlet end 32 thereof.
It is to be noted that the rib 131 of the retaining loop 10 is located
between an internal fence 333 of the slot 331 of the outlet pipe 30 and the
top
end of the body 20 so as to be limited by the cover 61, accordingly the rib 31
is
provided to obtain a limiting purpose.
The flexible deformation generating from the forced retaining loop 10 is
served to eliminate a fitting gap between the body 20 and the outlet pipe 30
so as
to enhance connecting strength, such that a working precision between related
parts is lowered to decrease production cost and increase yield rate of the
product.
The retaining loop 10 is fixed on the connecting segment 33 of the outlet
pipe 30 in advance and then is connected with the body 20 to avoid
conventional
welding process and grinding process, thereby preventing from weld craters and
enhancing aesthetics appearance.
The limiting means 40, 50, 60 are used to limit the retaining loop 10 in
the groove 211 of the body 20 to prevent the outlet pipe 30 from axially
moving
and rotating relative to the body 20, connecting the faucet securely.
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 present
invention.
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