Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02749874 2011-08-11
CONNECTING STRUCTURE FOR A FAUCET
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connecting structure for a faucet.
Description of the Prior Art
To screw a nut with an inlet assembly of a conventional connecting
structure for a faucet securely, the nut is made of metal, such as zinc alloy
or
cooper, but a top end of the nut is contacted and an outlet pipe is scraped
easily.
Moreover, if the nut is made of metal and formed in a hat shape, it is
produced at
a high cost.
A positioning device of a faucet disclosed in CN Patent No. CN2500882
Y contains a recess formed in a nut, and the recess includes a wear-proof loop
fixed therein so that the nut is fitted with an outlet pipe by using the wear-
proof
loop to prevent the nut from being contacted and to prevent the outlet from
being scraped.
However, such a nut is made of metal and formed in a hat shape to
increase production cost.
To solve above-mentioned problem, a nut made of metal and integrally
ovennolded is widely used by plastic injection molding to lower its weight and
production cost and to prevent the outlet pipe from scrape.
Nevertheless, the nut fixed in a mold will be moved by a pressure
resulting from a plastic injection molding that can not be aligned with a
plastic
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housing precisely, hence the plastic housing contacts with the outlet
pipe tightly to be forced severely, having a deformation.
The metal nut can also be fixed on the plastic housing by ultrasonic
welding, but the plastic housing can not be fixed on the same axial line as
the
metal nut. Also, the ultrasonic welding will generate a high temperature to
deform the metal nut and the plastic housing easily.
In addition, if the plastic housing is overmolded or welded with the
metal nut, they can not be removed solely, i.e., the plastic housing and the
metal
nut have to be replaced together to increase a replacement cost.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-
described disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention provides a connecting structure for
a faucet which is capable of overcoming the shortcomings of the conventional
connecting structure.
To obtain the above, a connecting structure for a faucet provided by the
present invention contains:
an inlet assembly fixed on a base and including at least one intake and
an outlet to communicate with the at least one intake; the outlet including a
connecting head formed thereon;
an outlet pipe closely positioned in the outlet of the inlet assembly and
including a locking loop fitted on an outer peripheral surface of an inflow
end
thereof;
a nut fitted with the outlet pipe and screwed with the connecting head of
the inlet assembly, such that the locking loop is locked on a top end of the
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connecting head to further fix the outlet pipe, and the nut including at least
two
outer contacting faces axially extending from an outer peripheral surface
thereof, and at least one of the at least two outer contacting faces being a
tangent plane;
a plastic housing formed in a hat shape and including a chamber
disposed therein, a fitting opening fixed thereon and communicating with the
chamber, and a hole to communicate with the chamber; the chamber including
at least two inner contacting faces axially extending from an inner peripheral
surface thereof, and at least one of the at least two inner contacting faces
being
a tangent plane, such that when the outlet pipe is inserted into the hole and
the
chamber to extend out of the fitting opening, the at least two inner
contacting
faces slide along the at least two outer contacting faces of the nut
respectively
and contact with the at least two outer contacting faces tightly; the at least
two
inner contacting faces are provided to contact with the at least two outer
contacting faces tightly to form a contacting zone over a semi-circular area.
Thereby, the plastic housing formed in a hat shape and the nut contact
with each other tightly, i.e., the inner contacting faces match with the outer
contacting faces individually so that the plastic housing is connected with
the
nut on the same axial line to be further fitted on the outlet pipe precisely
and to
prevent from a deformation as it is forced.
The plastic housing is resiliently hooked with the nut so as to be
replaced solely without replacing the nut simultaneously. Likewise, the
plastic
housing can not be produced by a plastic injection overmolding or ultrasonic
welding to lower damage and production cost in a working process.
The plastic housing is made of plastic and is positioned on the same
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axial line as the nut to be connected with the outlet pipe precisely, hence
the
outlet pipe can not be scraped to have aesthetics appearance.
At least one inner contacting face of the plastic housing and at least one
outer contacting face of the nut are formed in a tangent plane shape so that
the
plastic housing is limited to rotate on the nut to obtain a secure
positioning.
The at least two outer contacting faces of the nut include at least one
first outer contacting face formed in a tangent plane shape and at least one
second outer contacting face being a convex surface formed in an arc shape;
The at least two inner contacting faces of the plastic housing include at
least one first inner contact face formed in a tangent plane shape and at
least
one second inner contacting face being a concave surface formed in an arc
shape;
The at least one first inner contacting face contacts with the at least one
first outer contacting face, and the at least one second inner contacting face
contacts with the at least one second outer contacting face.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a
connecting structure for a faucet comprising: an inlet assembly fixed on a
base
and including at least one intake and an outlet to communicate with the at
least
one intake; the outlet including a connecting head formed thereon; an outlet
pipe closely positioned in the outlet of the inlet assembly and including a
locking loop fitted on an outer peripheral surface of an inflow end thereof; a
nut fitted with the outlet pipe and screwed with the connecting head of the
inlet
assembly, such that the locking loop is locked on a top end of the connecting
head to further fix the outlet pipe, and the nut including at least two outer
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contacting faces axially extending from an outer peripheral surface thereof,
and
at least one of the at least two outer contacting faces being a tangent plane;
a
plastic housing formed in a hat shape and including a chamber disposed
therein,
a fitting opening fixed thereon and communicating with the chamber, and a hole
to communicate with the chamber; the chamber including at least two inner
contacting faces axially extending from an inner peripheral surface thereof,
and
at least one of the at least two inner contacting faces being a tangent plane,
such
that when the outlet pipe is inserted into the hole and the chamber to extend
out
of the fitting opening, the at least two inner contacting faces slide along
the at
least two outer contacting faces of the nut respectively and contact with the
at
least two outer contacting faces tightly; the at least two inner contacting
faces
are provided to contact with the at least two outer contacting faces tightly
to
form a contacting zone over a semi-circular area; wherein the at least two
outer
contacting faces of the nut include at least one first outer contacting face
formed
in a tangent plane shape and at least one second outer contacting face being a
convex surface formed in an arc shape; the at least two inner contacting faces
of
the plastic housing include at least one first inner contact face formed in a
tangent plane shape and at least one second inner contacting face being a
concave surface formed in an arc shape; the at least one first inner
contacting
face contacts with the at least one first outer contacting face, and the at
least one
second inner contacting face contacts with the at least one second outer
contacting face.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a connecting
structure for a faucet according to a first embodiment of the present
invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the exploded components of the
connecting structure for the faucet according to the first embodiment of the
present invention;
Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is an amplified view of a part of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a nut of the
connecting structure for the faucet according to the first embodiment of the
present invention;
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Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a plastic housing of
the connecting structure for the faucet according to the first embodiment of
the
present invention;
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the assembly of the
plastic housing and the nut of the connecting structure for the faucet
according
to the first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 is a plan view showing the assembly of a plastic housing and a nut
of a connecting structure for the faucet according to a second embodiment of
the
present invention;
Fig. 10 is a plan view showing the assembly of a plastic housing and a nut
of a connecting structure for the faucet according to a third embodiment of
the
present invention;
Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the assembly of a plastic housing and a nut
of a connecting structure for the faucet according to a fourth 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 Figs. 1-4, a connecting structure for a faucet 1 according to a
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first embodiment of the present invention comprises an inlet assembly 10, two
controlling sets 20, an outlet pipe 30, a nut 40, a plastic housing 50, a
retaining
ring 60, a closing plate 70, and a covering member 80.
The inlet assembly 10 is a well-know structure and is fixed on a base a
and formed in a H shape, the inlet assembly 10 includes two intakes 11 formed
on two lower ends of two lower extensions thereof to flow cold water and hot
water respectively, two grooves 12 fixed on two upper ends of two first upper
extensions thereof to communicate with the two intakes 11 individually, and an
outlet 13 fixed on a second upper extension thereof between the two second
upper extensions to communicate with the two grooves 12; the outlet 13
includes a connecting head 131 formed thereon.
Each of the two controlling sets 20 includes a valve core 21 secured in the
groove 12 of the inlet assembly 10, a handle 22 to operate the valve core 21
to
flow the cold water and the hot water, such that the handle 22 is turned on
and
off to flow the cold water and the hot water flowing from the two intakes 11
to
the outlet 13 to be mixed together, thus adjusting a mixed rate of the cold
water
and the hot water.
The outlet pipe 30 is closely positioned in the outlet 13 of the inlet
assembly 10 and includes a locking loop 31 fitted on an outer peripheral
surface
of an inflow end thereof. In this embodiment, the outlet pipe 30 further
includes
two closing pads 32 secured on the outer peripheral surface of an inflow end
thereof below the locking loop 31 to retain with an inner surface of the
outlet 13.
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The nut 40, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8, is fitted with the outlet pipe 30
and is screwed with the connecting head 131 of the inlet assembly 10, such
that
the locking loop 31 is locked on a top end of the connecting head 131 to
further
fix the outlet pipe 30; the nut 40 is capable of providing with eight outer
contacting faces 41 axially extending from an outer peripheral surface
thereof,
wherein there are four first outer contacting faces 411 equiangularly arranged
on
the outer peripheral surface of the nut 40 and four second outer contacting
faces
412 in this embodiment, wherein each second outer contacting face 412 is
defined between any two adjacent first outer contacting faces 411, and each of
the first outer contacting faces 411 is a tangent plane, and each of the
second
outer contacting faces 412 is a convex surface formed in an arc shape.
The nut 40 also includes at least one engaging rib 42 extending on the
outer peripheral surface thereof in a circumferential direction, wherein there
are
four engaging ribs 42 equiangularly arranged on the outer peripheral surface
of
the nut 40 below the four first outer contacting faces 411 individually.
The plastic housing 50, as illustrated in Figs. 6-8, is formed in a hat shape
and
includes a chamber 51 disposed therein, a fitting opening 52 fixed thereon and
communicating with the chamber 51, and a hole 53 to communicate with the
chamber 51; the chamber 51 is capable of being provided with eight inner
contacting faces 54 axially extending from an inner peripheral surface
thereof,
wherein there are four first inner contacting faces 541 equiangularly arranged
on
the inner peripheral surface of the nut 40 and four second inner contacting
faces
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542 in this embodiment, wherein each second inner contacting face 542 is
defined between any two adjacent first inner contacting faces 541, and each
first
inner contacting face 541 is a tangent plane, and each second inner contacting
face 542 is a concave surface formed in an arc shape. Thereby, when the outlet
pipe 30 is inserted into the hole 53 and the chamber 51 to extend out of the
fitting opening 52, the four first inner contacting faces 541 slide along the
four
first outer contacting faces 411 of the nut 40 respectively and contact with
the
four first outer contacting faces tightly 411; and the four second inner
contacting
faces 542 slide along the four second outer contacting faces 412 of the nut 40
individually and contact with the four second outer contacting faces 412
tightly
so that the plastic housing 50 is fixed on an axial line the same as the nut
40
without disengagement and non-alignment.
To further prevent the plastic housing 50 from disengagement, at least one
fastening paw 55 is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the chamber 51.
In this embodiment, there are four fastening paws 55 equiangularly arranged on
the inner peripheral surface of the chamber 51 and located below the four
first
inner contacting faces 541 respectively, and each fastening paw 55 includes a
hook segment 551 formed on a distal end thereof to resiliently hook with each
engaging rib 42 so that the plastic housing 50 is limited on the nut 40.
The retaining ring 60 is served to fit on the connecting head 131 of the
inlet assembly 10 and is retained between the nut 40 and the connecting head
131.
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The closing plate 70 is used to abut against the base a and includes at least
two orifices 71 disposed on two sides thereof individually to insert the two
intakes 11 of the inlet assembly 10 respectively.
The covering member 80 is covered on the inlet assembly 10 and includes
a bottom rim 81 to retain with the closing plate 70, a top wall 82 having two
first
apertures 821 and a second aperture 822 between the two first apertures 821;
the
two first apertures 821 are opposite to the two grooves 12 of the inlet
assembly
individually; the second aperture 822 is provided to receive the nut 40; a
certain portion of the top wall 82 of the covering member 80 around the second
10 aperture 822 is positioned between a top surface of the retaining ring
60 and a
bottom end of the plastic housing 50.
The eight inner contacting faces 54 of the plastic housing 50 tightly
contact with the eight outer contacting faces 41 of the nut 40 individually to
prevent the nut 40 from a horizontal non-alignment. However, a number of the
inner contacting faces 54 and the outer contacting faces 41 are not limited.
For
example, at least two inner contacting faces 54 are provided to contact with
at
least two outer contacting faces 41 tightly to form a contacting zone over a
semi-circular area, and at least one inner contacting face 54 to correspond to
at
least one outer contacting face 41 is formed in a tangent plane shape so as to
prevent the nut 40 from the horizontal non-alignment as well.
Referring to Fig. 9, a connecting structure for a faucet according to a
second embodiment of the present invention comprises a nut 40, and the nut 40
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includes a first outer contacting face 411 formed in a tangent plane shape and
a
second outer contacting face 412 formed in a convex arc shape; and a plastic
housing 50 includes a first inner contacting face 541 formed in a tangent
plane
shape and a second inner contacting face 542 formed in a concave arc shape.
With reference to Fig. 10, a connecting structure for a faucet according to
a third embodiment of the present invention comprises a nut 40, and the nut 40
includes two first outer contacting faces 411 formed in a tangent plane shape
and
two second outer contacting faces 412 formed in a convex arc shape; and a
plastic housing 50 includes two first inner contacting faces 541 formed in a
tangent plane shape and two second inner contacting faces 542 formed in a
concave arc shape.
As shown Fig. 11, a connecting structure for a faucet according to a fourth
embodiment of the present invention comprises a nut 40, and the nut 40
includes
three first outer contacting faces 411 formed in a tangent plane shape and
three
second outer contacting faces 412 formed in a convex arc shape; and a plastic
housing 50 includes three first inner contacting faces 541 fonned in a tangent
plane shape and two three inner contacting faces 542 formed in a concave arc
shape.
Thereby, the plastic housing 50 formed in a hat shape and the nut 40
contact with each other tightly, i.e., the inner contacting faces 54 match
with the
outer contacting faces 41 individually so that the plastic housing 50 is
connected
with the nut 40 on the same axial line to be further fitted on the outlet pipe
30
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precisely and to prevent from a deformation as it is forced.
The plastic housing 50 is resiliently hooked with the nut 40 so as to be
replaced solely without replacing the nut 40 simultaneously. Likewise, the
plastic housing 50 can not be produced by a plastic injection ovennolding or
ultrasonic welding to lower damage and production cost in a working process.
The plastic housing 50 is made of plastic and is positioned on the same
axial line as the nut 40 to be connected with the outlet pipe 30 precisely,
hence
the outlet pipe 50 can not be scraped to have aesthetics appearance.
At least one inner contacting face 54 of the plastic housing 50 and at least
one outer contacting face 41 of the nut 40 are formed in a tangent plane shape
so
that the plastic housing 50 is limited to rotate on the nut 40 to obtain a
secure
positioning.
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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