Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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OUTLET PIPE STRUCTURE OF A FAUCET
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an outlet pipe structure of a
faucet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional outlet pipe of a faucet is cast molded from
copper material, so its production cost is high.
CN Publication No. 201606557U discloses that a
composite faucet is comprised of a filler body and a housing, but
such a structure is not applied in an outlet pipe of a faucet. However,
it is difficult to machine the filler body of the composite faucet so
as to form an inlet, an outlet, and a channel. Also, the machining
cost is high.
In addition, the channel has a channel tube inserted therein,
but it cannot be embodied. Due to a flexible pipe or a plastic pipe is
flexible, two ends of the flexible pipe or the plastic pipe cannot
connect with the inlet and the outlet, thus leaking water and
dropping easily. If the copper pipe or an aluminum pipe is used as
the outlet pipe of the faucet, it is easy to be fixed, yet its flexibility
is too poor to insert into a curved channel. Likewise, an opening of
the filler body screws with a threaded connector, but the filler body
is made of cements, calcium carbonates or gypsums, so the threaded
connector looses easily, thus leaking water.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate
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the afore-described disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention provides an outlet pipe
structure of a faucet which is capable of overcoming the
shortcomings of the conventional outlet pipe structure of the faucet.
To obtain this, an outlet pipe structure of a faucet provided
by the present invention contains:
a metal tube including a first segment, a second segment,
and a channel communicating with the first segment and the
second segment; the first segment having a first recess defined on
an inner wall thereof adjacent to a first opening; and the second
segment having a pedestal disposed on a peripheral side of a
second opening;
a hose assembly including a hose having a passage, an
inlet end, and an outlet end; an inlet connector connected with the
inlet end and having at least one locking block mounted on an outer
wall of the inlet connector; an outlet connector coupled with the
outlet end and having at least one boss arranged around an outer
wall of the outlet connector; the hose assembly being inserted from
the first segment of the metal tube such that the outlet connector
reaches to the second segment via the channel, and one of the at
least one boss retains in the first recess so that the hose assembly is
fixed in the metal tube;
a seat including a first slot, a second slot, a connecting
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orifice communicating with the first slot and the second slot; the
connecting orifice having at least one trough defined on an inner
wall thereof and having two opposite retaining faces formed on one
side of the seat relative to the second slot; the at least one locking
block passing through the at least one trough and retaining with the
two opposite retaining faces after the seat rotates a predetermined
degrees, such that the seat is fixed on the inlet connector of the hose
assembly; the seat also including at least one coupling tab formed
on an outer wall thereof and coupling with the pedestal of the
second segment after the seat is fixed.
The outlet pipe structure of the faucet further contains two
bolts, the pedestal of the second segment of the metal tube having
two screwing holes; the seat also including two coupling tabs
formed on the outer wall thereof, and each coupling tab having an
aperture; each bolt screwing with a respective one of the two
= screwing holes of the pedestal via the aperture of the each coupling
tab, such that the seat is screwed with the pedestal of the metal tube.
The inlet connector has two locking blocks symmetrically
mounted the outer wall thereof; the connecting orifice has two
troughs symmetrically defined on the inner wall thereof so as to
insert the two locking blocks and to retain with the two opposite
retaining faces after the seat rotates 90 degrees clockwisely or
anticlockwisely.
The outlet connector has four bosses isometrically
arranged around the outer wall thereof so that one of the four bosses
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retains in the first recess.
The inlet connector also has a tunnel defined therein, an
upper inserting portion and a lower inserting portion formed on the
outer wall of the inlet connector, and a stopping rib defined between
the upper inserting portion and the lower inserting portion; the
upper inserting portion is inserted onto the inlet end of the hose
assembly; the lower inserting portion is inserted into the first slot of
the seat; and the stopping rib abuts against an end wall of the inlet
end and an end wall of the seat; the at least one locking block of the
inlet connector is located at a bottom end of the lower inserting
portion.
The lower inserting portion has two grooves defined on the
outer wall thereof so as to retain with two sealing rings.
The outlet connector also has a passageway deformed
therein, a mount formed on the outer wall of the outlet connector,
an insertion section with a small diameter extending outwardly
from the mount; a stop fence arranged on a connection of the mount
and the insertion section; the insertion section is inserted to the
outlet end of the hose and is abutted by the stop fence and an end
wall of the outlet end; the at least one boss of the outlet connector is
arranged around the outer wall of the mount.
The hose, the inlet connector, and the outlet connector are
integrally formed from plastic material.
Thereby, in assembly, the inlet connector of the hose
assembly is inserted to the second segment from the first segment
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through the channel, and then the four bosses of the outlet
connector retain in the first recesses of the first segment so that the
hose assembly does not disengage from the metal tube, such that the
inlet connector of the hose assembly is inserted into the seat, and
then the seat is rotated 90 degrees so that two apertures of the seat
align with the two screwing holes of the pedestal of the metal tube.
Due to the two locking blocks of the inlet connector retain with the
two opposite retaining faces of the seat, the seat is fixed on the inlet
connector of the hose assembly securely so that the two bolts screw
with the two screwing holes via the two apertures, thus finishing
assembly easily and quickly.
The hose assembly connects with the seat securely so that
the metal tube is isolated completely without contacting water,
hence the metal tube is made of zinc alloy material instead of
copper material. Also, the hose assembly and the seat are made of
plastic material so as to avoid lead extraction in a faucet, to prevent
from lead pollution, and to reduce material cost.
In addition, the hose assembly and the seat are integrally
formed from plastic material so as to reduce material cost, to
prevent from lead pollution, and to enhance production efficiency.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the assembly of an
outlet pipe structure of a faucet according to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
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FIG. 2 is another perspective view showing the assembly of
the outlet pipe structure of the faucet according to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view showing the assembly of
the outlet pipe structure of the faucet according to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the exploded
components of the outlet pipe structure of the faucet according to
the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view showing the assembly of a
metal tube of the outlet pipe structure of the faucet according to the
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a
hose assembly of the outlet pipe structure of the faucet according to
the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG 7 is a cross sectional view showing the assembly of a
part of the hose assembly of the outlet pipe structure of the faucet
according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the assembly of a seat
of the outlet pipe structure of the faucet according to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the assembly of the seat of
the outlet pipe structure of the faucet according to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 1-1 of
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FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of
FIG. 9.
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the assembly of the hose
assembly and the seat of the outlet pipe structure of the faucet
according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of
FIG. 12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS
Refen-ing further to FIGS. 1-4, an outlet pipe structure of a
faucet according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
comprises: an outlet pipe 1 including a metal tube 10, a hose
assembly 20, a seat 30, and two coupling bolts 40.
As shown in FIG. 5, the metal tube 10 includes a first
segment 11, a second segment 12, and a channel 13 communicating
with the first segment 11 and the second segment 12. The first
segment 11 has a first recess 112 defined on an inner wall thereof
adjacent to a first opening 111, and the second segment 12 has a
pedestal 122 disposed on a peripheral side of a second opening 121
as illustrated in FIG. 4.
The metal tube 10 is made of zinc alloy material, and the
pedestal 122 of the second segment 12 of the metal tube 10 has two
screwing holes 123.
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Referring further to FIGS. 6 and 7, the hose assembly 20
includes: a hose 21 having a passage 211, an inlet end 212, and an
outlet end 213; an inlet connector 22 connected with the inlet end
212 and having two locking blocks 221 symmetrically mounted on
an outer wall of the inlet connector 22; an outlet connector 23
coupled with the outlet end 213 and having four bosses 231
isometrically arranged around an outer wall of the outlet connector
23. The hose assembly 20 is inserted from the first segment 11 of
the metal tube 10 such that the outlet connector 23 reaches to the
second segment 12 via the channel 13 as shown in FIG. 3, and one
of the four bosses 231 retains in the first recess 112 so that the hose
assembly 20 is fixed in the metal tube 10 securely.
With reference to FIG. 7, the inlet connector 22 also has a
tunnel 222 defined therein, an upper inserting portion 223 and a
lower inserting portion 224 formed on the outer wall of the inlet
connector 22, and a stopping rib 225 defined between the upper
inserting portion 223 and the lower inserting portion 224. The upper
inserting portion 223 is inserted onto the inlet end 212 of the hose
assembly 21, and the stopping rib 225 abuts against an end wall of
the inlet end 212. The two locking blocks 221 of the inlet connector
22 are located at a bottom end of the lower inserting portion 224.
The lower inserting portion 224 has two grooves 226 defined on the
outer wall thereof so as to retain with two sealing rings 227.
Referring to FIG. 7, the outlet connector 23 also has a
passageway 232 deformed therein, a mount 233 formed on the outer
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wall of the outlet connector 23, an insertion section 234 with a
small diameter extending outwardly from the mount 233; a stop
fence 235 arranged on a connection of the mount 233 and the
insertion section 234. The insertion section 234 is inserted to the
outlet end 213 of the hose 21 and is abutted by the stop fence 235
and an end wall of the outlet end 213. The four bosses 231 of the
outlet connector 23 are arranged around an outer wall of the mount
233.
To enhance tightness of the upper inserting portion 223,
the inlet end 212, the insertion section 234, and the outlet end 213, a
respective one of the inlet end 212 and the outlet end 213 is covered
by a sleeve 214 made of metal material or hard plastic material so
as to limit an outward expansion of the inlet end 212 and the outlet
end 213.
The hose 21, the inlet connector 22, and the outlet
connector 23 are integrally formed from plastic material.
With reference to FIGS. 8-11, the seat 30 includes a first
slot 31, a second slot 32, a connecting orifice 33 communicating
with the first slot 31 and the second slot 32. The connecting orifice
33 has two troughs 331 symmetrically defined on an inner wall
thereof and has two opposite retaining faces 34 formed on one side
of the seat 30 relative to the second slot 32. The lower inserting
portion 224 of the inlet connector 22 is inserted into the first slot 31
of the seat 30 and is engaged by the two sealing rings 227 and an
inner wall of the first slot 31 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 3, and the
=
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stopping rib 225 is retained by an end wall of the seat 30 relative to
the first slot 31, the two locking blocks 221 pass through the two
troughs 331 and retain with the two opposite retaining faces 34 after
the seat 30 rotates 90 degrees clocicwisely or anticlockwisely, such
that the seat 30 is fixed on the inlet connector 22 of the hose
assembly 20. The seat 30 also includes two coupling tabs 35 formed
on an outer wall thereof and coupling with the pedestal 122 of the
second segment 12 after the seat 30 is fixed as illustrated in FIGS. 2
and 4. Also, each coupling tab 35 has an aperture 351.
The seat 30 is integrally formed from plastic material.
Before the lower inserting portion 224 connects with the
first slot 31 of the seat 30, the two sealing rings 227 of the lower
inserting portion 224 are applied silicone oil so as to increase
lubricity of the two sealing rings 227, such that the lower inserting
portion 224 is retained in the first slot 31 smoothly.
Referring further to FIG. 4, each bolt 40 is screwing with a
respective one of the two screwing holes 123 of the pedestal 122 via
the aperture 351 of the each coupling tab 35, such that the seat 30 is
screwed with the pedestal 122 of the metal tube 10.
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, in assembly, the inlet
connector 22 of the hose assembly 20 is inserted to the second
segment 12 from the first segment 11 through the channel 13, and
then the four bosses 231 of the outlet connector 23 retain in the first
recesses 112 of the first segment 11 so that the hose assembly 20
does not disengage from the metal tube 10, such that the inlet
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connector 22 of the hose assembly 20 is inserted into the seat 30,
and then the seat 30 is rotated 90 degrees so that two apertures 351
of the seat 30 align with the two screwing holes 123 of the pedestal
122 of the metal tube 10. Due to the two locking blocks 221 of the
inlet connector 22 retain with the two opposite retaining faces 34 of
the seat 30 as illustrated in FIG. 13, the seat 30 is fixed on the inlet
connector 22 of the hose assembly 20 securely so that the two bolts
40 screw with the two screwing holes 123 via the two apertures 351,
thus finishing assembly easily and quickly.
The hose assembly 20 connects with the seat 30 securely
so that the metal tube 10 is isolated completely without contacting
water, hence the metal tube 10 is made of zinc alloy material
instead of copper material. Also, the hose assembly 20 and the seat
30 are made of plastic material so as to avoid lead extraction in a
faucet, to prevent from lead pollution, and to reduce material cost
In addition, the hose assembly 20 and the seat 30 are
integrally formed from plastic material so as to reduce material cost,
to prevent from lead pollution, and to enhance production
efficiency.
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