BEC VERSEUR

SPOUT ASSEMBLY

Abrégé anglais

IMPROVED SPOUT ASSEMBLY
Abstract of the Disclosure
A spout assembly which includes a spout member fitted
pivotally within a base. A fluid inlet is formed in the
base whereby fluid may pass through the base and out the
spout. The spout is supported at both its internal and
external diameters by the base so as to provide a more
rigid assembly as well as to lengthen the life of the fluid
seal between the base and spout.

Revendications

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A spout assembly comprising a base having a bottom
wall and a side wall, said bottom and side walls defining a
cavity within said base having an open end, a fluid inlet
port formed in said base and extending into said cavity,
projection means carried by said base bottom wall and spaced
from said base side wall, a spout having a bore therethrough
with inlet and outlet end portions, said spout inlet portion
fitting into said vase cavity through the open end thereof
and over said projection means, means securing said spout
inlet portion within said base cavity for rotative movement
of the spout relative to the base to position said spout
outlet portion at selected angular locations, said projection
means extending into said spout bore and contacting said spout
inlet portion within said bore for guidably anchoring said
inlet portion during said rotative movement of the spout, said
projection means defining a fluid passage from said inlet
port into said spout bore, said projection means including
spaced ribs contacting said spout inlet portion within said
spout bore, said ribs having an interstice therebetween de-
fining said fluid passage.
2. A spout assembly comprising a base having a bottom
wall and a side wall, said bottom and side walls defining a
cavity within said base having an open end, a fluid inlet
port formed in said base and extending into said cavity,
projection means carried by said base bottom wall and spaced
from said base side wall, a spout having a bore therethrough
with inlet and outlet end portions, said spout inlet portion
fitting into said base cavity through the open end thereof
and over said projection means, means securing said spout
inlet portion within said base cavity for rotative movement
of the spout relative to the base to position said spout
outlet portion at selected angular locations, said projection

means extending into said spout bore and contacting said
spout inlet portion within said bore for guidably anchoring
said inlet portion during said rotative movement of the spout,
said projection means defining a fluid passage from said inlet
port into said spout bore, said spout inlet portion having a
circumferential external groove, said base side wall having
an internal shoulder formed within said cavity and spaced
from said base end wall, said spout securing means including a
sleeve and collar means, said sleeve fitted about said spout
inlet portion and including lip means seated within said spout
groove for securing said sleeve against longitudinal movement
along said spout, said sleeve fitting within said cavity at
its open end and seated upon said base shoulder, said collar
means fitted about said spout and overlying said sleeve at
said cavity opening for securing said sleeve within said
cavity, and means for securing said collar means to said
base.
3. The spout assembly of Claim 2 wherein said sleeve
constitutes bearing means for providing rotation between
said spout and base side wall.
4. The spout assembly of Claim 3 and a fluid seal
between said spout inlet portion and base side wall above
said fluid inlet port.
5. The spout assembly of Claim 4 wherein said seal is
an O-ring fitted about said spout inlet portion and
compressed against said base side wall within said cavity.
6. The spout assembly of Claim 5 wherein said spout
inlet portion includes a second circumferential external
groove located between said first groove and the end of the
inlet portion, said O-ring fitted within said second
groove.

7. The spout assembly of Claim 2 wherein said sleeve
lip part is formed at one end of the sleeve, the opposite
end of the sleeve extending to said cavity open end, said
collar means fitted with clearance about said spout and
including an inturned lip overlying said sleeve opposite end.
8. The spout assembly of Claim 7 wherein said means
for securing said collar means to said base constitutes
mutually engaging threads carried by said collar means and
base.
9. A spout assembly comprising a base having a bottom
wall and a side wall, said bottom and side walls defining a
cavity within said base having an open end, a fluid inlet
port formed in said base and extending into said cavity, a
spout having a bore therethrough with inlet and outlet end
portions, said spout inlet portion fitting into said base
cavity through the open end thereof, means securing said spout
inlet portion within said base cavity for rotative movement
of the spout relative to the base to position said spout
outlet portion at selected angular locations, said spout
inlet portion having a circumferential external groove, said
base side wall having an internal shoulder formed within said
cavity and spaced from said base end wall, said spout securing
means including a sleeve and collar means, said sleeve fitted
about said spout inlet portion and including lip means seated
within said spout groove for securing said sleeve against
longitudinal movement along said spout, said sleeve fitting
within said cavity at its open end and seated upon said base
shoulder, said collar means fitted about said spout and over-
lying said sleeve at said cavity opening for securing said
sleeve within said cavity, and means for securing said collar
means to said base.

10. The spout assembly of Claim 9 wherein said sleeve
constitutes bearing means for providing rotation between said
spout and base side wall.
11. The spout assembly of Claim 10 and a fluid seal
between said spout inlet portion and base side wall above said
fluid inlet port.
12. The spout assembly of Claim 11 wherein said seal is
an O-ring fitted about said spout inlet portion and
compressed against said base side wall within said cavity.
13. The spout assembly of Claim 12 wherein said spout
inlet portion includes a second circumferential external
groove located between said first groove and the end of the
inlet portion, said O-ring fitted within said second
groove.
14. The spout assembly of Claim 9 wherein said sleeve
lip part is formed at one end of the sleeve, the opposite end
of the sleeve extending to said cavity open end, said collar
means fitted with clearance about said spout and including
an inturned lip overlying said sleeve opposite end.
15. The spout assembly of Claim 14 wherein said means
for securing said collar means to said base constitutes
mutually engaging threads carried by said collar means and
base.

Description

1059~80
1 This invention relates to a spout assembly and will have
specific but not limited application to spout assemblies
utilized with wash basin, sinks and similar laundry, wash
room, kitchen and bathroom fixtures.
The spout assembly includes a base having a cavity
formed in it defined by bottom and side walls. The inlet
end portion of a spout is fitted within the base cavity and
is supported by the base both internally at its inner
diameter and externally at its outer diameter. In this manner
the spout is rotatable relative to the base about a generally
fixed axis of rotation which decreases the wear upon the fluid
seal between the base and spout and which serves to make the
assembly more durable.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to
provide a spout assembly in which the spout thereof is
rotatable about a substantially fixed axis of rotation.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a
spout assembly having minimal seal ring wear between the
rotatable spout and fixed base of the assembly.
Other objects of this invention will become apparent
upon a reading of the invention's description.
A preferred embodiment of this invention has been
chosen for purposes of illustration and description
wherein:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the spout assembly
shown mounted to a sink.
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the spout
assembly showing a portion of the component parts thereof
broken away and sectioned for purposes of illustration.
Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the spout
assembly in its assembled form.
Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4
of Fig. 3.
-2
.

1059180
1 Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the component
parts of the spout assembly in exploded form with portions
of the component parts broken away for purposes of
illustration.
The preferred embodiment illustrated is not intended
to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise
form disclosed. It has been chosen and described in order
to best explain the principles of the invention and its
application and practical use to thereby enable others
skilled in the art to best utilize the invention.
m e spout assembly includes a base 10 and a rotative
spout 12. Base 10 includes a bottom wall 14 and an annular
side wall 16 which cooperate to define a cylindrical
davity 18. Base 10 includes a pair of conduits 20 which
define inlet ports into the bottom of cavity 18. Conduits 20
are utilized to conduct a fluid, such as water, into cavity
18 of the base. The spout assembly illustrated has application
to sinks and wash basins wit~ one conduit 20 being connected
into the hot water system and the other conduit being
connected into the cold water system of the water supply for
the sink or basin. In other applications of the spout assembly
of this invention the base may have only one fluit inlet port.
A projection 22 extends upwardly from bottom wall 14
of the base within cavity 18. Projection 22 is spaced from
side wall 16 of the base and includes a plurality of equal
angularly spaced ribs 24 which project radially outwardly
from a common axis generally coinciding with the axis of base
cavity 18. The upper end of cavity 18 is slightly enlarged -
so as to form an internal annular shoulder 28 in base side
wall 16. The upper end of base side wall 16 is externally
threaded for the purpose of receiving a collar 29 whose
function will be later described.

1059~80
1 Spout 12 includes an outer end portion 30 and an inner
end portion 32. Outer end portion 30 of the spout is where
the fluid such as water exits from the spout assembly.
Inner end portion 32 of the spout is provided with two
circumferential grooves 34 and 36. Groove 36 is located
adjacent the lower or inner end of the spout and carries
an O-ring 38. A sleeve 40 fits snugly about spout inner
end portion 32 and includes an inturned annular lip 42 which
is fitted into groove 34 in the spout to secure the sleeve
against lengthwise movement along the spout. Collar 29
includes a threaded flange 44 and an inturned annular lip
46.
In assemblying spout 12 and base 10, collar 29 is
slipped over the inner end of the spout. Then sleeve 40 is
fitted over the inner end of the spout with its lip 42
snap fitting into groove 34. O-ring 38 would then be
slipped over the inner end of the spout and fitted into
groove 36. The assembled spout is then fitted into the
upper open end of base cavity 18 with sleeve 40 fitting ~ -
snugly within the enlarged portion of cavity 18 and seating
upon base shoulder 28. Projection 22 of base 10 extends -
into the inner end of the spout and peripherally contacts
the internal diameter of spout inner end portion 32 at -
groove 36. O-ring 38 is compressed between spout inner end -
portion 32 and side wall 16 of base 10 with the O-ring being
positioned above the inlet ports of conduits 20.
With inner end portion 32 of spout 12 fitted into
cavity 18, collar 29 is turned onto the threaded end of
base side wall 16 with its lip 46 overlying the upper end
edge of sleeve 40. In this manner spout 10 is prevented
from being pushed further into ~vity 18 by the engagement
of sleeve 40 with shoulder 26 and from being withdrawn
.
, . . . . . . . . .
, . , . , . .

1059~80
1 from base cavity 18 by the abutment of sleeve 40 with lip
46 of collar 29. Spout 12 may be rotated relative to base
10 so as to selectively position its outer end portion 30.
During rotation of the spout within base 10, projection 22
and sleeve 40 serve as bearing members. Depending upon the
fit of sleeve 43 about the spout 12 and within base 10,
the spout may r~tate relative to the sleeve or the sleeve
may be carried by the spout and rotate relative to the base.
By supporting inner end portion 32 of spout 12 at both
its outer and internal diameters for rotation relative
to base 10, wobble of the spout relative to base 10 is
substantially prevented and the life of O-ring 38 is ex-
tended. The spaces or interstices 25 between ribs 24 of
projection 22 provide flow paths for the fluid from conduits
20 into spout 12.
In Fig. 1 the spout assembly of this invention is
shown mounted to a sink and having a cover plate 48 positioned
over base 10. Cover plate 48 is clamped between an external
shoulder 50 formed on side wall 16 of base 10 and the lower
edge of flange 44 of collar 28. Sleeve 40 and projection 22
of base 10 are preferably formed of a nylon or similar
low friction material to facilitate rotation of the spout
within the base. In the preferred embodiment the entire
base, including its projection 22 is formed of molded plastic
material.
It is to be understood that the invention is not to be
limited to the details above given but may be modified
within the scope of the appended claims.
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