Patent ID: 7854399
Filing Date: 2010-12-21
Classification: B05B

Abstract:
1. A shower arm for use in a shower stall and which is connectable to a shower water supply through a shower water supply pipe and having an unobtrusive and relatively unobservable water flow control means for controlling the amount of water entering into a downstream-located showerhead, said shower arm being comprised of: a) A singular section of standard ASTM one-half inch diameter pipe generally bent in the middle, connected at the upstream end to the water supply outlet pipe, which water supply outlet pipe is normally concealed behind a wall of the shower stall, and connected at the exposed end to a shower head or shower head assembly; and b) said shower arm constituting the downstream terminus of all the piping that constitutes the water supply piping to the shower head or shower head assembly; and c. said shower arm also having a downstream end comprised of ½″ MIPT (Male Industrial Pipe Threads) enabling connection thereto of a shower head or shower head assembly equipped with one-half inch FIPT (Female Industrial Pipe Threads) at the upstream end therein; and d. said shower arm having an internal duct extending therethrough and being in fluid communication with said water supply piping at the one end and a shower head or shower head assembly connected to the other end; and e. said duct having a small section therein that is diametrically reduced thereby creating a reduced duct section within said shower arm in order to accommodate said water flow control means, said diametrically reduced duct section being that portion of said shower arm which has increased wall thickness in said duct with respect to the remaining portion of the duct; and f. said water flow control means therefore being located in the piping downstream of the main hot and cold water manual control valves located within the shower stall that normally control the water supply to the shower head, but slightly upstream of said shower head, so that said water flow control means is capable of overriding the amount of water normally provided through said main manual control valves, thereby providing a discreet secondary capacity, which is relatively unobservable by the user of the shower, in order to limit the amount of water which can pass through the water supply piping to said downstream shower head independently of said main manual control valves; and g. said water flow control valve means comprising a manually actuable valve plug extending into the reduced diameter duct section of said shower arm and being at a substantial angle with respect to an axis of said duct for controlling water flow in proportion to a position of the plug in said duct between a first end position and a second end position allowing full water flow in said first position and a blocking of water flow in said second end position and will reduce water flow proportionally when said plug is moved from said first end position to said second end position; and h. said manually actuable valve plug having an outer tool-receiving end, said tool-receiving end being the only visible portion of the water flow control means on the exterior surface of the shower arm; and i. said water flow control valve means is controllable only by a small, proper hand tool used to control water flow when in connection with said tool-receiving end of said manually actuable plug, said tool not a part of the valve but being physically separate from said valve means, hence not readily accessible by a person in the shower, and which is normally in the possession of maintenance personnel specifically to adjust the water volume through the valve to a desired water flow, thereby providing an environmental savings by reducing unapproved alteration of water flow volume by anyone other than the entity responsible for controlling water usage; and j. said manually actuable valve plug controlled by said proper tool allows for the desired amount of flow in response to at least a slight axial shifting of position of the plug between said first position and second end position.