Abstract:
A device for showering, comprising a housing, a rotatable massaging element arranged rotatably in the housing and formed so that it is rotatable by water and capable of massaging with simultaneous discharge of water, and a water pulsation generating unit connecting to and rotatable together with the massaging element so that during a discharge of water the water pulsation generating unit provide pulsation of a flow of water which is being discharged.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to devices for showering.  
         [0002]     More particularly, it relates to devices for showering which are used in bathrooms and shower cabins for washing and massaging a user&#39;s body.  
         [0003]     Devices for showering are known in the art. They perform various functions of spraying and pulsation, as well as a combination of these functions. Some devices of this type combine rotation and spraying, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,480,922; 2,678,457; 5,007,127; 5,129,121; and 6,021,539. It is believed that the existing devices can be further improved.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for showering which is a further improvement of the existing devices.  
         [0005]     In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in a device for showering which comprises a housing; a rotatable massaging element arranged rotatably in said housing and formed so that it is rotatable by water and capable of massaging with simultaneous discharge of water; and water pulsation generating means connecting to and rotatable together with said massaging element so that during a discharge of water said water pulsation generating means provide pulsation of a flow of water which is being discharged.  
         [0006]     When the device for showering is designed in accordance with the present invention, it forms a universal device which simultaneously performs all functions of a conventional showering device and maintains a function of a mechanical massage, in combination with a hydraulical massaging action, with the pulsation generating means rotatable together with the massaging means.  
         [0007]     The proposed device is designed to improve the process of water procedures in bathrooms and shower cabins by creating more efficient methods of massaging and cleaning of skin, both in a mechanical and in a hydraulic way.  
         [0008]     The device represents a universal showering device which combines various functions with the use of a water pressure for rotation and pulsation, as well as a combination of these functions which favorably act on health of a person. The device from outside looks like a conventional hand shower, which has a housing with an extendable handle, within which there are located mechanisms converting a hydraulic pressure of water into various procedures, including a rotation of massaging instruments. The device has a switch which allows to stop rotation and to use a device as a conventional shower.  
         [0009]     The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a section of side view of a device for showering in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a section plan view of the inventive device, with a section along a rotor and a switch;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a head of the inventive device;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a view showing a section of the head with a rotary mechanism.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a view showing a longitudinal cross-section of a housing of the device;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5   a  is a view showing a transverse cross-section of the housing taken along the lines B-B;  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a view showing a longitudinal cross-section of the device in a plane which is perpendicular to a cross-sectional plane of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0017]      FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b  are views showing a longitudinal cross-section and an end view of a handle of the inventive device;  
         [0018]      FIGS. 8   a ,  8   b  and  8   c  are views showing an extension element of the inventive device, its end view and its transverse cross-section;  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  shows a plan view and a side view of a concentric bushing;  
         [0020]      FIG. 10  is a view showing an insert of the inventive device;  
         [0021]      FIGS. 11   a  and  11   b  are a plan view and a cross-section of a cover of the inventive device;  
         [0022]      FIG. 12  is a view showing a cross-section of the gear of the inventive device;  
         [0023]      FIG. 13  is a view showing a cross-section of an internal gear of the inventive device;  
         [0024]      FIGS. 14   a  and  14   b  are a plan view and a cross-section of another cover of the inventive device;  
         [0025]      FIGS. 15   a  and  15   b  are a plan view and a cross-section of a rotor of the inventive device;  
         [0026]      FIGS. 16   a  and  16   b  are a plan view and a cross-section of a ring of the inventive device;  
         [0027]      FIG. 17   a  is a plan view and  FIG. 17   b  is a cross-section of a water distributing element of the inventive device;  
         [0028]      FIGS. 18   a  and  18   b  are a plan view and a cross-section of a perforator element of the inventive device;  
         [0029]      FIG. 19  is a view showing a part of switching button of the inventive device;  
         [0030]      FIG. 20  is a view showing another part of switching button; and  
         [0031]      FIG. 21  is a view showing a slider of the inventive device.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0032]     A showering device in accordance with the present invention has a housing which is identified with reference numeral  1  and has a holder  63 , on which a handle  2  shown in  FIG. 7  can slide. An extension element  3  slides inside the holder  63  as shown in  FIG. 8  and has a groove  88  with a split springy insert  5  ( FIG. 9 ) located eccentrically in it. The movement of the extension is limited by inserts  6  shown in  FIG. 10 , which are located in slots  71  of the housing  1 .  
         [0033]     The handle  2  is arranged on flats  91  of the extension element  3  and pressed against a flange  90  by a threaded ring  4 . The extension has an end provided with a thread  92  for connection with a water supply system. Rubber rings  22  provide sealing of the extension with the housing.  
         [0034]     The device has a switching mechanism which includes two buttons  17  and  18  shown in  FIGS. 19 and 20 , a rubber seal  19  and two sealing rings  20 . A rotor  8  shown in  FIG. 15  is located in a central cavity  24  of the housing  1  as shown in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0035]     The rotor has inclined vanes  25  located on a disk  26  and connected with one another by a ring-shaped wall  27 . An axle  28  is located in the center of the rotor and ends in a pinion  29 . A sliding interrupting element  10  shown in  FIG. 21  is located on the axle of the rotor and formed as a flat plate  30  with a central opening  31  and side projections  32  which engage with the vanes  25  of the rotor  8 .  
         [0036]     The cavity  24  of the housing  1  is closed by a cover  9  shown in  FIG. 11  and formed as a disc  33  with a central opening  34  and three openings  35  located inside axles  36 . An axle of the rotor  28  extends through the opening  34  slidingly. Gears  13  shown in  FIG. 12  are arranged on the axles  36  and engage with the pinion  29  of the rotor  8  and a gear with internal engagement  14  shown in  FIG. 13 . Its outer wall  37  has a cone for mounting of working instruments, for example a bristle brush.  
         [0037]     The pinions and gears form a planetary transmission operating as a reducer. The planetary transmission is covered from above by a cover  11  shown in  FIG. 14  and welded or glued to the axles  36  of the element  9 . The cover is formed as a disc  38  shown in  FIG. 14  and has a projection  39  with an opening  40  and a ring-shaped lug  39  and a ring projection  41 , three openings  42  with a groove  43  for mounting on the axles  36  and a groove  44  on the periphery of the disc, and a stop projection  45 .  
         [0038]     The water distributing element  12  shown in  FIG. 17  has three openings  46  with a groove  47  inside a lug  48 . A split lug  49  with a side ring-shaped projection  50  is located in the center of the water distributing element. Conical slots  52  are provided on the periphery, on the conical wall  51 . The lower wall  53  has sets of openings  54  and a draining opening  55 . O-rings  23  are located in the grooves  47 .  
         [0039]     The water distributing element  12  is located inside a turnable ring  15  shown in  FIG. 16 , which has a groove  56  with a sealing ring  21 , a central opening  57  with two stops  58  which fix a position of the water distributing element during mounting, along the side walls of the projections  48 . The ring has a conical part  59  which, together with the conical wall  51 , forms by the conical slots  52  shown in  FIG. 17 a  jet of a showering flow. The ring has a conical flange  60 , spherical projections  61 , a technical information  62 . The ring forms a driving device during switching of a mode of operation. Fixing of the water distributing element  12  to the cover  9  is performed by snapping of the split lug  49  in the opening  40 .  
         [0040]     The housing  1  shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  is formed together with the holder  63  as a one piece element, having two hollow projections  64  and  65  and a set of openings including a central opening  66 , distributing openings  67 ,  68 ,  69 , openings of a control system  70 , and structural openings  71 . The main part of the housing has two receptacles  24  and  73 . These receptacles are separated by a cylindrical wall  74 . The wall has a conical part  76 . The housing in its center has a hub  77 . The receptacle  73  is closed by a perforator element  7  shown in  FIG. 18 . The perforator element is formed as a ring having a cylindrical part  78  with an inner flange  79 . The outer wall  80  has an inclination, and grooves  81  which are also arranged with an inclination are provided on it.  
         [0041]     The perforator element  7  is welded to the wall  74  of the housing  1  by the flange  79 . The combination of the conical grooves  81  with the conical wall  76  of the housing  1  determines a direction of the showering jet.  
         [0042]     The handle  2  shown in  FIG. 7  is formed as a barrel-shaped cylinder with an inner opening  82 , outer slots  83 , and inner truncated hubs  84 .  
         [0043]     The extension element  3  shown in  FIG. 8  is hollow and has a throughgoing opening  85 , two grooves  86  which are limited by ring-shaped projections  87 . A cylindrical portion  84  is eccentrically arranged in the gaps between them and identified in a cross-section BB as D 1  with an eccentricity C 1 . It further has a cylindrical part  89 , a flange  90  with truncated planes  91 , and it ends in a threaded pipe  92 .  
         [0044]     The device is connected to a water supply system by the threaded pipe  92 . Water via the opening  85  is supplied through the switching mechanism and the openings  67 ,  68 ,  69 , and through these openings is supplied into one of the receptacles  24  or  73 , depending on the position of the switching button  17 - 18  and a seal  19  which overlaps one of the openings  67  or  68 . When the opening  67  is opened, water is supplied into the receptacle  73 , and through the opening  81  exits as a showering flow. When the opening  68  is opened, water under pressure is supplied through the opening  69  to the vanes of the rotor  8  and rotates the rotor. The element  10  is also rotated together with the rotor, and water in this case exits through three openings  35  located in the cover  9  as shown in  FIG. 11 , while the rotatable element  10  alternatingly closes the water flow through these openings so as to generate a pulsating effect. Water flows through the water distributor  12 , and depending on a selected position, exits as a pulsing jet or a spray. This position is set by a user by turning of the ring  15  and together with it, of the water distributor  12 . The rotating rotor through the planetary reducer, transmits rotation to the working instrument.  
         [0045]     A telescopic mechanism operates by turning of the handle  2 , and also together with it by turning of the extension  3  in the opening  66  of the holder  63 . During this process the eccentric portion  88  rotates inside the eccentric insert  5  located in the opening  66 , and presses or releases the mounting, so as to fix a corresponding position of the extension element. During fixing of the extension element the outer surface of the holder  63  is pressed against the inner surface of the opening  82  of the handle  2  in the zone of the eccentric insert  5  as shown in  FIG. 1  by the insert to create an additional friction. Thereby, a two sided fixation is obtained, in particular by interaction between the insert  5  and the inner surface of the holder  63  and also by interaction between the outer surface of the holder  63  and the inner surface of the handle  2 .  
         [0046]     In the present invention therefore the telescopic handle is actually composed of three elements, namely the outer handle  2 , the extension element  3 , and the intermediate element or the holder  63 . The inner and outer elements  2 ,  3  are fixed to one another by the threaded ring  4  and interact with one another through the flat surfaces  84 ,  91 , and therefore they are movable together in an axial direction and turnable together in a circumferential direction. The inserts  6  which are embedded in the intermediate element  63  allow the turning of the elements  2 ,  3 , relative to the element  63 , and at the same time form a stop when the structure composed of the elements  2 ,  3  is axially displaced to the right most position. It is also important that the insert  5  is located between two seals  22  to be reliably sealed from water.  
         [0047]     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.  
         [0048]     While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in device for showering, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.  
         [0049]     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.  
         [0050]     What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.