Massaging and showering assembly

A massaging and showering assembly comprising a guide rail along which a carriage holding a massage and shower head can be moved vertically; a water flow reversing control-unit and a piston-cylinder arrangement which is connected to a water line and with which the carriage is in communication. Known assemblies of this kind have been of costly and generally heavy design, the guide rail, in particular being freely accessible and highly exposed to dirt and damage. They also occupy a relatively large space and are very difficult to install in shower cabins. In contrast to this, the assembly of the present invention is to be produced at low production cost, to be light and compact, but to be highly reliable and while having great stability. This new assembly provides a carriage guiding rail with an inner chamber for the piston-cylinder arrangement, the inner chamber comprising a closing front wall. Moreover, the carriage-guiding rail is provided, behind the front wall, with an opening for a guide element for the carriage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a massaging and showering assembly 
comprising a guide rail along which a carriage for a massage and shower 
head can be moved vertically back and forth, with a water flow reversing 
control unit and a piston-cylinder arrangement which is adapted to be 
connected to a water line, and with which the said carriage is in 
communication. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
An assembly of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,462 granted on 
Oct. 30, 1973. This known assembly comprises two upright cylinders spaced 
from each other, one of the said cylinders containing a piston which 
communicates, through a cable or the like, with the carriage. The cylinder 
has a chamber on each side of the piston, to which water pressure may be 
applied, selectively. Also provided is a reversing control-unit with a 
control slide valve by means of which the water line may be connected 
selectively to one or the other of the cylinder chambers. The guide means 
for the carriage is freely accessible, so that lime deposits and other 
forms of deposits may easily interfere with the operation of the assembly. 
Furthermore, the cable, the switch bar which actuates the control slide 
valve, and the water hoses are all freely accessible and visible, and this 
is not only detrimental to the overall esthetic impression, but may also 
cause contamination, jamming and the like to interfere with safe 
operation. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Starting from a massaging and showering assembly of this kind, it is an 
object of the present invention to improve the assembly at low expenditure 
and production costs, in a such a manner as to combine simple design with 
high operating reliability and, more particularly, largely eliminate the 
danger of contamination of, or damage to, the carriage guiding rail. The 
assembly possesses great stability, little structural depth, and a long 
service life. It also meets all safety requirements and is easy to 
service. Finally it is reliable in operation and able to withstand 
operational and use requirements. 
According to the invention, this object is accomplished in that a sectional 
guiding rail is provided having an inner chamber in which a piston 
cylinder arrangement is mounted; in that the inner chamber is closed at 
the front by a wall; and in that the carriage guiding rail comprises an 
aperture, behind the front wall, extending in the longitudinal vertical 
direction, for the guiding of a guide element of the carriage. 
The assembly according to the invention is of simple design ensuring great 
operating reliability and long service life. The piston-cylinder unit in 
the interior of the sectional guiding rail is largely protected from 
external effects, the inner chamber being reliably closed off by a wall at 
the front. The cylinder may therefore have a thin wall and may possibly be 
made of plastic, thus substantially reducing the overall weight and 
structural volume. Since the carriage guiding rail is also arranged behind 
the front wall, the danger of contamination and interference with the 
movement of the carriage is largely eliminated. 
According to one desirable embodiment, the sectional guiding rail comprises 
a transverse wall and the piston-cylinder arrangement is located between 
the transverse wall and the front wall. The transverse wall preferably 
comprises an approximately semi-cylindrical recess for the accommodation 
of the cylinder. On the one hand, the transverse wall greatly increases 
the rigidity of the sectional rail while, on the other hand, it permits 
simple attachment of the piston-cylinder arrangement, the adjusting cock, 
and other components. 
In order to make the said components, including the piston-cylinder 
arrangement, easily accessible, the front wall, in one particular variant, 
is detachable from the sectional rail. It should be pointed out, at this 
time, that the front wall may be made in one piece with the sectional rail 
and/or the guide cylinders. However, the detachability of the front wall 
makes the said components particularly easy of access. On the one hand, 
this greatly facilitates production and assembly of the invention and, on 
the other hand, maintenance work may be carried out with little effort, 
the assembly remaining completely installed and only the front wall being 
removed to provide easy access to the different components. Another 
important aspect is that the front wall may easily be adapted to colour, 
form and other requirements, leaving the assembly otherwise unchanged. 
This provides cost advantages in both production and storage, for instance 
a dealer may meet his customers' requirements by stocking a variety of 
front walls. The front wall may also be made as a sectional rail, 
detachably secured, in a suitable manner, to the sectional rail and/or to 
the guide rail. 
In one preferred embodiment, the front wall has rearwardly rounded lateral 
edges engaging at least partly around the front corners of the sectional 
rail and/or the guiding cylinders. The front wall may, if necessary, be 
provided with catches, or the like, acting as snap-fasteners and allowing 
the front wall to be fitted or removed without the use of special tools. 
According to a particular embodiment, a guide rail is provided in the 
vicinity of each front corner of the sectional rail, the said guide rail 
having a substantially cylindrical external and/or internal contour. The 
sectional rail and the guide rails are made in one piece, the 
approximately cylindrical external surfaces of the guide rails serving 
simultaneously for the support and attachment of the front wall. Thus the 
inner chamber, accommodating the piston-cylinder unit and other 
components, is defined laterally by the guide rails, resulting in an 
overall structure which is not only highly compact but is still stable. 
According to a further embodiment, reversing pulleys for the cable, by 
means of which the carriage is connected to the piston, are secured to a 
transverse wall of the sectional rail. This obviously provides a 
particularly stable and operationally reliable arrangement, especially 
since, with the front wall removed, the cable is easily accessible for 
tensioning, adjusting or inspection. 
According to another preferred feature, the carriage comprises an 
intermediate part engaging externally around the rear wall of the 
sectional rail and two guide elements slidable in the two guide rails. The 
carriage is thus located mainly behind the front wall. The intermediate 
part is located between the rear wall and a shower room wall to which the 
sectional rail is secured. This configuration provides comparatively small 
structural depth and reliable guidance for the carriage. 
The massage and shower heads are, in a preferred form, located laterally of 
the front wall and of the sectional rail and do not therefore project 
forwardly beyond the front wall. A massaging and showering assembly of 
such a type may easily be used, even under cramped conditions, since it 
requires comparatively little structural depth. 
According to one desirable feature, the sectional rail and guiding 
cylinders are made in one piece. This substantially simplifies production 
and also ensures high stability. 
The sectional rail and guiding cylinders are of substantially trapezoidal 
cross-section, with the lateral walls arranged at an obtuse angle to the 
rear wall of the sectional rail. The rear wall is narrower than both the 
transverse wall and the front wall. This provides a particularly reliable 
and stable construction which uses little material and is of small 
structural volume. 
It is desirable for the apertures for the guide elements of the carriage to 
be located in the vicinity of the lateral surfaces or an extension 
thereof. These apertures are covered and point rearwardly, more 
particularly toward a room wall, so that the danger of dirt reaching the 
guide rails is very slight. 
In one particularly preferred construction, the piston-cylinder arrangement 
is located behind the front wall which is connected forwardly to a shower 
cabin or bath-tub. Located behind the front wall and/or inside the 
sectional rail are the piston cylinder arrangement, guiding cylinder and a 
guide element for the carriage. This provides a particularly compact and 
reliable design with low overall weight. 
According to an alternative construction, the cylindrical outer surface of 
the cylinder may also be used as the guiding cylinder or guide rail, at 
least partly enclosed by the guide element of the carriage. The said 
cylinder thus has a dual function, resulting in still further space and 
weight saving. 
According to another configuration, the front wall comprises an aperture 
through which passes the stem of an adjusting cock for a valve upstream of 
the piston-cylinder arrangement. This adjusting cock actuates the 
massaging shower and may, if necessary, be removed forwardly, to allow the 
front wall to be released from the sectional rail. 
In one configuration of the invention, the water line is connected to the 
massage and shower head directly through an adjusting valve, a check-valve 
or the like being provided in a collector line which is connected to the 
piston-cylinder unit. This provides a high degree of operating 
convenience, since the adjusting valve merely predetermines the volume of 
water emerging from the massage and shower head, without affecting the 
rate of adjustment. This results in largely independent adjustment of the 
volume of water and rate of adjustment. The check valve prevents unwanted 
feedback effects. Water can emerge from the massage and shower head even 
when it is stationary, the mains pressure being available practically 
unchanged and thus making it possible to fit the shower head with a 
turbine for releasing a pulsating jet of water. The check valve, or the 
like, ensures that there is no feedback to the piston-cylinder 
arrangement, even when the valve is closed or the shower head is 
stationary. 
In order to ensure reliable and safe operation, at least one 
pressure-relief valve is associated with the piston-cylinder arrangement. 
If the shower head is held stationary, or its freedom of movement is 
otherwise impeded, an inadmissible increase in pressure in the 
piston-cylinder arrangement is prevented by this pressure-relief valve. 
The latter is preferably provided in the piston, resulting in a 
particularly inexpensive and space-saving arrangement with high operating 
reliability. The drop in pressure takes place from one chamber of the 
piston-cylinder to the other, pressure equalization being effected in both 
directions. 
In another configuration, in which the shower head is connected to the 
piston-cylinder arrangement by a cable, the length of the passages for the 
cable in the bottom and cover of the cylinder is such that a low water 
leakage rate is achieved with an adequate pressure-drop. For this purpose, 
the length is at least twenty, preferably fifty, times the diameter of the 
cable. 
Moreover, according to a further configuration, a narrow annular gap is 
provided between the cable and the wall of the passage. The diameter of 
the said passage is preferably between 3/100 and 7/100 mm, preferably 
between 4/100 and 6/100 mm and better still about 5/100 mm larger than the 
diameter of the cable. In an annular gap of this kind, a pressure-drop 
takes place and the cable is practially always in the center of the 
passage, thus almost eliminating any contact between the cable and the 
wall-surface. 
In one alternative configuration, a magnet is coupled magnetically to the 
piston of the piston-cylinder arrangement. This magnetic coupling 
eliminates the need for a passage such as that required for a cable. To 
this end, an at least partly annular permanent magnet is provided in the 
vicinity of the outer surface of the piston. Where only one permanent 
magnet is provided, a corresponding return-circuit ring, or the like, is 
fitted to the other associated part. The necessary magnetic forces are 
preselected without any difficulty with such permanent magnets and 
production and assembly are particularly simple. Finally, the magnetic 
forces may be preselected in such a manner that, in the event of unskilled 
handling or overloading, the massage head is separated from the piston, 
thus avoiding any damage from overloads. 
According to yet another feature, a cable connected to the piston passes 
over reversing rollers and is detachably connected to the guide element of 
the carriage. If an adjustable force is exceeded, the coupling elements 
between the guide element and the cable are released automatically. 
This is a particularly reliable way of meeting the safety requirement and 
avoiding damage from overloading, especially in the event of the carriage 
being stopped. The guide element is preferably in the form of a hollow 
body in which a coupling element secured to the cable is arranged. Another 
coupling element of the guide element, which is spring preloaded, acts 
upon this coupling element. In the event of an overload, the carriage is 
automatically released from the cable. High operational safety is thus 
achieved with a simple design. 
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the water flow 
reversing control-unit comprises a control slide valve actuated by the 
carriage by means of a switch-bar guided by the other guide element of the 
carriage. Springs are arranged in the hollow guide element, in such a 
manner as to effect immediate reversing upon reaching a preselectable 
terminal position. When the carriage reaches the said terminal position, 
energy is stored by the said springs. The springs are thus preloaded until 
the retaining or frictional forces are overcome and the reversing control 
unit can carry out a direct reversal. This eliminates inadmissible 
dead-centres and ensures that the carriage always moves in one direction 
or the other and is not left standing in some intermediate position upon 
reversal. The spring elements, or energy storage means in general, take up 
no additional space, since optimal use is made of the volume of the guide 
element. According to one desirable configuration, a fixed partition is 
arranged in the interior of the guide element, the inner end of a spring 
bearing upon each side of the said partition. Arranged at the outer end of 
each spring is a body which is displaceable in relation to both the 
switch-bar and the guide element. 
The switch-bar passes through the guide element, the partition, the springs 
and the said bodies. Under normal circumstances, the guide element may 
move freely in relation to the said switch-bar. Arranged upon the 
switch-bar are sufficiently well-known adjusting elements which are used 
to restrict movement. If one of the displaceable bodies comes into contact 
with such an adjusting element, the relevant spring is first of all 
preloaded, but the switch-bar is not moved. The switch-bar is suddenly 
actuated only when a retaining force is exceeded, in such a manner that 
the control valve is also shifted to the required position. Reliable 
change-over is thus assured at a minimal cost. 
According to an additional preferred embodiment, a toothed segment is 
secured to the control slide valve and engages with a rack on the 
swtich-bar, thus providing a direct connection between the two at low 
cost. It is also desirable for a spring-element to be associated with the 
control slide valve in order to hold the latter in, and/or move it into, 
one of two terminal positions. This is a simple way of arranging for 
two-position operation so that, in co-operation with the above-mentioned 
means for storing energy, immediate and positive change-over is assured 
under all operating conditions and undesirable intermediate positions are 
avoided. 
Accordingly, the invention is herein broadly claimed as a massaging and 
showering assembly comprising: an upstanding carriage guiding rail; a 
carriage having at least one massage and shower head thereon; a water flow 
reversing control unit; an upstanding cylinder closed at the ends and 
having a piston therein for slidable reciprocating displacement; a 
controlled water source operatively connected to said flow reversing 
control unit; first means connecting said cylinder piston and said 
carriage to cause vertical reciprocation of said carriage and head along 
said guiding rail upon reciprocation of said piston; water line means 
connecting said cylinder at the ends thereof with said water flow 
reversing control unit; and second means operable by said first means to 
actuate said control unit thereby causing reversal of water flow in said 
water line means and consequent reversal of movement of said piston in 
said cylinder and hence reversal of movement of said carriage and the head 
thereon and whereby cut off of said controlled water source connected to 
said control unit causes said piston and said carriage to come to a stop, 
characterized by the improvement wherein: 
said carriage-guiding rail forms an enclosure having a front wall facing in 
the direction of water spray from said massage and shower head; 
said cylinder and piston movable therein are housed within said enclosure 
behind said front wall; 
said carriage is formed with at least one guide element, and 
said enclosure defines at least one elongated vertical opening through 
which said guide element extends to guide said carriage along said 
carriage-guiding rail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The massaging and showering assembly of FIG. 1 comprises a vertical 
cylinder 2 in which slides a piston 4. Two seal rings 6, 8 fitted around 
the outer surface of the piston ensure liquid sealing. Cylinder 2 has a 
bottom plug 10 and a cover 12, and defines with piston 4, two separate 
closed chambers 14, 16. Two water lines 18, 20 extend respectively through 
bottom plug 10 and cover 12 and are connected to a water flow reversing 
control unit 22 which contains a control slide valve and is connected to a 
water line 28. With control slide valve 22 in the setting shown in full 
lines, water flows through line 20 into upper chamber 16, thus moving 
piston 4 downwardly. Water in chamber 14 then drains away through line 18 
and control unit 22 into a collector line 30. It will be appreciated that 
the rate of adjustment of piston 4 may be preselected according to the 
setting of valve 26. 
A carriage 38 and a massage and shower head 40, mounted thereon, are 
connected to piston 4 by means of a cable 32 winding around deflecting 
pulleys 34, 36. Cooperating with carriage 38 is an upper movable stop 42 
and a lower movable stop 44 by means of which a switch-bar 46, to which 
stops 42, 44 are connected may vertically be displaced. Upon downward 
movement of piston 4, carriage 38 moves upwards by means of cable 32 until 
it hits stop 42. The latter then moves up, drawing with it bar 46 which 
pivots lever 48 to have it assume the position shown in dotted lines. The 
control slide pistons of valve 22 then move down to the setting shown in 
dotted lines. Water thereafter flows, as indicated by the dotted arrow 50, 
from the flow reversing control unit 22, through line 18 and into lower 
chamber 14, causing piston 4 to move up. As to water in chamber 16, it 
discharges into collector line 30, via line 20. 
Water is fed to head 40 through a flexible hose 52 and through an adjusting 
valve 54 which is also connected to a water line 28. If necessary, 
however, a mixing valve may be provided to mix cold and hot water in 
desired proportions. For this reason, the drawing shows no direct 
connection between the inputs to valve 26 and adjusting valve 54. There is 
no need to emphasize that the amount of water emerging from head 40 is 
controlled by the setting of adjusting valve 54. As illustrated, collector 
line 30 is also connected, upstream of adjusting valve 54, to water hose 
52 as seen by the indicated direction of flow. Thus water from the 
piston-cylinder arrangement 2, 4, which is used to adjust the position of 
head 40, also feeds into the head 40. Now, in order to prevent the water 
pressure upstream of adjusting valve 54 from acting on the piston-cylinder 
arrangement 2, 4 when valve 54 is opened, a check-valve 56 is provided 
across collector line 30. In the event that valve 26 is closed, causing 
massage head 40 to remain in a predetermined stationary position, unwanted 
movements arising from pressure otherwise acting upon the piston-cylinder 
arrangement are eliminated. 
If, for example, adjusting valve 54 is preceded by a mixing valve for hot 
and cold water, suitably preheated feed water B is then fed, through 
adjusting valve 54, to the massage and shower head 40. It is expressly 
pointed out that in such a case only cold control water S could be fed 
through valve 26 to control unit 22 and piston-cylinder arrangement 2, 4. 
The piston-cylinder arrangement 2, 4, need therefore be designed only for 
comparatively slight temperature fluctuations. Thus cylinder 2 may be made 
of aluminum or plastic, with no problems thereof arising due to changes in 
length or diameter caused by expansion and contraction. Furthermore, since 
the feed water coming out of adjusting valve 54 does not act upon the 
piston-cylinder arrangement, the latter may be designed for 
correspondingly small amounts of control water S, thus saving a not 
negligeable amount of money and space. It is obvious that space saved by a 
compact design of a massaging and showering assembly is of considerable 
importance in the usually cramped conditions existing in a shower. 
Connection elements 110, 112 are provided at the top and bottom of 
cylinder 2 for securing the assembly to a shower wall 58 shown in broken 
line. It should be pointed out that these connection elements may also be 
connected directly to a sectional rail 60, thus providing reliable support 
for the assembly as a whole. Within the scope of the invention, the 
connection elements may be designed as top and bottom parts which may, if 
necessary completely close off the sectional rail and also the guide rails 
at top and bottom. 
Broken line 58 indicates a shower wall or the like to which the massaging 
and showering assembly is secured. Merely for the sake of clarity, the low 
reversing control unit 22, pivoting lever 48, etc. are shown to the left 
of line 58 in the drawing, whereas they are actually located to right of 
the said line and in front of or behind the plane of the drawing. Shown to 
the right of the drawing is a sectional rail 60, to which the 
piston-cylinder arrangement 2, 4, the deflecting pulleys 34, 36, and the 
remaining components are attached in a suitable manner. The sectional rail 
60 thus indicated, constitutes, as it were, the housing of the assembly 
according to the invention and is secured at the top and bottom to the 
wall indicated by the broken line 58. 
FIG. 2 is a cross-section, on an enlarged scale, through piston 4 to which 
cable 32 is connected. Provided on the outer surface of piston 4 are 
sealing rings 6, 8. The piston also comprises a longitudinal passage 62 
with a pressure-relief valve 64. The latter, shown diagrammatically only, 
contains a closure element 66 in the form of a ball which is pressed upon 
a valve seat 70 by a spring 68. If pressure in chamber 16 above piston 4 
exceeds a value predetermined by this pressure-relief valve, the latter 
opens. This greatly increases the operational and functional safety of the 
assembly, since any excess pressure is simply relieved into the other 
chamber 14 and the latter is in communication with the exterior through 
the collector line 30 and the massage head 40. As indicated simply by 
broken line 72, piston 4 has another longitudinal passage likewise 
containing a pressure-relief valve, not shown, acting in the opposite 
direction. Obviously, a single double-acting pressure-relief valve could 
also be used. 
FIG. 3 shows, on an enlarged scale, a passage 74 in the form of a bore 
through bottom plug 10 of cylinder 2. d 1 is the diameter of cable 32 
while d 2 is the diameter of passage 74, but for greater clarity these 
diameters are not drawn to scale. Diameter d 2 of passage 74 is between 
3/100 and 7/100 mm greater than diameter d 1 of the cable. Length 1 of the 
said passage is at least 10 times, preferably 20 times, greater than 
diameter d 1 of cable 32. The aforesaid dimensions ensure a relatively low 
rate of water leakage, the drop in pressure taking place over length 1. It 
is of particular importance in this connection that cable 32 not rub, in 
practice, against the wall of passage 74 but that it be guided by a 
pressure cushion in a narrow annular gap 76 approximately centrally of 
passage 74. 
In the embodiment of FIG. 4, a massage and shower head 40 is provided on 
each side of sectional rail 60, the latter having a closed front wall 78 
and being closed off at the top by means of an end cap 80 to form an 
enclosure. Located at the front wall 78 of the rail 60 are adjusting cocks 
82, 84 for the above-mentioned valve 26 and for the valve 54. The cocks 
are preferably located at a suitable distance above the lower end, not 
shown, of the sectional rail 60 so that they may be easily accessible to 
an adult. Located behind front wall 78, within the enclosure defined by 
sectional rail 60, is the water hose 52 through which water passes to feed 
the heads 40. Located at the upper end of sectional rail 60 is a 
connection 86 for the water line, not shown. As may also be gathered from 
FIG. 4, water hose 52 is always suspended within sectional rail 60 in a 
manner such as to form a kind of loop at the bottom. As explained 
hereinafter, kinks in the water hose 52 are prevented by suitably guiding 
it in channels. 
FIG. 5 is a cross-section along line V--V of FIG. 4, showing the large 
enclosure defined by sectional rail 60, comprising the closed front wall 
78 adjoining lateral walls 88, 90. Broken line 58 again indicates the 
shower wall to which sectional rail 60 is secured at its upper and lower 
ends in a suitable manner. Of special significance is the fact that 
carriage 38 is arranged, as it were, behind the said sectional rail 60, 
between it and shower wall 58. A guide element 92 formed with carriage 38 
enters into the enclosure or inner chamber 94 of sectional rail 60, 
through a rear opening 108 thereof running along its longitudinal 
direction. 
The guide element 92 partly surrounds cylinder 2, represented here only 
diagrammatically, cylinder 2 thus constituting a guide member for the 
carriage 38 and the heads 40. Also located in chamber 94 are two channels 
96, 98, facing one another upon lateral walls 88, 90. These channels serve 
to guide and accommodate the water hose 52, the right-hand end of the 
hose, shown here, being connected to the carriage 38 to supply water to 
the carriage and thence to massage and shower head 40. The other end of 
hose 52, shown at the left, lies in channel 96 and is coupled to the 
above-mentioned water connection 86. Also shown in the inner chamber 94 of 
sectional rail 60 is the upper stop 42 and reversing pulley 36 for the 
cable. The massaging and showering assembly thus described is of extremely 
simple and compact design, all of the essential components being arranged 
in the hollow sectional rail 60. Above all, the mounting of the guide rail 
cylinder 2, guide element 92 and water hose 52 in the chamber 94 ensures 
operating reliability, since it practically eliminates dirt and damage. 
Apart from this, closing off the front wall of the sectional rail, 
resulting in a closed front surface, provides a particularly attractive 
assembly which is also easy to clean. 
FIG. 6 illustrates a preferred embodiment wherein carriage 38 is coupled 
magnetically to piston 4. To this end, piston 4 carries along its outer 
surface an annular permanent magnet 100 which is magnetized in the 
longitudinal direction. A corresponding permanent magnet 102 is fixed to 
carriage 38, but this magnet is magnetized in the opposite direction, as 
shown by arrows 104 and 106. This construction eliminates the aforesaid 
cable passages through the bottom and cover of the cylinder, and the 
difficulties and conditions associated therewith. In this case, piston 4 
may also comprise pressure-relief valves, not shown. 
FIG. 7 illustrates another configuration of the massaging and showering 
assembly according to the invention. Sectional rail 60 is of substantially 
trapezoidal cross-section, rear wall 114 being the shortest. Arranged in 
the inner chamber of the sectional rail 60 is a transverse wall 116 on 
which cylinder 2 is mounted. Cylinder 2 may be connected directly to 
transverse wall 116 or else to the previously mentioned connection 
elements. Located at the two front corners of rail 60 are two hollow, 
guide rails 118, 120 also called guiding cylinders, in which guide 
elements 92, 93 are displaceable in the longitudinal vertical direction of 
the sectional rail 60, i.e. at right angles to the plane of the drawing. 
In this case, carriage 38 has a central part 122 located between rear wall 
114 of sectional rail 60 and the shower wall 58. Apertures 124, 126 
through the guiding cylinders 118, 120, face, as do lateral walls 88, 90, 
rearwardly towards the shower-wall 58, and the danger of contamination is 
therefore relatively slight. Lateral walls 88, 90 extend at an obtuse 
angle 128 with respect to rear wall 114. 
Located laterally of the sectional rail 60 and guide cylinders 118, 120, 
are two holders 130, 132 for the massage and shower heads, not shown, the 
said holders being adapted to rotate about axes 134, 136, to allow the 
heads fitted to pins 138, 140 to be pivoted to the desired position. 
Friction exists between holders 130, 132 and the carriage 38, a suitable 
preload being provided by means of spring-elements or the like. A front 
closure wall, 78 in this case,is in the form of a substantially flat plate 
or sectional rail with lateral rearwardly bent edges 142, 144 whereby the 
front wall 78 may be clipped on the cylindrical outer surfaces of the 
guiding cylinders 118, 120 being secured by catches 146, 148 at the edges. 
This provides a simple and neat snap-on connection between the front 
closure wall 78 and the guiding cylinders 118, 120. This snap-on 
connection is easily released, thus allowing front closure wall 78 to be 
removed very easily. Valve 26 is shown here diagrammatically, being 
secured to front transverse wall 116 of the sectional rail 60. Its 
connection to outer adjusting cock 152 is through a stem 150, front wall 
78 being provided with a corresponding suitable opening therefor. The 
adjusting cock 152 may easily be removed from the stem and the valve, 
allowing front wall 78 to be moved forward. The shaft 154 of the upper 
reversing pulley 36 (partially cut-off) is also connected to transverse 
wall 116 and the same applies to the other reversing pulley. Passing over 
the reversing pulley 36 is cable 32 which, on the one hand, communicates 
with cylinder 2 and the piston therein and, on the other hand, runs in 
guiding cylinder 120 where it is connected to guide-element 93 of the 
carriage 38. Switch-bar 46 and upper stop 42 may be seen in the other 
guiding cylinder 118, within guide-element 92. Lines 18, 20, in the form 
of water hoses, and supply line 28 are shown diagrammatically in inner 
chamber of rail 60 between rear wall 114 and transverse wall 116. 
FIG. 8 is a cross-section of a guide-element 93 which, in this case, is 
constructed as a cylindrical, hollow body. Located within element 93 is 
the cable 32, to which a coupling element 156 is secured. The 
guide-element 93 also comprises a coupling element 158 having a cam 160 
suitable to move in an annular groove 162 of coupling element 156, a 
suitable bias being provided by a spring 164, the strength of said bias 
being adjustable by means of a screw 166. If a predetermined force is 
exceeded, as a result of the carriage 38 being halted, cam 160 disengages 
and guide element 93 and carriage 38, are then disconnected from the 
cable. Coupling element 156, secured to cable 32, has conical outer 
surfaces 168 which facilitate coupling to a not negligeable extent. 
FIG. 9 illustrates the other guide element 92 which is also in the form of 
a hollow body. Switch bar 46 passes through element 92 which also 
comprises a partition 170. Provided inside element 92, on each side of 
partition 170, are springs 172, 174 with cylindrical elements 176, 178 
resting upon the outer ends of the springs 172, 174, the said cylindrical 
elements 176, 178 being displaceable is relation to both the switch bar 46 
and the guide element 92. For example, if, during an upward movement of 
the carriage 38, element 176 reaches stop 42 secured to switch bar 46, the 
element 176 is forced into guide element 92 and spring 172 is loaded until 
the frictional, retaining, and other forces are overcome, whereupon the 
switch-bar 46 is switched over or moved completely and immediately. 
FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment wherein the flow reversing control unit 
22 has a control slide-valve which is in the form of a rotary piston 24. 
Switch-bar 46 is hinged to rotating piston 24 through a flexible 
rubber-metal element 180. The control-unit 22 comprises a housing 182 upon 
the back of which are arranged the water lines, not visible, but indicated 
by dotted lines and explained hereinafter. Collector line 30 is located at 
the centre, while water line 28 is connected radially outwardly. Water 
lines 18 and 20 enter on each side of line 28 and run to the chambers 14, 
16 of the piston-cylinder arrangement. Piston 24, which rotates in the 
direction of arrow 184, is formed with grooves 186, 188 on its end-face. 
The desired connection between the different lines is set up in accordance 
with the position of rotary piston 24. The housing comprises ducts 
associated with the said lines and these open into a surface facing 
sealingly the end face of the said piston. 
Also provided is a spring 190, the lower end of which communicates with 
housing 182 while the upper end communicates with rotating piston 24. This 
spring 190 holds the rotary piston 24 in, or moves it into, its respective 
terminal position. For instance, if piston 24 is rotated, by means of 
switch-bar 46, into the other terminal position, the spring-element is 
first of all biassed and, after passing over centre, it pulls the said 
piston into the other terminal position. A certain holding force is thus 
preselected and this is matched by the energy stored by the springs as 
explained hereinbefore in connection with FIG. 9. This combination ensures 
a reliable change-over at all times. 
In the embodiment according to FIG. 11, switch bar 46 is coupled to 
rotating piston 24 by means of a rack 192 engaging with a toothed segment 
194 secured to the said rotating piston 24. Also associated with the said 
piston is a spring-element 190 which, in this case, is in the form of a 
leaf spring connected to housing 182 in a suitable manner, one end of an 
arm 196, connected to rotating piston 24, bearing upon the leaf spring 
190. The leaf spring 190 is designed in such a manner that when piston 24 
rotates out of one terminal position into the other, a certain holding 
force or preload must first be overcome. After a certain angle of 
rotation, the piston is rotated with greater force into the other terminal 
position. The two terminal positions are therefore specifically 
preselected and this, especially in conjunction with the storage of energy 
described above, ensures a particularly reliable change-over.