Snap coupling with temperature readout for hand shower

A hand shower having an upstream end is connected to a downstream end of a hose to receive water therefrom by a fitting having a snap coupling and a display. The snap coupling has a male part fixed on one of the ends, a female part fixed on the other of the ends and fittable over the male part, and a latch in the female part for releasably retaining the male part therein. The display is mounted on one of the parts and gives a readout of a parameter of the water flowing through the coupling.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a snap coupling. More particularly this 
invention concerns such a coupling used at the end of a hose to connect a 
hand shower. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
German patent 2,827,847 of Hans Joachim Schmidt describes a coupling of the 
type usable to connect a hose end to a hand shower or the like. The 
coupling has a male portion with a protruding tubular sleeve and a female 
portion with a seat shaped to receive the sleeve and provided with a latch 
mechanism for holding the sleeve in place. Diametrally opposite buttons on 
the female portion can be depressed to release the latch and allow the two 
parts to be separated. Such an arrangement makes it fairly simple to 
switch shower heads, for instance to install one with a different spray 
pattern. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,360 describes a fitting which can be installed 
immediately upstream of a shower or the like to provide a direct readout 
of water temperature. This gauge has a female threaded socket on one side 
and a male threaded nipple on the other so that it can be placed, for 
instance, immediately upstream of a shower head. Mounting such a bulky 
device on a hand shower, however, is out of the question, especially 
combined with the extra bulk of a snap coupling. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
snap coupling for a hand shower or the like. 
Another object is the provision of such an improved snap coupling for a 
hand shower or the like which overcomes the above-given disadvantages, 
that is which can provide a readout of some parameter--pressure, 
temperature, flow rate--of the water being fed to the shower but that the 
adds insignificantly to the bulk of the hand shower. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A hand shower having an upstream end is connected to a downstream end of a 
hose to receive water therefrom by a fitting having a snap coupling and a 
display. The snap coupling has a male part fixed on one of the ends, a 
female part fixed on the other of the ends and fittable over the male 
part, and a latch in the female part for releasably retaining the male 
part therein. The display is mounted on one of the parts and gives a 
readout of a parameter of the water flowing through the coupling. 
Thus according to the invention the display, which can be made very small 
with today's subminiature electronics, is incorporated right in the snap 
coupling. This makes it a very convenient retrofit and is of particular 
interest with a hand shower. 
According to the invention the display is mounted on the male part and the 
female part is integral with the hand shower. The display includes a 
temperature sensor so that it can show temperature, normally digitally. 
In accordance with further features of this invention the male part is 
formed with a recess on a side opposite the display, has therein a battery 
for powering the display, and is provided with a watertight cover for 
closing the recess over the battery. In addition the male part is formed 
with a central flow tube and with an annular compartment around this tube 
and the recess opens into this compartment. Conductors extend through the 
compartment between the battery and the display and the temperature sensor 
projects through the tube into the compartment. It is possible for the 
male part to be formed of two sections joined together at a plane crossing 
the compartment. 
In accordance with another system according to the invention the male part 
is formed with a longitudinal passage for the throughflow of water and a 
transverse passage traversing the longitudinal passage and forming the 
recess. The display is mounted on an insert matingly engageable in and 
through the transverse recess. The transverse passage is of generally 
square section and the insert has an end of complementary square section 
and a central portion of substantially smaller size in the longitudinal 
passage. 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more 
readily apparent from the following, it being understood that any feature 
described with reference to one embodiment of the invention can be used 
where possible with any other embodiment and that reference numerals or 
letters not specifically mentioned with reference to one figure but 
identical to those of another refer to structure that is functionally if 
not structurally identical. In the accompanying drawing: 
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the hand shower according to the 
invention; 
FIG. 2 is a large-scale view of a detail of FIG. 1 with the shower turned 
90.degree.; 
FIGS. 3 and 4 are longitudinal axial sections through the male part of the 
coupling taken along 90.degree. offset planes; 
FIG. 5 is a section taken along line V--V of FIG. 3; 
FIGS. 6 and 7 are views like FIGS. 3 and 4 of a variant on the system of 
this invention; and 
FIG. 8 is a top view of the coupling part of FIGS. 6 and 7.

DESCRIPTION 
As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 a hand shower 10 according to this invention has a 
handle 11 integrally formed with a female snap-coupling part 1 that fits 
on a male coupling part 2 provided with a temperature indicator 3 having 
an LCD or LED display 31. The male coupling part 2 itself is mounted on a 
sleeve 210 carried at the outer end of a hose 21 and adapted to fit into a 
wall bracket. The handle 11 has one or two latch-actuating pushbuttons 12 
that can be depressed to separate the shower 10 from the hose 21 in the 
manner described in the above-cited German patent. 
FIGS. 3 through 5 show how the male coupling part 2 has a central passage 
or flow tube 20 centered on an axis A and is formed of two parts joined 
axially at a joint 27 extending roughly perpendicular to the axis A. This 
part 2 forms an annular compartment 23 around the central tube 20 that 
opens at one side at a recess 22 housing a small battery 32 held in place 
by a plug 32 34. On its other side it houses the electronics of the 
indicator 3 that are connected via wires 24 in the compartment 23 to the 
battery 32 and that has a sensor wire 25 that extends into the tube 20 to 
detect the temperature of the water therein. The plug 34 screws in and has 
a seal ring 35 to make the joint water-tight, and similarly the indicator 
3 has a seal ring 35 to keep water out of the electronics. 
In FIGS. 6 through 8 the part 2' has a square-section passage 26 into which 
fits a casing 33 holding the display 31 and its electronics 3'. This 
casing 33 has an outer end portion 331 of a square shape complementary to 
the hole 26 but is centrally formed as a small-diameter cylindrical tube 
330 around which the water flows and seal rings 331 are provided to each 
side of the passage 20 to prevent leakage. The casing 33 is held in place 
by a set screw or is permanently glued in. It can have a small solar cell 
36 to power the assembly and a small button 37 can be provided as an 
on-off switch to operate it.