Faucet

A hot and cold water faucet having a concave base and hot and cold water outlets in the base which, following the concave curvature, are positioned forwardly of a rearwardly located inlet into the faucet, and thus the water connections from opposite directions to the faucet inlet converge at an angle rather than head-to-head and this contributes to better mixing into a luke warm temperature of the water flowing into the faucet.

The present invention relates generally to hot and cold water faucets in 
the use of which valve-controlled amounts of hot and cold water are 
typically intermixed so that neither too hot nor too cold, but warm, water 
exits from the faucet for use, and more particularly, relates to 
improvements in achieving a warm temperature condition in the exiting 
water mixture. 
EXAMPLE OF THE PRIOR ART 
All bases of hot and cold water faucets known to be in use are rectangular 
in shape, as illustrated in the prior art FIGS. 1 and 2, and, the practice 
has been to situate the hot and cold water outlets and the faucet inlet 
housed within said rectangular base at locations dictated by this shape, 
which is a linear relationship. 
This practice need not have been followed with "Bath Tub or Similar 
Fitting" of U.S. Design Pat. No. 45,861 issued to J. J. Divekey on Jun. 2, 
1914 because the base thereof was not of a typical rectangular shape, but 
a FIG. 3 perspective indicates the probable use of a linear relationship 
between water outlets and faucet inlet housed in the base even though, as 
will subsequently be explained in greater detail, a linear alignment of 
outlets and inlet hinders achieving proper mixing of the hot and cold 
water. 
Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved 
hot and cold water dispensing faucet overcoming the foregoing and other 
shortcomings of the prior art. 
More particularly, it is an object to modify the directional flow paths of 
the hot and cold water input into the faucet which contributes to 
achieving a desired warm temperature in the exiting water mixtures with 
nominal valve manipulation, all as will be better understood as the 
description proceeds.

Shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for comparison and better understanding of the 
within inventive faucet shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is a faucet 10 situated 
between a left side hot water valve-controlling knob 12 and a right side 
cold water valve-controlling knob 14 wherein said faucet 10 and knobs 12, 
14 are appropriately mounted, in a known manner, in a rectangular base 16 
which base, as best shown in the plan view perspective of FIG. 2, houses a 
hot water outlet 18 at one end and, at an opposite end, a cold water 
outlet 20, such that valve-controlled amounts of hot water 22 and cold 
water 24 using the knobs 12, 14 flow from opposite directions through 
passage means 26 and 28 into an inlet 30 of the faucet 10 from which an 
intermixture of hot and cold water flows in ascending movement 32 under 
back pressure through passage means 34 and through the faucet 10 into a 
sink (not shown) or the like. 
Underlying the present invention is the recognition that the intermixing of 
the hot and cold water at the faucet inlet 30 is hindered by the directly 
opposing contact of the flow paths 36 and 38 such that the exiting flow 
from the faucet might be too hot if the hot water pressure exceeds that of 
the cold water or, conversely, might be too cold if the cold water 
pressure is the greater. To achieve exiting flow from the faucet that is 
neither too hot nor too cold often requires rotative manipulation of the 
knobs 12 and 14 guided by feel of the temperature of the exiting flow. 
The within inventive faucet as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 embodies 
improvements, as will now be described, which contributes to facilitated 
intermixing of the hot and cold water and the obviating, for all intents 
and purposes, and pressure differences in the cold water and hot water 
inputs into the faucet. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the structural features already 
described in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same but 
primed reference numerals, to enhance immediate recognition of the 
improvements designated by an unprimed reference numeral. 
More particularly, according to the present invention faucet 10' and the 
hot water and cold water valve-controlling knobs 12' and 14' are 
appropriately mounted in a concave curved base 40 which, as may be best 
understood from the plan view perspective of FIG. 4, situates the hot 
water outlet 18' and cold water outlet 20' at opposite ends and in forward 
locations, denoted at 42 and 44 in the base 40 and situates the faucet 
inlet 30' in the middle and in a rearward located, denoted at 46 of the 
base 40. As a consequence, the flow passages 36' and 38 following the 
concave curvature of the base 40, are connected from the outlets 18' and 
20' to the faucet inlet 30' at subtending acute angles 48 and 50 to a 
reference line 52 connected directly between the centers of the outlets 
18', 20'. The flow paths 54 and 56 of the hot and cold water into the 
inlet 30' are thus not in direct opposition to each other, but are at the 
acute angles 48 and 50, thereby obviating pressure difference in the hot 
and cold water that have heretofore interfered with achieving desired 
temperatures in the water mixture exiting from the faucet 10'. 
Optionally, the ends 58 and 60 of the flow passages 36' and 38' at the 
inlet 30' can be connected in tangential relation thereto which, in 
practice, causes a rotative movement 62 in the incoming water and an 
optimum intermixing of the hot and cold water at inlet 30' and 
subsequently during the ascending movement 32' thereof incident to exiting 
flow from the faucet 10'. 
While the apparatus herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable 
of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, 
it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently 
preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended 
to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined 
in the appended claims.