WATER SPOUT WITH PLURALITY OF ARCUATELY DISPOSED OUTLETS

Abstract: The present invention comprises a water spout (10) for use in a bathtub, sink or the like and has at least one inlet (20) and a plurality of outlets (30) for discharging the water. The outlets are arranged in arcuate fashion and are sufficiently spaced to enable discrete streams of water to flow from the outlets. The outlets are disposed substantially in a single plane and define a central arc having an angle less than 180 DEG .

Description: WATER SPOUT WITH PLURALITY OF ARCUATELY DISPOSED OUTLETS The present invention is directed to a water spout and, more particularly, to a water spout having a plurality of outlets disposed in an arcuate fashion. Background of the Invention Conventional water spouts useful for bathtubs, sinks, and the like typically have a single outlet. Such single-outlet spouts have been designed in many configurations, to provide a variety of flow patterns, albeit with a single stream. Since surfaces in need of rinsing often comprise curved surfaces, for example body parts, it would be very useful to provide a spout with a plurality of outlets disposed in arcuate fashion. It would also be helpful to supply such outlets with water from more than one inlet. Summary of the Invention The present invention comprises a water spout for use in a bathtub, sink or the like having at least one inlet and a plurality of outlets for discharging the water which are arranged in arcuate fashion and are sufficiently spaced to enable discrete streams of water to flow from the outlets. The outlets are disposed substantially in a single plane and define a central arc having an angle less than 180 * . Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention mounted on a bathtub illustrated in phantom. Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the spout illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view taken along lines 3-3 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a bottom -.ew of the spout illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a perspective view of a stream εtraightener of one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is an end view of the stream straightener illustrated in Figure 6. Detailed Description The present invention comprises a spout which delivers a plurality of discrete streams of water arranged in an arcuate manner. The spout of the present invention comprise at least one inlet for receiving a flow of water. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the spout of the present invention can be used with either a single hot or cold stream of water or with a mixed stream of hot and cold water which have already been mixed at some point upstream of the spout. The present invention is particularly adapted to provide discrete streams of water with each stream emanating from a discrete outlet. In this regard, the outlets of the present invention are sufficiently spaced to provide a total water fall comprising discrete streams of water. When the present invention is utilized to dispense an already mixed, i.e. hot and cold, stream of water, additional time is provided for the temperature of the water to equilibrate. One embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 1 which shows the discrete streams emanating from spout 10 which is mounted on the side of a bathtub which is partially illustrated in phantom. With reference to Figure 2, spout 10 comprises an inlet 20 which is preferably disposed on a bottom surface 21 for easy mounting on the desired fixture. Bottom surface may be substantially planar or may take any other desired configuration such as convex, concave, or even a wave- like design to facilitate secure mounting of spout 10 onto the desired fixture. In this illustrated embodiment of the present invention, spout 10 is provided with nine cylindrical outlets 30 disposed near the forward end 12 of spout 10. The outlets 30 are arranged in an arcuate fashion having a common radius about a center point C, as best shown in Figure 4. The outlets 30, in this illustrated embodiment of the present invention, are symmetrically arranged about a central axis L-L passing through the center of inlet 20, center point C and the middle outlet. The outlets according to this embodiment define a central arc of about 65°. As used herein, the term "central arc" is the interior angle formed by extending lines from the middle of the two outer outlets to center point C. In accordance with the present invention, the central arc is preferably less than 180 * , more preferably less than about 140' and most preferably less than about 90*. While the present invention has been illustrated having a center point C which is somewhere on the spout, the present invention is not so limited. The center point may be disposed rearwardly of rear end 11 or may be at some distance forward of forward end 12 of spout 10. The central arc radius, i.e. the distance between center point C and the middle of the outlets, is preferably about 1 - 10 inches and most preferably about 3 - 5 inches. While the outlets 30 of the illustrated embodiment are substantially circular, outlets having different shapes may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention. The present invention is most preferably practiced with at least four outlets and preferably with at least five outlets disposed in an arcuate manner. Outlets 30 are properly spaced and are designed to avoid the converging of streams emanating from each of the outlets. In this regard the spacing between the circular outlets illustrated in Figure 3 is preferably at least about 10 - 50% of the radius of each of the outlets 30. The streams preferably remain separate up to distance of about 12 to 24 inches and preferably about 18 inches below outlets 30 when spout 10 is supplied with water at typical "bathroom" water pressures e.g. about 20 - 120 pounds per square inch. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that different spacings may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention and that spacing requirements may vary for outlets having different configurations. In order to maintain the discrete outflowing streams, each outlet 30 is also preferably provided with a stream straightener 35. As illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, a stream straightener 35 may simply take the shape of a cylinder having interior cross members 36, 37 which help direct water flowing through outlets 30 toward the central longitudinal axis of the outlets and to avoid the divergence of the outflowing streams. By providing a plurality of outlets 30 with individual stream straighteners 35, it has been found that better overall stream control may be obtained, resulting in less splashing, when compared to a single outlet of the same area. In the preferred illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the outlets 30 are advantageously positioned proximate the forward edge 13 of spout 10. With reference to Figure 3, it will be appreciated that by positioning outlets 30 toward the forward edge 13 of spout 10, the smooth flow of water to outlet 30 is enhanced. According to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the total outlet area which is defined by the sum of the areas of outlets 30, is greater than the area of inlet 20. This embodiment advantageously serves to reduce the water pressure between inlet 20 and outlets 30. Alternative embodiments may be sized conversely resulting in an increase in the flow rate through the outlets, rather than a decrease. In the illustrated preferred embodiment of the present invention, the entire forward end 11 of spout 10 is arcuately shaped as illustrated in the figures. In this manner, outlets 30 may each be positioned equidistant from the bottom forward edge 13 of spout 10. Spout 10 is also preferably provided with mounting means 50 such as a horizontally disposed bore adapted to receive a retaining screw for mounting spout 10 onto a conventional bathroom fixture. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that alternative methods may be used for mounting the spout of the present invention on a fixture. According to another embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 5, spout 100 is provided with a plurality of inlets 120, 120'. In this manner, spout 100 may be provided with separate inlet streams, for example, one stream for cold water and another stream for hot water. While the water may be permitted to mix and thereby allow temperature equilibration within spout 100, inner conduit 140 may also be provided with a separator 145 in order to keep the two inflowing streams separate. In this manner, some outlets will dispense hot water while other outlets will dispense cold water. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the advantages of the present invention are still achieved provided that the outlets are arranged in arcuate fashion. The spout of the present invention may advantageously be formed of conventional materials, including plastic and more preferably brass.

Claims: AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 6 February 1992 (06.02.92); "L original claim 1 amended; other claims unchanged (1 page)] 1. (As Amended) A water spout for use with bathtub, sink or the like comprising: 5 an inlet for receiving water; a single row plurality of outlets for dischargin water arranged in arcuate fashion and sufficiently space from each other between 10% to 50% of their respective radi to enable discrete streams of water to flow from each of sai 0 outlets for a distance of 12 to 24 inches before said stream merge; said outlets disposed substantially in a singl plan said outlets having a total water discharge area tha said inlet; and 5 wherein the central arc of said outlets ha [comprises] an angle of less than 90° [180°; and means for directing water from said inlet to sai outlets] . 0 5 0 5

Inventors: HART THOMAS G, LEVIEN ROBIN H, HART, THOMAS, G., LEVIEN, ROBIN, H.
Applicants: AMERICAN STANDARD INC, AMERICAN STANDARD INC.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B05B1
IPC codes: E03C1