Spray head

Abstract: A spray head, especially for a shower, comprises a body 1 for connection to a water supply, a hollow perforated sprayplate 4 attached to the body 1 for affording a required spray pattern, the interior of the sprayplate 4 being divided into inner and outer chambers 19 and 20 each corresponding to a particular spray pattern, each of the chambers 19 and 20 having one or more feed apertures 23 and 24 respectively for supplying water to the respective chamber, sealing means 25 being provided for selectively sealing the feed apertures 23 and 24 to the chambers 19 and 20 when the sprayplate 4 is rotated to change the spray pattern afforded thereby.

Description: This invention relates to spray heads and is especially applicable to adjustable spray heads for use in showers. Adjustable spray heads for showers are known but tend to be rather complex in nature, consisting of many interfitting parts, resulting in the spray head being relatively expensive to manufacture and difficult for a user to dismantle and clean. From FR-A-2 275 254 there is known a spray head comprising a body member for connection to a water supply, a sprayplate assembly attached to said body member, said sprayplate assembly comprising an outer perforated sprayplate and an inner plate, the space between said sprayplate and said inner plate being formed as a plurality of separate chambers each corresponding to a particular spray pattern, said inner plate, in use of said spray head, having water in said body member in direct contact with a major part of the surface thereof, and having aperture means therein corresponding to each of said chambers for admitting water in said body member into the respective chamber. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved form of adjustable spray head for a shower which consists of few parts and which is easily dismantled for cleaning purposes. This object is achieved by the shower head according to the prior art portion of claim 1 comprising the features of the characterising portion of claim 1 In carrying out the invention it may be arranged that the space between said sprayplate and said inner plate is formed as two separate chambers, and the means for selectively sealing the aperture means of each chamber is effective for sealing the aperture means of one of said chambers, the aperture means of the other of said chambers, or neither of said aperture means. In an especially preferred arrangement each chamber is provided with two apertures for admitting water thereto, and two spaced apart sealing members are provided, corresponding to the said two apertures in each chamber, in which case it may advantageously be arranged that in one position of said sprayplate assembly the two sealing members seal the two apertures on one of said chambers to afford one spray pattern, in another position of said sprayplate assembly the two sealing members seal the two apertures in the other of said chambers to afford a second spray pattern, and in yet another position of said sprayplate assembly the two sealing members seal one aperture in each of said chambers to afford a third spray pattern, whereby the water flow rate for each spray pattern is the same. It may be arranged that indexing means is provided for indexing the rotary position of said sprayplate assembly, in which case the indexing means and the two sealing members may be equi-angularly spaced about the rotary axis of said sprayplate assembly. Advantageously each of said sealing members may comprise a spring-loaded resilient ball, and the indexing means may also comprise a spring-loaded ball which coacts with indents in said inner plate, said balls being adapted to rotate when said sprayplate assembly is rotated to effect self-cleaning thereof. In carrying out the invention a circular support structure may be provided secured to said body member and on which said indexing means and said sealing members are carried, and filter means may be provided surrounding said support structure for filtering water fed to said sprayplate assembly. Said filter means is preferably of cylindrical form. It may be arranged that said sprayplate assembly comprises one or more sealing gaskets clamped between said outer perforated sprayplate and said inner plate. Said inner plate may be provided with a generally cylindrical boss which extends into a central circular hole in said support structure and about which boss said sprayplate assembly is rotated. It may be arranged that the end of said boss is provided with three equi-angularly spaced radially disposed protrusions which coact with corresponding slots in said circular hole, whereby said boss is inserted in said hole and is rotated therein to cause it to be retained in position. Advantageously, the protrusions on said boss, and the corresponding slots in said circular hole are of different sizes whereby said boss may be inserted in said hole in only one rotary position. It may be arranged that said sprayplate assembly is provided with a radially extending projection for facilitating rotary movement thereof. An exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a spray head in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the outlet part of the spray head of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the sprayplate of Fig. 1; and Figs. 4 to 6 are diagrammatic plan views of the sprayplate of Fig. 1 shown in each of its three positions. The spray head shown in Fig. 1 comprises a hollow body 1 having a threaded portion 2 at one end for connection to a water supply pipe (not shown). The other end of the body 1 is provided with an outlet hole 3 in which is located a hollow sprayplate 4 formed by an outer perforated plate 5 and an inner plate 6. The inner plate 6 and a generally cylindrical boss 7 are attached to the perforated plate 5 by means of a screw (not shown) which extends through a central hole 8 in the boss 7 and in the inner plate 6 and engages a central boss 9 in the centre of the perforated plate 5 into which it is screwed. Within the body 1 and coaxial with the outlet hole 3 is disposed a circular support structure 10 which is secured to the body 1 by means of screws 11. The support structure 10 is provided with a central aperture 12 which is adapted to receive the cylindrical boss 7 attached to the sprayplate 4. The aperture 12 is provided with three circumferentially spaced cut-outs 13 which correspond to three circumferentially spaced radial protrusions 14 provided on the boss 7. The sprayplate 4 is attached to the body 1 by inserting the boss 7 of the sprayplate 4 into the aperture 12 in the support structure 10, so that the radial protrusions 14 on the boss 7 align with the cut-outs 13 in the support structure 10, and by rotating the sprayplate 4 so that the protrusions 14 engage with a back surface of the support structure 10 to retain it in position on the body 1. One of the cut-outs 13 in the support structure 10 and a corresponding one of the radial protrusions 14 on the boss 7 is made smaller than the others, so that the sprayplate 4 may be attached to the body 1 in only one angular position thereof. A sealing ring (not shown) would be provided between the sprayplate 4 and the rim of the outlet hole 3 in the body 1. The hollow interior of the sprayplate 4 formed between the outer perforated plate 5 and the inner plate 6 is divided into two separate chambers by means of a circumferential wall member 15 in the outer perforated plate 5 which aligns with a ring sealing gasket 16 provided within the periphery of the rim of the inner plate 6, and by means of a shaped wall member 17 provided on the outer perforated plate 5 which aligns with a similarly shaped sealing gasket 18 provided on the inside of the inner plate 6. The wall members 15 and 17 define an inner chamber 19 and an outer chamber 20 between the outer perforated plate 5 and the inner plate 6. The inner chamber 19 is provided with perforations 21 in the outer perforated plate 5, the size, number, and positioning of which are chosen to afford a desired water spray pattern from the spray head, and similarly the outer chamber 20 is provided with perforations 22 in the outer perforated plate 5, the size, number, and positioning of which are chosen to afford a different water spray pattern to that afforded by the perforations 21. An adjustable spray pattern is afforded by the spray head thus far described by controlling the flow of water to the chambers 19 and 20. Thus, when water is supplied to chamber 19 only, one spray pattern is obtained, when water is supplied to chamber 20 only, a second spray pattern is obtained, and when water is supplied to both of the chambers 19 and 20 a third spray pattern is obtained. Control of water flow from the body 1 of the spray head to one or other or both of the chambers 19 and 20 is effected by means of respective pairs of apertures 23 and 24 in the inner plate 6 which open into the inner chamber 19 and outer chamber 20, respectively, and by means of a pair of spring-loaded resilient sealing balls 25 mounted on the support structure 10 secured to the body 1, it being arranged that the sealing balls 25 bear on the outer surface 6' of the inner plate 6, and the sprayplate 4 is rotated relative to the body 1 to cause the pairs of sealing balls 25 to be moved into and out of sealing engagement with the pairs of apertures 23 and 24 in the inner plate 6. A radially disposed handle 26 is provided on the outer perforated plate 5 to facilitate adjustment of the sprayplate 4 to the required setting. The support structure 10 also carries a spring-loaded metallic index ball 27 which engages with spaced depressions (not shown) provided in the outer surface 6' of the inner plate 6 in order to define the different angular positions of the sprayplate 4. The pair of sealing balls 25 and the index ball 27 are disposed in a triangular configuration to equalise the pressure on the surface 6' of the inner plate 6 and have the advantage that as the sprayplate 4 is rotated, the sealing balls 25 are each also rotated, thereby causing them to be self-cleaned. A generally cylindrical filter 28 is provided extending around the circular support structure 10 in order to filter the water fed to the sprayplate 4. It will be appreciated that the simple construction of the spray head which has been described, based on very few parts, enables an easily adjustable spray head to be obtained, which is easily dismountable for cleaning purposes. In Fig. 2 of the drawings there is shown a somewhat diagrammatic view of the outlet part of the spray head already described with reference to Fig. 1. The body 1 is provided with a through bore 29 which conveys water from the threaded portion 2 (Fig. 1) to the area surrounding the filter 28. Water filters through the filter 28 into the general area above the cylindrical support structure 10 which is secured to the body 1 such as by the screw 11. The support structure 10 is provided with a spring-loaded index ball 27 which engages with an indexing depression 30 provided in the surface 6' of the inner plate 6 of the sprayplate 4. The general construction of the spring-loaded sealing balls 25 also provided on the support structure 10 may be the same as that of the index ball 27. The sprayplate 4 comprises the outer perforated plate 5 which has the inner plate 6 and the central cylindrical boss 7 secured to it by means of a screw 31, one of the radial protrusions 14 being shown. The outer perforated plate 5 is provided with the circumferential wall member 15 which engages with the ring sealing gasket 16 of the inner plate 6, and with the shaped wall member 17 which engages the shaped sealing gasket 18 of the inner plate 6, thereby to form the inner chamber 19 and the outer chamber 20. One of the pair of apertures 23 to the inner chamber 19 is shown in the inner plate 6. In the position shown in Fig. 2, the aperture 23 is not in engagement with one of the sealing balls 25 (not shown in Fig. 2) so water is free to pass through the aperture 23 into the inner chamber 19 and out through the perforations 21 in the outer perforated plate 5 corresponding to the inner chamber 19. By rotating the sprayplate 4, by means of the handle 26, the apertures 23 can be brought into sealing engagement with the pair of sealing balls 25, in order to prevent water flow into the inner chamber 19. In Fig. 3 of the drawings there is shown a diagrammatic plan view of the sprayplate 4 of Fig. 1. The sprayplate 4 includes the outer perforated plate 5 having the perforations 21 and 22 corresponding to the inner chamber 19 and outer chamber 20 respectively. The outer perforated plate 5 has the circumferential wall member 15 and the shaped wall member 17, shown in dashed lines, defining the inner chamber 19 and outer chamber 20, and the pair of apertures 23 corresponding to the inner chamber 19 is shown as is the pair of apertures 24 corresponding to the outer chamber 20. The index depressions in the surface 6' of the inner plate 6 are also shown at 32. In Figs. 4 to 6 of the drawings there is shown diagrammatic plan views of the sprayplate 4 of Fig. 1 in each of three different positions, and showing more specifically the disposition of the sealing balls 25 and index ball 27 relative to the pairs of apertures 23 and 24. In Fig. 4, the sprayplate 4 is shown in its mid-position in which the sealing balls 25 are both disposed between adjacent apertures 23 and 24 so that all of the apertures 23 and 24 are open, thereby allowing water to be fed into both the inner chamber 19 and the outer chamber 20 whereby water is emitted by all of the perforations 21 and 22 (Fig. 3). In this position the index ball 27 aligns with one of the index depressions 32. In Fig. 5, the sprayplate 4 is rotated counterclockwise relative to that in Fig. 4, in which the pair of sealing balls 25 are in sealing engagement with the apertures 24, thereby preventing water supply to the outer chamber 20. Water is therefore fed only to the inner chamber 19 via apertures 23 so that water is emitted only from the perforations 21 (Fig. 3) corresponding to the inner chamber. In this position the index ball 27 aligns with another of the index depressions 32. In Fig. 6, the sprayplate 4 is rotated clockwise relative to that in Fig. 4, in which the pair of sealing balls 25 is in sealing engagement with the apertures 23, thereby preventing water supply to the inner chamber 19. Water is therefore fed only to the outer chamber 20 via apertures 24 so that water is emitted only from the perforations 22 (Fig. 3) corresponding to the outer chamber 20. In this position the index ball 27 aligns with yet another of the index depressions 32. It will be appreciated that the spray head which has been described has been given by way of example only and may be modified to suit any particular application. For example, the hollow sprayplate 4 may be divided into more than two chambers, thereby affording a greater number of spray patterns. Although the provision of spring-loaded sealing balls 25 has been provided other means of sealing the feed apertures 23 and 24 could be used. It may also be arranged that in the mid-position of the sprayplate 4, the sealing balls 25 could be in sealing engagement with one of each of the pairs of feed apertures 23 and 24 whereby water flow through the spray head is constant for each of the positions of the sprayplate 4.

Claims: A spray head comprising a body member for connection to a water supply, a sprayplate assembly attached to said body member, said sprayplate assembly comprising an outer perforated sprayplate and an inner plate, the space between said sprayplate and said inner plate being formed as a plurality of separate chambers each corresponding to a particular spray pattern, said inner plate, in use of said spray head, having water in said body member in direct contact with a major part of the surface thereof, and having aperture means therein corresponding to each of said chambers for admitting water in said body member into the respective chamber, characterised by sealing means fixedly secured to said body member and in contact with the surface of said inner plate, and in that said sprayplate assembly is rotatable relative to said sealing means for selectively moving the aperture means of each chamber into contact with the sealing means for controlling the spray pattern afforded by said sprayplate assembly. A spray head as claimed in claim 1, in which the space between said sprayplate and said inner plate is formed as two separate chambers, and the means for selectively sealing the aperture means of each chamber is effective for sealing the aperture means of one of said chambers, the aperture means of the other of said chambers, or neither of said aperture means. A spray head as claimed in claim 1, in which each chamber is provided with two apertures for admitting water thereto, and in which two spaced apart sealing members are provided, corresponding to the said two apertures in each chamber. A spray head as claimed in claim 3, in which in one position of said sprayplate assembly the two sealing members seal the two apertures in one of said chambers to afford one spray pattern, in another position of said sprayplate assembly the two sealing members seal the two apertures in the other of said chambers to afford a second spray pattern, and in yet another position of said sprayplate assembly the two sealing members seal one aperture in each of said chambers to afford a third spray pattern, whereby the water flow rate for each spray pattern is the same. A spray head as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, comprising indexing means for indexing the rotary position of said sprayplate assembly. A spray head as claimed in claim 5, in which the indexing means and the two sealing members are equi-angularly spaced about the rotary axis of said sprayplate assembly. A spray head as claimed in claim 6, in which each of said sealing members comprises a spring-loaded resilient ball. A spray head as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, in which the indexing means comprises a spring-loaded ball which coacts with indents in said inner plate. A spray head as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, in which said balls are adapted to rotate when said sprayplate assembly is rotated. A spray head as claimed in any of claims 6 to 9, comprising a circular support structure secured to said body member and on which said indexing means and said sealing members are carried, and filter means surrounding said support structure for filtering water fed to said sprayplate assembly. A spray head as claimed in claim 10, in which said filter means is of cylindrical form. A spray head as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising one or more sealing gaskets clamped between said outer perforated sprayplate and said inner plate. A spray head as claimed in claim 12 when dependent upon claim 10, in which said inner plate is provided with a generally cylindrical boss which extends into a central circular hole in said support structure, and about which boss said sprayplate assembly is rotated. A spray head as claimed in claim 13, in which the end of said boss is provided with three equi-angularly spaced radially disposed protrusions which coact with corresponding slots in said circular hole, whereby said boss is inserted in said hole and is rotated therein to cause it to be retained in position. A spray head as claimed in claim 14, in which the protrusions on said boss, and the corresponding slots in said circular hole are of different sizes whereby said boss may be inserted in said hole in only one rotary position. A spray head as claimed in any of claims 1 to 15, in which said sprayplate assembly is provided with a radially extending projection for facilitating rotary movement thereof.

Inventors: BRASH ROBIN EDWARD, HART KEITH ALAN, MURRAY NOEL MICHAEL, BRASH, ROBIN EDWARD, HART, KEITH ALAN, MURRAY, NOEL MICHAEL
Applicants: TRITON PLC
Application year: 1992
Main classification: B05B1
IPC codes: B05B1