Push button controlled multifunction shower head

Abstract: A push button controlled multifunction shower head. The push button (24) moves a pawl (56) attached to spring (60) biased slide, the pawl (56) bearing against a ratchet wheel (62) which is rotated through a predetermined arcuate step responsive to each push button operation. The ratchet wheel (62) moves a shutter which directs water into a selected one of several races, each race being individually associated with a spray pattern. The shower head may be built into a hand held housing wherein the handle may be held and the push button (24) may be operated by one hand.

Description: This invention relates to multifunction shower heads and more particularly to such shower heads wherein any one of a plurality of spray patterns may be selected in a simple and easy manner by the push of a button. Multifunction shower heads are able to deliver water in any of many different spray patterns, such as a fine spray, a coarse spray, or a pulsating spray. Of course, many other spray patterns may also be provided. These multifunction shower heads may be offered in both wall mounted and hand held models. Therefore, the same internal mechanism should be usable in either model. In the specification of United States patent number 4,398,669, which was published on August 16 1983 and which represents the prior art as referred to in the preamble of claims 1 and 9, there was proposed a fluid shower spray discharge apparatus in which there was pulsation of the fluid delivered from an inlet to an outlet. Variations in the pulsation were achieved by directing the fluid through different paths as a result of rotating a housing relative to a base plate employing a knurled ring. A lever was also coupled via gears to rotate a sleeve having a flange which provided shutters for the control of the fluid through groups of orifices to a cavity containing an impeller. The conventional multifunction shower heads generally require the user to turn a selector ring or dial in order to select a desired function. Turning this ring is not too easily performed by a person having soapy hands. On the wall mounted shower heads, the person tends to look at the shower head while he turns the selector ring or dial and, therefore, may get an unexpected spray in the face as the spray pattern changes from, say a narrow and directed stream to a wide pattern spray. A hand held shower head is usually connected to the end of a flexible rubber hose; hence, it is generally necessary to hold the shower head in one hand and to turn a selector ring or dial with the other hand in order to select a shower spray pattern. Since the selector ring or dial is on the side of the hand held shower head which issues the water, it is necessary to either turn off the water every time that the selector ring is turned or reach around to the bottom of the shower head and turn the ring from below the head, which is very awkward. For these and many other reasons, it would be desirable to provide a shower head having a way to select a shower spray pattern quickly and easily without having to look at a dial. On the hand held model, it is desirable to make a selection by the thumb on the same hand that is holding the shower head, without having to either turn off the water or risk spraying in an unwanted direction. A feature of an arrangement to be described, by way of example in illustration of the present invention as defined in claim 1 and in claim 9, is the use of a push button operation to provide the control of a multifunction spray pattern selector in a shower head. Other features of arrangements to be described below by way of example in illustration of the invention are that most of the same piece parts may be used to provide both a wall mounted and a hand held shower head, that, in the hand held model, multifunction spray patterns may be selected by the thumb of the hand holding the shower head, and that such a shower head is more resistant to inoperativeness through a liming of parts than previously proposed heads. In a particular embodiment illustrative of the invention to be described below by way of example, a shower head has a push button operated pawl and ratchet wheel cam controlled spray pattern selector in which a ratchet wheel takes one step with each push operation. A gear associated with the ratchet wheel rotates through an arc corresponding to the step of the ratchet wheel. Each rotation of this gear turns a shutter plate which switches the water flow from one shower pattern to the next. The following description and drawings disclose, by means of an example, the invention which is characterised in the appended claims, whose terms determine the extent of the protection conferred hereby. In the drawings:- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a wall mounted model of a shower head, Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a hand held model, Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the hand held model, Fig. 3A is a plan view of a propeller or turbine for giving a pulsating spray pattern, Fig. 4 shows a portion of the hand held shower head with a number of parts removed, Fig. 5 is a cross section taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a cross section taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a flow chamber. The exterior housing 20 of the wall mounted (Fig. 1) and 22 of the hand held (Fig. 2) shower heads have a push button 24 extending therefrom. The wall mounted model 20 is installed by turning a coupler 28 onto an overhead plumbing pipe (not shown) projecting from the wall. The hand held model is connected to the plumbing via a rubber hose (not shown) attached to a coupler 30 at the end of the handle 26. The push button 24 may be located at any convenient position on the shower head; however, these figures show the push button in the position which is judged to be most convenient. In the hand held model (Fig. 2), the push button 24 is located so that it may be operated by the thumb of a hand holding the handle 26. This enables a person to point the shower head in any convenient direction while moving his thumb in order to change the spray pattern. The same face plate 32 (Fig. 2) may be used on both the wall mounted and hand held shower heads. One spray pattern of water emitting holes form a circular pattern of openings 34 which may issue a fine spray. Another circular pattern of openings 36 may issue a coarse spray. Grouped openings 38a-38c issue a pulsing spray. Any other suitable pattern of water spray holes may be provided, such as a center opening to emit a steady stream, gusher or other spray pattern of water, for example. The symbols at 42 are internationally adopted symbols which identify the spray pattern which has been selected. The internal parts of the shower head are shown in the exploded view of Fig. 3, and in other figures. While the parts in Fig. 3 are shown in hand held housing 22, it should be understood that they could also be in the wall mounted housing which is essentially identical to the hand held version except for the device 28 (Fig. 1) that makes a connection with the hose or plumbing pipe. In Figs. 3-6, a water passage way 46 leads from the hose coupler 30 through handle 26 to the water emitting part of the shower head. Inside the shower head a recoil spring biased slide 48 is mounted to move back and forth (directions A,B) between normal and off normal positions. The slide plate is slidingly held by guide ways 50 and 51 (Fig. 4) and by cut out openings 52 and 53 (Figs. 3, 7). A recoil spring 54 urges the slide to a normal or an outwardly extending (direction B) position. When pushed, the push button 24 moves the slide (direction A) to an off normal or an inward position. An actuator pawl 56 is pivotally attached (Fig. 4) to slide 48 at a pivot point 58. The pawl is a molded plastic part having a leaf spring 60 integrally formed at the back in order to bias the front of the pawl into engagement against a wheel ratchet cam 62. Each time that the push button 24 is pushed, slide 48 moves in direction A to the off normal position. Actuator pawl 56 pushes against a tooth on the ratchet wheel cam 62 to cause it to take one rotary step about an arc determined by the length of the slide 48 excursion. Each time that the push button is released, the recoil spring 54 causes the pawl 56 to return to the normal position. Leaf spring 60 allows the pawl 60 to pass over the apex of next to the pushed tooth and then to drop into and engage the root of the next tooth on the ratchet wheel cam 62. An inner housing 64 supports the parts. An upstanding collar 66 receives an O-ring 68 that makes a water tight seal between the inner housing 64 and the water channel 46 in handle 26. The inner housing 64 has the integrally formed guides 50 and 51 and a cut out section 52 for guiding and directing slide 48 as it moves back and forth. An opening 72 receives a shaft 74 of a drive gear 76. The ratchet wheel cam 62 fits on the top of shaft 74. Each time that pawl 56 pushes against a tooth of the ratchet wheel cam 62, the drive gear 76 rotates through a particular arc corresponding to the excursion of the ratchet wheel cam. An O-ring 78 makes a water tight seal between the shaft 74 and the inner housing plate 64. A shutter plate 80 is an integral plastic part having a axle formed by a collar 82 which fits into a corresponding collar 66 of inner housing 64. Collar 66 is, in effect, a bearing for the axle 82. Shutter plate 80 has a peripheral gear 84 which meshes with the drive gear 76. Hence, the shutter plate 80 takes an incremental rotary excursion every time that the push button 24 is turned. The shutter plate 80 has a hole or holes 86 (Figs. 5 and 6) therein which aligns with a different channel 92, 94, 96 in diverter plate 90 (Fig. 7) on each step caused by the motion responsive to each push button operation. Depending upon which of the channels 92, 94, 96 of the diverter plate 90 is selected by the stopping position of the shutter plate hole 86, water will flow along a particular diverter plate channel, and out an associated hole H1, H2, or H3, and into a selected race feeding an individually associated pattern of face plate spraying holes 34, 36, 38 (Fig. 2), thereby selecting the spray pattern of water issuing from the head. From Fig. 7, it will be observed that the same channel pattern is repeated five times on diverter plate 90. The shutter plate 80 may have five holes equally spaced around it periphery in order to feed water to an individually associated one of the diverter plate channels which gives a better balance of mechanical forces within the shower head. A second inner support plate 98 (Fig. 3) forms a means for supporting both the shutter plate 80 and the diverter plate 90. On the upper side of support plate 98 is an upstanding circular wall 100 which receives an O-ring 102 that seals off the water chamber. Support plate 98 has the cut out area 53 which is part of the guide channel in which the push button controlled slide 48 moves. The lower axle 106 on drive gear 76 fits through a hole 108 in the support plate 98. An O-ring 110 fits over axle 106 to make a water tight seal. Mounted on the bottom of shaft 106 is a gear 112 which moves in unison with drive gear 76 and which is coupled to turn an indicator ring 114 for displaying a symbol 42 (Fig. 2) identifying the selected spray pattern. A elastomeric gasket 118 has a number of holes (such as 120, 122) formed therein. The shutter gear 80 selects a flow channel (really five channels in the repeated patterns) on the diverter plate 90 which leads to a number of the holes 120, 122 in gasket 118. These holes are positioned over a number of races, such as 124, in a lower housing 126. Accordingly, the position of shutter plate 80 determines which of the races is energized with water and, therefore, the spray pattern of water that will issue from the shower head. A number of thread cutting screws (such as 128) pass through holes such as 130, 132, 134 in order to secure the assembly extending from inner housing 64 through lower housing 126. The individual races 124 in the lower housing 126 are positioned behind individually associated patterns of spray holes 34-40 (Fig. 2). Thus, if the shutter plate 80 (Fig. 3) is positioned over diverter plate 90 to direct water into the first or outer most race 124, water is emitted in a fine spray through holes 34. If the shutter plate 80 is positioned to direct water through the second or intermediate race 136, a coarse spray is emitted through a circular pattern of coarse holes 36. Of course, more spray patterns may be provided in the same manner. A propeller or turbine 140 (Fig. 3A) has upstanding fins 142 which are impinged by a stream or streams of water when the shutter plate 80 diverts water into a race in which the turbine is. This impinging stream of water spins the turbine. Integrally attached to the bottom edges of fins 42, flange 144 extends around approximately three quarters of the circumference of the turbine, leaving an open space 145. At any given time one of the groups of holes 38a-38c (Fig. 2) is uncovered while the other two groups of these holes are covered. Thus, as the turbine 140 spins, first open space 145 is over holes 38a (Fig. 2) and they are uncovered so that water issues therefrom. Then, holes 38a are covered by flange 144 and holes 38b are uncovered by open space 145 so that water issues therefrom. Next, the spinning turbine uncovers holes 38c and water issues therefrom, while flange 144 covers holes 38a, 38b. Thereafter, turbine 140 again uncovers holes 38a. As a result, the user feels a pulsating stream of water. In this particular embodiment, the face plate 150, lower housing 126, gasket 118, and diverter plate 90, are secured to the bottom of the shower head by a self tapping screw 152 driven into a boss 154 on the bottom of support plate 98. A plastic cap 156 snaps into a hole in the center of the face plate 150 to decorate and conceal the screw head. Those who are skilled in the art will readily perceive how to modify the invention. Therefore, the appended claims are to be construed to cover all equivalent structures which fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims: A multifunction shower head (20,22) including a plate (90) having a plurality of races (124) formed therein, each of the races (124) having an individually associated pattern of spray holes, a shutter plate (80), and means (86) responsive to the movement of the shutter plate (80) for directing water into a selected one of the races (124), characterised in that there are provided a spring (54) biased push button (24) controlled pawl (56) and an associated ratchet wheel cam (62) engaged by the pawl (56), the ratchet wheel taking one step over a predetermined arc in response to each push of the push button (24) and its associated pawl (56), the shutter plate (80) being coupled to move over a predetermined arcuate distance responsive to each step of the ratchet wheel cam (62). A shower head as claimed in claim 1 including a slide member (48) arranged between the push button (24) and the pawl (56) wherein the ratchet wheel cam (62) has a plurality of teeth around its circumference, the pawl (56) being pivotally (58) attached to the slide member (48) and positioned to engage and push a tooth on the ratchet wheel cam (62), the pawl (56) having a leaf spring (60) associated therewith for pressing the pawl (56) into engagement with the engaged tooth while allowing the pawl (56) to deflect and ratchet over a tooth, while the member (48) returns to its normal position after it has been released from its pushed position. A shower head as claimed in claim 2 wherein the push button member (24), the pawl (56) and the leaf spring (60) are a single moulded plastics piece part, the bias of the leaf spring (60) being supplied by the memory of the plastics piece part. A shower head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shutter plate (80) is a gear (84) having at least one opening (86) therein for water to flow through, and meshing with a driving gear (76) the driving gear (76) and the ratchet wheel cam (62) being mounted on a common shaft (74) to drive the shutter plate (80) through the arcuate distance responsive to each operation of the button (24) . A shower head as claimed in claim 4 wherein the shutter plate (80) has a plurality of holes (86) equally distributed around a circumference thereof in order to balance the mechanical forces acting in the spray head. A shower head as claimed in claim 1 wherein one of the races (124) includes a pattern of grouped water emitting holes (38a-38c), and a water driven turbine (142) in the one race (124), the turbine having a flange (144) for sequentially covering and uncovering the groups of water emitting holes (38a-38c) whereby a pulsating stream of water may be issued from the groups of water emitting holes (38a-38c). A shower head as claimed in claim 6 and means including a handle (26) extending from the spray holes to a coupler (30) for a flexible hose leading to a source of water, the button (24) being in a location in which it can be operated by the thumb of a hand holding the handle (26). A shower head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shower head has a housing (20), and means including a coupler (28) on the housing for connecting the shower head to a plumbing pipe. A multifunction shower head (22) including means for delivering any selected one of a plurality of different water spray patterns, characterised in this that it includes a push button (24) operated controlled pawl (56) and a ratchet wheel cam (62) means for selecting between the plurality of spray patterns, and means (26) for enabling the shower head to be held by a single hand, whereby the push button (24) operated selection may be made by a thumb on the single hand. A shower head as claimed in claim 9 including means (114) responsive to the push button (24) operation for displaying (42) an indication of the selected spray pattern. A shower head as claimed in claim 10 wherein the indication display means is driven by a gear (76) associated with the ratchet wheel cam (62) means in response to the push button (24) operation action.

Inventors: CHAN RAYMOND W M, FORD JOSEPH E, HILGER RONALD O, CHAN, RAYMOND W.M., FORD, JOSEPH E., HILGER, RONALD O.
Applicants: JING MEI IND HOLDINGS, JING MEI INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS
Application year: 1995
Main classification: B05B3
IPC codes: B05B3, B05B1