Abstract:
A water spout is capable of providing laminar flowing fluid from a wall-mounted or faucet fixture body. The fixture body defines a cavity and a port for connection of a plumbing supply line. A cartridge assembly is disposed in the body cavity. The cartridge has a housing with an inlet opening and an outlet opening in fluid communication with the port. The cartridge housing contains a plurality of elements between the inlet and outlet openings for smoothing the flow of fluid passing through the cartridge assembly. A nozzle, positioned adjacent the outlet opening of the cartridge, has a sharp-edged orifice through which fluid leaving the fixture can be projected in a single laminar stream. The nozzle can be removed from the fixture body after the fixture body has been mounted for use such that all of the flow smoothing elements can be removed at once by removing the cartridge assembly from the cavity.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to plumbing fixtures, and more particularly to water spouts that deliver a stream of laminar fluid. 
     Plumbing fixtures providing laminar flowing streams of water have previously been described. See e.g. U.S. Pat Nos. 3,730,440, 3,851,825, 4,119,276, 4,657,186, 4,730,786, 4,795,092, 5,160,086, 5,213,260, and 5,242,119. Laminar flow, as used herein, means fluid flow that is generally non-turbulent having essentially non-fluctuating local velocities and pressures such that the resulting stream has a generally rod-like appearance. Such laminar flow is desired for ornamental purposes because the outgoing stream typically appears to be like a clear glass rod. 
     Supply water is typically fed through a series of flow smoothing elements before exiting through a suitable nozzle orifice. The flow smoothing elements are usually perforated disks, screens and filters which are arranged in series downstream from the supply water connection. The flow smoothing elements alter the flow velocity and redistribute the velocity profile as needed to convert turbulent flow into laminar flow. 
     One problem with existing fixtures is that small openings in the screens, filters and perforated disks can become clogged over time from build-up of mineral deposits and gravel in the supply water. This can result in reduced and/or non-laminar flow. To correct this, the clogged elements may need to be periodically removed from the fixture to be cleaned or replaced. 
     Typically, the flow smoothing elements are separately assembled into the fixture such that to remove them one must disassemble the relatively tiny elements piece by piece. After being cleaned or replaced, each element then must be reassembled in the original order so as to provide the proper flow characteristics. This task can be tedious, be susceptible to error, require manual dexterity, and may (in any event) be beyond the skill level of some consumers (thereby requiring professional plumbing assistance). The task is even more arduous if the flow smoothing elements are not accessible from the interior of a room without breaking a permanent wall. 
     Accordingly, a need exists for an improved water spout in which the flow smoothing elements can be more easily cleaned, serviced or replaced. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect the invention provides a water spout having a fixture body defining an open-ended cavity and a port leading to the cavity that is connectible to a plumbing supply line. A cartridge is removably disposed in the body cavity and has a housing with an inlet opening in fluid communication with the port in the fixture body and an outlet opening. The housing contains a plurality of flow smoothing elements positioned between the inlet and outlet openings for rendering the flow of fluid passing through the cartridge laminar. A nozzle is positioned adjacent the outlet opening of the cartridge and it has an orifice through which fluid leaving the spout can be projected in the form of a stream. 
     In preferred forms the housing is an open-ended housing and a cap is engageable adjacent the open end of the housing. The inlet opening is located in a recess of a rear wall of the housing opposite the cap, and the outlet opening is located in the cap. A pressure compensating flow regulator is disposed in the recess. 
     In other forms of the invention the plurality of flow smoothing elements are selected from the group consisting of screens and foam filters. Also, a screen can be disposed between a foam filter and a ring spacer in the cartridge. 
     In still other variants, the fixture body can be a cup-shaped member with one closed end and an opposite open end having a circumferential flange for assisting in clamping a wall if the spout is mounted through the wall. The port is disposed in a radial wall, and a flanged clamping sleeve telescopes into the body radially outside of the cartridge. This latter feature allows the assembly to be easily adjusted for walls of different thickness. 
     In yet another variant, the fixture body is a faucet body having a projecting stem that in part defines the cavity. The nozzle is engaged to the stem. 
     Another aspect of the invention is the provision of replacement cartridges containing the flow smoothing elements. Such replacement cartridges can be used in such lavatory faucet bodies, or in housings attachable to a vertical room wall. 
     The present invention thus provides a plumbing fixture that can deliver a laminar stream of water. A compact, easily replaceable cartridge contains all of the flow smoothing and pressure regulating elements that are needed, so that they can all be removed from the fixture at once (for cleaning, service or replacement). Moreover, the housings of the present invention are designed to provide easy access to the cartridge without requiring access to the backside of a room wall. 
     The foregoing and still other advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In that description reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there is shown by way of illustration preferred embodiments of the invention. These embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention. Thus, the claims should be looked to in order to judge the full scope of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a wall-mounted spout of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view thereof, albeit with the rear fixture body rotated 90° and the cartridge shown in full; 
     FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded view, partially in section, of the FIG. 3 cartridge; 
     FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of an alternative embodiment, that of a faucet spout mountable in a horizontal surface; and 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded side view of the faucet of FIG.  5 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a wall mountable plumbing fixture  10  includes as its major components, a rear fixture body  12 , a laminar flow cartridge  14 , a frontal nozzle  16  and a decorative escutcheon  18 . The fixture body  12  has a generally cylindrical cup shape, and it is preferably made of brass. It includes a rear base  20 , a tubular wall  22  and a frontal end flange  24 . The tubular wall  22  has a radial port  26  at which a water supply line  28  can be connected. The fixture body  12  has a cavity  30  for housing the cartridge  14 . 
     Referring next to FIG. 3, cartridge  14  has a generally cylindrical outer housing  32  having a base  34  and a cylindrical wall  36  enclosing chamber  38 . The base  34  has a circular rearwardly open recess  40  with a small, central inlet opening  42 . A disk-shaped pressure compensating flow regulator  44 , such as one commercially available from Neoperl, Inc. of Waterbury, Conn., is pressed into the recess  40 . 
     As water pressure increases, the regulator is of the type that flexes to reduce the volume of the central inlet. This keeps the volume of flow through the regulator relatively constant. Preferably, the flow regulator  44  has an operable pressure range of 12-145 psi (0.8-10 bar). 
     Housing  32  is preferably made of a plastic, such as NORYL® (a trademark of General Electric) which is a blend of polyphenylene sulfide and polystyrene resins. Housing  32  can have an inner diameter of approximately 2 inches with the outer diameter of the flow smoothing elements being slightly smaller. The outer diameter of the housing  32  can then be a little over 2 inches with an overall length of just over three inches. 
     The housing chamber  38  contains a series of circular or cylindrical flow smoothing members. In particular, the flow smoothing members include a filter  46 , four screens  48  and two ring spacers  50  and  52 . The filter  46  is preferably made of a reticulated polyurethane foam disk having a pore size of approximately 45 pores per inch. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,092 for a discussion of open cell foam filters. 
     The screens  48  are preferably made of 20×20 stainless steel mesh. The ring spacers  50  and  52  are preferably Noryl® and preferably 0.65 and 0.20 inches in length, respectively. The flow smoothing members can be arranged in series in the chamber  38  in the order shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, that is with one screen  48  on each side of the filter  46 , followed by ring spacer  50 , the third screen  48 , disk  52  and then the forth screen  48 . These elements are held together by a Noryl® cap  54  fit onto the open end of the housing  32  by a suitable means, such as threads or ultrasonic weld. The cap  54  is essentially a ring with a stepped cross-section defining two different inner diameters with the smaller being in the end of the housing  32 . The cap  54  has a large, full-width outlet opening  56 . 
     Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cylindrical brass sleeve  58  having an outer diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of the fixture body  12 , telescopically fits in the fixture body cavity  30  around one end of the cartridge  14 . At an inner end of the sleeve  58  there is a circumferential groove  60  containing an o-ring  62  creating a water-tight circumferential seal between the sleeve  58  and the fixture body  12 . This seal can be maintained while the sleeve  58  is slid axially with respect to the fixture body  12 . 
     The other end of the sleeve  58  has a circular flange  64  for abutting the exposed surface of a wall when recess mounting the fixture  10  in a wall opening. Sleeve  58  can be slid axially relative to body  12  to permit room walls of varied sizes to be sandwiched between this flange  64  and the end flange  24  of the fixture body  12 . Threaded fasteners (not shown) are threaded into openings  66  and  68  in the respective flanges  88 ,  24  and  64  to clamp a room wall. The fasteners can be tightened or loosened as needed to secure the fixture  10  to varying thicknesses of the room wall. 
     For example, one can make a rough-in installation, followed by a refined tightening when the final wall board is installed. Later adjustment to accommodate the finished wall is accomplished by axial sliding of sleeve  58 . 
     The nozzle  16  is preferably a brass annular body having a stepped outer wall defining two outer diameters  70  and  72 , with circumferential grooves  74  and  76  containing o-rings  78  and  80 , respectively. Outer diameter  70  is sized to fit within the outlet opening  56  with o-ring  78  providing a water-tight seal. Outer diameter  72  is sized so that o-ring  80  mates with the inner diameter of the sleeve  58  to provide a water tight seal. 
     Orifice  82 , in the shape of a frustoconical recess tapering away from the cartridge  14 , is provided, leading to a sharp edge  84 . The other end of the nozzle  16  includes a coaxial stepped inner diameter with a larger diameter having internal threads  86 . This end of the nozzle  16  also includes a flange  88  having threaded openings  90  alignable with the openings  68  in the sleeve flange  64  for securing the nozzle  16  in place. 
     Escutcheon  18  is preferably a decorative, polished brass annular flange member having a front end with an outer diameter greater than the sleeve  58  and nozzle  15 . An inner end of the escutcheon  18  has an outer diameter with a circumferential groove  92  containing an o-ring  94  and sized so that the o-ring provides a water-tight seal against the smaller inner diameter of the nozzle  16  and a larger, threaded outer diameter section  100  that threads into the nozzle  16 . The inner diameter at the inner end of the escutcheon  18  is slightly larger than the orifice edge  84  and it tapers smoothly outward to meet the outer diameter at the front end. 
     When the water supply line  28  is connected the fixture  10 , water can flow into the fixture body cavity  30  radially, pass back and then radially inward to the flow regulator  44 , and then into the cartridge  14  through the inlet opening  42 . 
     As described above, flow regulator  44  works in response to fluctuations in flow rate to adjust the passable size of the inlet opening  42  so as to provide a relatively constant flow rate into the cartridge  14 . The flow smoothing elements (filter, screens) as well as the spacers are selected and arranged to more evenly distribute the velocity profile of the water passing through the inlet opening  42  throughout the entire inner diameter of the cartridge housing  32  and essentially eliminate turbulence and air pockets. 
     Specifically, water flowing through the inlet opening  42  enters the chamber  38 , which has a significantly larger diameter. This sudden expansion in cross-section is intended to reduce the flow velocity of the water. As the water passes through the pores of the filter  46  the non-axial velocity vectors (causing turbulence) are blocked by the foam material so that the water leaves the filter  46  with the velocity vectors directed axially. As the water passes through the series of screens  48  the velocity profile is flattened so that there is a nearly uniform flow from the middle to the edges of the flow cross-section. The spacers  50  and  52  separate the screens  48  so that they operate in stages, allowing the water to recover before entering the next screen  48 . 
     The water exits the cartridge  14  through the nozzle  82 . The sharp edge  84  provides sufficient separation to form a single stream of water in laminar flow with little or no side spray. The emanating stream is clear and smooth, and interestingly resembles a glass rod. 
     For routine maintenance (e.g. in the event the flow state of the stream changes over time due to deposits of calcium or other minerals in the water, or the presence of gravel) all flow smoothing elements can be quickly and easily removed from the fixture body  12  at once for cleaning or replacement by removing the cartridge  14 . This can also be achieved without access to the rear of the wall. 
     The escutcheon  18  is unscrewed from the nozzle  14  and the threaded fasteners in the flanges  88 ,  64  and  24  are removed so that the cartridge  14  can be removed from the chamber  38  after pulling out nozzle  16  and sleeve  58 . The flow smoothing elements and the flow regulator can be cleaned with a suitable solution, or the cartridge  14  can simply be replaced with a new one. In either case, the sleeve  58  can be inserted into the chamber  38  until flange  64  contacts the exposed wall surface. Then, the cleaned or new cartridge  14  can be inserted into the sleeve  58  until the respective circumferential catch surfaces  103  and  105  engage, and the nozzle  16  can then be inserted into the sleeve  58  until the orifice  82  seats in the outlet opening  56 . The threaded fasteners, and then the escutcheon  18 , are re-fastened. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an alternate faucet embodiment. In this embodiment, like elements are referred to in the drawings with similar reference numbers, although with the suffix “A”. The plumbing fixture  10 A includes a brass faucet body  12 A supporting a conventional flow control valve  102 . After water is mixed and/or volume controlled by this valve, it passes down then into passage  107 . 
     The faucet body  12 A also includes a spout stem  104  defining a receiving cavity  30 A for containing laminar flow cartridge assembly  14 A. The base of the cavity  30 A has a port  26 A to which is coupled conduit  107 . 
     The cartridge  14 A smooths the flow of water passing there through as discussed above and includes the same components made of the same materials as discussed above, albeit preferably in a slightly smaller scale. In one preferred form, the cartridge housing  32 A has an outer diameter of approximately 0.9 inches and an overall length of just under 1.5 inches. The flow smoothing elements (filter  46 A, screens  48 A and spacers  50 A and  52 A) and a flow regulator  44 A are proportionately smaller. Additionally, unlike the cartridge described above, the housing  32 A includes a circumferential groove  106  along its outer diameter for containing an o-ring  108  which mates with the inner walls of the cavity  30 A near its base. 
     The spout stem  104  also includes internal threads  108  at the open end of the cavity  30 A. The threads  108  are engaged by a threaded end  110  of a nozzle  16 A. The nozzle  16 A is an inverted cup-shaped member having a tapered sharp-edged orifice  82 A at one end. The spout stem  104 , as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, is angled upwardly such that the emanating stream will form an arcuate path. Entry water enters axially here, but the operation of the cartridge is otherwise similar. 
     Thus, the present invention provides spouts suitable for creating a laminar stream of water in a variety of plumbing environments. A compact cartridge contains all of the flow smoothing and pressure regulating elements so that they can all be removed from the fixture in one unit, for cleaning, service or replacement. The cartridge can be easily removed from an end of the fixture in the interior of the room by loosening and removing the nozzle (and where applicable escutcheon). 
     While specific embodiments have been shown, various modifications falling within the breadth and scope of the invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art. Thus, the following claims should be looked to in order to understand the full scope of the invention. 
     Industrial Applicability 
     Disclosed are water spouts that provide laminar flow and have unitary replaceable cartridges.