Patent Publication Number: US-7717362-B2

Title: Pull-down spray head with metal shell

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a spray head having a spray engine and a metal shell retained on the spray engine. 
   Spray heads for use in homes commonly have hand-held or extending portions allowing the user to manipulate the direction of water spray as desired. Recently, spray heads have been manufactured in separate pieces including a spray engine and a spray cover designed to be placed over the spray engine. The spray covers are formed to include the necessary retaining elements to secure the spray cover to the spray engine. 
   By separately providing the components of the spray head the user can select among different spray covers providing a desired look. The spray covers are plastic to provide an inexpensive and lightweight device that can be easily manipulated by the user. However, adding surface finishes after forming the spray covers is difficult because many plating materials are not compatible with a plastic base. 
   However, forming a metal spray cover that includes the necessary retaining elements requires that the spray cover be formed using a casting or forging process. Spray covers manufactured from a casting or forging process result in a heavy difficult to use cover. 
   It is therefore desirable to provide a spray head having a metal shell which is light weight and simply retained to a spray engine. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An example spray head according to this invention includes a spray engine and a metal shell retained on the spray engine. 
   The spray head is assembled by fitting the shell onto the spray engine and seating the shell against a cushioning ring. A retaining clip or threaded nut secures the shell in position. The cushioning ring between the spray engine and the shell eliminates slack and prevents the shell from rattling once assembled. 
   The shell is manufactured using a hydroform process, that provides the desired lightweight product. A surface finish is applied to the outer surface of the shell to provide a desired appearance. The shell is a separate piece that is finished separately from other components of the spray head. 
   These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example spray head of the present invention having a spray engine and a shell; 
       FIG. 2   a  is an exploded view of an example spray head of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2   b  is an assembled view of an example spray head of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3   a  is an exploded view of another example spray head of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3   b  is an assembled view of another example spray head of the present invention; 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1  illustrates a spray head  10  having a spray engine  12  and a shell  14 . The spray head  10  is connected to a water supply pipe  16  through the spray engine  12 . The spray engine  12  has a threaded portion  18  located proximate to a first end  20  for securing the spray head  10  to the water supply tube  16 . Water exits through a second end  22  of the spray engine  12 , as illustrated. The shell  14  surrounds a portion of the spray engine  12 . The spray engine  12  is self-contained and includes the first end  20  and the second end  22  that are accessible through opposing ends of the shell  14 . Water enters the first end  20 , passes through the interior of the spray engine  12 , and exits the second end  22 . Therefore providing a waterproof seal between the shell  14  and the spray engine  12  is not required. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , a cushioning ring  24  is placed on the spray engine  12  and is seated against a surface  26 . The shell  14  is then assembled onto the spray engine  12  by slipping the pins  27  of the engine  12  through the slots  37  and seated against the cushioning ring  24 . An inside surface of the shell  14  contacts the cushioning ring  24 . A retaining clip  28  engages the spray engine  12  to secure the shell  14  in position. The retaining clip  28  is a snap ring, but may be any type of clip able to retain the shell  14  to the spray engine  12 . The retaining clip  28  surrounds a majority of the circumference of the groove  35  proximate to the first end  20  of the spray engine  12 . Once the retaining clip  28  is placed into the groove  35  around the diameter of the first end  20  force must be applied to spread ends of the retaining clip  28  apart in order to remove the retaining clip  28  from the spray engine  12 , thereby holding the retaining clip  28  to its proximate location and preventing the retaining clip  28  from separating from the spray engine  12  during normal operation. Additionally, the cut-out slots  37  of the metal shell  14  engage with the protrusion tabs  36  of the spray engine  12  to prevent rotation of the shell  14  with respect to the spray engine  12 . The cushioning ring  24  is disposed between the surface  26  and the shell  14  to bias the shell  14  against the retaining clip  28 . The bias pressure provided by the cushioning ring  24  substantially eliminates slack between the retaining clip  28  and the shell  14  to prevent relative movement and rattling between the shell  14  and the spray head  10 . 
   The shell  14  is manufactured using a hydroform process. Using a hydroform process provides a shell that is thinner than is possible either by a casting or forging process. The thinner shell  14  provides a desirable light weight spray head  10 . Additionally, using metal to form the shell  14  provides a shell having a solid feel that is pleasing to a user and of a lighter weight. The shell  14  is preferably brass, but may be any type of metal. The shell  14  includes an outer surface  34  to which a surface finish is applied. The surface finish provides a desired appearance for the spray head  10 . For example, a powder coating may be applied to achieve a particular color of the shell  14 . The metal shell  14  may also be plated with different metal finishes, such as chrome. Because the shell  14  is a separate piece, the spray engine  12  need not be part of the finishing process. Separate finishing of the shell  14  from the spray engine  12  prevents potential damage to the spray engine  12  during the finishing process. For example, heating required in a powder coating process is not compatible with the pray engine  12 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3   a  and  3   b , another example the spray head  100  includes a spray engine  102  and a shell  104 . A cushioning ring  106  is placed on the spray engine  102  and is seated against a surface  108 . The shell  104  is assembled onto the spray engine  102  and seated against the cushioning ring  106 . A threaded nut  110  is threaded onto a threaded portion  112  of the spray engine  102  to secure the shell  104  in position. The threaded portion  112  extends from the spray engine  102  proximate to a first end  114  for receiving the threaded nut  110 . The threaded portion  112  extends a length past the threaded nut  110  when assembled. The length extending past the threaded nut  110  is used to attach the spray head  100  to the water supply tube  16 . 
   The cushioning ring  106  biases the shell  104  against the threaded nut  110 . The bias pressure prevents the threaded nut  110  from unscrewing from the spray engine  102 . Additionally, the cut-out slots  118  of the metal shell  116  engage with the protrusion tab  117  of the spray engine  102  to prevent rotation of the shell  104  with respect to the spray engine  102 . The shell  104  is metal, preferably brass, and manufactured using a hydroform process. The shell  104  has an outer surface  116  to which surface finishes are applied to achieve a desired appearance. 
   The example spray heads  10  and  100  may be used for any type of faucets where it is desirable to provide a spray head with a variety of finish appearances. Although a retaining clip  28  and a threaded nut  110  are described other methods of removably securing the shells  14  and  104  to the spray engines  12  and  102  may be used. The spray engines  12  and  102  are self-contained and include components contained within a housing operable independent of the shells  14  and  104 . 
   Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention.