Patent Publication Number: US-5291621-A

Title: Spa jet assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a spa jet and, in particular, to a spa jet which is self rotating and can easily control the flow rate through the spa jet. 
     2. Background Information 
     Most spa jets are typically made to be adjustable both in the direction in which the water is discharged and in the rate of flow of the water. However, most techniques have proven to be unsatisfactory to some degree based on the complex mechanisms that have previously been required to produce a spa jet. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,372 issued to Thrasher et al discloses a rather complex spa jet that can independently control the speed of rotation and the flow rate. To accomplish this, a brake washer 68 is installed adjacent to the nozzle rotor 50 and a compression spring 70 applies a controllable breaking force to the rotor to control its rotationable speed. This complex mechanism includes a detent arm 72 that is integrally connected to a retainer cage 52. The detent arm 72 engages with a series of concave depressions 76 formed on the inside surface of the sleeve 48 to vary the speed of rotation of the rotor 50. If the detent arm 72 were to break off from the retainer 52, then the bather could easily inadvertently disassemble the entire spa jet assembly. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,665 issued to Spinnett discloses a cross bar that is positioned in front of the rotor to intermittently block the fluid exiting the rotor to thereby create a pulsation effect. 
     It will be appreciated from the foregoing that there is still a need for a spa jet assembly with water driven rotational capability that is built as a one piece assembly and is maintenance free. The present invention meets this requirement and has the advantage that, in one embodiment, the flow rate may still be varied. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a spa jet that is of a simple one piece construction. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spa jet of simple construction by which the user can simultaneously, easily vary the fluid flow rate and speed of rotation of the jet head. 
     A further object is to provide the spa jet assembly of the present invention such that it is easy to install in an apparatus having existing plumbing and fixtures using conventional spa jets. The present invention, therefore, provides a simple and inexpensive method for rapidly converting each of the conventional spa jets to a spa jet as taught by the present invention. 
     A further object is to construct a spa jet that can not be easily removed by a bather. 
     Other objects, features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spa jet assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the spa jet assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the coverhead; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of the rotor; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the rotor; 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of the orifice; 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of the orifice; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A--A of FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B--B of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the coverhead; 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of a spa jet assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the spa jet assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 13 is a side view of the orifice according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the orifice and control cylinder taken along line 14--14 of FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 15 is a rear end view of the orifice according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the orifice taken along line 16--16 of FIG. 15; 
     FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the orifice taken along line 17--17 of FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 18 is a side view of the flow control cylinder according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 19 is a rear end view of the flow control cylinder; 
     FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the flow control cylinder taken along line B--B of FIG. 19; 
     FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the flow control cylinder taken along line A--A of FIG. 19; 
     FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the flow control cylinder taken along line D--D of FIG. 21; 
     FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the flow control cylinder taken along line C--C of FIG. 18; 
     FIG. 24 is a side view of the jet head according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 25 is a front view of the jet head according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view of the jet head taken along line 26--26 of FIG. 25. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     A spa jet formed with a small rotary eyeball is shown by way of example, in FIG. 2. The assembly 10 includes a coverhead 12, a rotor or eyeball 14 and an orifice 16. 
     The spa jet is shown in an exploded view in FIG. 2 with the coverhead 12, a retaining ring 18, the rotor 14 and the orifice 16 being mounted along a common longitudinal axis 20. 
     A cross-sectional view of the coverhead 12 is shown in FIG. 3. An annular bevelled surface 22 receives the retaining ring 18 in the assembled positioned. Rotor 14 can best be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. A front outer cylindrical portion 24 of the rotor 14 is received within the front inner cylindrical portion 26 of the coverhead 12 so that the front axial surface 28 of the rotor 14 is substantially flush with the front surface of the coverhead. The ring shaped projection 30 on the rotor 14 abuts against the retaining ring 18 within the coverhead 12. 
     An alternate embodiment of the coverhead 12 is shown in FIG. 10. This embodiment is used so the spa jet can be fitted in conventional spa jets of different size. 
     The orifice can best be seen in FIGS. 6-9. A front outer cylindrical portion 32 of the orifice 16, as shown in FIG. 7, is received within the rear internal cylindrical surface 34 of the coverhead 12 in the assembled position. A front annular surface 36 of the orifice 16 mates with a rear annular surface 38 on the rotor 14 to provide a rear axial thrust bearing for the rotor. 
     A front annular surface 40 on the orifice 16 mates with a rear annular surface 42 on the coverhead 12 to encase the rotor 14 within the assembly. The coverhead 12 and the orifice 16 are fixedly connected to one another to form the spa jet assembly as a one piece construction. The coverhead 12 and the orifice 16 can be fixedly connected by, for example, chemical bonding. 
     The orifice 16 includes a rear axial opening 44 to allow water to enter the spa jet assembly. The orifice 16 also has two diametrically opposed passages 46 to allow air to enter the spa jet assembly. The rear external cylindrical portion of the assembly also includes a male threaded connection 48 so that the spa jet can easily be connected to an existing plumbing fixture. 
     During use, water enters the rear opening 44 of the spa jet assembly and entrains air through passages 46 into the flow path. The air and water mixture then enters a rear opening 50 of the rotor 14. The air water mixture then enters the three passages 52 in the front portion of the rotor assembly and exits the spa jet assembly. The force from the fluid flow as it impinges against the angled passages 52 impart a rotational force on the rotor 14. The rotor 14 thereby rotates to create a pulsating effect in the bath (not shown). The passages 52 are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis 20 and to the direction of fluid flow to impart the rotational force from the fluid as it flows through the rotor 14. 
     FIGS. 11-26 show the spa jet of the second embodiment of the present invention. The spa jet assembly 100 includes a jet head 102, a control cylinder 104, an orifice 106, a pin shaft 108 and a pair of pop rivets 110. An O-ring 111 is placed between the rear axial surface 124 of the control cylinder 104 and a forward facing rear axial surface 132 of the orifice 106. A seal ring 114 is placed along the outer cylindrical surface of the orifice 106, at shoulder 116, to seal the spa jet assembly 100 against the wall of a bath (not shown). 
     The orifice is shown is FIGS. 13-17. Orifice 106 includes an axial rear end surface 112 that has an opening 114 for water to enter the spa jet assembly. Rear axial surface 112 of the orifice 106 also includes a circular opening 116 for the pin shaft 108 and pop rivet 110. The pin shaft 108 is fixed to the orifice 106 by the pop rivet 110. 
     There are two radial passages through the cylindrical wall portion of the orifice 106. The first passage 118 is shown in FIGS. 13 and 17. The passage 118 is formed to receive a guide pin (not shown) that fits within a corresponding groove 120 in the control cylinder 104. See FIGS. 18, 20 and 23. A second radial passage 122 through the orifice 106 is shown in FIGS. 13 and 16. The radial passage 122 is an air inlet into the spa jet assembly. 
     The control cylinder 104 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 18-23. The control cylinder includes a rear axial surface 124 that includes an opening 126. See FIG. 19. The outer cylindrical surface 128 of the control cylinder 104 fits snugly within the inner cylindrical surface 130 of the orifice 106. In the assembled position, the rear axial surface 124 of the control cylinder mates with a rear inner axial surface 132 of the orifice 106. The O-ring 111 prevents water from travelling around the outer cylindrical surface of the control cylinder 104. 
     The control cylinder is rotatably mounted within the orifice 106. By rotating the control cylinder 104 with respect to the orifice 106, the opening 126 of the control cylinder 104 can be alternately aligned with the opening 114 of the orifice 106 to allow water to enter into the spa jet assembly. The control cylinder can be rotated to vary the opening into the spa jet assembly between being fully opened, or 100%, to being fully closed, or 0%. In an alternate embodiment, the size of the opening in the control cylinder can be varied between being fully opened, or 100%, and being only partially opened or at approximately 20%. 
     A radial opening 134 in the control cylinder 104 can be seen in FIGS. 21 and 22. The radial opening 134 aligns with the radial opening 122 in the orifice to allow air to enter into the spa jet assembly. As the control cylinder 104 is rotated with respect to the orifice, the opening for the air inlet is varied simultaneously with the opening for the water inlet. Therefore, the percentage of the water and air entering into the spa jet assembly is simultaneously controlled to the same degree. FIG. 14 shows the radial opening 122 in the orifice 106 partially aligned with the opening 134 in the control cylinder 104 at an intermediate position between fully opened and fully closed. 
     The control cylinder 104 also includes a pair of diametrically opposed projections 136 that mate with a pair of diametrically opposed recesses 138 in the jet head 102. The jet head 102 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 24-26. The jet head 102 includes an annular rear axial surface 140 that faces a forward annular shoulder 142 on the control cylinder 104. An inner cylindrical surface 144 of the jet head 140 is axially slidably received over the outer cylindrical surface 146 of the control cylinder 104. The jet head 102 is axially movable with respect to the control cylinder 104 to a limited degree. The jet head rear axial surface 140 is shown abutting the annular surface 142 of the control cylinder 104 in FIG. 11. 
     A pop rivet 110 is fixed within an axial opening 148 of the jet head 102. The pop rivet 110 allows the jet head to freely rotate about the pin shaft 108. The jet head 102 includes three passages 150 through the front axial wall of the jet head to allow the water and air mixture to exit the jet spa apparatus. The passages 150 are angled so that the water and air mixture imparts a rotational force on the jet head 102. 
     During operation, water and air separately enter the jet spa assembly. The force from the water and air mixture imparts a rotational force on the jet head and also impart an axial force on the jet head in the forward direction. Therefore, the jet head 102 is moved to its furthermost left position. In this position, the projections 136 on the control cylinder disengage with the recesses 138 in the jet head and the jet head freely rotates about the pin shaft axis 108. 
     To adjust the flow rate through the jet spa assembly, the bather simply grasps the jet head and pushes in the axial rearward direction (into the jet spa assembly) and turns the jet head until the recesses 138 in the jet head 102 align with the projections 136 in the control cylinder 104. The jet head will then axially move in the rearward direction so that the recesses 138 in the jet head 102 engage with the projections 136 in the control cylinder 104. Thereafter the jet head 102 and control cylinder 104 can be manually rotated together by the bather to simultaneously adjust the cross-sectional openings for the water inlet and the air inlet to vary the openings between 0% and 100% in one embodiment or between 20% and 100% in a second embodiment. 
     When the desired flow rate is obtained, the bather simply releases the jet head 102 and the water and air mixture will again force the jet head to its forward most position and the jet head will resume freely rotating about the pin shaft axis 108. By varying the flow rate the bather can experience a pulsation from the fluid flow when the flow rate is near 100% to a swirling effect at lower flow rates. Of course, the bather could adjust the flow rate when no fluid is passing through the jet spa assembly if desired. 
     The orifice also includes two diametrically opposed indentations 152, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 16. The rear external cylindrical surface of the orifice includes a male thread 154 so that the jet spa assembly can be easily connected to existing plumbing. The two diametrically opposed recesses 152 are designed so that a special tool is required to be inserted into these recesses to screw the jet spa assembly into conventional plumbing. Therefore, a bather cannot inadvertently remove the jet spa assembly. 
     While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.