Patent Publication Number: US-6662386-B1

Title: Shower back scrubbing device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING-FED SPONSORED R &amp; D 
     (none) 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a bathing accessory, and more particularly to a back scrubber. The accessory or device is attached to a shower wall and water is piped into the device from the shower head water pipe. The water causes at least two brushes to reciprocate in a vertical direction in unison or relative to each other. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,604 shows a brushing device that is attached to shower wall. The device is supplied with water under pressure through a pipe coming from the shower head pipe. The brushing device is a rotary brush rotating in the horizontal direction and moving up and down at the same time. The invention at hand discloses at least two reciprocating brushes. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,623 illustrates a bathing device in the form of a rotating brush that is mounting on a vertical bar on which the rotating brush can be moved to different vertical positions. Water under pressure is supplied from the pipe that feeds the water to the shower head. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,137 shows a hand-held shower head that delivers water either to a water discharge shower head or to a rotary brush. The rotary brush is driven by a paddle wheel in a housing. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,756 illustrates a shower brush device which incorporates a single reciprocating brush that is driven by a water pump operated by water diverted from the shower head supply. This is the only reciprocating brush element found in the prior art. The invention at hand operates two brush elements at the same time either in unison or reciprocating in opposite directions. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,101 discloses a body brushing brush mounted on a wall in a shower including means for non-rotatably moving the brush in a small orbit such movement is achieved with an hydraulic drive mechanism. This is not the reciprocating brush movement of at least two brushes of the invention at hand. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,640. This patent discloses the use of a multiple of rotary brushes mounted on a housing which can be mounted to the wall of a shower by way of suction cups. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,869 illustrates a shower mounted washing apparatus. The apparatus can be moved up and down to various positions to accommodate the desires of a person taking a shower. Like explained in the previous patent above, the apparatus includes a multiple of rotating brushes in addition to a hand-held brush for the convenience of the bather. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,907 shows a brush system which is mounted to the wall of the shower. The brush system is stationary and the bather has to provide for a relative movement against the brush the brush element has a system whereby water sprays will emanate from the brush bristles onto the body part of the bather. This is not the disclosure of the invention at hand. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,782 discloses a fitness-brush shower installation consisting of a rotary brush that is driven by an electric motor through various driving elements. Applicant is shying away from the use of any electric motors in any shower environment. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,170 illustrates a hand-held shower scrubbing device that can be mounted on a shower wall and can be adjusted in any vertical positions the device itself includes one or more spouts, one or more sponges, rolls or similar interchangeable massaging means which can be handled by the user and/or hang on the wall or the bathtub. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the invention is to present a simple and low cost appliance that can easily be installed and handled. The device involves a minimum of movable parts. The water supply to drive the device is obtained from a conventional shower head equipped with a T-valve and a valve actuator handle. A connecting flexible pipe connects the valve and back scrubber assembly or device for conveying water to be used to drive the back scrubber assembly. The back scrubber device includes two brushes that are reciprocating in unison or in an alternating mode. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A is an open side view of section A—A taken along section A—A of FIG. 2 exposing the driving gears and a brush; 
     FIG. 1B is a front view exposing the drive wheels and the water flow; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the inside driving mechanism; 
     FIG. 3 shows the mounting channels for the brushes including the gears; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a mounting arrangement for the brushes; 
     FIG. 5 shows the water connection to a shower head. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIGS. 1A and 1B show the basic drive housing as consisting of two parts such as  1  being the back plate and  2  being the front housing. The two parts are connected by a multiple of screws  3 . The back plate  1  is mounted on the wall of a shower stall by way of at least four suction cups  4 . The water inlet into the housing  2  is shown at the top at  5  having a shut off valve  6  below the inlet  5 . The shut-off valve  6  can be activated by a handle or knob  6   a . The brushes  10  are activated by two water gears  7  and  8 . On the front of the front housing  2  there is provided a housing cover  2   a  which contains the brushes  10  and the guide ways to operate the brushes. Within the housing  2   a  the gears  7  and  8  each have a driving pegs  14  and  15  thereon which pegs will slide in the grooves  16  and  17  in the brushes to move the brushes up and down as the gears are rotating, as will be explained below. At  18  there is shown a spacer block which is instrumental at rigidifying the cover  1  and the housing  2  as they are screwed together by screws  3 . Such a block prevents the gear wheels  7  and  8  from jamming in case the screws  3  are tightened too hard. 
     When the water under pressure enters the water inlet  5  and is thereafter divided by the water divider diamond-shaped block  9  into two channels  19  and  20  which guide the water around the gear wheels  7  and  8  which then will rotate The drive pegs  14  and  15  on the wheels  7  and  8 , respectively, will rotate with gear wheels  7  and  8  and at the same time will reciprocate the brushes up and down because the drive pegs  14  and  15  are riding in the grooves  17  and  16 , respectively, in the back of the brushes  10 . The drive wheels can be oriented relative to each in such a manner so that the brushes are reciprocating in unison or in an alternating manner. 
     In FIG. 2 the same reference characters have been applied to the same elements as were shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The view in FIG. 2 has been exploded to better understand the motion of the wheels and the brushes. At the top of the housing  2  and just below the water inlet  5  there is a lateral opening  21   a  which receives the valve body  21  having a through passage  22  therein. The valve  21 , once it is installed is attached to the valve actuator  6  by way of the fastening screw  6   b , once the valve body is rotated by the actuator knob  6   a , the water flow is either restricted or in full flow depending on the position of the valve body with its through passage  22 . FIG. 2 also illustrates the fastening of the suction cup  4  by way of the screw  4   a.    
     FIG. 3 shows the outside of the housing  1  and  2  with the gears  7  and  8  shown in phantom and a breakaway of the housing including the driving pegs  14  and  15 . At the bottom of the housing there are located the brush guide bars  11 ,  12  and  13 . The guide bars are broken away for a better view but they are extending almost the full length of the front of the housing  2 . The guide bars, on their inner edges, have a dovetail configuration  31 ,  32  and  30 . This is so that a similar configuration on the back of the brushes  40   a  and  41   a  (FIG. 4) retains the brushes within the guides while they are reciprocating up and down FIG. 3 again shows the driving pegs  14  and  15  on the driving gears  7  and  8 . 
     FIG. 4 shows the sliding motion of the brushes  10  in more detail again like reference characters have been applied to like elements of the previous Figs. The back of each brush  10  has a block  40  and  41 , respectively and the face of the blocks closest to the brush are chamfered at  40   a  and  41   a  to be able to ride against the dovetailed edges  31 ,  32  and  32  of the guides  11 ,  12  and  13 . 
     FIG. 5 shows how the appliance housing is connected to a standard shower head pipe head pipe  52 . The forward end of the pipe  52  has a standard shower head  53  connected thereto. Along the pipe there is a water shutoff spigot  54  installed which directs water to either the shower head  53  or into the flexible pipe  51  which is connected to the inlet  5  of the housing  1  and  2  by way of a nipple  50  and a clamping ring  51   a . The operation of this connection should be explanatory