Patent Publication Number: US-11376612-B2

Title: Shower head with shower holder

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202022601296.6, filed on Nov. 11, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a shower component, in particular to a shower head with a shower holder. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The conventional shower head and shower holder(socket for hand-held shower) are in a split design. For example, the shower holder is directly installed on the wall, and then the hand-held shower is placed on the shower holder. In this way, an additional shower holder needs to be installed on the wall, which increases the difficulty of installation. 
     To this end, the industry has developed a shower head with a holder device, referring to US20210008584A1. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a handle  1121 ′ horizontally extends on one side of the housing  112 ′ of the shower head, at least one water outlet connector  1122 ′ is provided at the radial end of the handle  1121 ′, the axial end of that handle  1121 ′ is fixedly connected with a socket  7 ′ for holding the hand-held shower  8 ′, a water inlet  2 ′ is provided at the top of the housing  112 ′ near the handle  1121 ′, and a knob  15 ′ is provided on the end face of the handle  1121 ′ facing the user. When the hand-held shower  8 ′ is placed in the socket  7 ′, the water outlet area of the hand-held shower  8 ′ is vertically distributed with the water outlet area of the shower head  1 ′. 
     SUMMARY 
     The main purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a shower head with a shower holder, which is more convenient for users to switch waterways, and when a hand-held shower is inserted into the shower holder, the shower head can be closer to the water outlet area of the hand-held shower, so as to realize a shower head with a shower holder having a larger combined spray area. 
     In order to achieve the above purpose, the present disclosure discloses a shower head with a shower holder, comprising a shower head and a shower holder for holding a hand-held shower, wherein the shower head comprises a housing, a water outlet component, a switching handle and a water diversion component; the housing is provided with a water outlet area, the top of the housing is provided with a water inlet, and the water outlet component is provided in the water outlet area of the housing; 
     a handle part extends outwards from one side of the housing, the inner cavity of the handle part is hollow, a water outlet connector is provided at the axial end of the handle part, and a first mounting hole and a second mounting hole extend outwards at both radial ends of the handle part, respectively; 
     the water diversion component comprises a water diversion device and a valve core, the water diversion device comprises a water diversion valve seat, a first water diversion pipe and a second water diversion pipe, the water diversion valve seat is an axially penetrating hollow member, a first water diversion pipe and a second water diversion pipe are provided side by side along the radial direction on the side wall of the water diversion valve seat, and the joints of the first water diversion pipe and the second water diversion pipe with the side wall of the water diversion valve seat are provided with a water inlet end and a first water outlet end, respectively; the water diversion device is built in the inner cavity of the handle part, the first water diversion pipe and second water diversion pipe thereof face towards the inner end of the handle part, both ends of the water diversion valve seat are opposite to the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole, respectively, at the same time, the side wall of the water diversion valve seat is provided with a second water outlet end in the direction of the water outlet connector, and the water inlet end, the first water outlet end and the second water outlet end are circumferentially distributed; 
     the valve core is sequentially provided with a straight rod section and two spaced sealing sections along the axial direction thereof, a blocking part and a water passage are provided between the two sealing sections, the valve core is rotatably provided in the inner cavity of the water diversion valve seat, a water containing chamber is formed by the two sealing sections and the inner cavity of the water diversion valve seat, and the straight rod section of the water containing chamber extends outward from the first mounting hole; 
     the first water diversion pipe is communicated with the waterway of the water inlet, a water inlet channel is formed by the water inlet, the first water diversion pipe and the water inlet end; the second water diversion pipe is communicated with the waterway of the water outlet component, a first water outlet channel is formed by the first water outlet end and the second water diversion pipe; the second water outlet end of the water diversion valve seat is communicated with the waterway of the water outlet connector, a second water outlet channel is formed by the second water outlet end and the water outlet connector of the handle part, and the water containing chamber serves as a waterway pooling area of the water inlet channel, the first water outlet channel and the second water outlet channel; 
     the switching handle is fixedly connected with the straight rod section of the valve core, the blocking part of the valve core is driven to rotate circumferentially in the water containing chamber of the water diversion valve seat by rotating the switching handle at least for blocking the first water outlet end or the second water outlet, or attached to the inner wall of the water containing chamber, thereby realizing waterway switching of the water inlet channel, the first water outlet channel and the second water outlet channel; 
     a connecting base is also fixedly provided in the second mounting hole of the handle part, and the connecting base is connected with the shower holder. 
     Further, the water inlet is eccentrically provided at the top of the housing, the handle part is provided at one side of the housing adjacent to the water inlet, the shower holder is provided at the radial end side of the handle part, when the hand-held shower is placed in the shower holder, the water outlet area of the hand-held shower and the water outlet area of the water outlet component of the shower head are close to each other, so as to form mutually overlapped water outlet areas. 
     Further, the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole are respectively provided on a first extending section and a second extending section extending to both ends of the handle part in the radial direction. 
     Further, a positioning block is fixedly provided in the inner cavity of the first extension section, a first mounting hole is formed in the middle of the positioning block, an annular groove is formed between the positioning block and the first extension section, a switching handle is inserted into the annular groove, a positioning sound mechanism is provided between the positioning block and the switching handle, and when the switching handle is rotated to a designated position, the positioning sound mechanism will give a prompt sound. 
     With the above design, compared with the technical scheme of the shower head disclosed in the prior art (US20210008584A1), the present disclosure has the following beneficial technical effects. 
     1. The switch handle is provided at the radial extension section of the handle part of the shower head. As the radial extension section of the handle part is an open space, a switch handle with a larger contact area can be provided, so that the switch handle rotates circumferentially with the first mounting hole as the center of rotation, which is more convenient for users to switch waterways. 
     2. On the premise of the same pipe diameter of the handle part, the water diversion valve seat disclosed in the prior art can only be longitudinally provided in the inner cavity of the handle part. Due to the limitation of the pipe diameter of the handle part, the volume of the water containing chamber in the water diversion valve seat is limited. At the same time, since its positioning sound mechanism also needs to be provided in the inner cavity of the water diversion valve seat to further reduce the water containing space of the water containing chamber. In the present disclosure, the switching handle, the shower holder and the positioning sound mechanism are all provided on the extension section of the handle part. The inner cavity of the handle part has larger space for setting the water diversion valve seat, that is, the volume of the water containing chamber in the water diversion valve seat is larger, which can undertake larger flow, further expand the flow of the water inlet channel, the first water outlet channel and the second water outlet channel, and improve the shower effect. 
     3. The water outlet connector is provided at the axial end of the handle part, which is located at the low position of the shower head, which is convenient for water to flow from the water inlet(with high potential energy) to the water outlet connector(with low potential energy) through the water inlet channel and the second water outlet channel. 
     4. The shower holder is provided at the radial end of the handle part. When the hand-held shower is placed in the shower holder, the distance between the water outlet area of the hand-held shower and the water outlet area of the water outlet component of the shower head is the closest. When showering, the water outlet area of the shower head and the water outlet area of the hand-held shower are opened at the same time, which can form mutually overlapped water outlet areas, that is, the whole water outlet area of the water outlet device is larger, which can further increase the shower comfort and enhance the shower experience. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a combined view of a shower head with a shower holder and a hand-held shower disclosed in the prior art US20210008584A1; 
         FIG. 2  is a combined view of a shower head with a shower holder and a hand-held shower according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a shower head with a shower holder according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a shower head with a shower holder according to the present disclosure from another angle; 
         FIG. 5  is a longitudinal sectional view of a shower head with a shower holder according to the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 6 and 7  are structural diagrams of a water diversion device according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is a structural diagram of a valve core according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of a rear structure of a housing according to the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The present disclosure discloses a shower head with a shower holder. As shown in  FIGS. 2 to 4 , the shower head comprises a housing  1 , a water outlet component  2 , a switching handle  4  and a water diversion component  3 . 
     The housing  1  is provided with a water outlet area. The water outlet component  2  is provided in the water outlet area of the housing  1 . A water inlet  11  is provided at an eccentric position on the top of the housing  1 , and a handle part  12  extends outwards on one side of the housing  1  adjacent to the water inlet  11 . The inner cavity of the handle part  12  is hollow. A water outlet connector  13  is provided at the axial end of the handle part  12 . A first extension section  123  and a second extension section  124  extend outwards at both radial ends of the handle part  12 , respectively. A positioning block  7  is fixedly provided in the inner cavity of the first extension section  123 . An annular groove  73  is provided between the positioning block  7  and the first extension section  123 . A first mounting hole  71  is formed in the middle of the positioning block  7 . The second extension section  124  is provided with a second mounting hole  120 . A plurality of plug boards  121  and a plurality of screw posts  122  are circumferentially provided on the inner wall of the second mounting hole  120 , and the plug boards  121  and the screw posts  122  are staggered. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6  to  FIG. 8 , the water diversion component  3  comprises a water diversion device  31  and a valve core  32 . The water diversion device  31  comprises a water diversion valve seat  311 , a first water diversion pipe  312  and a second water diversion pipe  313 . The water diversion valve seat  311  is an axially penetrating hollow member. A first water diversion pipe  312  and a second water diversion pipe  313  are provided side by side along the radial direction on the side wall of the water diversion valve seat  311 . The joints of the first water diversion pipe  312  and the second water diversion pipe  313  with the side wall of the water diversion valve seat are provided with a water inlet end(a) and a first water outlet end(b), respectively. The water diversion device  31  is built in the inner cavity of the handle part  12 . The first water diversion pipe  312  and second water diversion pipe  313  thereof face towards the inner end of the handle part  12 . Both ends of the water diversion valve seat  311  are opposite to the first mounting hole  71  and the second mounting hole  120 , respectively. At the same time, the side wall of the water diversion valve seat  311  is provided with a second water outlet end(c) in the direction of the water outlet connector  13 . The water inlet end(a), the first water outlet end(b) and the second water outlet end(c) are circumferentially distributed. In order to better position the water diversion device  31  in the inner cavity of the handle part  12 , as shown in  FIG. 9 , a partition wall  14  is provided inside the handle part  12  and on one side facing the water diversion device  31 . Two positioning through holes  141  are provided on the partition wall  14 . The two positioning through holes  141  are matched with the first water diversion pipe  312  and the second water diversion pipe  313 , respectively. The first water diversion pipe  312  and the second water diversion pipe  313  are inserted into the two positioning through holes  141 , respectively, so as to realize positioning. More preferably, a pair of bayonets  314  are provided on the side surfaces of the first water diversion pipe  312  and the second water diversion pipe  313 , respectively. A U-shaped snap ring  6  is embedded in the bayonets  314  with the opening facing upwards. The U-shaped snap ring  6  is clamped on one end face of the partition wall  14  away from the water diversion device  31 , thereby ensuring that the first water diversion pipe  312  and the second water diversion pipe  313  are relatively fixed with the handle part  12  in the axial direction. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the first water diversion pipe  312  is communicated with the waterway of the water inlet  11 . A water inlet channel(x) is formed by the water inlet  11 , the first water diversion pipe  312  and the water inlet end a. The second water diversion pipe  313  is communicated with the waterway of the water outlet component  2 . A first water outlet channel(z) is formed by the first water outlet end b and the second water diversion pipe  313 . The second water outlet end c of the water diversion valve seat  311  is communicated with the waterway of the water outlet connector  13 . A second water outlet channel(y) is formed by the second water outlet end c and the water outlet connector  13  of the handle part  12 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the valve core  32  is sequentially provided with a straight rod section  321  and two spaced sealing sections  322  along the axial direction thereof. A blocking part  323  and a water passage  324  are provided between the two sealing sections  322 . The blocking part  323  comprises a positioning cylinder  3231  and a rubber plug  3232  which are transversely provided. The rubber plug  3232  is sleeved in the positioning cylinder  3231 . The outer end surface  32321  of the rubber plug  3232  protrudes from the positioning cylinder  3231 . The valve core  32  is rotatably provided in the inner cavity of the water diversion valve seat  311 . A water containing chamber  100  is formed by the two sealing sections  322  and the inner cavity of the water diversion valve seat  311 . The water containing chamber  100  serves as a waterway pooling area of the water inlet channel(x), the first water outlet channel(z) and the second water outlet channel(y). The rubber plug  3232  is completely attached to the inner wall of the water diversion valve seat  311 , which is used for blocking the first water outlet end(b) and the second water outlet end(c). The straight rod section  321  extends outward from the first mounting hole  71 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the switching handle  4  is provided at the outer end of the first extending section  123 , is rotatably inserted into the annular groove  73  provided between the positioning block  7  and the first extending section  123 , and is fixedly connected with the straight rod section  321  of the valve core  32 . The rubber plug  3232  of the valve core  31  is driven to rotate circumferentially in the water containing chamber  100  of the water diversion valve seat  311  by rotating the switching handle  4  for blocking the first water outlet end b or the second water outlet c, or attached to the inner wall of the water containing chamber  100 , so that the water inlet channel(x) is communicated with the waterway of the first water outlet channel(z), or the water inlet channel(x) is communicated with the waterway of the second water outlet channel(y), or the water inlet channel(x) is communicated with the waterway of the first water outlet channel(z) and the second water outlet channel(y) simultaneously. More preferably, in order to better position the rotation angle of the switching handle  4 , a positioning sound mechanism is provided between the positioning block  7  and the switching handle  4 . The positioning sound mechanism comprises a positioning pin  8 , a spring  9  and positioning blind holes  72 . The switching handle  4  forms an accommodating cavity  42  for accommodating the spring  9  and the positioning pin  8 . The outer end face of the positioning block  7  is provided with a plurality of positioning blind holes  72  along the circumferential direction. The three positioning blind holes  72  are opposite to the inner wall of the water containing chamber  100 , the first water outlet end(b) and the second water outlet end(c), respectively. When the switching handle  4  is rotated, the positioning pin  8  collides with the inner wall of the positioning blind hole  72  under the action of the restoring force of the spring  9 , thereby forming a prompt sound that the switching handle  4  is switched in place. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , a connecting base  20  is also fixedly provided in the second mounting hole  120  of the handle part  12 . The connecting base  20  comprises a sleeve-shaped body. A positioning plate  200  extending outwards is formed on the top of the body. A plurality of slots  201  are provided on the outer side wall of the body or the bottom end face of the positioning plate  200  with respect to the plug board  121 . A plurality of slots  201  fixing holes  202  are provided on the positioning plate  200  with respect to the positioning post. At the same time, an upwardly extending fixing post  203  is formed in the middle of the top end face of the positioning plate  200 . When the connecting base  20  is built into the second mounting hole  120 , the plug board  121  in the second mounting hole  120  is correspondingly inserted into each slot  201 . At the same time, the first fastener  40  sequentially passes through the corresponding fixing hole  202  and the screw hole  1221  on the screw post  122  to fix the connecting base  20  in the second extension section  124 . The shower holder  5  is provided with a fixing through hole  51 . A second fastener  43  passes through the fixing through hole  51  and is screwed and locked to the fixing post  203 , thereby fixing the shower holder  5  and the connecting base  20 . More preferably, the body of the connecting base  20  forms a small-diameter end  204  at the end far away from the positioning plate  200 . The small-diameter end  204  is used for being sleeved in the inner cavity of the water diversion valve seat  311 , thereby further increasing the axial stability of the water diversion valve seat  311 , and at the same time, further preventing the water flowing through the water containing chamber  100  from overflowing towards the shower holder  5 . 
     More preferably, the shower holder  5  is rotatably provided on the fixing post  203 , so that the hand-held shower  1000  placed on the shower holder  5  can generate different shower angles to meet the shower needs of users. A positioning sound mechanism is additionally provided between the shower holder  5  and the positioning plate  200 . The positioning sound mechanism has the structure basically the same as that of the positioning sound mechanism formed by the switching handle  4 , comprising a positioning pin  52 , a spring  53  and a positioning blind hole  54 . The shower holder  5  forms an accommodating cavity  55  for accommodating the spring  53  and the positioning pin  52 . The outer end face of the positioning block  200  is provided with a plurality of positioning blind holes  54  along the circumferential direction. When the shower holder  5  is rotated, the positioning pin  52  collides with the inner wall of the positioning blind hole  54  under the action of the restoring force of the spring  52 , thereby forming a prompt sound that the shower holder  5  is switched in place. 
     In the shower head with a shower holder manufactured by the above structure, the switching handle  4  and the shower holder  5  are respectively provided at the two ends of the radial extension section of the handle part  12 , so that the inner cavity of the handle part  12  can provide a larger water containing space for the water diversion component  3 , especially for the water diversion valve seat  31 , and increase the overflow of the water inlet channel(x), the first water outlet channel(z) and the second water outlet channel(y). At the same time, a switching handle  4  with a larger contact area can also be provided, which is convenient for users to switch waterways. When the hand-held shower  1000  is inserted into the shower holder  5 , the water outlet areas of the hand-held shower and the shower holder are adjacent. The switching handle  4  is switched to the water inlet channel(x) and is simultaneously communicated with the waterways of the first water outlet channel(z) and the second water outlet channel(y). The hand-held shower  1000  and the water outlet component  2  of the shower head simultaneously discharge water, which can overlap a larger water outlet area and improve the shower experience. 
     The above description merely relates to embodiments of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the design of the present disclosure. Any equivalent changes made according to key points of the design of the present disclosure will fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.