Patent Publication Number: US-2005116062-A1

Title: Shower device having adjustable mechanism

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a shower device, and more particularly to a shower device including an adjustable structure or configuration to allow the shower head to be easily adjusted up and down relative to the supporting walls or relative to the users.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      Various kinds of typical shower devices have been developed and widely used, and comprise a shower head to be secured to a supporting wall with a support or fastener member, and to be directed toward the users, to shower the users.  
      For example, French Patent No. 1,109,492 to Sinclair and U.S. Pat. No. 2,216,149 to Weiss disclose two of the typical shower devices each having a shower head adjustably secured to the supporting wall with a sucker member, and to allow the shower head to be adjusted up and down relative to the users.  
      However, the sucker members have to support the whole weight of the shower head and the hoses coupling to the shower head, and the sucker members may thus be easily slip or moved relative to the supporting wall, such that the shower head may have a good chance to move or slip downwardly relative to the supporting wall.  
      In addition, while showering, the water flowing out of the shower head may further provide a force against the shower head and thus against the sucker members, and may further move the sucker members relative to the supporting wall.  
      The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional devices to support the shower heads.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a shower device including an adjustable structure or configuration to allow the shower head to be easily adjusted up and down relative to the supporting walls or relative to the users.  
      In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a shower device comprising a conduit including a bore formed therein, a tube including a lower portion slidably engaged into the bore of the conduit, to allow the tube to be adjusted up and down relative to the conduit, a shower head attached to the tube and moved up and down together with the tube, a control ferrule attached to the conduit and the tube, and including at least one first sealing ring engaged between the conduit and the control ferrule, to make a water tight seal between the conduit and the control ferrule, and including at least one second sealing ring engaged between the tube and the control ferrule, to make a water tight seal between the tube and the control ferrule, and an attaching device for attaching the tube to a supporting surface.  
      The conduit includes an outer thread formed thereon, the control ferrule includes an inner thread formed therein to thread with the outer thread of the conduit. The attaching device includes a bracket secured to the supporting surface, and having a ring to support the tube.  
      Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a partial cross sectional view of a shower device in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged partial cross sectional view of the shower device; and  
       FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of a control ferrule of the shower device. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to the drawings, and initially to  FIG. 1 , a shower device in accordance with the present invention comprises a conduit  20  including a lower portion  21  attached to a faucet or valve member  10 , to receive water from a water supply source, and including an outer thread  22  formed or provided on the upper portion thereof, and including a bore  23  formed therein.  
      A tube  30  includes a lower portion  31  rotatably and slidably engaged into the bore  23  of the conduit  20 , and easily and quickly slidable or adjustable up and down relative to the conduit  20 , and includes a shower head  32  attached to top thereof, for directing toward and to shower the users. The shower head  32  may be attached or secured to top of the tube  30  with fasteners or the like, and to be moved up and down together with the tube  30 .  
      A control ferrule  40  is rotatably attached onto the conduit  20  and the tube  30 , and disposed in the adjacent portion or the coupling portion of the conduit  20  and the tube  30 . As shown in FIGS.  2  and  3 , the control ferrule  40  includes one or more peripheral grooves  41  formed therein, such as formed in the lower portion thereof, for receiving sealing rings  42  therein, which may be engaged between the conduit  20  and the control ferrule  40 , to make a water tight seal between the conduit  20  and the control ferrule  40 .  
      The control ferrule  40  further includes one or more peripheral slots  43  formed therein for receiving sealing rings  44 ,  45  therein respectively, which may be engaged between the tube  30  and the control ferrule  40 , to make a water tight seal between the tube  30  and the control ferrule  40 .  
      The control ferrule  40  further includes an inner thread  47  formed therein, for threading with the outer thread  22  of the conduit  20 , to secure the control ferrule  40  to the conduit  20 , and to maintain the engagement of the sealing rings  42 ,  44 ,  45  with the conduit  20  and the tube  30  respectively. The tube  30  and thus the shower head  32  may be adjusted up and down relative to the conduit  20 .  
      A bracket  50  may further be provided for attaching to the supporting walls or surfaces  70 , and includes a ring  51  to support the tube  30 , for example, and to secure the tube  30  to the supporting walls or surfaces  70 .  
      In operation, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the tube  30  and thus the shower head  32  may be adjusted up and down relative to the conduit  20 , and the control ferrule  40  may be secured to the conduit  20 , and to maintain the engagement of the sealing rings  42 ,  44 ,  45  with the conduit  20  and the tube  30  respectively. The tube  30  and thus the shower head  32  may then be secured to the supporting walls or surfaces  70  with the bracket  50 , for allowing the shower head  32  to be adjusted up and down relative to the supporting walls or surfaces  70  to different heights according to the heights of the users.  
      Accordingly, the shower device in accordance with the present invention includes an adjustable structure or configuration to allow the shower head to be easily adjusted up and down relative to the supporting walls or relative to the users.  
      Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.