Patent Abstract:
A hand held shower head with a filter replacing pre-alarm assembly includes a propeller wheel with a magnetically induced signal emitter and a correspondingly placed signal receptor, as well as a digital display connected to the signal receptor. Upon a total accumulated quantity of water flow through a filter positioned within a hand held portion, a pre-alarm signal is generated, and upon reaching a critical point, a buzzer is activated to remind the user to replace the filter to ensure a quality filtered water.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a hand held shower head with filter replacing pre-alarm assembly, and more particularly to one implemented by an added device to generate pre-alarm upon a total quantity of flowing water passing through the filter embedded therein. Upon reaching an effective critical point, it can initiate alarms to remind the user to replace the filter assembly timely in order to ensure filtered water of a good quality. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Nowadays, our tap water in daily living is full of pesticides, chemical constituents and varieties of impurity, owing to rivers being polluted by industrial and household waste water, garbage and livestock excretion caused by modern industrialization as well as lacking of environmental protection. Although it has been purified in the public waterworks treatment by chlorinating, such water with some remaining chloride residuals becomes harmful to the health of a human being. Thus, civil consumers usually obtain their potable water from purification equipment they&#39;ve purchased. Many households even have their own purification equipment installed at home on the shower to get a better quality of bathing water. The principle herewith is to adsorb or remove pesticides, chemical constituents and varieties of impurity in the water by means of embedded adsorbents such as activated carbon, metallic sulfite, KDF therein. 
   Presently, there are some conventional devices of hand held showerheads with filter assemblies such as the devices in the prior art of US Pat. Nos. 4,107,046; 6,016,977 and 6,270,023. Though these devices can filter the shower water efficiently in some degree, it will fail at the critical point of filter assembly (or service life) after operating for a certain period of time, depending on the specified maximum quantity of water filtered by accumulated flux therethrough. 
   For example, if a maximum quantity of water that can be filtered is 1500 gallons, then such is the critical point of filter assembly. Once the filter assembly reaches this critical point, it will be spent and deteriorated, then lose its filtering function due to accumulated impurities. It can resume its filtrating ability only by replacing with a new filter. However, for those filters of devices in the current marketplace, the label or tag attaching thereon provided by vendors only specifies its critical point (or Service Life) in terms of quantity in gallon unit, neither the measuring instrument nor the tool thereof is provided by vendors. 
   Therefore, upon purchasing a new filter assembly, the consumer is always reminded by vendor to replace the filter in a half year or some other number of months. But if the consumer replaces the filter prematurely before reaching its critical point, it becomes wasteful as an increasing economic burden. To the contrary, if a consumer replaces the filter beyond its critical point, the filtering function of the filter may fail due to an abundance of accumulated dirt. Thus, the user of the purification equipment may get a filtered water whose quality is much dirtier and worse than that of tap water—without a malfunctioned filter, which ingested by a human being can severely jeopardize health even more. 
   However, the time for reaching the critical point of hand held shower head with a filter assembly is subject to differences of the number of users in each family. For example, if the average daily usage of water quantity for each person is 2 gallons, then the filter assembly, which is embedded in the hand held shower head, can be operated validly for 250 days in a family of 3 users; however, it can be only operated validly for 125 days in a family of 6 users. In other words, the aforementioned filter assembly of the prior art neither offers a feature of pre-alarm upon reaching its critical point nor having precise measurement control or record-keeping, having the consequences of missing replacement times and still continuing to use the malfunctioned filter, causing skin discomfort such as allergy or itchiness. Even more, the chronic exposure of chlorine on the skin may make a user susceptible to cancer. Obviously, the customary filter assemblies of the preceding prior art are neither practical nor ideal in effectiveness. 
   SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
   Accordingly, the present invention adds a device on the filter within the handhold of the hand held shower head for measuring water quantity by accumulated flow and initiating pre-alarm. 
   The main object of the present invention is to eliminate all the drawbacks of the foregoing conventional prior art devices, which are handicapped by lack of pre-alarm upon reaching critical point of the filter assembly therein. By the added device herein described ably measuring water quantity by accumulated flow and initiating pre-alarm, the user is reminded to replace the filter at the proper time to assure the filtered water is of good quality. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a sectional view of a handheld shower head with filter replacing pre-alarm assembly according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded sectional view of the above first preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a circuit block diagram of a signal conversion display of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view of a handheld shower head with filter replacing pre-alarm assembly according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 to 3 , a hand held shower head with filter replacing pre-alarm assembly according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a shower head  10 , a base seat  20 , a cover seat  30 , a propeller wheel  40  and a signal circuit device  50 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the shower head  10  has a hollow body and a water inlet  11  which is having screw threads  111  formed thereon, and provided to connect with a filter hand hold  60 . In front of the shower head  10  has firmly mounted a cover member  12  by means of a screw  121 , and said cover member  12  has a plurality of spray holes  122  to allow the water spray out of the shower head  10 . To the rear of the shower head  10  is tightly affixed a LCD display circuit  56 , is used in displaying an instruction sent by the microprocessor  51  of the signal circuit device  50 (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the base seat  20 , the cover seat  30  and the propeller wheel  40  are totally affixed in the inner of the shower head  10 , wherein the bottom surface of the base seat  20  forms an indented water chamber  21 . The base seat  20  has a water inlet channel  22  and a outlet channel  23  which is formed at the two sides of the water chamber  21  and through with each other. A rotation axle  24  is downwardly protruded from central area of a top surface of the water chamber  21  of the base seat  20 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , The cover seat  30  is tightly affixed on the bottom side of the base seat  20  with the bottom surface of the base seat  20  abutting to a top surface of the cover seat  30 . The cover seat  30  has a water inlet  31  which has two ends corresponding to the inlet channel  22  and the water inlet  11  respectively and is formed on a side surface of the cover seat  30 . The cover seat  30  has a water outlet  32  which is corresponding to the outlet channel  23  and is formed on a top surface of the cover seat  30 . A supporting axle  33  is upwardly protruded from a central area of a top side of the cover seat  30 , and the opposite side is downwardly protruded a threaded hole  341  of central dowel  34 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 2 , The propeller wheel  40  is a circular body which has a plurality of curved propeller blades are extended radically from the circular body. Two central axial recesses  41  are coaxially at a center of top side and a bottom side of the propeller wheel  40  respectively. A magnetic element  42  is embedded on a top side of the propeller wheel  40 . The propeller wheel  40  is situated and supported in the water chamber  21  of the base seat  20  in rotatable manner that, the rotation axle  24  and the supporting axle  33  are fitted into the two central axial recesses  41  located in the center of the water chamber  21  of the base seat  20  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , The signal circuit device  50  of the present invention comprises a microprocessor  51 , a DC power supply  52  electrically connected to the microprocessor  51 , a transducer  53  electrically connected to the microprocessor  51 , a reset switch  54  electrically connected to the microprocessor  51 , a rest switch  55  electrically connected to the microprocessor  51 , a LCD display circuit  56  electrically connected to the microprocessor  51 , a buzzer  57  electrically connected to the microprocessor  51  and a signal receiver  58  which is closed at the top surface of base seat  20  and corresponding to the magnetic element  42  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , Assemble the base seat  20 , the cover seat  30  and the propeller wheel  40  by means of the screws  121 ,  121   a  and affixed to the inner of the shower head  10 , so that the water inlet  31 , the inlet channel  22 , the water chamber  21 , the outlet  23  and the water outlet  32  define a water flowing passage. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , In accordance with an operating mode of the present invention a water supply pipe is connected to the filter handhold  60 . Water flow enters the water chamber  21  through the water inlet  31  and inlet channel  22 , forcing the propeller wheel  40  to rotate, and flows out through the outlet channel  23 , the water outlet  32  and the spray holes  122  of the cover member  12 . When the propeller wheel  40  rotates, the magnetic element  42  induces the signal receiver  58  of the signal circuit device  50 , so that the signal receiver  58  receives a sensor signal and transmit to the microprocessor  51  via the transducer  53 . Such continuous signals are transmitted to the microprocessor  51  and will process sending corresponding signals to the LCD display circuit  56 , An accurate quantity of flow can be calculated according to the equation:
 
Quantity of Flow( Q )=Cross Sectional Area( A )×Flow Velocity( V )
 
   The total water making volume value, that is a total volume of flowing water made by the filtration element  62  of the filter handhold  60 , is formatted and input into the microprocessor  51  as a predetermined reference value which is a digital standard reference value showing the service life (critical point) of the respective filtration element. When the total flowing volume value reach to the service life of the filter handhold  60 , the microprocessor  51  will sending a signal to the buzzer  57  for advancing a warning alarm to notify that it is the time for the user to replace a new filtration element of the filter handhold  60 . Therefore, the user can avoid in consequence of missing replacement timing and still continuously using the malfunctioned filter. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , a hand held shower head with filter replacing pre-alarm assembly according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in which the propeller wheel  40  has the same structure and the signal circuit device  50  is the same as in the above first preferred embodiment. The second embodiment is modification made to the shower head  10 . 
   In accordance with the second preferred embodiment, the shower head  100  of the second preferred embodiment has a hollow body which is secured at a elongate thread portion  101 , and provided to connected with a filter hand hold  60 . A water chamber  102  formed in the bottom surface of the elongate thread portion  101 . The shower head  100  has a water inlet  103  and a water outlet  104  are formed at the two sides of the water chamber  102  respectively and through with each other. In front of the shower head  100  has firmly mounted a cover member  105  which has a plurality of spray holes  106  to allow the water spray out of the shower head  100 . To the rear of the shower head  10  is tightly affixed a LCD display circuit  56 , is used in displaying an instruction sent by the microprocessor  51  of the signal circuit device  50 (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). The propeller wheel  40  is situated and supported in the water chamber  102  of the shower head  100  in rotatable manner that, and the signal receiver  58  is mounted and corresponding at the top of the magnetic element  42  of the propeller wheel  40 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , In accordance with an operating mode of the second embodiment of the present invention a water supply pipe is connected to the input end portion  61  of the filter handhold  60 , water flow enters the water chamber  102  through the water inlet  103 , forcing the propeller wheel  40  to rotate, and flows out through the water outlet  104  and the spray hole  106  of the cover member  105 . When the propeller wheel  40  rotates, the magnetic element  42  induces the signal receiver  58  of the signal circuit device  50 , so that the signal receiver  58  receives a sensor signal and transmits to the microprocessor  51  via the transducer  53 . Such continuous signals are transmitted to the microprocessor  51  and will process sending corresponding signals to the LCD display circuit  56 . An accurate quantity of flow can be calculated according to the equation:
 
Quantity of Flow( Q )=Cross Sectional Area( A )×Flow Velocity( V )
 
   The total water making volume value, that is a total volume of flowing water made by the filtration element of the filter handhold  60 , is formatted and inputted into the microprocessor  51  as a predetermined reference value which is a digital standard reference value showing the service life (critical point) of the respective filtration element. When the total flowing volume value reach the service life of the filter handhold  60 , the microprocessor  51  will send a signal to the buzzer  57  for advancing a warning alarm to notify that it is the time for the user to replace the filtration element of the filter handhold  60 . Therefore, the user can avoid the consequence of missing the replacement time and continuing to use a malfunctioned filter. 
   In conclusion by summing up the description mentioned above, the present invention has the following creative effects: 
   To allow the filter in a hand held shower head produce a maximum amount of filtered water for effective utilization thereof; 
   To generate audible and visible alarms to inform the user when the filter in a hand held shower head reaches (or nearly reaches) its critical point; and 
   To allow a user to timely replace the malfunctioned filter in a hand held shower head to meet the goal of making the best use of any resources or asset, to let it serve to its proper purpose in maximum practical efficiency and economical gain. So, it has inherently extreme value in industrial application of its own.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1