Patent Abstract:
The present invention provides a water tap including a main body; a decorative cap for covering the main body while exposing the cavity therefrom; a water control assembly; a fastening means for fastening the water control assembly and the decorative cap to the main body; and a rotation-driving member adapted to connect with the water control assembly, thereby providing for a durable cap assembly structure that is easy to manufacture and process at low cost and is easily assembled, thus overcoming the drawbacks of prior techniques.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a water control apparatus, and more particularly, to an improved water tap structure. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Prior Art 
         [0004]    Water taps are one of the most frequently used devices in daily life. Most conventional taps in the early days were made of copper material and were formed by heating copper to liquify it and pouring the heated copper liquid into tap molds of the desired shapes. Subsequently, an improved technique of forged cast mold processing has emerged and gradually replaced the conventional molding process, wherein the improved technique is accomplished by heating and pressing copper blocks to take shape and form the desired tap body. 
         [0005]    The forged casting process has several disadvantages in that it requires the subsequent processing of grounding and polishing after detachment of the molded taps, and it also requires many sets of pressing molds for welding each of the components, increasing processing costs and complixities in the manufacturing and assembly processes. Also, each component has to be connected together by a connecting technique in the assembly process of the water tap, and if the components are connected by welding, inevitably the appearance of the tap would have a color difference between different components as a result of the different processing steps, undesirably affecting the aesthetics of the tap. In addition, the copper-made taps are also disadvantageous due to their heavy weight and due to the cost of copper, which continues to escalate in cost. 
         [0006]    In view of the foregoing drawbacks of the prior techinques, Taiwanese Utility Model Patent Nos. M314814 and 1268321 have disclosed water taps having part of the components made of plastic. Taiwanese Utility Model Patent No. M314814 discloses an integrally formed water control assembly by plastic injection molding that requires the use of extra components for connecting and rigidly securing the water control assembly, complicating the assembly process and increasing the cost as a result. Similarly, the water tap disclosed in Taiwanese Utility Model Patent No. 1268321 also requires separate assembly of each of its components and thus is unable to remedy the defects of the Taiwanese Utility Model Patent Nos. M314814. Moreover, the copper-made water control assembly of the prior art typically employs a cylindrical cover for covering the core shaft and other components therein, which, due to the inherent property of copper and a height of merely 0.75 mm existing between the connecting point of the core shaft and the cylinder cover, the washer of the core shaft is prone to wear down or be damaged from the repetitive actions of opening and closing the water tap, thereby resulting in water leakage, usually from the front plane of the tap. 
         [0007]    Moreover, for water-saving purposes, a water-preserving valve or regulator is often employed in the water-discharging outlet for regulating and adjusting the discharge of water. The regulator typically comprises a regulator head and a regulator net disposed inside of the head, and thus it is necessary to use a tool such as a wrench or coin in order to manually rotate and bring the regulator into operation, and, also, the regulator net is known to easily become clogged and lose its efficacy, causing great inconvenience in installation and usage. 
         [0008]    As such, it is desirable to provide an improved water tap assembly structure capable of overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art described above. 
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0009]    In light of the drawback associated with the conventional techniques as described above, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a water tap that can be processed easily. 
         [0010]    Another objective of the present invention is to provide a water tap that can be easily assembled and installed. 
         [0011]    Another objective of the present invention is to provide a water tap that can be easily manufactured at low cost. 
         [0012]    Another objective of the present invention is to provide a water tap that can be used over a relatively long time and has long lifespan. 
         [0013]    In accordance with the foregoing and other objectives, the present invention provides a water tap including: a main body comprised of at least a passageway, a water inlet port and a water outlet port respectively disposed on the two ends of the passageway, a first positioning portion disposed in the passageway, a first coupling portion disposed at a position away from the first positioning portion and above the main body, and a receiving portion disposed at a position between the first positioning portion and the first coupling portion; a decorative cap for covering the main body and exposing the cavity; a water control assembly comprised of a core shaft disposed in the cavity and having a first limiting portion, a first water control member configured to correspond to the first limiting portion, and a second water control member rigidly disposed on the bottom of the first water control member and corresponding to the first positioning portion; a fastening means comprised of a second coupling portion corresponding to the first coupling portion, a second limiting portion connected to the second coupling portion, and a penetrable portion for allowing the core shaft to pass therethrough, wherein the second limiting portion is adapted to restrict movement of the core shaft in the penetrable portion and concurrently enable the water control assembly and the decorative cap to be fastened to the main body; and a rotation-driving member configured to sleeve the core shaft and cover on the cavity. 
         [0014]    In one aspect of the present invention, the main body may be, for example, an integrally formed plastic and steel injection tap body, and the decorative cap may be a cap structure made of plastic, or it can also be formed integrally, thereby eliminating the difficulties in processing, as well as reducing material and production costs due to the reduction in manufacturing processing as encountered in prior techniques while still maintaining rigidity of the tap structure. 
         [0015]    In comparison to prior techniques, the water tap of the present invention employs a fastening means for fastening the water control assembly and the decorative cap to the main body, thereby simplifying assembly steps and decreasing assembly costs as a result. Further, the water control assembly of the present invention is characterized in that the core shaft and the first and second water control members are each separately installed. The first and second water control members may be ceramic planar bodies having high rigidness to enhance the structural strength and rigidity and wear endurance, thereby overcoming the defect of easy breaking due to the poor structural rigidity, and moreover, the first and second water control members can be fastened directly to the main body without requiring additional means or components for fastening purposes. 
         [0016]    Additionally, the water tap of the present invention as described above may further include a decorative panel and a regulator disposed on the body at a position away from the decorative panel. The decorative panel may be installed at a rear end of a general straight bolt type faucet to prevent possible damage to the wall during installation and increase the aesthetics. The regulator may be integrally formed with a plurality of water-flowing portions and turning-assist portions disposed on the outer periphery thereof. The water-flowing portion is adapted to replace and eliminate the use of the conventional rectifying net that has to be separately installed in the prior art, so as to solve the drawback of the conventional rectifying net that is known to become clogged. The turning-assist portion is adapted to facilitate and assist in manual rotation of the regulator during installation, thereby eliminating the use of a rotating tool for the regulator in the prior art. Further, the body may be provided with a cap member at an end thereof, and also a leak-proof member may be disposed between the cap member and an end of the passageway, such that the decorative cover may fasten the cap member and the leak-proof member on one side of the body when it covers the body, thereby preventing water from leaking at the front plane of the tap. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of the water tap in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the water tap in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0024]      FIG. 1  through  FIG. 6  are drawn to illustrate a first embodiment of the water tap in accordance with the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the water tap  1  of the present invention includes a main body  11 ; a decorative cap  12  for covering the main body  11 ; a water control assembly  13  disposed in the body  11 , a fastening means  14  for fastening the water control assembly  13  and the decorative cap  12  to the main body  11 , a rotation-driving member  15  connected to the water control assembly  13 , a decorative panel  16  disposed on one side of the main body  11 , and a regulator  17  disposed on the other side of the main body  11  at a position away from the decorative panel  11 . 
         [0025]    In the water tap  1  of the present invention, the main body  11  comprises a first positioning portion  111 , a second positioning portion  112  disposed surrounding and beneath the first positioning portion  111 ; a first coupling portion  113  disposed at a position away from the first positioning portion  111  and above the main body  11 ; a first passageway  114  disposed at a position beneath the first positioning portion  111  and the second positioning portion  112 ; a cavity  115  disposed between the first positioning portion  111  and the first coupling portion  113 ; a second passageway  116  disposed above the first positioning portion  111  and the second positioning portion  112 ; a third positioning portion  117  disposed in the first passageway  114  at a position away from the first positioning portion  111 ; a third coupling portion  118  disposed on the third positioning portion  117  at a position away from the first positioning portion  111 ; and a fourth coupling portion  119  disposed to be perpendicular to the second passageway  116 . 
         [0026]    In this embodiment, the main body  1 I may be but is not limited to, for example, an integrally formed tap body made by plastic and steel injection molding, wherein every component of the first positioning portion  111 , the second positioning portion  112 , the first coupling portion  113 , the first passageway  114 , the cavity  115 , the second passageway  116 , the third positioning portion  117 , the third coupling portion  118 , and the fourth coupling portion  119  are all integrally formed with the main body  11  by plastic and steel injection molding during the manufacturing process, thereby simplifying the steps of the manufacturing process while providing for a tap body having the characteristics of light weight, high rigidity and etching-resistance. 
         [0027]    The first positioning portion  111  may comprise, for example, a plurality of rib portions  112  disposed to surround the upper portion of the second positioning portion  112 , wherein the first positioning portion  111  and the second positioning portion  112  have a spacing gap existing therebetween. In this embodiment, the first positioning portion  111  comprises four pairs of rib portions altogether that are evenly disposed in the inner wall of the body  11 , wherein intervals formed between each pair of rib portions are not the same but the interval formed between each corresponding pair of rib portions are identical. The second positioning portion  112  may be, for example, a ring-shaped groove disposed between the first passageway  114  and the second passageway  116 . The first coupling portion  113  is provided with screw threads for fastening nuts and screws therein. The first passageway  114  is a cavity connected to an inlet pipe (not shown). The cavity  115  is a cavity connected to the first passageway  114  and has a pair of corresponding gaps  1151  formed on the top edge thereof. The second passageway  116  is a cavity connecting with the central cavity  115  that connects to the first passageway  114  for allowing water to flow therethrough from the main body  11  and is disposed to tilt slightly upwards with respect to the first passageway  114 . The third positioning portion  117  may be, for example, a positioning groove for stopping the front of the third coupling portion  118 . The third coupling portion  118  is connected to the inlet pipe and is provided with screw threads for fastening water pipes (not shown) thereto and serves as a water inlet port disposed at one end of the passageway, wherein the third positioning portion  117  may function as a stop for the screw threads to prevent the inlet pipe from passing over the third coupling portion  118  and further allow water to enter into the first passageway  114  through the inlet pipe. The fourth coupling portion  119  is disposed in the second passageway  116  close to either one of two exits at the end thereof and is provided with threads at the outer periphery thereof. The fourth coupling portion  119  is perpendicular to the second passageway  116  and functions as a water outlet port at one end of the passageway. In another embodiment, the fourth coupling portion  119  may be disposed at arbitrary positions opening downwardly from the second passageway  116 . The included angle of the fourth coupling portion  119  and the second passageway  116  may be  90  degrees but is not limited thereto. 
         [0028]    The decorative cap  12  has a shape corresponding to the plastic cover of the main body  11  for covering on the main body  11  while exposing the cavity  115 , thereby strengthening the structure of the main body  11  and providing an aesthetically-pleasing appearance. The decorative cap  12  comprises a connecting hole  121  corresponding to the cavity  115 , and may further comprise a protective layer on the surface thereof. For example, the surface of the decorative cap  12  may be coated with stainless chromium, titanium, chromium, lacquer and ceramic materials as a protective layer. Further, the third positioning portion  117  and the fourth positioning portion  118  are exposed from the decorative cap  12  for allowing the main body  11  to connect with the inlet pipe. 
         [0029]    The water control assembly  13  comprises a core shaft  131  disposed in the cavity  115 , a core shaft cap  132  disposed to partly cover the periphery of the core shaft  131 , a first water control member  133  adapted to correspond to the core shaft  131 , an O-shaped ring  134  disposed to cover on the core shaft  131 , and a second water control member  135  fixedly disposed on the bottom of the first water control member  133  and corresponding to the first positioning portion  111 . 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the core shaft  131  comprises a first limiting portion  1311  disposed on the bottom thereof, a ring-shaped step portion  1312  connected to the first limiting portion  1311 , a ring-shaped cavity  1313  disposed on top of the ring-shaped stair portion  1312 , a first fastening portion  1314  disposed on the top thereof for connecting with the rotation-driving member  15 , a rotation-limiting portion  1315  disposed between the ring-shaped cavity  1313  and the first fastening portion  1314 , and a protrusive portion  1316  extending downwardly from the lower periphery of the ring-shaped step portion  1312 . The first limiting portion  1311  may be a protrusion and there is a pair of such protrusions provided in this embodiment. The ring-shaped step portion  1312  is a protrusion having a plane surface larger than the first limiting portion  1311 , the ring-shaped cavity  1313 , and the rotation-limiting portion  1315 . The ring-shaped cavity  1313  is adapted to receive the O-shaped ring  134  therein (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). The first fastening portion  1314  is a base body in a shape close to a semi-cylindrical structure and has a peripheral surface and a securing plane surface connected to the peripheral surface thereof. Further, the first fastening portion  1314  may be a U-shaped slot, a protruding pin, or any other equivalent structures as long as it can move relative to the rotation-driving member  15 . The rotation-limiting portion  1315  is adapted to cover the core shaft cap  132  and is in the shape of a cylinder with a height of approximately 2 mm, such that the rotation-limiting portion  1315  has better resistance to wear, longer lifespan of usage, and stronger leak-proof ability over prior art techniques that are typically built to have a height of merely 0.75 mm. The protrusive portion  1316  is adapted to correspond to the opening gap  1151  for correspondingly coupling to the opening gap  1151 , thereby fastening the core shaft  131  to the main body to keep it from rotating. 
         [0031]    The core shaft cap  132  is a hollow cap having a ring-shaped cavity  1321  disposed in the lower periphery thereof, and a ring-shaped step portion  1323  which is a protrusion disposed above the ring-shaped cavity  1321  for facilitating installation of the O-shaped ring  136 . 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the first water control member  133  may be, for example, a planar body in a connective dual-fan shape comprising a pair of third limiting portions  1331  corresponding to the pair of first limiting portions  1311  and a water passing portion  1333  disposed at one side of each third limiting portion  1331 . In this embodiment, the first water control member  133  is a precision ceramic planar body having strong rigidity and durability to wearing. The third limiting portion  1331  may be, for example, a rectangular groove corresponding to the first limiting portion  1311 , or any equivalent structures capable of connecting or coupling the third limiting portion  1331  to the first limiting portion  1311 . The water-passing portion  1333  may be an open gap in the shape of a fan. 
         [0033]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the second water control member  135  may be, for example, a round shaped planar body having a size slightly smaller than the cavity  115 , and comprising a plurality of fourth positioning portions  1351  disposed at the outer periphery thereof, and a plurality of water-passing portions  1353  disposed to pass through the second water control member  135 . In this embodiment, the second water control member  135  is a precision ceramic planar body having high rigidity and durability to wearing. The fourth limiting portion  1351  may be, for example, a protrusion corresponding to the first limiting portion  1311  and has four fourth positioning portions  1351  evenly disposed at the outer periphery thereof, wherein the adjacent fourth positioning portions  1351  have different shapes and sizes from one another. 
         [0034]    The fastening means  14  comprises a second coupling portion  141  corresponding to the first coupling portion  113 , a second limiting portion  143  connected to the second coupling portion  141 , and a penetrable portion  145  for allowing the core shaft  131  to pass therethrough. The fastening means  14  may be a securing nut made of plastic and the second limiting portion  143  may be screw threads disposed to surround the inner wall thereof. The second limiting portion  143  is a step portion disposed to surround the inner wall of the fastening means  14  to abut against the ring-shaped step portion  1323 , thereby restricting movement of the core shaft  131  in the penetrable portion  145  and concurrently enabling the water control assembly  13  and the decorative cap  12  to be fastened to the main body  11 , wherein the penetrable portion  145  may be an opening. 
         [0035]    The rotation-driving member  15  is adapted to connect with the core shaft  131  and cover the cavity  115 . The rotation-driving member  15  may be, for example, a plastic handle and may be formed with a protective layer, comprising: a cavity  151  for receiving the fastening means  14  therein, a second fastening portion  153  disposed above the cavity  151 , and a driving portion  155  connected to the second fastening portion  153 . The cavity  151  may be an opening having a slightly larger size than the fastening means  14 . The second fastening portion  153  is a cavity for correspondingly coupling to the first fastening portion  1314 , for example, a groove having a shape similar to a semi-cylindrical structure comprising a peripheral inner wall and a plane securing inner wall connected to the peripheral inner wall. The driving portion  155  may be, but is not limited to, for example, a handle or other equivalent structures in various shapes. 
         [0036]    The decorative panel  16  is a panel body in the shape of, for example, an inverted sink and comprises a fifth positioning portion  161  corresponding to the third positioning portion  117  and a sixth positioning portion  163  connected to the two ends of the fifth positioning portion  161 . The fifth positioning portion  161  may be, for example, a protruding rib disposed in the inner wall of the decorative panel  16 , and the sixth positioning portion  163  protrudes more from the inner wall of the decorative panel  16  than the fifth positioning portion  161  so as to block the bottom surface of the third positioning portion  117  for covering up possible marring caused thereto during installation. Optionally, the decorative panel  16  may well be omitted in other embodiments. 
         [0037]    The regulator  17  may be, for example, a regulator valve, a throttle value, a filter or other equivalent structures. In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the regulator  17  comprises a fixing portion  171  surrounding the inner periphery thereof, a step portion  173  connected to the fixing portion  171 , a plurality of water-passing portions  175  penetrating through the step portion  173 , a plurality of spacing portions  177  separating each of the water-passing portions  175  from one another, and a plurality of turning-assist portions  179  surrounding the outer periphery thereof. The fixing portion  171  is adapted to correspond to the threads of a screw portion formed on the outer periphery of the fourth coupling portion  119 . The step portion  173  is adapted to abut against the bottom of the fourth coupling portion  119 . The water-passing portions  175  are, but are not limited to, fan-shaped openings in this embodiment; other equivalent structures may well be employed depending on the function of the regulator  17  for the purpose of adjusting, sputtering, filtering or restricting the flow of water. The spacing portions  177  may be, for example, fins that are disposed to correspond to the water-passing portions  175 . The turning-assist portions  179  may be, for example, protruding ribs for enabling a human user to manually adjust/turn the regulator  17  by hand and also facilitating assembly and disassembly of the regulator  17 . Optionally, the regulator  17  may well be omitted in other embodiments. 
         [0038]    Further, a cap member  18  may be disposed at an end portion of the second passageway  116  away from the first passageway  114  on the main body  11 , and a leak-proof member  19  may be disposed at a position between the cap member  18  and an end portion of the second passageway  116 . The cap member  18  may be, for example, a plastic cover adapted to prevent water from leaking at a front side of the tap/faucet  1 , and the leak-proof member  19  may be, for example, an O-shaped ring disposed in the cap member  18 , such that the surface of the cap member  18  can be more tightly sealed with the end portion of the second passageway  116 , preventing water from leaking at the front side of the tap  1 . The cap member  18  and the leak-proof member  18  may be, but are not limited to, plastic sealing components as employed in this embodiment. Similarly, the cap member  18  and the leak-proof member  19  may well be omitted in other embodiments, or other equivalent structures may be employed to provide a sealing effect, such as welding the end portion of the second passageway  116  by a high frequency welding technique or sealing the second passageway  116  by attaching a similar sealing component thereto. 
         [0039]    In assembling the tap  1 , the O-shaped ring  137 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , is disposed on the second positioning portion  112 , and the second water control member  135  is fixed by the first positioning portion  111  via the cavity  115 . The first water control member  133  is first disposed on the second water control member  135  and the core shaft  131  is then disposed therein. Alternatively, the third limiting portion  1331  is disposed corresponding to the first limiting portion  1311  and then the first water control member  133  and the core shaft are disposed into position. The core shaft cap  132  penetrates through the core shaft  131  and the first fastening portion  1314  to fasten the rotation-limiting portion  1315  by the O-shaped ring  134  disposed on the ring-shaped cavity  1313 , thereby fastening the core shaft cap  132  to the core shaft  131 . The cap member  18  and the leak-proof member  19  are fastened to one side of the main body  11  before the decorative cap  12  is covered thereon, preventing water from leaking at the front side of the faucet  1 . The penetrable portion  145  of the fastening member  14  penetrates through the core shaft  131 , and the second coupling portion  141  is correspondingly coupled to the first coupling portion  113 , thereby fastening the water control assembly  13  and the decorative cap  12  to the main body  11 . The second fastening portion  153  of the rotation-driving member  15  is covered on the first fastening portion  1314  of the core shaft  131 . The decorative panel  16  is fastened to the third positioning portion  117 . The regulator  17  is locked in position via the threaded groove formed at the outer periphery of the fixing portion  171  by operating the turning-assist portion  179  thereof. A washer  172 , which is shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 6 , may be disposed between the step portion  173  and the fourth coupling portion  119 . Finally, referring to the upper portion of the tap, a fastening member  157  may be optionally employed to strengthen the grip between the core shaft  131  and the rotation-driving member  15 . The assembled faucet  1  is depicted in FIG. 
         [0040]      FIG. 7  shows a second preferred embodiment of the faucet assembly in accordance with the present invention. The main difference between the second preferred embodiment and the first embodiment is that the first embodiment is a straight bolt type faucet for being installed on the wall surface directly, while the second embodiment is an upright bolt type faucet that is typically installed in face-wash basins, hand-wash basins, kitchens and toilet/shower apparatuses. The components employed in this second embodiment are substantially the same as those used in the first embodiment, therefore, like components and structures are omitted herein for brevity. 
         [0041]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , the faucet  3  in this embodiment has only one water passageway similar to the second passageway  116  in the first embodiment comprising the cavity  151  and the third coupling portion  118 . Also, the third coupling portion  118 , which is perpendicular to the cavity  151 , is integrally formed with the cavity  151  for connecting with the water inlet pipe and functions as a water inlet port disposed at one end of the second passageway  116 . 
         [0042]    The faucet  3  may further comprise two stopping pieces  31  disposed to cover on the third coupling portion  118 , and an outer positioning member  33  disposed under the stopping piece  31 , wherein the stopping piece  31  may be a plastic washer. The outer positioning member  33  may be a block body made of plastic material and formed with a hole for assembling the third coupling portion  118  to an installation surface on face-wash basins, hand-wash basins, kitchens and toilet/shower apparatuses. 
         [0043]    In conclusion, the water tap of the present invention is characterized in that most of its components can be assembled at one time, and each component thereof is easily manufactured and processed to save costs in materials and assembly, such that drawbacks of prior techniques in which high material costs due to the use of copper, difficulties in the manufacturing process and subsequent processing and inconvenient assemble due to different components involved, can be eliminated. Moreover, the first and second water control members are individual components specially designed and fabricated to have strong rigidity and wear-resistance, and also the structure of the core shaft is improved to have better durability for an extended usage life. 
         [0044]    While illustrative embodiments are provided in the above description, such are for illustration only of the principles and functions of the present invention and such mare not to be construed restrictively. Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and are covered by the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5