Patent Document

[0001]     The present invention relates to a pull-out water sprayer.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Water sprayers are known which are connected to a flexible hose so that they can be pulled out of faucets in order to reach different positions, as occurs for example in kitchen sinks, and in a particular embodiment such sprayers convey water with the possibility to provide the output in the form of a central jet or of a peripheral jet following a simple action on an appropriately provided switching device.  
         [0003]     Known sprayers suffer some drawbacks, such as for example a certain difficulty in providing the ducts that convey water from the switching device toward the outlet ports, or a defective mating that is often noticed between the sprayer and the faucet.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     Therefore the aim of the present invention is to provide a sprayer in which such drawbacks are eliminated.  
         [0005]     The proposed aim is achieved by a pull-out water sprayer, comprising a water conveyance body provided, at its inlet end, with means for coupling to a flexible hose comprised within a faucet and associated, at the output end, with a disk that comprises a central port and peripheral ports for the passage of water, said body comprising a switching device that is adapted to provide the access of the water selectively to a first duct, which is connected to said central port, and to a second duct, which is connected to said peripheral ports, characterized in that said water conveyance body is divided into two interconnected sections, each of which comprises a portion of said first and second ducts. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the pull-out water sprayer according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0007]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are two, side and front views of the sprayer;  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is a view of the sprayer fitted on a faucet, with said faucet partially removed for illustration purposes;  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a partial exploded view of the sprayer shown in the faucet of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0010]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view, taken along the line V-V of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 6  is the same sectional view, taken in a different operational configuration;  
         [0012]      FIG. 7  is a prospective view of the lever of the switching device;  
         [0013]      FIGS. 8 and 9  are views of the water conveyance body, respectively in the disassembled condition and in the assembled condition. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     With reference to the figures, the reference numeral  1  generally designates the sprayer provided with means for coupling, in particular a thread  2  for coupling to the end  3  of a flexible hose  4  comprised within a faucet  5 .  
         [0015]     More specifically, the thread  2  protrudes from a water conveyance body, generally designated by the reference numeral  6  and described hereinafter, which is comprised within an external enclosure  7 .  
         [0016]     The reference numerals  8  and  9  designate two wings that protrude monolithically from the body  6  and are inclined so as to provide substantially portions of screw threads that are designed to enter, following a translational motion in the direction of the axis of the sprayer, respective notches provided in a bush  10 , which is locked at the end of the faucet  5 , and to make contact, following a rotary motion imparted by the user to the sprayer, with abutments, such as inclined planes that are adjacent to said notches and are also formed within the bush  10 : in this way, the wing  8  is designed to enter a notch  8   a  and make contact with an adjacent inclined plane  8   b,  while the wing  9 , after entering a notch not shown in the figures, is designed to make contact with an inclined plane  9   a.    
         [0017]     It clearly appears that the sprayer assumes, during engagement with the faucet  5 , a helical motion that leads it to a stable engagement position, with the assurance of making contact with the terminal rim of the faucet  5 , thus protecting at the same time functional and aesthetic requirements.  
         [0018]     Obviously, the inclined planes  8   b  and  9   a  can be replaced with different abutments, so long as they are capable of ensuring the condition of helical motion of the sprayer as described above.  
         [0019]     The water conveyance body  6  is now described with particular reference to  FIGS. 5, 6 ,  8  and  9 ; said body is provided, as mentioned, at the inlet of the threaded portion  2 , with a connection to the flexible hose  4  and is associated at its output with a disk  11 , which comprises a central port  12 , provided with a ring  13  for containing an aerator, not shown in the figures, and peripheral ports such as  14 .  
         [0020]     It is indeed the association with the disk  11  that achieves the locking of the body  6  with respect to the external enclosure  7 , the protrusion  7   a  whereof remains indeed closed between the body  6  and the disk  11 .  
         [0021]     The body  6  accommodates a switching device, which comprises a flow control element  15  associated with a rod  16 , which has, at one end, a button  17 , and accommodates a lever  18 , which is associated with the button  17  at a first end, is pivoted at the body at the center, and is shaped like a further button at a second end  18   a;  a hood  19 , made of an elastic material such as rubber, covers the button  17  and the end  18   a  of the lever.  
         [0022]     The switching device is per se known; it is enough to note that the situation of  FIG. 5  provides the connection, illustrated by the arrows, of an inlet duct  20  to the second duct that conveys the water to ports such as  14 , thus achieving the peripheral jet, while the situation of  FIG. 6  provides the connection, also illustrated by the arrows, of the inlet duct  20  to the first duct that conveys the water to the port  12 , thus providing the central jet.  
         [0023]     The body  6  is divided into two sections, respectively designated by the reference numerals  6   a  and  6   b,  each of which contains a portion of said water conveyance ducts: accordingly, the section  6   a  contains a portion  21   a  and the section  6   b  contains a portion  21   b  of the second duct that conveys water to the peripheral ports, and the section  6   a  contains a portion  22   a  and the section  6   b  contains a portion  22   b  of the first duct that conveys water to the central port.  
         [0024]     In this manner it is particularly easy to provide said ducts.  
         [0025]     The two sections  6   a  and  6   b  are detachably connected to each other by way of connection means that comprise the L-shaped tabs  23  and  24 , which protrude from the section  6   b  and are adapted to enter with a translational motion a notch provided in the section  6   a,  such as  23   a  for a tab  23 , and to then make contact, as a consequence of a rotary motion, with an inclined-plane contact region that is adjacent to said notch, such as  23   b  again for the tab  23 , obtaining therefrom a helical relative motion of the two sections that causes their engagement: cavities or seats such as  25  and  26 , formed respectively in the section  6   b  and in the section  6   a,  are intended to be arranged so that they face each other in the position for engaging the two sections that is shown in  FIG. 9 , so as to allow accommodation of a pin that is adapted to ensure the stability of the coupling.  
         [0026]     The L-shaped element and the corresponding contact region may of course assume any configuration, so long as it is capable of ensuring the above cited helical motion condition.  
         [0027]     Going back now to the switching device, it is noted that the button  17  is associated with the end of the rod  16  by means of a thread, and that a stud  27  is provided that is inserted in the hood region  19  that lies above the end  18   a  of the lever, so as to provide an element that allows strong tactile identification.  
         [0028]     Finally, on the lever  18  there are two tabs  18   b  and  18   c,  which have good elastic characteristics and which, by making contact with the wall of the duct portion  21   a  ensure stable placement of said lever in every functional condition.  
         [0029]     The described invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations in addition to the ones already mentioned, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims: thus, for example, the notches for the passage of the wings  8  and  9  or of the tabs  23  and  24  may assume any shape.  
         [0030]     The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MN2004A000005 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Technology Category: 0