US2118943A - Shower head - Google Patents

Description

May 31, 1938. E. PRICE ET AL I ,9

SHOWER HEAD Filed Nov. 14, 1936 //v VEN To Q 5 EM/L P2 ICE h/lLL IAN A. #15 me Y Min/J ATTORNEYS 7 Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED, STATE: PATENT OFFICE Emil Price and William A. Pflster, Loo Angeles,

Application November 14, 1936, serial No. 110,889

4 cums. (01. 299-141) This invention relates generally to bath flxtures and more particularly to shower heads.

An object of the invention is to provide a shower head which is structurally characterized by its simplicity, small number of parts, inexpensiveness of manufacture, and ease of assembly and disassembly, all while functioning toproduce a needle shower with maximum efliciency.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shower head embodying an extremely simple form of adjustment enabling the character 'of the jet to be conveniently varied with practically no effort, .from an intense needle shower to a softer shower of greater volume and larger diameter, and the desired adjustment effected and maintained without the necessity of any extrane-' ous or complex means subject to corrosion by the action of water.

'A further object of the invention is to provide a shower head which in addition to its extremely simple adjustmentfor varying thecharacter of V the discharged jet, is further adjustable to enall by a simple manipulation of the head eliminating any disassembling operation.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the combinations, arrangements and functional relationships of elements as set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing,- Figure 1 is a view showing in vertical'section the shower head adjusted to deliver the maximum needle shower;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l and illustrating the shower head adjusted for flushing it of any foreign substances from the water;

Figure 3 is a view of the shower head in plan partly broken away;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the shower head taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figures 5 and 6 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views showing positions of the shower head for an intense needle shower and a softer shower, respectively.

Referring specifically to the drawing, the invention comprises a body 13 composed of a water intake section l0 and a water discharge section II, the former being an open ended cylindrical tube against an internal annular shoulder l2 of which swivels a spherically shaped enlargement l3 on the end of a water supply pipe H. The opposite end of the section I0 is internally threaded at l5 to receive an externally threaded retaining disk l6 having openings lGa therethrough for the free flow of water from the pipe, and co-acting witha flat coil spring I! which urges a ring gasket l8 into sealing engagement withthe enlargement l3 yet permits the sprinkler head to be tilted to and sustained in'various angular positions relative to the supply pipe H.

The water discharge section II is also in' the form of an open-ended tube, and telescopically receives the section lllfor axial adjustment relative thereto. The axial movement of the section II onto the section ID or towards the'supply pipeto one extreme position which constitutes a flushing position of the sprinkler head, is definitely limited by co-acting annular shoulders l9 and formed, respectively, by an annular flange 2| on one end of the sectionlll, and an annular recess 22 in the corresponding end of the section I I.

The internal annular wall portion 23 at the other and discharge end of the section II defines acircular outlet with which a control member C co-acts, the wall portion 23 having axially extending and circumferentially spaced grooves 24 of V-shaped cross section. The control member is also adapted to co-act with the grooves 24 in defining restricted orifices in' the other extreme position of adjustment of the section ID on the section II, wherein the sprinkler head is adapted to provide a powerful needle shower.

The control member C is in the form of a disk 25 having an axial shank 26 terminating in an externally threaded plug 21 provided with openings 28' for the free flow of water therethrough, theplug being screwedinto the internal threads l5 of the section III to rigidly support the control member from the section In in co-axial relationship thereto.

The plug 2'! is provided with an external flange '29 forming an annular shoulder 30 against which a cupped packing ring 31 of leather or other flexible materialis seatedand secured to the. disk by a retaining ring 32 forced over the threads l5to abut the packing ring which latter thereby provides a water-tight joint between the telescopically associated sections In and II yet permits axial adjustment of the latter section.

Thedisk 25 of the control member C has an axially extending peripheral portion 33 of a diameter slightly less'than that of the internal annular wall portion 23 of the section II soas to define a narrow annular water discharge passage between the two. The portion 33 which extends over approximately one-half the thickness or the disk 25 merges into an outwardly flaring peripheral portion 34, the maximum diameter of which is slightly in excess of that of the internal annular portion 23 all as clearly shown in Figure 5. Thus, said flaring portion 34 is adapted the disk so that water can only discharge from the section through the orifices as defined in this position of the control member by the grooves 24 and the flaring portion 34 of the control member.

The section II is provided "externally with a knurled flange 3i adapted to be grasped to axially adjust the section in the manner and for the purposes to be described in the operation of the sprinkler head, which is as follows:

With the pipe it connected to a source of water supply under pressure, and with the section I l axially adjusted to the extreme position shown in Figures 1 and 5, water flowing through the sections it and II will be compelled by the disk 25 to discharge only from the grooves 24 and will thus provide high velocity jets in an annular form. The jets in issuing "from' the grooves 24 will strike the flaring portion 34 of the disk 25 and will be deflected outwardly at a slight angle sufficient to prevent them from commingling, so as to provide a highly eflicient needle shower of small diameter which is particular- 13 desirable in a bath tub installation wherein a wide angle shower would cause water to be projected over the sides of the tub and onto the floor.

Under the pressure of water within the section II, the packing ring 3| will be expanded against the internal wall of the section with sufficient force to effectively seal the joint between the sections l0 and II against leakage as well as to set up sufiicient friction to maintain the section II in any selected position of axial adjustment relative to the section II. This functionins is particularly desirable as in an intermediate position of the section II shownlin Figure 6, a softer shower of larger volume is obtained by the opening of the annular water passage between the internal wall portion 23 of the section II and the axial peripheral portion 33 of the disk 2!. The expansion of the packing ring 3| in this manner by the water pressure in the section II provides an extremely simple means for retaining the section I I in any position of axial adjustment against the actionof gravity when the sprinkler head is depending from the water pipe I as shown in Figures 1 and 2, yet permits the axial adjustment of the section manually during operation of the shower head, to any position desired.

Should foreign substances from the water accumulate in the body and/or clog the grooves 24, it is only necessary to axially adjust the section H to its flushing position shown in Figure 2 and wherein the circular outlet 0! the section II defined by its internal annular wall portion 23 is entirely clear of the disk 25 so that a rela tively large annular water passage is provided between the two through which any accumulated solid particles in the water are readily flushed from the section II. It will thus be appreciated that in order to clear the interior of the sprinkler head, it is unnecessary to disassemble the head or resort to such an inefllcient and timeconsuming makeshift as the use of a sharp instrument to open clogged spray orifices in a spray plate or ring as is the practice with sprinkler heads of constructions heretofore devised.

What is claimed is:

1. A shower head comprising a water intake section; a water discharge section telescopically receiving said intake section and axially adjustable thereon; said discharge section having an internal annular wall defining an outlet and provided with circumferentially spaced grooves; a control member supported by said intake section and having a disk portion adapted to co-act with said internal annular wall by closing said outlet in one extreme position of axial adjustment of said discharge section for the discharge of water jets from said grooves to produce a needle shower; and a packing member carried by said intake section for expansion by pressure of water in said discharge section into engagement: therewith, so as to seal the joint between the sections and set up sufllcient friction therebetween to retain the discharge section in a selected position of axial adjustment on the intake section. j

2. A shower head comprising a water intake section; a water discharge section telescopically receiving said intake section and axially adjustable thereon; said discharge section having an internal annular wall defining an outlet and provided with circumferentially spaced grooves; a control member supported by said intake section and having a disk portion adapted to co-act with said internal annular wall by closing said outlet in.one extreme position of axial adjustment of said discharge section for the discharge of water jets from said grooves to produce a needle shower; and means on said intake section coacting with the discharge section under the action of water pressure therein, to seal the joint between the sections and set up sufitcient friction therebetween to retain the discharge section in any selected position of axial adjustment on the intake section.

3. A shower head comprising a water intake section; a water discharge section telescopically receiving said intake section and axially adjustable thereon; said discharge section having an internal annular wall defining a large circular outlet, and provided with circumferentially spaced grooves; a control disk; a shank on the disk; a perforate. plug on the shank threadedly secured to said intake section to support the disk co-axially of said outlet for co-action with said internal annular wall in producing a needle shower by water jets issuing from said grooves in one extreme position of axial adjustment of the discharge section; and a packing ring carried by said plug for co-action with said discharge section under the action of water pressure there in, to seal the joint between the sections.

4. A shower head comprising a water intake section having a control member; a water discharge section telescopically associated with and axially adjustable relative to said intakesection; said control member and discharge section having means co-acting to provide for. showers of different characters, according as the discharge section is axially adjusted; and means on one;

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