Handheld shower with double stainless steel tubes

Abstract

A cylindrical handheld shower (1) is described comprising a grip portion (21) and a head portion (23) in which a hole (24) is provided adapted to allow the outflow of pressurized water wherein the handheld shower (1) is closed below the bottom of the grip portion (21) by a threaded fitting (4) and above the top of the head portion (23) by a cover (5). The handheld shower (1) comprises an outer tube (2), an inner tube (3), a threaded fitting (4) and a cover (5). All components of the handheld shower (1) are made of metal. The components of the handheld shower (1) are fixed to one another solely by means of the annular welding profile (10) to obtain a liquid seal without the use of a gasket between an inner cavity (100) in which pressurized water flows and a cavity (211) placed at the grip portion (21) and adapted to treat the heat generated by the hot water flowing in the inner tube (3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a hand-held shower with double stainless steel pipes. Background Art

[0002] The growing demand for high-design showers has prompted manufacturers to seek essential, elegant and sophisticated shapes.

[0003] Often, the need to achieve an aesthetically pleasing shape creates functional problems, primarily those related to pressurized water flow.

[0004] Typically, a hand shower, i.e., a pressurized water output terminal element that can be grasped by a user to manipulate it at will to effectively spray water onto the body, has a connection to a flexible water supply pipe from a hydraulic network and has a containing body having an enlarged head with an outlet hole.

[0005] Hand showers are usually made of a mix of metal and plastic and have a sealing gasket to prevent the water from being dispersed as it flows from the flexible tube to the outlet hole.

[0006] Typically, the outlet orifice comprises a silicone nozzle which, at the end of dispensing, tends to retain the last drops of water, thereby favouring sedimentation and therefore clogging of the orifice itself.

[0007] An example of a hand shower made of a mixed material and with a sealing gasket is shown in US-2017 / 0151601, which describes a hand shower comprising a grip portion and a head portion, in which a hole is provided, the hole being adapted to allow pressurized water to flow out. The hand shower is closed below the bottom of the grip portion by a threaded fitting and above the top of the head portion by a cover.

[0008] The hand shower includes an outer tube, an inner tube, a threaded fitting, a cover and a spray plate.

[0009] The outer tube, threaded fitting and cap are made of metal, while the inner tube is made of plastic and the spray plate is made of rubber.

[0010] The outer tube receives the inner tube, wherein the outer tube includes a grip portion and a head portion.

[0011] The cap and threaded fitting are welded to the outer tube.

[0012] The plastic O-ring allows obtaining a liquid seal between the inner cavity, where the pressurized water flows, and a cavity located at the grip portion, which cavity is adapted to handle the heat generated by the hot water flowing in the inner tube.

[0013] Cylindrical hand showers with an outlet opening in the head portion of the lateral body are very popular.

[0014] Disadvantageously, the cylindrical shape is complicated to manufacture as it makes it difficult to provide efficient and comfortable water outlet for the user.

[0015] US-2009206180 shows a cartridge-shaped hand shower with a handle associated with a head, an internal conduit and a series of nozzles housed within the head. The assembly appears to be very complex to manufacture and difficult to clean.

[0016] US-10195654 describes a hand shower with an outer barrel cylinder and an inner conduit made of molded resin. Also in this case, it is complicated to manufacture and the head with the outlet opening does not have a barrel shape. Summary of the invention

[0017] The object of the present invention is to create a cylindrical hand shower made only of metal, preferably stainless steel.

[0018] It is a further object of the present invention that the hand shower does not include a gasket.

[0019] It is a further object of the present invention that the hand shower comprises a small number of parts that are easy to manufacture and assemble.

[0020] According to the invention, this and other objects are achieved by a hand shower as defined in claim 1 .

[0021] Advantageously, the hand shower is made entirely of metal, with no plastic or rubber parts used.

[0022] The production process of obtaining the components and assembling the components is simple and economical.

[0023] Advantageously, a hand shower having a hollow, liquid-tight chamber is obtained by the produced annular welding contour.

[0024] During operation, the hand shower does not accumulate scale, as it does not have a conventional silicone nozzle. The internal passage volume of the pressurized water is very large, with no narrow passages other than the cylindrical outlet hole, which facilitates the discharge of water without the typical stagnation of conventional silicone cup nozzles, which tend to retain the last drops of water at the end of dispensing, which evaporate and disappear, while the remaining scale deposits of the last drops clog the holes of conventional silicone cup nozzles.

[0025] However, maintenance is very simple for the above shape, as it is only necessary to unscrew the hand shower from the flexible pipe and clean it, perhaps using a specific anti-limescale cleaner that is apparently suitable for austenitic stainless steel. The cavity always remains liquid-tight. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] These and other characteristics of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a practical embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 Shows a side view of a hand shower according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 A top view of a hand shower is shown;

[0029] Figure 3 Shown along Figure 2 A cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

[0030] Figure 4 Shown along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

[0031] Figure 5 Shown along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.

[0032] Figure 6 Shown are different embodiments of the Figure 3 A cross-sectional view similar to the cross-sectional view in . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The hand shower 1 according to the present invention comprises an outer tube 2 , an inner tube 3 , a threaded fitting 4 for connecting the hand shower 1 to a flexible tube (not shown) and a cap 5 on the opposite side of the threaded fitting 4 .

[0034] All parts of the hand shower 1 are made of stainless steel, ie the hand shower 1 contains no plastic elements, such as gaskets.

[0035] The outer tube 2 is cylindrical with diameter D and houses an inner tube 3 comprising a cylindrical body 31 with diameter d and an enlarged head 32 with smaller diameter d and larger diameter d', preferably trumpet-shaped so that d' is greater than d.

[0036] The hand shower 1 is thus cylindrical, substantially taking the shape of the outer tube 2, except for a threaded fitting 4 at the bottom, which is a connection means for the flexible tube, and a cap 5 closing the outer tube 2 from above.

[0037] A trumpet shape is understood to mean a shape having inclined edges, for example at an angle of 45° relative to the cylindrical body 31 , which extends outwardly relative to the longitudinal axis Z of the inner tube 3 , which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the outer tube 2 after assembly.

[0038] Alternatively, if Figure 6 As shown, the enlarged head 32 may include an edge that is bent at a 90° angle relative to the cylindrical body 31 .

[0039] The outer tube 2 has a grip portion 21 and a head portion 23 in which a hole 24 is provided to allow pressurized water to flow out.

[0040] The hand shower 1 is closed at the bottom by a threaded fitting 4 at the bottom of the grip portion 21 and at the top by a cap 5 at the top of the head portion 23 .

[0041] The mutual fastening of the four components of the hand shower 1, namely the outer tube 2, the inner tube 3, the threaded fitting 4 and the cover 5, is achieved entirely by a welding process which achieves a liquid-tight seal without the use of gaskets.

[0042] More specifically, at the bottom of the hand shower 1, the outer tube 2 and the inner tube 3 are welded to the threaded fitting 4, and at the head of the hand shower 1, the cover 5 is welded to the outer tube 2. The welding is performed according to an annular profile, i.e., at the bottom of the hand shower 1, there is at least one first annular welding profile between the outer tube 2 and the threaded fitting 4, at least one second annular welding profile between the inner tube 3 and the threaded fitting 4, and at least one third annular welding profile between the outer tube 2 and the cover 5 at the head of the hand shower 1.

[0043] In order to stabilize the inner tube 3 within the outer tube 2, the upper diameter edge d' of the enlarged head 32 is welded to the inner surface of the outer tube 2. The welding creates an annular weld profile 10 which, together with the welds on the head and the bottom of the hand shower 1, forms a liquid seal between the inner cavity 100 where the pressurized water flows and the cavity 211 which may be located in the grip portion 21.

[0044] The welding profiles are annular since they are made around the longitudinal axis Z.

[0045] The cavity 211 substantially has a sleeve shape surrounding the inner tube 3 .

[0046] The inner tube 3 is welded to the outer tube 2 and the threaded fitting 4 so that the liquid-tight cavity 211 is suitable for isolating and retaining (processing) the heat generated by the hot water flowing in the inner tube 3 to prevent the user from being scalded when holding the hand shower 1 at the grip portion 21.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the holes 24 are arranged along the arched profile according to the curvature of the outer tube 2 , alternating between rows of four holes 24 and rows of three holes 24 .

[0048] In a row of four holes ( Figure 4 ), there are two central holes 241 with zero inclination (0°) and two side holes 242 with an inclination angle α of 3°.

[0049] In a row of three holes ( Figure 5 ), there is a central hole 241 with a zero inclination angle (0°) and two side holes 242 with an inclination angle β of 1.5°.

[0050] The inclination angle is defined by the angle that the axis X of the hole 24 opens relative to the central axis Y, which is located at Figure 4 and Figure 5 24. The central axis Y is shown vertically in FIG. 2 and defines an axis of symmetry in the arrangement of the holes 24 in the respective parts.

[0051] Advantageously, the angle of inclination of the side holes 242 prevents the water streams from merging at about 200 mm (millimeters) from the hand shower 1 during use, thereby reducing the pleasant feeling and effectiveness of the wetting action on the user's body.

[0052] The inclination and number of holes 24 can vary, the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings is preferred in any case because it represents the right compromise between the total number of holes 24, the size of a single hole 24 (about 1 mm in diameter), the water outlet pressure, the use distance and the size of the hand shower 1.

[0053] The hand shower 1 which is the subject of the present invention generally has a diameter D of between 20 and 25 mm and a length (of the outer tube 2 ) of between 180 and 200 mm.

[0054] Preferably, the width L of the cavity 211 (in the diameter direction, Figure 3 The inner tube 3 has an inner volume suitable for ensuring an optimum flow of pressurized water without pressure drop.

[0055] Preferably, the tubes 2, 3 are obtained from metal sheets that are bent and then welded in the longitudinal direction.

[0056] The welding is preferably of laser type, but may be of another type, but without material contribution, such as TIG type. Considering the very limited working space, the welded edge 10 is even more preferably performed by laser welding.

[0057] In operation, pressurized hot water enters the hand shower 1 from the threaded fitting 4, passes through the inner tube 3, enters the head portion 23, and then flows out through the hole 24, and the pressurized hot water will not scald the user due to the cavity 211. The water flows directly from the hole 24 formed in the head portion 23 of the outer tube 2 without the need to insert other parts.

[0058] Advantageously, the hand shower 1 is made entirely of stainless steel, without the use of plastic and rubber parts.

[0059] The production process of obtaining the components and assembling them is simple and economical.

[0060] The assembly and fastening of the four components of the hand shower 1 are very simple.

[0061] The bottom of the inner tube 3 is welded to the threaded fitting 4. The inner tube 3 is then inserted into the outer tube 2 (already provided with the hole 24) until the outer tube 2 also fits the head portion of the threaded fitting 4 at the bottom. The outer tube 2 is then welded to the threaded fitting 4 and the inner tube 3 is welded to the outer tube 2 at the enlarged head 32 of the inner tube 3. Finally, the hand shower 1 is closed at the top with a cover 5 which is welded to the outer tube 2.

[0062] Advantageously, by means of the produced annular welding profile, a hand shower 1 having a liquid-tight cavity 211 can be obtained.

[0063] During operation, the hand shower 1 does not accumulate scale, since the hand shower 1 does not have a common silicone nozzle. The internal passage volume of the pressurized water (internal cavity 100) is very large, without narrow passages except for the outlet hole 24, which, although having a diameter of about 1 mm, is made by laser cutting and has a cylindrical shape, thereby facilitating the discharge of water without the typical stagnation of traditional cup-shaped silicone nozzles, which tend to retain the last drops of water at the end of dispensing, which evaporate and disappear, while the remaining scale deposits block the holes of traditional cup-shaped silicone nozzles.

[0064] Maintenance, although of course very time-consuming for the above-described shape, is also very simple, since the hand shower 1 only needs to be unscrewed from the flexible pipe and cleaned, perhaps using a special anti-limescale cleaner which is obviously suitable for austenitic stainless steel. The cavity 211 always remains liquid-tight.

[0065] The embodiment provides that the hand shower 1 is made of stainless steel. Alternatively, the hand shower 1 can be made of brass, or more generally of a metallic material. However, stainless steel is preferred because it does not require coatings such as chrome plating, which are notoriously environmentally unfriendly. Stainless steel is more environmentally friendly.

[0066] The configuration of the holes 24 may vary, i.e., the holes 24 may not be based on rows with a variable number of holes 24. For example, the holes 24 may have a concentric ring configuration. In any case, it is advantageous to include inclined side holes 242 in order to optimize the pressurized water flow to the user. Typically, the inclination angle of the side holes 242 is between 1° and 5°, beyond which the water flow is too concentrated or dispersed.

Claims

1. A hand shower (1), comprising an outer tube (2) and an inner tube (3), wherein the outer tube (2) comprises a grip portion (21) and a head portion (23), a hole (24) being provided in the head portion (23), the hole (24) being suitable for allowing pressurized water to flow out, wherein: The hand shower (1) is closed by a threaded fitting (4) below the bottom of the grip portion (21) and by a cap (5) above the top of the head portion (23), wherein the outer tube (2), the threaded fitting (4) and the cap (5) are made of metal, The hand shower (1) is cylindrical and comprises the outer tube (2), the inner tube (3), the threaded fitting (4) and the cap (5), wherein the inner tube (3) is made of metal and the hand shower (1) is made entirely of metal. wherein the outer tube (2) is cylindrical with a diameter D and accommodates the inner tube (3), the inner tube (3) comprising a cylindrical body (31) with a diameter d and an enlarged head (32) with a larger diameter d', wherein d' is greater than d and less than D, The components of the hand shower (1) are fixed to each other only by means of an annular welding profile (10) to obtain a liquid seal between an inner cavity (100) in which pressurized water flows and a cavity (211) arranged at the gripping portion (21) and adapted to handle the heat generated by hot water flowing in the inner tube (3), without using a gasket, wherein the water leaves the inner cavity (100) directly from the hole (24) formed in the head portion (23) of the outer tube (2).

2. The hand-held shower (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: At the bottom of the hand shower (1), there is at least a first annular welding profile between the outer tube (2) and the threaded fitting (4), and at least a second annular welding profile between the inner tube (3) and the threaded fitting (4), while at the head of the hand shower (1), there is at least a third annular welding profile between the outer tube (2) and the cover (5), wherein there is also a fourth annular welding profile (10), which is suitable for fixing the upper edge of the enlarged head (32) with a diameter d' to the inner surface of the outer tube (2).

3. The hand-held shower (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The hole (24) is configured to include a central hole (241) having a zero inclination and a side hole (242) having an inclination (α, β) between 1° and 5°, wherein the inclination (α, β) is defined by the angle opened by the axis (X) of the hole (24) relative to the central axis (Y).

4. The hand-held shower (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that: The holes (24) are arranged along the arcuate profile.

5. The hand-held shower (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The holes (24) are arranged in an alternating manner of rows of four holes (24) and rows of three holes (24).

6. The hand shower (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that: In a row of four holes (24), there are two central holes (241) with zero inclination and two side holes (242) with inclination angles (α) greater than zero; in a row of three holes (24), there is a central hole (241) with zero inclination and two side holes (242) with inclination angles (β) greater than zero, wherein the inclination angle (α) of the side holes (242) in the row of four holes (24) is greater than the inclination angle (β) of the side holes (242) in the row of three holes (24).

7. The hand shower (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inclination angle (α) of the lateral holes (242) of the row of four holes (24) is equal to 3°, and the inclination angle (β) of the lateral holes (242) of the row of three holes (24) is equal to 1.5°.

8. The hand shower (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that All components of the hand-held shower (1) are made of stainless steel.

9. The hand shower (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The annular welding profile (10) is realized by a laser welding process.

10. The hand shower (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The cavity (211) has a width (L) between 1.5 mm and 3 mm.

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