Purified-water faucet

Abstract

The present invention relates to purified-water faucets, in general. In particular, the invention falls into the field of purified-water faucets with a single flow-channel for cold drinking water and designed to supply drinking water from a water purifier (or a filter) in fluid connection with the faucet. A purified-water faucet comprising a spout, a cover, a faucet body and a valve box accommodating a valve with a valve axle, and a handle installed on the valve axle for enabling actuation of the valve by a user. When the water faucet is assembled, a gap forms between the cover and the faucet body, said gap accommodates the handle movably for said actuation of the valve, the handle is equipped with a protective element with a shape conforming to the shape of the gap, wherein said protective element covers the gap in any position of the handle in use, thereby fully closing the gap of the water faucet.

Description

[0001] P142057-16116 SZT

[0002] PURIFIED-WATER FAUCET

[0003] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates to purified-water faucets, in general. In particular, the invention falls into the field of purified-water faucets with a single flow-channel for cold drinking water and designed to supply drinking water from a water purifier (or a filter) located on the spot of supplying drinking water in fluid connection with the faucet.

[0005] There are many designs of purified-water faucets known from the state of the art: with different locations of the spout and the handle, with and without a display, with a solid cast and a prefabricated body, with different types of control - touch, mechanical, remote, etc. At the same time, a disadvantage of water faucets with touch control is that the sensor does not respond to pressing with wet hands, that is, the water faucet will not work correctly, if water gets on the surface of the display or the user’s hands are wet. Furthermore, a disadvantage of a remote- controlled water faucet, such as a voice-controlled one, is that background noise may create interference that makes it difficult to be operated. A further disadvantage of a faucet with remote control, for example, with Bluetooth / Wi-Fi control, is that the faucet does not work in the absence of an Internet network and / or shielding of the Bluetooth / Wi-Fi connection. Thus, mechanically controlled faucets remain the most reliable and trouble-free design, and further in the state of the art only mechanically controlled variants will be considered.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] A purified-water faucet is known from the state of art according to Chinese patent no. CN209229121 (Xiamen Fule Spring Intelligent Technology Co Ltd, priority 11 / 21 / 2018). The faucet consists of a spout, a faucet body in which there is a faucet valve with a handle mounted on it, and a cover. The cover is a flat panel with a hole for the spout. The cover is additionally equipped with a display. A spout base is inserted into the faucet body through the hole in the cover. A faucet box is located perpendicular to the spout. The handle is made in the form of a cap and is placed on the faucet valve from above.

[0008] The water faucet according to CN209229121 operates as follows. The user turns the faucet handle. When the user turns the handle to the left, the hole in the faucet valve opens, which allows the flow of water to flow freely into the faucet spout. When the user turns the handle to the right, opening of the axle box and the flow of water are blocked.

[0009] A disadvantage of the water faucet according to CN209229121 is the presence of a splitting along the entire perimeter between the side walls of the handle and the body of the faucet. Contaminants accumulate in this split, which can subsequently lead to breakdown of the faucet. Furthermore, the handle is made smooth without any protrusions, which reduces the ease of use, as it can slip when grabbed and be difficult to be turned.

[0010] In addition, the faucet body is made of a complex shape which increases the costs of the faucet and complicates its production.

[0011] A water faucet is known from the prior art according to Chinese patent no. CN206860911 (YUHUAN DAFENG ENVIRONMENT EGIS EQUIPMENT CO., LTD, China, priority 05 / 27 / 2017). The purified-water faucet consists of a spout, a faucet body, and a faucet axle with a handle mounted on it. The water faucet is equipped with a lid having a display. The faucet body consists of a body and a core. The body is made in the form of a cast cylindrical part. The body has holes for the spout and the core. The core is made of a complex shape and contains axle box (as central part of the core). The spout is inserted into a hole in the rear wall of the body. The handle is made in the form of a lever and is put on the faucet axle box from above.

[0012] The water faucet according to CN206860911 operates as follows. To open the water faucet, the user lifts up the faucet handle, which leads to the opening of the hole in the faucet axle and allows the flow of water to flow freely into the faucet spout. To close the water faucet, the user lowers down the faucet handle, which leads to blocking the opening in the faucet axle and thus the flow of water.

[0013] The water faucet according to CN206860911 has a number of disadvantages, the main one of which is the design of the handle. In particular, the handle is put on the faucet axle box from above, and a cavity is formed between the rear wall of the housing and the handle, narrowed to the point of their connection. Dirt freely enters this cavity, which is difficult to be removed, especially from the narrow part. In addition, repeated movement of the faucet handle during operation might lead to damage of the axle box, which is responsible for tilting the handle with the lid.

[0014] A water faucet is known from the prior art according to Australian Patent Appl. No. AU2021201229A1 (Year Tsai Enterprise Co., Ltd., filing date 25 / 02 / 2021), which includes a water valve seat, a ceramic valve core fixed to the water valve seat, a tubular cover enclosing the ceramic valve core therein and provided with a through slot formed on a peripheral wall in the circumferential direction, and a control handle provided with a handle portion and a connection portion. The connection portion is for connection to a valve axle of the ceramic valve core. One end of the handle portion is connected to the connection portion, and the other end is protruding from the through slot to form a protruding portion which is able to be operated and moved in the through slot by a user for moving the ceramic valve core. The connection portion is provided as a stiff connecting sleeve and arranged in the tubular cover with a gap to the peripheral wall. Hence, the connection portion does not tightly seal the through slot. A disadvantage of the water faucet according to AU2021201229A1 is the presence of an open passage between the inner volume of the tubular cover and the outside of said cover along the circumferential trough slot. Thus, dirt and moisture can get into the passage, which can make the protruding portion difficult to move or shorten the lifetime of the water faucet. In addition, accumulation of dirt in the passage can lead to the development of bacterial colonies, which makes the faucet unsafe for the user.

[0015] A water faucet is known from the prior art according to Chinese patent no. CN202418907 (AO Smith China Water Heater Co Ltd, priority 09 / 01 / 2012). The faucet consists of a spout, a faucet body in which there is an axel box with a handle mounted on it, and a cover with a display mounted above the handle. The faucet body is a single solid part with a cavity made therein for accommodating the axle box with holes for the spout. The faucet handle is connected to a crane axle box. Side walls of the faucet handle are made in the form of a ring. The cover, the handle ring and the faucet body are made of a circular cross-section of equal diameter. Said display is located under the cover. The spout is inserted into a hole in the back wall of the faucet body.

[0016] The water faucet according to patent CN202418907 operates as follows. The user moves the faucet handle in a horizontal plane. By moving the handle to the left, the user opens the hole in the faucet axle and allows water to flow freely into the faucet spout. By moving the handle to the right, the user closes the opening of the faucet and the flow of water.

[0017] A disadvantage of the water faucet according to CN202418907 is the presence of a split along the entire perimeter between the side walls of the handle and the faucet body and between the side walls of the handle and the cover. Dirt and moisture can get into the split, which can make the handle difficult to move or shorten the lifetime of the water faucet. In addition, accumulation of dirt in the split can lead to the development of bacterial colonies, which is unsafe for the user. Moreover, dirt may end up on the user's hands and / or the edge of the water faucet, which is unhygienic and unsafe.

[0018] In addition, the faucet body is quite difficult to be manufactured, since it is made in the form of a heavy cast metal part of complex shape.

[0019] The objective of the invention is to develop a compact novel water faucet with improved characteristics, such as e.g. safety, hygiene, ergonomics, manufacturability and reliability of the faucet design. Possible further objective of the invention will be clear from the detailed description of the purified-water faucet.

[0020] SUMMARY The objectives are achieved by providing a purified-water faucet (from now on, also referred to as water faucet) according to claim 1. Possible preferred embodiments of said water faucet are set forth in claims 2 to 13.

[0021] DRAWINGS

[0022] To clarify further the above and other advantages and features of the present invention, a more detailed description of the purified-water faucet according to the invention will be rendered by reference to the drawings. The drawings described herein are only for illustrative purposes of certain preferred embodiments and it is appreciated that said drawings depict only typical characteristics of the invention. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 shows a general view of a water faucet according to the invention.

[0024] Figure 2 shows an exploded view of a water faucet without a display.

[0025] Figure 3 shows an exploded view of a water faucet with a display.

[0026] Figure 4 shows the design of a protective element and the formation of a gap for a possible exemplary embodiment of the water faucet according to the invention.

[0027] Figure 4a shows the design of the protective element to be used with such an embodiment of the water faucet wherein the gap is formed by a recess in the side wall of the oval core area and the lower edge of the cover.

[0028] Figure 4b shows the design of the protective element in such an embodiment wherein the gap is formed by a recess in the side wall of the oval core area and the side wall of the cover.

[0029] Figure 4c shows the design of the protective element in such an embodiment wherein the gap is formed by a recess in the side wall of the cover and the side wall of the oval core area.

[0030] Figure 4d shows the design of the protective element in such an embodiment wherein the gap is formed by more than one recesses provided in the side wall of the cover and in the side wall of the oval core area.

[0031] Figure 5 shows some exemplary variants of casing shapes.

[0032] Figure 6 shows some exemplary options for connecting the side walls of the casing.

[0033] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] As is shown in Figures 1 to 4, the water faucet according to the present invention includes a spout 1, a faucet body 2, a handle 4 and a cover 5. The cover 5 is formed with side wall 11 that extends along its perimeter or without it (in this case cover 5 is plain), the side wall 11 is located on the side of the cover 5 facing to the faucet body 2 when the water faucet is assembled.

[0035] Faucet body 2 comprises a core 6 made with a complex shape and a casing 7, the core 6 is inserted into the casing 7, the casing 7 surrounds the core 6 when the water faucet is assembled. The faucet body 2 further comprises a valve box 3 with a valve (not shown in the Figures) having a valve axle 3 a, which can be installed in the core 6 simultaneously with the spout 1. The handle 4 is mounted to the valve, it is operatively connected with a valve closure element of said valve that is configured to open / close the valve and thereby to allow / block a free flow of water through the spout 1 of the water faucet when the handle is operated by a user.

[0036] In one exemplary embodiment, the water faucet is a water faucet installed onto a kitchen sink. In such a case, an axis perpendicular to the plane of the countertop of the kitchen sink forms basically a vertical axis. That is, at least a part of the spout 1 of the water faucet is parallel to the vertical axis. Here and from now on, for the purposes of explaining some basic concepts of the present invention, the straight part of the spout 1 is taken thus as the vertical axis. As shown in Figure 5, the casing 7 can be made with various spatial shapes; some exemplary casing 7 with different shapes are presented in plots A to D. Generally, the casing 7 is made in the form of a truncated cone mantel, inclined to the vertical axis along a portion of the casing 7 with an opening at the base and an opening at the truncated top to accommodate one or more inlet pipes from the main water system. The casing 7 is made from a thin-walled sheet material with a thickness of less than 3 mm, preferably less than 1 mm by e.g. rolling. The casing 7 can be made of metal, preferably stainless steel, brass, or a polymer material, i.e. plastics, preferably having a metal coating thereon. When manufacturing the casing 7, the sheet material of the blank for the casing 7 can additionally be rolled along the bottom edge and / or along the top edge thereof. Thereby, sharpness of the blank material is highly reduced to avoid the risk of injuries during the assembling process of the water faucet. To connect side edges of said blank, as shown in Figure 5, a butt welding (plot A) or an overlap welding (plot B) is used, as is shown in Figure 6. Here, the respective seams are made preferably by laser welding or in the form of adhesive joints (in case of polymeric blanks). An alternative way of preparing the casing 7 from the blank is by means of forming a seam lock (plot C in Figure 6) along the blank edges by means of providing portions along respective side edges of the blank that are overlapped and bent against each other and then pressed firmly together.

[0037] Reverting now to Figure 2, in the upper part of the core 6, there is a platform 8, preferably oval in shape, with a side wall 9 protruding upward from said platform 8. Preferentially, the platform 8 forms an integral portion of the core 6. A recess 10 is made in the side wall 9. The shape of the platform 8 conforms to the upper opening of the casing 7 in order that the former could fit into the latter when the water faucet is assembled.

[0038] When the water faucet is assembled, a gap forms between different structural parts of the water faucet, that is, the cover 5 and the faucet body 2, in particular, the platform 8 of the core 6 of said faucet body 2. This gap includes said recess 10. Said gap receives the handle 4 and is configured to allow its operation by the user, as it will be discussed below in detail. In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 4a, the cover is plain (without side wall 11) so the gap is formed by the cover 5 and the recess 10 formed in the side wall 9 of the platform 8.

[0039] In a further embodiment, as shown in Figure 4b, the cover 5 is made with a side wall 11 that protrudes downwards from the cover 5 and extends along its perimeter. In such a case, the side wall 11 simply terminates in said lower edge 14. Here, the gap is formed by the side wall 11 of the cover 5 and the recess 10 formed in the side wall 9 of the platform 8.

[0040] In a yet further embodiment, as shown in Figure 4c, a recess 10' is formed in the side wall 11 of the cover 5 itself. In such a case, the gap is formed by the recess 10' in the side wall 11 of the cover 5 and the side wall 9 of the platform 8.

[0041] As is also clear to a skilled person in the art, optionally, as shown in Figure 4d, a first part of said gap can be provided in the cover 5 by the recess 10’, and a second part of the gap can be provided in the side wall 9 of the platform 8 by the recess 10. Here, the recesses 10, 10’ form the gap together and are opposite to each other.

[0042] In addition, in a yet further embodiment, to form said gap, appropriate recesses can be made in all of the cover 5, the core 6 and the casing 7 (not illustrated).

[0043] As is illustrated in Figure 4, the handle 4 received by the gap is equipped with a protective element 12. Said protective element 12 has a shape that conforms to that of the recess 10 formed in the side wall 9 of the platform 8 and the recess 10’, if the latter is also present. That is, in top view, the protective element 12 has an arcuate shape of a given arc length, i.e. that represents e.g. an arc with a circle of at least 75 degrees and at most 180 degrees, preferably not more than about 90 degrees. Generally, the protective element 12 is configured to completely close the gap in any position of the handle 4 during its operation by a user. To this end, the arc length and a height of the protective element 12 are manufactured in such a way that they are both greater than the arc length and height, respectively, of the gap. In such a way, a portion of the protective element 12 at its perimeter simply remains in an overlapping position with both the side wall 9 of the platform 8 and the side wall 11 of the cover 5 (or the cover 5 itself) around the gap formed by said recesses 10, 10’ so as to completely close the gap in any position of the handle 4. That is, to close the gap, the protective element 12, preferably, abuts the side walls 9, 11 at its perimeter. The protective element 12 is attached to the handle 4 or is manufactured integrally with the handle 4. Thus, the handle 4 divides the protective element into two sections along the arc length of the latter. Additionally, for ease of use, the two sections of the protective element 12 can be painted in different colors and / or equipped with any indications, such as e.g. one or more lighting elements emitting light, related to e.g. the temperature (water from water filter flows to the faucet through the plastic tube so water temperature depends on thermal environment and sometimes this information is useful) of the drinking water flowing from the water faucet at a certain open position of the handle 4 and / or the flow rate.

[0044] As is shown in Figure 3, the cover 5 also comprises a seat 13 with side walls 14 to receive the spout 1. That is, when assembled, the spout 1 is installed in the seat 13 and said side walls 14 abut the spout 1 so as to inhibit the entry of contaminants (such as e.g. water, or dust) under the cover 5. Said side walls 16 are formed as integral parts of the cover 5 of the same material as that of the cover 5. Alternatively, said side walls 14 can also be provided as one or more separate inserts that fit into the seat 13 and are made of a polymeric material, for example, silicone or a rubber material, to form a closure, preferably a tight closure with the spout 1.

[0045] In a yet further embodiment, under or inside or on top of the cover 5, for example, further means 15 related to the use of the faucet, such as e.g. an indicator and / or a controller or a control board and / or an electronic display, can be additionally arranged. In addition, the cover 5 itself can be made in the form of a display in a frame, and a controller or control board and / or indicator can be installed under the cover 5. As examples, the indicator can display the water temperature and / or a resource of the water purifier connected to the faucet. The indicator can also display time, in the form of a clock. The controller and control board (if equipped) can control the piece(s) of information shown on the display.

[0046] To assemble the water faucet according to the invention, the handle 4 with the protective element 12 is installed on the valve axle 3a of the valve. Then the cover 5 is pushed against the platform 8 of the core 6 to be fixed on it. Now, the protective element 12 is mostly located in the internal space formed between the platform 8 and the cover 5. The cover 5 closes the protective element 12 like a marquee. The protective element 12 fits tightly to the inner surfaces of the cover 5 or its side walls 11, as well as the side wall 9 of the platform 8 of the core 6 in its opposite edge portions. The protective element 12 is in contact with the external environment only along the length of the gap from which the handle 4 protrudes. Once assembled, looked from the outside, the cover 5 and / or its side walls 11 and the side walls 9 of the platform 8 form a thin seam, with no protrusions or cracks in order to minimize the deposition of contaminants here.

[0047] As part of its distinctive features, the water faucet according to the invention works as follows. Any suitable valve arranged in the valve box 3 has two positions: an “open” position, in which water flows into the spout 1, and a “closed” position, in which water is not supplied to the spout 1. Transfer of said valve from the “open” position to the “closed” position, and vice versa, is carried out by opening the valve by moving the handle 4 horizontally in the gap. The starting position is considered to be the “closed” position. Preferably, this locates in the middle in the path along which the handle 4 can be moved, i.e. the angular length of said gap. When a user needs some water, it moves the handle 4 to either side from the initial position in the middle to receive a portion of water of a given temperature, and then it shuts off the supply of water by returning the handle 4 to its initial position. The handle 4, equipped with the protective element 12, moves within the gap, thereby moving the valve axle 3a between the open and closed positions. Meanwhile, the internal space of the faucet body 2 remains protected from contamination and moisture due to the fact that the protective element 12 exceeds the perimeter of the gap along its whole perimeter.

[0048] Unlike the prior art solutions, the cover 5 is designed in such a way that it completely covers the platform 8 of the core 6 from above. Thanks to this design, the seat 13 for the spout 1 can be prepared in the platform 8, and the core 6 with the handle 4 having the protective element 12, the valve box 3 with the valve having the valve axle 3 and a portion of the spout 1, too, can be enclosed in the casing 7 in a basically watertight and contaminant-free manner. That is, when assembled, there is only a thin seam formed between the cover 5 and the faucet body 2 with no protrusions and gaps therebetween, which prevents contamination of the various parts.

[0049] Installing the spout 1 and the valve box 3 with the valve simultaneously into the core 6 ensures compactness of the water faucet according to the invention (the smallest size compared to the closest analogue and other faucets known from the prior art). The application of the protective element 12 to close the gap in any position of the handle 4 during use of the water faucet and, at the same time, a tight fit of the cover 5 to the spout 1 at the seat 13 protects the valve box 3 from dirt and water, thereby increasing reliability and duration / lifetime of the water faucet. Moreover, the shape of the casing 7 of the water faucet and the absence of unprotected openings ensure that there are no places over the faucet body 2 where dirt accumulates, hence the water faucet remains hygienic and safe in use. Furthermore, the design of the faucet is ergonomic, also including its shape. In addition, the possibility of manufacturing the casing 7 by folding and laser welding / gluing the sheet material of the casing 7 simplifies manufacturability and accelerates production of the water faucet according to the invention.

[0050] The concept of the water faucet according to the invention is discussed here in relation to such a preferred embodiment of the water faucet, wherein, to operate the faucet, the handle is moved in a horizontal plane, i.e. in a plane essentially perpendicular to the spout. Changes and modifications can be made to this embodiment. In particular, a similar design can be practiced for such a water faucet wherein said handle is operated in a vertical plane, i.e. in a plane parallel to the spout. In such a case, the changes required in e.g. the casing fall into the range of the general technical knowledge of a person skilled in the art and, hence, are not discussed here in detail.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A purified-water faucet comprising a spout (1), a cover (5), a faucet body (2) and a valve box (3) accommodating a valve with a valve axle (3a), and a handle (4) installed on the valve axle (3a) for enabling actuation of the valve by a user, characterized in that when the water faucet is assembled, a gap forms between the cover (5) and the faucet body (2), said gap accommodates the handle (4) movably for said actuation of the valve, the handle (4) is equipped with a protective element (12) with a shape conforming to the shape of the gap, wherein said protective element (2) covers the gap in any position of the handle (4) in use, thereby fully closing the gap of the water faucet.

2. The purified-water faucet according to claim 1, characterized in that the cover (5) covers the protective element (12) like a marquee.

3. The purified-water faucet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the shape of the protective element (12) is arcuate in top view.

4. The purified-water faucet according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the shape of the protective element (12) corresponds to an arc portion of any of a circle or an oval in top view.

5. The purified-water faucet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the faucet body (2) further comprises a core (6) inserted into a casing (7), said core (6) being configured to receive both the spout (1) and the valve box (3), and said cover (5) further comprises a hole configured as a seat (13) for the spout (1) led through the cover (5) to be received in the core (6).

6. The purified-water faucet according to claim 5, characterized in that the seat (13) forms a watertight closure with the spout (1).

7. The purified-water faucet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the casing (7) has a spatial shape of a truncated cone and is made by rolling from a thin-walled sheet material.

8. The purified-water faucet according to claim 7, characterized in that the sheet material has a thickness of less than 3 mm, preferably less than 1 mm.

9. The purified-water faucet according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the sheet material is additionally rolled along a lower edge and / or along an upper edge thereof.

10. The purified-water faucet according to claim 5, characterized in that the casing (7) is made from any of a metal, preferably stainless steel, brass, and a polymeric material, plastics, preferably coated with metal.

11. The purified-water faucet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective element (2) is divided into two sections by the handle (4).

12. The purified-water faucet according to claim 11, characterized in that the sections of the protective element (12) are painted in different colors and / or equipped with lighting elements.

13. The purified-water faucet according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the water faucet further comprises a control unit and / or an indicator and / or an electronic display arranged on / in / within the cover (5).

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