Bidet Attachment Mounting With Spring-Locked Undercut Fastening

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing shower toilets with add-on shower attachments face challenges in mechanical fastening, requiring separate actuating elements like buttons or levers, which can impair aesthetic design, sealing, cleaning, and accessibility.

Innovation Solution

A resilient fixation method using undercut elements and a spring element, where the spring element assists in the engagement of undercut elements during assembly, eliminating the need for a separate actuating element and allowing the shower attachment's housing to serve as the actuating element.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If separate actuating elements like buttons or levers are used for locking the shower attachment, then the mechanical fastening can be achieved, but the assembly becomes more complex and the aesthetic design is impaired

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanical fasteningVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the actuating function with the shower attachment housing itself. The housing serves dual purposes: as the structural component housing the shower device and as the actuating element that, when moved, triggers the locking mechanism via the spring element and undercut elements. This eliminates the need for separate buttons or levers, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining reliable mechanical fastening.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The shower attachment housing is given multiple functions: it houses the shower device, provides the external appearance, and serves as the actuating element for locking. By making the housing universal and multi-functional, the patent eliminates the need for dedicated actuating components, thereby simplifying the overall assembly while ensuring reliable mechanical fastening.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If separate actuating elements like buttons or levers are used for locking the shower attachment, then the mechanical fastening can be achieved, but the cleaning and accessibility are complicated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemechanical fasteningVSAvoidcleaning accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

By merging the actuating function into the housing, the patent eliminates separate buttons or levers that would create additional surfaces requiring cleaning and maintenance. The housing itself, being an integral part of the shower attachment, can be cleaned as a single unit without worrying about separate actuating components, thereby improving cleaning accessibility while maintaining reliable mechanical fastening.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Reliability

If the shower attachment is firmly locked during assembly, then the mechanical fastening is secure, but the rotational movement increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocking securityVSAvoidrotational stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the locking function from a separate mechanism and integrates it into the assembly process itself. The spring element and undercut elements are positioned such that the actuation of the housing during normal assembly movements automatically triggers the locking action. This extraction of the locking function from a separate mechanism ensures secure mechanical fastening while minimizing rotational movement, as the locking occurs naturally during the assembly process without requiring additional rotational actions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This method simplifies assembly, enhances aesthetic and cleaning aspects, and reduces complexity by integrating the spring element with the undercut elements, providing secure locking with minimal play, especially during rotary movements.

Implementation Method 1

a resilient fixation of the engagement of undercut elements (18), wherein the corresponding spring element (14) can be acted upon during assembly of the shower attachment (1) and after a first engagement between undercut elements (18) by a movement of the shower attachment housing (1)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3064666A1Toilet with bidet attachment
Publication Date: 2016.09.07 GEBERIT INT AG
  • EP3064666A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3064666A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3064666A1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The invention relates to a shower toilet with a toilet body (3), a shower attachment (1) and a mounting plate (5) for it. For mechanical attachment of the shower attachment (1), the mounting plate (5) and the shower attachment (1) have undercut elements (17, 18) and a spring element (14) for prestressing the shower attachment (1) against the mounting plate (5), with the assembly and dismantling can be done solely by gripping and moving the shower attachment (1) and no actuating element movable relative to the shower attachment housing is required.