Adjustable Body Spray Mounting for Flush Alignment and Sealing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional body sprays require precise alignment of components during installation to ensure proper mounting and sealing, but misalignments can lead to issues with the spray face being flush and centered, which is difficult to achieve.

Innovation Solution

An adjustable body spray system featuring a connector with a port and a shower pivot assembly that allows angular movement, enabling the spray head to be adjusted relative to the mounting surface, ensuring proper alignment and sealing even with initial misalignments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If traditional body spray components are installed with fixed positioning, then the structure is simple, but misalignment occurs causing the spray face to be non-flush and non-centered

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment precisionVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting assembly incorporates adjustable positioning mechanisms including a bracket with channel for horizontal movement and a shower pivot assembly with pivot and shaft for angular adjustment. These dynamic elements allow the spray head to be positioned at multiple locations and orientations, ensuring proper alignment with the escutcheon opening even when initial installation conditions are not perfect.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The mounting assembly is divided into separate functional components: a connector for water supply connection, a bracket with channel for horizontal positioning, and a shower pivot assembly with pivot and shaft for angular adjustment. This segmentation allows each component to independently address specific alignment requirements, providing comprehensive adjustment capability while maintaining clear functional separation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If adjustable mounting mechanisms are added to enable alignment correction, then alignment precision is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvealignment precisionVSAvoidmounting assembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting assembly uses simple dynamic joints including a sliding mechanism within the bracket channel for horizontal adjustment and a pivot joint for angular adjustment. These dynamic elements provide continuous adjustment range without requiring complex mechanisms, maintaining simplicity while achieving proper alignment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bracket with channel acts as an intermediary element between the connector and the shower pivot assembly, providing a guided path for horizontal movement. This intermediary structure simplifies the adjustment process by constraining movement to a single degree of freedom at each adjustment stage, making the overall system easier to install and align.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20120248222A1Adjustable body spray
Publication Date: 2012.10.04 FORTUNE BRANDS WATER INNOVATIONS LLC
  • US20120248222A1 patent drawing
  • US20120248222A1 patent drawing
  • US20120248222A1 patent drawing

AI summary

The present invention provides an adjustable body spray including an adjustable spray assembly and an adjustable mounting assembly that, alone or in combination, ensure proper alignment of components of the body spray and adequate sealing between the components.