Shower Arm Dispensing Unit with Rotatable Flask and Bypass Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensing systems for shower arms face challenges in refilling and connecting without altering the showerhead's orientation, and regulatory flow restrictions hinder the effectiveness of conventional venturi systems, leading to cluttered showers and safety concerns due to accumulated personal care product bottles.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing unit with a flexible container held within a flask, connected to a tube member with a restrictor passage creating a pressure differential, allowing easy rotation and quick-release attachment, enabling the dispensing of materials like shampoo, conditioner, and perfume directly into the water flow, with a volume control valve and bypass passages for enhanced functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional venturi systems are used for dispensing, then material can be dispensed into water flow, but the system becomes ineffective due to regulatory flow restrictions and high water pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional venturi system with a diaphragm-based pressure actuation system. The diaphragm responds to pressure differentials created by flow restrictions, converting pressure changes into mechanical motion that drives material dispensing. This substitution allows the system to function effectively under the high pressure conditions created by modern flow-restricted showerheads.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operating parameters of the dispensing system by using a diaphragm that is specifically designed to respond to the pressure differentials generated by flow restrictions. The diaphragm's physical properties (flexibility, surface area, pre-tension) are optimized to convert the high pressure environment into effective dispensing action, rather than resisting the pressure changes.
2Ease of operation
If dispensing units are installed in shower stalls, then personal care products can be dispensed, but refilling and connection becomes difficult without changing showerhead orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing system is divided into separable components: a removable container, a connection mechanism with quick-connect features, and a mounting structure. This segmentation allows the container to be easily removed and refilled without disturbing the mounted unit, and enables simple installation by connecting pre-assembled components to the shower arm.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection mechanism incorporates dynamic elements such as rotatable joints and flexible positioning features that allow the dispensing unit to adapt to different installation orientations. The showerhead or dispensing component can rotate and adjust its position, enabling installation without requiring specific orientation of the showerhead.
3Ease of operation
If personal care product bottles are kept in shower stalls, then products are accessible, but safety and health problems arise along with clutter
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing system extracts the personal care products from traditional bottles and integrates them into a wall-mounted or arm-mounted dispensing unit. This removes the bottles from the shower floor where they create clutter and safety hazards, while maintaining product accessibility through the integrated dispensing mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The container holding personal care products is nested within the dispensing unit structure, which itself is mounted on the shower arm or wall. This nested arrangement consolidates multiple functions (storage, dispensing, mounting) into a single integrated system, eliminating the need for separate bottles in the shower space.
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
The system allows for efficient and safe dispensing of personal care products into the shower stream, reducing clutter and safety risks while accommodating easy refilling and operation without altering the showerhead's orientation, and maintains effective water flow through bypass passages.
Implementation Method 1
A flexible container is held within a flask (of sufficient pressure-tight construction) that is connected in fluid-pressure communication to the tube member, such that the pressure differential is communicated to the flask and provided within the flask, between the interior and exterior of the flexible container.
Implementation Method 2
An example of a previous dispensing unit using a venturi system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,200
Data Source
AI summary
Dispensing systems for dispensing one or more materials into a fluid flow conduit, during the conveyance of fluid through the conduit are configured to connect to a fluid conduit, such as a standard pipe of a shower arm and dispense a material into the water flow in the shower arm. The system includes a first tube member having a restrictor flow passage to provide a pressure differential, as fluid flows through the tube member. The pressure differential created within the restrictor passage by the fluid flow is communicated to a flask, to provide a pressure differential between the interior and the exterior of a flexible container within the flask. The pressure differential causes material within the flexible container to be drawn out and conveyed to the fluid flowing through the tube member. The flask may be connected to the first tube member, through an extension portion that is rotatable around the first tube member for convenient positioning. A quick-release connection structure may allow the flask to be connected and selectively releasable from the system.