Wall-Mounted Shower Soap Dispenser With Flexible Hose
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing soap dispensers for institutional showers are costly to replace and often require users to carry soap, which can be messy and difficult for disabled individuals, and existing integrated shower head designs either mix soap poorly with water or necessitate plumbing modifications.
Innovation Solution
A wall-mounted dispenser with an inverted container and valve assembly connected by a semi-flexible hose to a diffuser cap over the shower head, allowing for efficient soap delivery without replacing the shower head and allowing for manual or motorized operation, ensuring effective mixing and easy installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an integrated shower head with dispenser is designed, then soap delivery is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional components: a wall-mounted dispenser unit and a shower head with diffuser cap. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies installation and maintenance while maintaining effective soap delivery functionality.
2Ease of operation
If existing integrated shower head designs are used, then soap delivery is achieved, but installation cost increases due to plumbing modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser function is extracted from the shower head assembly and placed in a separate wall-mounted unit. This extraction eliminates the need for plumbing modifications to the shower head, allowing installation without changing existing water lines while maintaining effective soap delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible hose serves as an intermediary connection between the wall-mounted dispenser and the shower head diffuser cap. This flexible connection allows soap solution delivery without requiring rigid plumbing integration, simplifying installation while maintaining functional effectiveness.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid connection is used between dispenser and shower head, then structural stability is improved, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
A flexible hose is used to connect the wall-mounted dispenser to the shower head diffuser cap. This flexible connection maintains structural stability for soap delivery while providing adaptability to accommodate different shower head positions and orientations.
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
Enables cost-effective and efficient soap delivery directly into the shower stream, improving accessibility and reducing installation costs by not requiring plumbing changes, while ensuring effective soap distribution and easy maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
The outlet of the valve assembly has a semi-flexible hose that extends down and out from the valve
Implementation Method 2
When the valve is opened, a slow drip of liquid is dispensed through the hose directly into the water stream in the diffuser cap. What is dispensed from the diffuser cap is a soapy mixture
Data Source
AI summary
A device for dispensing liquids to a shower head that has a container and valve assembly that are inverted and secured to a wall surface above the shower head with a bracket. The outlet of the valve has a semi-flexible hose that extends down and out from the valve. A diffuser cap is positioned over the shower head. The hose is placed through an opening in the diffuser cap. When the valve is opened, a slow drip of liquid is dispensed through the hose directly into the water stream in the diffuser cap. What is dispensed from the diffuser is a soapy mixture that can be directly applied to a user's body. When done, the valve is closed and the diffuser cap is easily rinsed. In this way, the efficient delivery of soap to showers can be done cheaply and easily without the cost or need for replacement shower heads.