GB2466920A

GB2466920A - Shower attachment

Info

Publication number: GB2466920A
Application number: GB0821596A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Guy Cinnamon
Original assignee: ZGP Ltd
Current assignee: ZGP Ltd
Priority date: 2008-11-26
Filing date: 2008-11-26
Publication date: 2010-07-14
Also published as: WO2010061342A1; GB0821596D0

Abstract

A shower attachment comprises a hollow body 10 having a coupling 18 at one end for connection to a water supply and a showerhead 12 at the opposite end. A fluidic amplifier 14 is located within the coupling end of the body 10. The fluidic amplifier 14 has an axial bore 22 which is not uniformly cylindrical and through which water flows from the water supply to the showerhead 12, and a radial bore 24 which at one end communicates with the axial bore 22 at a region where the diameter of the axial bore 22 increases and at its other end communicates with the ambient air. The radial bore 24 serves to introduce air into the water flowing through axial bore 22 when the shower attachment is in use and to allow water to drain from the attachment when the attachment is not in use.

Description

SHOWER ATTACHMENT

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a shower attachment.

Background of the invention

The shower attachment to which the present invention relates is an article that can either be mounted on a wall or be attached to the end of a flexible hose. At one end, the attachment has a couplinq for connection to the water supply and at the other end it has a showerhead from which the water emerges as a spray or as multiple jets.

In domestic applications, a powerful shower is highly desirable but consumes more water and is therefore wasteful of resources. For this reason, it has previously been proposed to incorporate in a shower attachment a device known as a fluidic amplifier or an ejector valve (described in more detail below) that introduces air into the water discharged from the showerhead. A jet or spray augmented in this way by the addition of air can reduce water consumption without detracting from the perceived power of the shower.

Hitherto, shower handles incorporating such water saving devices have had the problem that water may collect within them after the water supply has been turned off. In certain environments, this presents a health hazard in that it can be a cause of spreading of legionella bacteria.

Object of the invention The present invention seeks therefore to provide a shower attachment that offers the advantage of reduced water consumption while ensuring full drainage of the attachment at the end of each use.

Summary of the invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a shower attachment comprising a hollow body having a coupling at one end for connection to a water supply and a showerhead at the opposite end, wherein a fluidic amplifier is located within the coupling end of the body, the fluidic amplifier having an axial bore which is not uniformly cylindrical and through which water flows from the water supply to the showerhead, and a radial bore which at one end communicates with the axial bore at a region where the diameter of the axial bore increases and at its other end communicates with the ambient air, the radial bore serving to introduce air into the water flowing through axial bore when the shower attachment is in use and serving to allow water to drain from the attachment when the attachment is not in use.

Because of the location of the fluidic amplifier at the opposite end of the attachment from the showerhead, regardless of the attitude of the attachment when it is not in use, water remaining within it will either flow to the showerhead or back towards the fluidic amplifier. Water at the showerhead end will drain out through the jets of the showerhead while water at the fluidic amplifier will drain through the radial bore through which air is drawn when the shower is in use.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the fluidic amplifier comprises a cylindrical insert which is formed with the axial and radial bores and which is inserted into the coupling for the water supply and a hole is formed in the body of the attachment to align with the radial bore of the insert.

Interengaging formations are preferably provided on the insert and the hollow body to ensure that the insert is always in the correct orientation for proper alignment.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view from below of a shower attachment of the invention, Figure 2 is an exploded view from above of the shower attachment of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a section through the shower attachment of Figures 1 and 2 in a disassembled state, and Figure 4 is a section through the shower attachment of Figures 1 to 3 in an assembled state.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment(s) As can clearly be seen from the drawings, the attachment of the invention is assembled from four separate parts, namely a hollow elongate main body 10, a perforate plate 12 defining the showerhead, a fluidic amplifier insert 14 and a small blanking plug 16 which hides a metallic screw (not shown) that holds the plate 12 onto the body 10. All of these parts can be manufactured as plastics mouldings and may if desired be metal coated.

The hollow body 10 has threaded coupling 18 at its end remote from the showerhead to connect to the water supply, which may either be a fixed pipe in the case of a wall mounted shower or flexible hose in the case of a hand held shower. A hole 20 is also formed in the body 10 near the threaded coupling 18.

The fluidic amplifier insert 14, as best seen in Figure 3, had a stepped axial bore of which the diameter section opens into the interior of the hollow body 10. A radial bore 24 intersects the larger section of axial bore 22 near the step where the bore widens. The transition need not in fact be stepped and the axial bore may be shaped as a Venturi.

The method of operation of a fluidic amplifier is well known and for the present context it suffices to understand that water flowing through the axial bore 22 will create a negative pressure at the inner end of the radial bore 24 and will therefore draw air into the water stream. Thus the narrow diameter of the axial bore 22 reduces the flow rate of the water while the entrained air increases the bulk of the water stream, resulting in less water being used without any noticeable drop in the power of the shower.

The purpose of the hole 20 in the body of the handle 10 is to allow the radial bore 24 of the fluidic amplifier insert 14 to communicate with the outside air and it is important to ensure correct alignment when the insert 14 is driven into end of the body 10, as shown in Figure 4. To this end, interengaging formations may be provided on the insert 14 and the body 10, such as a projection on one to engage in a slot of the other.

The drawings also show that the insert 14 may have an enlarge end to overlie the end of the coupling 18, thereby avoiding the need for a separate washer to establish a seal between the coupling 18 and the pipe to which it is connected.

The insert 14 is a tight fit in the end of the hollow body 10 SO that the volume of any space between the two is negligible.

In the orientation of the shower attachment shown in Figures 3 and 4, any water remaining in the attachment at the end a period of use will flow towards the insert 14. In this case, the radial bore 24 and the hole 20 will act to allow trapped water to drain away without collecting in the hollow body 10. If the attachment were left tilted counter-clockwise from this position, the water would run to the showerhead and would drain through the perforated plate 12.

By thus preventing stagnant water from collecting within the shower attachment in between periods of use, the invention reduces the risk of such water becoming contaminated with bacteria, such as legionella.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A shower attachment comprising a hollow body having a coupling at one end for connection to a water supply and a showerhead at the opposite end, wherein a fluidic amplifier is located within the coupling end of the body, the fluidic amplifier having an axial bore which is not uniformly cylindrical and through which water flows from the water supply to the showerhead, and a radial bore which at one end communicates with the axial bore at a region where the diameter of the axial bore increases and at its other end communicates with the ambient air, the radial bore serving to introduce air into the water flowing through axial bore when the shower attachment is in use and serving to allow water to drain from the attachment when the attachment is not in use.
2. A shower attachment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fluidic amplifier comprises a cylindrical insert which is formed with the axial and radial bores and which is inserted into the coupling for the water supply and wherein a hole is formed in the body of the attachment to align with the radial bore of the insert.
3. A shower attachment as claimed in claim 2, wherein interengaging formations are provided on the insert and the hollow body to ensure correct alignment of the insert relative to the hole in the hollow body.
4. A shower attachment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.