US3662406A

US3662406A - Adjustable fluid inlet spout

Info

Publication number: US3662406A
Application number: US46184A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gino Giglio
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-06-15
Filing date: 1970-06-15
Publication date: 1972-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-16

Abstract

An adjustable fluid inlet spout for introducing fluids into a receptacle, such as a tub, sink, or tank. The spout contains a through passage which is angularly disposed to the central axis of the spout. The spout is adjustable, allowing the fluid moving through the passage to be directed as desired, in a generally horizontal direction, making contact with the sides of the receptacle. The spout may be placed eccentrically of the central longitudinal axis of the tub.

Description

United States Patent Giglio 51 May 16, 1972 [54] ADJUSTABLE FLUID INLET SPOUT [72] Inventor: Gino Giglio, 105 West 13th Street, New

York, NY. 10011 [22] Filed: June 15, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 46,184

[52] U.S.Cl ..4/1,4/l73,4/181 [51 Int. Cl ..A47k 17/00, A47k 3/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..239/601;4/173,178,181,180, 4/1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,426,046 8/1922 Cohen ..4/181 2,705,329 4/1955 Exton-Porter ..4/173 3,521,304 7/1970 Ghiz ..4/l72.16 3,038,667 6/1962 Sandie. ..239/601 X 3,266,737 8/1966 Nees.... ..239/601 X 3,476,323 11/1969 Downie ..239/601 X Primary Examiner-Henry K. Artis Attorney-Meyer A. Gross 57 ABSTRACT 5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHAY 16 I972 8. 662,406

e f A? ADJUSTABLE FLUID INLET SPOUT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an eccentrically placed inlet spout and more particularly to an improved adjustable fluid inlet spout to allow horizontal fill of a receptacle by directing the fluid stream against the side walls of the receptacle.

lnlet spouts to fill receptacles are well known in the art, and are perhaps best illustrated by bathtubs in the standard centrally positioned downwardly extending spout for introduction of water into a bathtub. The method of filling a tub is well known and has not changed in the art for many, many years. The inlet spout centrally positioned is directed downwardly towards the base floor of the interior of the tub. This causes a noisy, splashing-type filling effect. The water will gradually fill the tub and the initially introduced water will be moved towards the rear surface of the tub, being changed in temperature by the tub material temperature, and eventually accumulating a body of water in the receptacle or tub having different temperatures at different locations along the length of the tub. The latter introduced water does not easily mix with the earlier introduced water, causing the temperature variation. Nor are added materials, such as soaps or medications, mixed evenly, for the same reasons.

In addition, the splashing, filling effect is quite noisy, and for significant volume and velocities the noise can be of a rather high decible level. Furthermore, the splashing, filling effect may result in wet floors and walls, which are not only unsafe, but would tend to deteriorate faster than if they were maintained dry.

In emptying and rinsing receptacles of this nature, the downwardly directed inlets splash directly on the drain, driving solid waste accumulations (such as suds, dirt, curd, or hair, away from the drain inlet. To insure proper cleaning, it is necessary to turn off the water and use a hand or other implement to push the materials toward the drain.

Finally, there have been occasions where accidents occur because the inlet spout extends an appreciable distance over the front edge of the receptacle and when in use as a bathtub, individuals have caught and injured themselves thereon.

Accordingly, among the principal objects of the present invention is to provide an improved adjustable inlet spout placed eccentrically with regard to the axis of the receptacle, which directed the inlet flow of fluids horizontally and against the sides of the receptacle container, eliminating the splashing of the fluids on the base surface of the receptacle, or on the surface of fluid in the container, and the consequent noise that would otherwise result from the splashing effect.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a spout of the character described which will cause a complete mixing of the fluid immediately passing through the spout with that already in the interior of the receptacle.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an inlet spout which will provide a body of fluid of even temperature, having a consistent temperature along the length of the receptacle.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a safer access to the receptacle to test the temperature of the water and of the fluid in along the wall receptacle installations, and at the same time increasing the cosmetic values, by causing any staining on the near side of the inner side wall of the receptacle, out of the ordinary line of sight.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable inlet spout of the character described which requires a much shorter extension over the receptacle, thus significantly eliminating the danger of accidental injury, by a person catching themselves upon the spout.

Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a spout of the character described which can be adjusted to cause the desired horizontal flow against the side walls of the receptacle, compensating for varying velocities and volumes of fluid passing through the spout.

Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a spout of the character described which will allow simple rinsing of the receptacle during washdown of a major portion of the receptacle side walls and real wall.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a spout of the character described which will cause solid residues and waste accumulations to be washed from the base of the receptacle towards the drain outlet.

Basically, the invention consists of a spout which is received within a pipe connected to a source of pressurized fluid, such as the water line in a house, hotel, or other such building. The water provided by municipalities, or from wells, is pressurized and passes through conduit means, such as piping. A pipe may be located in a wall adjacent the receptacle, and eccentric to any of its axis, which may be a bathtub, and the pipe may have a slightly flanged forward edge. The spout is generally cylindrical in appearance and has a larger diameter head section, and a lesser diameter neck section separated by an annular shoulder having an inwardly extending lip. The neck is received within the interior of the pipe extending from the wall, and the flange grips the lip of the annular shoulder in the well known fashion. It is also possible to use a ratchet type structure, which is well known in the art, to provide adjustable rotational movement of the spout, in addition to rotational movement of the structure as described herein. The cylindrical surface of the head may also have a polygonal shape to allow easier gripping.

Passing through the spout is through-passage whose central axis is generally angularly disposed to the central axis of the spout. The spout is rotated axially so that, compensating for the volume and velocity of fluid eminating therefrom, the flow can be directed horizontally towards the side wall of the receptacle.

In installation where the tub is installed along a wall, it is desirable that the spout be eccentrically placed from the central axis of the tub closer to the near side so that it may be easily handled without leaning over the greater width of the tub. in fact, depending upon the skill of the plumbers and installer, a straight spout may in some instances replace an angularly disposed spout, assuming the spout is properly aligned at the time of the installation of the spout and the piping.

The above description and objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle such as a bathtub, showing a fluid eminating from the spout constructed in accordance with the present invention, the fluid contacting the side walls of the spout, as desired;

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the lines 22 of FIG. 1, illustrating the position of the through-passage within the spout;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the spout in a rotated position with the through passage being angled in a different direction;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the spout; and

FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to the side elevational views of FIGS. 2 and 3, showing a spout whose throughpassage has a central longitudinal axis coincident with the central axis of the spout;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the inlet spout.

Turning to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown an adjustable inlet spout l0 embodying the present invention secured to a pipe 12, and positioned over a receptacle, such as a tub 14. It is understood that any type of receptacle, such as a sink or a tank, can utilize the present invention, but for purposes of illustration, the description in the specification will be directed towards bathtubs.

The bathtub 14 may be any standard model and requires no special installation or manufacture to take advantage of the present invention. The tub may be stamped or molded in the well known manner and includes outer side surfaces and rear and front end surfaces 18, 20. There is the standard

top side surfaces

22, 24, and the rear and front top surfaces 26, 28.

I in a line from the rear surface 34 to the front surface 36in the well known manner, with a drain, (not shown) provided also in the well known manner.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bathtub is placed in a room against

walls

40, 42, with the surfaces 16 and 20 abutting the walls.

The pipe 12 extends outwardly from the wall 42 and is connected to a pressurized fluid source, such as a municipal water line, or an artesian well or a well in which water is provided under pressure by means of a pump. Standard plumbing or piping is provided in the well known manner.

The piping may be cylindrical in shape, having a wall 44 defined by an outer surface 46 and an inner surface 48, an inner side edge 50, and an outer side edge 52. The surface 46 may be threaded as at 54 near the edge 50 to allow mating with the internal threads 56 of the pipe 58 which is part of the plumbing.

The outer edge of the pipe 12 is slightly altered to increase the diameter defining a flange 60 with an annular lip 62.

The inlet spout may be made of any convenient material, such as a slightly flexible plastic and is generally cylindrical in appearance, having a head portion 64 and a neck portion 66. The head portion is of a significantly greater diameter than the neck portion and is generally cylindrical in shape, being defined by a front face 67, a side surface 68 and a shoulder surface 70. The side surface 68 may be faceted or polygonally shaped for ease of gripping. The head portion has a shoulder element 72 with an inwardly extending lip 74. The

lip

74 and 62 co-act so that the spout may be placed upon the pipe 14 in the normal press-fit manner, the overlapping lips insuring that the spout and pipe will not separate, that the spout may be rotatively moved with respect to the pipe, and yet be firmly held in place when the desired positioning is achieved.

Extending inwardly from the head portion is the neck portion 66 which is of a lesser diameter, and whose outer diameter is just slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe so that the side surface 76 of the neck portion just abuts the inner surface 48 of the pipe. The neck portion terminates in an end surface 78.

A through passage 80 defined by inner surface 82 passes longitudinally through the head and neck portions of the spout, allowing communication from the interior of the pipe to the environment surrounding the front face of the head portion. The through-passage has a central axis 84 which is angularly disposed to the central axis 86 of the spout 10. This inclination causes a stream of fluid to describe an arcuate path as the spout is rotated within the pipe.

By controlling the direction of flow of the fluid after having left the pipe and spout, and compensating for the velocity and volume of water passing through the pipe and spout, adjustment of the spout will cause the fluid to make contact with the

side walls

30 or 32 of the tub 14. The water will then flow following the curves of the walls onto the back wall 34, and then into the base surface 38 of the tub. This will eliminate the splashing noise normally associated with downward flow and fall of the fluid onto the base of the tub or fluid surface and will cause an even mixing of the fluids within the container due to the swirling efi'ect caused by the introduction of the fluid into the tub in this manner. This swirling effect will also insure that there will be an even temperature throughout the body of fluid at all times and an even temperature throughout the body of the receptacle, stabilizing temperature. Since the volume and velocity of flow must be high enough to cause contact with the side walls and swirling towards the rear of the tub, it is not necessary that the pipe extend significantly over the inner surfaces of the tub, but just protrude from the wall 42 in sufficient amount that the spout may be adjusted by the user. This in turn eliminates any possible injuries due to the user accidentally catching himself upon the pipe and spout.

Furthermore, in wall side tube installations, it is desirable to place the pi ing eccentrically to the major longitudinal ax's of he tub an to the near side wall, away from the wall of the room of installation. This makes it easier to reach to test the temperature of the water and of the body of fluid, without having to reach over the greater width of the tub, and has a cosmetic effect in that any staining will occur on the near side wall of the tub, which is out of the ordinary line of sight of a viewer.

As has been previously noted, the swirling effect of the water contacting the side walls and swirling around the back wall and the other side wall of the tub also has a great value during the cleaning operation, since it causes solid and waste accumulations to move downwardly on the base wall towards the drain, something that does not occur with the present filling spouts.

If the spout and piping are properly and carefully aligned during installation, on some occasions it is possible to use a spout whose through-passage major axis coincident with the major axis of the spout, being previously adjusted for proper contact with the near side wall of the tub.

It is understood by those skilled in the art that any type of well known mechanical connection may be used to connect the pipe and spout to each other to insure that the rotational movement of the spout relative to the pipe and yet to insure that there will be no undesired movement once the desired adjustments have been made. An example of such mechanical joinder would be a ratchet fit.

The terms and expressions which have been employed here are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, an adjustable fluid inlet spout for introducing fluids into a receptacle such as a bath tub by contacting the sides thereof, comprising a. a pressurized fluid source;

b. conduit means for transferring the fluid from the source to a location proximate to and separate from the receptacle;

c. an inlet spout having a neck portion extending inwardly of the conduit means, being received therein, and a head portion secured to the neck portion and extending forwardly of the conduit means, the spout rotatively engaging the conduit means; and

d. the spout having an inner wall defining a through passage, the central axis of the passage being angularly disposed to the central axis of the spout and coincident therewith at exit; the fluid making contact with the side walls of the receptacle, effecting silent, no splash filling, and even mixing of the fluid within the receptacle due to the swirling action of the fluid resulting from the eccentric introduction of the fluid.

2. The invention according to claim 1, the fluid being a liquid, the conduit means being a pipe.

3. The invention according to claim 2, the pipe having an inner end and an outer end, the outer end having a flange portion and a lip.

4. The invention according to claim 3, the head portion of the spout having an annular shoulder with an inwardly extending lip, the lip of the spout and the lip of the pipe overlapping to form a press fit, allowing rotation of the spout relative to the pipe.

5. The invention according to claim 2, the conduit means being placed eccentrically of the central longitudinal axis of the receptacle.

Claims

1. In combination, an adjustable fluid inlet spout for introducing fluids into a receptacle such as a bath tub by contacting the sides thereof, comprising a. a pressurized fluid source; b. conduit means for transferring the fluid from the source to a location proximate to and separate from the receptacle; c. an inlet spout having a neck portion extending inwardly of the conduit means, being received therein, and a head portion secured to the neck portion and extending forwardly of the conduit means, the spout rotatively engaging the conduit means; and d. the spout having an inner wall defining a through passage, the central axis of the passage being angularly disposed to the central axis of the spout and coincident therewith at exit; the fluid making contact with the side walls of the receptacle, effecting silent, no splash filling, and even mixing of the fluid within the receptacle due to the swirling action of the fluid resulting from the eccentric introduction of the fluid.