Showerhead

Details Showerhead Showerhead

2000-09-07

2001-06-26

Scherbel, David A. (Department: 3752)

Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing

Miscellaneous

C239S533130, C239S533140

Reexamination Certificate

active

06250572

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a showerhead, more particularly to a showerhead with a plurality of bendable spray nipple bodies such that particulate dirt therein can be bounced out.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional showerhead
1
is shown to include a housing
1
with a screw hole
102
formed therein, and a face plate
2
with a surrounding wall
201
to cover the housing
1
so as to confine a water chamber
101
. The face plate
2
has a hole
202
such that a threaded stem
502
of a screw fastener
5
passes through the hole
202
and engages threadedly the screw hole
102
to secure the face plate
2
on the housing
1
. A sealing ring
3
is clamped between the housing
1
and the face plate
2
. The face plate
2
further has a plurality of spray nipple members
4
secured on a front wall
203
thereof. Each spray nipple member
4
has a spray hole
401
formed therethrough so as to permit water in the chamber
101
to be discharged through the spray hole
401
. When the spray holes
401
are to be cleaned to remove particulate dirt therein after long term use, the screw fastener
5
must be removed from the face plate
2
by a tool
6
which is used to turnahead
501
of the screw fastener
5
. Then, the spray holes
401
are cleaned one by one. Therefore, the cleaning operation is inconvenient to conduct.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a showerhead which has a plurality of bendable spray nipple bodies to facilitate cleaning of spray passageways thereof.
According to this invention, the showerhead includes a housing with a main inlet adapted to communicate with a water source, and a face plate which tightly covers the housing to confine with the housing a chamber that communicates with the main inlet. The face plate has a front major wall, a rear major wall opposite to the front major wall in a spray direction, and a plurality of inner peripheral walls, each of which extends from the front major wall through the rear major wall to confine a through hole so as to permit water in the chamber to be discharged therethrough in the spray direction. A plurality of spray nipples are mounted on the face plate. Each spray nipple includes a nozzle body and a securing sleeve member. The nozzle body is made of a deformable material, and includes a stem portion and an enlarged head portion. The stem portion includes a shank end which is fitted to the respective inner peripheral wall of the face plate from the rear major wall through the front major wall, a tapered end which extends from the shank end in a first direction away from the rear major wall and outwardly of the front major wall and which converges in the first direction, and a shoulder portion which is formed at a juncture of the shank and tapered ends and which extends outwardly and radially from the shank end. The enlarged head portion is connected securely to the shank end opposite to the tapered end, and defines with the shank end an abutment shoulder which abuts against the rear major wall when the shank end of the stem portion is fitted to the respective inner peripheral wall. A spray passageway extends from the stem portion through the enlarged head portion in the first direction to communicate with the chamber for discharging water in the chamber outwardly of the tapered end. Thus, the tapered ends of the spray nipples are bendable relative to the front major wall such that particulate dirt will be bounced out of the spray passageways once the tapered ends swing back to their original state. The securing sleeve member is sleeved on the shank end of the stem portion, and has front and rear abutting end portions which abut against the shoulder portion and the front major wall respectively after the securing sleeve member has been brought to sleeve over the tapered end, to cooperate with the abutment shoulder to clamp the face plate therebetween so as to secure the respective spray nipple to the face plate.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4241878 (1980-12-01), Underwood
patent: 5172862 (1992-12-01), Heimann et al.
patent: 5228625 (1993-07-01), Grassberger
patent: 5405089 (1995-04-01), Heimann et al.
patent: 5702057 (1997-12-01), Huber
patent: 5730361 (1998-03-01), Thonnes
patent: 5850974 (1998-12-01), Kettl et al.
patent: 599 989 (1934-07-01), None
patent: 1 055 869 (1959-04-01), None
patent: 1.309.901 (1961-10-01), None

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