Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Flush closet – Bowl
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-25
2004-03-16
Nguyen, Tuan N. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Flush closet
Bowl
C004S420100, C239S447000, C137S118020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06704946
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to spraying devices and more specifically to a sprayer assembly including a three-way valve to which the sprayer can be selectively attached that allows water to flow through the valve to a toilet water tank or reservoir and to the sprayer simultaneously when the sprayer is attached to the valve.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
To maintain personal hygiene, individuals often utilize bidets after using a bathroom in which the bidet is located. On many occasions, bidets take the form of commode-shaped structures that are positioned immediately adjacent a conventional toilet in order to facilitate use of the bidet by an individual. However, bidets of this type are very costly and time consuming to install, and take up a substantial amount of space within the bathroom in which they are located.
Alternatives to these conventional types of bidets have been developed in which the bidet consists of a sprayer including a dispensing nozzle and a hose connected to a water supply line. The water supply line can be a water supply line separate from the supply line to the toilet, or can be the water supply line connected directly to the toilet tank or reservoir. In some of these alternative designs, the sprayer is fixedly attached to a structure of the toilet, i.e., the seat, in order to dispense a cleansing stream of water from a particular location, and in other alternative designs the sprayer is movable with respect to the toilet such that an individual can manually position the sprayer where necessary.
However, in all of these alternative designs, the bidet sprayer is fixedly attached to the water supply line, such that the sprayer must be positioned or retained within a housing, cradle or other supporting device located on or adjacent the toilet when the sprayer is not in use. The positioning of the sprayer on or near the toilet in this manner is not aesthetically pleasing. Further, this manner of positioning of the sprayer also creates a situation in which the sprayer can be inadvertently contacted and damaged or activated by a person in the bathroom, thereby dispensing water from the sprayer over the various surfaces of the bathroom and possibly creating a hazardous condition on the floor of the bathroom.
It is therefore desirable to develop a sprayer assembly that can be attached to a water supply line for a toilet when in use, but that can also be detached quickly and easily from the water supply line and stored in a separate location apart from the toilet when not in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sprayer assembly including a valve housing connectable to a water supply line for a toilet and a sprayer that can be releasably attached to the housing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a sprayer assembly in which the valve housing is capable of supplying water to the toilet and to the sprayer simultaneously.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a sprayer assembly incorporating a quick release attachment member that is releasably engageable with the valve housing.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a sprayer assembly that has a simple and easily to install and use construction.
The present invention is a sprayer assembly adapted for use with a conventional toilet having a water supply tank. The sprayer assembly includes a valve housing that can be secured to a water supply line for the toilet tank in order to utilize a part of the water supplied to the tank as the water to be dispensed from the sprayer. The valve housing is a three-way valve housing including a supply conduit secured at opposite ends to the tank water supply line and a diverting conduit attached to the supply conduit between the opposite ends. The housing also includes a plunger movably disposed within the diverting conduit that is capable of sliding movement with respect to the housing in order to selectively open and close the diverting conduit. The plunger includes a sealing member that can be selectively engaged with the diverting conduit, such that the plunger can selectively completely obstruct water flow to the diverting conduit when in an extended position, and can allow water flow through both the supply conduit and the diverting conduit when in the depressed position.
The plunger is depressed with respect to the valve housing and the diverting conduit by an attachment member that is releasably insertable into the diverting conduit. The attachment member is connected opposite the diverting conduit to a hose which, in turn, is connected to a spray head or sprayer at the opposite end. The spray head includes a dispensing mechanism that is manually operable to dispense water flowing through the valve housing and diverting conduit from the spray head as desired.
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Anderson, Jr. Henry M.
Mueller John R.
Mueller Patricia M.
Heino Joseph S.
Idea Factory, Inc.
Nguyen Tuan N.
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