Spouting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071386-B2
Application number	US-201615377611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2016
Priority date	Dec 15, 2015
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

To provide a spout apparatus whereby expansion and deformation of the inner wall surface of the vortex generating portion such that a desired Karman vortex cannot be generated are prevented, even when the port portion is formed of an elastically deformable soft member. A spout apparatus for discharging hot or cold water with reciprocal motion, having a spout apparatus body and a vortex generating passage; whereby the oscillating element has a supply passage, a vortex generating passage, and a spout port passage, and the spout port passage is formed by an elastically deformable soft member, and is attached to the spout apparatus body so that a user can manipulate and deform the spout port passage, and the vortex generating passage is formed so as not to expand and deform even if internal pressure rises due to the supply of hot or cold water from the supply passage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A spout apparatus for discharging hot or cold water with reciprocal motion, comprising:
a spout apparatus body; and
an oscillating element, attached to the spout apparatus body, for discharging supplied hot or cold water with reciprocal motion;
wherein the oscillating element comprises:
a water supply passage into which hot or cold water supplied from the spout apparatus body flows;
a vortex generating passage, disposed downstream of the water supply passage, including a hot or cold water collision portion arrayed to block a portion of a flow path cross section, whereby the collision of a portion of hot or cold water guided from the water supply passage to the hot or cold water collision portion alternately produces oppositely circulating vortexes on the downstream thereof; and
a spout port passage disposed on the downstream side of the vortex generating passage, for discharging hot or cold water guided from the vortex generating passage with reciprocal motion;
wherein the spout port passage is formed of an elastically deformable soft material, and is attached to the spout apparatus body so that a user can manipulate and deform the spout port passage;
wherein the vortex generating passage is formed so as not expand and deform, even when internal pressure is raised by the supply of hot or cold water from the water supply passage; and
wherein a deformation limiting portion for limiting the elastic deformation of the vortex generating passage is disposed on an outer circumferential portion of the vortex generating passage.

2. The spout apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vortex generating passage is integrally formed of the elastically deformable soft material with the spout port passage.

3. The spout apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the deformation limiting portion is formed so that the vortex generating passage has a greater wall thickness than the spout port passage.

4. The spout apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the deformation limiting portion is formed so that a pressure of hot or cold water flowing in the water supply passage is applied to an outer wall surface of the vortex generating passage.

5. The spout apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the deformation limiting portion comprises a deformation limiting member formed as a separate body from the spout port passage.

6. The spout apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the deformation limiting member is disposed so that when the supply of hot or cold water from the water supply passage to the vortex generating passage is stopped, a tiny gap is formed relative to the outer wall surface of the vortex generating passage.

7. The spout apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the deformation limiting member is disposed so that when hot or cold water is supplied from the water supply passage to the vortex generating passage, the deformation limiting member contacts the outer wall surface of the vortex generating passage.

8. The spout apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vortex generating passage is formed by a hard material.

Assignees

• Toto Ltd

Inventors

• Ukigai Kiyotake
• Nagata Katsuya
• Miyazaki Masateru
• Aihara Yutaka
• Hayata Shuhei
• Watanabe Kei
• Tanizaki Nao
• Nishijima Hiroshi

Classifications

• E03C1/04

  Water-basin installations specially adapted to wash-basins or baths (valves, faucets, mixing valves, taps F16K) · CPC title

• B05B1/18 Primary

  Roses; Shower heads · CPC title

• B05B1/34 Primary

  designed to influence the nature of flow of the liquid or other fluent material, e.g. to produce swirl (designed to control volume of flow B05B1/30) · CPC title

• B05B1/185

  characterised by their outlet element; Mounting arrangements therefor · CPC title

• E03C1/0408

  Water installations especially for showers (E03C1/06 takes precedence; shower heads B05B1/18) · CPC title