Spout apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11261586-B2
Application number	US-201916260489-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2019
Priority date	Mar 1, 2018
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

Problem: To provide a spout apparatus in which sagging of the mesh structure portion in the flow-conditioning member due to water pressure can be suppressed even if the flow-conditioning member is formed by a fine diameter mesh structure, and the flow-conditioning member can be compactly constituted and flow velocity distribution made uniform.
Solution Means: The embodiment of the invention is a spout apparatus 2 , including a spout apparatus main unit 6 , a flow-conditioning member 12 , and a spray member 16 ; wherein the flow-conditioning member 12 is formed by a mesh structure in which numerous fine holes are formed, and the mesh structure is layered and formed three dimensionally, such that the mesh structure portion of at least a portion of the mesh structure extends in a direction parallel to the direction of water flowing into the flow-conditioning member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spout apparatus, comprising:
a spout apparatus main body forming a flow path for passing a flow of water supplied to an interior;
a flow-conditioning member disposed on the flow path of the spout apparatus main body for conditioning the distribution of flow velocities of the flow of water;
and a spray member with multiple spray holes to spout the flow of water passed through the flow-conditioning member in a shower form;
wherein the flow-conditioning member is formed by a fabric mesh sheet, and the fabric mesh sheet includes loops of a wire, and the flow-conditioning member is formed by the fabric mesh sheet wound into a roll shape, and the flow-conditioning member is disposed such that an axial direction of the fabric mesh sheet wound into the roll shape is the same as a direction of the flow of water flowing into the flow-conditioning member, and the wire of at least a portion of the fabric mesh sheet in the flow-conditioning member extends in a direction parallel to the direction of the flow of water flowing into the flow-conditioning member, and the fabric mesh sheet wound into the roll shape forms a contact surface extending along an inner wall of the flow path.

2. The spout apparatus of claim 1 , wherein first holes having a first opening area and second holes having a second opening area larger than the first opening area are formed in the flow-conditioning member.

3. The spout apparatus of claim 2 , wherein in plane view, the second holes are formed in each of four divided areas of the flow-conditioning member, which is divided by a first center line dividing equally the flow-conditioning member into left and right and by a second center line dividing equally the flow-conditioning member into front and back.

4. The spout apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the number of the second holes is smaller than the number of the first holes.

5. A method for manufacturing a spout apparatus, comprising:
a step preparing a spout apparatus main unit forming a flow path for passing water supplied to an interior;
a step preparing a flow-conditioning member for conditioning the distribution of flow velocities of supplied water by positioning the flow-conditioning member; and
a step preparing a spray member with multiple spray holes to spout water passed through the flow-conditioning member in a shower form;
whereby the step preparing a flow-conditioning member further comprises:
a step preparing a wire forming the flow-conditioning member;
a step forming a fabric mesh sheet including loops of the wire;
a step winding the fabric mesh sheet into a roll shape so that the wire in at least a portion of the fabric mesh sheet extends in a direction parallel to a direction of water flowing into the flow-conditioning member; and
a step forming the flow-conditioning member by three-dimensionally forming from the fabric mesh sheet wound into the roll shape, wherein the flow-conditioning member is disposed such that an axial direction of the fabric mesh sheet wound into the roll shape is the same as the direction of water flowing into the flow-conditioning member, wherein the wire of at least a portion of the fabric mesh sheet in the flow-conditioning member formed extends in the direction parallel to a direction of water flowing into the flow-conditioning member, and the fabric mesh sheet wound into the roll shape forms a contact surface extending along an inner wall of the flow path.

6. The spout apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flow-conditioning member is constructed by one fabric mesh sheet.

7. The spout apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second hole is formed in any cross sections across the direction of water flowing into the flow-conditioning member in the flow-conditioning member.

8. The spout apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the step forming the flow-conditioning member is a step forming the flow-conditioning member by compressing and molding the fabric mesh sheet wound into the roll shape.

9. The spout apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the step forming the flow-conditioning member is a step forming the flow-conditioning member by compressing the fabric mesh sheet wound into the roll shape along the axial direction of the fabric mesh sheet.

Assignees

• Toto Ltd

Inventors

• Onodera Rie
• Yaita Ryohei
• Yoshino Shunji

Classifications

• B05B1/22

  Spouts (anti-splash devices for water-taps E03C1/08) · CPC title

• E03C1/0404 Primary

  Constructional or functional features of the spout · CPC title

• E03C1/084

  Jet regulators with aerating means · CPC title

• B05B1/34

  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

• E03C1/08 Primary

  Jet regulators {or jet guides}, e.g. anti-splash devices · CPC title