Speaker system for bath and shower environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12170865-B2
Application number	US-202017124738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2020
Priority date	Jan 2, 2020
Publication date	Dec 17, 2024
Grant date	Dec 17, 2024

Abstract

A showerhead assembly includes a waterway assembly and a wireless speaker configured to be removably coupled to the waterway assembly. The waterway assembly includes a back plate and a face plate coupled to the back plate. The back plate includes an inlet. The face plate is coupled to the back plate and defines a plurality of outlets. The face plate also defines a through-hole that extends through the waterway assembly. The wireless speaker is configured to be disposed within the through-hole when coupled to the waterway assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A showerhead assembly, comprising:
a waterway assembly comprising:
a back plate;
an inlet connector disposed on the back plate;
a face plate coupled to the back plate and defining a plurality of outlets, the face plate defining a through-hole that extends through the waterway assembly; and

a wireless speaker configured to be removably coupled to the waterway assembly and disposed within the through-hole, an inner sidewall of the face plate or the back plate configured to cam radially away from the wireless speaker responsive to rotation of the wireless speaker relative to the waterway assembly.

2. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inner sidewall of the face plate defines the through-hole, wherein the waterway assembly further comprises a magnetic material on the inner sidewall, and wherein rotation of the wireless speaker relative to the waterway assembly cams the magnetic material away from the wireless speaker.

3. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein a forward end of the wireless speaker protrudes from the face plate when the wireless speaker is fully inserted into the through-hole.

4. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , the back plate comprising an inlet extension extending away from the face plate substantially parallel to a central axis of the through-hole, the inlet connector coupled to the inlet extension, wherein the inlet connector is radially offset from the central axis of the through-hole.

5. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the wireless speaker comprises a housing and a plurality of retaining members coupled to the housing, and wherein the plurality of retaining members are made from a magnetic material.

6. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the wireless speaker protrudes beyond opposing ends of the waterway assembly when the wireless speaker is fully inserted into the through-hole.

7. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the wireless speaker is different from a cross-sectional shape of the through-hole where the wireless speaker is engaged with the waterway assembly.

8. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the wireless speaker is generally rectangular and a cross-sectional shape of the through-hole is generally circular.

9. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the through-hole is an unobstructed aperture through the waterway assembly.

10. The waterway assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an inlet extension extending away from the back plate substantially parallel to a central axis of the through-hole, wherein the inlet extension is radially offset from the central axis of the through-hole.

11. The waterway assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of retaining members coupled to one of the back plate or the face plate, wherein the plurality of retaining members are adjacent to the through-hole, and wherein the plurality of retaining members are made from a magnetic material.

12. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the through-hole is a first through-hole, further comprising:
a docking ring defining a second through-hole, wherein the waterway assembly is a hand sprayer that is configured to be removably coupled to the docking ring, so that the second through-hole is substantially aligned with the first through-hole when the hand sprayer is coupled to the docking ring; and
a flexible conduit that is configured to fluidly couple the docking ring to the hand sprayer.

13. The showerhead assembly of claim 12 , the back plate comprising an inlet extension extending away from the docking ring substantially parallel to a central axis of the second through-hole the inlet connector coupled to the inlet extension, wherein the inlet connector is axially offset from the central axis of the first through-hole.

14. The showerhead assembly of claim 12 , wherein the docking ring has an extension that protrudes from a lower surface of the docking ring along a perimeter of the second through-hole, and wherein the extension is at least partially received within the first through-hole of the hand sprayer when the hand sprayer is engaged with the docking ring.

15. The showerhead assembly of claim 12 , wherein the docking ring comprises:
a magnetic material on the inner sidewall.

16. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein an axial length of the wireless speaker parallel to a central axis of the through-hole is greater than an axial length of the waterway assembly.

17. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein an outer wall of the wireless speaker has a non-circular cross-sectional shape where the outer wall engages the waterway assembly when the wireless speaker is fully installed into the waterway assembly, and wherein the wireless speaker is rotatable within the through-hole when the wireless speaker is fully installed into the waterway assembly.

18. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the back plate and the face plate together define a flow distribution cavity that is fluidly coupled to the inlet connector.

19. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inlet connector is disposed on the back plate at a location between an inner radial side and an outer radial side of the face plate.

20. The showerhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein a central axis of the inlet connector is oriented substantially parallel to a central axis of the through-hole, and the inlet connector is disposed radially outwardly from the through-hole.

Assignees

• Kohler Co

Inventors

• Liu Zhiyu
• Rexach Rafael

Classifications

• B05B1/185

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

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title

• B05B15/654

  using universal joints · CPC title

• H04R2201/028

  Structural combinations of loudspeakers with built-in power amplifiers, e.g. in the same acoustic enclosure (H04R2499/10 takes precedence; Single (sub)woofer with two or more satellite loudspeakers for mid- and high-frequency band reproduction driven via the (sub)woofer H04R2205/026) · CPC title

• H04R2430/01

  Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems · CPC title