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US 2006/0231637 A1Published application
Fluid mixer
AssigneeMasco Corporation of Indiana
InventorRandall Schmitt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid mixer including a mixing element configured to separate and mix hot and cold water streams.
Claims28
A fluid mixer comprising:
- a housing defining a mixing chamber;
- a cold water inlet in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and configured to supply a combined cold water stream to the mixing chamber;
- a hot water inlet in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and configured to supply a combined hot water stream to the mixing chamber;
- a mixed water outlet in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and configured to receive a combined mixed water stream from the mixing chamber;
- a mixing element received within the housing;
- at least one directing member operably coupled to the mixing element and defining a cold water pathway and a hot water pathway in spaced relation to the cold water pathway, the cold water pathway directing the combined cold water stream from the cold water inlet to the mixing element and the hot water pathway directing the combined hot water stream from the hot water inlet to the mixing element;
- and
- wherein the mixing element is configured to separate the combined cold water stream into a plurality of spaced apart component cold water streams, to separate the combined hot water stream into a plurality of spaced apart component hot water streams, and to mix the component cold water streams and the component hot water streams into a plurality of spaced apart component mixed water streams, the mixing element being further configured to combine the plurality of component mixed water streams into a combined mixed water stream provided to the mixed water outlet.
5 more elements
A method of mixing a hot water stream and a cold water stream to produce a mixed water stream, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a combined cold water stream;
- providing a combined hot water stream;
- separating the combined cold water stream into a plurality of spaced apart component cold water streams;
- separating the combined hot water stream into a plurality of spaced apart component hot water streams;
- mixing the component cold water streams with the component hot water streams to form a plurality of separated component mixed water streams;
- and
- combining the plurality of component mixed water streams into a combined mixed water stream.
4 more elements
A fluid mixing element comprising:
- a longitudinally extending outer wall;
- a plurality of cold water separating ports defined within the outer wall;
- a plurality of hot water separating ports defined within the outer wall;
- and
- a plurality of longitudinally extending combination channels, each combination channel being in fluid communication with at least one of the cold water separating ports and at least one of the hot water separating ports.
2 more elements
A fluid mixer comprising:
- a cold water inlet configured to supply cold water;
- a hot water inlet configured to supply hot water;
- a mixing element in fluid communication with the cold water inlet to receive the cold water and in fluid communication with the hot water inlet to receive the hot water, the mixing element configured to combine the cold water and the hot water to produce a mixed water;
- an outlet in fluid communication with the mixing element, the outlet including an outer tubular member having a discharge end operably coupled to a first fluid delivery device, and an inner tubular member concentrically received within the outer tubular member and having an open inlet end and a discharge end operably coupled to a second fluid delivery device, wherein mixed water is configured to flow in a first direction from the mixing element to the discharge end of the outer tubular member, and in a second direction opposite the first direction from the inlet end of the inner tubular member to the discharge end of the inner tubular member;
- and
- a temperature sensor positioned within the outer tubular member proximate the inlet end of the inner tubular member to sense the temperature of the mixed water flowing through either the outer tubular member to the first fluid delivery device or the inner tubular member to the second fluid delivery device.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.