# US 2021/0332575 A1 · Sanitary unit

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- Number: US 2021/0332575 A1
- Document ID: US20210332575A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/369,142
- Filed: 2021-07-07
- Published: 2021-10-28
- Earliest claimed: 2016-09-16
- Assignees: Neoperl GmbH
- Applicants: Neoperl GmbH
- Inventors: Holger SCHURLE; Dietmar WALSER; Alexander STEIN
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210332575A1

## CPC

- E03C 1/084: Jet regulators with aerating means
- B05B 1/30: designed to control volume of flow, e.g. with adjustable passages {(B05B11/0094 takes precedence)}
- B05B 1/3046: {the valve element, e.g. a needle, co-operating with a valve seat located downstream of the valve element and its actuating means, generally in the proximity of the outlet orifice (B05B1/308 takes precedence)}
- B05B 1/3402: {to avoid or reduce turbulence, e.g. with fluid flow straightening means}
- B05B 12/002: {Manually-actuated controlling means, e.g. push buttons, levers or triggers (for single units B05B11/00)}
- E03C 1/08: Jet regulators {or jet guides}, e.g. anti-splash devices
- E03C: DOMESTIC PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS FOR FRESH WATER OR WASTE WATER (not connected to either water-supply main or to waste pipe A47K; devices of the kind used in the ground E03B, E03F); SINKS
- B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D)

## Abstract

A sanitary unit (1, 116, 118) is provided which has a sleeve-shaped outlet mouthpiece (2), which (2) can be installed on a water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting and has a sleeve interior, into which is inserted a sanitary functional unit (5) with at least one functional element (5), which (5) has a component (6), which (6) can be adjusted between at least two functional positions, by an externally accessible handle, via a transmission element (9) which is guided in an axially displaceable manner in the functional element (5). The handle is configured in the form of an actuating element (7) which is retained in a displaceable manner on the outer circumference of a sub-region, forming part of the outlet mouthpiece (2), which projects beyond the water outlet of the outlet fitting, and the actuating element (7), which serves as a handle has a water-jet-permeable or water-jet-guiding outlet structure (8) held on it that connects the actuating element (7) to the transmission element (9).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A sanitary unit (1, 116, 118), comprising:
a sleeve-shaped outlet mouthpiece (2) that is adapted to be assembled on a water outlet of a sanitary outlet fitting, and has a sleeve interior;
a sanitary functional unit (4) having a functional element (5) inserted in the sleeve interior, said functional element (5) having a component (6) that is adjustable between at least two functional positions;
an externally accessible handling element having a transmission element (9) which is guided so as to be axially displaceable in the functional element (5) for moving the component (6) between the at least two functional positions;
the handling element comprises an activation element (7) which is held so as to be displaceable on an external circumference of a part-region of the outlet mouthpiece (2) that is adapted to project beyond the water outlet of the outlet fitting;
a water-jet-permeable or water-jet-guiding outlet structure (8) connects the activation element (7) to the transmission element (9) is held on the activation element (7);
a bearing face (18) configured on the component (6) that serves as a valve element;
a communicating counter face (19) which interacts with the bearing face (18) such that the counter face (19) in an open position of the component (6) bears on the bearing face (18), the communicating counter face (19) is configured on a housing (16) or on a construction element of the functional unit (4) that is located upstream in a sliding direction, and the bearing face (18) in a closed position is disposed spaced apart from the counter face (19).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission element (9) is configured separately from the valve element such that a part of an impingement face (20) of the component (6) is coverable and releasable by the transmission element (9).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outlet structure (8) is formed by connection webs that are oriented transversely to an outlet direction of the activation element (7).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outlet structure (8) is configured as at least one of a honeycomb cell structure, a mesh structure, or a net structure, formed by webs that at least one of mutually intersect at intersection points or are integrally molded to one another, said webs delimiting throughflow openings therebetween.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outlet structure (8) is integrally molded to the activation element (7) that serves as the handling element.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outlet structure (8) forms an outflow-side end side of the activation element (7).

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission element (9) is integrally molded to an inflow side of the outlet structure (8) and projects counter to a throughflow direction beyond said outlet structure (8).

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outlet structure (8) comprises a honeycomb structure formed from mutually intersecting webs which delimit honeycomb-shaped throughflow openings.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outlet structure (8) comprises a flow rectifier having throughflow openings, and the throughflow openings in a throughflow direction have a height (h) which is larger than a maximum available cross section (W) of the throughflow openings.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the activation element (7) is sleeve-shaped and includes an outlying sleeve circumference that is displaceably supported on an external circumference of the outlet mouthpiece (2).

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a guide internal wall (29) that projects counter to a throughflow direction beyond the outlet structure (8) of the activation element (7), and an outflow-side part-region of a circumferential wall of the outlet mouthpiece (2) is guided in an annular space (30) located between the outlying sleeve circumference of the activation element (7) and the guide internal wall (29).

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the outlet mouthpiece (2) on an internal circumference of the circumferential wall thereof has at least one guide groove (31) which extends in a throughflow direction and an assigned guide protrusion (32) that is disposed on the outlying sleeve circumference of the activation element (7) engages the at least one guide groove (31), said guide protrusion (32) interacting with the guide groove (31) such that said guide groove (31) and said guide protrusion (32) delimit a sliding path of the activation element (7) on the outlet mouthpiece (2).

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein the outlet mouthpiece (2) on an outflow-side end peripheral region on the internal circumference, and the guide internal wall (29) of the activation element (7) on a free end peripheral region thereof on an external circumference interact in each case with one ramp (33, 34) for snap-fitting or latch-fitting, respectively, the guide protrusion (32) in the guide groove (31).

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the functional element (5) is configured as an aerated jet regulator which mixes the water perfusing the insert housing with ambient air.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 14, wherein the functional unit with the aerated jet regulator has an insert housing, at least one aeration opening (42) for suctioning ambient air into a housing interior being provided on at least one of a housing circumference of said insert housing or on an outflow-side housing end side of said insert housing.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 15, wherein the at least one aeration opening (42) in a throughflow direction is disposed ahead of an inflow-side end periphery of the guide internal wall (29) in a sliding terminal position of the activation element (7) that lies counter to the throughflow direction on the housing circumference of the insert housing.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one hole (39) is provided on an outlet end side of the activation element (7).

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 17, wherein at least two holes (39) that are mutually spaced apart in a circumferential direction are provided on the outlet end side of the activation element (7), said holes (39) forming a tool engagement location for a rotating tool (40) that is attachable to the activation element (7) on the outlet end side.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 18, wherein the outlet mouthpiece (2) at least in one part-region of a longitudinal extent thereof has a shape that in at least one circumferential portion deviates from a circular cross section, and the sleeve-shaped activation element (7) on a sleeve internal circumference thereof in at least one portion of the longitudinal extent thereof has at least one protrusion (38) which in a sliding position of the activation element (7) that is adapted to be advanced counter to the throughflow direction is moveable so as to be congruent with the at least one part-region (37) of the outlet mouthpiece that deviates from the circular cross section.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The sanitary unit as claimed in claim 19, wherein at least one anti-rotation protrusion (35) projects on at least one of the outlet mouthpiece (2) or the activation element (7) on an internal circumference or an external circumference, said anti-rotation protrusion (35) in a sliding position that is adapted to be advanced counter to the throughflow direction is introducible into at least one anti-rotation clearance (36) on the respective other of the activation element or the outlet mouthpiece (7, 2).