US 6,470,510 B2Granted

Pullout hand-held shower

AssigneeMoen Incorporated

InventorsNagib Nasr, William Davis Smith, Jr., John Adam Griffin, Charles Allen McCormick

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Abstract

A shower assembly for use as a stationary shower or a hand-held shower includes a housing, a hose and a shower head. The housing includes a plurality of sides, an inlet, and an at least one outlet where said housing is concealed behind a shower wall adjacent thereto and protects the shower wall from water damage. A hose is freely disposed within the housing having a first end connected to a water supply pipe, a second end connected to the shower head on the exposed side of the shower wall and defining a fluid engagement between the water supply pipe and the shower head. The hose is extractable from a housing outlet when the user pulls on the hose second end during use as a hand-held shower and is retractable into the housing during use as a stationary shower and the hose is concealed from the user's view. The shower head height may also be adjusted to user's desired height.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A shower assembly for mounting on a shower wall including:

(a) a housing positioned behind the shower wall and securely mounted thereto, said housing having an exterior surface and an internal cavity, said exterior surface being made of a plurality of sides, a bottom surface and a top cover, said internal cavity having an inlet, an outlet and a hose receiving interior;
(b) a shower head;
(c) a hose having two ends and a predetermined length, one end of said hose being attached to a supply pipe at a connection located within the internal cavity such that all water leakage occurs therein, the other end of said hose being connected to said shower head on the exposed side of the shower wall, said hose length being freely disposed within the internal cavity and capable of free movement therein, said hose extending from the supply pipe to the shower head and being in fluid engagement therebetween such that water is supplied to the shower head from the supply pipe;
and
(d) a supporting section being securely mounted to the shower wall and having a visible portion and a tubular hidden portion, the tubular hidden portion being concealed from view and downwardly extending into the internal cavity at the inlet, the tubular hidden portion terminating within the internal cavity at a distal end which is spaced in relation to the plurality of sides of the housing, the tubular hidden portion threadably receiving the hose and providing a smooth transition to the hose for extension and retraction of the hose;
said hose being freely disposed within the internal cavity such that the hose is fully concealed behind the shower wall when said assembly is used as a stationary shower and said hose is freely extendible from the wall when the assembly is used as a hand-held shower;
wherein the housing bottom surface comprises a plurality of sloped sections and a drain outlet, said sloped sections directing all water flow within the housing internal cavity to the drain outlet, said top cover being secured to the housing to prevent particles from entering the internal cavity and obstructing said drain outlet.

4 more elements

A shower assembly for mounting on a shower wall including:

(a) a housing positioned behind the shower wall and securely mounted thereto, said housing having an exterior surface and an internal cavity, said exterior surface being made of a plurality of sides, a bottom surface and a top cover, said internal cavity having an inlet, an outlet and a hose receiving interior;
(b) a shower head;
(c) a hose having two ends and a predetermined length, one end of said hose being attached to a supply pipe at a connection located within the internal cavity such that all water leakage occurs therein, the other end of said hose being connected to said shower head on the exposed side of the shower wall, said hose length being freely disposed within the internal cavity and capable of free movement therein, said hose extending from the supply pipe to the shower head and being in fluid engagement therebetween such that water is supplied to the shower head from the supply pipe;
and
(d) a supporting section being securely mounted to the shower wall and having a visible portion and a tubular hidden portion, the tubular hidden portion being concealed from view and downwardly extending into the internal cavity at the inlet, the tubular hidden portion terminating within the internal cavity at a distal end which is spaced in relation to the plurality of sides of the housing, the tubular hidden portion threadably receiving the hose and providing a smooth transition to the hose for extension and retraction of the hose;
said hose being freely disposed within the internal cavity such that the hose is fully concealed behind the shower wall when said assembly is used as a stationary shower and said hose is freely extendible from the wall when the assembly is used as a hand-held shower;
said housing having an exterior surface first side being generally planar and located adjacent the shower wall, said exterior surface first side having one or more recesses adjacent the supporting section for receiving a portion thereof and assist in positioning of the housing, a second side opposite to said first side having a second recess for receiving a bracket which assists housing support.

4 more elements

A shower assembly for mounting on a shower wall including:

(a) a housing positioned behind the shower wall and securely mounted thereto, said housing having an exterior surface and an internal cavity, said exterior surface being made of a plurality of sides, a bottom surface and a top cover, said internal cavity having an inlet, an outlet and a hose receiving interior;
(b) a shower head;
(c) a hose having two ends and a predetermined length, one end of said hose being attached to a supply pipe at a connection located within the internal cavity such that all water leakage occurs therein, the other end of said hose being connected to said shower head on the exposed side of the shower wall, said hose length being freely disposed within the internal cavity and capable of free movement therein, said hose extending from the supply pipe to the shower head and being in fluid engagement therebetween such that water is supplied to the shower head from the supply pipe;
and
(d) a supporting section being securely mounted to the shower wall and having a visible portion and a tubular hidden portion, the tubular hidden portion being concealed from view and downwardly extending into the internal cavity at the inlet, the tubular hidden portion terminating within the internal cavity at a distal end which is spaced in relation to the plurality of sides of the housing, the tubular hidden portion threadably receiving the hose and providing a smooth transition to the hose for extension and retraction of the hose;
said hose being freely disposed within the internal cavity such that the hose is fully concealed behind the shower wall when said assembly is used as a stationary shower and said hose is freely extendible from the wall when the assembly is used as a hand-held shower;
wherein the supporting section further comprises a one or more sleeves which support and guide the hose.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/011,111Filed 5 Nov 2001 · division
Priority: 20 Apr 2000
Published: US 2002/0042950 A118 Apr 2002
Granted: 29 Oct 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

E03C 1/06
Plumbing installations for fresh water: devices for suspending or supporting the supply pipe or supply hose of a shower-bath
E03C
Domestic plumbing installations for fresh water or waste water