"Shower head group"

[0001] The present invention relates to a shower head group for dispensing water.

[0002] In particular, it is known of in the art to make shower heads fitted with hoses for the supply of water and at least one lever to turn on/off the water.

[0003] The hose receives the water from a tap fitted with a command lever or button; preferably, the shower head is in turn fitted with a button on the head to allow or prevent the supply of water through a respective dispenser plate or outlet.

[0004] The solutions of the prior art have numerous disadvantages .

[0005] In particular, the user often replaces the shower head on the relative support without remembering to turn off the water supply using the lever or button on the tap: this happens because the. water is not dispensed in any case if the further button or lever positioned directly on the shower head is not pressed.

[0006] This way the water in the hose remains under pressure and over time the hose becomes damaged and cracks causing leaks of water which may create flooding if the tap is, for example, . left in the position of maximum aperture. [0007] To overcome this problem it is known of to place buttons on the support which holds the shower head in the rest position. Such buttons are fluidically connected to the tap and, once pressed, prevent the supply of water to the hose when the shower head is placed on the relative support. Such solutions are however decidedly complex and expensive to produce since they require the realisation of a device which can act in conjunction with the tap so as to interrupt the supply of water.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to make a shower head which overcomes the drawbacks mentioned with reference to the prior art.

[0009] Such drawbacks and limitations are resolved by a shower head according to claim 1.

[0010] Other embodiments of the shower head according to the invention are described in the subsequent claims.

[0011] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly comprehensible from the description given below of its preferred and non-limiting embodiments, wherein:

[0012] figure 1 shows a perspective view of a shower head according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] figure 2 shows a lateral view of the shower head in figure 1, in a configuration of dispensing water;

[0014] figure 3 shows a lateral view of a shower head according to a further embodiment of the present invention, in a configuration of dispensing water;

[0015] The elements or parts of elements common to the embodiments described below will be indicated using the same reference numerals.

[0016] With reference to the aforementioned figures, reference numeral 4 globally denotes a shower head group comprising a shower head 8 for dispensing water and a support 12 having a housing seat 16 to house and support the shower head 8 in a resting or non-use configuration of the same.

[0017] The shower head 8 comprises for example a grip 9, to enable it to be gripped, and a dispenser head 10 comprising at least one hole 11 for dispensing water.

[0018] The shower head 8 further comprises a support collar 13, on the side opposite the head 10, in relation to the grip 9.

[0019] For example, the housing seat 16 of the shower head 8 is able to substantially house said support collar 13 of the shower head 8 according to a slotted shaped coupling .

[0020] The shower head group 4 further comprises a tap 20, fluidically connected to at least one water intake 24 and fitted with a command lever 28 to actuate the same.

[0021] Preferably, the tap 20 comprises a mixer cartridge, for example of the known type, fitted with a command lever 28 able to modify both the flow and the temperature of the water dispensed.

[0022] The command lever 28 may be of any shape or size; for example it may be the shape of a circular section tube or not, but may also be the shape of a generic protuberance suitable for facilitating its grip by the user .

[0023] The shower head group 4 comprises a fluidic connection element 32 between the tap 20 and the shower head 8.

[0024] Typically said fluidic connection element 32 is a flexible hose in plastic or metal material.

[0025] Advantageously, the shower head 8 and the command lever 28 are positioned and/or configured so that when the command lever 28 is in an open position, a portion of the lever 28 intercepts at least partially the volume occupied by the shower head 8 in the rest position, preventing positioning of the shower head in its housing seat 16 (figures 2-3) .

[0026] In other words, when the command lever 28 is placed in the open position, to dispense water, said lever 28 positions itself in the volume occupied by the shower head when this is placed to rest in its housing seat 16; this way, while the command lever 28 is in the open position it is not possible to replace the shower head in its seat 16 because the shower head would collide with the command lever 28.

[0027] According to one possible embodiment, the command lever 28 can turn from a closed position to an open position in which it turns towards the associable shower head 8. Preferably, the housing seat 16 of the shower head 8 is positioned near the command lever 28, so that if the command lever 28 is turned even by a small angle to the open position, said lever 28 interferes with the shower head 8 if the latter is replaced in its housing seat 16.

[0028] For example, the support 12 is substantially tubular and extends along a main extension (X-X) from a first extremity 40, for attachment of the support to a wall or panel, to a second extremity 44 in which the housing seat 16 is positioned; the tap 20 being positioned between said first and second extremities 40, 44.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the tap 20 is positioned along a vertical axis Z-Z, perpendicular to the main extension X-X, and the command lever 28 is hinged to the tap 20 according to at least one dispensing axis Y-Y, perpendicular to the main extension X-X and the vertical axis Z-Z; in other words, the command lever 28 turns by an angle R around the dispensing axis Y-Y towards the associable shower head 8 to allow dispensing of the water (figure 2) .

[0030] According to a further embodiment, the tap 20 is positioned along a vertical axis Z-Z, perpendicular to the main extension X-X, and the command lever 28 is hinged to the tap 20 according to at least one dispensing axis Y-Y, parallel to the vertical axis Z-Z; as a result, the command lever 28 turns by an angle S around the dispensing axis Y-Y towards the associable. shower head to allow dispensing of water when the shower head is out of its relative seat (figure 3) .

[0031] In this case, throughout the rotation radius for turning on the tap 20, the command lever 28 must interfere at least partially with the volume occupied by the shower head in a rest configuration, so as to prevent the shower head 8 from being replaced in its housing seat 16 during the dispensing of water.

[0032] According to a further embodiment, the command lever 28 is a cursor which moves from a closed position, in which it prevents the dispensing of water, to an open position in which it allows the dispensing of water; advantageously in the open position the command lever 28 prevents insertion of the shower head in its relative seat. For example, the cursor moves towards the second extremity 44 of the support so as to pass beyond the tap clearance and intercept the volume occupied by the shower head in the rest position.

[0033] According to a further embodiment, the shower head 8 comprises at least one protuberance (not shown) which in a configuration of insertion of the shower head in the relative housing seat 16, interferes with the command lever 28 if this is not in the closed position. In other words, the shower head 8 may be fitted with protuberances (not shown) which prevent its insertion in the housing seat 16, when the lever 28 is in the open position, even if the lever 28 and the seat 16 are not positioned close together.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the portion of the command lever 28 which intercepts at least partially the volume occupied by the shower head 8 in a rest position, is outside the housing seat 16, positioned on the support 12. In other words, the command lever 28 does not intercept the inside of the housing seat 16, but rather intercepts the volume occupied by the grip 9 of the shower head 8 when placed in the rest condition.

[0035] Preferably, the shower head is fitted with a device for turning on and off the water 48 able to respectively enable and prevent the dispensing of water received from the connection element 32.

[0036] For example, said device for turning on and off the water 48 is a small lever 52 positioned on the dispensing head 10 of the shower head 8.

[0037] The functioning of the shower head group according to the invention will now be described.

[0038] In particular, if the shower head 8 is in the rest position the water cannot be turned on in that the command lever 28 would collide with the shower head 8.

[0039] This way accidental turning on of the water which would convey pressurised water inside the hose is prevented.

[0040] Only after raising the shower head 8 from its relative housing seat 16, is it possible to turn on the water by turning the command lever 28 to the open position. The user may dispense water in a controlled manner only after activating the small lever 52 positioned on the head 10 of the shower head 8.

[0041] When the user decides to replace the shower head 8 on the support 12 he/she is forced to first of all turn off the water by turning the command lever 28 to the closed position; otherwise in fact, said lever 28 would interfere with the shower head 8, preventing replacementof the shower head 8 in its relative housing seat 16.

[0042] This way the safety and integrity of the flexible hose 32 can be ensured without having to modify the internal conformation of the support and/or tap 20. [0043] In fact, when the shower head 8 is housed in the seat 16, the water is automatically turned off and. there is no pressurised water inside the hose 32.

[0044] As may be seen from the description, the shower head according to the invention makes it possible to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.

[0045] In fact, the safety and integrity of the hose is ensured every time the shower head is replaced in its seat .

[0046] Advantageously, the shower head group is economical to produce in that it does not require any modification of the internal conformation of the tap or of the mixer tap .

[0047] In fact, the shower head group does not envisage any levers or mechanisms which might interfere or act in conjunction with the tap to impose its closure. The interference of the shower head and the command lever of the tap is based purely on their reciprocal size, so as not to require any additional mechanism to the shower head.

[0048] As a result, the technical problem of the safety and integrity of the hose is resolved in an extremely economical and reliable manner.

[0049] The economy derives from the fact that there are no additional mechanisms, valves, buttons or leverisms to a shower head group of the prior art. The total absence of such mechanisms also constitutes a reliability factor of the shower head since there are no additional risks of breakage, blockage of moving parts and/or leaks of water.

[0050] A person skilled in the art may make numerous modifications and variations to the shower heads described above so as to satisfy contingent and specific requirements, while remaining within the sphere of protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.