SYSTEM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING WATER FOR A SHOWER HEAD, HAND SHOWER OR A BATHROOM OR KITCHEN MIXER

Abstract

A system for opening and closing water for a shower head, hand shower or a bathroom or kitchen mixer, said system comprising an inlet for water supplied from a water supply network; an outlet for water directed towards said shower head, hand shower or bathroom or kitchen mixer; a valve situated along the fluid flow path between the inlet and the outlet and comprising a valve body intended to receive water from the inlet and a closing member movable inside the valve body. The valve body comprises a discharge hole hydraulically connected to the inlet of a duct; a secondary valve is hydraulically connected to an outlet of the duct so as to open or close the outlet; the closing member is designed to be operated, between the position for opening and the position for closing the flow, by opening or closing of the secondary valve.

Claims

1. A system for opening and closing water for a shower head, a hand shower, a bathroom mixer, or a kitchen mixer, the system comprising: an inlet for water supplied from a water supply network; an outlet for water directed towards said shower head, hand shower or bathroom or kitchen mixer; a valve situated along the fluid flow path between the inlet and the outlet, the valve comprising a valve body intended to receive water from the inlet and a closing member movable inside the valve body between a position for opening and a position for closing the flow through the outlet; wherein the valve body comprises a discharge hole hydraulically connected to the inlet of a duct; and a secondary valve situated at a distance from the valve is hydraulically connected to an outlet of the duct, so as to open or close the outlet of the duct; wherein said closing member being operated, between a position for opening the flow and a position for closing the flow, by opening or closing of the secondary valve.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said duct is a flexible pipe or a rigid pipe.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a monobloc unit for installation of the valve and the secondary valve and in that said duct is formed by a fluid flow path inside the monobloc unit.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said valve and said secondary valve comprise a respective closing member, and an axis of displacement of the closing member of the valve is not coaxial with an axis of displacement of the closing member of the valve.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the axis of displacement of the closing member of the valve is not parallel with the axis of displacement of the closing member of the valve.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the discharge hole and the duct are in fluid communication with the inlet, and the valve and the secondary valve do not intercept the fluid flow path between the inlet, the discharge hole and the inlet of the duct.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the secondary valve has an outlet in communication with the outlet, so as to also convey the water delivered from the duct towards said shower head, hand shower or bathroom or kitchen mixer.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said secondary valve comprises a bistable pushbutton, which can be switched alternately so as to open or close the duct.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the closing member comprises a disc and an elastic membrane mounted on the disc, said elastic membrane comprising an outer annular segment which is fixed to the valve body and which separates a top portion of the valve body from a bottom portion of the valve body.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the valve body comprises a water inlet and the disc and/or the elastic membrane comprise at least one hole for allowing water to pass between the bottom portion and the top portion of the valve body.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the outer annular segment of the elastic membrane forms a seal between a first component of the valve body comprising the discharge hole and a second component of the valve body, and the elastic membrane further comprises an inner annular segment intended to close an outlet of the valve body, and an intermediate annular segment extendable between the outer annular segment and the inner annular segment.

13. A secondary valve for a system for opening and closing water for a shower head, a hand shower, a bathroom mixer, or a kitchen mixer, comprising: an inlet for water supplied from a water supply network; an outlet for water directed towards said shower head, hand shower, bathroom mixer, or kitchen mixer; and a connection for a duct intended to be hydraulically connected to a discharge hole in the valve body of a valve, situated at a distance from the secondary valve, the secondary valve being movable between a position for opening the duct and a position for closing the duct corresponding respectively to opening and closing of the valve situated at a distance.

14. A secondary valve for a system for opening and closing water for a shower head, a hand shower, a bathroom mixer, or a kitchen mixer, comprising: an inlet for water supplied from a water supply network and an outlet for water directed towards said shower head, hand shower, bathroom mixer, or kitchen mixer; a valve body and a closing member movable between a position for opening or closing the flow from the inlet to the outlet; wherein the valve body comprises a discharge hole intended to be hydraulically connected to a duct for supplying a secondary valve situated at a distance, so as to perform opening or closing of the valve.

15. A method for opening and closing water in a shower head, a hand shower, a bathroom mixer, or a kitchen mixer, including an inlet for water supplied from a water supply network; an outlet for water directed towards said shower head, hand shower, bathroom mixer, or kitchen mixer; a valve situated along the fluid flow path between the inlet and the outlet and including a valve body intended to receive water from the inlet and a closing member movable inside the valve body; the method comprising: operating the closing member between the position for opening and the position for closing the flow, by means of displacement of a secondary valve so as to close or open an outlet of a duct having an inlet hydraulically connected to a discharge hole of the valve.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a water opening and closing system according to the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the water opening and closing system shown in FIG. 1.

[0035] FIG. 3 is another exploded perspective view of the water opening and closing system shown in FIG. 1.

[0036] FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views a secondary valve of the water opening and closing system shown in FIG. 1.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a front view of the secondary valve shown in FIG. 4;

[0038] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the secondary valve shown in FIG. 4;

[0039] FIGS. 8-10 are exploded perspective views of the secondary valve shown in FIG. 7.

[0040] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the secondary valve shown in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0041] With reference to the attached FIGS. 1-3, 10 denotes in schematic form a system for opening and closing water for a shower head, hand shower or a bathroom or kitchen mixer according to the present invention, in particular a system designed to be concealingly inserted, for example, in the body of the shower panel or underneath the surface of the sink, leaving visible only the pushbutton used to perform opening and closing of the water, preferably a pushbutton intended to remain flush with the visible surface of the shower or with the surface of the sink.

[0042] The system 10 comprises a water inlet 1 intended to be connected to pipes for supplying the water supplied from a water supply network, for example an inlet 1 comprising a threaded portion 1a which is able to receive, screwed onto it, a flexible pipe for supplying hot water or cold water or water already mixed at a predefined temperature and in some cases with an already regulated flowrate.

[0043] In the specific example of embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the system 10 comprises a monobloc unit 11 which incorporates the inlet 1 and a water outlet 22, for example an outlet 22 comprising a threaded union 22a for pipes supplying the water towards the shower head, the hand shower or the bathroom or kitchen mixer, and which forms within a single block a fluid flow path between the inlet 1 and outlet 22. In other embodiments of the invention, the inlet 1, the outlet 22 and the fluid path may be formed without using a monobloc unit 11 of the type shown in FIGS. 1-3, for example employing several components.

[0044] The system 1 comprises a valve 3 for shutting off the flow between the inlet 1 and the outlet 22.

[0045] With reference to FIG. 1, the valve 3 comprises a valve body 12 which defines a receiving seat 15 for a closing member 13 associated with an elastic membrane 16. The valve body 12 is for example formed by a first component 12a and a second component 12b which are designed to be assembled together enclosing the closing member 13 and defining the receiving seat 15. The valve body has an inlet 34 and an outlet 14 in fluid communication with the outlet 22 of the system. The inlet 34 is for example formed by a circle segment of the first component 12a situated outside a second inner circle segment which forms the outlet 14.

[0046] During operation, as schematically shown in FIG. 1, the closing member 13 closes the outlet 14 in the valve body 12, blocking off the outlet 14. During use in this operating phase the closing member 13 prevents the delivery of water towards the outlet 22.

[0047] During a different operating phase (not shown), the closing member 13 is situated in a top part of the receiving seat 15 and frees the outlet 14 in the valve body 12 so as to allow the delivery of the water to the outlet 22.

[0048] More particularly, the elastic membrane 16 is applied to a disc 17 of the closing member 13. Once the parts have been assembled, the elastic membrane 16 is arranged between the first component 12a and the second component 12b of the valve body 12, forming a seal between them. In particular an outer annular segment 18 of the elastic membrane 16 forms a seal between the first component 12a and the second component 12b, an inner annular segment 19 is designed to form a seal on the outlet 14 of the valve body, during the operating phase where the closing member 13 closes said outlet, and an intermediate annular segment 20 situated between the outer segment 18 and the inner segment 19 is extendable, allowing displacement of the closing member 13 between the position for closing and the position for opening the outlet 14.

[0049] The lower surface 17a and the upper surface 17b of the disc 17 and the elastic membrane 16 are intended to remain exposed to the water entering the valve 3. In particular, the upper surface 17b is bigger than or the same size as the lower surface 17a. A guide head 27 preferably projects from the disc 17 and is at least partially inserted inside the outlet 14 and therefore is not intended to be exposed to the water entering upstream of the valve 3.

[0050] The elastic membrane 16 comprises at least one hole 55 situated for example on the inner annular segment 19. The hole 55 has a very small diameter for example 0.1-0.9 mm. During use, the water enters from the inlet 34 of the first component 12a of the valve body 12 and flows through the hole 55 of the elastic membrane into the second component 12b.

[0051] The displacement of the closing member 13 into the opening or closing position is determined by a variation in the pressure of the water in the valve body 12.

[0052] In particular the valve 3 comprises one at least one discharge hole 5 for discharging water towards the inlet 6a of a duct 6, which is controlled by a secondary valve 4. The discharge hole 5 is formed preferably in a sidewall of the second component 12b of the valve body 12, opposite which the inlet 6a of the duct 6 is situated or is mounted. The second component 12b does not have other outlets, besides the aforementioned at least one discharge hole 5 directed towards the duct 6.

[0053] The secondary valve 4 is situated at a distance from the valve 3 and is hydraulically connected to an outlet 6b of the duct 6, so as to control the water flow through the outlet 6b of the duct 6.

[0054] As indicated above, the valve 3 is operated, between the opening position and the closing position, by means of a variation of the water pressure caused by closing or opening of the secondary valve 4, as described in greater detail hereinbelow.

[0055] The secondary valve 4 has an outlet 21 controlled by a closing member 24. Preferably, the outlet 21 of the secondary valve 4 is hydraulically connected to the outlet 22 of the system 10. The water flow through the duct 6 is interrupted if the outlet 21 is closed by the closing member 24. In this case, during use, the pressure of the water on the lower surface 17A of the disc 17 and the elastic membrane 16 in the valve 3 is less than (or the same as) as the pressure exerted on the upper surface 17b of the disc 17 and the elastic membrane and pushes (or keeps) the closing member against the outlet 14, closing it. Preferably, the outer annular segment 19 of the elastic membrane 16 is situated inside an annular seat of the second component 12b and the first component 12a is joined together with the second component 12b so that the inner annular segment 19 of the membrane is in the closing position on the outlet 14 when the intermediate annular segment 20 of the membrane is in the rest condition.

[0056] The water flow through the duct 6 is freed if the closing member 24 frees the outlet 21. In this case, during use, the pressure of the water on the lower surface 17a of the disc 17 and the elastic membrane 16 is greater than the pressure on the upper surface 17b, owing to the discharge of water through the discharge hole 5 of the first component 12a, and moves the closing member 13 away from the outlet 14, opening it.

[0057] Therefore, opening and closing of the valve 3 is controlled remotely by means of successive operation of the secondary valve 4 into the open and closed positions. The secondary valve 4 comprises a manually operated pushbutton 7, shown in FIGS. 7-11, which has the function of switching the secondary valve 4 into the open and closed position alternately, whenever operated.

[0058] In the example of embodiment shown in the figures, the secondary valve 4 is mounted inside the monobloc unit 11 which also forms the duct 6 for hydraulically connecting together the discharge hole 5 on the side wall of the first component 12a and the inlet of the secondary valve 4. However, according to other embodiments, the valve 3 and the secondary valve 4 may be provided separately and associated with respective valve bodies, and the duct 6 may be a rigid or flexible pipe which hydraulically connects the discharge hole 5 of the valve 3 to the inlet of the secondary valve 4. Similarly, the outlet of the secondary valve may flow into a return duct (not shown) formed by means of a flexible or rigid pipe which conveys the water output from the secondary valve 4 to the outlet of the valve 3.