Joint connector

Abstract

A ball joint connector is provided for linking a showerhead to a water supply pipe. The connector has an internal venturi that draws air into the connector to aerate water being provided to the showerhead. A flow control member is disposed in a fluid pathway connected to the venturi, preventing spraying or leaking out of the air inlet, while reducing noise associated with the air induction.

Claims

1. A showerhead assembly comprising: a housing that comprises: an inlet configured to receive water from a water supply line; a passageway fluidly connecting the inlet and an outlet, the passageway having a venturi throat; a flat surface that is recessed inwardly from and forms a secant of an annular outer surface such that opposite side edges of the flat surface intersect the outer surface; and an air inlet port that extends from the flat surface to the passageway; and a showerhead coupled to the housing and configured to receive water from the outlet of the housing.

2. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a generally cylindrical portion having the outer surface, and the flat surface is defined by a void in the generally cylindrical portion.

3. The showerhead assembly of claim 2, wherein the passageway includes a narrowing section that leads to the venturi throat and an expanded section downstream of the venturi throat, wherein the air inlet port extends at an angle from the flat surface to the venturi throat.

4. The showerhead assembly of claim 3, wherein the housing includes a generally ball shaped portion extending from the generally cylindrical portion, and the venturi throat is in the generally ball shaped portion.

5. The showerhead assembly of claim 4, wherein the generally cylindrical portion includes the inlet and a first portion of the passageway between the inlet and the venturi throat, and the ball shaped portion includes a second portion of the passageway between the venturi throat and the outlet.

6. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the air inlet port extends generally perpendicular to the flat surface.

7. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing is a one-piece housing that includes a generally ball shaped portion integrally formed with a generally cylindrical portion, and the venturi throat is in the generally ball shaped portion.

8. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, further comprising a check valve disposed in the air inlet port, wherein the check valve comprises an inlet end that is substantially flush with the flat surface.

9. The showerhead assembly of claim 8, wherein the check valve comprises two lips extending inwardly from the inlet end.

10. The showerhead assembly of claim 9, wherein the two lips of the check valve and the air inlet port extend at an acute angle relative to the flat surface.

11. A showerhead assembly comprising: a housing comprising a cylindrical portion, a spherical portion, a passageway extending through the cylindrical and spherical portions to fluidly connect an inlet to an outlet, a flat surface that is recessed inwardly from and forms a secant of an outer surface of one of the cylindrical and spherical portions such that opposite side edges of the flat surface intersect the outer surface, and an air inlet port that extends through the housing into the passageway; and a showerhead coupled to the housing to conceal the air inlet port, wherein the showerhead is configured to receive water from the outlet.

12. The showerhead assembly of claim 11, wherein the passageway includes a venturi throat located within one of the cylindrical and spherical portions, and wherein the air inlet port extends through the housing to the venturi throat.

13. The showerhead assembly of claim 12, wherein the venturi throat is located within the spherical portion.

14. The showerhead assembly of claim 11, further comprising a check valve disposed in the air inlet port.

15. The showerhead assembly of claim 14, wherein the cylindrical portion includes the flat surface, and wherein the check valve comprises an inlet end that is substantially flush with the flat surface.

16. A showerhead assembly comprising: a housing comprising: a cylindrical portion having an inlet that is connectable to a water supply to receive water; a spherical portion having an outlet; a passageway extending inside of the cylindrical and spherical portions to fluidly connect the inlet to the outlet; and an air inlet port extending through one of the spherical and cylindrical portions into the passageway to fluidly connect the passageway to atmosphere outside of the housing; a check valve disposed in the air inlet port, wherein the check valve is configured to allow air to flow from atmosphere to the passageway while restricting air to flow from the passageway to atmosphere; and a showerhead coupled to the spherical portion to receive water from the outlet; wherein an interior surface of the showerhead retains the check valve in the air inlet port.

17. The showerhead assembly of claim 16, wherein the air inlet port extends through the spherical portion.

18. A showerhead assembly comprising: a housing comprising: a cylindrical portion having an inlet that is connectable to a water supply to receive water; a spherical portion having an outlet; a passageway extending inside of the cylindrical and spherical portions to fluidly connect the inlet to the outlet; and an air inlet port extending through one of the spherical and cylindrical portions into the passageway to fluidly connect the passageway to atmosphere outside of the housing; a check valve disposed in the air inlet port, wherein the check valve is configured to allow air to flow from atmosphere to the passageway while restricting air to flow from the passageway to atmosphere; and a showerhead coupled to the spherical portion to receive water from the outlet; wherein the air inlet port extends through the spherical portion, and wherein air inlet port is concealed by the showerhead.

19. The showerhead assembly of claim 16, wherein the air inlet port extends through the cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion includes a flat surface recessed inwardly from an outer surface such that opposite side edges of the flat surface intersect the outer surface.

20. The showerhead assembly of claim 19, wherein the check valve comprises an inlet end that is substantially flush with the flat surface.

21. The showerhead assembly of claim 18, wherein the passageway includes a venturi throat located within one of the cylindrical and spherical portions, and wherein the air inlet port extends through the housing to the venturi throat.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a joint connector of the present invention linking a water supply pipe and a showerhead;

(2) FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the joint connector of FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of a joint connector;

(5) FIG. 5 is a cross sectional side view of the joint connector of FIG. 4; and

(6) FIG. 6 is a partially cut away perspective view of a portion of a showerhead assembly including the joint connector of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) Ball joint connector 10 is shown threaded onto a conventional water supply line 12. The ball joint connector 10 has a generally tubular outer jousting which has an inlet portion 14 and an outlet portion 16 which is generally ball-shaped. The intermediate portion there between houses an internal venturi and an air inlet port 34, as well as an axially extending passageway 18.

(8) A passageway inlet 20 is located at an upstream end of the ball joint connector 10, and a passageway outlet 22 is located at the opposing downstream end. When installed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the passageway 18 carries water from the water supply line 12 to a conventional showerhead 24.

(9) The ball joint connector 10, apart from the insert 40, is preferably made of a metal such as brass. Standard internal threads 26 are provided in the passageway inlet 20 and are designed to threadingly engage the water supply line 12. The showerhead 24 can be movably secured to the outlet portion 16 in a known manner so as to be easily swiveled (compare the mounting system of U.S. Pat. No. 6,796,518).

(10) The passageway 18 includes a venturi entry section 28 that provides a taper (preferably conical) to speed up the flow through a venturi throat 30. Downstream of the venture throat 30, the passageway 18 has a venturi exit cone 32 to expand flow outwardly. The passageway 18 may further include a pocket section within which a flow regulator and/or a filter screen may be placed. The passageway 18 may further include a pocket section within which a flow regulator and/or filter screen may be placed.

(11) When water flows through the passageway 18, the reduction provided by the venturi cone 28, throat 30, and exit cone 32 causes the velocity of the water to increase and the pressure to decrease. This phenomenon is well known in the art and often referred to as the Bernoulli principle.

(12) The ball joint connector 10 has a radially extending air inlet port 34. An elastomeric insert in the form of a duck bill type check valve 36 is situated within the air inlet port 34. The reduced water pressure in the venturi throat 30 is less than the pressure of the ambient air when water is rushing through the ball joint connector 10. Due to the resulting pressure difference, ambient air is drawn into the passageway 18 through the air inlet port 34 and becomes inducted, or entrained, into the water stream contained therein.

(13) The air inlet port 34 as shown extends transversely between the water supply passageway 18 and a flat outer upper surface portion 38 of the ball joint connector 10. Alternatively, the air inlet port 34 may extend at an acute angle. The flat outer upper surface portion 38 also facilitates use of a gripping wrench. When installed as shown in FIG. 3, an inlet end 46 of the check valve 36 is flush with the flat outer upper surface portion 38.

(14) Still referring to FIG. 3, the air inlet port 34 joins the passageway 18 at the venturi throat portion 30. The entry point of the air inlet port 34 could alternatively be formed in other locations in the passageway 18.

(15) In the embodiment shown, the elastomeric check valve 36 is force fit into the air inlet port 34 and through which air flows into the passageway 18. The check valve 36 permits the flow of air into the passageway 18 while preventing water (or air) from discharging out of the passageway 18. The preferred check valve design, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is commonly referred to as a duckbill valve because its outlet end 42 has a pair of lips 44 that taper like the bill of a duck.

(16) The check valve 36 has a cylindrical flange at its inlet end 46 configured to fit snugly within the air inlet port 34. A central bore 48 extends completely through the check valve 36. Air drawn into the bore 48 acts to drive the flexible tapered lips 44 apart, thereby permitting air flow into the passageway 18. Pressure applied against the outlet 42 of the check valve 36 acts to drive the lips 44 closed and prevent reverse flow through the check valve 36.

(17) When first starting a shower, the check valve 36 prevents the initial surge of water from discharging out of the air inlet port 34. Similarly, if the venturi-induced vacuum is interrupted, such as by air trapped in the line, the potential exit path provided by the air inlet port 34 is blocked by the one-way nature of the check valve 36.

(18) Surprisingly, the check valve 36 further acts to substantially reduce the level of noise. If the ball joint connector were used without an insert such as check valve 36, a shrill whistling or roaring noise is oftentimes produced. The noise level has been measured as high as ninety-five decibels just outside of the air inlet port 34.

(19) However, it has been found that by placing a small sleeve-like insert within the air inlet port 34, the noise emanating from the ball joint connector 10 can be greatly reduced. It is believed this is occurring because a flexible sleeve absorbs and limits the sound waves, while still permitting air passage.

(20) FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate another embodiment of a joint connector generally described as 110. The joint connector 110 has a housing 112 including an inlet section 114 that can have any desired shape, such as tubular, hexagonal or boxlike for example. The joint connector 110 also includes an outlet section 116 that can have any desired shape such as spherical or cylindrical for example. The illustrated embodiment has a tubular inlet section 114 and a spherical outlet section 116.

(21) An axially extending passageway 118 has an inlet 120 and an outlet 122 to allow for fluid to flow from a fluid supply outlet, such as the water line 12 for example, and through the joint connector 110 to a fluid dispersing member, such as a showerhead 124 for example. The passageway 118 includes a venturi 128 that can be located anywhere within the joint connector 110. The venturi 128 of the illustrated embodiment is located in the outlet section 116 and is integral with the joint connector 110, thereby requiring no extra parts to aspirate fluid such as air for example. A fluid pathway 134 connects a venturi throat 130 to an outside surface of the joint connector 110. The illustrated fluid pathway 134 is an air inlet port located in the outlet section 116, allowing the inlet section 114 to be reduced in size, thereby reducing the overall length of the joint connector 110.

(22) A flow control member 136 is disposed within the fluid pathway 134 to prevent fluid from flowing out of the outlet section 116 through the fluid pathway 134 and to minimize noise emanating from the joint connector 110 as previously discussed. The flow control member 136 includes a flange 145 that is received by a step 135 in the fluid pathway 134 under high back pressure. The flow control member 136 can be any known flow control device, such as a check valve or a check ball for example. The illustrated flow control member 136 is a duck bill check valve.

(23) An inlet chamber 126 can be disposed anywhere upstream of the venturi 128 within the passageway 118. The inlet chamber 126 can be sized and shaped in any desirable manner. The illustrated inlet chamber 126 is disposed in portions of both the inlet section 114 and the outlet section 116. The illustrated inlet chamber 126 is sized and shaped to have a large cylindrical volume, thereby providing improved fluid flow and stabilizing the fluid flow through the venturi

(24) The outlet section 116 includes a fluid channel 150 that transects the fluid pathway 134. The fluid channel 150 can be disposed on the housing 112 in any desired orientation, shape and length. The fluid channel 150 in the illustrated embodiment is a groove disposed around the complete circumference of the outlet section 116 in a plane perpendicular to the passageway 118. As seen in FIG. 6, the fluid channel 150 provides for fluid communication between the fluid pathway 134 and an exterior environment, such as the atmosphere for example, when the fluid pathway 134 is covered, such as by a bushing 152 or a packing seal 154 in the showerhead 124 for example. The packing seal 154 and bushing 152 of the illustrated embodiment fit snugly against outlet section 116 and cover at least a portion of fluid pathway 134. A gap 156 between the packing seal 154 and the bushing 152 allows for fluid communication with the fluid pathway 134. Fluid communication between the gap 156 and the exterior environment can be provided as desired, such as through fluid ports in the showerhead or bushing for example. In the illustrated embodiment the bushing 152 includes a split 158 that intersects the gap 156 and provides fluid communication between the gap 156 and the atmosphere.

(25) It should be appreciated that merely preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above. However, many modifications and variations to the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, which will be within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the insert could be a rubber cylindrical sleeve, rather than a rubber or other elastomeric check valve. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the described embodiments. To ascertain the full scope of the invention, the following claims should be referenced.