ADAPTABLE SHOWER SYSTEM AND METHOD
A shower head unit having at least one preferably rain like shower head, where the rain like shower head is connect to a support member for an overhead shower. The support member is adapted to be positioned between opposing walls of a bath tub, stall enclosure or outdoor shower having preferably a wall water pipe and a wall shower head attached to the wall water pipe. The support member is a pipe that has first and second ends and a nipple adapted to be coupled to the wall water pipe near the first end for carrying shower water to the rain like shower head and is located above the wall shower head.
The present application is a continuation of, and claims priority to, U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/832,680, filed on Jul. 8, 2010, which claimed priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/224,025, filed on Jul. 8, 2009, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates generally to a shower for bath tub, stall enclosure and/or outdoor showers and more particularly to a shower for a bath tub, stall enclosure and/or outdoor shower that has one or more shower heads located overhead to provide preferably a rain shower effect where the multiple heads are installable subsequent to the installation of the existing equipment.
BACKGROUNDAt the present time there are various shower systems for use with bath tubs and stall enclosures which are installed in the walls by a plumber that directs one or more spray streams of water to a user's body. These systems are normally expensive to install and require the use of a licensed plumber. One particular shower-head style that is highly desirable is the overhead rain-like shower system. However, this type of arrangement typically requires additional internal wall plumbing to allow the source of water to be channeled to the roof of the shower and thus to the shower head. This added costs can be significant and as such, most people can only enjoy this type of system while staying at upscale hotels.
What is needed is a shower system that has one or more overhead shower heads that can be easily installed by a home owner to an existing wall shower head which is both easy to use and can be controlled to provide a rainlike body spray pattern.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThere is disclosed a rain-like shower head unit that can be connected to an existing wall shower head to provide, in combination with the existing wall shower head, an overhead shower where each of which can be selectively controlled.
A home owner, to install the disclosed rain-like shower head unit does not require the services of a licensed plumber nor are new internal wall pipes required. To install the preferred embodiment, the home owner only has to position the one piece combination of shower heads across the top of the bath tub, stall enclosure or outdoor shower and anchor the unit to the walls with his/her choice of screws or the adjustable end cap which is either spring loaded or is turned to wedge the unit in position between opposing walls. Thus, no remodeling or penetration is necessarily required. After the unit is installed between opposing walls of the bath tub or shower enclosure, the existing shower head is unscrewed from the existing wall pipe, and a sleeve tap having a diverter valve is then screwed onto the wall pipe. The removed shower head is then screwed to the diverter valve. To complete the installation, one end of a flexible hose is connected to the diverter valve on the existing wall pipe and the other end is connected to a nipple on the multiple shower head unit.
The temperature and volume of the water to the rain like shower head unit and the existing shower head is controlled by the existing shower water control unit which is used to set the water temperature and volume of water to the existing wall shower head by mixing hot and cold water.
The rain like shower head unit includes preferably a chrome plated copper and/or stainless steal pipe that, in addition to carrying water from the diverter valve to the various rain like shower heads, also functions as a support member.
Although copper or stainless steal are the preferred materials, other suitable materials such as, but not limited to, plastics may be utilized. Located in the support member is an optional diverter valve that allows a user to control the flow of water from full on to off to a rear rain like shower head while maintaining full flow to a forward rain like shower head. In addition, a diverter valve on the diverter valve allows the user to direct shower water from the existing wall shower head and the rain like shower heads on the unit simultaneously or from either the existing wall shower head or the multiple shower heads.
The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention and additional embodiments will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings.
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The rain like shower head unit 24 is located above the existing wall shower head and is attached to opposing wall 16, 18. It is connected to the wall water pipe 22 that supplies water to the shower heads 26, 28 with a flexible water pipe.
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The diverter valve is threaded to the wall water pipe and the existing shower head is threaded to the diverter valve. The diverter valve contains a diverter valve that has two positions. A first position passes water from the wall water pipe to the existing shower head, and a second position passes water from the wall water pipe, through the flexible pipe 38 and support member 30 to the shower heads 28, 26 of the rain like shower head unit 24. Thus, the diverter valve in the diverter valve allows a user to receive shower water from the existing wall shower head or the overhead rain like shower heads 28, 26. An optional diverter valve 42 is located in support member between the two rain like shower heads 28,26 allows a user to receive shower water from only one shower head 28 or from both shower heads simultaneously. Thus, when optional diverter valve 42 is in one position, the supply of water to the rear shower head 26 is cut off, and when diverter valve 42 is in its second position shower water is supplied to both shower heads.
The support member 30 has two preferably adjustable ends 44, 46. Located between adjustable end 44 and the nipple 32 which is connected to the flexible pipe 38, and located close to nipple 32 within support member 30 is a water stop that prevents shower water from passing to the adjustable end 44 of the support member. Similarly, located between the end 46 and the nipple that is connected to the shower head 26 and close to this nipple and within the support member 30 is a water stop that prevents shower water from passing to the end 46 of the support member.
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In another embodiment, member 48 can be a sleeve that slidably fits over the support member and is urged by an internal spring to move an attached end cap away from the end of the support member. To install the rain like shower head unit, the installer moves the sleeve along the support member to compress the spring. The installer now positions the support member between opposing walls 16 and 18 of the enclosure and releases the sleeve to allow the compressed spring to urge the end cap to press tightly against wall 18.
In still another embodiment, the support member can be coupled to flanges that are attached to walls 16, 18 with screws and chrome plated end caps are then positioned over the flanges.
After the support member is attached to the walls, the flexible water pipe is attached to the nipple on the support member and to the diverter valve. It is understood that the outside surface of the support member 30 can have a decorative finish other than chromium such as painting, polished stainless or any other known finish.
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It is understood that in an alternate embodiment, round mounting bracket 50 can be substituted for brackets having different shapes such as square mounting bracket 60 also shown in
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While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes of the form and details of the apparatus illustrated and in the operation may be done by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Claims
1. A shower head unit having at least one shower head, wherein shower head is connect to a support member for an overhead shower, the support member is adapted to be positioned between opposing walls of a bath tub, stall enclosure or outdoor shower having a wall water pipe and a wall shower head attached to the wall water pipe, said support member is a pipe having first and second ends and a nipple adapted to be coupled to the wall water pipe near said first end for carrying shower water to said at least one rain like shower head and is located above the wall shower head.
2. The shower head unit of claim 1 wherein said shower head is a rain-like shower head.
3. The shower head unit of claim 1 wherein said shower head is an adjustable multi-spray shower head.
4. The shower head unit of claim 1 wherein said shower head is a standard shower head.
5. The shower head unit of claim 1 wherein said support member has a water stop located within said support member between said nipple and said first end.
6. The shower head unit of claim 5 wherein said support member is coupled to the wall water pipe for receiving shower water.
7. The shower head unit of claim 6 wherein said support member is coupled through a diverter valve to the wall water pipe for receiving shower water.
8. The shower head unit of claim 7 wherein said support member is coupled to the diverter valve with a flexible hose.
9. The shower head unit of claim 8 wherein said diverter valve controls the flow of shower water to either the wall shower head or to the at least one overhead shower head.
10. The shower head unit of claim 9 wherein said at least one overhead shower head is a first and second rain like shower head.
11. The shower head unit of claim 10 wherein said second rain like shower head is located down stream of said first rain like shower head.
12. The shower head unit of claim 11 wherein a water stop is located within the support member between said second rain like shower head and said second end of said support member.
13. The shower head unit of claim 12 wherein a diverter valve is located in said support member between said first and second rain like shower heads.
14. The shower head unit of claim 13 wherein said support member has a threaded end coupled to a threaded member provided to clamp the support member to opposing walls of a bathtub, shower enclosure or outdoor shower when the threaded member is rotated counter clockwise relative to the threaded end.
15. The shower head of claim 14 wherein an end cap is coupled to the threaded member.
16. The shower head unit of claim 13 wherein each end of said support member is coupled to a flange that is adapted to be fastened to opposing walls of a bathtub, shower enclosure or outdoor shower.
17. The shower head unit of claim 16 wherein each flange is adapted to be coupled to a wall of the bath tub, shower enclosure or outdoor shower with screws.
18. The shower head unit of claim 16 wherein each flange is covered with an end cap.
19. The shower head unit of claim 13 wherein said support member has a slidable member coupled to one end of the support member, and a spring provided to increase the length of said support member by urging said slidable member along said support member for clamping said support member between the opposing walls of a bath tub, shower enclosure or outdoor shower.
20. The shower head unit of claim 19 wherein the ends of the support member are coupled to end caps.
21. The shower head unit of claim 13 wherein the parts of the shower unit are selected from the group consisting of polished stainless, chromium plated, PVC, painted and cooper.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 18, 2014
Publication Date: Mar 26, 2015
Applicant: SHAW STAINLESS SHOWER SYSTEMS, LLC (Marietta, GA)
Inventors: Carl D. Parks (Woodstock, GA), Bryan D. Shaw (Powder Springs, GA), Jason Tyler Clark (Dallas, GA), Jerone R. Kollbaum (Canton, GA)
Application Number: 14/256,696
International Classification: E03C 1/02 (20060101); E03C 1/06 (20060101);