초록 ▼

As a method to conserve water, a flow controllable shower arm or an adaptive fitting attachment to an existing shower arm having an unobtrusive and relatively unobservable tool-operative feature, which allows authorized personnel in possession of a particular tool to control the amount of water flow

As a method to conserve water, a flow controllable shower arm or an adaptive fitting attachment to an existing shower arm having an unobtrusive and relatively unobservable tool-operative feature, which allows authorized personnel in possession of a particular tool to control the amount of water flow into and through a downstream showerhead. In particular, a small valve is located in the shower arm or the adaptive attachment and has a threaded plug which can extend into or out of the axial water duct of the arm or rotate a maximum of 90 degrees within the arm to thereby block water flow or permit water flow. A tool-receiving end is provided at the outer portion of the plug to eliminate or at least minimize access to said flow control by the person taking the shower.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A shower arm for use in a shower stall and which is connectable to a shower water supply through a shower water supply pipe and having an unobtrusive and relatively unobservable water flow control means for controlling the amount of water entering into a downstream-loca

The invention claimed is: 1. A shower arm for use in a shower stall and which is connectable to a shower water supply through a shower water supply pipe and having an unobtrusive and relatively unobservable water flow control means for controlling the amount of water entering into a downstream-located showerhead, said shower arm being comprised of: a) A singular section of standard ASTM one-half inch diameter pipe generally bent in the middle, connected at the upstream end to the water supply outlet pipe, which water supply outlet pipe is normally concealed behind a wall of the shower stall, and connected at the exposed end to a shower head or shower head assembly; and b) said shower arm constituting the downstream terminus of all the piping that constitutes the water supply piping to the shower head or shower head assembly; and c. said shower arm also having a downstream end comprised of ½″ MIPT (Male Industrial Pipe Threads) enabling connection thereto of a shower head or shower head assembly equipped with one-half inch FIPT (Female Industrial Pipe Threads) at the upstream end therein; and d. said shower arm having an internal duct extending therethrough and being in fluid communication with said water supply piping at the one end and a shower head or shower head assembly connected to the other end; and e. said duct having a small section therein that is diametrically reduced thereby creating a reduced duct section within said shower arm in order to accommodate said water flow control means, said diametrically reduced duct section being that portion of said shower arm which has increased wall thickness in said duct with respect to the remaining portion of the duct; and f. said water flow control means therefore being located in the piping downstream of the main hot and cold water manual control valves located within the shower stall that normally control the water supply to the shower head, but slightly upstream of said shower head, so that said water flow control means is capable of overriding the amount of water normally provided through said main manual control valves, thereby providing a discreet secondary capacity, which is relatively unobservable by the user of the shower, in order to limit the amount of water which can pass through the water supply piping to said downstream shower head independently of said main manual control valves; and g. said water flow control valve means comprising a manually actuable valve plug extending into the reduced diameter duct section of said shower arm and being at a substantial angle with respect to an axis of said duct for controlling water flow in proportion to a position of the plug in said duct between a first end position and a second end position allowing full water flow in said first position and a blocking of water flow in said second end position and will reduce water flow proportionally when said plug is moved from said first end position to said second end position; and h. said manually actuable valve plug having an outer tool-receiving end, said tool-receiving end being the only visible portion of the water flow control means on the exterior surface of the shower arm; and i. said water flow control valve means is controllable only by a small, proper hand tool used to control water flow when in connection with said tool-receiving end of said manually actuable plug, said tool not a part of the valve but being physically separate from said valve means, hence not readily accessible by a person in the shower, and which is normally in the possession of maintenance personnel specifically to adjust the water volume through the valve to a desired water flow, thereby providing an environmental savings by reducing unapproved alteration of water flow volume by anyone other than the entity responsible for controlling water usage; and j. said manually actuable valve plug controlled by said proper tool allows for the desired amount of flow in response to at least a slight axial shifting of position of the plug between said first position and second end position. 2. The Shower Arm of claim 1 having a preferred embodiment of the manually actuable valve plug having an outer tool-receiving end of said plug that causes threaded turning of said plug into and out of said duct. 3. In another embodiment of said manually actuable valve plug of the Shower Arm of claim 1, said tool-receiving section at the outer end of said plug causes threaded rotating of said plug within said duct a maximum of 90 degrees between said first and second end positions. 4. The Shower Arm of claim 1 having said tool-receiving outer end of said manually actuable plug utilizing a tool that can be relatively common or by choice can be of a custom design. 5. The shower arm of claim 1 in which said manually actuable valve plug has a diametrical size at least as large as that of the diametrically reduced duct section. 6. The water flow control valve means of claim 1 of which said valve plug is manually actuable for controlling water flow through said duct and extends into said reduced duct section generally perpendicular to a central axis of said duct. 7. The shower arm of claim 1 in which said manually actuable plug enters only into one side of said shower arm, but does not pass through the opposite side of said shower arm minimizing visibility so that it is generally unobtrusive and unobservable. 8. A water flow control valve means of claim 1 in which said manually actuable valve plug is held in place by having exterior threads that correspond to and engage an interiorally threaded bore into said diametrically reduced duct section whose axis is generally perpendicular to the axis of the duct. 9. The manually actuable valve plug of claim 1 being manually shiftable so that it blocks water flow when in said second end position and will reinitiate a flow of water when said plug is in the first end position and proportionally decreases flow during shifting from the first to the second end positions without any disassembly or unintended interference with operativeness of the shower or the main controls thereof. 10. An adapter for downstream attachment to an existing shower arm having an unobtrusive and relatively unobservable water flow control means for controlling the amount of shower water passing from the shower arm into and through a downstream-located shower head, said adapter comprising: a) a fitting with an upstream end having one-half inch FIPT (Female Industrial Pipe Threads) in order to be connectable to the downstream end of a common one-half inch diameter ASTM shower arm and having a duct for the passage of water from the shower arm through the fitting and downstream to a shower head connected thereto; and b) said adapter having one-half inch MIPT (Male Industrial Pipe Threads) at the lower or downstream end for attachment of a shower head or shower head assembly equipped at its upstream end with one-half inch FIPT (Female Industrial Pipe Threads); and c) said water flow control means therefore being located in the piping downstream of the main hot and cold water manual control valves located within the shower stall that normally control the water supply to the shower head, but slightly upstream of said shower head, so that said water flow control means is able to override the amount of water normally provided through said main manual control valves, thereby providing a discrete secondary capacity to limit the amount of water which can pass through the water supply piping to said downstream shower head or shower head assembly independently of said main manual control valves; and d) said adapter having an internal duct extending therethrough and being in fluid communication with the water supply piping including said shower arm at the upstream end of said adapter and a shower head or shower head assembly connected downstream to the other end; and e) said flow control valve means having a diametrically reduced duct section with increased wall thickness surrounding a manually actuable valve plug extending into said reduced-diameter duct and being at a substantial angle with respect to an axis of said duct for controlling water flow in proportion to a position of the plug in said duct between a first end position and a second end position, allowing full water flow in said first position and a blocking of water flow in said second end position and which reduces water flow proportionally when said plug is moved from said first end position to said second end position without any disassembly or interference with operativeness of the shower or the main controls thereof; and f. said manually actuable valve plug having an outer tool-receiving end, said tool-receiving end being the only visible portion of the water flow control means on the exterior surfaces of said adapter; and g. said water flow control valve means being controllable only by a small, proper hand tool used to control water flow when in connection with said tool-receiving end of said manually actuable plug, said tool not a part of the valve but being physically separate from said valve means, hence not readily accessible by a person in the shower, and which is normally in the possession of maintenance personnel specifically to adjust the water volume through the valve to a desired water flow, thereby providing an environmental savings by reducing unapproved alteration of water flow volume by anyone other than the entity responsible for controlling water usage; and h. the tool receiving section of said manually actuable plug allowing for the placement of the flow control valve means into a position where the water flow cannot be changed or modified without a proper tool by the user of the shower; and i. said manually actuable valve plug being controlled by said proper tool allows for the desired amount of flow in response to at least a slight axial shifting of position of the plug between said first and second end positions. 11. The Adapter of claim 10 having a preferred embodiment of the manually actuable valve plug being an outer tool-receiving end of said plug that causes threaded turning of said plug into and out of said duct. 12. In another embodiment of said manually actuable valve plug of the Adapter of claim 10, said tool-receiving section at the outer end of said plug causes threaded rotating of said plug within said duct a maximum of 90 degrees between said first and second end positions. 13. The Adapter of claim 10 having said tool-receiving outer end of said manually actuable plugs utilizing a tool that can be relatively common or by choice can be of a custom design. 14. The adapter of claim 10 further characterized in that said plug is manually actuable and extends into said duct generally perpendicularly to a central axis of said duct for controlling water flow through said duct. 15. The adapter of claim 10 further characterized in that said plug has a diametrical size at least as large as that of the duct. 16. The adapter of claim 10 in which said manually actuable plug enters into one side of said adapter, not passing through the opposite side of said adapter, therefore minimizing visibility so that it is generally unobtrusive and not readily noticeable, said flow control valve means remaining easily accessible by one who is responsible for controlling the water flow into and through said shower head or shower head assembly. 17. A water flow control valve means of claim 10 in which said manually actuable valve plug is held in place by having exterior threads that correspond to and engage an interiorally threaded bore into said diametrically reduced duct section of said adapter whose axis is generally perpendicular to the axis of the duct.