GB2418972A

GB2418972A - Sanitary tap having a planar and vertical operating lever

Info

Publication number: GB2418972A
Application number: GB0510618A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Diana Turner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-05-25
Filing date: 2005-05-25
Publication date: 2006-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-25
Also published as: GB0510618D0; GB2418972B

Abstract

A tap assembly to control and/or mix water for a sanitary unit has a valve in a housing 202 operated by a planar and substantially vertical lever 205 positioned substantially above the valve. The lever 205 screws (fig 4) into the housing 202, and has a two-dimensional shape which may be in the form of a wheel like structure having an outer rim 215 and arms 209-214. Rotating the lever 205 towards/away from a wall 207 (fig 3) and/or left/right controls flow rate and/or temperature. One embodiment has a clock (702, fig 7) in a front face of the lever.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS TO SANITARY TAP ASSEMBLIES

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to improvements in controlling water flow from tap assemblies of the type associated with a water supply for supplying water to various types of sanitary units.

Backaround to the Invention

Many types of buildings where people live and/or work are provided with a To mains water supply. Such buildings include, for example, houses, shops, flats, offices, factories, public buildings to name a few. The mains water supply is normally required to provide water to a variety of sanitary units which may include one or more of a hand wash-basin, a kitchen sink, a bathtub, a shower system, a toilet, a bidet and the like. Such units are equipped with a water control device for enabling water to be delivered for its intended use. The water control device comprises a valve. In many types of sanitary unit the valve of the water control device is operated by an operator physically moving a lever device that is mechanically connected thereto so as to respectively open or close the valve.

Opening the valve via use of the lever device enables water to flow out of a 2 0 suitably configured output orifice and closing the valve turns the flow of water off.

In the case of hand-basins, kitchen sinks, bathtubs and certain shower systems the lever device, valve and output orifice are typically provided in an integrated unit for regulating the water flow from the mains and such an integrated unit is known as a tap assembly.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an example of a typical prior art tap assembly 101. In the example shown tap assembly 101 is a tap assembly located on the rear edge 102 of a hand-basin of the type typically found in either a kitchen, a bathroom, or a washroom. The tap assembly 101 is normally mounted towards 3 o the rear of the wash basin such that the rear portion 102 of the sink abuts against a vertical wall 103. The water output orifice 104 is normally located such that water (schematically illustrated at 105) is enabled to flow directly into the water receiving portion (sink) 106 of the hand basin. The tap assembly 101 that is illustrated comprises a lever device 107 that is configured to be moved by an operator of the tap assembly. In the example lever arm 107 is rigidly attached to a tilt head mixer mechanism generally indicated at 108 such that an upper portion 109 of the head is allowed to move in three-dimensions relative to lower stationary portion 110. Upper and lower portions 109 and 1 10 of the tilt head mechanism are generally configured in the form of a ball joint, upper portion 109 being configured to rotate in a plurality of directions with respect to lower portion Jo 110 and the ball joint thereby functioning as a pivot. Lever arm 107 being attached to a ball joint enables the tap to function as a mixer control unit for mixing hot and cold water or for enabling full-cold or full-hot water to flow through the valve (not shown). As will be understood by those skilled in the art moving lever 107 upwards in a substantially vertical direction enables water to be emitted from orifice 104 and the degree of water flow is progressively increased the more that the lever is moved upwards. To stop water flowing from orifice 104 lever 107 is returned to its horizontal position. Assembly 101 comprises a mixer-tap assembly by which it is meant that a single lever device 107 may be used to provide hot or cold water as indicated by the arrow and the appropriate letters (H 2 o for hot and C for cold) generally indicated at 1 11. Thus in the example of Fig. 1 the operator of tap assembly 101 may move lever arm 107 to the left so as to enable a higher proportion of hot water to flow or to the right to enable a higher proportion of cold water to flow. Once a flow is effected by raising lever 107 the proportion of hot to cold water will be approximately equal if the lever remains centrally located such that it lies in a plane substantially parallel with a plane comprising the ball joint and the output orifice 104. The degree of movement, left or right in a horizontal plane, from the central position dictates how hot or cold the resultant water flow will be. The mixer valve (not shown) is located inside the main housing member 112 that is in the form of an upright cylinder that extends so in a perpendicular direction to the horizontal sink surface 102. In the example lever arm 107 is configured to rotate in a substantially horizontal plane as regards its use in providing hot or cold water. By horizontal plane it is meant the plane parallel to the surface of the unit to which the tap assembly is attached. Lever arm 107 is therefore used to control the properties of the output water in that it is used to control the temperature and the rate of flow.

In order to improve the usability of a tap assembly, for example of the type depicted in Fig. 1, it is known to provide a lever arm 107 having a substantial length as compared with the diameter of the output orifice and the length may range from 1 cm to 20 cm. The longer the length of the lever device the more accessible the lever is to disabled and elderly people and the easier that it is to turn on and off and regulate the degree of water flow. However a problem with a tap assembly of the type depicted in Fig. 1 is that for certain people the lever arm 107 may still prove difficult to operate, as regards its use in providing the required temperature of output water, by virtue of the lever arm being disposed for rotation in a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane comprising the perimeter of the upper surface of the hand basin. Additionally lever device 107 may pose difficult to operate by various people who may find it difficult to lower their hands to the level of the lever since as shown lever 107 is located in a horizontal plane that is adjacent to a vertical edge of the upper portion 109 of valve housing 1 12.

2 0 Besides the prior art tap assembly schematically illustrated in Fig. 1 various other types of tap assembly are known such as the traditional shaped tap lever assembly that is in the form of a cross-shape. Such cross-shaped tap handles are normally positioned such that the handle rotates in the horizontal plane, at least when such a tap is used in relation to a bathtub or a hand-basin. However it is also known to provide such cross-shaped tap handles which rotate in a vertical plane. Tap assemblies used in such cross-shaped handle configurations (whether rotating in a vertical or a horizontal plane) are normally only a few centimeters in diameter and again there is a problem for certain kinds of people as regards operating such devices.

In view of the above there is a need to provide an improved tap assembly which is more user-friendly as regards use by certain kinds of people including people with certain types of disabilities, elderly people and the like. In particular there is a need to provide an improved tap assembly for use on sanitary water unit systems by which it is meant wash hand-basins, bathtubs, domestic shower systems, bidets, kitchen sinks and the like.

Summarv of the Invention An object of the present invention is to provide an improved tap assembly for use in regulating water flow to a sanitary unit such that the improved tap assembly is more readily accessible for use by disabled and elderly persons than

is the case for known prior art tap assemblies.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved sanitary tap assembly having a lever assembly that is raised substantially above the remainder of the body of the tap assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a lever assembly for a sanitary tap assembly that comprises a substantially planar and substantially vertically disposed main body that is substantially located at a position directly above a valve of the tap assembly, the lever assembly being operated via o movement thereof in a substantially vertical plane.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a tap assembly configured to control the flow of a water supply to a sanitary unit, said assembly comprising a housing for housing a fluid flow control valve, an output orifice for directing water out of said assembly upon opening of said valve and a lever assembly for controlling at least one property of said water directed out of said orifice, said tap assembly characterized in that: said lever assembly comprises a substantially planar and substantially vertically disposed main body that is located at a position substantially directly above said valve housing, said lever assembly being operated via movement thereof in a substantially vertical plane.

Preferably said assembly controls a hot water supply and a cold water supply.

Preferably said tap assembly is selected from the set comprising: a hand basin tap assembly and a kitchen tap assembly.

Preferably said tap assembly is a bath tap assembly.

o Preferably said tap assembly is a shower water control assembly.

Preferably said lever assembly is substantially in the form of a twodimensional shape comprising a rim member from which project a plurality of stops configured to engage with the hand or a portion thereof of an operator of said assembly.

Preferably said stops project beyond said rim by at least 1cm.

Preferably said stops project beyond said rim by 2-10cm.

Preferably said rim member is in the form of a substantially closed twodimensional shape.

Preferably said rim member is substantially in the form of a shape selected 2 from the set comprising: a circle; and an ellipse.

Preferably said rim member has a diameter of at least 5cm.

Preferably said rim member has a diameter in the range of 1 Ocm to 50cm.

Preferably said shape is substantially that of a circle and said stops are each in the form of an elongate member that extends from the centre of said circle along a line of radius.

Preferably said lever assembly is attached to a ballpoint mixer flow control unit that is configured to enable both the flow rate and the temperature of the output water to be controlled.

Preferably said lever assembly comprises a clock According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a sanitary tap assembly comprising a hot and cold water mixing valve operated by planar lever wherein the plane of said lever is substantially vertical and said lever member is substantially positioned above said valve.

Brief Descrintion of the Drawings For a better understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, there will now be described by way of example only, specific embodiments, methods and processes according to the present 2 0 invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a preferred embodiment of a sanitary tap assembly as configured in accordance with the present invention; 2 5 Fig. 3 further illustrates operation of the tap assembly of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 schematically further illustrates the lever assembly of the tap assembly of Figs 2 and 3; So Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a further preferred embodiment of a sanitary tap assembly as configured in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a rear view of the sanitary tap assembly of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 schematically illustrates a further preferred embodiment of a sanitary tap assembly wherein the lever assembly comprises a clock.

Detailed Description

There will now be described by way of example a specific mode contemplated by the inventors. In the following description numerous specific 0 details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding. It will be apparent however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without limitation to these specific details. In other instances, well known methods and structures have not been described in detail so as not to

unnecessarily obscure the description.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a preferred embodiment of a tap assembly as configured in accordance with the present invention. Tap assembly 201 comprises a housing 202 attached to a sink surface 203. Tap assembly housing 202 comprises water output orifice 204 located at the end of a horizontal water flow member. As will be seen by comparing Figures 1 and 2 tap assembly housing 202 is substantially similar to that of assembly 101. However assembly 201 does not comprise a substantially horizontal lever arm of the type depicted at 107 in Fig. 1. Instead tap assembly 201 comprises an improved lever assembly 205 for adjustably controlling the water flow and water temperature from output orifice 204. In the best mode contemplated lever assembly 205 comprises a two dimensional shape in the form of a planar wheel-like structure. Lever assembly 205 comprises attachment means 206 for attachment of the lever assembly to housing 202. In the example attachment means 206 is detachable and comprises a threaded male end which simply screws into a female threaded portion of the assembly housing 202. The positioning of lever assembly 205 such that it is substantially or totally above housing 202 and such that the plane of the wheel of the lever assembly is substantially vertically disposed relative to the plane of surface 203 is advantageous. A disabled or elderly person may simply lean forward and place their arm on the lever assembly to either rotate lever assembly 205 in a direction towards or away from wall 207 located behind tap main body 202 or to rotate lever assembly 205 from left to right so as to effect respective provision of either hotter or colder water. In the best mode lever assembly 205 comprises a central attachment member 208 from which extends a plurality of elongate lever arms 209, 210 and 211. Lever arms 209-211 are preferably symmetrically arranged about central member 208. The ends of lever arms 209, 210 and 211 are respectively labeled 212, 213 and 214 and in the preferred embodiment these comprise a rounded end portion so as to further enable a person's hand or fingers to engage therewith. In the best mode lever arms 209, 210 and 211 are connected to each other by an outer rim structure 215 which is provided to ensure that a person's hand may be rested thereon. In this way a person is not required to grip an end portion, such as portion 212 with s their fingers as this may not be possible for person's suffering from poor finger grip ability. Instead the person may simply rest their hand between two of the end portions so as to engage with an end portion as the hand is drawn left or right towards one of the end portion structures. In this way hot or cold water may be readily provided without a need to actually grip anything by means of utilizing the fingers. Lever assembly 205 is also advantageous over a lever of the type shown in Fig. 1 in that it provides a substantial "target" area for a person to direct their hand to. The wheel like structure illustrated may suitably be such that the rim member has a diameter of at least 5 centimeters and preferably somewhere in the range of 10 to 30 cm. This enables a person to direct their hand to the wheel z and push the wheel member backwards so as to provide water or to pull it forwards so as to cut-off the water flowing from orifice 204. Although the preferred embodiment illustrated concerns a substantially circular shaped (wheel- like) structure comprising a rim 215 various other shapes and configurations may equally provide the benefits described above. Thus, for example, the two dimensional shape could be in the form of an ellipse or some other curved (or even non-curved shape). However in the best mode either a circle or an ellipse is preferred. Preferably the rim is substantially circular, particularly if the overall planar shape of the lever assembly is circular. In the best mode the rim has a diameter in the range of 10-30 cm.

In accordance with the present invention lever assembly 205 comprises a substantially planar and substantially vertically disposed main body that is located at a position substantially directly above the mixer valve mechanism in the tap assembly housing. This is in contrast to the known assembly illustrated in Fig. 1 wherein lever 107 is positioned substantially horiziontally adjacent to upper portion 109 of the tap assembly housing rather than substantially directly above.

Furthermore the planar lever assembly is operated via movement thereof in a substantially vertical plane. In respect of providing the required degree of hot or cold water the plane of the body of the lever assembly is moved from left to right or vice versa whilst remaining in a substantially vertical plane. Similarly in adjusting the required flow the body of the lever assembly is tilted slightly in a forwards or backwards direction by a few degrees from the vertical and thus remains substantially vertical during such a movement. By a few degrees it is meant tilting (forwards towards the operator or backwards towards a wall behind the tap assembly) by up to 20 from the vertical and vertical may herein be defined as the direction in which water falls in free-fall under gravity.

In Fig. 2 the end members 212, 213, 214 may be considered to comprise stop members in that they are provided to engage with a person's hand moving there-between. By a "stop" it is not meant bringing the person's hand to a halt but rather engaging with the person's hand such that the structure 205 thereby rotates about the pivot mechanism located in the head of tap assembly housing 202. Suitable the stop members may extend perpendicularly from the portion of the rim to which they are attached or through which they pass depending on the particular configuration of the lever assembly. Suitably the stops extend at least one centimeter away from the rim and preferably 2-5 cm.

Fig. 3 further illustrates operation of the tap assembly of Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 lever assembly 205 as configured in accordance with the present invention has been pushed by a person's hand towards a wall 207 that is located to the rear of the sink unit 203 such that the upper portion 301 of housing 202 has tilted backwards about a pivot mechanism (ball joint) located inside the upper portion of housing 202. Since upper portion 301 has been tilted backwards then lever assembly 205 attached thereto has also tilted backwards resulting in water (shown by broken lines at 302) flowing from orifice 304.

Fig. 4 further schematically illustrates the lever assembly 205 of Fig.'s 2 and 3. Fig. 4 more clearly illustrates the attachment means 206 for attaching lever assembly 205 to a tap assembly housing. As described earlier a preferred form of attachment means comprises a threaded end 206 for engagement with a female threaded orifice located on the top of the upper portion of the tap assembly housing. As will be understood by those skilled in the art a variety of other methods may be employed to fit a lever assembly as configured in accordance with the present invention to a tap assembly housing.

Although the above preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in relation to use on hand-wash basins the invention is equally applicable to use on taps associated with a variety of other sanitary units including, for example, bathtubs, bidets and kitchen sinks. Furthermore the invention is also applicable for use on shower systems wherein a vertically disposed two-dimensional shaped lever assembly may be positioned above a conventional shower control for effecting operation thereof. Those skilled in the art will realise that the tap assembly and lever assembly disclosed herein may find application in operating a wide variety of sanitary water supply units of the type used by a person for sanitary purposes in a bathroom or washroom or for use in a kitchen in preparation of and cleaning of food and also in respect of cleaning cooking utensils.

Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a further preferred embodiment of a sanitary tap assembly as configured in accordance with the present invention. The sanitary tap assembly 501 comprises an assembly suitable for use on a bath.

Sanitary tap assembly 501 comprises a hot water attachment pipe 502 and a cold water attachment pipe 503. The hot and cold water attachment pipes are connected to a fluid output orifice pipe 504 which is positioned substantially in between pipes 502 and 503. Pipes 502 and 503 connect to appropriate water supply sources. Pipe 503 connects directly to the mains supply and pipe 502 may connect to the water system as delivered by a boiler such as a combination boiler. Pipes 502 to 504 interconnect at a junction comprising a valve and the valve is housed (not shown) in the housing of the tap assembly structure. To operate the valve, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present JO invention, a lever assembly in the form of a wheel is mounted on the assembly comprising pipes 502, 503 and 504. The lever assembly comprises a wheel- like rim member 505 connected to a central member 506 by a plurality of lever arms 508, 509, each adjacent pair of lever arms being separated by a space such as that indicated at 507. In the example the wheel may range in size from 5cm to :5 70cm in diameter. However in the preferred embodiment the diameter of the rim member 505 is preferably 10cm to 50cm.

Fig. 6 further details the alternative preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 5.

The central member 506 of the lever assembly communicates with the junction member 601 located at and forming the junction of the pipe members 502, 503 and 504. Junction member 601 comprises a mixer control unit configured to control the flow of water and the temperature of the water that is output from the output orifice pipe 504. Mixer control member 601 may be substantially of the type known to those skilled in the art for use in shower systems and comprises a slight tilt mechanism (backwards and forwards) to adjust the flow and adjustment means to rotate left and right so as to adjust the temperature of the water that is delivered. In this way the lever assembly of Fig. 5 is attached to member 601 so as to provide a substantially greater target area for an elderly or disabled person to obtain water at the required speed and of the required temperature.

Fig. 7 schematically illustrates a further preferred embodiment of a sanitary tap assembly as configured in accordance with the present invention. The tap assembly 701 is substantially the same as that detailed in Fig.'s 5 and 6, but additionally includes a water-proof clock 702 located on the front face of central lever assembly member 506. The provision of a clock provides an additional benefit to an elderly/disabled person in that it enables them to determine how long things have taken. In particular the clock enables the person to determine how long the water has been running and also how long they have been bathing.

Claims

Claims: 1. A tap assembly configured to control the flow of a water supply

to a sanitary unit, said assembly comprising a housing for housing a fluid flow control valve, an output orifice for directing water out of said assembly upon opening of said valve and a lever assembly for controlling at least one property of said water directed out of said orifice, said tap assembly characterized in that: said lever assembly comprises a substantially planar and substantially vertically disposed main body that is located at a position substantially directly above said valve housing, said lever assembly being operated via movement thereof in a substantially vertical plane.
2. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein said assembly controls a hot water supply and a cold water supply.
3. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said tap assembly is selected from the set comprising: a hand basin tap assembly and a kitchen tap assembly.
4. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said tap assembly is a bath tap assembly.
5. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said tap assembly is a shower water control assembly.
6. A tap assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said lever assembly is substantially in the form of a two-dimensional shape comprising a rim member from which project a plurality of stops configured to engage with o the hand or a portion thereof of an operator of said assembly.
7. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein said stops project beyond said rim by at least 1 cm.
8. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein said stops project beyond said rim by 2-5cm.
9. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein said rim member is in the form of a substantially closed two-dimensional shape.
10. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein said rim member is substantially in the form of a shape selected from the set comprising: a circle; and an ellipse.
11. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 10 wherein said rim member has a diameter of at least 5cm.
12. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 10 wherein said rim member has a diameter in the range of 1 Ocm to 50cm.
13. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein said shape is substantially that of a circle and said stops are each in the form of an elongate member that extends from the centre of said circle along a line of radius.
14. A tap assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said 2 lever assembly is attached to a ballpoint mixer flow control unit that is configured to enable both the flow rate and the temperature of the output water to be controlled.
15. A tap assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said 3 o assembly comprises a clock.
16. A sanitary tap assembly comprising a hot and cold water mixing valve operated by planar lever wherein the plane of said lever is substantially vertical and said lever member is substantially positioned above said valve.
17. A sanitary tap assembly as hereinbefore described in relation to the accompanying drawings. < ( . (,

< , . . 1. < <

17. A sanitary tap assembly as hereinbefore described in relation to the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows lb Claims: 1. A tap assembly configured to control the flow of a water supply to a sanitary unit, said assembly comprising a housing for housing a fluid flow control valve, an output orifice for directing water out of said assembly upon opening of said valve and a lever assembly for controlling at least one property of said water directed out of said orifice, said lever assembly comprising a substantially planar and substantially vertically disposed main body, said lever assembly being operated via movement thereof in a substantially vertical plane, said tap assembly characterized in that: said lever assembly is substantially in the form of a two-dimensional shape comprising a rim member from which project a plurality of stops configured to engage with the hand or a portion thereof of an operator of said assembly.

(, 4, 2. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein said assembly . controls a hot water supply and a cold water supply. ' <, . . 3. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said tap assembly is selected from the set comprising: a hand basin tap assembly and a kitchen tap assembly.

4. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said tap assembly is a bath tap assembly.

5. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said tap assembly is a shower water control assembly.

6. A tap assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said main body of said lever assembly is located at a position substantially directly above said valve housing. 1]

7. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said stops project beyond said rim by at least 1cm.

8. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said stops project beyond said rim by 2-5cm.

9. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said rim member is in the form of a substantially closed two-dimensional shape.

To 10. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 9 wherein said rim member is substantially in the form of a shape selected from the set comprising: a circle; and an ellipse. I,,, 11. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 10 wherein said rim member has a diameter of at least 5cm. . . 12. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 10 wherein said rim member, , has a diameter in the range of 1 Ocm to 50cm. I, 13. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shape is substantially that of a circle and said stops are each in the form of an elongate member that extends from the centre of said circle along a line of radius.

14. A tap assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said lever assembly is attached to a ballpoint mixer flow control unit that is configured to enable both the flow rate and the temperature of the output water to be controlled.

15. A tap assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said o assembly comprises a clock.

16. A tap assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said valve comprises a hot and cold water mixing valve operated by said planar lever.