Bathing in a bathtub is a common function. However, accidents often occur such as bumping into protruding water spouts with one's head and other body parts. This can be particularly troublesome for both young children and the elderly as they get into and out of the bathtub as well as move around while in the tub. Additionally, such spouts are often located wherever the installer chooses to put them, which doesn't always happen to be the optimal location. Likewise, conventional spouts are difficult to clean around and may clutter up the otherwise clean and simple look of a whirlpool, tub or shower. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which the above-mentioned disadvantages of conventional water spouts can be addressed.
Several attempts have been made in the past to design a spout that is mounted flush to the side of the bath tub to eliminate the various accidents that are caused by the common extended spouts. U.S. Pat. No. 6,680,437 in the name of Sato discloses a grommet with a small diameter drum portion, a large diameter drum portion, and a lip portion. A fitting groove is fitted into a through hole of a panel that is provided on an outer wall surface. The lip portion protrudes to an outer side of the outer wall surface of the large diameter drum portion so as to contact closely with the panel. In the grommet, a rear surface side of the large diameter drum portion is thin. Due to a thin-wall portion which is formed by thinning the rear surface side of the large diameter drum portion, upon opening a molding die, the lip portion with a large undercut amount elastically deforms to a side of the thin-wall portion. As a result, the grommet can be easily released. Unfortunately, this prior art example protrudes from a bathtub wall and may therefore cause various accidents.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,404 in the name of Brennan discloses a system for control of water delivery to an interior of a tub, spa or shower that includes a plurality of ports and a flow control device. The plurality of ports is adapted to be located on a surface of the tub, spa, or shower and the plurality of ports is configured to transmit water to an interior of the tub, spa, or shower. A first pipe of the flow control device includes a plurality of elongated inlets and a second pipe includes a plurality of outlets in fluid communication with the plurality of ports. The first pipe or the second pipe is moveable, one relative to the other. Moving of the first pipe or the second pipe to a first position serves to cause communication of an elongated inlet of the plurality of elongated inlets with a first outlet of the plurality of outlets.
The first outlet is in fluid communication with a first port of the plurality of ports. The communication of the inlet with the first outlet serves to allow flow of water from a water source, when in fluid communication with the flow control device, to the inlet to the first outlet to the first port to the interior of the tub, spa or shower. The moving of the first pipe or the second pipe also serves to block a second outlet of the plurality of outlets with a solid portion of the first pipe. The second outlet is in fluid communication with a second port of the plurality of ports. The blocking of the second outlet with the solid portion serves to prevent flow of water from the water source to the second port to the interior of the tub, spa or shower.
Moving of the first pipe or the second pipe to a second position of the plurality of positions serves to allow the first elongated inlet to remain in fluid communication with the first outlet and the first outlet to remain in fluid communication with the first port. Unfortunately, this prior art example protrudes from a bathtub wall and may therefore cause various accidents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,262 in the name of Ton describes a discharge jet assembly for spas including a rear wall fitting, an orifice cap closing the rear wall fitting, and a jet body rotatably mounted within the wall fitting. The rear wall fitting includes a cylindrical central cavity and a vertically disposed air orifice opening into the central cavity. A rear portion of the jet body defines a cylindrical mixing chamber fed by a horizontal cylindrical water inlet and by an air inlet channel formed in the outer circumference of the jet body. The air inlet channel is positioned so as to rotate into and out of communication with the air orifice of the rear wall fitting. The jet body further includes a structure for interacting with a stop on the orifice cap so as to appropriately limit rotation of the jet body air inlet channel with respect to the air orifice. An arced continuous seal containment groove and integrally mounted seal surrounds the air inlet channel so as to provide an airtight seal between the rear wall fitting and the jet body. Male retainer elements employing rearward-facing split projections which plug into complementary openings in a female retainer element facilitate mounting of various nozzle styles within the jet assembly.
Axial flutes formed in a barrel portion of an eyeball nozzle component provide a flow rate enhancing feature. Unfortunately, this prior art example protrudes from a bathtub wall and may therefore cause various accidents.
None of the prior art particularly describes a spout that is mounted flush to the side of the bath tub to eliminate the various accidents that are caused by the common extended spouts. Accordingly, there is a need for an integral flush-mounted water spout for tubs. The present invention is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds