WO2019245427A1

WO2019245427A1 - Adapter for arranging a water outlet nozzle in an end piece that can be screwed onto a water tap as well as an assembly comprising such an adapter and a water outlet nozzle

Info

Publication number: WO2019245427A1
Application number: PCT/SE2019/050522
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kaj Verner MICKOS; Ronny BRAKHYA; Kristoffer APELSTEDT
Original assignee: Ikea Supply AG
Current assignee: Ikea Supply AG
Priority date: 2018-06-21
Filing date: 2019-06-05
Publication date: 2019-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 2020-12-21
Also published as: DE202018103495U1; CN216428439U

Abstract

An adapter (5) for arranging a water outlet nozzle (30) in an end piece (42) that can be screwed onto a water tap, as well as an assembly comprising the adapter (5) and the water outlet nozzle (30). The adapter (5) comprises a basic body (10), extending from an upper end, and a seal (20), having a through hole. The seal (20) has an upper section (21) placed above the basic body (10). A sealing surface (15) extends from the upper end of the basic body (10). The seal (20) has an outer surface section (24) that rests on said sealing surface (15), whereby a lower section (22) of the seal (20) is placed inside the basic body (10).

Description

ADAPTER FOR ARRANGING A WATER OUTLET NOZZLE IN AN END PIECE THAT CAN BE SCREWED ONTO A WATER TAP AS WELL AS AN ASSEMBLY COMPRISING SUCH AN ADAPTER AND A WATER OUTLET NOZZLE

The invention refers to an adapter for arranging a water outlet nozzle in an end piece that can be screwed onto a water tap according to the preamble of claim 1, as well as an assembly comprising such an adapter and a water outlet nozzle at least partly received in the adapter according to claim 12.

On most water taps an end piece is screwed onto the outlet of the water tap, especially onto such water taps that are used in kitchens. For this, the water tap has an outer thread and the end piece has an inner thread. A sieve and/or a so-called aerator is normally received in said end piece. The end piece has for this at least a shoulder or a step and further at least one seal is provided, which will be referred to as original seal below.

It is known that instead of the aerator to insert a water saving water outlet nozzle in the end piece. This can also protrude from the end piece.

As such water outlet nozzles normally has a relatively small outer diameter, an adapter and an additional seal, which has the form of a coated metal ring, is needed. Such a coated metal ring is relatively expensive to produce and has the further disadvantage that it is easily lost in a non-mounted condition.

Based on this, the object of the present invention is to make an improved adapter available.

The object is met by an adapter having the features of claim 1. An assembly comprising such an adapter and a water outlet nozzle, at least partly received in the adapter, is given in claim 12.

The adapter has a basic body and according to the invention a sealing surface extends from its upper end and the seal has an outer surface section resting on the sealing surface, whereby a lower section of the seal is inside the basic body. Preferably the sealing surface goes conically from the upper end, whereby also the outer surface section abutting the sealing surface is conical. Thus, the seal has an upper section, which is placed above the basic body, and a lower section, which is placed below the upper end of the basic body. Thus, in mounted condition the seal will encompass a flange of the water outlet nozzle and a separate seal may be dispensed from. To support the encompassing, the seal has preferably a cylindrical lower inner surface section in a lower area of its through hole and the diameter of said through hole is larger in the lower area than in a hereby upwards merging area.

To exclude that the seal may be lost and to simplify the mounting, it is preferably connected to the basic body, whereby it particularly can be achieved that it is injection-moulded on the basic body.

To achieve a defined support for the flange of the water outlet nozzle, it is further preferred that a circular ring-shaped support surface merges at the lower end of the sealing surface of the basic body, which preferably is not covered by the seal at least in sections.

Further preferred details of the design and further advantages are obvious from the further dependent claims as well as the more closely below described preferred examples of embodiments with reference to the figures.

The invention will now be described more closely with reference to a preferred example of embodiment in relation to the figures. In the figures:

Fig. 1 shows an exploded view of a water tap having an end piece screwed on to its outlet as well as detail D,

Fig. 2 shows a cross section view of an end piece screwed onto a water tap, in which an adapter is arranged, which has a water outlet nozzle, according to the prior art,

Fig. 3 shows a seal, which is part of an adapter according to the invention,

Fig. 4a shows a partly cut perspective view of an end piece, an adapter according to the invention received in said end piece, a water outlet nozzle held by said adapter as well as an original seal, and

Fig. 4b shows the part of Fig. 4a after that the end piece has been screwed onto the water tap.

Terms like“upper” and“lower” are used in this description. They refer to the geometrical circumstances, that prevail after mounting of the adapter and the water outlet nozzle at a water tap, if water as usual flows downwards from above through the water outl et nozzl e .

For a better understanding of the invention the prior art will now first be entered into with reference to Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the outlet end of a water tap 40, onto which an end piece 42 is screwed. An adapter 5, which rests on projections of the end piece 42 (not shown due to the cutting plane of Fig. 2), has a water outlet nozzle 30. Said water outlet nozzle 30 has a flange 32, which rests on a step of the adapter. Compared to the end piece 42 the water outlet nozzle 30 has a relatively small diameter, which means that the original seal 45 does not suffice to guarantee sealing. It is therefore provided with a metal ring 48 coated with sealing material, which forms a further seal and which is placed between the original seal 45 and the adapter 5. Said further seal also acts for length compensation in axial direction. As the metal ring 48 has to transmit relatively big forces in order to fulfil the function of it, it is often not possible to replace it with a plastic ring.

Referring to the Figs. 1, 3, 4a and 4b the adaptor according to the invention will now be described together with its arrangement in the end piece, which makes the use of a coated metal ring as a further seal, which is necessary according to the prior art, superfluous.

All parts of the total system (water tap 40, end piece 42, original seal 45, adapter 5 and water outlet nozzle 30) are shown in Fig. 1. The inventive details of the adapter 5 will now be described with reference to the Figs. 3, 4a and 4b.

It is essential that the adapter 5 has its own seal 20, which preferably is

(preferably permanently) connected to the main body 10 of the adapter 5. The seal 20 can be glued to the adapter 5 for this, but it is preferred that it is injection-moulded to the main body, which preferably is made of plastic. That means that the adapter comprises a basic body 10 and a seal 20, whereby the main body preferably is made of a hard (not elastic) plastic and the seal of a soft material, such as a thermoplastic elastomer. Each of the basic body 10 and seal 20 has a through hole. The basic body 10 will first be described.

The basic body 10 extends downward from an upper end, namely the upper end surface 13. In the shown example of embodiment, the end surface 13 is part of a flange 12, from which a main section 14 of the basic body extends downward. The entire basic body 10 is rotationally symmetrical around an axis. As is particularly well shown in Fig. 4a, a conical sealing surface 15 extends from the upper end, that is from the upper end surface 13, to a supporting surface 16. This supporting surface 16 defines a plane, which is perpendicular to the axis of the basic body 10 and parallel to the upper end surface 13.

The seal 20 of the adapter 5 has an outer surface section 24, which is formed so that it rests on the sealing surface 15 of the basic body 10 (if the seal 20 is injection- moulded to the basic body 10 this is automatically as it were). As further shown, especially in Fig. 4a, the seal 20 has an upper section 21, placed above the end surface 13 of the basic body 10, and a lower section 22, placed below said end surface 13. A lower inner surface section 25, which preferably defines a constant inner diameter of the seal 20 in this area, is essentially placed above the outer surface section 24. Above said lower inner surface section 25 the inner diameter of the seal 20 is somewhat reduced. Towards the upper end of the seal 20 the inner surface may again broaden slightly conically, as shown.

As shown in Fig. 4a, the seal 20 does not completely cover the supporting surface 16 of the basic body 10; there is an inner area formed as a ring disc not covered by the seal 20.

The water outlet nozzle 30 has a flange 32, the outer diameter of which essentially corresponds with the inner diameter of the seal 20 in the area of the lower inner surface section 25. Further, the height in axial direction of the flange 32 of the water outlet nozzle 30 corresponds essentially with the height in axial direction of said lower inner surface section 25. The geometry shown in Fig. 4a is hereby achieved after insertion of the water outlet nozzle 30 in the adapter 5.

The flange 32 of the water outlet nozzle 30 is placed on the section of the supporting surface 16 not covered by the seal and the lower section 32 of the seal 20 is placed between the outer surface of said flange 32 and the sealing surface 15 of the basic body 10. The upper section 21 of the seal 20 extends above the end surface 13 and above the flange 32 and somewhat encircles the flange 32 on the upper side.

The mounting of the water outlet nozzle 30 is done as described below.

The water outlet nozzle is first inserted into the adapter 5 from above, until the flange 32 of the water outlet nozzle 30 rests on the supporting surface 16 and the upper end of the flange is encircled by the seal. The sub assembly formed of the adapter 5 and the water outlet nozzle 30 is then inserted from above into the end piece 42, until the flange 12 of the basic body 10 of the adapter 5 rests on a shoulder of the end piece. The original seal 45 is then placed on the seal 20 of the adapter 5. The end piece 42 is screwed onto the water tap 40 in this condition, so that the original seal 45 is pressed onto the seal 20, which hereby will be slightly deformed. In view of the geometry described above it will pressed from above and from the side against the flange 32 of the water outlet nozzle, so that a complete sealing is achieved.

Claims

1. An adapter (5) for arranging a water outlet nozzle (30) in an end piece (42) that can be screwed onto a water tap having

a basic body (10) extending from an upper end and

a seal (20) having a through hole, said seal having an upper section (21), which is placed above the basic body (10),

characterized in,

that a sealing surface (15) extends from the upper end of the basic body (10) and

that the seal (20) has an outer surface section (24) that rests on the sealing surface (15), so that a lower section (22) of the seal (20) is placed inside the basic body

(10).

2. The adapter of claim 1, characterized in that the sealing surface (15) extends conically from the upper end, so that the outer surface section (24) resting on the sealing surface (15) also is conical.

3. The adapter of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the seal (20) has a cylindrical lower, inner surface section (25) in a lower section of its through hole.

4. The adapter of any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the diameter of the through hole of the seal (20) is larger in a lower area than in an upwards merged area.

5. The adapter of any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper end of the basic body (10) is formed of a circular ring-shaped end surface (13).

6. The adapter of any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seal (20) is connected to the basic body (10).

7. The adapter of claim 6, characterized in that the seal (20) is injection- moulded onto the basic body (10).

8. The adapter of any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seal (20) is made of a softer material than the basic body (10).

9. The adapter of any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a circular ring-shaped supporting surface (16) is connected on the lower end of the sealing surface (15), which preferably is not covered by the seal (20), at least sectional.

10. The adapter of any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the basic body (10) is rotationally symmetrical.

11. The adapter of any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a flange (12) and a main section (14) extending downwards from said flange

(12).

12. An assembly comprising an adapter (5) of any of the preceding claims and a water outlet nozzle (30) at least partly received in the adapter (5).

13. The assembly of claim 10 with an adapter according to claim 9, characterized in that the water outlet nozzle has a flange (32), which is held of the supporting surface (16) and preferably rests directly on it.