US20080105805A1

US20080105805A1 - Showerhead holder

Info

Publication number: US20080105805A1
Application number: US11/759,673
Authority: US
Inventors: Guenter Glunk
Original assignee: Hansgrohe SE
Current assignee: Hansgrohe SE
Priority date: 2006-06-09
Filing date: 2007-06-07
Publication date: 2008-05-08
Also published as: CN101086172A; EP1865115A1; DE102006028055A1

Abstract

A showerhead holder has a wall adjustment rail that can be fixed on a wall. The wall adjustment rail can hold and guide showerheads, for instance, using a holder for a showerhead for a hand-held showerhead, connected with a hose. The wall adjustment rail can have a transparent or translucent material illuminated from the interior. The illuminating device for this purpose can be part of the showerhead holder, disposed such that its light source cannot be seen by the user, apart from the effect of the emitted light. The wall adjustment rail can be hollow or solid and can have one or several light sources.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a showerhead holder with a wall adjustment rail.
Showerhead holders with wall adjustment rails serve, in the first place, for mounting the hose-connected showerheads in different positions. This makes it possible to adjust the position of a showerhead to different body sizes or to different shower behaviours. Furthermore, the showerhead rails serve for holding certain objects at easy to reach positions when taking shower, for instance, bottles of washing agents or the like. The showerhead rails are normally aligned vertically, however, they can also be aligned obliquely or horizontally. There are simple, round wall adjustment rails that are attached to the wall at a certain distance. There are also complicated rails serving the same purpose, which are formed as profiles and can be mounted directly on the wall. Most wall-adjustment rails are straight in design, but there are also curved wall adjustment rails.
Amongst the showerhead holders, there are also wall-adjustment rails on which towels can be hung, whereby in this case the wall adjustment rail is horizontal in alignment. Handles can also be formed in a manner such that they incorporate more-or-less long adjustment rails, on which a user can support him/herself.
Under showerhead holders with wall adjustment rails, all these objects are understood.
To date, one was restricted to designing and changing the shapes and surface-finish properties of wall adjustment rails, for instance, to provide them with a shiny or reflective surface. Also coloured wall adjustment rails are known.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to enlarge and improve the functional possibilities of showerhead holders with wall adjustment rails.
The showerhead holder proposed by the invention comprises a wall adjustment rail in the sense described above. This wall adjustment rail can be mounted on a wall with a fastening device, also on a partition wall of a shower cell or similar. The wall adjustment rail can serve the purpose of attaching a showerhead with the help of a holder, for instance a hand-held showerhead with a holder. An illuminating device is provided, which can be disposed such that its light source cannot be seen by the user. This illuminating device is lighted with the help of the light source of the wall adjustment rail, and thus at least over a part of its length or over a part of its width. For instance, the entire wall adjustment rail can be lighted, also over its entire width. Then a user sees an illuminated wall adjustment rail. This can be used for improving the user's sentiment, of course also as a display. It is also possible that the fastening element is illuminated, for instance, if the fastening element is formed such that the wall adjustment rail is held with a gap from a wall.
In a further development of the invention, it can be facilitated that the illuminating device is disposed and formed such that it illuminates the wall adjustment rail from the interior. Naturally, there must be a possibility in this case that the light also penetrates outwards, which can occur through openings or through the design of the wall adjustment rail itself. In this case, it can also be provided that the illuminating device is entirely invisible to the user, so that the optical impression itself is not changed by the illuminating device.
For this purpose, it can particularly be provided that the illuminating device forms a part of the showerhead holder or is particularly accommodated in a part of the showerhead holder. From the illuminating device, the user thus sees only the effect, namely the wall adjustment rail that is illuminated over a part or over the entire surface.
A possibility of designing a showerhead holder according to the invention involves manufacturing the wall adjustment rail partly or entirely out of a transparent to translucent material.
With a translucent material, for instance it is also possible to cover it partly if the wall adjustment rail should not be illuminated over the entire surface.
The invention proposes in a further development, to dispose at least a light source of the illuminating device outside the wall adjustment rail and to couple it to the light in the wall adjustment rail. It is likewise possible to couple the light of the light source as a spot light.
One possibility of how an illuminated-wall adjustment rail can look, or can be formed, is that the wall adjustment rail can be made of a solid profile of a transparent or translucent material. For instance, a glass-clear plastic or also a transparent plastic can form a solid wall adjustment rail. In this manner, the light can be coupled from an end surface.
Another possibility of how a wall adjustment rail according to invention can be formed, involves forming it as a hollow profile. Then it is likewise possible to couple the light from a face side into the wall of the profile.
A further possibility involves incorporating at least one, but preferably several light sources of the illuminating device inside the hollow profile, whereby obviously also combinations of these two possibilities can be used.
With the accommodation of many light sources inside the profile, the possibility can exist for these light sources to be controlled individually or for the light sources to be configured in different ways.
According to the invention, it can be facilitated in a further development that the illuminating device is made in such a way that it produces coloured or also colourful light. It can involve a combination of colours that is static, or that also alternates. Of course, it is also possible to change the brightness of several light sources or also individually for each light source.
It is naturally also possible to generate colour impressions in that the wall adjustment rail comprises differently coloured transparent materials, whereby this then means static colouring.
In a further development according to the invention, it can be facilitated that the wall adjustment rail is illuminated sectionally from outside. For instance, a wall adjustment rail can feature a groove that serves for guiding the holder of the hand-held showerhead. The holder for the showerhead can be shifted along this groove. Here, it is considerable to illuminate the groove from outside, whereby also in this case the illuminating device is accommodated inside the showerhead holder and is visible from outside.
The illuminating device can be accommodated for instance in a wall-mounted arm that is fixed on the wall adjustment rail with a gap in front of a wall.
In a further development according to the invention, it can be made possible that a control device is provided to activate the illuminating device. This, for instance, can occur in such a manner that the illumination is only activated under certain conditions, for instance, only when a user enters the bathroom. It can likewise be provided that the illumination is activated when a valve is opened and water flows.
The control device can also be formed in such a manner that it operates the illuminating device so that the latter displays certain parameters optically; for instance, the temperature of water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features, details and preferences of the invention are derived from the claims and the abstract whose wording is based on reference to the content of the description, and of the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention and of the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a first embodiment of a wall adjustment rail in side view;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a wall adjustment rail in a modified embodiment;

FIG. 3 is the front view of a showerhead holder with a wall adjustment rail formed as a profile;

FIG. 4 is a magnified cross-section through the wall adjustment rail of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a very simplified further embodiment of a showerhead holder according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a showerhead holder with a wall adjustment rail 1 in a side view, which can be attached to a perpendicular surface with the help of two wall-mounted holders 2. The two wall-mounted arms 2 feature a fastening plate 3, which can be firmly fastened on a wall by a fastening element (e.g., screws). The wall-mounted arms 2 extend perpendicularly forward from these plates 3 and transform into a cylindrical holding section 4, which corresponds to the diameter of the wall adjustment rail 1, in its outer shape and dimensions.
Between the two wall-mounted arms 2, a slider 5 is guided on the wall adjustment rail 1, which is only schematically displayed here. This slider 5 is mounted such that it can be fixed in any arbitrary position. Additional elements can be attached on it, which are not explained here in detail. From the top end of the wall adjustment rail 1, a curved extension 6 is prolonged forward and upward, where a hand-held showerhead can be stuck on its free end 7.
In both wall-mounted arms 2 a light source 8 is respectively accommodated, which is schematically depicted as LED. This light source 8 illuminates into the wall adjustment rail 1 that is made of a solid plastic rod. A mirror 9 can be disposed in the bottom cylindrical section 4, which deflects the light from the light source 8 in the lower wall-mounted arm 2 in the wall adjustment rail 1. In the top section, this can be the case, but is not necessary there, for instance, in order to deflect the light from the light source 8 of the top wall-mounted arm 2 both upwards and downwards.
FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a wall holder with a wall adjustment rail 11, whereby this showerhead holder is made of less visible parts. Two consoles 12 are provided, which are meant for mounting on the wall with their planar rear sides 13. A holding side 14 runs at a right angle to this planar rear side 13, into which the two ends of the wall adjustment rail 11 converge. The wall adjustment rail 11 is fixed here also on the consoles 12. A slider 5 is held on the wall adjustment rail 11, which can be shifted along the wall adjustment rail 11 and can be fixed in any arbitrary position.
The slider 5 serves for mounting the grip of a hand-held showerhead. Also, in this case, the wall adjustment rail 11 can be made of a transparent solid plastic, or of a suitable unbreakable glass. Light is coupled into the wall adjustment rail 11 from both front sides of the wall adjustment rail 11, whereby also in this case the light sources 8 are schematically depicted as LEDs.
FIG. 3 shows the front view of a third embodiment of a wall holder according to the invention. This showerhead holder uses a wall adjustment rail 21, which is not made as a round rod, but as a hollow profile. This hollow profile, which is depicted in the cross-section in FIG. 4, is closed on top and bottom by means of a cap 22. On the hollow profile forming the wall adjustment rail 21, lateral showerhead elements can be attached, for instance, a tray 23 or a bottle 24 with washing products. A slider 5 is disposed on the wall adjustment rail 21, which can be shifted in the longitudinal direction of the wall adjustment rail 21 and which can serve for holding the grip of a hand-held showerhead. The suspended hose from the showerhead can be laid in a groove 25 that is open under certain circumstances from the front side.
The wall adjustment rail 21 is not fixed on the wall with the help of a console 12 or a wall-mounted arm 2, but with the help of fastening elements (e.g., clamps), which are not depicted. This can be seen for instance in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a cross-section through the profile forming the wall adjustment rail 21. This profile features a planar rear side 26, which can be attached directly on the wall. On the right and left of the planar rear side 26 there are cylindrical channels 27, which on the one hand can serve the purpose of accommodating and guiding the above-mentioned showerhead objects 23 and 24, and on the other hand, they can serve for engagement with a fastening element.
The above-mentioned groove 25 diverges on the front side. On the front side 28, both sides of the groove 25 run slightly curved in shape. The groove 25 itself is somewhat undercut, so that the visible opening is narrower than the interior gap of the wall of the groove 25.
In the embodiment depicted by FIG. 3, a light source 8 of an illuminating device is accommodated in the top and bottom caps 22 that close the metallic profile. Since the profile, for instance, is made of aluminium so that an illumination from inside would not be visible from outside, this light source 8 can be disposed such that it shines from top and bottom into the groove 25. In this manner, it is possible to illuminate the rear wall 29 visibly from the front of the groove 25, so that the wall adjustment rail 21 features a middle bright stripe.
Naturally, it would also be possible to manufacture the profile from a transparent material and to direct the light source into the interior of the hollow space of the profile.
It is also possible to manufacture the profile of FIG. 4 partly of metal and partly of plastic so that then, for instance, the middle section is transparent and allows light to pass through.
FIG. 5 shows a further possibility in a very simplified form. With the help of two plate elements 3, two wall-mounted arms 32 are attached to a wall, which are formed similar to the wall-mounted arms 2 of the embodiment according to FIG. 1. With a gap from the plate elements 3 for fastening purposes, adapter elements 33 are attached in the wall-mounted arms in which power supply elements are accommodated. A wall adjustment rail 31 extends between the two adapter elements 33, which is formed as an illuminator. It receives its energy supply through the adapter elements 33.
The embodiment according to FIG. 5 can involve, for instance, a showerhead holder, which can exclusively serve as an optical display and improve orientation.
It is possible to design a wall adjustment rail for a showerhead holder according to the invention, so that light only comes out at certain points and that by changing the orientation of the wall adjustment rail, this light can be deflected in certain directions. For this purpose, it is convenient to rotate a wall adjustment rail, for instance, about its own axis.
The illuminated wall adjustment rail can on the one hand be illuminated such that it only illuminates itself, thus it does not serve as an actual lamp. It is on the other hand also possible, to illuminate a wall adjustment rail so that it also forms a light source for illuminating further objects, for instance, it can illuminate the wall or ceiling.
Through different degrees of transparent rail design, it is also possible that a wall adjustment rail is only illuminated indirectly over a certain part of its circumference or of its length, whilst over the rest of its surface it radiates light for illuminating other objects.

Claims

1. A

A showerhead holder, comprising:

a wall adjustment rail;

a fastening element for fastening the wall adjustment rail on a wall or similar surface;

an illuminating device, comprising at least one light source, which illuminates at least a part of at least one of a length and width of at least one of the wall adjustment rail and fastening element.

2. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the illuminating device is formed in a manner that illuminates the wall adjustment rail from an interior.

3. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the illuminating device is accommodated in a part of the showerhead holder.

4. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the wall adjustment rail comprises a material that is one of transparent and translucent.

5. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein at least one said light source is disposed outside the wall adjustment rail and radiates light into the wall adjustment rail.

6. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the wall adjustment rail comprises a solid profile at least in part.

7. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the wall adjustment rail comprises a hollow profile at least in part.

8. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the wall adjustment rail comprises a profile and a plurality of said light sources are disposed in the profile.

9. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the illuminating device radiates coloured light.

10. The showerhead holder of claim 9, wherein the illuminating device displays a combination of colours.

11. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the wall adjustment rail comprises differently coloured materials that are one of transparent and translucent material.

12. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the wall adjustment rail is illuminated sectionally from outside.

13. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the wall adjustment rail features a groove for guiding a holder and the groove is illuminated from outside.

14. The showerhead holder of claim 1, further comprising a wall-mounted arm, interposed between the wall adjustment rail and the fastening element.

15. The showerhead holder of claim 14, wherein the illuminating device is accommodated in the wall-mounted arm.

16. The showerhead holder of claim 1, further comprising a control device that switches on and off, based on predetermined conditions.

17. The showerhead holder of claim 1, further comprising a control device that controls the illuminating device in a manner that displays certain parameters.

18. The showerhead holder of claim 1, further comprising a holder for attaching a showerhead on the wall adjustment rail.

19. The showerhead holder of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source is disposed in such a manner that the light source cannot be seen by a user.

20. The showerhead holder of claim 10, wherein the colours vary in at least one of time and static space.