Aerator construction

Claim 2

In a faucet aerator of the type that provides a mixing chamber having upstream and downstream ends, water-jet defining means at the upstream end of said chamber, air intake means to said chamber, and at least one screen adjacent the downstream end of said chamber, the improvement comprising, in combination: an elongated, sleeve-like, imperforate barrel with screw threads thereon at the upstream end and an inturned lip at the downstream end, and a sub-assembly of molded parts arranged for sliding fit into the barrel to be supported by the barrel''s lip, said subassembly being constructed to cooperate with the barrel to provide air intake means, and to provide a mixing chamber, the water-jet defining means, and a support for the screen, said subassembly including a downstream support-and-air-intake member, an upstream annulus snap-connected to said downstream support, and a cup-shaped jet-former carried centrally in said annulus and held in position by gravity, said upstream annulus providing an outer portion slidably engaging the inner wall of the barrel and an inner periphery which provides an upstream centering sleeve and a downstream convexly curved impingement surface against which streams of water are directed, and the cup-shaped jet-former providing an out-turned flange which slidably cooperates with the centering sleeve to position the jet-formers to direct their streams radially outwardly against said impingement surface.

Claim 3

An aerator as in claim 1 wherein the cup-shaped jet-former extends through and downstream of the upstream annulus to provide an annular passageway through which flow of water is directed into the mixing chamber.

Claim 4

In a faucet aerator of the type that provides a mixing chamber having upstream and downstream ends, water-jet defining means at the upstream end of said chamber, air intake means to said chamber, and at least one screen adjacent the downstream end of said chamber, the improvement comprising, in combination; an elongated, sleeve-like, imperforate barrel with screw threads thereon at the upstream end and an inturned lip at the downstream end, and a sub-assembly of molded parts arranged for sliding fit into the barrel to be supported by the barrel''s lip, said sub-assembly being constructed to cooperate with the barrel to provide air intake means, and to provide a mixing chamber, the water-jet defining means, and a support for the screen, said sub-assembly including a downstream support-and-air-intake member, an upstream annulus snap-connected to said downstream support, and a cup-shaped jet-former carried centrally in said annulus and held in position by gravity, the downstream support-and-air-intake member being shaped to provide at least three elongated, upright supports spaced circumferentially to lie against the barrel''s wall and to engage the barrel''s lip, a ring secured to said upright supports to hold same in spaced relation and to be spaced inwardly of the barrel''s wall to provide substantially annular air intake means, the supports extending upwardly of and above the ring to engage and support the annulus, the upper ends of said supports having adjacent inturned lips, and the upstream annulus having a continuous circumferential groove that faces outwardly to receive the inturned lips on said supports to snap-connect the parts together prior to insertion of the sub-assembly in the barrel, and said construction positioning the supports adjacent the wall of the barrel to prevent accidental separation of the snap-connected parts when in position in the barrel.

Claim 5

In a faucet aerator of the type that provides a mixing chamber having upstream and downstream ends, water-jet defining means at the upstream end of said chamber, air intake means to said chamber, and at least one screen adjacent the downstream end of said chamber, the improvement comprising, in combination; an elongated, sleeve-like, imperforate barrel with screw threads thereon at the upstream end and an inturned lip at the downstream end, and a sub-assembly of molded parts arranged for sliding fit into the barrel to be supported by the barrel''s lip, said sub-assembly being constructed to cooperate with the barrel to provide air intake means, and to provide a mixing chamber, the water-jet defining means, and a support for the screen, said sub-assembly including a downstream support-and-air-intake member, an upstream annulus snap-connected to said downstream support, and a cup-shaped jet-former carried centrally in said annulus and held in position by gravity, the downstream support-and-air-intake member being shaped to provide at least three elongated, upright supports spaced circumferentially to lie against the barrel''s wall and to engage the barrel''s lip, a ring secured to said upright supports to hold same in spaced relation and to be spaced inwardly of the barrel''s wall to provide substantially annular air intake means, the supports extending upwardly of and above the ring to engage and support the annulus, the upper ends of said supports having adjacent inturned lips, and the upstream annulus having a continuous circumferential groove that faces outwardly to receive the inturned lips on said supports to snap-connect the parts together prior to insertion of the sub-assembly in the barrel, and said construction positioning the supports adjacent the wall of the barrel to prevent accidental separation of the snap-connected parts when in position in the barrel.

Claim 6

An aerator as in claim 3 wherein said ring of the downstReam member has an inturned flange for supporting thereon a screen at the downstream end of the mixing chamber.