Shower head with flow control washer

Claim 2

A flow control washer for use in plumbing fixtures or the like including a generally cylindrical body formed of a distortable rubberlike material, a plurality of circumferentially arranged water passages extending axially through said body, a plurality of projections extending outwardly from at least one end of said body there being a projection generally adjacent each water passage, said projections being integral with said body and, under pressure, distorting to restrict the openings into said passages for controlling the flow of water through said passages with variations in applied water pressure.

Claim 3

The flow control washer of claim 1 further characterized in that said water passages all have the same diameter.

Claim 4

The flow control washer of claim 1 further characterized in that said water flow passages are generally equally circumferentially spaced, with all passages having their axes the same radial distance from the center of the body.

Claim 5

The flow control washer of claim 3 further characterized in that there is a projection positioned between each pair of adjacent water passages.

Claim 6

The flow control washer of claim 4 further characterized in that the center of each projection is generally on a circle whose center is the center of the body and whose radius is equal to the radial distance of the passage axes from the center.

Claim 7

The flow control washer of claim 1 further characterized in that the ends of said body are symmetrical, there being an equal number of projections, similarly spaced, extending from both ends of the body.

Claim 8

The flow control washer of claim 1 further characterzed by differently sized projections extending from opposite ends of said body.

Claim 9

A shower head including a spray forming assembly, means for attaching said spray forming assembly to a water conduit including a mounting member, means formed adjacent one end of said mounting member for attaching it to a conduit, an opening in the opposite end of said mounting member, a cylindrical chamber formed in said mounting member adjacent said opening, a flow control washer positioned within said cylindrical chamber and adjacent said opening, said flow control washer including a generally cylindrical body formed of a distortable rubberlike material, a plurality of circumferentially arranged water passages extending axially through said body and in communication with said mounting member opening, a plurality of projections extending outwardly from both ends of said body, there being a projection generally adjacent each water passage, said body being symmetrical with the projections on opposite ends being similarly arranged, said projections being integral with said body and distortable under pressure to restrict the openings into said passages for controlling the flow of water through said passages with variations in water pressure applied to the upstream end of the body.

Claim 10

A shower head including a spray forming assembly, means for attaching said spray forming assembly to a water conduit including a mounting member, means formed adjacent one end of said mounting member for attaching it to a conduit, an opening in the opposite end of said mounting member, a cylindrical chamber formed in said mounting member adjacent said opening, a flow control washer positioned within said cylindrical chamber and adjacent said opening, said flow control washer including a generally cylindrical body formed of a distortable rubberlike material, a plurality of circumferentially arranged water passages extending axially through said body and in communication with said mounting member opening, a plurality of projections extending outwardly from both ends of said body, there being a projection generally adjacent each water passage, said body being symmetrical with the projections on opposite ends being similarly arranged, said projections being integral with said body and distortable under pressure to restrict the openings into said passages for controlling the flow of water through said passages with variations in water pressure applied to the upstream end of the body.

Claim 11

The shower head of claim 8 further characterized in that said water passages all have the same diameter.

Claim 12

The shower head of claim 8 further characterized in that said water flow passages are generally equally circumferentially spaced, with all passages having their axes the same radial distance from the center of the body.

Claim 13

The shower head of claim 10 further characterized in that there is a projection positioned between each pair of adjacent water passages.

Claim 14

The shower head of claim 11 further characterized in that the center of each projectiOn is generally on a circle shoe center is the center of the body and whose radius is equal to the radial distance of the passage axes from the center.