US4869427A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Shower system
Assignee: Inax Corp
•
Filing: 1988-06-29
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Granted: 1989-09-26
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Expires: 2008-06-29
Abstract
Abstract Water and hot water from a water storage tank and a hot water storage tank, respectively, are mixed in a mixing valve, are pressured up by a pump, and outflow from a shower head. The motor for the mixing valve and the pump are driven so that a signal is output from the controller to the regulator of the motor for altering the mixing ratio of hot water to water in the mixing valve and the regulator of the pump thereby to obtain objective water temperature and water pressure.
Inventors
- 👤 Ryuichi Kawamoto
- 👤 Shigeru Sakakibara
- 👤 Kazuyuki Wakahara
- 👤 Ikutoshi Nebashi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 10:16
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47K; A47K3/00; A47K3/26; E; E03; E03C; E03C1/00; E03C1/02; F; F24; F24D; F24D17/00; G; G05; G05D; G05D23/00; G05D23/01; G05D23/13; G05D23/1393; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/8593; Y10T137/85978; Y10T137/85986; Y10T137/86389; Y10T137/86405; Y10T137/86421
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
138 words
A shower system comprising a water storage tank, a hot water storage tank, a mixing valve downstream of the storage tanks, a motor for operating the mixing valve, control means for said motor, a pump, control means for the pump and a shown head, such that water fed from the water storage tank and hot water fed from the hot water storage tank are mixed at an appropriate ratio by the mixing valve so as to obtain hot water at a desired temperature, and said pump feeds said hot water to the shower head so as to be discharged from the shower head, said system further comprising a controller for controlling the control means of said motor for the mixing valve and the control means of said pump, and a manipulator for inputting manipulation signals to said controller.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
138 words
A shower system comprising a water storage tank, a hot water storage tank, a mixing valve downstream of the storage tanks, a motor for operating the mixing valve, control means for said motor, a pump, control means for the pump and a shown head, such that water fed from the water storage tank and hot water fed from the hot water storage tank are mixed at an appropriate ratio by the mixing valve so as to obtain hot water at a desired temperature, and said pump feeds said hot water to the shower head so as to be discharged from the shower head, said system further comprising a controller for controlling the control means of said motor for the mixing valve and the control means of said pump, and a manipulator for inputting manipulation signals to said controller.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
A shower system according to claim 1, wherein said controller is provided with memory means of an initialization set value of a mixing ratio of hot water to water in the mixing valve.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
53 words
A shower system according to claim 2, wherein said memory means of the controller store periodical variation patterns of the discharge pressure of the pump, and a signal which varies the discharge pressure of the pump periodically in accordance with these patterns may be output to the pump control means from the controller.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
55 words
A shower system according to claim 2, wherein said memory means of the controller store periodical variation patterns of the mixing ratio of hot water to water in the mixing valve, and a signal varying the mixing ratio periodically in accordance with these patterns may be output to the motor control means from the controller.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A shower system according to claim 3, wherein said manipulator and controller are provided with means for modifying the variation patterns, and said memory means are capable of storing the modified variation patterns.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
A shower system according to claim 1, wherein a sensor is provided for detecting the temperature of the mixed water, a detected temperature signal of this sensor is input to the controller, and a control signal is output from the controller to motor control means for the mixing valve so that the detected temperature reaches the objective temperature.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
73 words
A shower storage system comprising a water storage tank, a hot water storage tank, a mixing valve downstream of said water and hot water storage tanks, means for controlling the mixing valve to obtain water at a desired temperature, a pump downstream of said mixing valve, a shower head, and means for controlling the pump, said means for controlling the pump including means for producing controlled oscillating discharge pressures from said shower head.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
73 words
A shower storage system comprising a water storage tank, a hot water storage tank, a mixing valve downstream of said water and hot water storage tanks, means for controlling the mixing valve to obtain water at a desired temperature, a pump downstream of said mixing valve, a shower head, and means for controlling the pump, said means for controlling the pump including means for producing controlled oscillating discharge pressures from said shower head.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The shower system according to claim 7 in which said mixing valve control means includes means for providing controlled oscillating discharge temperatures.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-09-25 | 1993-03-27 | 1993-09-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-09-25 | 1997-03-27 | 1997-09-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-09-25 | 2001-03-27 | 2001-09-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |