JP3043224B2 - Bathtub inlet cover - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathtub inlet cover.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a bathtub, a suction port has conventionally been provided on a wall of the bathtub, bath water is taken out from the suction port, and then returned to the bathtub. For example, in the case of an air bubble bath, the bath water is taken out from an inlet provided in the bath wall through an outlet pipe, returned through a return pipe with the pumping force of the pump, and then spouted out of the jet port into the bath as a jet flow containing bubbles. It has become.

[0003] In this case, if the suction port is open, the hair or the like is sucked out through the suction port. Therefore, it is general to attach a suction port cover having a plurality of relatively small water holes to the suction port. It is being done.

FIG. 5A shows a conventional example of the inlet cover (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-197610). As shown in the drawing, the suction port cover is provided on the back side of a cover body 110 formed by fastening a plate-shaped surface member 100 and a back surface member 102 with a fastening member 106 having a male screw shaft 104 and a nut 108. A plurality of elastic engaging claws 112 are provided in a standing state, and the elastic engaging claws 112 are elastically engaged with the engaged portions 116 of the partner member 114 so that the suction port cover is elastically fitted to the partner member 114. I have to.

However, in the case of this suction port cover, it is troublesome that the front surface member 100 and the back surface member 102 must be fastened by the fastening fitting 106 and the nut 108.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5A, the cover main body 118 is formed of a single member made of resin, and a resin-made elastic engaging claw 112 is provided on the back surface thereof. Molded integrally in the state, or Fig. 5 (B) (B)
As shown in FIG. 7, the metal front member 122 and the resin back member 124 are integrated (for example, the front member 122 is set in a mold when the back member 124 is formed, and the rear member 124 is formed. And a cover body 1 formed by integrating them.
26, a resin elastic engaging claw 112 integrally extending from the back surface has been proposed.

[0007]

In the case of the suction port cover of FIG. 5B, there is an advantage that the work of fastening the front surface member and the back surface member is not necessary as in the suction port cover of FIG. , These suction port covers are all provided with the elastic engagement claws 112.
Are formed integrally with the cover bodies 118 and 126, the following problems occur.

That is, when a force is applied to the suction port cover with the suction port cover attached to the suction port, or when the suction port cover is erroneously stepped on with the suction port cover removed, the elastic engaging claw 112 is greatly deformed or damaged. Problem.
Thus, when the elastic engagement claws 112 are greatly deformed and damaged, the entire suction port cover must be replaced with a new one.

In particular, when the elastic engaging claws 112 are made of resin, the shape and positional accuracy of the elastic engaging claws 112 are not always sufficient, so that the fitting of the elastic engaging claws 112 to the mating member varies, and depending on the case, the fitting is performed. Therefore, there arises a problem that a large operation force is required, or a fitting force between the suction port cover and the mating member is insufficient in the mounted state.

Further, when the elastic engaging claws 112 are made of resin, when they are repeatedly immersed in hot water and cooled after draining the bathtub water, that is, when they are repeatedly heated and cooled, or when expanded and expanded. It tends to deform when shrinkage is repeated,
There is a problem that the fitting to the mating member gradually changes.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such problems. Thus, the invention of the present application is a suction port cover attached to a suction port provided on a bathtub wall, and (a) a plurality of water passages smaller than the suction port, which are disposed so as to cover the suction port. A cover body having a hole, (b) a plurality of engaging claws which are independent members separate from the cover body, and which are attached to the back surface of the cover body in an upright state; (D) biasing the engaging claw around the mounting shaft toward an engaged portion of a mating member to which the suction port cover is to be mounted, the mounting shaft being rotatable inward and outward with respect to the cover main body. And a spring member.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the suction port cover according to the first aspect, the engaging claw is provided on an outer surface side with an engaging portion for engaging the engaged portion of the counterpart member, and the spring is The member urges the engaging claw outwardly (claim 2).

According to still another aspect of the present invention, in the suction port cover according to the first or second aspect, the engaging claw is excessively large in an outward direction by contacting a tip of the engaging claw with a back surface of the cover body. A stopper is provided for preventing the door from opening.

[0014]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the engaging claw is formed as a separate member independent of the cover main body, and is rotatably mounted on the cover main body with the mounting shaft. The spring member urges in the direction of engagement with the mating member.

In the present invention, since the engaging claw is rotatable around the mounting shaft, the engaging claw can be engaged even when a force is applied to the suction port cover in a state of being attached to or removed from the suction port. Since the pawl can be rotated, the engaging pawl can be largely prevented from being plastically deformed or damaged unlike the conventional suction port cover.

Further, by the action of the spring member, the engaging claw can always be engaged with the engaged portion of the mating member with a constant elastic force. Further, even when the engaging claw is damaged, there is obtained an advantage that it is sufficient to replace only the engaging claw.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the engaging portion of the engaging claw is formed on the outer surface side, and the engaging claw is urged outward by a spring member. The engaged portion of the mating member can be formed directly on the inner peripheral surface of the mating member, and an advantage that the structure of the mating member can be simplified can be obtained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a stopper is provided on the engaging claw. According to the present invention, when the engaging claw is in a free state,
That is, it is possible to prevent the door from opening excessively in the state before being fitted to the mating member. Thus, each of the engaging claws can be easily elastically engaged with the mating member without raising each of the lying engaging claws one by one. That is, the inlet cover can be easily fitted and mounted on the inlet.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 2A, reference numeral 10 denotes a bubble bath, and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a suction port 14 is provided in the bathtub wall 12, and an extraction pipe 16 extends from the suction port 14.

The take-out tube 16 is for taking out the bathtub water to the outside. The bathtub water taken out through the take-out tube 16 is returned to the bathtub 10 through the return tube 17 by the pumping force of the pump 19, and the air is sucked. A jet 23 containing air sucked through the pipe 21 and containing air bubbles.
Squirted into the bathtub 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outlet pipe 16 is formed by an end fitting 18 and a flange fitting 20 so that the suction port 14 is formed.
It is connected to the. The end fitting 18 and the flange fitting 20 are provided with flanges 22 and 24, respectively. The bathtub wall 12 is formed between the inner and outer surfaces of the flanges 22 and 24 with the packing 26 interposed therebetween. The female screw 28 and the male screw 30 are tightly screwed.

A strainer 32 is accommodated inside the flange fitting 20 in a fitted state. A bulging portion 34 is formed on the inner surface of the opening-side end of the flange fitting 20.

The front surface (the left surface in FIG. 1) of the bulging portion 34 is a cam surface 36 whose inner diameter increases as it goes toward the opening end. The engagement concave portion 38 for engaging an engagement claw 50 (see FIG. 4) described later is formed in the boss.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a suction port cover. The suction port cover 40 has a shallow cup shape with a bottom as shown in FIG. 3, and includes a bottom portion 44 and a peripheral wall portion 46 which occupy most of the bottom portion. The bottom 44 and the peripheral wall 46 are provided with a plurality of water holes 4 smaller than the suction port 14.
8 are formed respectively.

The cover body 42 is formed of a single member (metal or resin), and a plurality of (four in this example) engaging claws 50 are attached to the back surface of the bottom portion 44 around the center thereof. .

These engaging claws 50 are made of independent members separate from the cover main body 42 as clearly shown in FIG. 4, and as shown in FIG. A portion 52 and a subsequent inclined cam surface 54 are formed. As the cam surface 54 moves toward the distal end, the cover body 4
2 is an inclined surface which shifts to the center side.

On the other hand, a fitting hole 56 is formed at the base end side of the engaging claw 50.
Is formed, and a stopper 60 is integrally formed subsequently thereto. The stopper 60 has a shape that spreads outward as it advances toward the base end.

On the other hand, on the back surface of the cover main body 42, a pair of projecting piece-shaped bearing portions 62 having fitting holes 56 are provided so as to correspond to the respective engaging claws 50. On the other hand, the engaging claw 50 is rotatably mounted via the mounting shaft 64.

More specifically, the mounting shaft 64 is inserted through the fitting portions 58 of the engaging claws 50 and the fitting holes 56 of the bearing portions 62.
The engaging claw 50 is rotatably connected to the cover main body 42 by the mounting shaft 64.

The mounting shaft 64 is prevented from being removed from the bearing 62 by a large-diameter head 66 formed integrally with the mounting shaft 64 and a retaining ring 70 elastically fitted in a groove 68 of the mounting shaft 64. I have.

That is, in this example, the large diameter head 66 formed on the mounting shaft 64 and the retaining ring 70 constitute a retaining means for the mounting shaft 64 from the bearing 62. This retaining means can be configured in other forms. In the case of the retaining means of this example, the attachment shaft 64 can be attached and detached with one touch, and the cost is inexpensive.

In FIG. 4B, reference numeral 72 denotes a torsion spring, and straight ends 74 extending from the coil-shaped main body are provided on the inner surface of the engagement claw 50 and the back of the cover main body 42, respectively. The engaging claw 50 is urged outwardly. In the free state, the tip end of the stopper 60 abuts on the back surface of the cover body 42, and the position of the engaging claw 50 is regulated by the abutting action.

Next, the operation of the suction port cover 40 of this embodiment will be described together with the procedure for detaching it. Inlet cover 40 of this example
As shown in FIG. 1A, in a state before attachment to the suction port 14, each engaging claw 50 is slightly outwardly wider than a state of being fitted into the suction port 14.

At this time, however, the cam surface 54 of the engaging claw 50 is in a state of facing the mating member, that is, the cam surface 36 of the flange fitting 20. The shape of the stopper 60 of each engagement claw 50 is determined in advance as such.

In this state, when the suction port cover 40 is pushed toward the suction port 14 as shown in FIG. 1B, the engaging claws 50 are guided by the cam surfaces 54 and 36 to cause the torsion spring 72 to move.
When the suction port cover 40 is further pushed in deeply against the urging force of the torsion spring 72, the respective engaging claws 50 are expanded by the urging force of the torsion spring 72, and the respective engaging projections 52 is engaged with the engaged concave portion 38 of the flange fitting 20. That is, in this state, the suction port cover 40 is fitted to the suction port 14.

In the case of the suction port cover 40 of the present embodiment, each engagement claw 50 engages with the engagement recess 38 of the flange fitting 20 under a substantially constant elastic force determined by the strength of the torsion spring 72, that is, the mating claw. Engage with the engaged recess of the member. That is, even if the shape, position, and the like of the engagement claws 50 are slightly varied, the suction port cover 40 is fitted into the suction port 14 with a substantially constant force.

Further, since the engaging claws 50 are independently rotatable, even if a slight force is applied to the suction port cover 40, the engaging claws 50 do not undergo plastic deformation, that is, permanent deformation. Further, even when each of the engaging claws 50 is damaged or deformed, there is an advantage that the original state can be restored by replacing only the engaging claws 50.

Further, since each of the engaging claws 50 is prevented from falling down by the stopper 60, the engaging claws 50 and the mating member are formed with the cam surfaces 54 and 36 which perform a guiding action at the time of fitting. There is an advantage that the suction port cover 40 can be easily attached to and detached from the suction port 14.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, but this is merely an example. For example, in the above example, the engaging portion is formed on the outer surface of the engaging claw 50 and is urged outward by a spring. However, in some cases, the engaging portion is formed on the inner surface side of the engaging claw 50, This can be urged in the inner surface direction by a spring, and based on the urging force, the engaging claw 50 can be engaged with the engaged portion of the mating member disposed at a position inside the engaging claw.

In the above example, the cover body is made of a single member. However, the cover body may be made up of a plurality of members, or may be made in a form other than the above example. Further, the present invention can be applied to a cover of a suction port for additional heating of a bathtub, and can be configured in variously modified forms without departing from the gist thereof.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a state before and after a suction port cover is attached to a suction port according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bubble tub including the inlet cover and the inlet cover alone.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the suction port cover in FIGS. 1 and 2 as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of an engagement claw of an inlet cover and an attachment structure thereof in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional inlet cover.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Bubble bathtub 12 Bathtub wall 14 Suction port 38 Engagement recessed part 40 Suction port cover 42 Cover main body 48 Water passage hole 50 Engagement claw 52 Engagement convex part 60 Stopper 64 Mounting shaft 72 Torsion spring

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A suction port cover attached to a suction port provided on a bathtub wall, comprising: (a) a plurality of water holes smaller than the suction port, which are disposed so as to cover the suction port. A cover main body; (b) a plurality of engaging claws which are separate members separate from the cover main body and which are attached to the back surface of the cover main body in an upright state; And (d) a spring member for urging the engaging claw around the mounting shaft toward an engaged portion of a mating member to which the suction port cover is to be mounted. A bathtub inlet cover comprising: 2. The suction port cover according to claim 1, wherein the engaging claw has an engaging portion on an outer surface side for engaging with an engaged portion of the mating member, and the spring member is provided with the engaging member. A suction port cover for a bathtub, wherein the claws are urged outward. 3. The suction port cover according to claim 1, wherein the engaging claw prevents the engaging claw from being excessively opened outward by bringing the tip into contact with the back surface of the cover body. A suction port cover for a bathtub, comprising a stopper.