DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a shower water dispenser which may consist of a hand shower or a shower head, according to claim 1.

To pass the time while having a shower, it is now becoming customary to listen to music, podcasts or radio programmes using audio speakers that can be external to the shower cubicle, integrated directly into its walls or that are portable and waterproof. The audio data are, by now, almost always transmitted by smartphones connected to the speakers via wireless connections, which facilitates the realisation of waterproof devices, as the need for sockets for the connection cables, which inevitably expose the electronic components of the speakers to water, has been eliminated.

Given a growing interest in this mode of listening while having a shower, specifically in the younger age groups, one can easily assume that it will become more and more established.

There is therefore a need to be able to provide users with an easily usable and inexpensive solution that makes this activity simple, while obviating the problems that the aforementioned modes present.

For example, speakers placed outside the shower cubicle certainly cannot guarantee satisfactory sound quality, as the roar of the water covers their sound and only extremely expensive showers comprise waterproof speakers in their walls. In addition, the fact of having the music player inside allows a convenient management of the volume and the choice of the song to listen to.

One of the solutions proposed in the state of the art is described in patent document US 2016/0129464 A1 wherein a device adapted to be connected to a water dispenser of a shower and comprising hydroelectric energy generation means, such as a turbine, for powering various electronic components, including an audio speaker, which can be used to play the music while the user is washing himself is disclosed. However, this device is external to the dispenser and constitutes an unnecessary encumbrance that can cause discomfort to the user, especially if the dispenser consists of a hand shower that inevitably must be easily movable.

The most important document of the state of the art is US 5140254 A, which discloses (cited references are referred to said document):

- an upper structure (the back of housing 12);

- a plateau (shower head 26) comprising a plurality of nozzles; - a partition provided with a water opening (the wall separating the waterway from the interior of housing 12, that is the wall forming the pipe visible in fig. 3), wherein the partition is included between the upper structure and the plateau (fig. 3), so that the upper structure and the partition configure between them a water-proof compartment (the interior of housing 12 is waterproof against the exit of water from the pipe forming the waterway), wherein the plateau and the partition configure between them an outflow compartment, inside said water-proof compartment there being present an audio speaker (implicit, radio 30 is useless without a speaker) communicating with the outside of the hand shower, the audio speaker being powered by at least one hydroelectric energy’ generation means (generator 44) which has an inlet vent, adapted to receive water from a supply pipe, and an outlet nozzle, adapted to channel water through the water opening into the outflow compartment (fig. 3), so that it can be dispensed by the nozzles.

Further documents of the prior art are: WO 2016/000455 Al, KR 20160000649 U and CN 113057505 A. The main aim of the present invention is to realise a device of the type described in that document that is nevertheless much less cumbersome.

In particular, the invention proposes to provide a shower dispenser, which can be a hand shower or a shower head, comprising an audio speaker powered by means of hydroelectric energy generation means capable of overcoming the aforementioned problems. This solution is possible thanks to the structure of the dispenser, which includes a partition between an upper structure and a plateau, so that the audio speaker and the relative power means can be placed inside a waterproof compartment created between the upper structure and the partition, allowing water to be dispensed to the user via an outflow compartment created between the partition and the plateau. It should be emphasised that the invention is suitable for use on both hand showers and shower heads which, specifically, are two types of water dispensers that can also be present in a shower at the same time, the first being movable and connected via a hose to the water system, the second being fixed on a wall or on the ceiling of the shower and connected to the water system by means of a rigid pipe.

A dispenser according to the invention allows the audio speaker and its supply means to be housed inside, eliminating the need to allocate space inside the shower cubicle to house said speaker and constitutes a simple and inexpensive solution that allows music or any audio file to be listened to while showering.

Further features of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

The invention will be better defined through the description of a possible embodiment thereof, given solely by way of non-limiting example, with the aid of the attached drawings, wherein:

- fig. 1 illustrates an exploded view of a dispenser according to the invention in the form of a hand shower; - figs. 2A and 2B illustrate two perspective views of the partition included in the dispenser of fig. 1;

- figs. 3A and 3B illustrate two perspective views of the upper structure included in the dispenser of fig. 1; - fig. 4 illustrates the partition of figs. 2A and 2B on which the audio speaker and the turbine for the generation of hydroelectric energy are installed;

- figs. 5 and 6 illustrate two different sections of the structure consisting of the partition mounted on the plateau, with the audio speaker.

- fig. 7 illustrates a section of the complete dispenser. The dispenser according to the invention will be described, for the sake of simplicity, in its embodiment consisting of a hand shower, always considering that all the arguments still apply also to the shower heads, since the only significant difference between these two embodiments consists in the fact that the hand showers are provided with a handle 7 to provide a grip to the user, while the shower heads do not require this element, being directly fixed to the wall by means of a rigid pipe.

The fundamental elements that make up the dispenser according to the invention are visible in the exploded view of fig. 1. A partition 3 is included between an upper structure 2 and a plateau 4, so that the upper structure 2 and the partition 3 configure between them a waterproof compartment 16 (fig. 7) and that the plateau 4 and the partition 3 configure between them an outflow compartment 15.

Inside the waterproof compartment 16 there being the hydroelectric energy generation means 5, in the present case consisting of a turbine, as well as the audio speaker 6, which is housed at an upper audio opening 10 present on the partition 3. Said opening 10 is axially aligned with a lower audio opening 11 present on the plateau 4, giving the audio speaker 6 direct access to the external environment to allow the sound to travel freely and without encountering obstacles that would make the audio quality unsatisfactory. The audio openings 10, 11 can be advantageously covered with a net or a grid to decrease the amount of water that can accidentally reach the audio speaker 6. The latter may be provided with an internal memory for storing audio files or may include wireless connection means, such as a Bluetooth ^® antenna, for receiving audio files to be played from external control devices, such as smartphones or computers. It can also be provided with an integrated interface that allows the user to easily and quickly control the volume and the playback.

In a particular embodiment, the audio speaker 6 is provided with a battery that is recharged directly by the turbine 5 to prevent small discontinuities in the flow of water from shutting it down.

As can be seen in fig. 4, the turbine 5 is provided with an inlet vent 12 connected to a supply pipe of the water system that supplies the shower and an outlet nozzle 13 adapted to channel the water through a drain opening 9 present in the partition 3 (see fig. 2B), inside the outflow compartment 15, so that it can be supplied to the user by means of a plurality of nozzles 8 present in the plateau 4 and visible in fig. 1. The latter, at its inner wall, can advantageously have a rubberised sheet (not illustrated) provided with perforated projections at the nozzles 8. The sheet may be shaped in such a way that it also acts as a gasket, preventing water from escaping through holes other than the nozzles 8.

In the present embodiment, the supply pipe of the water system is adapted to be inserted inside a handle 7, integral with the upper structure 2, which is illustrated in detail in fig. 3A-3B.

The structure is configured in such a way that the partition 3 forms a watertight seal means between the waterproof compartment and the outflow compartment 15, in order to prevent the electronic components from being damaged and the stagnation of moisture. At the region where the two audio openings 10, 11 meet, visible in figs. 5- 6, a gasket can advantageously be provided to increase the watertightness of the waterproof compartment. This gasket may be part of the aforementioned rubberised sheet, which may have a rib at the region surrounding the lower audio opening 11. The rib can also rise towards the upper audio opening 10, so as to surround the outer walls of the audio speaker 6, blocking its lateral movements.

In order to minimise any leakages that may occur over the lifetime of the device, both the turbine 5 and the audio speaker 6 may be waterproof. As can be seen in figs. 2A-2B, the partition 3 can advantageously provide a depression 14 at the water opening 9 adapted to facilitate the flow of the water inside the outflow compartment 15, increasing its volume.

Advantageously, to keep the audio speaker 6 firmly in place, the upper structure 2 has on its inner wall a thickness (not illustrated) adapted to abut on said speaker 6 so as to retain it at the upper audio opening 10.

From what has been described, it is therefore evident that the dispenser referred to in the invention constitutes a compact and economical solution to the problems known in the state of the art, compacting an audio speaker and its supply means within the normal dimensions of a hand shower or shower head. Obviously, the technical design details and the components used, known in the state of the art and in evolution, can be the most varied, provided that all fall within the inventive concept defined by the following claims.