Fixture for a sink

Abstract

A dual-purpose fixture for a sink or wash basin, incorporating both a water tap and a hand dryer. The water tap has a spout arranged to project over the basin of the sink, and the hand dryer incorporates two or more hand-dryer nozzles—at least one for each of a user's hands. The left-hand nozzle is located on the left-hand side of the spout and the right-hand nozzle is located on the right-hand side of the spout, specifically so that the spout acts as a dividing partition between the two hand-dryer nozzles. This encourages correct usage of the hand-dryer. The fixture may be fitted to a sink or wall-mounted above the sink.

1 . A fixture for a sink, the fixture incorporating a water tap and a hand dryer, the water tap comprising a spout arranged to project over the basin of the sink, and the hand dryer comprising two or more hand-dryer nozzles—at least one for each of a user's hands; wherein each left-hand nozzle is located on the left-hand side of the spout and each right-hand nozzle is located on the right-hand side of the spout such that the spout acts as a dividing partition between the left-hand and right-hand nozzles. 
     
     
         2 . The fixture according to  claim 1 , wherein the left-hand and right-hand nozzles are positioned on respective parts of the fixture which extend laterally away from the spout. 
     
     
         3 . The fixture according to  claim 2 , comprising a plurality of said left-hand and right-hand nozzles extending laterally along said respective parts of the fixture. 
     
     
         4 . The fixture according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 i) an opposing pair of said left-hand nozzles arranged on the left side of the spout for directing air onto the front and back of a user's left hand as it is passed—with open palm—in between the opposing nozzles, and   ii) an opposing pair of said right-hand nozzles arranged on the right hand side of the spout for directing air onto the front and back of a user's right hand as it is passed—with open palm—in between the nozzles.   
     
     
         5 . The fixture according to  claim 4 , wherein the opposing left hand and right hand nozzles are positioned on respective opposing parts of the fixture which extend laterally away from the spout. 
     
     
         6 . The fixture according to  claim 5 , comprising a plurality of said opposing left-hand nozzles extending laterally along said respective opposing parts of the fixture and a plurality of said opposing right hand nozzles extending along said respective opposing parts of the fixture. 
     
     
         7 . The fixture according to  claim 2 , wherein the nozzles are arranged in one or more rows along the respective part of the fixture. 
     
     
         8 . The fixture according to  claim 2 , wherein said laterally extending parts of the fixture each comprise a supply duct, the respective nozzle(s) on that part of the fixture extending axially along the wall of the supply duct so as to extend across the width of the user's hand when it is held—palm open—in front of the nozzles, each supply duct communicating at its inlet end—being the end nearer the user's respective thumb in use—with a motor-driven fan for driving an axial airflow through the duct, serially to each of the nozzles. 
     
     
         9 . The fixture according to  claim 8 , wherein the supply ducts each communicate with the motor-driven fan via an air duct running through the spout. 
     
     
         10 . The fixture according to  claim 9 , wherein the supply ducts are laterally-extending branches of said air duct running through the spout. 
     
     
         11 . The fixture according to  claim 2 , wherein said parts of the fixture and the spout all lie in a common plane. 
     
     
         12 . The fixture according to  claim 2 , wherein each nozzle is in the form of an elongate slit, less than lmm in width, extending along the respective part of the fixture. 
     
     
         13 . An arrangement comprising: a sink in combination with a fixture according to  claim 1 , the fixture being fitted with the spout projecting over the basin of the sink, the hand dryer nozzles on the fixture being fluidly connected to the pressure side of a motor-driven fan for forcing airflow through the nozzles to dry a user's hands. 
     
     
         14 . The arrangement according to  claim 13 , wherein the motor-driven fan is configured to force airflow through the nozzles at an exit speed which exceeds 100 m/s. 
     
     
         15 . The arrangement according to  claim 13 , wherein the spout extends downwardly at angle between 5 and 15 degrees.