The present invention relates, in general, to bidets used for washing one""s bottom and sex organs and, more particularly, to a bidet provided with separate units for washing one""s anal region, pudendal region and oral cavity and selectively used with a conventional electric hot-water supply system or existing hot and cold water supply pipes installed in a toilet, thus allowing a person to selectively wash the anal region, pudendal region and oral cavity while controlling the pressure and temperature of the water jet from the separate washing units.
As well known to those skilled in the art, several types of bidets and their accessories are proposed and used. For example, Korean U.M. Laid-open Publication No. 96-7783 discloses a bidet capable of supplying warm water without having any external electric power source. Korean U.M. Publication No. 96-10621 discloses a water flow control device for bidets with a solenoid valve being provided at the coupling of pipes for separate anal and pudendal washing nozzles. Korean U.M. Publication No. 96-25 discloses a nozzle assembly for bidets with a self-cleaning means for automatically flushing the nozzles of a bidet at the beginning and ending of an washing operation of the bidet. Korean U.M. Laid-open Publication No. 96-11293 discloses a nozzle device for bidets with a rack and pinion mechanism capable of selectively moving one washing nozzle. Korean U.M. Laid-open Publication No. 96-5258 discloses a toilet bowl seat with a pudendal washing nozzle being interiorly fixed at the front portion of a toilet bowl. Korean U.M. Publication No. 94-7731 discloses a bidet for toilet bowls with one nozzle capable of selectively washing one""s anal or pudendal region.
However, the known bidets and their accessories have the following problems.
First, it is necessary for women to wash the anal and pudendal regions after every excretion. However, in the known bidets, one movable washing nozzle, provided at the rear portion of a toilet bowl, moves forward and backward within a predetermined range so as to upwardly eject pressurized water onto the anal and pudendal regions, so the nozzle regrettably fails to precisely eject water onto the anal or pudendal region, thus reducing the anal or pudendal washing effect and causing a hygienic problem. In an effort to solve the problem, a toilet bowl seat, with a pudendal washing nozzle being interiorly and fixedly positioned at the front portion of a toilet bowl, is proposed as disclosed in Korean U.M. Laid-open Publication No. 96-5258. However, the problem experienced in the above toilet bowl seat is that the position of the pudendal washing nozzle is not adjustable but is fixed, thus failing to appropriately meet different positions of user""s pudendal regions.
Second, the known nozzle assemblies, used for washing the anal region, are typically designed for moving forward and backward by electric force, thus being necessarily provided with an electric power supply device. However, such an electric power supply device complicates the process of installing the bidets and may cause a short circuit. Another problem of such nozzle assemblies resides in that the nozzles have to be periodically washed, otherwise they may easily malfunction.
Third, the known bidet, disclosed in Korean U.M. Laid-open Publication No. 96-17783, is designed for ejecting pressurized water, supplied from existing hot and cold water supply pipes already installed in a toilet, through nozzles with the temperature of warm water being controlled by a warm water controller without using any external electric power. The above bidet has a simple construction, thus being easily installed in a toilet. However, in the above bidet, the pressure and temperature of water are commonly controlled by one warm water controller, so the pressure and temperature of water are easily changeable, thus making the bidet inconvenient to users in practical use.
Fourth, the known bidets are also problematic in that they are exclusively used for washing one""s anal and pudendal regions.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made with the above problems occurring in the prior art in mind, and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a bidet, which is provided with separate units for washing one""s anal region, pudendal region and oral cavity and allows a user to selectively wash the anal region, pudendal region and oral cavity using water from existing hot and cold water supply pipes installed in a toilet while appropriately controlling the pressure and temperature of the water jet from the separate washing units without using any external electric power source.
The second object of the present invention is to provide a bidet, of which the anal washing nozzle is fixed at the rear portion of a toilet bowl and is designed for being opened or closed by the pressure of water without using any external electricity, thus being almost free from breakage and improving durability, and lengthening the expected life span of the bidet.
The third object of the present invention is to provide a bidet, of which both units for washing one""s pudendal region and oral cavity are not fixed but are movable by a user, thus being commonly usable by many people, and the handles of the pudendal and mouth washing units are designed in accordance with human technology, thus allowing a user to easily use the units without overstraining one""s hand and being convenient to users.
The fourth object of the present invention is to provide a bidet, of which the control box and the anal washing nozzle are designed for being detachably held on a toilet bowl, thus being easily installed on an existing toilet bowl and being easily changeable with a new one.
The fifth object of the present invention is to provide a bidet, which has a changeable filter installed at the pipe connector of the hot and cold water hoses, thus effectively filtering off impurities from water supplied from existing hot and cold water supply pipes and almost completely preventing any breakage due to such impurities, and lengthening the expected life span of the bidet.
The sixth object of the present invention is to provide a bidet, of which the temperature control valve and the flow control valve, both being included in the control box, are positioned in a way such that a user easily reaches and operates the two valves.
In order to accomplish the above objects, a bidet according to the present invention comprises: a control box attached to a side portion of a toilet bowl and used for controlling the bidet; an anal washing unit positioned inside a rear portion of the toilet bowl and connected to the control box; a hand-operated pudendal washing unit movably held on a front portion of the control box and connected to the control box through a hose; and a hand-operated mouth washing unit connected to the control box through a hose capable of allowing the mouth washing unit to reach a desired position remote from the toilet bowl.