Aerator for faucets or the like

Claim 1

IN AN AERATOR: A GENERALLY CIRCULAR PLATE HAVING A SERIES OF APERTURES ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY OF THE PLATE ENCIRCLING A CENTRAL AREA THAT IS FREE FROM OPENINGS; SAID PLATE HAVING AN AXIALLY OFFSET FLANGE EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY; A DISC HAVING A SINGLE CENTRAL APERTURE, AND PERIPHERALLY SEATING ON THE PLATE FLANGE, SAID DISC DEFINING WITH SAID PLATE A SHALLOW SPACE BETWEEN THE DISC AND THE PLATE; SAID CENTRAL APERTURE BEING DISPOSED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE SAID CENTRAL AREA OF SAID PLATE; AND A HOLLOW CASING HAVING AN UPPER INLET OPENING AND A LOWER OUTLET OPENING; SAID CASING HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE INWARDLY DIRECTED FLANGE FORMING A SURFACE FACING THE INLET OPENING OF SAID CASING; SAID CASING FLANGE FORMING A SEAT FOR THE PLATE FLANGE WHEREBY THE PLATE IS SUSPENDED SO THAT IT PROJECTS WITH CLEARANCE TOWARD THE OUTLET END OF THE CASING FROM THE LEVEL OF SAID CASING FLANGE; SAID CASING HAVING PROVISIONS FOR ATTACHMENT TO A NOZZLE; SAID CASING ALSO HAVING A SERIES OF LATERAL AIR INLET OPENINGS LOCATED AT LEAST PARTIALLY ABOVE AND PARTIALLY BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE PLATE WHEREBY AIR IS ENTRAINED IN THE JET STREAMS CREATED BY THE APERTURES OF THE PLATE AND AT THE AREA OF SAID APERTURES.