U.S. patent application number 11/179875 was filed with the patent office on 2007-01-18 for gas control knob that produces vibration and sound during rotation.
This patent application is currently assigned to Chung-Chin Huang. Invention is credited to Ching-Ying Huang, Hsin-Hsiung Huang, Hsin-Ming Huang, Pao-Hui Huang, Ching-Chieh Hung, Chung-Sheng Yen.
Application Number | 20070012308 11/179875 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37660551 |
Filed Date | 2007-01-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070012308 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Huang; Ching-Ying ; et
al. |
January 18, 2007 |
Gas control knob that produces vibration and sound during
rotation
Abstract
A gas control knob includes a valve body, a valve cap, a
rotation lever, a cam, and a spring. Thus, when the rotation lever
is rotated to regulate the gas flow rate, the engaging tooth of the
cam is axially and reciprocally movable on the toothed face of the
track of the valve cap synchronously to produce vibration and sound
during rotation of the rotation lever, thereby providing a
notification function to the user so as to assure the safety when
using the gas stove.
Inventors: |
Huang; Ching-Ying;
(Taichung, TW) ; Huang; Hsin-Ming; (Taichung,
TW) ; Huang; Hsin-Hsiung; (Taichung, TW) ;
Huang; Pao-Hui; (Taichung, TW) ; Yen;
Chung-Sheng; (Taichung, TW) ; Hung; Ching-Chieh;
(Taichung, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NIKOLAI & MERSEREAU, P.A.
900 SECOND AVENUE SOUTH
SUITE 820
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Assignee: |
Chung-Chin Huang
Taichung
TW
|
Family ID: |
37660551 |
Appl. No.: |
11/179875 |
Filed: |
July 12, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/39N |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16K 35/027 20130101;
F24C 3/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/039.00N |
International
Class: |
F24C 3/00 20060101
F24C003/00 |
Claims
1. A gas control knob, comprising: a valve body; a valve cap
mounted on the valve body and having an end face formed with an
annular track having a toothed face and at least one opening; a
rotation lever rotatably mounted and axially movable in the valve
cap; a cam secured on the rotation lever to rotate and move
therewith and having a periphery formed with a protruding engaging
tooth; wherein the cam is movable between a first position where
the engaging tooth of the cam is limited in the opening of the
valve cap so that the cam is secured in the valve cap and a second
position where the engaging tooth of the cam is detached from the
opening of the valve cap and detachably engaged with the toothed
face of the track of the valve cap.
2. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
valve body has an inside formed with a mounting hole, the gas
control knob further comprises a throttling cock rotatably mounted
in the mounting hole of the valve body and having a distal end
formed with an insertion recess, and the rotation lever has a first
end formed with an insert that is movable with the rotation
lever.
3. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 2, wherein when
the rotation lever is movable toward the valve body, the insert of
the rotation lever is inserted into the insertion recess of the
throttling cock so that the throttling cock is rotated by the
rotation lever, and when the rotation lever is movable outward
relative to the valve body, the insert of the rotation lever is
detached from the insertion recess of the throttling cock so that
the throttling cock is detached from and not rotated by the
rotation lever.
4. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 2, wherein the end
face of the valve cap is formed with an annular abutting
groove.
5. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 4, wherein the
first end of the rotation lever is formed with an annular shoulder
positioned in the abutting groove of the valve cap, thereby
preventing the rotation lever from being detached from the valve
cap.
6. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
valve cap has a central portion formed with a rotation hole, and
the rotation lever is rotatably mounted in the rotation hole of the
valve cap and axially movable in the rotation hole of the valve
cap.
7. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 4, wherein the
track of the valve cap has a diameter greater than that of the
abutting groove.
8. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 2, wherein the end
face of the valve cap is juxtaposed to an end face of the mounting
hole of the valve body.
9. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
toothed face of the track of the valve cap is substantially
arc-shaped.
10. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
track of the valve cap has a protruding block located adjacent to
the toothed face.
11. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 10, wherein the
protruding block of the track of the valve cap is substantially
arc-shaped.
12. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 10, wherein the
mounting hole having an end face formed with a first stepped hole
and a second stepped hole, and the protruding block of the track of
the valve cap is juxtaposed to the second stepped hole of the valve
body.
13. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 12, wherein the
second stepped hole has a diameter greater than that of the first
stepped hole.
14. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 10, wherein the
track of the valve cap has two spaced openings located between the
toothed face 36 and the protruding block.
15. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 2, wherein the
rotation lever has a second end protruding from the valve cap.
16. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 2, further
comprising a spring mounted in the valve body and biased between
the valve body and the cam to push the cam toward the valve cap so
that the insert of the rotation lever is detached from the
insertion recess of the throttling cock and the engaging tooth 44
of the cam is limited in the opening of the valve cap.
17. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 4, wherein the
cam is movably and rotatably mounted in the abutting groove of the
valve cap.
18. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 2, wherein the
insert of the rotation lever is detached from the insertion recess
of the throttling cock when the cam is movable to the first
position, and the insert of the rotation lever is inserted into the
insertion recess of the throttling cock when the cam is movable to
the second position.
19. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 2, wherein when
the rotation lever is rotated to drive the throttling cock, the
engaging tooth of the cam is axially and reciprocally movable on
the toothed face of the track of the valve cap synchronously to
produce vibration and sound during rotation of the rotation
lever.
20. The gas control knob in accordance with claim 2, wherein the
toothed face of the valve cap provides a temporary positioning
effect to the engaging tooth of the cam during rotation of the
rotation lever, so that the rotation of the rotation lever is
controlled step by step.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a gas control knob, and
more particularly to a gas control knob for a gas stove or
range.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A conventional gas control knob for a gas stove comprises a
valve body, a valve cap mounted on the valve body, a throttling
cock rotatably mounted in the valve body to regulate the gas flow
rate, and a rotation lever rotatably mounted on the valve cap and
connected to the throttling cock to control movement of the
throttling cock so as to regulate the gas flow rate. However, the
rotation lever is rotatable on the valve cap freely without any
temporary positioning effect, so that the user cannot control the
gas flow rate exactly by rotating the rotation lever, thereby
causing inconvenience to the user in regulating and controlling the
gas flow rate of the gas stove.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided
a gas control knob, comprising a valve body, a valve cap mounted on
the valve body and having an end face formed with an annular track
having a toothed face and at least one opening, a rotation lever
rotatably mounted and axially movable in the valve cap, and a cam
secured on the rotation lever to rotate and move therewith and
having a periphery formed with a protruding engaging tooth. The cam
is movable between a first position where the engaging tooth of the
cam is limited in the opening of the valve cap so that the cam is
secured in the valve cap and a second position where the engaging
tooth of the cam is detached from the opening of the valve cap and
detachably engaged with the toothed face of the track of the valve
cap.
[0006] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
a gas control knob that produces vibration and sound during
rotation.
[0007] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
gas control knob, wherein when the rotation lever is rotated to
regulate the gas flow rate, the engaging tooth of the cam is
axially and reciprocally movable on the toothed face of the track
of the valve cap synchronously to produce vibration and sound
during rotation of the rotation lever, thereby providing a
notification function to the user so as to assure the safety when
using the gas stove.
[0008] A further objective of the present invention is to provide a
gas control knob, wherein the toothed face of the valve cap
provides a temporary positioning effect to the engaging tooth of
the cam during rotation of the rotation lever, so that the rotation
of the rotation lever is controlled step by step by the user so as
to regulate the gas flow rate exactly.
[0009] Further benefits and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed
description with appropriate reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a gas control knob
in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a partially perspective assembly view of the gas
control knob as shown in FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valve cap of the gas
control knob as shown in FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a partially side plan cross-sectional view of the
valve cap of the gas control knob as shown in FIG. 3;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a front plan view of the valve cap of the gas
control knob as shown in FIG. 3;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a plan cross-sectional view of the valve cap of
the gas control knob taken along line 6-6 as shown in FIG. 5;
and
[0016] FIG. 7 is a locally enlarged view of the valve cap of the
gas control knob as shown in FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a
gas control knob in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the
present invention comprises a valve body 10, a valve cap 30, a
rotation lever 40, a cam 43, and a spring 20.
[0018] Referring to FIGS. 1-7, the valve body 10 is provided with a
gas inlet hole 11 and a gas outlet hole 12 and has an inside formed
with a mounting hole 13 connected between the gas inlet hole 11 and
the gas outlet hole 12. The mounting hole 13 of the valve body 10
has an end face formed with a first stepped hole 130 and a second
stepped hole 131 having a diameter greater than that of the first
stepped hole 130.
[0019] A throttling cock 14 is rotatably mounted in the mounting
hole 13 of the valve body 10 and has a throttling channel (not
shown) that can change the connection area between the gas inlet
hole 11 and the gas outlet hole 12 so as to regulate the gas flow
rate. The throttling cock 14 has a distal end formed with an
insertion recess 140.
[0020] The valve cap 30 is mounted on the valve body 10 and has an
end face juxtaposed to the end face of the mounting hole 13 of the
valve body 10. The valve cap 30 has a central portion formed with a
rotation hole 31. The end face of the valve cap 30 is formed with
an annular abutting groove 32 co-axial with the rotation hole 31
and having a diameter greater than that of the rotation hole 31.
The end face of the valve cap 30 has a periphery formed with an
annular track 33 having a diameter greater than that of the
abutting groove 32. The track 33 of the valve cap 30 has a
substantially arc-shaped toothed face 36, a substantially
arc-shaped protruding block 35 located adjacent to the toothed face
36 and juxtaposed to the second stepped hole 131 of the valve body
10, and two spaced openings 34 located between the toothed face 36
and the protruding block 35.
[0021] The rotation lever 40 is rotatably mounted in the rotation
hole 31 of the valve cap 30 and axially movable in the rotation
hole 31 of the valve cap 30. The rotation lever 40 has a first end
formed with an insert 42 that is movable with the rotation lever
40. Thus, when the rotation lever 40 is movable toward the valve
body 10, the insert 42 of the rotation lever 40 is inserted into
the insertion recess 140 of the throttling cock 14 so that the
throttling cock 14 is rotated by the rotation lever 40, and when
the rotation lever 40 is movable outward relative to the valve body
10, the insert 42 of the rotation lever 40 is detached from the
insertion recess 140 of the throttling cock 14 so that the
throttling cock 14 is detached from and not rotated by the rotation
lever 40. The first end of the rotation lever 40 is formed with an
annular shoulder 41 positioned in the abutting groove 32 of the
valve cap 30, thereby preventing the rotation lever 40 from being
detached from the valve cap 30. The rotation lever 40 has a second
end protruding from the valve cap 30.
[0022] The cam 43 is secured on the rotation lever 40 to rotate and
move therewith and is movably and rotatably mounted in the abutting
groove 32 of the valve cap 30. The cam 43 has a periphery formed
with a protruding engaging tooth 44. The cam 43 is movable between
a first position where the insert 42 of the rotation lever 40 is
detached from the insertion recess 140 of the throttling cock 14
and the engaging tooth 44 of the cam 43 is limited in either one of
the two spaced openings 34 of the valve cap 30 so that the cam 43
is secured in the valve cap 30 and a second position where the
insert 42 of the rotation lever 40 is inserted into the insertion
recess 140 of the throttling cock 14 and the engaging tooth 44 of
the cam 43 is detached from the openings 34 of the valve cap 30 and
detachably engaged with the toothed face 36 of the track 33 of the
valve cap 30.
[0023] The spring 20 is mounted in the first stepped hole 130 of
the valve body 10 and biased between the valve body 10 and the cam
43 to push the cam 43 toward the valve cap 30 so that the insert 42
of the rotation lever 40 is detached from the insertion recess 140
of the throttling cock 14 and the engaging tooth 44 of the cam 43
is limited in either one of the two spaced openings 34 of the valve
cap 30.
[0024] In operation, when the rotation lever 40 is pressed to move
toward the valve body 10 to overcome the elastic force of the
spring 20, the insert 42 of the rotation lever 40 is inserted into
the insertion recess 140 of the throttling cock 14, and the
engaging tooth 44 of the cam 43 is detached from the openings 34 of
the valve cap 30. Then, the rotation lever 40 is rotated to rotate
the cam 43 so that the engaging tooth 44 of the cam 43 is rested on
the toothed face 36 of the track 33 of the valve cap 30. After the
rotation lever 40 is released, the cam 43 is pushed toward the
valve cap 30 by the restoring force of the spring 20, so that the
engaging tooth 44 of the cam 43 is engaged with the toothed face 36
of the track 33 of the valve cap 30.
[0025] Accordingly, when the rotation lever 40 is rotated to drive
the throttling cock 14 to regulate the gas flow rate, the engaging
tooth 44 of the cam 43 is axially and reciprocally movable on the
toothed face 36 of the track 33 of the valve cap 30 synchronously
to produce vibration and sound during rotation of the rotation
lever 40, thereby providing a notification function to the user so
as to assure the safety when using the gas stove. In addition, the
toothed face 36 of the valve cap 30 provides a temporary
positioning effect to the engaging tooth 44 of the cam 43 during
rotation of the rotation lever 40, so that the rotation of the
rotation lever 40 is controlled step by step by the user so as to
regulate the gas flow rate exactly.
[0026] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its
preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood
that many other possible modifications and variations can be made
without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is,
therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will
cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true
scope of the invention.
* * * * *