U.S. patent application number 13/852948 was filed with the patent office on 2013-10-03 for fill valve.
The applicant listed for this patent is John Lockhart, Thomas Muday. Invention is credited to John Lockhart, Thomas Muday.
Application Number | 20130255788 13/852948 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49233261 |
Filed Date | 2013-10-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130255788 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Muday; Thomas ; et
al. |
October 3, 2013 |
FILL VALVE
Abstract
A fill valve is provided that includes an inner assembly and a
float operatively coupled to the inner assembly. The fill valve
also includes a distributor having an inner volume, the distributor
is rotatably coupled to the inner assembly. The distributor is
freely rotatable 360 degrees. The fill valve further includes a
cover having an inner volume, the cover coupled to the distributor.
The inner assembly is retained within the inner volumes of the
distributor and the cover. The inner assembly includes a body
member with a threaded end, an outer body member, ballast, a stem,
a diaphragm, a valve cap, a pilot cap and a float arm.
Inventors: |
Muday; Thomas; (Scottsdale,
AZ) ; Lockhart; John; (Ridgway, CO) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Muday; Thomas
Lockhart; John |
Scottsdale
Ridgway |
AZ
CO |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
49233261 |
Appl. No.: |
13/852948 |
Filed: |
March 28, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61616858 |
Mar 28, 2012 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
137/2 ;
137/409 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E03D 1/304 20130101;
Y10T 137/7358 20150401; Y10T 137/0324 20150401; E03D 1/32
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
137/2 ;
137/409 |
International
Class: |
E03D 1/30 20060101
E03D001/30 |
Claims
1. A fill valve comprising: an inner assembly; a float operatively
coupled to the inner assembly; a distributor having an inner
volume, the distributor rotatably coupled to the inner assembly,
wherein the distributor freely rotatable 360 degrees; and a cover
having an inner volume, the cover coupled to the distributor,
wherein the inner assembly is retained within the inner volumes of
the distributor and the cover.
2. The fill valve of claim 1, wherein the cover is adjustably
coupled to the distributor, wherein the height of the cover is
adjustable in response to rotating the cover with respect to the
distributor.
3. The fill valve of claim 2, wherein the height of the inner
volume between the cover and the distributor is adjusted in
response to adjusting the height of the cover.
4. The fill valve of claim 2, further comprising detents, wherein
detents create a discrete rotational positions of the cover that
correspond to discrete lengths of vertical movement of the
cover
5. The fill valve of claim 1, wherein the inner assembly comprises
a body member with a threaded end, an outer body member, ballast, a
stem, a diaphragm, a valve cap, a pilot cap and a float arm.
6. The fill valve of claim 1, further comprising a fill line
coupled to the distributor, the fill line comprising a fill port, a
fill tube and a hook member.
7. The fill valve of claim 6, wherein the hook member comprises an
anti-siphon device to present backflow from the tank to the
overflow tube.
8. The fill valve of claim 1, further comprising an over center
spring, wherein the over center spring assists in closing a pilot
valve of the fill valve.
9. A fill valve comprising: an inner assembly; a float operatively
coupled to the inner assembly; a distributor having an inner
volume, the distributor rotatably coupled to the inner assembly,
wherein the distributor freely rotatable 360 degrees; and a cover
having an inner volume, the cover coupled to the distributor,
wherein: the inner assembly is retained within the inner volumes of
the distributor and the cover; and the inner assembly, the float
and the cover are axially symmetric.
10. The fill valve of claim 9, wherein the cover is adjustably
coupled to the distributor, wherein the height of the cover is
adjustable in response to rotating the cover with respect to the
distributor.
11. The fill valve of claim 10, wherein the height of the inner
volume between the cover and the distributor is adjusted in
response to adjusting the height of the cover.
12. The fill valve of claim 10, further comprising detents, wherein
detents create a discrete rotational positions of the cover that
correspond to discrete lengths of vertical movement of the
cover
13. The fill valve of claim 9, wherein the inner assembly comprises
a body member with a threaded end, an outer body member, ballast, a
stem, a diaphragm, a valve cap, a pilot cap and a float arm.
14. The fill valve of claim 9, further comprising a fill line
coupled to the distributor, the fill line comprising a fill port, a
fill tube and a hook member.
15. The fill valve of claim 14, wherein the hook member comprises
an anti-siphon device to present backflow from the tank to the
overflow tube.
16. The fill valve of claim 9, further comprising an over center
spring, wherein the over center spring assists in closing a pilot
valve of the fill valve.
17. A method of using a fill valve, the method comprising:
installing a fill valve in a tank of a water closet; rotating a
distributor of the fill valve into the proper orientation after
installation of the fill valve; and adjusting the water level
height in response to adjusting the height of a cover of the fill
valve with respect to the distributor.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein adjusting the height of the
cover comprises rotating the cover.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein rotating the cover comprises
rotating the cover discrete to discrete rotational positions
corresponding to discrete lengths of vertical movement of the
cover.
20. The method of claim 17, further comprising assisting the
closing of a pilot valve of the fill valve with an over center
spring.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[S]
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application entitled "FILL VALVE," Ser. No. 61/616,858, filed Mar.
28, 2012, now pending, the disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated entirely herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The following relates generally to fill valves for water
closets.
[0004] 2. State of the Art
[0005] Generally the use of valves for water closets is well known.
Often these valves are attached to a float, wherein the float
serves to operate the opening and closing of the valve. As the
water closet is flushed, the water in the tank lowers and the float
drops with the dropping water level. As the float drops, the valve
is opened and water from the supply line enters into the tank of
the water closet and refills it. The float rises with the rising
water level in the tank. When the valve reaches a predetermined
level toward the top of the valve, the float operates to close the
valve to prevent more water from the supply line to enter the
tank.
SUMMARY
[0006] An embodiment of the fill valve comprises an inner assembly;
a float operatively coupled to the inner assembly; a distributor
having an inner volume, the distributor rotatably coupled to the
inner assembly, wherein the distributor is freely rotatable 360
degrees; and a cover having an inner volume, the cover coupled to
the distributor, wherein the inner assembly is retained within the
inner volumes of the distributor and the cover.
[0007] Another embodiment of a fill valve comprises an inner
assembly; a float operatively coupled to the inner assembly; a
distributor having an inner volume, the distributor rotatably
coupled to the inner assembly, wherein the distributor is freely
rotatable 360 degrees; and a cover having an inner volume, the
cover coupled to the distributor, wherein the inner assembly is
retained within the inner volumes of the distributor and the cover;
and the inner assembly, the float and the cover are axially
symmetric.
[0008] Yet another embodiment includes a method of using a fill
valve, the method comprising installing a fill valve in a tank of a
water closet; rotating a distributor of the fill valve into the
proper orientation after installation of the fill valve; and
adjusting the water level height in response to adjusting the
height of a cover of the fill valve with respect to the
distributor.
[0009] The foregoing and other features, advantages, and
construction of the present disclosure will be more readily
apparent and fully appreciated from the following more detailed
description of the particular embodiments, taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with
reference to the following figures, wherein like designations
denote like members.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fill valve for a water
closet.
[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a fill valve for a
water closet.
[0013] FIG. 3A is a side view of a fill valve for a water
closet.
[0014] FIG. 3B is another side view of a fill valve for a water
closet.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a section view of a fill valve for a water closet
taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3B.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a close-up section view of a top portion of the
fill valve taken along line 5 of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0017] A detailed description of the hereinafter described
embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented
herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference
to the Figures listed above. Although certain embodiments are shown
and described in detail, it should be understood that various
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present disclosure
will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components,
the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement
thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0018] As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted
that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the
singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents, unless
the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0019] Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1-5 depict an embodiment of
a fill valve 11 for use with a water closet is shown. Fill valve 10
comprises a distributor 12, a cover 14, a body member 16, with a
threaded end 15, an outer body member 18, a float 20, ballast 22, a
stem 24, a diaphragm 26, a valve cap 28, a pilot cap 30 and a float
arm 32. According to embodiments, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5,
diaphragm 26 is coupled between an end of the stem 24 and the valve
cap 28. Further, a weep 25 is coupled between the diaphragm 26 and
valve cap 28, wherein the weep allows for relief of water pressure.
The valve cap 28 is coupled to the pilot cap 30. The pilot cap 30
and float arm 32 are operatively coupled together, wherein the
float arm 32 is rotatably mounted onto the pilot cap 30. In this
way, the diaphragm 26, the valve cap 28, the pilot cap 30 and the
float arm 32 are operatively coupled to the top of stem 24.
Additionally, a needle 72 and an over center spring 70 are coupled
to the float arm 32. The needle 72 operates to open and close a
pilot valve 74. The pilot valve operates to allow water flow into
the tank in order to fill it. A portion of the water that fills the
tank is diverted to the fill port 40, which is then directed
through fill line 46 to fill the bowl.
[0020] Stem 24, body member 16 and outer body member 18 are coupled
together such that the shaft portion of stem 24 is within the shaft
portion of body member 16 and the shaft portion of body member 16
is within the shaft portion of outer body member 18. This forms an
inner assembly 34. The inner assembly 34 operates to connect to
water inlet line and contains the mechanical portions of the valve
10 for operation. The water intake line is connected to the
threaded portion 15 of the body member 16 and the water flows into
the stem 24. The diaphragm 26, valve cap 28, pilot cap 30, float
arm 32, needle 72 and pilot valve 74 operate to control the water
flow.
[0021] The float 20 and ballast 22 are operatively coupled to the
outer body member 18. The float 20 is slidably coupled to the outer
body member 18, and in at least this way float 20 is operatively
coupled to the outer body member 18. The float is also operatively
coupled to the float arm 32, wherein as the float arm 32 rotates up
and down in response to the float 20 sliding up and down on the
outer body member 18. The float 20 includes a float arm engagement
member 21 with a slot 23. The float arm may be removably coupled
float arm engagement member 21 by extending into the slot 23. This
engagement provides the mechanical connection to rotate the float
arm in response to the float 20 sliding up and down on the outer
body member 18. The rotation of the float arm 32 operates the pilot
valve 74 by moving a needle 72 in and out of the pilot valve 74,
thereby moving it between an open and a closed position, wherein
the open position is associated with water flowing from the inlet
line into the tank and the closed position which prevents water
flowing into the tank from the inlet line. The ballast 22 operates
to provide stability to the float 20 during operation.
[0022] The distributor 12 of fill valve 10 is rotatably coupled to
the inner assembly and the cover is adjustably coupled to the
distributor, such that all of the components of the inner assembly
34, with the exception of the threaded end 15 of the body member
16, are retained between the distributor 12 and the cover 14. A
tank gasket 36 and tank nut 38 may be coupled to the threaded end
15 during installation of the fill valve 10 in a tank.
[0023] The distributor 12 comprises a fill port 40 that is coupled
to a refill tube 42 on a first end 41 of the refill tube 42. On a
second end 43 of the refill tube 42, a hook member 44 is coupled to
form a complete fill line 46. The hook member 44 includes an
anti-siphon device that prevents backflow or siphoning from the
tank to the overflow tube. In embodiments, the anti-siphon device
is a hole in the hook 44, wherein the position of the anti-siphon
hole prevents water spraying out during bowl refill.
[0024] In operation, the distributor 12 diverts some of the tank
fill water to the toilet bowl to fill the bowl after a flush,
thereby maintaining a certain water level within the bowl.
Distributor 12 as previously discussed is rotatably coupled to the
inner assembly 34, wherein it is able to freely rotate on about an
axis 50. This rotation of the distributor 12 allows for a person to
install the valve into the tank (this is accomplished by putting
the lower, externally threaded portion 15 of the body member 16 of
the fill valve 10 through a hole in the bottom of the tank and
attaching a nut 38 to the thread portion 15, thereby securing the
fill valve in an operational position in the tank) without the need
to simultaneously align the port 40 of the distributor 12 with the
bowl fill component. A tank gasket 36 may be utilized as a typical
tank gasket in order to prevent leakage of water from within the
tank through the hole in the tank that the threaded portion 15
extends through.
[0025] As indicted previously, the cover 14 is adjustably coupled
to the distributor 12. The adjustment of the cover 14 on the
distributor 12 adjusts the fill height of the tank of the water
closet. Accordingly, the higher the cover 14 is on the distributor
12, the greater the fill height in the tank. The cover 14 and the
distributor 12 each have an inner volume that increases as the
height of the cover 14 on the distributor 12 increases. The height
of the cover 14 is set by spinning the entire valve cover 12 about
a vertical axis. Spinning in one direction lowers the height and
spinning in the opposed direction increases the height. This
simplifies use for the end user as they do not need to make 2
different adjustments (gross & fine) as on some valves. Also,
the valve 10 does not hit against the side walls of the tank as
other valves which are not axially symmetric and require rotating
partially on their axis to make gross height adjustments. If the
valve has been installed without leaving room to rotate, the
existing prior art valves may need to be partially uninstalled to
fix this and make the adjustment. Embodiments of a fill valve 10
are not limited in this way.
[0026] The cover 14 and the distributor 12 may include height
adjustment detents 60 shown in broken lines of FIG. 3A. As the
cover 14 is turned, a certain amount of force is required in order
to rotate the cover 14 because of the engagement of the detents 60.
The detents 60 produce a "click" sound as the cover is rotated and
the detents 60 disengage and then engage with adjacent detents,
creating a discrete rotational position of the cover 14 that
corresponds to discrete lengths of the vertical movement of the
cover 14. These detents 60 serve as a friction lock to keep the
cover 14 in its set height position, wherein the height of the
inner volume is determined by the height of the cover 14 with
respect to the distributor 12. The detents 60 also serve to give
the installer a tactical feel for setting this adjustment. For
example, in some embodiments, each click between detents 60
represents a predetermined distance of rotation, such as, but not
limited to, a 1/4 inch change in cover height. Carrying this
example further, if the user wishes to raise the water level in the
tank by 3/4'' they turn the float counter clockwise until they feel
three clicks.
[0027] The valve 10 is symmetrical around its vertical axis. This
enables easy assembly and enables the installer to install the
valve 10 without simultaneously aligning the valve while tightening
the bottom tank nut 38. The distributor 12 and the fill line 46 are
not axially symmetrical, however, the installer still does not need
to be concerned with orientation of the fill valve 10 during
installation because the distributor 12 and the fill line 46 rotate
in order to ensure proper function of the fill valve 10.
Accordingly, the valve 10 can be installed without regard for the
rotational position of the threaded valve body.
[0028] The valve 10 may further comprise an over center spring 70.
Valve modulation can occur as the tank fills and the float buoyancy
increases to the point that it exceeds the force to close the pilot
valve. It should be noted that the force to close the pilot valve
is proportional to water pressure. The over center spring 70 allows
the force created by float buoyance to build to a point that it
actuates the over center spring 70 and then has the additional
force necessary to close the pilot valve at any pressure within the
operating range of the valve 10.
[0029] The components defining any fill valve 10 may be formed of
any of many different types of materials or combinations thereof
that can readily be formed into shaped objects provided that the
components selected are consistent with the intended operation of a
fill valve 10. For example, the components may be formed of:
rubbers (synthetic and/or natural) and/or other like materials;
glasses (such as fiberglass) carbon-fiber, aramid-fiber, any
combination thereof, and/or other like materials; polymers such as
thermoplastics (such as ABS, Fluoropolymers, Polyacetal, Polyamide;
Polycarbonate, Polyethylene, Polysulfone, and/or the like),
thermosets (such as Epoxy, Phenolic Resin, Polyimide, Polyurethane,
Silicone, and/or the like), any combination thereof, and/or other
like materials; composites and/or other like materials; metals,
such as zinc, magnesium, titanium, copper, iron, steel, carbon
steel, alloy steel, tool steel, stainless steel, aluminum, any
combination thereof, and/or other like materials; alloys, such as
aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, magnesium alloy, copper alloy, any
combination thereof, and/or other like materials; any other
suitable material; and/or any combination thereof
[0030] Furthermore, the components defining any fill valve 10 may
be purchased pre-manufactured or manufactured separately and then
assembled together. However, any or all of the components may be
manufactured simultaneously and integrally joined with one another.
Manufacture of these components separately or simultaneously may
involve extrusion, pultrusion, vacuum forming, injection molding,
blow molding, resin transfer molding, casting, forging, cold
rolling, milling, drilling, reaming, turning, grinding, stamping,
cutting, bending, welding, soldering, hardening, riveting,
punching, plating, and/or the like. If any of the components are
manufactured separately, they may then be coupled with one another
in any manner, such as with adhesive, a weld, a fastener (e.g. a
bolt, a nut, a screw, a nail, a rivet, a pin, and/or the like),
wiring, any combination thereof, and/or the like for example,
depending on, among other considerations, the particular material
forming the components. Other possible steps might include sand
blasting, polishing, powder coating, zinc plating, anodizing, hard
anodizing, and/or painting the components for example.
[0031] Another embodiment includes a method of using a fill valve.
The method comprises installing a fill valve in a tank of a water
closet; rotating a distributor of the fill valve into the proper
orientation after installation of the fill valve; and adjusting the
water level height in response to adjusting the height of a cover
of the fill valve with respect to the distributor.
[0032] The method also includes adjusting the height of the cover
which comprises rotating the cover. Further, rotating the cover
comprises rotating the cover to discrete rotational positions
corresponding to discrete lengths of vertical movement of the
cover.
[0033] Further, in some embodiments, the method comprises assisting
the closing of a pilot valve of the fill valve with an over center
spring.
[0034] While this disclosure has been described in conjunction with
the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many
alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to
those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of
the present disclosure as set forth above are intended to be
illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as
required by the following claims. The claims provide the scope of
the coverage of the present disclosure and should not be limited to
the specific examples provided herein.
* * * * *