U.S. patent application number 14/306236 was filed with the patent office on 2015-12-17 for plastic faucet for recreational vehicles or mobile homes.
The applicant listed for this patent is Gary Wu. Invention is credited to Gary Wu.
Application Number | 20150361643 14/306236 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54835693 |
Filed Date | 2015-12-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150361643 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu; Gary |
December 17, 2015 |
PLASTIC FAUCET FOR RECREATIONAL VEHICLES OR MOBILE HOMES
Abstract
A plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RV or
mobile home may include an integrally molded water control body
which has a mixing seat in its center, and the inner space of the
mixing seat is separated into a housing chamber and a valve
chamber, wherein the housing chamber is connected with a water
outlet tube and the valve chamber is connected with hot and cold
water inlet tubes; a balancing valve interposed into valve chamber
of the water control body, and the balancing valve has fixing
pieces with screw slots which allow it to be securely connected to
valve chamber with screw bolts as the valve chamber also have screw
holes at corresponding locations; and a control rod that is
interposed into the mixing seat and controls water flow by
resisting against the balancing valve with a fixed valve plate.
Inventors: |
Wu; Gary; (Changhua,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wu; Gary |
Changhua |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
54835693 |
Appl. No.: |
14/306236 |
Filed: |
June 17, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/677 ; 137/801;
251/155 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E03C 1/0403 20130101;
Y10T 137/9464 20150401 |
International
Class: |
E03C 1/04 20060101
E03C001/04 |
Claims
1. A plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RV and
mobile home, comprising a water control body, a balancing valve and
a control rod, wherein the water control body is integrally molded
with plastic materials, the water control body has in its center a
mixing seat, the mixing seat has in its center a housing chamber
and a separate valve chamber, the housing chamber is connected with
a water outlet tube, the valve chamber is connected with a hot
water inlet tube and a cold water inlet tube, and the outer
periphery of the valve chamber has a plurality of screw holes;
wherein the balancing valve is interposed into valve chamber of the
water control body, the outer periphery of the balancing valve is
provided with a plurality of fixing pieces, each fixing piece has a
screw slot that allows a screw bolt to pass through, and the screw
slots of the fixing pieces and the screw holes of the valve chamber
allow the balancing valve to be securely restricted into the valve
chamber with the application of a plurality of screw bolts; and
wherein one end of the control rod resists against a fixed valve
plate and a movable vale plate, the control rod is interposed into
the mixing seat, and the control rod controls water flow by
resisting against the balancing valve with the fixed valve
plate.
2. The plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RV and
mobile home of claim 1, wherein the balancing valve has a left
water flow channel and a right water flow channel formed in its
inside, a pressure adjustment member is installed between the left
water flow channel and the right water flow channel, the pressure
adjustment member has a wall member that separates the left water
flow channel and the right water flow channel, and the pressure
adjustment member balances the water pressures in the left water
flow channel and the right water flow channel as the pressure
adjustment member is able to be pushed and moved by the force from
the water flow channel with higher water pressure.
3. The plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RV and
mobile home of claim 2, wherein the left water flow channel and the
right water flow channel are each provided with a soft cap and a
spring, and the spring pushes the soft cap to resist against the
fixed valve plate.
4. The plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RV and
mobile home of claim 2, wherein the bottom portions of the left
water flow channel and the right water flow channel are each
provided with a O-ring, and the O-rings prevent water leakage
between the balancing valve and the hot and cold water inlet
tubes.
5. The plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RV and
mobile home of claim 1, wherein the control rod has a cover member,
the cover member covers the mixing seat of the water control body,
the top inner periphery of the mixing seat has more or more than
one concaved notches, the outer periphery of the cover member has
one or more than bulged blocks, and the bulged blocks are
interposed into the corresponding concaved notches to prevent
mutual dislocation caused by the rotational movement of the cover
member or the mixing seat.
6. The plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RV and
mobile home of claim 1, wherein the water control body has a
threaded section located at the external surface of the mixing
seat, the threaded section connects the water control body to a
housing part, and the control rod is enclosed into and connected
with a handle grip.
7. The plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RV and
mobile home of claim 1, wherein the water outlet tube is connected
with an extension tube and the extension tube is further connected
with a water outlet faucet.
8. The plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RV and
mobile home of claim 1, wherein the water outlet tube is connected
with an extension tube and the extension tube is further connected
with a shower head.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a plastic faucet structure,
and more particularly to a plastic faucet structure with a built-in
balancing valve that is used in recreational vehicles or mobile
homes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] RVs or mobile homes commercially available in the U.S.
market are required to use plastic water faucets due to the thin
wall structures of RVs and mobile homes. A conventional plastic
water faucet structure, as illustrated in FIG. 8, mainly consists
of a water control body 40 that is made of plastic material, a
valve core 50, and a balancing valve 60. The water control body 40
has a mixing chamber 41 located in its center, and the mixing
chamber 41 is connected with a water outlet tube 42, a cold water
inlet tube 43, and a hot water inlet tube 44. The valve core 50
controls the water flow rate into the mixing chamber 41 from both
the cold water inlet tube 43 and the hot water inlet tube 44, and
therefore regulates the water flow rate as well as the temperature
of the water that flows out from the water outlet tube 42. The
valve core 50 has a housing member 51, the housing member 51 has a
housing chamber 511 located in its center and has an opening at its
bottom end, and the housing chamber 511 provides space for the
interposition of the balancing valve 60. The valve core 50 is
installed to the top portion of the water control body 40 and
encloses the mixing chamber 41, and this structure restricts the
balancing valve 60 to be properly positioned between the water
control body 40 and the valve core 50 by the function of balancing
valve in balancing the water pressures.
[0003] The above-described conventional structure of the plastic
faucet for RVs or mobile homes has obvious shortcomings and
requires further improvements. Firstly, as the water control body
40, the valve core 50, the balancing valve 60 are all made of
plastic materials, in addition the balancing valve 60 is simply
interposed into the housing chamber 511 from the bottom end of the
valve core 50, and the valve core 50 is then interposed into the
mixing chamber 41 of the water control body 40, further as the
plastic components of the water faucet structure has light weight
and are less rigid than copper counterparts, these plastic
components might not generate sufficient force to push the
balancing valve 60 downwards and balance the upward pressure
generated by the inlet water flow, thereby likely causing water
leakage problems. In addition, as the mixing chamber 41 of the
water control body 40 and the housing member 51 of the valve core
50 are all made of plastic materials, the inclusion of the housing
chamber 51 into the mixing chamber 41 would unnecessarily increase
the cost of materials and the complexity of assembly. Therefore,
there remains a need for a new and improved plastic faucet with a
built-in balancing valve for RVs and mobile homes.
[0004] The present invention provides a novel and improved plastic
faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RVs and mobile homes
that solves the above-mentioned problems. The novel and improved
plastic faucet was developed as a result of extensive research and
stringent evaluation, and is suitable for practical uses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention is intended to provide a novel and
improved plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RVs and
mobile homes to solve the above-mentioned problems associated with
conventional plastic water faucet for RVs and mobile homes.
[0006] The present invention provides a novel and improved plastic
faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RVs and mobile homes,
which comprises: a water control body, wherein the water control
body is integrally molded with plastic material, and the water
control body is formed with a mixing seat in its center, the mixing
seat has in its center a housing chamber and a valve chamber
separated from the housing chamber, the housing chamber is
connected with a water outlet tube, the valve chamber is connected
with a hot water inlet tube and a cold water inlet tube, and the
outer periphery of the valve chamber has a plurality of screw
holes; a balancing valve, wherein the balancing valve is interposed
into valve chamber of the water control body, and the outer
periphery of the balancing valve is provided with a plurality of
fixing pieces, each fixing piece has a screw slot that allows a
screw bolt to pass through, and this structure functions in
restricting the balancing valve to be properly interposed into the
valve chamber; a control rod, wherein one end of the control rod
resists against a fixed valve plate and a movable vale plate, the
control rod is interposed into the mixing seat, and controls water
flow by resisting with the fixed valve plate against the balancing
valve.
[0007] Further, the present invention has a left water flow channel
and a right water flow channel formed inside, a pressure adjustment
member installed between the left water flow channel and the right
water flow channel, the pressure adjustment member has a wall
member that separates the left water flow channel and the right
water flow channel and acts in balancing the water pressures as it
may slide towards the direction with lower pressure when being
pushed by water in the left water flow channel and the right water
flow channel.
[0008] Further, the left water flow channel and the right water
flow channel are each provided with a soft cap and a spring at the
end close the control rod, and the spring pushes the soft cap
against the fixed valve plate.
[0009] Further, the bottom areas of the left water flow channel and
the right water flow channel are each provided with a O-ring, and
the O-ring prevents water leakage between the balancing valve and
the hot and cold water inlet tubes.
[0010] Further, the control rod has a cover member, the cover
member covers the mixing seat of the water control body, the inner
periphery of top portion of the opening of the mixing seat has more
or more than one concaved notches, the outer periphery of the cover
member has one or more than bulged blocks, and the bulged blocks
are interposed into the corresponding concaved notches of the
mixing seat to prevent dislocation caused by the rotational
movement of the cover member which would cause mutual dislocation
between the cover member and the mixing seat.
[0011] Further, the water control body has a thread section located
at the external surface of the mixing body portion, the threaded
section connects the water control body to a housing part, and the
control rod is enclosed into and connected with a handle grip.
[0012] Further, the water outlet tube is connected with an
extension tube and the extension tube may be connected to a water
outlet faucet.
[0013] Further, the water outlet tube is connected with an
extension tube and the extension tube may also be connected to a
shower head.
[0014] The first major objective of the present invention is to
provide a novel and improved plastic faucet with a built-in
balancing valve for RVs and mobile homes, which comprises a water
control body that has a housing chamber and a valve chamber located
inside of the mixing seat, the housing chamber is connected with a
water output tube, and the valve chamber is connected with a hot
water inlet tube and a cold water inlet tube. In addition, the
balancing valve is interposed into the valve chamber, and is
securely connected to the valve chamber by applying screw bolts
through the screw holes of the balancing valve and the screw holes
of the valve chamber. This structural design provides sufficient
structural strength to prevent potential movement of the balancing
valve driven by forces generated with high water pressure, thereby
preventing water leakage at the connection sites between the
balancing valve and the water control body.
[0015] The second major objective of the present invention is to
provide a novel and improved plastic faucet with a built-in
balancing valve for RVs and mobile homes which comprises a water
control body that is integrally molded with plastic materials, and
the balancing valve installed into the valve chamber of the water
control body, this structural design thus reduces the number of
components to be installed, allows simply and convenient
installation of the balancing valve, and saves on manufacturing
costs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view in the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view in the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a first viewing angle in the
present invention.
[0019] FIG. 4 is sectional view of a second viewing angle in the
present invention.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a third viewing angle in the
present invention.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a schematic view in the present invention when
being used.
[0022] FIG. 7 is another schematic view in the present invention
when being used.
[0023] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a conventional plastic
faucet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0024] In order to further understand the goal, characteristics and
effect of the present invention, a number of embodiments along with
the drawings are illustrated as following:
[0025] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the plastic faucet with a
built-in balancing valve for RVs and mobile homes of the present
invention comprises a water control body 10, a balancing valve 20,
and a control rod 30, wherein the water control body 10 is
integrally molded with plastic materials, and has a mixing seat 11
located in the center of the water control body 10. A housing
chamber 111 is formed inside of the mixing seat 11, and the housing
chamber 111 is connected with a water outlet tube 12 that extends
outward from the bottom end of the water control body 10. In
addition, the mixing seat 11 has a plural of concaved notches 112
formed at its top inner surface. Further, the mixing chamber 11 has
a separated valve chamber 13 and the valve chamber 13 is connected
with a hot water inlet tube 14 and a cold water inlet tube 15, and
the outer periphery of the valve chamber 13 is provided with a
plurality of screw holes 131. The balancing valve 20 is interposed
into the valve chamber 13 of the water control body 10, and is
provided with a plurality of fixing pieces 21, wherein the fixing
pieces 21 each has a screw slot 211 and function in restricting the
balancing valve 20 to be properly interposed into the valve chamber
13 by locking a plurality of screw bolts 22 through the screw slots
211 of the fixing pieces 21 into the corresponding screw holes 141
located at the outer periphery of the valve chamber 13. The valve
chamber 20 has in its center a left water flow channel 23 and a
right water flow channel 24, and a pressure adjustment member 25.
The pressure adjustment member 25 has a wall member 251 that
separates the water in the left water flow channel 23 and right
water flow channel 24, and the wall member 251 may slide towards
either the left water flow channel 23 or the right water flow
channel 24 depending on the water pressure from both flow channels
23/24 to reach a position at where the water pressures from both
sides are balanced. In addition, both the left water flow channel
23 and the right water flow channel 24 resist against the bottom
portion of the valve chamber 13, and each contacting area is
provided with a O-ring 231/241 to prevent water leakage between the
balancing valve 20 and the hot water inlet tube 14, and between the
balancing valve 20 and the cold water inlet tube 15, respectively.
The control rod 30 is interposed into the mixing seat 11 from the
top end, is provided with a fixed valve plate 31 and a movable
valve plate 32 to its lower end, and the fixed valve plate 31
resists against the balancing valve 20 to control the water flow.
In addition, the left water flow channel 23 and the right water
flow channel 24 each has a soft cap 26 that encloses a spring 27 at
the top end of the balancing valve 20 in close proximity to the
control rod 30, and the spring 27 push the soft caps 26 to achieve
close contact with the fixed valve plate 31 of the control rod 30.
Further, the control rod 30 is provided with a cover member 33
which covers the mixing seat 11 of the water control body 10, and
the cover member 33 has at least one bulged block 331 located at
the outer periphery of the cover member 33, which may be interposed
into and engaged with the concaved notches 112 of the mixing seat
11 to achieve a secure connection between the cover member 33 to
the mixing seat 11 by preventing the rotational movement of the
cover member 33.
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the balancing valve 20 has a
pressure adjustment member 25 installed between the left water flow
channel 23 and the right water flow channel 24, the top portion of
the left water flow channel 23 and the right water flow channel 24
are each installed with a spring 27 and then a soft cap 26, the
bottom end of balancing valve 20 are provided with two O-rings
231/241, and the balancing valve 20 is then interposed into the
valve chamber 13 of the water control body 10 from the opening
located at the top end of the valve chamber 13. Further, the left
water flow channel 23 is connected to the hot water inlet tube 14,
and the right water flow channel 24 is connected to the cold water
inlet tube 15, respectively. The balancing valve 20 may then be
properly positioned by applying a plurality of screw bolts 22
through the screw slots 211 of the fixing pieces 21 into the screw
holes 131 of the valve chamber 13 to achieve close contact and
secure connection between the balancing valve 20 and the valve
chamber 13. The fixed valve plate 31 and the movable valve plate 32
of the control rod 30 are then interposed into the housing chamber
111 of the mixing seat 11, allowing the fixed valve plate 31 to
resist against the soft caps 26 of the balancing valve 20. The
control rod 30 is then installed to the movable valve plate 21, the
top opening of the mixing seat 11 is covered with the cover member
33 of the control rod 30, with the connection of the cover member
33 to the mixing seat 11 being further secured by interposing the
bulged blocks 331 of the cover member 33 into the concaved notches
112 of the mixing seat 11 which effectively prevents the mutual
rotational movement between the cover member 33 and the mixing seat
11. In addition, the control rod 33 protrudes upwards out from the
cover member 33, and operation of the control rod 33 may result in
the rotational movement of the movable valve plate 32 which
therefore controls water flow by adjusting the positions of the
movable valve plate 32 and the fixed valve plate 31, thereby
controlling the amount of cold and hot water flown from the cold
water inlet tube 15 and the hot water inlet tube 14 into the left
water flow channel 23 and the right water flow channel 24 of the
balancing valve 20, respectively. The water may then be properly
mixed after flowing through the movable valve plate 32, the fixed
valve plate 31, and the housing chamber 111, and then flow out from
the water outlet tube 12 of the water control body 10. When the
water pressures from the hot and cold water inlet tubes 14/15 are
different, the built-in pressure adjusting member 25 inside the
balancing valve 20 will slide toward the water flow channel (23 or
24) with the lower water pressure as the wall member 251 is being
pushed with unbalanced forces, and this structural design functions
in achieving an appropriate mixing ratio of hot and cold water and
a stable temperature of the water output from the water control
body 10.
[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the water control body 10 has a
threaded section 113 located at the external surface of the mixing
seat 11 portion, and the threaded section 113 allows the water
control body 10 to be screwed into and securely connected to a
housing part 16. In addition, the control rod 30 is enclosed into
and connected with a handle grip 34, and operation of the handle
grip 34 may subsequently control the movement of the control rod
30. Due to the thin wall structure of the RVs and mobile homes, the
U.S. requires all RVs and mobile homes to use water faucets made of
plastic materials. In this situation, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the
mixing seat 11 of the water control body 10 is installed to the
outside of the wall structure of a RV or mobile home, allowing the
housing part 16 and the handle grip 34 to be accessible from the
outside of the wall structure, and the water control body 10 is
securely connected to the wall structure at the site of
installation of hot and cold water inlet tubes 14/15. In addition,
the water outlet tube 12 is connected with an extension tube 17,
and the extension tube 17 may further be connected to a faucet 18
which is securely installed to the wall structure and is accessible
from the outside of the wall structure. Alternatively, the
extension tube 17 may also be connected to a shower head 19 that is
installed to the wall structure and is accessible from the outside
of the wall structure, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The structural
design of the present invention thus allows the water supply by
installing the water control body 10 and water output faucet 18 or
shower head 19 to one side of the wall structure, and also prevents
water leakage by applying screw bolts 22 through the screw slots
211 of the balancing valve 20 into the screw holes 131 of the valve
chamber 13 to ensure the close contact and the secure connection
between the balancing valve 20 and the water control body 10.
[0028] With the above-mentioned structural characteristics and
technical improvements, the present invention has the following
advantages comparing with the conventional plastic faucets.
Firstly, the water control body 10 has a housing chamber 111 and a
valve chamber 13 located inside of the mixing seat 11, the housing
chamber 111 is connected with a water output tube 12, and the valve
chamber 13 is connected with a hot water inlet tube 14 and a cold
water inlet tube 15. In addition, the balancing valve 20 is
interposed into the valve chamber 13, and is securely connected to
the valve chamber 13 by applying screw bolts 22 through the screw
slots 211 of the balancing valve 20 into the screw holes 131 of the
valve chamber 13. This structural design provides sufficient
structural strength to prevent potential movement of the balancing
valve 20 driven by forces generated with high water pressure,
thereby preventing water leakage at the connection sites between
the balancing valve 20 and the water control body 10. Secondly, the
water control body 10 is integrally molded with plastic materials,
and the balancing valve 20 installed into the valve chamber 13 of
the water control body 10, this structural design thus reduces the
number of components to be installed, allows simply and convenient
installation of the balancing valve 20, and saves on manufacturing
costs.
[0029] To summarize, the present invention describes a novel
plastic faucet with a built-in balancing valve for RVs and mobile
homes with a breakthrough in structural design, further improved
new components, and advantages in practical use and commercial
exploration. The present invention has not been disclosed in any
published materials and thus possesses novelty.
[0030] The above description and illustrations are for one
exemplary embodiment of the present invention and should not be
considered to limit the scope of the implementation of the present
invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be
considered as limited by the forgoing description, but includes any
equivalents.
* * * * *