Liquid Soap Dispensing System For Penal Institutions And The Like

Abstract

This invention relates to a plunger-type liquid soap dispensing unit for lavatories and the like, and more particularly, to a vandal-proof unit which, once installed, cannot be removed or disassembled from the soap outlet side of the soap dispensing unit.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention.

This invention resides in the field of liquid soap or liquid soap aerated and delivered as suds or lather, dispensing units for the lavatories and the like which are vandal-proof.

2. Prior Art.

Liquid soap dispensing systems found in the prior art consisted of devices which were designed to be installed, serviced, disassembled or removed from the soap user or lavatory side of a wall or partition.

When used in public lavatory facilities, such as found in gasoline stations, public buildings, penal institutions, and the like, such soap dispensing units must be capable of withstanding the hard use and abuse to which such facilities are typically subjected.

To limit the removal, disassembly and installation of such units to authorized personnel, specially designed features and/or locked cabinets are utilized. However, time and time again it has been shown that in spite of such precautions, such fasteners and locked cabinets are subject to tampering and/or removal by unauthorized persons which render such soap dispensing means inoperative.

In adapting liquid soap or suds dispensing systems for use in public institutions, such as air terminals, gas stations, schools, penal institutions and the like, care must be taken to design said device so it is tamper-proof. Losses caused by vandals represent large sums of money and the replacement of the fixtures often greatly exceeds their monetary value or the goodwill generated by making them available to the public.

In addition, when such a device is installed in prisons or jails, the problems associated with their removal are further compounded. Not only may the soap or suds dispenser be rendered inoperative or useless with regard to their intended function, but, when removed, are likely to be used as tools or weapons. Since most durable fixtures are constructed of relatively heavy metals, their potential use as a weapon presents a very real and serious threat to others, and may also be used to produce serious self-inflicted injuries as well. Consequently, it is highly desirable that such fixtures be designed so that they cannot be removed from the side which is accessible to the users of said facilities. However, said fixtures must be readily removable by authorized service personnel.

The invention described herein is easily installed by a plumber and is virtually impossible for unauthorized persons, such as vandals, to remove since it is secured to the wall or partition of the plumbing unit, such as found in a lavatory area, from the rear accessible only from the pipe chase area.

In order to effect repairs in a prison soap or suds dispensing unit found in the prior art, the plumber had to enter the prison cell. For safety reasons, prisoners occupying the cell were removed to another holding facility while repairs were made. This procedure was time-consuming, expensive and offered an opportunity for a breach of prison security. The present invention eliminates all of the above problems by providing for removal and/or installation of the unit for repair without requiring service personnel to enter the prison cell area.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

A vandal-proof, plunger-type finger-actuated soap dispensing system for penal institutions and the like.

A conventional plunger-type liquid soap dispensing valve, typically actuated by depressing it inward with the user's finger for the purpose of delivering a pre-measured amount of soap, or suds, is slideably mated with and partially contained within a housing.

An escutcheon is mounted on the backsplash or wall and typically located above the lavatory wash basin, and is anchored thereto from the back side of said backsplash or wall. The escutcheon is centrally bored to receive the front portion of the soap dispenser. The bored section adjacent to the escutcheon front portion of the bore is generally smooth, except for a slot or groove therein. The rear portion of the escutcheon bore on the other hand, is threaded.

The outermost portion of the valve housing has a protruding tongue adapted to be mated with the slotted or grooved portion of said escutcheon to prevent rotation of the soap dispenser as installed.

The outer portion of the valve housing is slideably mated into the relatively smooth bore of an externally-threaded pipe.

A flat disc with a centrally-disposed perforation slightly larger than the diameter of the rear portion of the body of the valve housing, and whose outer periphery is slightly larger than the externally threaded pipe, is placed over the end of the valve housing and is used as a ferrule retainer and as an end cap for the end of the externally-threaded pipe which protrudes into the pipe chase area.

A ring or ferrule fabricated from a suitably deformable material, such as copper, brass or a hard elastomeric substance or the like, is placed over the end portion of the valve housing and positioned in an abutting relationship to the ferrule retainer previously mated with said valve housing body.

An end cap or position nut is provided for the externally threaded pipe with a stepped bore where one bore is slightly larger than the diameter of the externally threaded pipe and the smaller unthreaded bore is slightly larger than the diameter of the rear portion of the valve housing. The end cap is mated with the valve housing and disposed in an abutting relationship to the ferrule. Tightening the position nut produces ferrule deformation effecting a strong seal and clamping force around the valve housing.

The front portion of the soap dispenser containing the soap valve dispensing port is passed into the pipe and positioned so that the end of valve housing is disposed in close abutted relationship to the outermost bored projection of said escutcheon. In this position, the plunger-actuating mechanism of the soap valve projects fully outwardly into its desired position in the lavatory, or soap dispenser user area.

After being positioned as previously described, a flare nut is placed over the end of the valve housing which projects into the pipe chase area from the end of the externally-threaded pipe. The end of the valve housing is then flared to receive the matching male flared surface of the soap supply control valve.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a plunger-actuated soap dispensing valve wherein the soap discharge port cannot be rotated from its position as installed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vandal-proof liquid soap or suds dispensing system having no dispenser fasteners exposed to the user area.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a liquid soap or suds dispensing system which can be installed, removed, disassembled, or serviced only from the pipe chase area which is not accessible to the lavatory user.

Another object of the invention is to provide a soap dispensing system which passes through the wall or partition from the pipe chase area to the user or lavatory area and is, at least, partially supported thereby by connection thereto.

Another important object of the invention is that it is inherently adaptable to an extremely wide range of wall or partition thicknesses.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an easily installable soap dispensing system which is compatibly connectable to a pressurized or gravity liquid soap supply system.

An important and still further object of the present invention is to provide valve housing support and alignment system which contacts the valve housing at a minimum of two points; thereby creating a ruggedized force-couple type support and alignment system.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sealing system around the valve housing to prevent soap leaks into and/or between the soap dispenser mounting wall or partition which can be substantially unnoticed for an unreasonable length of time.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, considered together with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the liquid soap dispensing system shown in section;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view shown partially in phantom, of the tongue of the soap valve housing and the mating groove of the escutcheon;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the front portion of the soap valve as it enters the valve housing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With continued reference to the drawings, the present invention is shown assembled and installed.

Installation of the vandal-proof soap dispensing system can only be accomplished from the pipe chase area. The pipe chase area is located behind the wall or partition 34 to which the lavatory facilities are typically mounted and through which the various plumbing facilities such as water pipes and drains pass.

The soap dispensing unit 15 consists of a liquid soap dispensing valve 11 which is mated with a valve housing 12. Typically, the valve 11 is of the conventional finger-actuated telescoping variety often used for the dispensing of soap in a liquid or foam form. In most cases, it is generally found to be desirable to mount the soap dispenser outlet 25 above the lavatory wash basin. One convenient place to mount the soap dispenser is on the backsplash panel 13 of the lavatory located above the wash basin, substantially in alignment with the access hole 10 in the wall 34.

In the backsplash, a hole 14 is provided for the soap dispenser 15. Two holes 16, 17 are oppositely disposed about the hole 14 to permit the escutcheon 18 to be attached to the backsplash 13 by means of threaded fasteners 19, 20 which are installed from the pipe chase and are not accessible to the lavatory user. However, it should be noted that a single fastener can accomplish much the same result, although in the present embodiment we prefer to use a dual fastener arrangement which provides a balanced distribution of the attaching force exerted on the escutcheon 18 and about the access hole 14.

The escutcheon 18 has a stepped bore therethrough. The larger bore 21 is threaded and faces the pipe chase area. The opposite smaller bore 22 is slightly larger than the diameter of the valve housing 12. The front exit portion of the smaller bore 22 has a flanged rim 24 which is directed radially inward to such an extend that the edge of the flanged portion of the rim 24 is contiguously disposed to the body of the soap valve 11. Further, a slot 23 is placed in the flanged rim 24 in the lowermost portion of the rim 24.

An externally threaded pipe 29 having a relatively smooth bore 30 whose diameter is slightly larger than the valve housing 12, is then threadably mated to the threaded bore 21 of the escutcheon 18. A flat disc 31 whose outside diameter is sufficiently large to cover the hole 10 in the wall 34 and having an essentially centrall-disposed perforation 32 therethrough, the perforation 32 being slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of the pipe 29, is passed over the unattached end of the pipe 29 and placed against the wall 34. A nut 33 is threadably mated to the unattached end of the pipe 29. The nut 33 is tightened until it forces the disc 31 into an intimate abutting relationship with the wall or partition 34. At this point, the pipe 29 is firmly anchored to the wall or partition 34.

In FIG. 3, the soap valve 11 outlet 25 is keyed so that it cannot be rotated within the housing 12. Keying is accomplished by means of screw 26 threadably mated with a threaded hole 9 in the wall of said valve housing, the end of the screw 26 protruding into an elongated slot or groove 27 in the valve 11 so that it may be slideably guided therein.

The soap dispenser is then slideably mated into the pipe 29, from the pipe chase with the soap valve 11 dispensing end being installed first. The tongue 35 is slightly smaller than the width of the slot 23 and is formed as an integral part of the front edge of the housing 12. The tongue 35 is aligned with slot 23 of the escutcheon 18 and disposed therein. By mating the tongue 35 with the slot 23, the soap dispensing outlet 25 is positioned so that the soap is discharged in a downward direction and cannot be rotated to permit the soap to be discharged in another direction.

In order to firmly anchor the valve housing 12 to the pipe 29, and to seal the end of the pipe 29 and the valve housing 12 which protrudes into the pipe chase area, a ferrule retainer 36 consisting of a perforated disc wherein the perforation is slightly larger than the body of the valve 12 and the outer diameter of the disc is slightly larger than the inside diameter of the pipe 29. The ferrule retainer is then passed over the valve housing body 12 and thereafter placed in abutting relationship to the edge of the pipe end. A ferrule 37 is then slideably mated with the valve housing 12 and positioned adjacent to the ferrule retainer 36. A position nut 38 having a stepped, central bore therethrough with two different diameters, the larger bore being threadably adapted to be mated with the pipe 29, and the smaller bore being larger in diameter than the valve housing body 12 so as to be slideably matable therewith, is then installed over the end of the valve housing 12 and threadably mated with the externally-threaded pipe 29. By tightening the position nut 38, the ferrule 37, which is captured between the nut 38 and the ferrule retainer 36, is deformed. Such deformation causes the diameter of the ferrule 37 to be reduced thereby producing a substantial clamping or gripping force around the body of the valve housing 12 disposed beneath the ferrule 37.

The subsequent effects of the installation of the ferrule retainer 36, the ferrule 37 and the position nut 38 and subsequent ferrule deformation are to provide for increased support of the valve housing 12 by anchoring it to the pipe 29, and to effect a fluid seal at the pipe end facing the pipe chase.

The end 39 of the housing 12 which is to be connected to a source of liquid soap is fitted with a flare nut 40 and subsequently flared with a flaring tool. The flared end 41 is then mated with a male flare nipple and connected via the flare nut 40 to the soap supply source.

It should be understood that the invention as herein before disclosed can be embodied in other forms than that previously described in the preferred embodiment and I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of the construction shown and described for it should be readily understood that many obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art to which said invention pertains.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A liquid soap dispensing system for lavatories and the like, comprising:

a. a soap valve having a plunger therein;

b. a valve housing;

c. a pipe adapted to receive and support the valve housing therein;

d. a wall having a perforation therethrough sufficiently large to receive the pipe and isolating the lavatory area from the pipe chase area;

e. means for connecting the valve housing end adjacent to the soap dispensing end, to the pipe end, and for anchoring said valve housing end to the side of the wall exposed to the lavatory area, wherein said anchoring and connecting means cannot be removed or disassembled from the lavatory area;

f. means for anchoring the pipe to the wall;

g. means for connecting the opposite end of the pipe to the housing to prevent any substantial movement therebetween;

h. a source of liquid soap;

i. means for connecting the liquid soap source to the valve housing within the pipe chase area; and

j. means to prevent rotation of the soap valve dispensing outlet after assembly of the soap dispensing system, comprising:

a groove in the body of the soap valve plunger substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the plunger;

a threaded hole through the wall of the valve housing inaccessible to the lavatory area;

a screw adapted to be threadably mated to the threaded hole in the wall of the valve housing and being of sufficient length to project beyond the wall of the valve housing into the valve housing, and whose diameter is slightly smaller than the groove in the body of the soap valve plunger so that it may be received thereinto and to be slideably moveable thereinwith;

an escutcheon anchored to the wall, the escutcheon having a perforation therethrough wherein the body of the soap valve may be slideably disposed therein and therethrough, the wall of the perforation having a slot therein parallel to the axis of the perforation; and

a tongue formed as an integral part of the soap valve housing adjacent to the soap valve end and projecting outwardly from the end thereof, said tongue being adapted to be slideably mated with the slot.

2. A liquid soap dispensing system as in claim 1, wherein said pipe adapted to receive and support the valve housing therein is externally-threaded and is of sufficient length to project beyond the surfaces of the wall into the pipe chase area and the lavatory area and wherein said means for connecting the opposite end of the pipe to the housing to prevent any substantial movement therebetween, further comprising:

a retaining disc having a diameter larger than the inner diameter of said pipe and having a perforation therethrough located substantially in the center thereof, said perforation being larger than the diameter of said valve housing wherein said disc may be slideably mated with said valve housing and placed in an abutting relationship to the end of said pipe;

a deformable metal ferrule adapted to be slideably mated with said valve housing and disposed in an abutting relationship to said retaining disc; and

a position nut having a stepped, central bore therethrough with two different diameters, the larger bore being threadably adapted to be mated with said pipe and the smaller bore being larger in diameter than the valve housing so as to be slideably mated therewith, and wherein said step in said bore is located so that said ferrule does not contact said step until the threaded end of said bore has been threadably engaged with said pipe, so that when the nut is tightened the ferrule is squeezed between the retaining disc and the step in the bore of the nut until the ferrule is deformed to circumferencially clamp the body of said valve housing.

3. A liquid soap dispensing system for mounting through a passageway passing through the thickness of a wall of a building, said wall serving to isolate the pipe chase area from the lavatory area, comprising:

a. a soap valve having a plunger therein;

b. a first housing for said valve;

c. a second housing adapted to receive said first housing therein, said second housing acting to prevent fluid leaks from said first housing from passing into said wall;

d. means for connecting said first housing end adjacent to the soap dispensing end to one of the ends of said second housing, and for anchoring said first housing end to the side of the wall of the building facing the lavatory area, wherein said anchoring and connecting means cannot be removed or disassembled from the lavatory area;

e. means for anchoring said second housing to the wall of the building;

f. means for releasibly connecting the opposite end of said second housing to said first housing to prevent any substantial movement therebetween;

g. a source of liquid soap disposed in a remote location from said soap valve; and

h. means for connecting in fluid sealing relationship said liquid soap source to said first housing within said pipe chase area.

4. A liquid soap dispensing system as in claim 3, further comprising means to prevent rotation of said soap valve dispensing outlet relative to said first housing and to said second housing.

5. A liquid soap dispensing system as in claim 4, wherein said means for connecting said first housing end adjacent to the soap dispensing end to one of the ends of said second housing, and for anchoring said first housing end to the side of the wall of the building facing the lavatory area, wherein said anchoring and connecting means cannot be removed or disassembled from the lavatory area, comprises an escutcheon having a stepped bore therethrough, with two different diameters, the smaller section of the bore exiting into the lavatory area and being slightly larger in diameter than the first housing to permit a portion of said first housing to be disposed therein, said exit portion having a flanged rim directed radially inward up to at least the soap valve plunger body, and the larger section of the bore being slightly larger in diameter than said second housing and having a threaded surface thereon adapted to be mated with the externally-threaded second housing, said escutcheon having at least one threaded receptacle on the backside thereof by which said escutcheon can be anchored to the wall by means of a threaded fastener adapted to be mated therewith and which is not exposed to the lavatory area.

6. A liquid soap dispensing system as in claim 3, wherein said means for anchoring said second housing to the wall, comprises:

a. an escutcheon mounted on the face of the wall exposed to the lavatory area and having a threaded bore therein adapted to threadably receive the end of the externally-threaded pipe;

b. a disc, sufficiently large in diameter to cover the perforation in the wall, and having a hole therethrough larger in diameter than the outside diameter of said second housing to permit said disc to be passed over the other end of said pipe and to be placed in contact with said wall; and

c. a nut adapted to be threadably mated to said second housing wherein said nut may be tightened to engage said disc and force said disc into an intimate abutting relationship with said wall.