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US 2003/0140964 A1Published application
Air escape valve
OwnerThomas M. O'Donnellinventor
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OwnerThomas M. O'Donnellinventor
Estimating the term…
An air escape valve for a water line having a float switch mounted in a chamber connected to the water line. The float switch is connected to a solenoid valve that controls an air escape passageway from the chamber. The float switch is moved to the contact closed position and the solenoid valve to the valve closed position when water flows normally in the water line with sufficient water flowing into the chamber to raise and hold the float switch to the contact closed position. When enough air has entered the line to impede water flow, the water level in the chamber drops allowing the float switch to drop out of its contact closed position. This opens the electrical circuit to the solenoid so the solenoid valve no longer remains in its valve closed position, but moves to its normally biased valve open position. The air escape passageway is then open to allow the built-up air to escape, whereupon the water flow can return to normal. Enough water can then flow into the chamber to raise the float switch back up to its contact closed position, thus completing the electrical circuit to the solenoid. When the electrical circuit is completed the solenoid is again energized and the solenoid valve moved to its valve closed position to again close the air escape passageway until the next build-up of air occurs at which time the air escape process is repeated automatically.
An air escape valve comprising a chamber, said chamber operatively associated with an inlet passageway and an outlet passageway, connection means for connecting said inlet passageway of said chamber to a water line for admission of water into said chamber when water is flowing in said water line, said inlet passageway being continuously open to said chamber and to said water line when so connected, a valve mechanism operatively associated with said outlet passageway and movable between a valve open position to open said outlet passageway and a valve closed position to close said outlet passageway, a switch mechanism operatively associated with said valve mechanism to operate said valve mechanism, said switch mechanism being operable between a first position and a second position, said switch mechanism being operable to a one of said positions when water is flowing in said water line and into said chamber to at such time operate said valve mechanism to move to its said valve closed position and being operable to the other one of said positions when water is not flowing into said chamber to at such time operate said valve mechanism to move to its said valve open position to enable air to escape from said chamber and from said water line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.