Air admittance valve
AssigneeIPS Corporation
InventorSteven R. Cole
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air admittance valve which when subjected to a negative pressure condition vents a pipe system to an ambient environment. Generally, the air admittance valve includes a housing, a cartridge, and a sealing member. The housing includes one or more vents disposed in its wall and may be engaged with the pipe system at one end. The cartridge may have one or more inlets defining one or more inlet openings, where the one or more inlets is connected to a central chamber that has an opening with a sealing structure. The sealing member interacts with the sealing structure of the cartridge to allow one-way airflow from the central chamber to the pipe system. The cartridge and sealing member may be inserted into the housing such that the one or more inlet openings substantially align with the one or more vents in the housing.
Claims37
An air admittance valve configured, when subjected to a negative pressure condition, to vent a pipe system to an ambient environment, the air admittance valve comprising:
- a housing comprising:
- at least one vent disposed in a wall of the housing;
- wherein the housing is configured to be engaged with the pipe system at a first end;
- a cartridge comprising:
- at least one inlet defining at least one inlet opening, wherein the at least one inlet is connected to a central chamber;
- an opening of the central chamber having a sealing structure;
- a sealing member defining a sealing surface;
- wherein the sealing member is configured to move between a closed position and an open position;
- wherein the sealing surface is configured to interact with the sealing structure of the cartridge to allow one-way airflow from the central chamber to the pipe system;
- wherein the cartridge is configured to be inserted within the housing, such that the at least one inlet opening is configured to substantially align with the at least one vent in the housing.
A cartridge for an air admittance valve comprising:
- at least one inlet defining at least one inlet opening, wherein the at least one inlet is connected to a central chamber;
- an opening of the central chamber having a sealing structure;
- wherein the sealing structure of the cartridge is configured to interact with a sealing surface of a sealing member to allow one-way airflow from the central chamber to the pipe system;
- wherein the cartridge is configured to be disposed within a housing having at least one vent, such that the at least one inlet opening of the cartridge is configured to substantially align with the at least one vent in the housing.
A method for assembling an air admittance valve comprising:
- providing a housing configured to engage a pipe system at a first end having at least one vent disposed in a wall of the housing;
- inserting a sealing member having a sealing surface into the housing;
- and
- inserting a cartridge having at least one inlet defining at least one inlet opening into the housing, such that the at least one inlet opening substantially aligns with the at least one vent in the housing;
- wherein the at least one inlet is connected to a central chamber having an opening defining a sealing structure;
- and
- wherein the sealing surface of the sealing member is configured to interact with the sealing structure of the cartridge to allow one-way airflow from the central chamber to the pipe system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.