Hydraulic valve adapter
OwnerAnthony R. Brandelliinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tube device including concentric inner and outer tubes to form an annulus to receive an upright stem in a toilet tank and adjustable relative to the stem. A keeper limits travel of a float to prevent opening of a control valve absent flushing of the toilet. In one aspect, the present invention includes an elongated catch device pivotally mounted intermediately to an inlet tube device and carrying at its upper extremity a keeper selectively disposed in the path of a float device to, unless a toilet has been flushed, block lowering of the float device and consequent opening of the control valve.
Claims19
A toilet fluid control apparatus for mounting in a toilet tank of the type including an upright tubular stem and having a flush control device mounted to the tank to be actuated by a flush lever shiftable to a flush position to flush the toilet;
- the apparatus comprising:
- an upright adjustable master fill pipe device including a flow control valve;
- the fill pipe device including concentric male and female tubes cooperating to form an annulus receiving the stem;
- the female pipe including a contraction extremity formed with a plurality of longitudinally projecting flexible fingers to allow for contraction to grip the stem to limit movement between the female bore and the stem;
- a fitting to be fitted over the contraction extremity to a locking position and constructed to, when in the locking position, contract the fingers radially inwardly;
- a float apparatus coupled with the flow control valve and configured to lower and raise with the level of fluid in the tank;
- a vertically elongated catch device disposed on one side of the pipe device for rotating between catch and release positions;
- a mounting device for mounting the catch device from the pipe device for rotation between the catch and release positions;
- a keeper device mounted on the catch device to be, when the catch device is in the catch position, disposed in the predetermined path to block lowering of the float apparatus;
- and
- a connector connecting the lower extremity of the catch device with the flush lever to, upon the flush lever being shifted to the flush position, rotate the catch device to the release position.
A refill valve apparatus for mounting to an upstanding tubular stem opening upwardly and comprising:
- an upright adjustable fluid supply pipe device including inner and outer concentric pipes cooperating to form a downwardly opening annulus configured to receive the stem, the inner pipe leading upwardly to a control valve, the pipe device including a locking device for locking the outer pipe against movement relative to the stem;
- the valve including a valve housing mounted on the pipe device, formed with a valve chamber configured with a central inlet port and outlet port and a control valve seat interposed between the inlet and outlet ports;
- a flexible diaphragm in the chamber and formed with a valve seal to engage the control valve seat, the diaphragm being shiftable to shift the seal into and out of engagement with the seat and formed centrally with a pilot passage of a predetermined diameter aligned over the inlet port, the diaphragm being further configured with an underside formed with a downwardly facing planer pilot seat surrounding the pilot passage;
- a pilot valve stem received in the pilot passage and configured with a diameter sufficiently smaller than the predetermined diameter to form an annulus for flow of the fluid, formed with upper and lower extremities, and shiftable from a lower bleed position to an upper pilot valve sealing position;
- a poppet on the lower extremity, formed with an upwardly facing poppet sealing surface to abut the pilot valve seat when the valve stem is in the pilot valve sealing position;
- and
- a float lever assembly coupled with the pilot stem and operable to advance and retract the stem between the bleed position and the sealing position to draw the poppet sealing surface into positive sealing contact with the pilot seat.
A retrofit hydraulic valve mounting apparatus for mounting on a hollow inwardly opening stem of a toilet tank inlet comprising:
- a master pipe device including concentric inner and outer pipes cooperating to form a downwardly opening annulus receiving the stem, the female pipe formed on its lower extremity with a plurality of flexible fingers to flex inwardly and grip the stem;
- a flow control device including a valve mounted on the master pipe for receiving flow from the inner pipe to control flow to the tank;
- a flush device for actuating the flow control valve;
- a float control tube received over the master pipe device and including a float for floating on water in the tank to travel downwardly along a predetermined path when the toilet is flushed and the level of the water lowers;
- a lock fitting received over the outer pipe and mounting a vertically adjustable float keeper device for shifting in and out of the predetermined path;
- and
- a control device manually positioning the keeper in the predetermined path and operative in response to activation of the flush device to shift the keeper out of the predetermined path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.