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US 4,109,672 AGranted
Snap-in valve cartridge
AssigneePrice-Pfister Brass Mfg. Co.
InventorRobert S. Szemeredi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A connection between a handle and a valve stem is provided by a snap latch arrangement. The usual button at the top of the handle carries a dog bar that prevents the detent from releasing when the button is in place. But when the button is removed, the handle is automatically removable by upward force. No attachment screw need be manipulated. When the handle is removed, a cartridge can be removed. The cartridge includes a frontally facing segment that fits into the cylindrical contour of the valve body cup. The segment is snapped outwardly whereupon the segment, together with associated valve parts can be lifted from the valve cup for repair or replacement.
Claims16
In a plumbing fixture:
- a. a valve body;
- b. a valve mechanism supported by the body including a valve stem;
- c. a handle for operating the valve stem;
- d. an axially separable coupling between the handle and the valve stem;
- e. a button snap connected to said handle;
- and
- f. a dog member carried by the button and locking said axially separable coupling against separation when said button is in place on said handle.
4 more elements
In a plumbing fixture:
- a. a valve body having a cup providing a valve recess;
- b. a valve mechanism in the recess including a non-rising valve stem projecting upwardly of the recess;
- c. a hollow handle for operating the valve stem and having a skirt encompassing the valve body cup;
- d. companion axially separable snap coupling members carried respectively at the end of the stem and on the inside of said handle, one of said coupling members being movable radially upon axial separation there between;
- and
- e. a dog member releasably mounted at the top of said handle and having a part positioned to restrict radial movement of said one of said coupling members whereby said stem and said handle are secured together for conjoint angular movement.
3 more elements
In a plumbing fixture:
- a. a valve body having a cup providing a valve recess;
- b. said cup having a wall part interrupted at its top by a slot;
- c. valve cartridge adapted to fit in said cup, said valve means including a key carried thereby and movable laterally of the valve means between a released position and a locked position;
- d. said key having an outer segment complementary to said cup wall slot and having a neck joining the prong means and said segment;
- e. said neck of said key, when the key is in a released position, being movable along said slot as said valve cartridge means moves into said cup and as said segment moves along the outside of the cup;
- f. said key segment being movable radially inwardly to interlock said slot to secure said valve means against upward movement.
3 more elements
In a plumbing fixture:
- a. a valve body having a cup providing a valve recess, there being a fluid inlet at the bottom of said cup;
- b. said cup having a wall part, there being a slot extending downwardly from the top edge of said cup, said slot having a reentrant party, said cup also having recess means opposite said slot;
- c. valve cartridge means adapted to fit in said cup, said valve means including a hollow cage, a non-raising valve stem angularly movable in the cage, a hollow seal means carried at the bottom of the cage for engagement with the bottom of said valve body cup about said inlet, said seal means being exposed at the bottom of said cup to form a passage for flow into said cage, said valve means also including a closure guided in the cup to close and open said hollow seal means;
- d. a key having prongs accommodated respectively in substantially parallel interior grooves of said cage to guide said key for movement transverse to said cage, said prongs fitting about said stem to confine said stem in said cage, said key having a segment conforming to the configuration of said cup wall slot, said key having a neck joining said segment to said prongs;
- e. a yielding detent stop between said key prongs and said cage and operative releasably to determine a released and a locked position of said key in which said prongs are withdrawn into and project beyond said cage respectively, and in both of which positions said stem is confined by said prongs;
- f. said key in the locked position having its prongs engaging said recess means in said cup and said segment interlocked with said slot to secure said valve cartridge means against separation from said valve body cup, said neck, in the released position of said key being movable along said cup slot as said valve means moves along said cup and said segment moves along the exterior of said cup.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.