Flush tank valve closer
OwnerWalter Makhobeyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An attachment for closing all varieties of flush valves before the normal amount of water has exited the tank includes a buoyant float that falls with the water level of the tank during a flush and applies its weight against the flush valve to push the valve prematurely into its seat. A float guide rod attaches to the tank wall and provides a path for the float to move upon, and a valve actuator rod is adjustably connected to the float and directly contacts the flush valve. A variety of attachments to the flush valves or actuator rod are provided for reliable performance. A combination of an entire flush valve assembly with a valve closer incorporated in its structure includes a float guide rod attached to the standpipe of the valve assembly rather than to the tank wall.
Claims12
A flush valve closer for use in a toilet flush tank having a water outlet opening and valve stopper means seatable in the opening when the toilet is not being flushed, the stopper means being raisable from the opening to initiate a flush and allow water to exit the tank through the opening, the stopper being automatically lowerable to seal the opening in response to a predetermined lowered closing level of water in the tank, comprising:
- (a) a stationary float guide rod having means for attachment to the flush tank wall at the upper end thereof, first spacer means near the upper end of the rod and second spacer means near the lower end of the rod for maintaining the intermediate portion of the rod at a predetermined distance from the flush tank wall;
- (b) a buoyant float elongated on one horizontal dimension mounted adjacent said flush tank wall on said intermediate portion of the guide rod for spacing said float from said stopper and for available sliding movement between said first and second spacer means and horizontally offset from the stopper means for slidable movement with respect to the rod between an upper position, wherein the float is not applying its weight against the stopper means, and a lower position, wherein the float is applying its weight against the stopper means to force the stopper means into sealing relationship with the outlet opening before the water falls to said predetermined closing level during a flush;
- and
- (c) actuator means extending outwardly from said float for transmitting the weight of the float against the stopper means when the float is in said lower position.
A flush valve closer attachment for use with a toilet flush tank of the kind having water therein and a water outlet opening in the bottom thereof and a flush valve seatable in the opening, the valve remaining seated in the opening when the toilet is not being flushed and normally remaining buoyantly suspended above the opening in response to the forceful raising of the valve to initiate a flush, until the water level in the tank drops from a normal pre-flush level to a predetermined valve-closing level, comprising:
- (a) a float guide rod having a clip on the upper end thereof for engagement with the lip of the flush tank for selective placement thereon, the guide rod extending downwardly into said tank below the normal preflush level of the water in the tank and having a fixed position with respect to the clip;
- (b) a buoyant float mounted slidably and non-centrally on said guide rod, the float being downwardly moveable with respect to the guide rod between an upper position when the water in the tank is at pre-flush level, and a lower position when the water falls below pre-flush level in the course of a flush, the float being defined in horizontal cross-section by a major dimension for width and a minor dimension for thickness wherein the mounting of the float on the guide rod is non-central with respect to the minor dimension;
- said float being mounted adjacent the wall of the tank with said non-central guide rod mounting portion being located in the portion of the float adjacent the tank wall;
- (c) a valve actuator rod adjustably connected to the float and extending outwardly therefrom for selective positioning to contact the flush valve and transmit force of the downwardly moving float during a flush to push the flush valve into seated engagement with the water outlet opening before the water in the flush tank reaches the predetermined valve-closing level.
- said valve actuator rod comprises vertical arm, a horizontal arm, a horizontal arm connected to the lower end of the vertical arm to form an L- shape, and a flush valve contact member attached to the horizontal arm.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.