Valve assembly
AssigneeMasco Corporation of Indiana
InventorGarry R. Marty
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotatable valve assembly for a faucet having an interchangable stainless steel plate which forms the interior flow passage of the valving member. The plate is secured to the valving member by depending tabs which engage reinforcement ribs formed in the valving member. The flow plate is of a one-piece stamped construction with the tabs formed coplanar with the plate and bent perpendicular to the plate prior to attachment of the flow plate. An aperture is formed in the plate which cooperates with an inlet port formed in the bottom wall of the valve body to control the water flow through the assembly.
Claims20
A faucet valve assembly comprising:
- a valve body having a first bore, a second bore smaller than and opening into said first bore, said second bore offset from the longitudinal axis of said first bore, and an outlet port in said valve body open to said first bore;
- a valving member rotatable in said first bore of said valve body, said valving member including a plurality of axially extending ribs circumferentially spaced on the outer periphery of said valving member and having a flow chamber defined by a partial axial bore open to the bottom end of said valving member;
- a metal flow plate secured to said valving member, said flow plate enclosing the bottom end of said valve member to form said flow chamber and an outlet passageway capable of registry with said outlet port of said valve body, said flow plate having an inlet aperture offset from the axis of rotation of said valving member;
- and
- a substantially tubular valve seal seated in said second bore of said valve body, said valve seal having an annular valving surface cooperating with said flow plate to control the flow of water into said flow chamber and an inlet passage therethrough;
- wherein upon rotation of said valving member said inlet aperture of said flow plate is brought into registry with said inlet passage of said valve seal, said outlet passageway of said valving member being in registry with said outlet port of said valve body in at least some of the rotational positions of said valving member.
A faucet valve assembly comprising:
- a valve body having a first bore, a second bore smaller than and opening into said first bore, said second bore offset from the longitudinal axis of said first bore, and an outlet port in said valve body open to said first bore;
- a valving member rotatable in said first bore of said valve body, said valving member including a plurality of axially extending ribs circumferentially spaced on the outer periphery of said valving member and having a flow chamber defined by a partial axial bore open to the bottom end of said valving member, the bottom end of said valving member including a sheathing lip;
- a stamped stainless steel flow plate secured to the bottom of said valving member, said flow plate being recessed within the periphery of said sheathing lip and enclosing the bottom end of said valve member to form said flow chamber and an outlet passageway capable of registry with said outlet port of said valve body, said flow plate having an inlet aperture offset from the axis of rotation of said valving member;
- and
- a substantially tubular valve seal seated in said second bore of said valve body, said valve seal having an annular valving surface cooperating with said flow plate to control the flow of water into said flow chamber and an inlet passage therethrough;
- wherein upon rotation of said valving member said inlet aperture of said flow plate is brought into registry with said inlet passage of said valve seal, said outlet passageway of said valving member being in registry with said outlet port of said valve body in at least some of the rotational positions of said valving member.
A valving member for use in a faucet valve assembly having a valve body with inlet and outlet ports, an operating member and a fixed stop member secured in the upper end of the valve body, said valving member comprising:
- a flow housing having an axially extending cavity open to the bottom end of said housing, said housing including a plurality of axially extending reinforcement ribs extending outwardly into contact with the valve body in order to rotationally support said valving member within the valve body and a sheathing lip formed at the bottom end of said flow housing;
- a valve stem integrally formed with said flow housing, said valve stem extending through the fixed stop member and attached to the operating member to control rotation of said valving member within the valve body;
- and
- a metal flow plate secured to the bottom of said flow housing and recessed within the periphery of said sheathing lip to form a flow chamber and an outlet passageway capable of registry with the outlet port of the valve body, said flow plate having an inlet aperture offset from the axis of rotation of said valving member and at least one attachment tab extending perpendicular thereto, each of said attachment tabs engaging a pair of reinforcement ribs of said flow housing to detachably secure said flow plate to said flow housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.