Back to results
US 4,785,484 AGranted
Control valve
AssigneeAlopex Industries, Inc.
InventorRonald J. Sargent
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydrotherapy spa having a water jet into which air is aspirated through a conduit and a control valve for varying the effective flow area to the conduit from space inside the spa. The control valve comprises two generally cylindrical valve body members fitted together and defining an inlet passage extending outwardly between the two, and an outlet passage extending inwardly through the inner member and containing a ball check valve for preventing a reverse fluid flow. A cup-shaped cap is snap-fitted on the outer end portion of the valve body and formed with a closure member on its underside for variably opening arcuate ports in the outer end of the body variably connecting the inlet and outlet passages through these ports.
Claims24
A control valve for use in a spa having a wall with inner and outer sides and an opening through said wall, comprising:
- a first tubular valve body member having inner and outer end portions and mountable in said opening with said outer end portion outside said wall and said inner end portion inside said wall, said outer end portion being larger than said opening and bearing against the outer side of said wall;
- a nut threaded onto said inner end portion to be tightened inside said wall and clamp said outer end portion against said outer side to secure said valve body in said opening;
- a second tubular valve body member disposed inside said first valve member and having an open interior defining an outlet passage extending inwardly through said valve from adjacent said outer end portion;
- said first and second valve body members having means on the adjacent sides thereof defining an inlet passage in said valve extending from the inner end portion of said first member to said outer end portion thereof;
- a cup-shaped cap fitted over said outer end portion and rotatably mounted thereon;
- detent means in said cap and on said outer end portion for limiting rotation of said cap to a preselected angular range;
- first and second port means in said cap and on said outer end portion, respectively, for establishing communication between said inlet and outlet passages as said cap is turned from one end of said range toward the other end and progressively increasing the area of such communication to an "open" position during such turning, and for progressively decreasing the area of such communication to a "closed" position as the cap is turned in the opposite direction toward said one end of said range, whereby the position of said cap determines the effective flow area through said inlet and outlet passages for the aspiration of air through said control valve;
- and a one-way valve permitting inward fluid flow through said outlet passage and preventing outward flow therein, comprising a valve port in said outer end portion overlying the interior of said second valve member, a valve ball loosely disposed in said interior and movable into closing relation with said valve port to block outward fluid flow through said outlet passage, and a ball retainer spaced inwardly from said valve port to limit movement of said ball away from the valve port.
5 more elements
A control valve for use in a spa having a wall with inner and outer sides and an opening through said wall, comprising:
- a valve body having inner and outer end portions and being mountable in said opening with said outer end portion outside said wall and said inner end portion extending through said wall;
- means in said valve body defining an inlet passage having an inlet end on said inner end portion to be disposed inside said wall and an outlet end adjacent said outer end portion, and defining an outlet passage having an inlet end adjacent said outer end portion and an outlet end on said inner end portion to be disposed inside said wall;
- a valve actuator rotatably mounted on said outer end portion to lie outside said wall and rotatable between first and second angularly spaced positions;
- and port means on said valve actuator and said outer end portion for establishing and progressively increasing communication between said inlet and outlet passages as said valve actuator is turned from said first position toward said second position, and progressively reducing and then terminating such communication as the valve actuator is turned back toward said first position.
1 more element
A control valve for use in a spa having a wall with inner and outer sides, comprising:
- a valve body having inner and outer end portions and being mountable in and extending through said wall with said outer end portion on said outer side and said inner end portion on said inner side;
- means in said valve body defining an outwardly extending inlet passage having a inlet end on said inner end portion and an inwardly extending outlet passage having an outlet end on said inner end portion, said passages having opposite ends on said outer end portion;
- a valve actuator mounted on said outer end portion to lie outside said wall and movable between first and second positions;
- and port means in said valve actuator and said valve body for establishing and terminating communication between said opposite ends of said inlet and outlet passages as said valve actuator moves back and forth between said first position and said second position.
1 more element
A control valve for use in a spa having a wall with inner and outer sides, comprising:
- a valve body mountable in said wall and having an outer end portion outside said wall;
- a cup-shaped cap having a skirt surrounding said outer end portion and rotatably mounted thereon;
- a closure member in said cap movable along a predetermined path across the outer end of said body as said cap is rotated on said outer end portion;
- and
- port means on said outer end portion within said cap for communicating through said cap, said port means establishing a progressively increasing flow area through said valve as said cap is turned in one direction.
2 more elements
A control valve for use in a spa having a wall with inner and outer sides and an opening through said wall, a valve mountable in said opening and comprising:
- a first tubular member sized to fit in and extend through said opening and having an outer end portion larger than the opening and an inner end portion for projecting inwardly beyond said wall, and
- a second tubular member fitted inside said first member and having an interior constituting an air outlet passage extending from outside said wall to the inside thereof and having an outer end opening outwardly through said outer end portion,
- said tubular members defining between them at least one air inlet passage extending longitudinally of said valve body from inside said wall to outside said wall and opening outwardly through said outer end portion;
- means for securing said valve body in said wall;
- a valve actuator rotatably mounted on said outer end portion;
- and
- valve means in said actuator and said outer end portion for establishing communication between said inlet and outlet air passages outside said wall and varying the area of such communication as said actuator is rotated on said outer end portion.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.