US 4,790,264 AGranted

Animal waterers for snap-on assembly with water pipe

AssigneeAgri Manufacturing Corp.

InventorsFrank Lack, Francis R. Rustin

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Abstract

A nipple waterer consists of a valve body including a base with exterior and interior bosses projecting in opposite directions from that base. A pair of spring fingers project from that base generally parallel to each other and to the interior boss. These fingers are provided with interior cylindrical recesses for engaging the cylindrical exterior of a water pipe; and the pipe is provided with a radial hole to receive the interior boss which communicates with the interior of the pipe. A bore extends axially through the two bosses and the intervening base and defines a valve chamber. A cap, secured to the exterior boss, is provided with a central hole and defines a valve seat. A valve closure member consists of a headed stem, with the stem projecting through the hole and the cap to be actuated by an animal to unseat the closure member. The closure member head is maintained against the valve seat by a helical compression spring within the valve chamber, retained therein by an internal lip at the distal end of the interior boss. In cup waterer form, a frusto-conical cup member is formed integrally with the valve body, surrounding the exterior boss and projecting closure member stem. In convertible waterer form, the above mentioned valve body base includes a larger mounting boss, from which the smaller exterior boss projects.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An animal waterer for mounting on a cylindrical pipe comprising

a valve body including a base, and interior and exterior aligned bosses projecting from said base in opposite directions;
said valve body having a bore extending axially through said bosses and base, defining a valve chamber;
an annular cap member secured to said exterior boss at its distal end;
said cap member defining a valve seat;
a valve closure member, including an enlarged closure head disposed in said valve chamber for engagement with said valve seat, and including an actuator stem projecting axially from said head through said annular cap member to be operated by animals;
spring means disposed in said valve chamber, urging said closure head into sealing relation with said valve seat;
at least two spring fingers projecting integrally from said valve body base, in generally parallel relation with said interior boss and on opposite sides thereof;
said fingers having confronting means for engaging the cylindrical sides of said pipe to maintain said valve body in a fixed spring grip relation to said pipe;
said interior boss being configured to extend into said pipe, through a hole in the pipe wall having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of said boss;
annular sealing means for sealing between said valve body base and said pipe;
and said fingers being adapted to maintain said valve body in coupled relation with said pipe, with said sealing means providing effecting sealing between said pipe and said valve body.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.