Mixing valve with a collared ball valve
AssigneeMasco Corporation
InventorTage D. Tang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mixing valve for a faucet has a ball valve (16) mounted for pivotable motion about a longitudinal axis (76) and a second perpendicular axis (86) that is fixed with respect to the pin (84) that extends through the spherical section (42) of the ball valve. Distal ends of the pin are connected to a collar (46) that is fitted about the spherical section (42). The collar has cam stops that abut an edge (102) of the upturned flange (104) of the seating ring (48). The spherical section (42) has inlet openings (90,94) that are configured with convex and concave sections to produce a desired flow pattern.
Claims44
In a faucet mixer valve having a ball valve pivotably mounted in a valve receiving cavity of a housing body, said body having a plurality of ports in fluid communication with said cavity, said ball valve having a plurality of openings in an outer at least partially spherical valve surface, said openings cooperating with said ports to control liquid flow in both flow rate and temperature mix through said ports, said valve body having a control opening therethrough with a longitudinal axis of said valve body passing through said control opening, said ball valve having a first projection in the form of a control stem connected thereto and extending through said control opening, the improvement characterized by;
- said ball valve having a second projection extending therefrom and having its axis substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said stem;
- said second projection having a lateral outer end connected to a circular collar bearing that extends about said ball valve;
- and
- said collar bearing having a lower surface slidably abutting an annular support surface in said housing body about said ball valve.
In a ball valve for a faucet mixer valve, said ball valve characterized by;
- a substantially spherical shaped valve surface;
- a plurality of openings in said valve surface and in fluid communication with each other;
- a first projection extending from said valve surface for driving said ball valve when mounted in a valve body;
- and
- a circular collar bearing mounted about said ball valve surface for pivotable motion about an axis substantially perpendicular to said first projection.
In a ball valve pivotably mountable in a valve receiving cavity of a faucet housing body, said body having a plurality of ports in fluid communication with said cavity, said ball valve having a plurality of openings in an outer at least partially spherical valve surface, said openings cooperating with said ports to control liquid flow in both flow rate and temperature mix through said ports, said ball valve having a control stem connected thereto and extendable through a control opening in said faucet body, the improvement characterized by;
- one of said openings through said ball valve having a concave edge section to modulate flow through said opening;
- said ball valve having at least two openings for allowing entry of cold water from a first port of a mixing valve body and at least two openings for allowing entry of hot water from a second port in said mixing valve body;
- and
- said openings with said respective concave edge having a peripheral shape defined by at least five radial arcs having a respective radial center;
- and
- at least four of said radial centers located within the periphery of said respective opening and one radial center located outside of the periphery of said opening at the side of the concave edge section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.