Control valve with pneumatic actuation

Abstract

A retrofittable, manually-actuated control valve kit for use in controlling the flow of water from a lavatory tap includes a valve assembly and an actuator assembly. The valve assembly includes a valve movable between flow-blocking and flow-permitting positions, a spring for biasing the valve toward the flow-blocking position, and a valve opening mechanism for opening the valve against the force of the spring in the presence of a predetermined pneumatic pressure in the opening mechanism and for relieving the predetermined pressure to release the valve for movement to the flow-blocking position. The actuator assembly supplies pneumatic pressure to the opening mechanism of the valve assembly. The actuator assembly includes a tubular body including a cylindrical inner surface and presenting opposed first and second axial ends, wherein the first end is closed except for an orifice, and an elongated plunger including a first end provided with a piston head sized for receipt in the body in sealing engagement with the inner surface and a second end protruding beyond the second end of the body and accessible for manual operation. The plunger is movable in a first direction to create a positive pressure at the orifice, and in a second direction to create a negative pressure at the orifice. A hose connects the actuator assembly with the valve opening mechanism for conveying pneumatic pressure to the valve assembly so that manual actuation of the plunger creates a pneumatic pressure within the body that is conveyed to the valve assembly to open the valve.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.