Water saving faucet valve
OwnerAlexander M. Shaneinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A water saving faucet valve includes an elongated body having inlet and outlet ends, and high and low pressure chambers interconnected by a coaxial flow channel. A valve stem is slidably retained in the flow channel to move between a lowered position, in which water is prevented from flowing through the valve, and a raised position, in which water is permitted to flow through the valve. The valve stem is raised and lowered by movement of a cam on a shaft that is rotated by movement of an elongated actuation arm, such that the valve can be fully actuated by a slight pressure applied to the arm, and automatically shuts off when the pressure is removed. The valve includes apparatus for coupling it to the outlet of a conventional standard faucet, and may include apparatus for aerating the water flowing through it.
Claims16
A water saving faucet valve, comprising:
- an elongated, generally cylindrical valve body having an upper, inlet end and a lower, outlet end and defining:
- an upper, high-pressure chamber opening to the inlet end,
- a lower, low-pressure chamber opening to the outlet end, and
- a coaxial flow channel interconnecting the high and low pressure chambers;
- a valve stem slidably retained in the flow channel for axial movement between a lowered position and a raised position, the valve stem having:
- an elongated shaft having an upper end with apparatus thereat for sealingly engaging the valve body at an upper end of the flow channel when the valve stem is in the lowered position, such that water is prevented from flowing through the flow channel from the high pressure chamber to the low pressure chamber, and for disengaging the valve body when the valve stem is in the raised position, such that water is permitted to flow through the flow channel from the high pressure chamber to the low pressure chamber, and
- a lower end defining a cam follower;
- a cam shaft rotatably mounted in the valve body below the valve stem and having a cam fixed thereon for conjoint rotation therewith, the cam having a camming surface disposed in a sliding engagement with the cam follower at the lower end of the valve stem;
- and,
- an actuating arm connected to the cam shaft and movable between lowered and raised positions such that the cam respectively lowers and raises the valve stem between its lowered and raised positions, the actuating arm comprising:
- a semicircular bail having opposite ends respectively connected to opposite ends of the cam shaft for conjoint rotation therewith;
- and,
- an elongated rod affixed at a generally right angle to the bail such that the rod hangs down below the valve and along a line generally parallel to the axis of the valve body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.