Patent Application
20200407959
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The disclosure and prior art relates to toilet flush valves and more particularly pertains to a new toilet flush valve for converting a standard toilet to a dual flush system.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a valve body having a lower rim defining a bottom aperture, an upper rim defining a top aperture, and a sidewall extending from the lower rim to the upper rim. The lower rim is configured to selectively engage a tank valve seat of a toilet to seal and alternatively unseal the tank valve seat. The valve body has a body chain attachment coupled to the sidewall proximal the upper rim. A valve top is coupled to the valve body and is selectively engageable with the upper rim to seal and alternatively unseal the top aperture. The valve top has a valve chain attachment. A top collar is coupled to the top hinge and is configured to be coupled to an overflow tube of the toilet. A top hinge is pivotably coupled to the top collar. A first chain is coupled to the valve chain attachment and is configured to attach to a trip lever of the toilet to move the valve top between a closed position sealing the top aperture and an alternate open position unsealing the top aperture. A bottom hinge is coupled to the sidewall adjacent the lower rim. The bottom hinge is pivotably coupled to the bottom collar. A second chain is coupled to the body chain attachment and is configured to attach to the trip lever to move the valve body from a lowered position selectively engaging the tank valve seat to an alternate lifted position exposing the tank valve seat. The first chain and the second chain are arranged such that a partial depression of a handle of the toilet lifts the trip lever to move the valve top to the open position and a full depression of the handle lifts the trip lever further to move the valve body to the lifted position.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A top collar 48 is configured to be coupled to an overflow tube 50 of the toilet 32. A top hinge 52 is coupled to the underside of the disk portion 40 and pivotably coupled to the top collar 48. The top hinge 52 is curved and flexible and may comprise a pair of outer arms 53 and a bridge 55 extending therebetween. A first chain 54 is coupled to the valve chain attachment 47 and configured to attach to a trip lever 56 of the toilet 32 to move the valve top 36 between a closed position 35 sealing the top aperture 20 and an alternate open position 37 unsealing the top aperture 20. A bottom collar 58 is configured to be coupled to the overflow tube 50 of the toilet 32 beneath the top collar 48. A bottom hinge 60 is coupled to the valve body 12. The bottom hinge 60 has a squared shoulder portion 62 pivotably coupled to the bottom collar 58 and a tapered arm portion 64 extending from the shoulder portion 62 to the sidewall 22 of the valve body 12 adjacent the lower rim 14. A second chain 66 is coupled to the body chain attachment 34 and configured to attach to the trip lever 56 to move the valve body 12 from a lowered position 68 selectively engaging the tank valve seat 30 to an alternate lifted position 70 exposing the tank valve seat 30. The top hinge 52 is arranged to pivot on the top collar 48 when the first chain 54 lifts the valve top 36 to the open position 37 and alternatively to flex and maintain the valve top 36 in the closed position 35 when the second chain 66 lifts the valve body 12 to the lifted position 70. The first chain 54 and the second chain 66 are arranged such that a partial depression of a handle 72 of the toilet 32 lifts the trip lever 56 to move the valve top 36 to the open position 37 and a full depression of the handle 72 lifts the trip lever 56 further to move the valve body 12 to the lifted position 70.
In use, the user engages the handle 72 of the toilet 32 in a partial depression to move the valve top 36 to the open position 37 to allow a partial flush and alternatively a full depression to lift the trip lever 56 further to move the valve body 12 to the lifted position 70 and allow a full flush.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
