This disclosure relates to mixing valves. More particularly, this disclosure relates to valves for mixing a first fluid with a second fluid.
Mixing valves having valve bodies configured to combine flows of hot and cold fluids to provide a controlled mixed fluid temperature are known. Examples of such mixing valves using thermostatic control are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,315,210, 5,647,531, 5,379,936, 5,323,960, 5,203,496, and 5,011,074, the disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein, the applicant/inventor in the present application being an inventor in each of these patents.
A mixing valve includes a valve body having a hot fluid inlet, a cold fluid inlet, and a mixed fluid outlet. The valve body includes a cavity between the inlets and the outlet. In one embodiment, a first seat and a second seat are in the cavity, and a valve member in the cavity is movable between a first position engaging the first seat and a second position engaging the second seat.
In one aspect of the disclosure, a liner in the cavity includes the first and second seats. In another aspect of the disclosure, the valve member includes a weep opening to permit restricted flow of at least the hot fluid. In another aspect of the disclosure, the valve member includes a plurality of spaced apart mixing fins.
In another aspect of the disclosure the mixing valve includes a liner in the cavity, the liner including a hot liner inlet and a cold liner inlet. In one implementation of this aspect, the second seat is between the cold liner inlet and the first seat. In another implementation of this aspect, the cold liner inlet is between the first seat and the second seat. In another implementation of this aspect, the valve member is a poppet-style valve member and the hot liner inlet is a bore in a floor of the liner.
Additional features will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the drop leaf support apparatus as presently perceived.
Referring now particularly to
As shown in
As shown in
In thermostatic mixing valves, such as that shown in
As shown in
Referring now to
Liner 130 includes an upstream region 166 having a first seat 168. Illustratively, a floor 172 of liner 130 provides first seat 168. However, other configurations are possible within the scope of this disclosure. Hot liner inlet 136 is shown in
Valve member 140 includes a generally cylindrical portion 182 having a downstream end 184 and an upstream end 176. Upstream end 176 engages first seat 168 to close hot liner inlet 136. As valve member 140 moves toward engagement with first seat 168, cylindrical portion 182 covers hot liner inlet 136, restricting flow of hot fluid into valve body. Valve member 140 further includes a disc 188 coupled to downstream end 184 of cylindrical portion 182 with a connection member 190. Disc 186 includes an engagement surface 192 facing downstream to engage seating surface 180 of second seat 174.
When the temperature of the mixed fluid increases, thermally responsive fluid 50 expands, moving valve member 140 in an upstream direction. As valve member 140 moves upstream, valve member 140 moves toward a first position shown in
To prevent lock-up of valve 10, a weep opening or port 194 may be formed in disc 186 as shown in
It is within the scope of this disclosure to provide a weep opening such as weep port 194 in a wide variety of valve configurations.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Fins 331 of
Referring now to
Referring now to
Valve member 540 is a “poppet” style valve member. Valve member 540 includes disc 586, a centering portion 502 extending from an upstream end 576 of disc 586, and a connection member 590 extending from engagement surface 592 of disc 586. Connection member 590 extends beyond second seat 574 to engage an actuator (not shown). During thermostat failure, first spring 555 biases valve member 540 such that engagement surface 592 of valve member 540 engages seating surface 580 of second seat 574, and these two surfaces engage to restrict the flow of hot fluid. In normal operation, when the mixed fluid temperature increases, the thermostat assembly moves valve member 540 in upstream direction 25 toward a first position in which upstream end 576 of disc 586 engages first seat 568, closing hot liner inlet 536.
As shown in
As shown in
Referring now to
Upper piston 781 is generally cylindrical in shape and has an upstream end 783 and a downstream end 785. Upstream end 785 includes inlet ports 787 to permit flow of hot fluid from the hot liner inlet 736 through upper piston 781. A central opening 789 is formed in upstream end 783 and receives connection member 790 therein. A flange 791 is coupled to connection member 790 and provides an engagement surface 793 which contacts upstream end 783 so that upper piston 781 and valve member 740 move together. Sides 795 of the generally cylindrical upper piston 781 are formed to include cold inlet holes 797 so that when sides 795 otherwise cover cold liner inlet 738, flow of cold fluid enters through cold inlet holes 797.
Cold liner inlet 738 is illustratively somewhat oversized compared with other cold liner inlets previously disclosed herein. In axial length, cold liner inlet has a length L2 that approximates the axial length L1 of upper piston 781. As such, when valve member 740 is seated against first seat 768, cold fluid flows through cold inlet holes 797 and between downstream end 785 and the downstream end of liner 730. When valve member 740 is seated against second seat 774, cold fluid flows through cold inlet holes 797 and inlet ports 787 in upstream end 785 of upper piston 781. Thus, valve member 740 permits flow of cold fluid from cold liner inlet 738 regardless of the position of upper piston 781.
Referring now to
In operation, as the thermostat moves valve member 840 to close hot liner inlet 836, frustoconical region 843 cooperates with beveled interior edge 833 to center second o-ring 849 with hot liner inlet bore 836 as second o-ring 849 approaches the bore. Second o-ring 849 seats against the axially inwardly-facing walls that define hot liner inlet 836 to restrict flow of hot fluid therethrough. Upon failure of the thermostat, a spring (not shown) biases valve member 840 in a downstream direction 27 to a position wherein disc-shaped structure 835 is in hot liner inlet bore 836, and first o-ring 839 seats against the axially inwardly-facing walls that define hot liner inlet 836 to restrict flow of hot fluid therethrough. Because first and second o-rings 839, 849 seat against the inwardly facing wall of the bore, assembly is simplified as valve member 840 can be simply “dropped in” liner 830.
It should be understood that some of the valve members—as drawn in
Although a mixing valve has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/797,899, filed Jul. 13, 2015, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,625,920; which is a continuation U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/040,115, filed Sep. 27, 2013, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,081,392; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/403,593, filed on Feb. 23, 2012, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,544,760; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/762,942, filed Apr. 19, 2010, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,123,140, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/783,502, filed Feb. 20, 2004, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,351, which is a nationalization of and claims the benefit of PCT Application Number PCT/US02/27056 having International Publication Number WO 03/019315 A1, filed 23 Aug. 2002, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/314,803 filed 24 Aug. 2001.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2519381 | Kreske | Aug 1950 | A |
2911153 | Pelt | Nov 1959 | A |
3001717 | Kozel | Sep 1961 | A |
3124304 | Stuhl | Mar 1964 | A |
3388861 | Harding | Jun 1968 | A |
3685728 | Chapou | Aug 1972 | A |
3827016 | Knapp | Jul 1974 | A |
3929283 | Delpla | Dec 1975 | A |
3938741 | Allison | Feb 1976 | A |
4082219 | Rogers, Jr. et al. | Apr 1978 | A |
4113174 | Kagiyama et al. | Sep 1978 | A |
4299354 | Ketley | Nov 1981 | A |
4509677 | Bendall | Apr 1985 | A |
4607788 | Bendall et al. | Aug 1986 | A |
4760953 | Trubert | Aug 1988 | A |
4863097 | Avelov | Sep 1989 | A |
5011074 | Kline | Apr 1991 | A |
5033671 | Shiba et al. | Jul 1991 | A |
5161737 | Olmsted | Nov 1992 | A |
5174496 | Bourgin | Dec 1992 | A |
5203496 | Kline | Apr 1993 | A |
5323960 | Kline | Jun 1994 | A |
5340018 | MacDonald | Aug 1994 | A |
5341987 | Ackroyd | Aug 1994 | A |
5356074 | Limet et al. | Oct 1994 | A |
5379936 | Kline | Jan 1995 | A |
5535943 | Kahle et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
5647531 | Kline et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
5806761 | Enoki et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
5971285 | Knapp | Oct 1999 | A |
5979777 | Ems | Nov 1999 | A |
5988514 | Huang | Nov 1999 | A |
6079625 | Lubkuchner | Jun 2000 | A |
6085984 | Chamot et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
6250559 | Knauss | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6257493 | Chamot et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6279831 | Lorch | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6315209 | Tripp | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6315210 | Kline | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6328219 | Taylor et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
6405932 | Palmer | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6543478 | Kline | Apr 2003 | B2 |
6575377 | Graves | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6604687 | Goncze et al. | Aug 2003 | B2 |
6637668 | Eveleigh | Oct 2003 | B2 |
6726110 | Heinzelmann | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6820816 | Reid | Nov 2004 | B1 |
6851440 | Kline | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6880575 | Mountford et al. | Apr 2005 | B2 |
6926205 | Taylor et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6929188 | Taylor et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
6994266 | Sadling | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7140394 | Eveleigh | Nov 2006 | B2 |
7163157 | Goncze et al. | Jan 2007 | B2 |
7191954 | Kline | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7240850 | Beck et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
7448553 | Schmitt | Nov 2008 | B2 |
7475827 | Schmitt | Jan 2009 | B2 |
7665671 | Cunningham et al. | Feb 2010 | B2 |
7673808 | Mace et al. | Mar 2010 | B2 |
7717351 | Kline | May 2010 | B2 |
7740183 | Knapp | Jun 2010 | B2 |
7744007 | Beagen et al. | Jun 2010 | B2 |
7770807 | Robinson et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
7850088 | Wei et al. | Dec 2010 | B2 |
7874498 | Kempf | Jan 2011 | B2 |
7913926 | Goncze | Mar 2011 | B2 |
20040084541 | Eveleigh | May 2004 | A1 |
20060090798 | Beagen | May 2006 | A1 |
20070246549 | Kline | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20090314844 | Mace | Dec 2009 | A1 |
20100123014 | Beagen | May 2010 | A1 |
20100147963 | Goncze | Jun 2010 | A1 |
20100219255 | Sansum et al. | Sep 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0775954 | May 1997 | EP |
1244948 | Feb 2005 | EP |
2460878 | Dec 2009 | GB |
9732147 | Sep 1997 | WO |
2004068252 | Aug 2004 | WO |
2010028790 | Mar 2010 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Symmons Industries product information for Symmons TempControl, 2 pgs, copyright 2011. |
Symmons Industries Installation, Operation, and Service Instruction for Symmons TepControl, 4 pgs, copyright 2011. |
PCT/US02/27056, International Search Report dated Dec. 10, 2002. |
PCT/US02/27056, International Preliminary Examination Report dated Sep. 27, 2004. |
U.S. Appl. No. 101783,502, NF OA dated Mar. 23, 2009. |
Applicant Response, U.S. Appl. No. 10/783,502, filed Oct. 22, 2009. |
U.S. Appl. No. 10/783,502, Notice of Allowance dated Jan. 11, 2010. |
U.S. Appl. No. 12/762,942, Notice of Allowance dated Oct. 25, 2011. |
U.S. Appl. No. 13/403,593, NF OA dated Nov. 29, 2012, 6 pages. |
Applicant Response, U.S. Appl. No. 13/403,593, filed Apr. 29, 2013 and May 6, 2013. |
U.S. Appl. No. 13/403,593, Notice of Allowance dated Jun. 11, 2013. |
U.S. Appl. No. 14/040,115, Office Action dated Oct. 13, 2014. |
Applicant Response filed Jan. 29, 2015, U.S. Appl. No. 14/040,115. |
U.S. Appl. No. 14/040,115, Notice of Allowance. |
U.S. Appl. No. 14/797,899, Office Action dated May 3, 2016, 6 pages. |
Applicant Response filed Nov. 3, 2016, U.S. Appl. No. 14/797,899, 13 pages. |
U.S. Appl. No. 14/797,899, Notice of Allowance, 7 pages. |
U.S. Appl. No. 14/797,899, NF OA, 6 pages May 3, 2016. |
Applicant Response, U.S. Appl. No. 14/797,899, 13 pages Nov. 3, 2016. |
U.S. Appl. No. 14/797,899, Notice of Allowance, 7 pages dated Dec. 13, 2016. |
U.S. Appl. No. 14/040,115, Office Action dated Oct. 31, 2014. |
Applicant Response, U.S. Appl. No. 14/040,115 Jan. 29, 2015. |
U.S. Appl. No. 14/040,115, Notice of Allowance dated Mar. 11, 2015. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20170371359 A1 | Dec 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60314803 | Aug 2001 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10783502 | Feb 2004 | US |
Child | 12762942 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 14797899 | Jul 2015 | US |
Child | 15479948 | US | |
Parent | 14040115 | Sep 2013 | US |
Child | 14797899 | US | |
Parent | 13403593 | Feb 2012 | US |
Child | 14040115 | US | |
Parent | 12762942 | Apr 2010 | US |
Child | 13403593 | US | |
Parent | PCT/US02/27056 | Aug 2002 | US |
Child | 10783502 | US |