Patent Application
20180015598
The present invention relates to plumbing tools and, more particularly, to a tool designed to easily remove and replace seats and springs in stem assembly, ball valve seat, or lever handle faucets.
Professional plumbers are often frustrated with the tiny seats and springs found in many faucets. In both single and double-handle model faucets, the seats and springs add unneeded stress and time to plumbing repairs. Currently, screwdrivers are most often used for installing seats and springs, and it is necessary for any water flowing to the faucet to be completely stopped.
Unfortunately, known specialty tools for replacing springs and seats generally lack the durability and ease of use desired by plumbing professionals. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,653 (the “'653 patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,062,827 (the “'827 patent”) disclose a tool for removing and inserting a plumbing fixture seal, particularly for use with ball type faucets using a rubber seal engaged by a cylindrical compression spring. However, the tool described in the '653 and '827 patents lacks the resiliency necessary for long term function and, as further described herein, its design cannot easily accommodate removal and replacement of seals and springs in many common plumbing situations.
Thus, what is needed in the art is a robust and easy to use tool for removing an placing seats and springs in any stem assembly, ball valve seat, or lever handle faucet in need of repair or replacement.
In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention comprises an apparatus for removing and inserting seals and springs in a faucet, said apparatus comprising: a handle, said handle comprising a cylindrical, longitudinal, inner bore, said bore having a longitudinal axis, said handle further comprising a threaded distal segment having a diameter and a proximal segment having a diameter, where said distal segment diameter is larger than said proximal segment diameter; a shaft, said shaft having a generally cylindrical shape and a cylindrical, longitudinal, inner bore, said bore having a longitudinal axis and a diameter, said shaft further comprising a distal end and a threaded proximal end, said shaft threadably connected to said handle such that said shaft bore and said handle bores are colinear; a rod, said rod having a generally cylindrical shape, said rod comprising a diameter, said rod diameter less than said diameter of said proximal segment of said bore, said rod diameter less than said diameter of said shaft bore, said rod slidably disposed through said shaft bore and said handle bores, said rod further comprising a distal tip, said tip comprising a proximal first outer diameter and a distal second outer diameter, said distal tip outer diameter less than said proximal tip outer diameter, said tip further comprising a taper disposed between said proximal outer diameter and said distal outer diameter; retaining means for preventing said rod from sliding completely through said proximal bore of said handle, said retention means disposed around said rod; a compression spring, said spring having an outer diameter and an inner diameter, said spring inner diameter disposed around said rod disposed around said rod distally relative to said retention means.
The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given hereinafter and from the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention, but are for explanation and understanding only.
In the drawings:
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplary embodiments set forth herein are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
The present invention will be discussed hereinafter in detail in terms of various exemplary embodiments according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures are not shown in detail in order to avoid unnecessary obscuring of the present invention.
Thus, all of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Moreover, in the present description, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “rear”, “right”, “front”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
Plumbing fixtures, specifically water faucets, often include a seal structure that controls the flow of water through the faucet. When the seal structure fails, the faucet leaks. Repairing the faucet requires replacing the seal.
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When tool 1000 is fully assembled, as illustrated in
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The spring 20 and seal 22, shown in
A standard faucet valve assembly has a valve body with a main bore and a counterbore inlet passageway leading from a supply of water. The counterbore holds a tubular seal (seal 22 and spring 20) element in the inlet passageway of the valve body. The present invention enables the user to remove both the worn seal 22 and spring 20 together and replace a new seal 22 and spring 20 together. The spring 20 generally used in the industry is a frustoconical configuration with a smaller upper end, which engages the seal 22 and urges it against the valving member. The larger diameter of the conical spring 20 engages an annular shoulder of the counterbore. The seal 22 generally consists of a rubber or rubber-like composition with a through bore diameter that is comparable in size to the small end of the conical spring 20.
In use, apparatus 1000 is held in one hand during the removal or insertion of the spring 20 and seal 22. The rod 300 is pressed thereby causing tip 500 of rod 300 to be forced into the center of the worn spring 20 and seal 22. The worn spring 20 and seal 22 are held on the guide 30 by a friction fit. Once spring 20 and seal 22 are completely removed, rod 300 is released which causes tip 350 to retract and the spring 20 and seal 22 to fall off tip 350. The process is reversed place a new seal 22 and spring 20 into a faucet.
While this invention has been described with respect to at least one embodiment, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
