Patent Application
20080066224
The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are as follows.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.
The following disclosure describes a control valve for use in controlling the air input to a venturi jet for illustrative purposes. It is to be understood that the invention also includes the use of a control valve for use in controlling the water input to the venturi jet. Similarly, the invention also includes the use of a control valve for controlling the input of other gases and liquids to a jet for subsequent introduction to a piece of hydrotherapy equipment. Further, the term hydrotherapy equipment is meant to include the array of devices for holding acting upon water and other fluids including, but not limited to, spas, tubs, swimming pools, ponds, fountains, showers, whirlpools, and the like.
Additionally, the following disclosure describes a preferred embodiment of the control valve having at least three positions: closed (off), partially open (partially on), and full open (full on). It is to be understood that the invention also includes two positions, closed (off) and open (on) as well as four or more positions, closed (off), open (on), and two or more intermediate positions for various degrees of partially open (partially on).
Turning now to
The base 41 of the valve 10 is structured to permit attachment of a pipe or similar structure to facilitate an air flow conduit 24 from aperture 50 to venturi jet 28 through air flow conduit 24 and manifold 26. For example, air flow conduit 24 can comprise a connector 25 that fits over the base 41. For another example, air flow conduit 24 can have an outer diameter approximately equal to the inner diameter of base 41 such that air flow conduit 24 can slide within base 41 and be held there by friction. Housing 40 further includes a threaded portion 47 for cooperating with a nut 49 for attaching the device 10 to the spa equipment shell 22.
With reference now to
A rotating member 70 operationally engages the lower surface, in the embodiment shown, the plate 64 is engaged by the rotating member 70. The rotating member comprises a male engagement member 72 and a plurality of air flow apertures 74. A disc 76 having engagement slots 78 corresponding to the male engagement members 72 of the rotating member 70 is provided. This engagement relationship is best illustrated in
A push button controller 84 is provided with a plurality of ridges 86, the ridges having cammed lower surfaces 88 corresponding to the cammed upper surfaces 82 corresponding of the disc ridge members 80. The ridges 86 of the push button controller 84 correspond and operationally engage the slots 56 of the slotted cylinder 52.
A retention cap 90 is provided to compress the spring 81 and retain the elements in operational configuration. The cap 90 may be attached to the valve assembly by threaded attachment to the housing flange 42.
Assembly of the valve components into operational configuration results in the lower cammed surfaces 88 of the push button controller 84 to engage the corresponding ridge member upper cammed surfaces 82 of the disk 76. In turn, as is best seen in
Actuation of the cammed assembly will now be described with reference to
One embodiment of the cammed assembly actuation is initiated by application of force to the push button controller 84 sufficient to overcome the upward axial spring force, illustrated in
Applying sufficient force to overcome the spring force causes the push button controller ridges 86 to slide axially downward within the slotted cylinder slots 56. Concurrently, since the lower cammed surfaces 88 of the controller ridges 86 are engaged with the corresponding upper cammed surfaces 82 of the ridge members 80 of disc 76, the ridge members 80 also slide axially downward in cylinder slots 56. Ultimately, as the slotted cylinder slots 56 extend axially only partway down the interior side wall 54, the ridge members 80 of disc 76 disengage the slotted cylinder slots 56.
At this point, the upper cammed surfaces 82 of the ridge members 80 of disc 76 are urged by the upward axial spring force to engage the corresponding lower cammed surfaces 60 of the ridges of the slotted cylinder 52, immediately adjacent to the slots 56. The spring 81 continues to exert an upwardly axial force, which urges the cammed upper surfaces 82 of the ridge members 80 of disc 76 to slide upwardly and to rotate in direction of the upwardly angled arrow in
Because the rotating member 70 and the disc 76 are operationally engaged, the rotating member 70 rotates at the same time and through the same rotational distance as the disc 76. In this embodiment, the distance rotated, and the corresponding rotational position achieved, is the distance from one slot 56 in the slotted cylinder 52 to the adjacent next slot 56 therein.
The present invention uses the rotation of the rotating member 70, in conjunction with the plurality of air flow apertures 74 in the rotating member 70 and the plurality of air flow ports 66 disposed through the interior chamber lower surface, to incrementally regulate the air flow through the at least one air flow conduit 24 to the venturi jet(s) 28. Each rotational position achieved by actuation of the cammed assembly and rotation of the rotating member 70 may regulate the air flow to the venturi jet 28 by either fully opening the valve 10 to air flow, fully stopping air from flowing through the valve 10 or incrementally restricting, without fully stopping, the air flow through the valve 10.
Those skilled in the art will recognize many equivalent configurations of air flow apertures and air flow ports, including orientation relative to each other, size, shape and the like in order to incrementally regulate the volume of air flow through the air flow conduit. Each of these configurations is within the scope of the present invention.
Turning now to
The rotating cylinder 100 rests within the slotted cylinder 102 and has a plurality of different sized ports 104 to allow intake of different volumes of air. Rotating cylinder 100 further includes a plurality of engagement arms 106 having an upper cammed surface 108.
The push button controller 84A includes ridges 86A that correspond to at least some of the slots in slotted cylinder 102. Cammed surfaces 86A correspond to cammed surfaces 108 in the rotating cylinder.
Operationally, spring 81 exerts an upward axial force that may be overcome by actuating the cammed assembly. Pressing the push button controller 84A causes ridges 86A to slide downward and axially within slots 102. Cammed surfaces 88A and 108 are engaged during the downward axial movement and urge the rotating cylinder 100 to rotate accordingly. In this manner, air flow ports 104 are consecutively rotated into alignment, or partial alignment, with air flow entry port 46A. Regulation of the volume of air flow through the valve 10A is thus achieved in incremental fashion by regulating the size, and alignment, of the air flow ports 104 with the air flow entry port 46A.
The foregoing detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the appended figures have been presented only for illustrative and descriptive purposes and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments were selected and described to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many variations can be made to the invention disclosed in this specification without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
