Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6637044
-
Patent Number
6,637,044
-
Date Filed
Thursday, February 14, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, October 28, 200321 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A toilet trip lever assembly provides a lever arm that extends in the tank perpendicular to the tank wall. As an outer handle is rotated, it drives a stem, which in turn drives an arm inside the tank that extends parallel to the tank wall, which pushes down an end of a lever. A support holds the lever such that downward movement of that end of the lever drives the opposite end of the lever up. The opposite end of the lever is connected to a linkage to a flush valve.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to trip lever assemblies. It is especially well suited to provide toilet trip lever assemblies that control flush valves that are located at or near the bottom of toilet tanks.
A variety of toilet trip lever assemblies are well known. These assemblies are typically mounted on a side wall of a toilet tank with a handle positioned outside the tank and linked to a stem. The stem is rotatably mounted through the tank wall. A trip arm (which typically extends along the tank wall from the stem) is connected to the stem inside the toilet tank.
One end of the trip arm is connected to a chain, which in turn is linked to the usual toilet tank outlet valve. When a user rotates the handle, the trip arm is caused to pivot, thereby moving up its outer end, which in turn yanks the chain up, and thus the tank outlet valve.
Depending upon space limitations in the tank, and the exterior configuration of the tank desired, it is sometimes desirable that rotation of the handle produce a pivoting of the trip arm in a plane which is perpendicular (not parallel) to the wall through which the lever is mounted. There have been some assemblies which have achieved this result.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,555,620 provided a toilet trip lever in which both the outer handle and the inner lever arm pivoted perpendicular to the tank wall. Unfortunately, this required the handle to jut out a significant distance from the tank wall, and provided poor leverage characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,912 disclosed an improved perpendicular type toilet trip lever (where the outer handle rotated in a conventional manner). A very short arm pivoted with the stem that passed through the wall. That arm in turn pushed up a perpendicular lever arm that was supported on a bracket. Because of the construction of the mechanism, a relatively large angle of rotation of the handle was required to activate the valve. Furthermore, the device was relatively costly to manufacture and assemble.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,881 provided another perpendicular type toilet trip lever. However, the parts of that assembly were somewhat difficult to adjust to account for certain variations in the toilet wall thickness. Also, certain of the plastic parts could break if not carefully handled.
Therefore, a need still exists for an improved “perpendicular” type toilet trip lever assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect the present invention provides a trip lever assembly mountable through a hole of a tank wall. There is a rotatable stem extendable through the hole, a handle mountable to an outer end of the stem, and an arm mountable to an inner end of the stem so as to rotate with the stem, the arm then being extendable along the wall.
There is also a support mountable inside the tank, and a lever mountable for pivoting on the support, with the lever then extending from a position adjacent the wall towards a position farther away from the wall. When the trip lever assembly is mounted through said tank wall hole, rotation of the handle can cause the arm to drive an end of the lever which is adjacent the wall down, and an opposite end of the lever up.
In preferred forms there is a chain linked to the opposite end of the lever and a flush valve link to the chain. Also, the stem can be surrounded by a bushing, and the bushing can cooperate with the handle to limit rotational movement of the handle. The bushing can be outwardly threaded, and a nut can be provided with internal threads to thread onto the bushing threads.
There can also be an escutcheon positionable adjacent the handle outside the tank wall, the escutcheon having a locating member for locating the escutcheon in the hole of the tank wall. The bushing can include ribs or ridges sized and dimensioned to deform as they are inserted into the escutcheon to provide a tight fit.
In especially preferred forms a contact surface of each of the arm and lever (which contact each other) are a rolled surface, the support is an L-bracket with a mounting hole for mounting the L-bracket over the hole in the wall, the mounting hole includes a rolled tab, and the support has another hole into which the arm projects.
In another aspect the invention provides a combined toilet tank and trip lever assembly. There is a tank having a bottom wall and surrounding side walls. There is a hole through a side wall. There is also a flush valve mounted in a lower portion of the tank.
A rotatable stem extends through the hole in the tank side wall, a handle is mounted to an outer end of the stem, and an arm is mounted to an inner end of the stem so as to rotate with the stem, the arm then extending essentially parallel to the side wall through which the stem extends.
There is also a support mounted inside the tank. A lever is mounted for pivoting on the support, with the lever then extending essentially perpendicular to the side wall through which the stem extends between a position adjacent that wall towards a position farther away from that wall. Rotation of the handle causes the arm to drive a part of the lever down, and an opposite part of the lever up.
The location of the pivot point along the support is such that a relatively small angle of rotation of the stem causes the lever to lift the chain sufficiently to flush the toilet. Rotation of the stem beyond the desired point is limited by interaction of the handle and bushing, thereby preventing the arm from “clinking” or “tapping” on the bottom side of the tank lid.
The advantage of the present invention therefore include, without limitation, providing a perpendicular type toilet trip lever which is easy to produce, easy to assemble, inexpensive, and reliable. Relatively small movement of the handle creates the necessary movement of the chain. Still other advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a view, partially in vertical cross section, of a toilet tank employing a trip lever assembly of the present invention, with the lever assembly mounted on a side wall;
FIG. 2
is an exploded view of the trip lever assembly, with a fragmented portion of the tank wall also shown;
FIG. 3
is a sectional view taken along line
3
—
3
of
FIG. 4
;
FIG. 4
is a view taken along line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 6
;
FIG. 5
is a view taken along line
5
—
5
of
FIG. 6
;
FIG. 5A
is a further enlarged view taken of the detail portion
5
A—
5
A of
FIG. 5
;
FIG. 6
is a perspective view of the trip lever assembly of the present invention, mounted on a toilet tank wall, and in a position where the flush valve of the tank would be seated in a closed position;
FIG. 7
is a view similar to
FIG. 6
, but with the valve in a position where the flush valve would be above its seated position so as to be open; and
FIG. 8
is a view similar to
FIG. 3
, but with the handle in the
FIG. 7
position in dotted lines.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1
shows a toilet trip lever assembly
10
of the present invention mounted on a side wall
11
of a conventional toilet tank
12
. An outlet pipe
13
leads to the usual toilet bowl (not shown), and is sealed by an outlet flush valve
14
. It should be appreciated that the specifics of the flush valve mechanism are not critical, and that a wide variety of other such mechanisms which are activated by an upward yank can be used with the present invention.
The usual inlet pipe
15
is connected to a conventional inlet valve
16
, which is controlled by a float
17
in a conventional manner. A chain
18
or other linkage connects the trip assembly
10
of the present invention to the outlet flush valve
14
, to control lifting of the outlet valve
14
off of its seat when the trip assembly
10
is operated. Lifting the valve
14
off of its seat on the outlet pipe
13
causes the toilet to flush, as is well known.
Referring now to
FIG. 2
, an exploded view of the toilet trip lever assembly
10
of the present invention is shown. An actuating assembly has a handle
20
, a bushing
24
, and a rotatable trip pin
32
. The pin
32
is coupled to a stem
42
of the handle
20
with a threaded fastener
34
. The handle
20
is provided on the outside of the tank wall
11
, with a decorative escutcheon
22
, while the bushing
24
and trip pin
32
extend through an aperture
25
of the toilet tank wall
11
.
An arm assembly has an L-bracket
26
and lever arm
28
, which pivots about a pin
80
. The L-bracket is located inside the toilet tank against the wall
11
. The actuating assembly and arm assembly are clamped to the tank wall with a nut
30
threading onto threads
52
of the bushing
24
.
The handle
20
is preferably substantially rectangular, with a planar front wall
35
and side walls
37
. First and second vertical cross bars
36
and
38
extend from the top and bottom side walls
37
to a stem
42
positioned at a substantially central location between the top and bottom wall. The stem
42
extends from the front wall
35
of the handle
20
in a direction substantially perpendicular to the front wall
35
. A horizontal cross bar
40
extends from a side wall
37
to the stem
42
. The horizontal cross bar
40
acts as a rotational stop for the handle
20
as described more fully below.
The distal end of the stem
42
includes a threaded receptacle
46
and a generally rectangular locator element
44
sized and dimensioned to mate with the rotatable trip pin
32
. The bushing
24
is received in the handle
20
. The outwardly facing end of the bushing
24
comprises a planar circular element
47
that includes a generally circular ridge
48
extending outward in a direction substantially perpendicular to the planar element
47
.
An opening
50
defined in the circular ridge
48
provides first and second stop elements
49
and
51
. The stop elements
49
and
51
work with the horizontal cross bar
40
in the handle
20
to limit rotation of the handle
20
. The back side of the bushing
24
comprises a threaded sleeve
52
, a square mounting section
54
and associated “crush ribs” or ridges
56
. The square mounting section
54
is sized and dimensioned to slide into an aperture in the escutcheon
22
. As the square mounting
54
is slid into position, the associated ridges
56
are deformed or crushed to provide a tight fit between the bushing
24
and the escutcheon
22
, thereby locking the bushing in a substantially stationary position as shown in FIG.
5
A. The escutcheon
22
includes a generally rectangular aperture
58
sized and dimensioned to receive the mounting section
54
of the bushing
24
.
Referring now to
FIG. 5
, the bushing
24
is inserted into the aperture
58
from the front of the escutcheon
22
until the mounting section
54
and associated ridges
56
extend through and are deformed and crushed against the aperture
58
defined in the escutcheon
22
to provide a tight fit, as shown in FIG.
5
A. First and second semicircular locating ridges
60
and
62
extend in a generally perpendicular position from the escutcheon
22
and provide a means for locating the escutcheon
22
within the aperture
25
of the tank wall
11
.
Referring now to
FIG. 7
, the L-bracket
26
comprises first and second perpendicular walls
64
and
66
. When assembled the first wall
64
is positioned against the internal tank wall
11
, in a plane substantially parallel to the tank wall
11
. The wall
64
includes an aperture which is positioned around the aperture
25
in the tank wall
11
and which receives the threaded shaft
52
of the bushing
24
.
As seen in
FIG. 2
, the side walls of the aperture
68
each include a rolled tab
74
and
76
which is a piece of the L-bracket
26
which is rolled substantially 90° backwards and is sized and dimensioned to provide a locating element for attaching the L-bracket
26
to the aperture
25
in the toilet wall
11
. The aperture
68
further includes vertically-directed tabs
70
and
72
which are used to locate the bushing
24
in the aperture
68
and to limit motion of the bushing
24
vertically.
The second wall
66
extends further into the tank in a direction substantially perpendicular to the tank wall
11
. The arm
28
is coupled to the outer side of the wall
66
on the side furthest from the first wall
64
of the L-bracket
26
. The arm
28
is coupled to the wall
66
through a glide bearing
82
and a pivot pin
80
. The pivot pin
80
can comprise a threaded fastener or other devices known to those of skill in the art, but preferably comprises a rivet which is inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
At a first distal end of the arm
28
, an aperture
84
is defined for receiving the usual chain
18
or another linkage for operating the outlet flush valve
14
. At the opposing distal end of the arm
28
is a lever section
86
which is activated by the trip pin
32
to activate the arm
28
.
The location of the pivot point defined by the pin
80
is provided in the L-bracket
26
at a location selected to provide a relatively large movement of the aperture
84
for a minimal rotation of the lever section
86
. Furthermore, the lever section
86
is vertically offset from the axis
81
(
FIG. 7
) at a location vertically below the pivot pin
80
, thereby also aiding in providing a flush with a small axis of rotation of the handle. The top of the lever section
86
is rolled, providing a surface of contact between the lever section
86
and the rotation trip pin
32
. The lever section
86
is accessible to the trip pin
32
through an aperture
78
in the wall
66
of the L-bracket
26
.
The rotatable trip pin
32
mounts on the square mounting post
44
of the stem
42
of the handle
20
. The rotatable trip pin
32
further comprises a lever section
90
which, as described with reference to the lever section
86
above, comprises a rolled surface. The trip pin.
32
is aligned along an axis
83
(
FIG. 7
) substantially parallel to the tank wall
11
.
Assembly of the device can be achieved quickly, and without requiring special tools. The bushing
24
includes crush ribs or ridges
56
which deform as they are slid into the escutcheon
22
to provide a tight fit. The escutcheon
22
further includes locating ridges
60
and
62
which are sized and dimensioned to quickly align the escutcheon with the aperture
25
in the tank wall
11
. Similarly, the rolled tabs
74
and
76
in the aperture
78
of the L-bracket
26
provides for simplified alignment of the L-bracket
26
in the aperture
25
of the tank wall
11
. Other features which simplify manufacturing include the alignment tabs
70
and
72
in the aperture
78
of the L-bracket
26
, which align the bushing
24
in the aperture
25
, and the mounting element at the distal end of the stem
42
which mates to the aperture in the trip pin
32
.
Furthermore, although these elements simplify alignment of the constituent parts in the trip lever assembly
10
, each of these elements includes sufficient “play” to allow for alignment despite variations in the vitreous china used to make the tank. Additionally, the arm
28
preferably comprises a malleable metal material which can be bent as necessary to account for such variations in the tank.
To assemble the trip lever assembly
10
, the escutcheon
22
is aligned with the aperture
25
in the tank wall
11
. The actuating assembly comprising the handle
20
, bushing
24
, and trip lever
32
is then slid through the escutcheon
22
and the aperture
25
in the tank wall
11
, such that the threaded sleeve
52
of the bushing
24
extends through the aperture
25
. The aperture
78
of the L-bracket
26
is aligned over the sleeve
52
and around the aperture
25
from the inside of the tank wall
11
, such that the arm
28
extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the tank wall
11
. When the L-bracket
26
and escutcheon
22
are in place, a threaded nut
30
is coupled over the sleeve
52
, locking the bushing
24
, L-bracket
26
, and escutcheon
22
in place on the tank wall
11
.
As assembled, the handle
20
aligned such that the horizontal cross bar
40
is positioned in the aperture
50
between the stop surfaces
49
and
51
. In operation the handle
20
is turned in a clockwise direction by a user to trigger the lift arm
28
from the “closed” position of
FIG. 6
to the “open” position of
FIG. 7
thereby selectively flushing the toilet.
As the handle
20
is turned, the horizontal cross bar
40
inside of the handle
20
is rotated about the stem
42
. Rotation of the handle
20
is limited by the stop elements
49
and
51
of the bushing
24
, which is held stationary by the nut
30
, which locks the bushing in place. The stop elements
49
and
51
prevent the horizontal cross bar
40
from rotating beyond a defined angle of rotation, and therefore further prevent unwanted interaction or “clinking” between the metal arm
28
and the top of the toilet tank.
As the handle
20
is turned, the stem
42
is rotated, thereby causing the trip pin
32
to rotate toward the lever section
86
of the arm
28
. As the trip pin
32
is rotated, the rolled portion of the trip pin
32
contacts the rolled portion of the lever section
86
causing the arm
28
to pivot about the pin
80
as shown in FIG.
7
. Rotation about the pin
80
causes the lever section
86
to rotate downward toward the bottom of the tank and the opposing end of the arm
28
, including the aperture
84
, to rotate upward toward the top of the tank.
As the aperture
84
moves up, the outlet valve
14
coupled to the valve is lifted, as shown in
FIG. 1
, causing the water to flush through the pipe
13
. The slide bearing
82
limits both noise and friction between the pin
80
and arm
28
as the arm rotates. The rolled surfaces of the trip pin
32
and lever section
86
produce relatively little noise on contact, and further provide a longer-wearing contact surface. Therefore, the design of the present invention provides a relatively quiet but durable construction.
Furthermore, the relative positioning of the pivot point about the pin
80
in the arm
28
assures that a relatively small angle of rotation of the handle will provide a sufficient rise of the aperture
84
to activate the valve
14
, and to provide a flush of the toilet. As the operator rotates the handle
20
in a clockwise direction, an angle of rotation in a range of about twenty-eight to thirty degrees effects a flush. Preferably, the angle of rotation is twenty-nine degrees plus or minus half of a degree.
As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, a preferred embodiment of the invention has been describedabove. Modifications and variations to the preferred embodiment may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, variations in the angle of rotation of the handle and the lift of the arm can be effected by modifying the pivot point of the arm
28
, the length of the arm
28
, and the position of the stop elements
49
and
51
in the bushing
24
. Furthermore, although a rectangular handle has been described, handles in a variety of shapes can be employed. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the described embodiment. To ascertain the full scope of the invention, the following claims should be referenced.
Industrial Applicability
The present invention provides a toilet trip lever assembly.
Claims
- 1. A trip lever assembly mountable through a hole of a tank wall, comprising:a rotatable stem extendable through the hole; a handle mountable to an outer end of the stem; an arm mountable to an inner end of the stem so as to rotate with the stem, the arm then being extendable along the wall; a support mountable inside the tank; and a lever mounted for pivoting on the support, with the lever then extending essentially perpendicular to the side wall through which the stem extends between a position adjacent that wall towards a position farther away from that wall; wherein a portion of the arm is positionable directly above at least a portion of the lever such that when the trip lever assembly is mounted through said tank wall hole, rotation of the handle can cause the arm to drive a wall adjacent part of the lever down, and an opposite end of the lever up.
- 2. The trip lever assembly of claim 1, further comprising a chain linked to the opposite end of the lever, and a flush valve link to the chain.
- 3. The trip lever assembly of claim 1, wherein the stem is surrounded by a bushing, and the bushing cooperates with the handle to limit rotational movement of the handle.
- 4. The trip lever assembly of claim 3, wherein the bushing is outwardly threaded, and a nut is provided with internal threads to thread onto the bushing threads.
- 5. A trip lever assembly mountable through a hole of a tank wall, comprising:a rotatable stem extendable through the hole; a handle mountable to an outer end of the stem; an arm mountable to an inner end of the stem so as to rotate with the stem, the arm then being extendable along the wall; a support mountable inside the tank; and a lever mountable for pivoting on the support, with the lever then extending from a position adjacent the wall towards a position farther away from the wall; wherein when the trip lever assembly is mounted through said tank wall hole, rotation of the handle can cause the arm to drive a wall adjacent part of the lever down, and an opposite end of the lever up; wherein the stem is surrounded by a bushing, and the bushing cooperates with the handle to limit rotational movement of the handle; and wherein the trip lever assembly further comprises an escutcheon positionable adjacent the handle outside the tank wall, the escutcheon having a locating member for locating the escutcheon in the hole of the tank wall.
- 6. One trip lever assembly of claim 5, wherein the bushing is sized and dimensioned to snap fit in the escutcheon.
- 7. A trip lever assembly mountable through a hole of a tank wall, comprising:a rotatable stem extendable through the hole; a handle mountable to an outer end of the stem; an arm mountable to an inner end of the stem so as to rotate with the stem, the arm then being extendable along the wall; a support mountable inside the tank; and a lever mountable for pivoting on the support, with the lever then extending from a position adjacent the wall towards a position farther away from the wall; wherein when the trip lever assembly is mounted through said tank wall hole, rotation of the handle can cause the arm to drive a wall adjacent part of the lever down, and an opposite end of the lever up; wherein a contact surface of each of the arm and lever which contact each other are a rolled surface.
- 8. A trip lever assembly mountable through a hole of a tank wall, comprising:a rotatable stem extendable through the hole; a handle mountable to an outer end of the stem; an arm mountable to an inner end of the stem so as to rotate with the stem, the arm then being extendable along the wall; a support mountable inside the tank; and a lever mountable for pivoting on the support, with the lever then extending from a position adjacent the wall towards a position farther away from the wall; wherein when the trip lever assembly is mounted through said tank wall hole, rotation of the handle can cause the arm to drive a wall adjacent part of the lever down, and an opposite end of the lever up; wherein the support is an L-bracket with a mounting hole for mounting the L-bracket over the hole in the wall, the mounting hole including a rolled tab.
- 9. A trip lever assembly mountable through a hole of a tank wall, comprising:a rotatable stem extendable through the hole; a handle mountable to an outer end of the stem; an arm mountable to an inner end of the stem so as to rotate with the stem, the arm then being extendable along the wall; a support mountable inside the tank; and a lever mountable for pivoting on the support, with the lever then extending from a position adjacent the wall towards a position farther away from the wall; wherein when the trip lever assembly is mounted through said tank wall hole, rotation of the handle can cause the arm to drive a wall adjacent part of the lever down, and an opposite end of the lever up; wherein the support has a hole into which the arm projects.
- 10. A combined toilet tank and trip lever assembly, comprising:a tank having a bottom wall, and surrounding side walls, there being a hole through a side wall; a flush valve mounted in a lower portion of the tank; a rotatable stem extended through the hole in the tank side wall; a handle mounted to an outer end of the stem; an arm mounted to an inner end of the stem so as to rotate with the stem, the arm then extending essentially parallel to the side wall through which the stem extends; a support mounted inside the tank; and a lever mounted for pivoting on the support, with the lever then extending essentially perpendicular to the side wall through which the stem extends between a position adjacent that wall towards a position farther away from that wall; wherein a portion of the arm is positioned directly above at least a portion of the lever such that rotation of the handle causes the arm to drive a part of the lever down, and an opposite part of the lever up.
US Referenced Citations (12)