Patent Application
20100205735
This invention relates to toilet tank flush valve actuators for lifting the flush valve from a valve seat to initiate discharge water flow into the toilet bowl.
Trip levers used to lift flush valves are well known in the prior art. Plunger valves and flapper type flush valves are examples of early type flush valves where a chain was connected directly from the trip lever to the valve for lifting it from the valve seat to initiate water flow from the toilet tank into the bowl. Twisting of the chain in many instances during the flush sequence caused the flush valve to improperly seat and consequently there would be a continuous discharge of water into the toilet bowl. To remedy the resulting “running toilet” problem, an adjustment to the chain was necessary to permit the valve to properly seat. Both plunger and flapper type flush valves, although still extensively used, and in addition to chain interference with seating of the flush valve, have the environmental problem of reliably controlling the amount of water or size of a flush on a consistent basis. This has led to new and improved valves or closure bodies to initiate flushing where the closure body or flush valve may be, for example, a hollow body having a vertical axis co-axial with the central axis of the valve seat and directly linked to the trip lever. The linkage between the trip lever and hollow body, however, upon actuation of the trip lever has been unreliable in assuring that throughout the flush sequence that the vertical axis of the body would remain co-axial with the central axis of the valve seat; misalignment of these axes upon closure of the flush valve would result in an imperfect seal resulting in a “running toilet”.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a direct linkage mechanism for lifting the flush valve so as to retain co-axial alignment during the flush sequence of the vertical axis of the flush valve and the valve seat central axis so as to assure a proper seal upon the seating of the flush valve body.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a toilet flush actuator mechanism that links the trip lever to the flush valve such that the vertical axis of the flush valve and the central axis of the valve seat remain substantially co-axial during the toilet flush sequence.
This invention relates to a toilet flush actuator mechanism for a toilet tank of the type having a valve seat surrounding the discharge port of the tank and a flush valve that is lifted from the valve seat to initiate the toilet flush. To lift the flush valve from the valve seat, the actuator mechanism of this invention incorporates a rigid trip lever having a first end that is pivotally mounted to the toilet tank, a free end opposite said first end forming a terminus of the trip lever, and an axis of elongation. Adjacent the free end of the trip lever a first resilient guide member is carried in fixed relationship with the trip lever and extends laterally and upwardly from said axis of elongation. A second resilient guide member is carried by the trip lever in fixed relationship therewith and located a pre-determined axial distance from the first resilient guide member and intermediate the first resilient guide member and the first end of the trip lever. The second guide member is substantially parallel to and co-planar with the first resilient guide member.
The trip lever is so mounted pivotally to the toilet tank that by depressing the first end of the trip lever, the free end of the trip lever will be rotated upwards in an arcuate path causing an increase in the axial slope of the free end portion of the trip lever. As the free end of the trip lever rotates upwardly, a linkage member which may be a u-shaped frame is carried by the flush valve adjacent its upper-end, and bears in compressive engagement against the trip lever as it rotates upwardly. The linkage member is carried in fixed relationship with the flush valve and has an open void region and a peripheral surface where the open void region is bounded at least in part by the peripheral surface. The free end of the trip lever extends telescopically through the open void region to permit relative slidable movement with respect to an engagement portion of the peripheral surface where the engagement portion extends laterally from the flush valve adjacent its upper end and is interposed between the first and second resilient guide members for slidable bearing engagement with the trip lever. Thus, when the trip lever is sufficiently depressed, the engagement portion will compressively bear in slidable relationship against the increasing slope of the free end of the trip lever as the free end moves upwardly thereby lifting the flush valve from the valve seat,. As the free end continues to move upwardly, the free end remains in slidable bearing engagement with the engagement portion of the peripheral surface between the first and second guide members thereby retaining the co-axial alignment of the vertical axis of the flush valve and the central axis of the valve seat throughout the flush sequence.
In the preferred but optional embodiment of the invention, the linkage member consists of a cylindrical cap having a u-shaped frame extending laterally from the cap where the cap is removably mounted and captively held by the flush valve at its upper end; the u-shaped frame having an upper laterally extending arm that contains the engagement portion of the peripheral surface, a vertical arm, and a lower laterally extending arm which collectively form the peripheral surface bounding the void region.
These and other features and advantages will become appreciated as the same become better understood with reference to the following specification, claims and drawings where:
By referring to
Referring again to
This invention relates to an actuator mechanism that so lifts flush valve 6 from the valve seat 11, that vertical axis 7 of flush valve 6 remains substantially co-axial with central axis 4 of valve seat 11 throughout the flush sequence. The actuator mechanism of this invention hereafter described preserves the co-axial alignment of the flush valve axis and the central axis of the valve seat during the lifting and descending of flush valve 6 which permits the flush valve to be reliably seated in valve-seat 11 after each flush thereby substantially reducing the “running toilet” problem.
The actuator mechanism is comprised of a rigid trip lever 12 that has an axis of elongation 10, a first end 13 and a free-end 14. First-end 13 is rotationally fixed to toilet lever 16 by a lock-nut (not shown) that is fastened to the toilet lever from inside toilet tank 1. Thus, trip lever 12 is pivotally mounted to toilet tank 1 at its first-end 13; and, as can be seen by referring to
Adjacent free-end 14 and extending substantially orthogonally from axis of elongation 10, a first resilient guide member 29 is carried in a fixed relationship with trip lever 12. At a pre-determined axial distance from first resilient guide member 29, a second resilient guide member 30 extends substantially orthogonally from axis of elongation 10 where the first and second guide members are substantially parallel in a vertical plane and coplanar. In the preferred embodiment, a boot member 31 is carried in a fixed relationship adjacent the free end 14 and so carries first and second resilient guide embers 29 and 30 such that they extend substantially parallel and co-planar in a vertical plane from boot member 31. The resiliency of guide members 29 and 30 is illustrated in
By referring to
This invention is not be limited by the embodiment shown in the drawings and described in the description, which is given by way of example and not of limitation, but only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.
