Robertshaw Controls Company

Eaton Corporation

Other

Ranco Inc. of Delaware

Bobertshaw Controls Company

James E Pearson

Thomas J Davern

Paul H Tuma

Tony Leeseberg

Ronald S Joyce

Dennis DeVera

Philip C Hawken

Mark A Hentschel

Kevin J Engler

Robert J Van Der Linde

Joseph Ledvora

Paul Charles Berkley

Stephen Sapp

Shane Duncan Bartow

Dennis R Carls

George W Jarosch

Jerome C Klopp

Ian Rodgers

Kyle William Svejcar

Norman E Zerndt

Brandon Cole

Jack David Rodesiler

Christopher A Zajac

Stefan J Szewczyk

Jermaine Andre Ealy

Bruce R Weatherhead

Shubhada Surve

Moises Contreras Hernandez

Russell A Meyer

Richard Louis Elkin

Kelly Gagne

Dennis R Carls, Deceased

Timothy M Wright

Curtis Phillips

Gary Richard Millikan

Kenneth A Bergbauer

A water valve having a housing defining an inlet and an outlet and a flow path extending therethrough, a pressure sensor configured to sense a water pressure at the inlet, a valve member situated within the flow path to open and close the flow path, a solenoid actuator, and a controller coupled to the pressure sensor to read the water pressure at the inlet and coupled to the solenoid to open and close the valve is provided. The controller determines an amount of time to hold the valve open in order to dispense an amount of water based on the water pressure. The controller commands the solenoid to open and close the valve to dispense the amount of water regardless of the water pressure. The controller is also configured to open the valve to reduce inlet pressure and prevent failure thereof.

Pressure sensing valve

A backlit temperature control knob for water heater valves used with water heaters and more particularly to gas water heaters provides a way to read the temperature indication not previously known in the art. Some embodiments rely on a thermocouple or thermopile normally used to power a safety magnet with the pilot light system as a source of electrical energy to selectively illuminate a Light Emitting Diode (LED) which directs light through at least a portion of the knob to assist in reading the temperature indications.

Back lit temperature knob

A multiport valve has a stemshell rotatable within a valve body with two columns of ports arranged in a planar array. An extra port extends external to the array and inlet ports communicate with selected outlet ports. The stemshell has lateral channels and longitudinal channels which cooperate with the ports at selected angular positions to provide desired inlet/outlet flows while preventing intermixing within the valve.

Nine port cooling valve

Provided are embodiments of a gas valve for an intermittent pilot ignition system. The gas valve includes features designed to address the buildup of negative pressure in a fuel line connected to the gas valve that could cause internal valve diaphragms to open, drawing fuel from the gas valve. In embodiments, the gas valve includes a system of check valves designed to seal off the gas valve when a negative pressure develops. In other embodiments, the gas valve includes a relief valve having a relief port so that air is able to enter the valve proximate to the inlet port so as to avoid building a negative pressure sufficient to open the diaphragms. In both cases, the valve remains primed with fuel for subsequent ignition. The gas valve is envisioned to be useful for a variety of pilot operated systems.

Intermittent pilot ignition gas valve having protection against negative pressure for internal diaphragms

A multi-port valve provides three inlets and three outlets. In many embodiments, seven flow configurations are provided. A stemshell can rotate internal to a housing to direct fluid from specific inlets to specific outlets while saving flow through various inlet/outlet ports as required by the various flow configurations.

Six port valve

Embodiments of a multi-port multi-plane valve are provided. The multi-port multi-plane valve includes a housing which defines an internal cavity. The housing further includes a plurality of ports in which each port lies within one of two planes that are normal to each other. Each of the plurality of ports is in communication with the internal cavity. A shell body is rotatably disposed within the internal cavity and provides selectable fluid communications between the ports. A seal member is also provided which has a plurality of openings and surrounds the shell body. At least one flow enhancer channel may be included to reduce the pressure drop occurring on one side of the valve when controlling flow paths on the other side of the valve.

Multi-port multi-plane valve

Embodiments of a valve having a housing including an inlet, an outlet, and an interior chamber in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet are disclosed. The valve also includes a seat fitting having a first screen held in place by a first retainer ring. The seat fitting includes a valve seat. The valve further includes an outlet fitting having a second screen held in place by a second retainer ring. The second retainer ring includes a plurality of ribs extending from a ring body such that the plurality of ribs create a gap between the ring body and the second screen. Further, the valve includes a valve plug configured to selectively engage the valve seat to open and close a passage between the interior chamber and the outlet. The seat fitting is contained at least partially within the outlet fitting to define the outlet of the housing.

Double screen filter for valve

A valve is disclosed a valving member positioned in an internal valving cavity and operable to control a flow of water therethrough. The valving member includes a diaphragm and an insert. A passageway through the diaphragm communicates with a bleed slot, preferably a tapered bleed slot, and a scallop of the insert. The scallop cooperates with the diaphragm to form a bleed holes when the valving member is in a closed position. The diaphragm and the insert at least partially separate when the valving member is opened to expose the bleed slot and scallop. The diaphragm rolls up to contact the insert when the valving member is closed to create a wiping action to flush any trapped debris from the bleed slot.

Self-cleaning water passageways on diaphragm insert

A water valve, guide tube for a water valve, and associated method are provided. The water valve includes a housing and the guide tube is installed on the housing via laser welding. The guide tube and housing each provide axially facing mating surfaces which abut one another in a pre-bonded configuration. In a post-bonded configuration, a laser weld joint is formed at the interface between the mating surfaces. The joint forms a portion of an outer periphery of the housing.

Water valve guide tube with integrated weld ring and water valve incorporating same

Embodiments of a normally open gas valve are disclosed herein. The normally open gas valve includes a valve plug that gradually or partially disengages from the valve seat such that the actuation power required to open the valve is substantially reduced. The force required to open or close the valve is also reduced through the use of an off-center lever arm that multiplies the force applied by the armature of the actuation means. In this way, a less expensive actuation means, e.g., a less expensive solenoid, is able to be used to actuate the normally open gas valve.

Normally open gas valve

Presented are embodiments of pressure relief valves for use in water supply systems to prevent damage thereto caused by over pressure resulting from freezing of the water therein. In one embodiment the pressure relief valve is included in an electromechanical solenoid controlled water valve particularly useful in appliances such as washing machines, water heaters, refrigerators, etc. Prior to the main valving member, a spring loaded pressure relief valving member is included. Once the pressure within the valve exceeds the spring force, which is set below the failure pressure of the water supply system and the valve, the pressure relief valving member opens to allow a flow of water therethrough. Alternatively or additionally, a temperature active device such as a bi-metal disc is interposed between the spring and the pressure relief valving member to provide actuation thereof below a predetermined temperature.

Temperature actuated electromechanical pressure relief valve

A connector bridge for a packaged circuit element is provided. The connector bridge includes a connector bridge body defining a mounting axis. It includes a first plurality of terminal receivers at a first location and a second plurality of terminal receivers at a second location. The pluralities of terminal receivers are arranged closer to a side of the connector bridge body than to the mounting axis to receive and electrically connect with terminals of the packaged circuit element in the first wiring orientation. The connector bridge includes a wiring connector at a third location. The wiring connector extends radially outwards of an outermost perimeter defined by radially outermost sides of the packaged circuit element. The first, second and third locations are at different locations. The wiring connector is electrically connected with the at least first and the second terminal receivers and defines a second wiring orientation.

Connector bridge

Fluid line connector

Rotary damper

Growing community of inventors

Downers Grove, IL, United States of America

James E Pearson