Fluidmaster, Inc.

Other

Graphic Controls Corporation

Oscar R Dufau

Adolf Schoepe

Kabir Siddiqui

John C McKay

Tom R Vandermeyden

Frederick Blau, Jr

Steven E Maple

Kent Goesling

A pivotable toilet flush valve member (10) is provided, of the type that includes a float (40) with a pair of holes (44, 52) that allow the float to fill with water during a flushing to close early, and where the float can be turned to vary the amount of water used during a flushing, wherein the float is constructed for easy and loose mounting on a frame (12) and for low friction rotation about a primarily vertical axis (60), and where the flush valve member has a simple detent mechanism to hold the float at any rotational position to which it is turned. The frame has an aperture (74) lying along the primarily vertical axis, and the float has a small diameter upwardly extending projection (70) that projects upwardly through the frame aperture and that is held by the walls of the aperture, for low friction turning. The detent mechanism includes an upstanding wall (100) with an upwardly-open vertical groove (102) that has a plurality of teeth on at least one side of the groove. The frame has a downwardly-extending detent (92) with at least one tooth (111-113) that lies in the groove.

Adjustable flush valve

An apparatus is provided which enables a container of cleaning fluid to lie in a water closet and dispense cleaning fluid solely into the toilet bowl rather than into the water closet. The apparatus includes a storage chamber (54) for holding granules of a chemical that dissolves in water to create cleaning fluid, and a transfer chamber (64) through which water flows from a refill valve outlet (40) into a standpipe (44) that leads to the toilet bowl, at each flushing of the toilet. The transfer chamber is coupled to the storage chamber so that cleaning fluid can migrate from the storage chamber (54) into the transfer chamber (64), and yet during each flushing the water from the refill outlet primarily sweeps out cleaning fluid in the transfer chamber. An anti-siphon device (74) between the refill valve outlet and the cleaning fluid dispensing apparatus includes a check valve, and a chamber that surrounds the check valve. The anti-siphon chamber has air holes that let water in the anti-siphon chamber drain into the transfer chamber when water is no longer supplied from the refill outlet, the holes being blocked during flow from the refill outlet.

Cleaner injector system

A faucet handle assembly is described for replacing a handle on a faucet valve stem, which can mount on a wide variety of types of stems. The assembly includes a pair of jaws (30, 32, FIG. 1) having inner surfaces for engaging opposite sides of the periphery (22) of the valve stem and having outer camming surfaces (42, 43) that can be pushed together. The assembly also includes a faucet handle (12) with a hole in the top for passing a screw (28) that screws into a threaded hole of the valve stem, and having a cavity (44) for receiving the jaws. The cavity has camming surfaces (54, 56) that engage the jaw camming surfaces, so as the screw is tightened the jaws are pressed tightly against the valve stem peripheral surface.

Faucet handle universal coupling

Flush valve for toilets

A toilet refill valve is described for refilling a water closet after each flushing, which produces minimal noise during the refill process. The valve includes a valve device which can open to pass water to a vertical outlet tube that empties into the bottom of the water closet. An anti-siphon air tube near the top of the outlet tube has an upper end open to the atmosphere and a lower end facing downwardly along the outlet tube. A restriction in the outlet tube below the air tube, causes water to fill the outlet tube and at least the bottom of the air tube for a water inlet pressure of at least 20 psi. The water at the bottom of the air tube prevents air from being dragged into the downwardly facing air tube, to avoid the noise that would result from such air flowing through the air tube and bubbling out of the bottom of the outlet tube.

Low noise toilet tank valve

An improvement is provided for toilet flush valves on tanks which contain insufficient water to flush properly, which leads to waste of water by double flushing. The improvement enables in-field modification of the flush valve to substantially completely empty the tank. A closing delay device (42, FIG. 1) which includes a cup (64), is attached directly to the top of the tank ball (32) for easy installation, and is tall enough so that when the tank ball is pivoted to the fully opened position the cup is pivoted to a side of the pivot axis (28) opposite the tank ball to delay closing of the flush valve. The tank ball is formed of soft rubber and has an upwardly extending tubular extension (74) with an annular groove therein, which closely receives an annular flange at the bottom of the delay cup device.

In-field installable closing delay cup

An air regulated cleaner discharge device is for use in a toilet water tank, the tank having a ballcock for discharging water to fill the tank from a minimum water level to a maximum water level, a flush valve connected to a toilet bowl for flushing water therein from the tank, and an overflow pipe projecting above the maximum water level having a ballcock refill tube connected thereto for directing tank water to refill the toilet bowl after flushing. The novel device has a preferably plastic container for receiving a mixture of liquid or other chemical material therein with an air supply tube having an inlet end opening into the tank spaced above the minimum water level and below the maximum water level, and an outlet end opening into the container preferably at an extreme upper portion above the minimum water level. A liquid cleaner supply tube also preferably of plastic is connected into the container at preferably an extreme lower end portion thereof and particularly below the air supply tube outlet end. Finally, low pressure liquid flow, preferably a venturi, connects the liquid cleaner supply tube into the ballcock refill tube for creating a low pressure acting upon the liquid cleaner in the container and in the liquid cleaner supply tube to thereby flow the liquid cleaner into the refill tube as long as refill tank water is flowing in the refill tube and air is flowing into the container air supply tube inlet. The liquid cleaner flow ceasing when the flow of air ceases into the container air supply tube.

Air regulated cleaner discharge device for toilets and the like

Improved ballcock float structures are provided including a molded, plastic, hollow body formed of cup-like lower and reverse cup-like upper parts. The parts are retained together by snap engagement between the extremities of the parts with positioning abutments for additional stability. A float guide extends vertically through the body having a vertical opening for receiving a ballcock or the like to be controlled by the float. Control of the float for controlling the ballcock is provided by two, tubular liquid vents secured in and extending upwardly from the lower part bottom wall and a similar liquid vent projecting downwardly through and from the upper part top wall. The liquid and air vents project into the interior of the body, but terminate spaced apart and the relative positions thereof determines the performance of the float. Furthermore, it is preferred that the liquid vents will be of a length about equivalent to a collar formed by the lower part around the float guide so that a liquid-tight chamber is formed at all times retaining a certain amount of liquid, and therefore establishing a ballast. The air vent is preferably of a length extending downwardly into the lower part in assembly, thereby confining liquid to the lower part.

Ballcock float structure

The pressure activated cleaner discharge device is used in a standard toilet water tank, the tank having a ballcock for discharging water to fill the tank from a minimum water level to a maximum water level. The tank also includes a flush valve connected to a toilet bowl for flushing water therein from the tank, and an overflow pipe projecting above the maximum water level having a ballcock refill tube connected thereto for directing a pressure flow of tank water to refill the toilet bowl after said flushing. The cleaner discharge device includes a container in the tank having an inlet and outlet, an inlet water tube connected between the refill tube and the container inlet, and an outlet cleaner tube connected between the container outlet and the refill tube downstream of the inlet water tube connection. The refill tube and its connections and the container and its connections are all liquid-tight from the ballcock to the refill pipe substantially throughout the downstream flow of water therein. Furthermore, the connection between the outlet cleaner tube and the refill tube may have means for increasing the drawing of the liquid cleaner from the container and these additional devices may be a venturi, a right angle projecting tube with either downstream holes or a downstream angled end, or an angled tube angling downstream, any one or all.

Pressure activated cleaner discharge for toilets and the like

A conventional hot water heating system generally of the type for heating water in multiple units of hotels, motels, schools and the like and using any heating medium has a processor and control assembly which is operationally connected to at least a water temperature sensing means and a heating control means thereof. The processor and control assembly divides the time into exact time periods, say one-half hour, and the time periods are grouped into a group of consecutive time periods, say a week. Taking any individual time period, the time periods are checked around the time period which the present time period is a repeat and time periods directly preceding the present time period, and the operational water temperature for the present time period is chosen, as well as the amount of heat required to maintain the water at that temperature on a percentage basis of heating taken from one hundred percent. In addition, the assembly exactly records the various settings throghout that particular time period and when the time period comes up again one week from now, the new settings are calculated in the same manner but using the previous time period being repeated.

Hot water heating system having minimum hot water use based on minimum

In an electrode of the type having a reservoir for containing a reference electrolyte solution and a liquid junction for effecting electrical communication between said reference electrolyte solution and a sample solution, and including a seat and plug valve assembly of the electrode in communication with the reservoir and a sample solution, an improvement characterized in that a resiliently stressed spring contained within the reservoir biases the plug axially into mating engagement with the valve seat, and in that, upon application of displacement pressure axially against the plug, the latter automatically twists, axially, to execute a partial turn so that a valve-closing face of the plug laps or wipes against the seat and concurrently moves from engagement with the valve seat to open the valve assembly for fluid flow and cleansing flushing therethrough.

Fixed sleeve junction reference electrode

An electrical connector having a contact providing combined strain relief and insulation piercing for an elongated insulated conductor. A spring metal contact member is elongated in a longitudinal direction and has a contact end and a portion wrapped longitudinally back over itself to form first and second overlapping contact member portions. The overlapping contact member portions are formed therebetween with at least one insulation cutter and at least one strain relief clamp. The strain relief clamp is spaced from and on the opposite side of the cutter from the contact end. A nonconductive housing defines a chamber therein for receipt of at least a portion of the overlapping contact member portions. The chamber has opposing sides spaced so that upon positioning the overlapping contact member portions therebetween, while an insulated conductor is positioned between the cutter and the strain relief clamp, the overlapping contact member portions are forced from an open to a relatively closer closed position thereby causing the strain relief clamp to clamp an insulated portion of such insulated conductor and thereby causing the cutter to displace the insulation and to engage the conductor of such insulated conductor.

Growing community of inventors

Fullerton, CA, United States of America

Oscar R Dufau