The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 27, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 05, 1999
David Nichols-Roy, Escondido, CA (US);
Alberto C. Torres, Hemet, CA (US);
Lavelle Industries, Inc., Burlington, WI (US);
Abstract
A top mounted flush valve is provided for installation in a blind drain hole in the bottom wall of a toilet tank of a conventional one-piece gravity operated toilet. The flush valve includes a generally cylindrical valve body sized for insertion through the drain hole from the upperside of the bottom wall of the tank. A seal member on an underside of the valve body provides a watertight seal between the valve body and an upperside of the bottom wall of the tank. A generally cylindrical drive collar is rotatable within a central aperture of the valve body. A generally cylindrical spring nut has a threaded portion engaged with a threaded portion of the drive collar so that the drive collar can be screwed to generate relative movement between the drive collar and the spring nut along a longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall of the tank. The spring nut has a plurality of resilient fingers that can deflect inwardly to pass partially through the drain hole in the bottom wall of the tank during insertion. The fingers spring outwardly at a predetermined location of the spring nut relative to the bottom wall of the tank in order to provide a locking engagement between the spring nut and the bottom wall of the tank. Rotation of the drive collar in a first predetermined direction relative to the spring nut presses the seal member on the underside of the valve body tightly against the upperside of the bottom wall of the tank. Rotation of the drive collar in a second predetermined direction opposite the first direction releases the seal member.