System and method for manually overriding a solenoid valve of a faucet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10458565-B2
Application number	US-201615140127-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2016
Priority date	Aug 24, 2012
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A system for a faucet including a solenoid operated valve and a lifter. The solenoid operated valve includes a valve body including a sealing surface, a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet; a sealing element that is movable relative to the sealing surface to fluidly connect and disconnect the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet; and a solenoid configured to selectively couple and decouple the sealing element to the sealing surface to fluidly disconnect and connect the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet. The lifter manually overrides the solenoid operated valve during a power failure, the lifter includes threads that thread to the solenoid operated valve, such that a rotation of the lifter in a first direction moves the lifter through the threads relative to the valve body to decouple the sealing element from the sealing surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for a faucet, comprising:
a solenoid operated valve comprising:
a valve body including a sealing surface, a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and a longitudinal passage having a non-fluid passage and a fluid passage fluidly connecting the fluid outlet and the fluid inlet;
a sealing element that is movable relative to the sealing surface to fluidly connect and disconnect the fluid inlet from the fluid passage and the fluid outlet; and
a solenoid configured to selectively couple and decouple the sealing element to the sealing surface to fluidly disconnect and connect the fluid inlet from the fluid passage and the fluid outlet such that water flows through the fluid passage when the sealing element is decoupled from the sealing surface; and

a lifter for manually overriding the solenoid operated valve during a power failure, the lifter comprising:
a threaded portion that threads to the solenoid operated valve;
a shoulder adjacent the threaded portion that is disposed within the longitudinal passage and seals against part of the valve body to separate the non-fluid passage and the fluid passage; and
an elongated member extending from a side of the shoulder opposite the threaded portion, the elongated member extending longitudinally through the fluid passage and having a tip located within the fluid passage;

wherein a rotation of the lifter in a first direction moves the lifter through the threads relative to the valve body to decouple the sealing element from the sealing surface by displacing the sealing element with the tip, and
wherein the valve body includes a longitudinal wall that is unitary and defines the longitudinal passage having the non-fluid passage and the fluid passage, wherein the fluid outlet is disposed in and extends transverse to the longitudinal wall, and the longitudinal wall has threads in the non-fluid passage, and wherein the threaded portion of the lifter is disposed within the longitudinal wall and threads to threads of the longitudinal wall.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a threaded cap secured to the valve body, wherein the cap limits translation of the lifter.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the threads of the threaded portion of the lifter thread to threads in the threaded cap, a handle extends from a side of the threaded portion that is opposite the shoulder, and the handle is accessible by a user to rotate the lifter in the first direction and an opposite second direction.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the threads of the lifter are external threads and the threads of the threaded cap are internal threads.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the O-ring is carried in an O-ring groove in a radial end of the shoulder, wherein the threads of the lifter directly thread to threads of the valve body, and wherein during the power failure, rotation of the lifter in a second, opposing direction moves the lifter through the threads relative to the valve body to couple the sealing element to the sealing surface.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the lifter and the valve body are coaxial about a single shared axis, and the lifter is rotated about the single shared axis.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein rotation of the lifter relative to the valve body in a second direction causes the lifter to retract such that the sealing element and the sealing surface are recoupled when the solenoid is not energized.

8. A system for a faucet, comprising:
a solenoid operated valve comprising:
a valve body including a sealing surface, a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and a longitudinal fluid passage fluidly connecting the fluid outlet and the fluid inlet;
a sealing element that is movable relative to the sealing surface to fluidly connect and disconnect the fluid inlet from the longitudinal fluid passage and the fluid outlet; and
a solenoid configured to selectively couple and decouple the sealing element to the sealing surface to fluidly disconnect and connect the fluid inlet from the longitudinal fluid passage and the fluid outlet;

a lifter for manually overriding the solenoid operated valve during a power failure, the lifter comprising:
a threaded portion that threads to the solenoid operated valve;
a shoulder adjacent the threaded portion that is disposed within and seals against part of the valve body defining the longitudinal fluid passage; and
an elongated member extending from a side of the shoulder opposite the threaded portion, the elongated member extending longitudinally through the longitudinal fluid passage and having a tip; and

a pin located in a recess of the lifter, wherein the pin limits a translation of the lifter relative to the valve body by contacting a first surface of the solenoid operated valve and a second surface of the lifter;
wherein a rotation of the lifter in a first direction moves the lifter through the threads relative to the valve body to decouple the sealing element from the sealing surface by displacing the sealing element with the tip.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first surface is part of a shoulder of an end of the valve body and the second surface is part of a shoulder of the lifter.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the recess is adjacent to the threads of the threaded portion of the lifter.

11. A system for a faucet, comprising:
a solenoid operated valve comprising:
a valve body including a sealing surface, a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and a longitudinal passage having a non-fluid passage and a fluid passage fluidly connecting the fluid outlet and the fluid inlet;
a sealing element that is movable relative to the sealing surface to fluidly connect and disconnect the fluid inlet from the fluid passage and the fluid outlet; and
a solenoid configured to selectively couple and decouple the sealing element to the sealing surface to fluidly disconnect and connect the fluid inlet from the fluid passage and the fluid outlet such that water flows through the fluid passage when the sealing element is decoupled from the sealing surface;

a lifter for manually overriding the solenoid operated valve during a power failure, the lifter comprising:
a threaded portion that threads to the solenoid operated valve;
a shoulder adjacent the threaded portion that is disposed within the longitudinal passage and seals against part of the valve body to separate the non-fluid passage and the fluid passage; and
an elongated member extending from a side of the shoulder opposite the threaded portion, the elongated member extending longitudinally through the fluid passage and having a tip located within the fluid passage; and

a threaded cap secured to the valve body, wherein the cap limits translation of the lifter, the threads of the threaded portion of the lifter thread to threads in the threaded cap, the threads of the lifter are external threads and the threads of the threaded cap are internal threads, and the cap comprises:
a sleeve extending into the valve body and including the internal threads; and
a head that extends radially outward from the sleeve and is secured to the valve body with two fasteners that thread through the head to the valve body;

wherein a rotation of the lifter in a first direction moves the lifter through the threads relative to the valve body to decouple the sealing element from the sealing surface by displacing the sealing element with the tip, and
wherein a handle extends from a side of the threaded portion that is opposite the shoulder, and the handle is accessible by a user to rotate the lifter in the first direction and an opposite second direction.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the valve body includes a longitudinal wall th

Assignees

• Kohler Co

Inventors

• Esche John C

Classifications

• F16K31/05 Primary

  specially adapted for operating hand-operated valves or for combined motor and hand operation · CPC title

• E03C2001/0418

  having temperature indicating means · CPC title

• F16K31/40 Primary

  with electrically-actuated member in the discharge of the motor · CPC title

• E03C1/0404

  Constructional or functional features of the spout · CPC title

• F16K31/60 Primary

  Handles {(form, features or function of taps or faucet handles for domestic plumbing installations E03C1/04)} · CPC title