Flush valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11261590-B2
Application number	US-201916579955-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2019
Priority date	Feb 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

An elevated flush valve comprising a vent cover may be used with various assemblies, particularly for high efficiency and high performance toilets, which vent cover has a wall that includes an upper portion, a lower portion configured to define a vent cover inlet opening for receiving air and/or liquid passing upwardly from within a valve body and/or from within a toilet through a toilet inlet when the vent cover is installed on a valve body, an exterior surface, and an interior surface defining a vent cover passage for air passing upwardly from the vent cover inlet opening. At least the upper portion of the vent cover wall is configured for contacting an interior surface of a valve body at a location above an inlet of an overflow or venting tube on a valve body when the vent cover is installed on a valve body and wherein the valve cover wall is configured to at least partially divert flow of fluid from entering an inlet of an overflow tube or a venting tube on a valve body when the vent cover is installed on a valve body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flush valve assembly, comprising
an elevated flush valve body having an upper inlet end having a flush valve inlet opening for receiving fluid into the flush valve body, a lower outlet end having a flush valve outlet opening for allowing fluid to exit the flush valve body, and a valve body wall extending between the upper inlet end and the lower outlet end and having an interior surface defining a flow path extending generally longitudinally through the flush valve body from the inlet opening to the outlet opening;
a valve cover capable of opening and closing over the flush valve inlet opening;
an overflow or venting tube, having an overflow tube inlet opening in communication with the flush valve body flow path and an outlet opening for releasing air and/or fluid from within the flush valve body; and
a vent cover having a vent cover wall,
wherein the vent cover wall has an upper portion, a body portion, and a lower portion defining a vent cover inlet opening for receiving air passing upwardly from within the flush valve body flow path and/or from a toilet through a toilet inlet, an exterior surface, and an interior surface defining a vent cover passage for receiving air from the vent cover inlet opening,
wherein at least the vent cover wall upper portion contacts the flush valve body wall interior surface at a location above the overflow tube inlet opening, and wherein the vent cover wall is configured to at least partially divert flow of fluid from entering the overflow tube inlet opening.

2. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vent cover is configured to allow air and/or fluid entering the vent cover inlet opening to pass upwardly through the vent cover passage and to exit the vent cover through the overflow tube inlet opening.

3. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the flush valve body upper inlet end comprises a radiused inlet.

4. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the valve cover is a buoyant poppet float coaxially mounted in the flush valve body for reciprocating motion with respect to said valve body along a guide member.

5. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the elevated flush valve body has a height measured longitudinally along the valve body and a largest diameter measured along a transverse cross-section of the flow path, and wherein the height is greater than the largest diameter.

6. The flush valve assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the height is from about 3.5 inches to about 5.2 inches, and the largest diameter is greater than 2.0 inches to about 3.5 inches.

7. The flush valve assembly according to claim 5 , wherein a ratio of the height to the largest diameter is from about 1.1 to about 2.3.

8. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the valve body wall interior surface is downwardly linearly tapered and has a decreasing valve body diameter as measured transversely across the valve body.

9. The flush valve assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the valve body wall comprises an upper inlet section, a base section for attaching to a toilet tank floor, and an extension section situated between the inlet section and the base section and wherein at least one of an interior surface of the base section and of the extension section is tapered so as to have a linearly decreasing diameter from an upper end of the section in a direction toward a lower end of the section, wherein the diameters are measured transversely across each section.

10. The flush valve assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the valve body upper inlet end comprises a radiused inlet and the valve body wall interior tapered portion is below the radiused inlet.

11. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vent cover wall is curved and has a generally semi-circular configuration in transverse cross-section and has a radius measured in a transverse direction across the vent cover such that the vent cover passage within the vent cover wall body portion also has a generally semi-circular cross-sectional configuration.

12. The flush valve assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the radius of the vent cover wall is constant in the vent cover wall body portion.

13. The flush valve assembly according to claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the valve body wall interior surface is tapered and the vent cover wall body portion has an outer edge also tapered to conform to the valve body wall interior surface and the radius of the vent cover decreases from the vent cover wall upper portion to the vent cover wall lower portion.

14. The flush valve assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the vent cover wall upper portion is arcuately configured to curve towards the valve body wall interior surface and wherein the radius of the vent cover wall measured transversely across the vent cover decreases along the vent cover wall upper portion as the vent cover wall approaches the valve body wall interior surface.

15. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vent cover wall has an outer edge along the body portion and the upper portion, and the outer edge is configured for meeting the valve body wall interior surface in facing engagement.

16. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vent cover is affixed to the valve body wall interior surface by an adhesive, ultrasonic welding and/or polymeric heat welding.

17. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vent cover is heat molded to the valve body wall interior surface.

18. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vent cover is molded as a unitary part of the valve body.

19. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the vent cover further comprises projections extending outwardly from the vent cover wall exterior surface which are configured for engaging a feature of the valve body and/or the valve body wall interior surface.

20. The flush valve assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the valve body upper inlet end comprises a radiused inlet, and the valve cover is a buoyant poppet float coaxially mounted in the valve body for reciprocating motion with respect to said valve body along an guide member, and wherein the vent cover further comprises projections extending outwardly from the vent cover wall exterior surface and configured for engaging the guide member of the valve body.

21. A flush valve assembly for a toilet tank, the flush valve assembly comprising
a flush valve body comprising a radiused upper inlet end having a flush valve inlet opening for receiving fluid into the flush valve body, a lower outlet end having an outlet opening for allowing fluid to exit the flush valve body, and a valve body wall extending between the upper inlet end and the lower outlet end and having an interior surface defining a flow path extending generally longitudinally through the valve body from the inlet opening to the outlet opening, wherein the valve body has an elevated base section;
a movable poppet cover capable of moving in a coaxial, reciprocating manner; and
a vent cover having a vent cover wall, wherein the vent cover wall has an upper portion, a lower portion defining a vent cover inlet opening for receiving air passing upwardly from within the valve body flow path and/or from a toilet through a toilet inlet, an interior surface defining a vent cover passage for receiving air from the vent cover inlet opening, wherein at least the vent

Assignees

• As America Inc

Inventors

• Grover David
• Bucher Chistophe
• Salahi Sara

Classifications

• E03D1/34 Primary

  Flushing valves for outlets; Arrangement of outlet valves · CPC title

• E03D9/04

  Special arrangement or operation of ventilating devices (ventilating rooms in general F24F) · CPC title