Quick assembly structure of faucet handle base

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9255387-B2
Application number	US-201414288576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2014
Priority date	May 28, 2014
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A quick assembly structure of a faucet handle base, which is fixed in a valve assembly, the valve assembly includes a valve core, a directional connector, a locking element having a peripheral groove, a connecting portion, and a tilted guiding face. The handle mount includes: a fixing ring having a central orifice; a flexible fastening sleeve having a lower engagement portion and an upper engagement portion; the upper engagement portion having a plurality of flexible retaining paws; a coupling column having a fitting portion and a snapping insertion; the sapping insertion having plural first recesses; an operating member having a covering portion and a handle extending; and a coupling element employed to join a top end of the sapping insertion of the coupling column with the covering portion of the operating member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A quick assembly structure of a faucet handle base, which is fixed in a valve assembly, the valve assembly including a valve core and characterized in that:
the valve assembly further includes:
a directional connector positioned on and driving the valve assembly;
a locking element having a peripheral groove, a connecting portion below the peripheral groove, and a tilted guiding face above the peripheral groove; the locking element being disposed on a top end of the valve core by ways of the connecting portion;
the handle mount includes:
a fixing ring having a central orifice defined therein;
a flexible fastening sleeve having a lower engagement portion and an upper engagement portion extending upwardly form the lower engagement portion; the lower engagement portion engaging with the fixing ring to limit the flexible fastening sleeve to move upwardly away from the fixing ring and to rotate relative to the fixing ring; the upper engagement portion having a plurality of flexible retaining paws arranged therearound;
a coupling column having a fitting portion for fitting with the upper engagement portion of the flexible fastening sleeve and a snapping insertion extending upwardly from the fitting portion; the fitting portion being fitted on and driving the directional connector; the snapping insertion having plural first recesses arranged therearound to insert the plurality of flexible retaining paws of the flexible fastening sleeve, and the tilted guiding face of the fixing ring abutting against and guiding the snapping insertion to slide into and retain with the plurality of flexible retaining paws, hence the coupling column is stopped from removal by the fixing ring; when the coupling column is slightly rotated relative to the flexible fastening sleeve, the plurality of flexible retaining paws expand flexibly to remove from the peripheral groove;
an operating member having a covering portion and a handle extending outwardly from the covering portion; the covering portion being fitted on the fixing ring and accommodating the coupling column and the flexible fastening sleeve therein;
a coupling element employed to join a top end of the snapping insertion of the coupling column with the covering portion of the operating member.

2. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the directional connector includes an axial orifice for retaining the directional connector with the valve core, and the axial orifice has a stop fence formed therein to correspond to a tangent plane defined on an outer wall of the top end of the valve core so that the directional connector drives the valve core to rotate.

3. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the connecting portion of the locking element has outer threads; the valve core has a screwing orifice formed on the top end thereof to screw with the outer threads of the connecting portion.

4. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 3 , characterized in that the locking element includes a cutout defined on the tilted guiding face to retain with a tool, such that the locking element is rotated after the tool is retained with and rotate the cutout.

5. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the central orifice of the fixing ring has at least one longitudinal engaging block mounted on an inner wall thereof; and the lower engagement portion of the flexible fastening sleeve has at least one longitudinal slot defined on an outer wall thereof, such that when the flexible fastening sleeve upwardly extends out of the central orifice of the fixing ring, the at least one longitudinal engaging block slides into and retains with the at least one longitudinal slot.

6. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 5 , characterized in that the fixing ring has two longitudinal engaging blocks symmetrically mounted thereon; the flexible fastening sleeve has two longitudinal slots symmetrically defined thereon.

7. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the directional connector includes a plurality of tabs extending outwardly around a peripheral wall thereof; and the coupling column includes plural notches formed around an inner wall of the fitting portion of the coupling column to retain with the plurality of tabs.

8. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that an outer diameter of the upper engagement portion of the flexible fastening sleeve is greater than the lower engagement portion so as to insert the upper engagement portion insert through the central orifice of the fixing ring.

9. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 8 , characterized in that the upper engagement portion has a plurality of trenches extending from a top end thereof to a top end of the lower engagement portion, such that between any two trenches is defined a flexible pawl or a flexible claw, and between any two adjacent claws is defined a flexible pawl; the flexible claw has a hook portion extending outwardly from a top end thereof and retaining with or removing from the peripheral groove via each first recess.

10. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 9 , characterized in the flexible fastening sleeve has six trenches to define three flexible pawls and three flexible claws; and the snapping insertion of the coupling column has three first recesses arranged thereon.

11. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 9 , characterized in that the hook portion of the flexible claw has an oblique face formed thereon, and the snapping insertion of the coupling column has a top fence and a conical tilting face opposite to the top fence, such that the coupling column is upwardly inserted through the flexible fastening sleeve to expand flexibly by abutting the conical tilting face against the oblique face of the hook portion, hence the snapping insertion of the coupling column inserts through the flexible pawl and the flexible claw until the hook portion aligns with each first recess of the coupling column, and then the hook portion of the flexible claw flexibly retracts to insert into the each first recess of the coupling column.

12. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 9 , characterized in that when a side fringe of each first recess abuts against the hook portion of the flexible claw, the hook portion removes from the peripheral groove of the directional connector so that the coupling column removes upwardly from the directional connector.

13. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the covering portion has a slit defined on a bottom end thereof; and the fixing ring has a peripheral rib extending outwardly around a top end thereof and accommodated in the slit to stop water outside the peripheral rib.

14. The quick assembly structure of the faucet handle base as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the coupling element is a forcing bolt, and the top fence of the snapping insertion of the coupling column has an aperture formed in a central portion thereof; the covering portion of the operating member has a threaded aperture arranged on a top wall of the covering portion so that the coupling element screws with the threaded aperture of the operating member via the aperture, thus connecting t

Assignees

• Globe Union Ind Corp

Inventors

• Yang Hongpei
• Chang Jihtung

Classifications

• E03C1/0401 Primary

  Fixing a tap to the sanitary appliance or to an associated mounting surface, e.g. a countertop · CPC title

• F16K31/60

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

• Y10T137/6024

  Particular handle or handle fastening means · CPC title

• F16K31/602 Primary

  Pivoting levers, e.g. single-sided (F16K31/605 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E03C1/0412

  Constructional or functional features of the faucet handle (valve actuating members as such F16K31/60) · CPC title