Operating device for flush water tank assembly, flush water tank assembly, and flush toilet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9926694-B2
Application number	US-201615233530-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2016
Priority date	Aug 20, 2015
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

An operating device for a flush water tank assembly includes: a rotary shaft, an operating handle, an operating wire, and a drive unit, wherein the drive unit includes: a rotary member, a rotary winding member, a locking unit for mutually locking the rotary member and the rotary winding member when the rotary winding member rotates in a forward rotational direction from operating position P 1 and reaches operating position P 3 , and a lock release portion for releasing the lock between the rotary member and the rotary winding member when the rotary member and the rotary winding member rotate in a forward rotational direction from operating position P 1 and reach operating position P 3.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An operating device for a flush water tank assembly, for operating a discharge valve of the flush water tank assembly to supply flush water to a toilet, the operating device comprising:
a rotary shaft extending to penetrate a wall of a flush water tank of the flush water tank assembly;
an operating member configured to rotate the rotary shaft by performing a rotating operation on the rotary shaft, the operating member being attached to an outside portion of the rotary shaft, the outside portion of the rotary shaft being positioned on an outside of the flush water tank;
a linking member having a first end and a second end, the first end being linked to the discharge valve of the flush water tank assembly; and
a drive unit attached to an inside portion of the rotary shaft and linked to the second end of the linking member, the drive unit being configured to move the second end of the linking member from a first operating position to a second operating position by the rotating operation of the operating member, the drive unit being positioned on the inside of the flush water tank and being attached to the rotary shaft, wherein the first operating position corresponds to a position at which the discharge valve is closed, and the second operating position corresponds to a position at which the discharge valve is open;
wherein the drive unit includes:
a rotary member affixed to the rotary shaft and integrally rotating with the rotary shaft;
a rotary winding member to which the second end of the linking member is directly linked, wherein when the rotary shaft and the rotary member rotate by the rotating operation of the operating member so as to open the discharge valve, the rotary member engages with the rotary winding member, and the rotary winding member rotates to directly wind the linking member such that the second end of the linking member is moved from the first operating position to the second operating position;
a locking unit disposed on the rotary winding member, the locking unit being configured to lock the rotary member and the rotary winding member by engaging with the rotary member such that the rotary member and the rotary winding member rotate from the first operating position to the second operating position by the rotating operation of the operating member;
a lock release portion configured to release a locking member of the locking unit between the rotary member and the rotary winding member, wherein when the rotary member and the rotary winding member rotate such that the second end of the linking member moves to the second operating position, the locking unit between the rotary member and the rotary winding member is released, and the rotary winding member rotates in a valve closing direction in which the discharge valve is closed such that the rotary winding member and the second end of the linking member reach the first operating position; and
a housing configured to house at least the rotary member and the rotary winding member.

2. The operating device according to claim 1 , wherein the locking unit includes:
a biasing member having one end that is attached to at least one of the rotary member and the rotary winding member, and
the locking member disposed at other end of the biasing member, the locking member engaging with the rotary member and the rotary winding member due to a biasing force of the biasing member, thereby locking the rotary winding member and the rotary member when the rotary member and the rotary winding member rotate such that the linking member moves to the second operating position from the first operation position;
wherein the lock release portion is disposed on the housing, and when the rotary winding member rotates such that the linking member moves to the second operating position from the first operating position, the locking member engages with the lock release portion of the housing so that the locking member between the rotary winding member and the rotary member can be released.

3. The operating device according to claim 2 , wherein the biasing member has one end that is attached to the rotary winding member, and the locking member projects from the rotary winding member under the biasing force of the biasing member and engages with the rotary member until the linking member reaches the second operating position from the first operating position, and the locking member is attached to the other end of the biasing member such that the locking member can engage with the rotary member;
wherein the locking unit further includes a locking projecting portion disposed to project from the rotary member, wherein the locking projecting portion of the rotary member engages with a portion of the locking member without engaging with the lock release portion of the housing until the linking member reaches the second operating position from the first operating position; and
wherein in a state in which the linking member has reached the second operating position from the first operating position, the locking projecting portion of the rotary member, and the locking member engaging with the lock release portion of the housing are separated from one another.

4. The operating device according to claim 2 , wherein the lock release portion is a lock releasing projecting portion placed inside the housing, and wherein the locking member has a sloped surface, the sloped surface engaging with the lock releasing projecting portion when the linking member has reached the second operating position from the first operating position.

5. The operating device according to claim 4 , wherein the lock releasing projecting portion of the housing has a sloped surface, the sloped surface of the lock releasing projecting portion engaging with the sloped surface of the locking member when the linking member has reached to the second operating position.

6. The operating device according to claim 4 , wherein the locking projecting portion of the rotary member has a sloped surface, the sloped surface being configured such that when the linking member has returned to the first operating position after the locking member between the rotary member and the rotary winding member has been released when the linking member has reached the second operating position, the sloped surface of the locking member being able to pass over the sloped surface on the locking projecting portion of the rotary member.

7. The operating device according to claim 1 , wherein the drive unit further includes a rotary winding member biasing portion for biasing the rotary winding member such that the linking member moves to the first operating position after the linking member has reached the second operating position.

8. The operating device according to claim 1 , wherein the operating member is disposed on a left side of the flush water tank or a right side of the flush water tank, and when supply of flush water to the toilet is started, the rotary member and the rotary winding member are rotated from the first operating position to the second operating position by the rotating and lifting up operation of the operating member from the first operating position to the second operating position such that the second end of the linking member is lifted up in a valve opening direction to open up the discharge valve,
wherein the rotary member and the rotary winding member can, by the rotating and lifting up operation of the operating member from the first operating position to the second operating position, be rotated in the same valve opening direction with each other such that the second end of the linking member moves from the first operating position to the second operating position; and
wherein when the rotary member and the rotary winding member have rotat

Assignees

• Toto Ltd

Inventors

• Shinohara Koki
• Tanimoto Hideki
• Hatama Kenji
• Abe Makoto

Classifications

• E03D1/00

  Water flushing devices with cisterns {; Setting up a range of flushing devices or water-closets; Combinations of several flushing devices} · CPC title

• E03D1/14

  Cisterns discharging variable quantities of water (twin or multiple flushing cisterns E03D1/22; flushing devices operated by pressure of the water supply system and discharging variable quantities of water E03D3/12 ){also cisterns with bell siphons in combination with flushing valves} · CPC title

• E03D5/094 Primary

  the flushing element, e.g. siphon bell, being actuated through a cable, chain or the like · CPC title

• E03D5/09 Primary

  directly by the hand · CPC title

• Y02A20/40

  Protecting water resources · CPC title