Title: Temperature actuated valve
Abstract: A temperature and pressure sensitive valve is disclosed herein. The valve has a valve piston for regulating flow through the valve, a valve piston guide for directing movement of the piston, the piston guide having one or more passages there through, a thermal element for enabling movement of said piston, and an elongated housing having an anterior and posterior end and an interior wall able to house the piston, guide and thermal element. The housing further has two or more passages able to aid the piston in regulating flow, with at least one of the passages placed towards the anterior end of the housing, and at least one of the passages placed towards the posterior end of the housing.
Patent Number: 6,892,747 Issued on 05/17/2005 to Dulin
| Inventors:
|
Dulin; Robert D. (Kingsbury, TX)
|
| Assignee:
|
Research by Copperhead Hill, Inc. (Kingsbury, TX)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
361836 |
| Filed:
|
February 10, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
137/62; 137/79 |
| Intern'l Class: |
F16K 017/00; F16K031/64 |
| Field of Search: |
137/59,62,79,627.5,628,629,630.15
60/527,530
236/48 .R,99 .R,101. R,102,48
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
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| 1212102 | Jan., 1917 | Pipe.
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| 1384950 | Jul., 1921 | Harper.
| |
| 3380464 | Apr., 1930 | Arterbury et al.
| |
| 3369556 | Feb., 1968 | Allderdice.
| |
| 3439711 | Apr., 1969 | Sherwood et al.
| |
| 3446226 | May., 1969 | Canterbury.
| |
| 4066090 | Jan., 1978 | Nakajima et al.
| |
| 4205698 | Jun., 1980 | Hucks.
| |
| 4360036 | Nov., 1982 | Shelton.
| |
| 4437481 | Mar., 1984 | Chamberlin et al.
| |
| 4454890 | Jun., 1984 | Schoenheimer et al.
| |
| 4484594 | Nov., 1984 | Alderman.
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| 4638828 | Jan., 1987 | Barrineau et al.
| |
| 4681088 | Jul., 1987 | Cromer.
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| 4932429 | Jun., 1990 | Watanabe et al.
| |
| 5275192 | Jan., 1994 | Lawson.
| |
| 5715855 | Feb., 1998 | Bennett.
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| 5730168 | Mar., 1998 | Gordon et al.
| |
| 5785073 | Jul., 1998 | Gordon et al.
| |
| 5947150 | Sep., 1999 | Ryan.
| |
| 6003538 | Dec., 1999 | Smith.
| |
| 6142172 | Nov., 2000 | Shuler et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 5817269 | Feb., 1983 | JP.
| |
| 61088082 | Jun., 1986 | JP.
| |
Primary Examiner: Hirsch; Paul J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: LeCroy; David P.
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 09/682,434, filed 31 Aug. 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,391.
Claims
1. A temperature and pressure sensitive valve comprising:
a valve piston for regulating flow through said valve,
a valve piston guide for directing movement of said piston, said piston guide
having one or more passages there through,
a thermal element for enabling movement of said piston, and
an elongated housing having an anterior and posterior end and an interior wall
able to house said piston, guide and thermal element,
wherein said housing is further comprised of two or more passages able to aid
said piston in regulating flow, with at least one of said passages placed towards
said anterior end of said housing, and at least one of said passages placed towards
said posterior end of said housing.
2. The valve of claim 1 wherein said piston guide is further comprised of at
least one piston seat for engaging with said piston thereby preventing flow there through.
3. The valve of claim 1 wherein said piston guide is further comprised of one
or more guide passages for permitting flow there through.
4. The valve of claim 1 wherein said piston is further comprised of at least
one terminus for regulating flow through said valve.
5. The valve of claim 4 wherein said terminus is further comprised of a primary
terminus and a secondary terminus for regulating flow through said valve.
6. The valve of claim 5 wherein said piston guide is further comprised of a primary
seat able to engage with said primary terminus and a secondary seat able to engage
with said secondary terminus, thereby regulating flow through said valve.
7. The valve of claim 1 wherein said posterior passage provides a primary path
for flow to occur and said anterior passage provides a secondary path for flow
to occur.
8. A temperature and pressure sensitive valve for regulating flow, comprising:
a faucet body for permitting fluid flow there through, said body able to engage
with said valve,
a valve stem housing having a posterior portion connectable to said faucet body
and an anterior portion whereby flow through said body is manually adjustable,
a valve piston having a piston base and a terminus opposite said base,
a thermal element in communication with said piston for enabling movement of
said piston, and
a piston guide for directing movement of said piston, said piston guide sealingly
engageable with said piston, said piston guide comprising one or more guide ports
for communicating with said stem housing,
wherein said valve stem housing is further comprised of at least one primary
port towards said posterior portion of said housing and in communication with said
faucet body, and at least one secondary port towards said anterior portion of said
housing.
9. The valve of claim 8 wherein said thermal element is able to expand and contract
with variations in the temperature of the surrounding air.
10. The valve of claim 8 wherein said thermal element is filled with a substance
that expands and contracts based upon changes in temperature.
11. The valve of claim 10 wherein said thermal element is further provided with
a plug whereby the substance can be filled as needed.
12. The valve of claim 8 wherein said terminus is further comprised of a primary
terminus and a secondary terminus for regulating flow through said valve.
13. The valve of claim 8 wherein said piston guide is further comprised of a
seat able to engage with said piston.
14. The valve of claim 8 wherein said piston guide is further comprised of a
primary seat and a secondary seat and said terminus is further comprised of a primary
terminus and a secondary terminus, said primary seat able to engage with said primary
terminus, and said secondary seat able to engage with said secondary tenninus.
15. The valve of claim 8 wherein said primary port provides a primary path for
flow to occur and said secondary port provides a secondary path for flow to occur.
16. A method of controlling flow through a faucet in freezing conditions, said
faucet having a valve in communication with said faucet, said valve comprising
a valve housing having an anterior end and a posterior end and an internal wall
for housing a valve piston, piston guide, piston seat and thermal element, wherein
said thermal element is able to expand and contract according to the surrounding
air temperature, and wherein said piston is sealably engaged with said seat, said
method comprising the steps of:
contracting said thermal element as the surrounding air temperature approaches
the freezing temperature of water;
moving said valve piston towards said anterior end of said housing; and
breaking said piston's sealable engagement with said seat, thereby automatically
creating at least one flow passage through said valve,
wherein said flow passage through said valve automatically closes as the surrounding
air temperature rises above a predetermined temperature.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said valve is further comprised of a biasing
member for moving said piston away from said posterior end as said thermal element contracts.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein said piston is further comprised of at least
a primary terminus and a secondary terminus, and said seat is further comprised
of at least a primary terminus seat and a secondary terminus seat.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein said at least one flow passage is further
comprised of at least one posterior passage and at least one anterior passage.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein said at least one posterior passage provides
a primary path for flow to occur, and said at least one anterior passage provides
a secondary path for flow to occur.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to valves. More specifically, the present invention
relates to a temperature actuated valve that automatically opens in response to
freezing temperatures, thereby enabling flow to continue through the valve, and
that automatically closes when the temperature rises above freezing.
2. Background Information
Damage often occurs to water pipes and faucets that are externally exposed
to freezing conditions due to the expansion of water when it freezes. The most
common solution is to open the faucet sufficiently enough to allow a slow dripping
of the water. This flowing of water is typically warm enough to prevent freezing
of the piping upstream of the faucet. The warmer water usually comes from buried
pipes at a temperature above freezing at a rate faster than it can be frozen. However,
faucet dripping is not always feasible, as no one may be available to open the
faucet, the faucet may be forgotten, or the cold weather may be unexpected. Further,
this dripping can be wasteful of water in that the faucets often drip longer than
is necessary.
As a solution to this concern of frozen pipes and faucets, a multitude of alternatives
have been proposed that automatically allow the faucet to drip when freezing conditions
are encountered. Typically, these alternatives include a thermally active element
utilized in opening and closing various types of valves. Examples of thermally
active elements include (1) a combination of materials having differing coefficients
of thermal expansion arranged such that one moves in relation to another with a
change in temperature, (2) a liquid that condenses at a specific temperature, or
(3) a wax that changes phases at a known temperature with a corresponding change
in volume. Valves containing such thermal elements are constructed so that movement
of the thermal elements enables movement of a plug, thereby opening the faucet
and allowing water to drip.
However, many times a hose or other accessory may be attached to the end
of the faucet. This accessory may already contain fluid in it that has frozen,
causing the outlet of the faucet to be blocked. Accordingly, there is a need for
a valve having a secondary means of permitting flow there through in the event
that the primary means, e.g., the faucet outlet, is prevented from allowing flow
there through.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention disclosed herein alleviates the drawbacks described above
with respect to responding to fluid flow through a valve, particularly in that
instance wherein the primary means of permitting fluid flow there through is unable
to do so. The valve of the present invention is easily installed in a common water
faucet. It allows the control of the liquid through the valve to be unattended,
regardless of how low the surrounding air temperature may be. The valve further
allows such unattended control, even though the primary means of release, e.g.,
the outlet of the faucet, is blocked, preventing flow there through.
The valve of the present invention is temperature and pressure sensitive and
has a valve piston for regulating flow through the valve. The valve also has a
valve piston guide for directing movement of the piston. The piston guide includes
one or more passages there through, a thermal element for enabling movement of
the piston, and an elongated housing having an anterior and posterior end and an
interior wall able to house the piston, guide and thermal element. The housing
also has two or more passages for aiding the piston in regulating flow, with at
least one of the passages placed towards the anterior end of the housing, and at
least one of the passages placed towards the posterior end of the housing.
The present invention further provides a method of controlling flow through a
faucet in freezing conditions. The faucet has a valve in communication with the
faucet, with the valve having a valve housing with an anterior end and a posterior
end and an internal wall. The housing houses a valve piston, piston guide, piston
seat and thermal element. The thermal element can expand and contract according
to the surrounding air temperature, and the piston can sealably engage the seat.
The method includes the steps of contracting the thermal element as the surrounding
air temperature approaches the freezing temperature of water; moving the valve
piston towards the anterior end of the housing; and breaking the piston's sealable
engagement with the seat, thereby automatically creating a flow passage through
the valve. The flow passage through the valve automatically closes as the surrounding
air temperature rises above a predetermined temperature.
As designed, the valve of the present invention is easily and conveniently installed
in a faucet. Its simple design allows it to be inexpensively manufactured. It may
be manufactured in a wide range of sizes, based upon the size of the flow line
to be served. By proper selection of materials, the present invention may be used
for controlling a wide variety of flows.
The valve of the present invention has at least two components that enable it
to overcome those limitations encountered with typical temperature actuated valves.
These components include a valve piston and one or more valve piston seats that
interact with one another so as to allow or prevent flow through the valve. Each
seat communicates with one or more ports for allowing flow there through. The ports
are closed when the piston is in contact with the seat, and opened when the piston
is disengaged with the seat.
As disclosed herein, the valve also includes a thermal element that can expand
and contract based upon variations in temperature. As the element expands and contracts,
the piston is moved so that it sequentially engages and disengages with the seat(s),
thereby closing and opening the valve seat port(s).
Additional ports are positioned on the valve such that flow may automatically
continue through the faucet. These additional ports are found in various locations
on the valve. One is positioned so that flow may occur through the valve and faucet
in the event that a setpoint temperature is met. In the event that flow through
the outlet of the faucet is blocked, e.g., a hose is attached to the outlet blocking
flow, or fluid at the outlet is frozen blocking flow, another secondary port is
positioned on the valve so that flow can bypass the faucet outlet, avoiding damage
due to frozen pipes and/or faucets. By opening these ports, flow through the valve
is permitted regardless of surrounding air temperature.
In the manner of the present invention, flow through the first port and out the
faucet occurs due to freezing conditions. In other words, should the surrounding
air temperature drop below the setpoint temperature, flow will be initiated through
the first port and out the faucet outlet. The secondary port is opened by both
temperature and pressure should the faucet outlet be blocked. The pressure for
opening the secondary port may be predetermined by changing the diameter of the
piston, and/or changing the pressure required to compress a spring in the valve.
The general beneficial effects described above apply generally to each of the
exemplary descriptions and characterizations of the devices and mechanisms disclosed
herein. The specific structures through which these benefits are delivered will
be described in detail herein below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a temperature actuated valve according
to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a temperature actuated valve
according to the present invention showing the position of the components with
no flow through the valve.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a temperature actuated valve
according to the present invention showing the position of the components with
flow through the primary conduit of the valve.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a temperature actuated valve
according to the present invention showing the position of the components with
flow through the secondary conduit of the valve.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of a temperature
actuated valve according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an exploded side elevation view of a thermal element for use in a
temperature actuated valve according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of a fill valve for use in the
thermal element illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of a housing for use in a temperature
actuated valve according to the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of a composite seat for use
in a temperature actuated valve according to the present invention wherein the
various seats are built into a single component.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein.
However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary
of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures
are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized
to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional
details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a
basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in
the art to variously employ the present invention. For example, although described
as built into the stem of the faucet, it should be understood that the valve may
be built into the body of the faucet if so desired.
Referring to the drawings, the temperature-actuated valve of the present
invention is indicated generally at
100. The valve or valve housing or valve
stem
20 has an anterior end
21 and a posterior end
22, with
the posterior end
22 in communication with a faucet body
10. The
valve
20 is comprised of a hollow cylindrical housing having external stem
threads
23 for communication or secured connection with the faucet body
10. The valve stem
20 may have one or more ports positioned below
and/or above the stem threads
23. The ports and their function will be described
more fully hereinafter. As illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 2-4, the interior
of the valve stem is comprised of an upper interior wall
26 and a lower
interior wall
27. The function of each wall will likewise be described herein below.
In one embodiment, applied onto and over the anterior end
21 of the valve
stem
20 is a valve stem washer
84, valve stem gasket
83, cap
or nut
82, handle
80 and screw or bolt
81. The bolt
81
threadably engages with the valve stem anterior end
21 for securely attaching
the handle
80 thereto. The valve stem washer
84, gasket
83
and cap
82 provide a means for sealably securing the valve stem
20
to the faucet body
10. The washer
84, gasket
83 and cap
82
have an interior diameter that is slightly larger than that of the valve stem
20.
This enables these elements to slide over the valve housing
20 to the top
of the faucet body
10. At the top of the faucet
10, the cap
82
engages with the packing nut external threads
15 of the faucet body
10,
thereby providing a seal between the faucet
10 and the valve stem
20
for the prevention of fluid leakage.
The faucet body
10 is tapped at both ends to provide threads
12
and
14 at the valve inlet
11 and outlet
13, respectively.
While the drawings illustrate externally threaded inlet
11 and outlet
13
ends, it should be understood that both ends may be either internally or externally
threaded. The top central portion of the faucet
10 between the tapped ends
is both internally
16 and externally
15 threaded and can threadably
receive the valve stem
20 therein. In this manner, the valve stem
20
can be manually turned by the handle
80 in order to allow or stop flow through
the faucet
10 without the valve stem
20 disengaging with the faucet
10.
The faucet body
10 is readily available commercially. Such faucets have
a partition therein (not shown) for separating an inlet chamber from an outlet
chamber. The valve stem
20 engages with the partition. By rotation of the
handle
80, the valve stem is rotated either upwardly increasingly opening
flow from the inlet chamber to the outlet chamber and out the faucet
10,
or rotated downwardly thereby increasingly limiting and eventually blocking flow
through the chambers and out the faucet
10.
Disposed within the valve stem
20 is a thermal element
75,
valve piston
30, and valve piston guide
40. The thermal element
75
is slightly smaller in external diameter than the upper internal diameter or wall
26 of the valve stem
20, and is able to expand and contract based
upon variations in temperature. By being internally disposed in the valve stem
20 between the anterior end
21 and the valve piston
30, the
thermal element
75 is able to move the piston
30 along the length
of the internal wall of the valve stem
20 as variations occur within a predetermined
temperature range. The thermal element
75 is preferably a hollow bellows
type device, filled with a substance such as a liquid, gel or gas that expands
and contracts based upon changes in temperature. Such an element
75 may
be provided with a thermal plug
76 whereby the liquid, gel or gas can be
added to the element
75 as needed. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.
1, it is possible to fill the element
75 by removing first the screw
81
and handle
80 and then the plug
76, accessing the thermal element
75 through the valve stem anterior end
21 without separating all
components. While a bellows type element
75 is preferred, one skilled in
the art would readily recognize that any type of thermal element
75 that
expands and contracts with variations in temperature would serve the purpose of
the present invention.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the valve piston
30 includes
a piston base
31, piston travel stop
32, central portion
35,
piston primary terminus
34 and secondary terminus
33, and biasing
member
70 such as a spring. The piston base
31 is adjacent to the
thermal element
75 and provides a surface for contact with the element
75.
The piston stop
32 is of smaller diameter than the biasing member or spring
70, whereas the piston base
31 is of the same or greater diameter
than the spring
70. As such, the piston stop
32 provides an area
or region for supporting the spring
70 within the valve stem
20.
The piston stop
32 serves a further purpose, as will be discussed herein
below along with the function of the primary
34 and secondary
33
terminus. Further, the piston base
31 is preferably of slightly smaller
diameter than the valve stem upper internal wall
26 so that the piston
30
is slidably disposed therein.
The valve piston seat or guide
40 in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS.
1-4 includes a valve piston guide
41 for directing the piston
30
through the valve stem
20, and a valve piston terminus seat
50 for
interaction with the piston terminus
33,
34. The guide
41
has a recess there through and is further comprised of a posterior ridge
42,
anterior aperture
43, and one or more guide ports
44. The posterior
ridge
42 is of slightly smaller diameter than the valve stem lower interior
wall or diameter
27, and is of such width that the guide
41 is slidably
yet securely or stably placed therein the valve stem
20. Referring to the
embodiment found in FIGS. 2-4, it is seen that the valve stem upper internal wall
26 is of smaller diameter than the lower internal wall
27, thereby
creating an internal ridge
28 separating the two areas. As shown, the posterior
ridge
42 is substantially larger in diameter than the upper internal wall
26 so that only the anterior end of the guide
41 enters into the
upper portion of the interior of the valve stem
20. The central portion
35 of the piston
30 is preferably of at least a slightly smaller
diameter than the recess of the guide
41. As such, the piston
30
is placed through the anterior aperture
43 and able to slidably pass through
the guide
41 up to the piston stop
32. Thereby, the guide
41
centers the piston
30 within the valve stem
20.
The piston terminus seat
50 interacts with the piston
30 to provide
a path for allowing or preventing flow from the faucet
10 through the valve
stem
20 as will be explained herein below. In the embodiment illustrated,
the piston terminus seat
50 is comprised of a primary terminus seat
61
and secondary terminus seat
51. The secondary terminus seat
51 has
a secondary anterior aperture
52, secondary axial ridge
53, secondary
posterior aperture
54 in communication with the anterior aperture
52,
and one or more secondary ports
55 disposed about the posterior end of the
secondary terminus seat
51. The diameter of the axial ridge
53 should
be of such size that it is slidably in communication with the lower interior surface
or wall
27 of the valve stem
20, thereby enabling the secondary terminus
seat
51 to be stably placed within the valve stem
20. The anterior
end of the secondary terminus seat
51 is in communication with the posterior
end of the piston guide
41.
The secondary terminus seat
51 may have one or more seals or gaskets there
about. A secondary exterior seal
57 may be provided that is disposed about
or around the anterior end for providing a seal between the guide
41 and
secondary terminus seat
51. A secondary interior seal
56 may be provided
that is disposed about or just inside the secondary anterior aperture
52
for sealably communicating with the secondary terminus
33 of the piston
30. As such, the secondary interior seal
56 should be of such external
diameter that it is able to sealably fit within the secondary anterior aperture
52, and of such internal diameter that it is able to sealably communicate
with the valve piston secondary terminus
33.
The primary terminus seat
61 has a primary anterior aperture
62,
primary external threads
63 and a primary posterior head
64. The
primary threads
63 are engageable with threads internally located at the
valve stem posterior end
22 below the primary ports
24, thereby acting
as a retainer for keeping the other internal components of the valve stem
20
therein. The primary posterior head
64 may be slotted for engagement with
a tool such as a screwdriver, or may be shaped so that it is able to engage with
any other tool such as a wrench, thereby allowing one to turn and secure the primary
terminus seat
61 within the valve stem
20. The primary posterior
head
64 has a recess
67 that is in communication with the primary
anterior aperture
62 for allowing fluid flow there through, as illustrated
in FIGS. 2-4.
Similar to the secondary terminus seat
51, the primary terminus seat
61 may have one or more seals or gaskets there about. A primary exterior
gasket or seal
66 may be provided that is disposed about or around the posterior
end for providing a seal between the valve stem posterior end
22 and the
faucet body
10. A primary interior seal
67 may be provided that is
disposed about or just inside the primary anterior aperture
62 for sealably
communicating with the primary terminus
34 of the piston
30. As such,
the primary interior seal
67 should be of such external diameter that it
is able to sealably fit within the primary anterior aperture
62, and of
such internal diameter that it is able to sealably communicate with the valve piston
primary terminus
34.
An helical coil spring
70 is disposed at one end substantially concentrically
about the piston travel stop
32 with one end abutting one side of the piston
base
31 and the other end disposed substantially concentrically about the
valve piston guide
41, adjacent to the top portion of the piston guide posterior
ridge
42, or that end of the ridge
42 least distal from the piston
base
31. When relaxed and extended, the spring
70 extends substantially
the length of the piston
30 and piston guide
41, thereby biasing
the piston
30 towards the valve stem anterior end
21.
Referring again to the Figures, particularly FIGS. 2-4, the operation of
the valve is as follows: With temperatures at or above a predetermined activation
temperature, the temperature valve
20 in the embodiment illustrated functions
as a common faucet, with fluid flow there through enabled simply by turning the
handle
80 so that the valve
20 is lifted up from a partition found
within the faucet body
10. By turning in the opposite direction, flow there
through is stopped. While at or above this activation temperature, the substance
within the thermal element
75 is expanded, thereby expanding the element
75. With the element
75 expanded, the piston
30 is pushed
toward the valve stem posterior end
22, so that the secondary terminus
33
engages with the secondary interior seal
56 and the primary terminus
34
engages with the primary interior seal
65, thereby preventing flow through
the valve stem
20, preventing flow there through as illustrated in FIG.
2.
As the temperature reaches the activation temperature, the substance within the
element
75 begins to contract, thereby allowing the pressure of the spring
70 to push against the piston
30 and, thus, the element
75,
causing it to contract and the piston
30 to move away from the valve stem
posterior end
22. As the piston
30 moves away, the piston terminus
breaks contact from the piston terminus seat
50, allowing flow to occur
within the valve stem
20. This break first occurs between the piston primary
terminus
34 and the primary terminus seat
61. With the primary terminus
34 no longer engaged with the primary terminus seat
61, flow is able
to occur through the primary terminus recess
67, onward through the secondary
terminus seat port(s)
55 into a piston seat chamber
45 between the
piston seat
40 and the valve stem lower internal wall
27, out the
primary port(s)
24, and onward through the faucet body
10 and out
its outlet
13. It should be noted that the piston secondary terminus
33
is still engaged with the secondary terminus seat
51, so that flow is prevented
from continuing further within the valve stem
20. In this manner, the posterior
passage of the valve stem housing
20 provides a primary path for flow to
occur and the anterior passage provides a secondary path for flow to occur.
In the event that flow is prevented from continuing out the faucet body outlet
13 while at or below the activation temperature, or in the instance of further
temperature decline below the activation temperature, the substance within the
element
75 may continue to contract, allowing the spring
70 to continue
to expand and push the piston
30 away from the piston seat
40. Another
break occurs between the piston secondary terminus
33 and the secondary
terminus seat
51 enabling fluid to flow through the piston guide port(s)
44, into a piston chamber
35, and out the valve stem secondary port(s)
25 as illustrated in FIG.
4. Flow may also continue through the valve
stem primary port(s)
24. In this manner, the temperature actuated valve
provides an alternative or secondary path of fluid flow. In the event that flow
through the faucet outlet is blocked, the valve
20 provides a method of
fluid escape without damage to the faucet
10, valve
20 or pipes due
to pressure buildup, particularly in inclimate conditions. It should be further
noted that both temperature and pressure can open the secondary fluid path. Further,
the pressure required to open the secondary path can be predetermined by changing
the diameter of the piston secondary terminus
33. In this manner, a larger
diameter provides more surface area thereby requiring less pressure to open.
Referring to FIG. 5, therein is illustrated another embodiment of the temperature
actuated valve according to the present invention, indicated generally at
100.
The valve
100 includes a valve housing
20 having an anterior end
21 and a posterior end
22, with the posterior end able to communicate
with the faucet body
10. The valve housing
20 is hollow and cylindrical
and has external housing threads
23 for communication or securedly connecting
with the faucet body
10. The valve housing can have one or more ports positioned
below and/or above the stem threads
23. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the interior
of the valve housing
20 has an upper interior wall
26 and a lower
interior wall
27. The function of each wall will be described herein below.
In one embodiment, applied onto and over the anterior
21 end of the valve
housing
20 is a valve housing bonnet
82, valve housing seal
83
and faucet handle
80. The valve bonnet
82, housing seal
83
and handle
80 provide a means for securing the valve
100 to the faucet
body
10. The valve bonnet
82 and valve housing seal
83 are
slidably disposed about the length of the valve housing
20. The bottom
84
of the handle
80 is provided with an interior passage which the housing
20 is able to slidably fit into. The top of the handle is preferably sealed
so as to prevent the housing
20 and other components of the valve
100
from passing there through. Together, the combined interior length of the bonnet
82, housing seal
83 and handle
80 is such that the valve housing
20 can be disposed therein. As such, the anterior end
21 of the housing
20 is disposed within the handle
80, and the posterior end
22
of the housing is disposed within the bonnet
82. Preferably, the ends of
the bonnet
82 and housing seal
83 are angled instead of flat, thereby
creating a fluid-tight seal.
Referring to the housing bonnet
82 illustrated in FIG. 5, the bottom
portion of the bonnet
82 is threaded for engagement with the threads
15
of the faucet body
10, thereby providing a seal between the faucet
10
and the valve housing
20 for the prevention of fluid leakage. As illustrated
in FIG. 5, the bonnet
82 optionally has at least a portion of the exterior
surface with flat sides, thereby allowing a wrench or other tool to secure the
bonnet
82 to the faucet threads
15. In an optional embodiment, the
interior passage of the bonnet
82 has a radial cavity for interaction with
the valve housing
20 in a manner discussed below.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the handle
80 is provided with
a passage or port
89 through which a pin or bolt or other connector
81
readily known in the art is passed through. The anterior end
21 of the housing
20 is provided with a pair of ports
29 corresponding to the handle
passage
89. When the anterior end
21 of the housing
20 is
inserted into the bottom
84 of the handle
80, the housing securement
ports
29 are aligned with the handle ports
89 so that the connector
81 can pass through there. The connector
81 preferably is a roll
pin that is self-containing for preventing the roll pin from coming out of the
handle
80. In this manner, the handle
80 is secured to the housing
20.
As with the embodiment discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 1, the embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 5 has disposed within the valve housing
20 is a thermal
element
75, valve piston
30 and valve piston seat or guide
40.
A retaining washer
78 can be provided for holding the assembly within the
housing
20. The thermal element
75 is slightly smaller in external
diameter than the upper internal diameter or wall
26 of the valve housing
20. The thermal element
75 is able to expand and contract due to
variations in temperature. As described above, the thermal element
75 can
move the piston
30 along at least a portion of the length of the internal
wall
26 of the valve housing
20 as temperature variations occur within
a predetermined temperature range. The thermal element
75 is preferably
a hollow bellows type device, filled with a substance such as a liquid, gel or
gas that expands and contracts based upon changes in temperature. In the embodiment
illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 9, the thermal element
75 includes a fill valve
71, fill stop ball
72, a hollow bellows component
73 and bellows
seal or end plate
74. The seal or end plate
74 is positioned at one
end of the bellows
73 and is of such diameter as to prevent any liquid,
gel or gas added to the element
75 from escaping the bellows
73 at
that end. Likewise, the fill valve
71 is positioned at the opposite end
of the bellows
73. The fill valve
71 is provided with a radial ridge
76 that is of such diameter as to prevent any liquid, gel or gas added to
the element
75 from escaping the element
75 at the end wherein the
fill valve
71 is placed. The fill valve ridge
76 is further provided
with a lip
77 of such diameter for fittingly engaging with the interior
wall or rim of the bellows
73. The fill valve
71 is further provided
with an extension
78 that is able to fit within the bellows
73.
The fill stop ball
72 is of a circumference that is smaller than at least
a portion of the internal passage of the fill valve
71. With particular
reference to FIG. 9, it is seen that the interior passage
79 of the fill
valve
71 is angled from a greater internal diameter beginning at the end
where the fill valve extension
88 is placed to a lesser internal diameter
towards the opposite end of the fill valve
71. Accordingly, the fill stop
ball
72 is of a lesser circumference than one portion of the internal passage
79 of the fill valve
71 and of a greater circumference than the other
portion of the internal passage
79 of the fill valve
71. The internal
passage
79 of the fill valve
71 provides a hole or port for filling
or charging the thermal element
75 with a temperature sensitive substance.
As the bellows chamber
73 is filled, the pressure from filling the chamber
73 forces the stop ball
72 into the internal passage
79 of
the fill valve
71, plugging or sealing the fill valve
71. Once filled,
the bellows
73 is in an expanded position. As the surrounding air temperature
drops below a predetermined value, the temperature sensitive substance contracts,
causing the bellows
73 to contract. With the contraction of both the temperature
sensitive substance and the bellows
73, the pressure within the bellows
remains substantially constant, keeping the fill stop ball
72 in its sealing
position. As such, the thermal element acts in an accordion like fashion, contracting
and expanding as the temperature falls below and rises above a predetermined value.
For both embodiments illustrated, the valve piston
30 includes a piston
base
31, piston travel stop
32, central portion
35, piston
primary end or terminus
34 and secondary end or terminus
33, and
biasing member
70 such as a spring. The piston base
31 is adjacent
to the thermal element
75 and provides a surface for contact with the element
75. The piston stop
32 is of smaller diameter than the biasing member
or spring
70, whereas the piston base
31 is of the same or greater
diameter than the spring
70. As such, the piston stop
32 provides
an area or region for supporting the spring
70 within the valve stem
20.
The piston stop
32 serves a further purpose, as will be discussed herein
below along with the function of the primary
34 and secondary
33
terminus. Further, the piston base
31 is preferably of slightly smaller
diameter than the valve stem internal wall
26 so that the piston
30
is slidably disposed therein.
The valve piston seat or guide
40 illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 9 is comprised
of a single composite seat that serves the same function as the multiple components
of the valve piston seat
40 illustrated in FIG.
1. With reference
to FIG. 9, it is seen that the piston seat
40 has an internal passage of
varying diameters for directing the piston
30 through the valve housing.
The piston seat passage has a first ridge seat
61 through which the piston
end or tip
34 is able to pass and sealably communicate with the first ridge
61. The remainder of the piston
30 is of such diameter so that it
is blocked from passing through the first ridge
61. The piston
30
is disposed within the valve
100 so that under ‘normal’ operation,
i.e., when the surrounding air temperature is above the activation or setpoint
temperature for causing the thermal element to contract, the piston tip
34
is past the first ridge
61 with the remainder of the piston
30 adjacent
to the first ridge
61, thereby blocking flow through the valve
100.
Under such normal operation, flow through the faucet
10 is accomplished
simply by turning the handle
80 to open up the passage through faucet
10,
as is done with faucets known in the art.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, it is seen that the lower internal wall
27 of
the valve housing
20 is of a smaller diameter than that of the upper internal
wall
26 of the housing
20. The diameter of the lower internal wall
27 is such that at least a portion of the piston seat
40 is slidably
disposed therein. At the base
46 of the piston seat
40 adjacent to
the faucet
10, the piston seat
40 is provided with a piston seat
external ridge
47 that is of larger diameter than the lower internal wall
27 of the housing
20. At the posterior end
22 of the housing
20 there is provided an internal housing end rim
28 that is of a
slightly larger diameter than the external ridge
47, enabling the piston
seat
40 to be slidably fitted and snugly secured within one end of the housing
20. The piston seat external ridge
47 mates with the housing end
rim
28, thereby preventing the piston seat
40 from entering further
into the housing
20.
The piston seat passage further includes a second ridge seat
51 that is
of a diameter larger than that of the first ridge
61, thereby enabling at
least a portion of the piston
30 that is of larger diameter than the piston
tip
34 to pass there through. In one embodiment, this portion of the piston
30 can be in the form of a second piston tip
33. The remainder of
the piston
30 is of a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the second
ridge
51. Between the first ridge
61 and second ridge
51,
the piston seat
40 has a lengthwise or longitudinal portion wherein the
external diameter of the piston seat
40 is smaller than the remainder of
the lengthwise portion of the seat
40. This portion, when placed within
the valve housing
20, creates a piston seat cavity
45.
Positioned within this cavity portion of the piston seat
40 is
one or more piston seat ports
44. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 8, the valve
housing
20 is provided with at least one corresponding primary port
24
positioned over the piston seat cavity. The seat port(s)
44 provides a passageway
for fluid to pass through when the temperature falls below the activation temperature.
Accordingly, when the temperature falls below the activation temperature, the thermal
element
75 contracts, allowing the biasing member
70 to push the
piston
30 away from the piston seat
40. As the piston
30 is
pushed away, the first piston tip
34 breaks it seal with the first ridge
61, allowing fluid to flow into the interior passage of the piston seat
40, out the seat port
44 into the piston seat cavity
45, out
the housing primary port
24, and out the outlet
13 of the faucet
10. As is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 8, the housing
20 threadably
engages with the faucet
10 above this portion of the valve
100 so
that a passage through the faucet
10 is provided without manual turning
of the handle. The contraction and expansion of the thermal element
75 is
sufficient to allow the first piston tip
34 to break its seal with the first
ridge
61, while that portion of the piston
30 larger in diameter
than the first piston tip
34 to maintain its seal with the second ridge
51. In this manner, the second ridge
51 serves as a piston guide
in guiding the piston tip
34 in and out of engagement with the first ridge
61.
In the event that flow through the faucet is blocked, (thereby effectively blocking
flow through the interior passage of the piston seat
40, out the seat port
44 into the piston seat cavity
45 and out the housing primary port
24,) pressure within the valve
100 can press against the thermal
element
75, causing it to contract. As the thermal element
75 continues
to contract, the piston
30 is displaced by the biasing member
70
away from the piston seat
40. The passage into the cavity region
45
of the piston seat
40 is first opened up. The piston
30 continues
to move away from the piston seat
40 so that the piston
40 no longer
engages the second ridge
51, thereby opening up flow into the upper internal
wall
26 passage of the housing
20. This upper portion
26 of
the housing
20 is provided with one or more secondary ports
25. Flow
continues through these ports
25 into the area between the housing
20
and the bonnet
82 and housing seal
83. Pressure that builds due to
the buildup in fluid in this cavity is relieved by the fluid escaping between the
bonnet
82 and housing seal
83. In this manner, the temperature actuated
valve
100 provides an alternative or secondary path of fluid flow. By doing
so, when flow through the faucet
10 is blocked, the valve
100 provides
a path for fluid escape, preventing damage faucet
10, valve
100 or
pipes due to pressure buildup. Alternatively, the thermal element
75 can
be designed so that as the surrounding temperature continues to fall below the
activation temperature, temperature can cause the thermal element
75 to
continue to contract, thereby opening up the secondary path. Further, the valve
100 can be designed so that a combination of both pressure and temperature
opens up the secondary pathway. In an alternative embodiment not illustrated, a
pressure seal can be provided externally over the connection between the bonnet
82 and housing seal
83. The pressure seal can prevent dirt, insects
and other such undesirable objects out of the valve
100, while being sufficiently
weak so as to readily break or give way when fluid escapes from the valve
100
through the second path.
Disposed between the piston
30 and the piston seat
40 is the
biasing member. In one embodiment, a piston seat washer
49 can be positioned
between the anterior end of the piston seat
40 (i.e., the end furthermost
away from the faucet
10) and the end of the biasing member
70 adjacent
to the piston seat
40, thereby providing a support base for the biasing
member
70. In this manner, the biasing member provides a substantially constant
force against the piston base
31, effectively pressing or forcing the piston
30 away from the piston seat
40. The thermal element serves as a
counter-force, pressing or forcing the piston towards the piston seat
40.
As such, as the thermal element
75 contracts, the biasing member
70
forces the piston
30 away from the piston seat
40.
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail,
it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example
only, and is not to be taken as a limitation. The spirit and scope of the present
invention are to be limited only by the terms of any claims presented hereafter.
Industrial Applicability.
The present invention finds applicability in the valve industry, and more specifically
in automatic flow valves. Of particular importance is the invention's ability to
stop damage caused by frozen faucets and pipes.
*
