AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For an Innovation Patent Invention title: "Tap Valve Removal Tool" Applicant: Shay Peter Swinburne & Peter Raymond Swinburne Associated provisional applications: Number 2014900876 filed 14 March 2014 The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 "Tap Valve Removal Tool" Field of the Invention [001] The present invention relates to a device to be used to remove the valve from a standard tap fitting. Background to the Invention [002] Valves for household taps generally comprise a disc shaped valve that seals across the fluid flow and a stem which is engaged and moved by the tap to control water flow. These valves require occasional replacement due to wear on the valve which reduces its ability to seal in the closed position. Once the body of the tap is dismantled, the valve generally remains seated in the body and must be removed. This is often performed by a standard tool such as a pair of pliers. The process of gripping the cylindrical stem of the valve with tools such as pliers can be difficult, thereby increasing the time taken to perform the valve replacement. [003] The present invention relates to a device constructed to allow easy and effective removal of such a tap valve in a form which is compact and easy to manufacture. The device may therefore be provided with replacement valves in order to simplify the replacement process. Summary of the Invention [004] According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a tap valve removal tool comprising a tubular body; a sleeve received within the tubular body, the sleeve including a first end portion extending outwardly from a first end of the body and a second end portion extending outwardly from a second end of the body; 3 a bore provided in the first end portion of the sleeve for receiving a stem of a valve; and a plurality of longitudinal slots provided in the first end portion of the sleeve defining flexible arms such that when the stem of the valve is received in the first end portion, the stem flexes the arms outwardly; wherein the sleeve is free to slide relative to the body such that the first end portion of the sleeve is received into the body by movement of the body towards the first end portion of the sleeve, and wherein an inner surface of the body adjacent the first end engages with the arms of the sleeve to engage the first end portion with the stem. [005] Preferably, the inner surface of the bore of the sleeve is provided with surface features to aid in gripping the stem of the valve. [006] In one embodiment, the surface features comprise a helical ridge extending inwardly into the bore from the outer end thereof. [007] Preferably the ridge includes a triangular form and the pitch is relatively large compared to the width of the ridge such that the distance covered along the length of the bore by one rotation of the ridge is larger than the width of the ridge. [008] In a preferred embodiment, the first end portion of the sleeve is provided with an engagement member such that the engagement member engages with the body when the first end portion is withdrawn into the bore to restrict further movement of the sleeve relative to the body. [009] Preferably the engagement member comprises a circumferential rib located adjacent the ends of the arms to be received in a complementary shaped groove on an inner surface of the bore when the first end portion of the sleeve is drawn into the body to restrict movement of the sleeve relative to the body. [010] Preferably the second end portion of the sleeve includes a handle to allow gripping and pulling of the sleeve through the body.
4 [001] In one embodiment, the handle comprises a widened end portion at the outer end of the second end portion and a narrowed neck portion located between the widened end portion and the first end portion. [011] In a preferred embodiment, the body is provided with a flange adjacent the first end to allow gripping of the body when the sleeve is slid relative to the body. [012] In one embodiment, the flange comprises an elongate planar member oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body. Brief Description of the Drawings [013] The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings: [014] Figure 1 is a lower perspective view of a tap valve removal tool in accordance with the present invention; [002] Figure 2a is a front view of the tap valve removal tool of Figure 1; [003] Figure 2b is a side view of the tap valve removal tool of Figure 1; [004] Figure 2c is a top view of the tap valve removal tool of Figure 1; [005] Figure 3a is a lower perspective view of the sleeve of the tap valve removal tool of Figure 1; [006] Figure 3b is a lower perspective view of the tubular body of the tap valve removal tool of Figure 1; [007] Figure 4a is a side cross sectional view of the tap valve removal tool in a first step of removing a valve from a tap; [008] Figure 4b is a side cross sectional view of the tap valve removal tool in a second step of removing the valve from the tap; [009] Figure 4c is a side cross sectional view of the tap valve removal tool in a third step of removing the valve from the tap; [010] Figure 4d is a side cross sectional view of the tap valve removal tool in a fourth step of removing the valve from the tap; [011] Figure 4e is a side cross sectional view of the tap valve removal tool in a fifth step of removing the valve from the tap; 5 [012] Figure 4f is a side cross sectional view of the tap valve removal tool in a sixth step of removing the valve from the tap; [013] Figure 5a is a side cross sectional view of the tap valve removal tool of Figure 1 prior to engagement with a tap valve; [014] Figure 5b is a side cross sectional view of the tap valve removal tool of Figure 1 engaged with the stem of a valve; and [015] Figure 5c is a side cross sectional view of the tap valve removal tool of Figure 1 with the sleeve and the valve stem drawn back inside the body. Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments [015] Referring to the Figures, there is shown a tap valve removal tool 10 provided for removing a standard tap valve 12 of the type comprising a valve body 14 and a valve stem 15. The tap valve removal tool 10 comprises a tubular body 16 and a sleeve 18 to be received inside the body 16. [016] The body 16 comprises a hollow cylinder 20 having a first end 22 and a second end 23. The sleeve 18 is provided to be received into the body 16 by sliding such that a first end portion 24 extends outwardly of the first end 22 of the body 16 and a second end portion 25 extends outwardly from the second end 23 of the body 16. The sleeve 18 includes a longitudinal bore 26 extending inwardly into the end of the first end portion 24. The bore 26 is provided to receive the valve stem 15 of the valve 12. [017] The first end portion 24 of the sleeve 18 includes a plurality of slots 28 therein. The slots 28 extend longitudinally from the outer end of the first end portion 24 towards the second end portion 25. The slots 28 are provided through the sleeve 18 such that the slots 28 divide the first end portion 24 into a plurality of flexible arms 29. [018] The bore 26 provided in the first end portion 24 of the sleeve 18 is dimensioned to have an internal diameter slightly smaller than the external diameter of the stem 15 of the valve 12 which is to be removed with the tap valve removal tool 10. When the stem 15 of the valve 12 is inserted into the 6 bore 26, the stem 15 engages with the inner surface thereof and flexes the arms 29 outwardly, as best seen in Figure 5b. [019] The second end portion 25 includes a handle 30 to allow easier gripping and pulling of the sleeve 18 through the body 16. The handle 30 comprises a widened end portion 32 at the outer end of the second end portion 25 and a narrowed neck portion 34 located between the widened end portion 32 and the first end portion 24. [020] The body 16 is provided with a flange 35 adjacent the first end 23 to allow easier gripping of the body 16 when the sleeve 18 is slid relative to the body 16. The flange 35 comprises an elongate planar member oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body 16. [021] The inner surface of the bore 26 of the sleeve 18 is provided with surface features to aid in gripping the stem 15 of the valve 12. The surface features comprise protrusions on the inner surface to add further grip when the stem 15 is received in the sleeve 18. The protrusions in the embodiment shown comprise a helical ridge 36 extending inwardly into the bore 26 from the outer end thereof. The ridge 36 includes a triangular form and the pitch is relatively large compared to the width of the ridge 36. That is, the distance covered along the length of the bore 26 by one rotation of the ridge 36 is larger than the width of the ridge 36. [022] The first end portion 24 of the sleeve 18 is provided with an engagement member such that the engagement member engages with the body 12 when the first end portion 24 is withdrawn into the bore 26 to restrict further movement of the sleeve 18 relative to the body 12. The engagement member in the embodiment shown comprises a rib 38 located adjacent the ends of the arms 29. The rib 38 extends circumferentially around the outer surface of the first end portion 24 adjacent the outer end thereof. An inner surface of the body 16 is provided also with a complementary shaped groove 40 to receive the rib 38. When the first end portion 24 of the sleeve 18 is drawn into the body 16 the rib 38 engages into the groove 40 to restrict movement of the sleeve 18 relative to the body 16.
7 [023] In use, the tap valve removal tool 10 is used to remove the valve 12 from a tap 13 as shown in Figure 4. Figure 5 shows close up views of the engagement between the tap valve removal tool 10 and the stem 15 of the valve 12. The tap valve removal tool 10 is arranged with the first end portion 24 of the sleeve 18 extending outwardly from the first end 22 of the body 16 (as shown in Figure 4a). The tap valve removal tool 10 is then moved such that the sleeve 18 extends into the tap 13 such that the stem 15 of the valve 12 is received in the bore 26 thereof (as shown in Figure 4b). This spreads the arms 29 of the sleeve 18 as shown in Figure 5b. The body 16 is then slid relative to the sleeve 18 by pressing down on the flange 35 and the sleeve 18 moves inwardly into the body 16. The inner surfaces of the body 16 engage with the arms 29 and press the arms 29 inwardly to engage with the stem 15 (as shown in Figure 4c). The ridge 36 on the inner surface of the bore 26 aids to grip the stem 15 of the valve 12. The rib 38 snaps into the groove 40 to prevent the sleeve 18 from sliding back out of the body 16. The body 16 is then removed from the tap 13 as shown in Figure 4d and the sleeve 18 can be slid relative to the body 16 in the opposite direction by pressing on the end of the handle 30 while holding the flange 35. As shown in Figure 4e, this moves the first end portion 24 of the sleeve 18 outwardly from the body 16, thereby allowing the arms 29 to flex outwardly, releasing the stem 15. The valve 12 can thereby be removed from the tap valve removal tool 10, as shown in Figure 4f. [016] It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention.