Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
  • E03D1/00—Water flushing devices with cisterns ; Setting up a range of flushing devices or water-closets; Combinations of several flushing devices
  • E03D1/02—High-level flushing systems
  • E03D1/14—Cisterns discharging variable quantities of water also cisterns with bell siphons in combination with flushing valves
  • E03D1/142—Cisterns discharging variable quantities of water also cisterns with bell siphons in combination with flushing valves in cisterns with flushing valves

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a flush valve assembly, a control device and a method for flushing a toilet according to the preambles to the accompany- ing claims 1, 9, 11 and 14.
• the invention relates espe ⁇ cially to alternative flushing when using a toilet, i.e. either flushing with part of the amount of water in the tank of the toilet or with substantially the entire amount of water.
• SE-501,336 discloses a double-acting flush valve assembly for toilets having a flush valve casing, through which water may flow in sideways and up through an upper valve or down through a lower valve.
• a flush valve assembly has been provided, by which flushing with small amounts of water can be carried out by moving the control member for flushing downwards, and flushing with a predetermined larger amount of water can be car ⁇ ried out by raising the same control member (traditional flushing) .
• Flushing with a smaller amount of water has also not functioned in a satisfactory fashion, since flushing has taken place at a very low pressure only. This low pres ⁇ sure is not sufficient to clean the toilet with a small amount of water after using the toilet.
• the upper valve gets locked in the open position, the valve cone pressed down, when flushing with a small amount of water, since the air pocket formed in the valve cone does not yield sufficient lifting power to close the valve.
• One object of the invention is to permit saving of water when using flush toilets by obviating the drawbacks of the above-described prior art.
• a special object is to provide a flush valve of simple design, which makes it possible to carry out effective and easily controllable flushing of a toilet with a small amount of water.
• a special object is to reduce or eliminate the risk that unnecessarily large amounts of water are unneces ⁇ sarily used for flushing.
• a flush valve casing comprises two superimposed valves.
• Each of the valves comprises a cone and a valve seat. When opening one valve, its cone is moved towards the other valve cone.
• the shape of the cones is such that one cone is insertable into the other cone.
• both valves can be arranged close to the bottom of the tank of the toi ⁇ let, which in turn means that there prevails a high water pressure adjacent to both valves, thus, also adjacent to the upper valve for flushing with small amounts of water. Consequently, flushing with an optional, small amount of water can take place at a higher pressure than has been possible earlier.
• the lower cone comprises a downwardly open and upwardly closed air space, which, as the cone is raised, maintains an "air pocket", and therefore the lower cone can be given an improved lifting power.
• the two cones fit into each other such that, when the two cones are inserted into one another, a negative pressure forms between the cones when moving them apart.
• the lower cone can be lifted by means of the upper cone thanks to the cones being interconnected by the negative pressure.
• the lower valve remains open, the upper cone raised from the lower valve seat, until the water level in the tank of the toilet has fallen to the level of the valve seat of the lower valve.
• a flush valve assembly for flushing toilets with a small amount of water or a large amount of water.
• the flush valve assembly comprises a control member for controlling thereof.
• the control member is movable from a resting position to a first flushing position for con ⁇ trolling the flush valve assembly to flush with a large amount of water.
• the control member can only be moved to the first flushing position via a second flushing position, in which the flush valve assembly is controlled to flush with a small amount of water.
• it comprises a method for flushing a toilet with a predeter ⁇ mined amount of water by moving the control member, by means of an external force, to the first flushing posi ⁇ tion via the second flushing position and then releasing it from the action of the external force.
• the con ⁇ trol member is actuated by the force of a first spring means in a first interval, which extends from the resting position to the first position.
• the control member In a position in a second interval, which extends from the first interval to the first position, the control member is also actuated by the force of a second spring means.
• flushing with a large amount of water can be accom ⁇ plished only by taking different, distinguishable mea ⁇ sures.
• flushing is begun with a small amount of water, then a signal is obtained, for instance in the form of an increased resistance in the control member, for flushing with a large amount of water. Having obtain ⁇ ed this signal, some further measure must be taken, for instance, a change of the power exerted on the control member, especially an increase of power.
• a control device for flushing a toilet in which a spring-loaded obstruction member is arranged in connec ⁇ tion with a control member for flushing. Flushing with a large amount of water cannot be carried out without first moving the obstruction member out of position.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a preferred embodi ⁇ ment of a flush valve assembly according to the invention mounted in a tank of a toilet;
• Figs 2 and 3 show schematically and slightly enlarg ⁇ ed a broken-away part of the flush valve assembly accord- ing to Fig. 1 and illustrate the valve configuration when flushing with a smaller amount of water and a larger, predetermined amount of water;
• Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a further preferred embodiment of a flush valve assembly according to the invention mounted in a tank of a toilet;
• Figs 5 and 6 show schematically a control device for flushing according to the invention and illustrate the function for flushing with a smaller amount of water and a larger, predetermined amount of water.
• Description of the Preferred Embodiments of the Invention Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a tank 2 of a flush toilet, containing water 4.
• a flush valve assembly is mounted in the tank 2.
• the flush valve assembly comprises a flush valve casing 1 which is mounted in the lower part of the tank.
• the casing 1 is preferably made of plastic and encloses a chamber 6 which has a first lower part 6a and a second upper part 6b and a channel part extending therebetween.
• the lower part 6a is downwardly open and connected to an outlet hole formed in the tank of the toilet and intended for flushing.
• the casing 1 has in the lateral direction, towards the viewer, an opening 7 such that the surrounding water reaches the valves 10, 20.
• the first lower valve 10 comprises a first valve seat 11 and a first valve cone 12.
• the seat 11 consists of a flat, upwardly directed surface which encloses an outlet hole of the lower part 6a of the chamber 6.
• the cone 12 is preferably made of plastic and is of circular cross-section.
• a rubber seal is arranged on the edge sur ⁇ face facing the seat 11.
• the cone 12 is bell-shaped or cup-shaped and is turned upside-down, i.e. the opening is directed downwards.
• a guide means for radial guiding, in the form of a rod 15, is attached to the cone 12 and extends upwards in a tubular member 25, which will be described in more detail below.
• the second upper valve 20 comprises a second valve seat 21 and a second valve cone 22.
• the seat 21 consists of a flat, downwardly directed surface, which encloses an outlet hole of the upper part 6b of the chamber 6.
• the cone 22 is preferably made of plastic and is of circular cross-section. A rubber seal is arranged on the surface facing the seat 21.
• the cone 22 is, like the first cone 12, bell-shaped or cup-shaped and turned upside-down, i.e. the opening is directed downwards.
• a power-transmission means in the form of a tubular member 25 is attached to the cone 22 and extends around the rod 15 upwards to the control member 31.
• the shape of the second cone 22 conforms with the shape of the cone 12, such that the cup-shaped, upwardly directed outside of the cone 12 fits into the cup-shaped, downwardly directed inside of the cone 22.
• Fig. 1 shows the flush valve assembly in closed position, i.e. the two valve cones 12, 22 seal against their respective seats 11, 21.
• a volume of water 4 is stored in the tank.
• Fig. 2 shows the flush valve assembly in position for flushing with an optional amount of water.
• Such flushing is carried out by opening the upper valve 20, i.e. pressing the tubular member 25, by an external force exerted on the control member 31, downwards (direction of arrow A), whereby the cone 22 is moved from the seat 21 to the cone 12.
• water can flow upwards into the upper part 6b of the chamber 6 and further down into the toilet for effecting of flushing.
• the control member 31, the tubular member 25 and the cone 22 are thus moved downwards in a first interval from a resting position when flushing with a small, optional amount of water.
• a first spring 3 is compressed between a downwardly directed abutment 27 arranged on the tubular member and an abutment 28 fixedly connected to the casing 1.
• Fig. 3 shows the flush valve assembly in its posi ⁇ tion for flushing with the content of the entire tank. Such flushing is carried out when the lower valve 10 is opened by the cone 12 being moved upwards from the seat 11 to the cone 22. The valve 10 remains open until the water level has fallen to the level of the valve seat 11, which means that practically all the water in the tank is let out. When the water level has fallen to the valve 10, the valve cone 12 again falls down to the seat 11.
• Flushing with a large amount of water is accomplish ⁇ ed by the control member 31 being pressed further down ⁇ wards compared with flushing with a small amount of water, as illustrated in Fig. 2.
• the abutment of the tubular member 25 will, in a first interval from the resting position, be pressed against the spring 3 and in a second interval, after the first interval, also be pressed against a second spring 13.
• the spring 13 is preferably more rigid than the spring 3, such that a sharp limit is evident to the user.
• the springs 3 and 13 are arranged in paral ⁇ lel.
• the lower cone 12 i.e. the cup- or bell-shaped outside, fits in a form-fit manner to the cup- or bell-shaped inside of the upper cone 22.
• an interconnecting nega ⁇ tive pressure forms between the cones 12, 22 when moving them apart.
• the cones are so design ⁇ ed that this negative pressure effect is sufficient to accomplish the interconnection of the two valve cones.
• the cone 12 For opening the lower cone 12, it is in the embodiment shown only necessary to maintain the interconnection for so long that the cone 12 can be removed a short distance from the lower seat 11 to be surrounded by water, since the cone 12 has buoyancy and lifting power of its own, which will be described in more detail below.
• first lower valve cone 12 comprising a space 14 which is open away from the second valve 20 and closed towards the second valve 20, for instance by the bottom of the valve cone being internally cup-shaped or bell- shaped, an "air pocket" giving the cone 12 lifting power is formed when the cone 12 is raised in the water 4. This lifting power remains until the water level has fallen to the level of the valve seat 11.
• the lifting power of the cone 12 is also affected by which material the cone is made.
• the cone 12 is made of a low-weight material, preferably plastic.
• the above-described negative pressure effect can be used to maintain the lower cone 12 in its raised position until all water has been let out.
• the first lower valve 10 can be given a good func ⁇ tion in its open position by using only lifting power (air pocket) or by using only retaining power (negative pressure) . By interaction between these two types of power, the function of the flush valve, however, can be made still more effective.
• Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment of a flush valve according to the invention.
• the control member 31 is connected to a power transmission means in the form of the rod 15a, such that the lower valve cone 12 can be raised, by lifting of the rod 15a, by raising the control member 31.
• Figs 4, 5 and 6 show a control device for flushing either with a small, optional or with a large, predeter- mined amount of water.
• the control device which in
• Fig. 1 is shown in its inactive position, i.e. the valve closed, comprises a control member, preferably a flat knob 31, which is connected to the above-mentioned rod 15a and the tubular member 25a.
• a control member preferably a flat knob 31
• the upper valve 20 is open ⁇ ed via the tubular member 25a, and flushing takes place as long as the knob 31 is being pressed.
• the lower valve 10 is opened via the rod 15a and remains open until the tank is essentially emptied in accordance with traditional flushing.
• An obstruction member in the form of flanged sleeve 32 is arranged directly under the knob 31, such that the underside of the knob 31 cannot be reached.
• the sleeve 32 surrounds circumferentially the upper part of a flushing spindle 5, which comprises the rod 15a and the tubular member 25a.
• a spring means in the form of a ring 35 made of foamed plastic is arranged between the sleeve 32 and an abutment fixedly connected to the body or tank 2 of the toilet.
• Such a control device prevents unintentional flush ⁇ ing with an unnecessarily large amount of water, since this is combined with an additional operation.
• the lower valve be in ⁇ sertable into the upper, it is possible, for instance, to achieve the inventive object by means of an upper valve which is insertable into a lower valve, or by means of two valves which are insertable into each other in some other fashion.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Sanitary Device For Flush Toilet (AREA)
• Self-Closing Valves And Venting Or Aerating Valves (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26662500

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 1996
  • 1996-11-13 SE SE9604150A patent/SE9604150L/ not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1997
  • 1997-02-05 EP EP97902813A patent/EP0879325A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-02-05 AU AU16815/97A patent/AU1681597A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-02-05 WO PCT/SE1997/000170 patent/WO1997028319A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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