EP2524087B1

EP2524087B1 - Height-adjustable flushing valve group for a flushing tank

Info

Publication number: EP2524087B1
Application number: EP11709182.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Joao Tiago Freitas Machado
Original assignee: Oliveira and Irmao SA
Current assignee: Oliveira and Irmao SA
Priority date: 2010-01-12
Filing date: 2011-01-12
Publication date: 2015-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 2031-01-12
Also published as: PL2524087T3; UA106645C2; WO2011086452A1; EP2524087A1; IT1397385B1; RU2556982C2; ITMI20100017A1; ES2535165T3; RU2012134364A

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a height-adjustable flushing valve group for a flushing tank.

BACKGROUND ART

Flushing valve groups for WC flushing tanks which have mechanisms for adjusting the height (measured along the main axis of the group, vertical in normal conditions of use) are known; in general, an adjusting mechanism of the height of a flushing valve assembly allows to vary the distance between two axially opposite ends of the group (intended to be coupled to a bottom wall and to a top wall of the box, respectively) so as to adapt the group to the tank in which the group is to be installed. EP-A-1 477 613 discloses a height-adjustable flushing valve group according to the preamble of claim 1.
The known mechanisms appear in all cases improvable, above all in terms of simplicity of construction and use.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a height-adjustable flushing valve group for a flushing tank, which is particularly simple and cost-effective to make and to install, as well as being fully efficient.
The present invention thus relates to a height-adjustable flushing valve group for a flushing tank as essentially defined in appended claim 1 and in the dependent claims for the preferred aspects thereof.
The flushing valve group according to the invention is simple and cost-effective to make and to assemble, and is particularly simple to use allowing simple, fast adjustment of the height of the group.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described in the following non-limitative embodiments, with reference to the appended figures, in which:

figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a height-adjustable flushing valve group for a flushing tank according to the invention, shown in respective operative positions;
figures 3 and 4 are two cross section views of a detail of the group in figures 1 and 2, shown in the respective operative positions.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In figures 1 and 2, numeral 1 indicates as a whole a height-adjustable flushing valve group for a flushing tank (known and not shown for the sake of simplicity).
The group 1 extends substantially along an axis A (vertical in use) and comprises a movable shutter 2 cooperating with a sealing seat 3, a shutter-activation mechanism 4, mechanically connected to the shutter 2, a base body 5, internally defining a vessel in which the shutter is slidingly accommodated 2, and provided with the sealing seat 3, and a support 7, which supports the mechanism 4 and, by means of the mechanism 4, the shutter 2 and is coupled to the base body 5 by means of a height-adjusting mechanism 8 to vary the distance between the support 7 and the base body 5.
The shutter 2 is carried by a lower end 11 of an overflow tube 12; a top end 13 of the tube 12, opposite to the lower end 11, is instead connected to the mechanism 4.
The shutter-activation mechanism 4 is of the essentially known type and is not consequently neither described or illustrated in detail for the sake of simplicity. In short, the mechanism 4 comprises a pivoting lever 14 hinged to the support 7 and connected, by means of a rod 15 provided with a hook, to the top end 13 of the tube 12; the lever 14 is actuated by one or more mobile stems (for example, parallel to axis A) connected to respective buttons (known and not shown for the sake of simplicity) and accommodated in a seat 16 formed by a top crosspiece 17 of the support 7.
The overflow tube 12 is slidingly accommodated along axis A in a seat formed in the base body 5; the top end 13 of the tube 12 has an eyelet 18 for connection to the rod 15 and thus to the mechanism 4; the rod 15 carries a sequence of notches 19 longitudinally spaced out with respect to one another and the eyelet 18 snappingly engages in releasable manner a selected notch 19.
The base body 5 comprises a substantially tubular hollow position 22 in which the tube 12 is arranged, and an attachment portion 23, arranged underneath the portion 22 and provided with fastening means 24 (for example, a threaded socket) for connection to a bottom wall of the tank and of the sealing seat 3.
The base body 5 is fixable to the bottom wall of the tank by means of the attachment portion 23; the portion 23 is preferably coupled in releasable manner to the portion 22 by means of fastening members 25, e.g. constituted by a pair of pins carried by the portion 22 and insertable, by turning the portion 22 with respect to the portion 23 about axis A, into respective hooks formed in the portion 23.
On a top end 26 of the base body 5, the portion 22 has a cylindrical top end part 27 which ends with an end edge (not visible in the figures).
The support 7 is connected to the base body 5 by means of the adjusting mechanism 8 and is movable with respect to the base body 5 parallel to axis A.
The adjusting mechanism 8 comprises at least one upright 30 and preferably, as shown in the figures, a pair of diametrically opposite uprights 30, which are supported by the support 7 and extend along respective longitudinal axes parallel to axis A; the uprights 30 inferiorly project from respective lateral ends of the top crosspiece 17 of the support 7. The support 7 is consequently substantially shaped as an inverted U.
The uprights 30 slide in respective guides 31, substantially formed parallel to the axis A in the base body 5, and the adjusting mechanism 8 further comprises a releasable operating member 32, which selectively restraints and releases axially the support 7 to and from the base body 5, either locking or allowing the sliding of the uprights 30 in the guides 31. In the illustrated non-limitative example, the guides 31 are defined by respective pairs of ridges 33 which project radially outwards and substantially parallel to axis A of portion 22 of the base body 5.
At least one, and preferably each of the uprights 30 is provided with a sequence of indentations 34 longitudinally spaced out along the upright 30; preferably the indentations 34 are facing upwards towards the base body 5.
With reference to figures 3 and 4, the operating member 32 is substantially ring shaped (or ring-sector shaped) and comprises in particular a ring shaped element 35 arranged at the top end 26 of the base body 5 about the base body 5; in particular, the element 35 is fitted about the cylindrical part 27 of the base body 5 and angularly abuts on the end edge of the part 27.
For example, the element 35 comprises a radially outer, substantially cylindrical lateral wall 36, externally fitted about the cylindrical part 27 of the base body 5, and a substantially ring shaped top flange 37, which radially projects within the lateral wall 36.
Optionally, the element 35 has a radially inner lateral wall 38 (visible in figures 1 and 2), coaxial to the lateral wall 36 and separated therefrom by a ring shaped space; the flange 37 carries on top the two lateral walls 36, 38 and the part 27 of the base body 5 is inserted between the lateral walls 36, 38.
The operating member 32 is coupled to the base body 5 so as to be axially integral with the base body 5 (i.e. axially blocked with respect to the base body 5) and to be angularly rotatable about the base body 5 (i.e. rotatable about axis A).
For example, the base body 5 is provided with one or more radially outer projections 41 which radially project from the base body 5 (and specifically from the part 27) and engage respective circumferential slits 42 formed in the lateral wall 36 and/or in the flange 37 of the element 35.
The projections 41 are angularly movable in the respective slits 42 between two opposite positions, a locked position and an unlocked position respectively, to which different visual symbols are advantageously associated (e.g. on the flange 37) that indicate a locked condition and a unlocked condition, respectively.
Furthermore, the part 27 of the base body 5 has at least one, and preferably as shown in figures 3-4 a pair of, lateral teeth 43, which project outwards from part 27. The teeth 43 are accommodated in respective circumferential grooves 44 formed in the lateral and diametrically opposite wall 36. Each of the teeth 43 is circumferentially movable within a groove 44 between two operative end positions, defined by respective circumferential hollows 45 spaced out one with respect to the other and delimited by the ridges 46 which project within the slot 44.
The hollows 45 of each slot 44 are selectively and snappingly engaged by a tooth 43 when the operating member 32 is turned to take the projections 41 from one to the other of the two opposite locked and unlocked positions. The teeth 43 and the hollows 46 constitute respective click-on coupling elements for coupling the base body 5 to the operating member 32 and are engaged in the two opposite stop positions when the operating member 32 assumes the locked position and the unlocked position, respectively.
The operating member 32 is provided with at least one and preferably (as shown in the figures) a pair of curved through eyelets 47, defining respective sliding seats in which the uprights 30 are thoroughly inserted. In particular, the eyelets 47 are formed through and parallel to axis A in respective lateral portions 48 diametrically opposite to the operating member 32, which project laterally from the ring shaped element 35 and are curved about axis A, being substantially arc-of-a-circle shaped.
The operating member 32 is further provided with one, and preferably two locking elements 50 (figure 4) accommodated in respective eyelets 47 to selectively engage respective indentations 34 of the uprights 30.
The locking elements 50 are shaped so as to be insertable in the indentations 34. In the illustrated non-limitative case, the locking elements 50 are constituted by respective flat foils which radially project outwards from the lateral wall 36 within the eyelets 47.
The operating member 32 is movable, and precisely rotatable about axis A, to selectively assume a locked position, shown in figures 1 and 3, and an unlocked position, shown in figures 2 and 4.
In the locked position (figures 1 and 3), the locking elements 50 engage respective indentations 34 of the uprights 30 and thus lock the axial sliding of the uprights 30 in the eyelets 47 and in the guides 31; the projections 41 are also in the respective locked positions, i.e. in the positions associated to the symbol which indicates the locked condition; the lateral teeth 43 correspondingly engage a first pair of hollows 45.
In the unlocked position (figures 2 and 4), the unlocking elements 50 are arranged laterally with respect to the uprights 30 and do not engage any indentation 34 of the uprights 30; the uprights 30 thus freely slide in the eyelets 47 and in the guides 31; the projections 41 are in the respective unlocked positions, i.e. in the end positions associated to the symbol, which indicates the unlocked position and the lateral teeth 43 correspondingly engage a second pair of hollows 45.
During the installation of the group 1, in order to adapt the height (measured along axis A) of the group 1 to the dimensions of the tank in which the group 1 is to be installed, the operator turns the operating member 32 about axis A with respect to the base body 5 to take the operating member 32 to the unlocked position; in this position, the uprights 30 can freely slide in the guides 31 and thus the support 7 can slide with respect to the base body 5 and the operator may adjust the position of the support 7 with respect to the base body 5 making the uprights 30 slide in the guides 31.
The rotation of the operating member 32 makes the teeth 43 engage the first pair of indentations 45 and the projections 41 in the unlocked position.
After having adjusted the group 1 as described, the operator turns the operating member 32 to take it to the locked position; the rotation of the operating member 32 takes the unlocked elements 50 to be inserted in respective indentations 34 of the uprights 30, thus locking the axial sliding of the uprights 30 and thus of the support 7 as a whole with respect to the base body 5.
The rotation of the operating member 32 makes the teeth 43 move at the same time from the first pair of hollows 45 to the second pair of hollows 45, and the projections 41 from the unlocked position to the locked position.
The position of the projections 41 visually indicates the position of the control element 32 to the operator.
Moreover, it is understood that further changes and variations may be made to the disclosure illustrated herein, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

A height-adjustable flushing valve group (1) for a flushing tank, extending substantially along an axis (A) and comprising a base body (5) housing a movable shutter (2), a support (7) that supports a shutter-activation mechanism (4), and a height adjusting mechanism (8) for changing the distance between the support (7) and the base body (5) and comprising a releasable operating member (32), arranged around the base body (5) and coupled to the base body (5) so as to be axially integral with the base body (5) and to be angularly rotatable with respect to the base body (5) around the axis (A), and at least one upright (30) substantially parallel to the axis (A), supported by the support (7), the group being characterized in that, the at least one upright (30) is slidable in a guide (31) formed in the base body (5) the operating member (32) is angularly rotatable with respect to the base body (5) around the axis (A) for selectively assuming a locked position, in which the operating member (32) engages axially the upright (30) and connects axially integral the support (7) and the base body (5), and an unlocked position, in which the operating member (32) does not engage axially the upright (30) and the support (7) is axially slidable with respect to the base body (5).
A group according to claim 1, wherein the operating member (32) is substantially ring or ring-sector shaped.
A group according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the operating member (32) is provided with at least one through curved eyelet (47), defining a sliding seat through which the upright (30) is inserted; and the operating member (32) is provided with at least one locking element (50) housed in the eyelet (47) for engaging the upright (30).
A group according to claim 3, wherein the upright (30) is provided with a series of indentations (34) longitudinally spaced apart from one another along the upright (30); and the locking element (50) is so shaped as to be insertable in each indentation (34).
A group according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the operating member (32) comprises a substantially cylindrical radially outer lateral wall (36), fitted externally around a cylindrical part (27) of the base body (5), and a substantially annular top flange (37), which projects radially inwards from the lateral wall (36) and abuts against a top end edge of the cylindrical part (27) of the base body (5).
A group according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base body (5) is provided with one or more radially outer projections (41) which project radially from the base body (5) and are housed and angularly movable in respective circumferentially slits (42) formed in the operating member (32).
A group according to claim 6, wherein the projections (41) are angularly movable in the respective slits (42) between two opposite positions, a locked position and an unlocked position respectively, and different visual icons are associated to the two positions.
A group according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base body (5) and the operating member (32) are provided with respective click-on coupling elements (43, 46) which engage in two operation positions when the operating member (32) assumes the locked position and the unlocked position respectively.
A group according to claim 8, wherein the click-on coupling elements comprise at least a lateral tooth (43) carried by the base body (5) and housed in a circumferential slot (44) formed in a lateral wall (36) of the operating member (32); the tooth (43) being movable circumferentially in the slot (44) between two end positions, defined by respective hollows (45) circumferentially spaced apart from one another and delimited by ridges (46) that project into the slot (44).