GB2459995A

GB2459995A - Lavatory waste pipe valve

Info

Publication number: GB2459995A
Application number: GB0914769A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Charles Townsend
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-05-09
Filing date: 2009-08-24
Publication date: 2009-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 2028-05-09
Also published as: GB0914769D0; GB2459995B

Abstract

A manually activated lavatory waste pipe valve comprises: (i) a valve body, and (ii) a valve body housing comprising a first part and a second part joined along a join line to define a valve cavity therebetween, the join line lying on a plane angled between 30 and 60 degrees to the flow direction, wherein the valve body is positioned at least partially inside the valve cavity to be manually rotatable relative to the valve body between open and closed positions.

Description

A Valve The present invention is concerned with a valve. Specifically, the present invention is concerned with a manually actuated lavatory waste pipe valve for preventing the passage of material along the waste pipe.

A typical lavatory comprises a lavatory bowl having a water inlet for flushing (from a cistern) and an outlet connected to a waste pipe (also known as a foul or soil pipe) through which waste products and water are carried to a sewer system upon flushing.

Lavatories can be situated on any floor of a property. The waste is generally carried to the sewer system by gravity and the force of the flushing fluid as the lavatory is flushed. Lavatories are therefore positioned above the level of the sewer system, and the waste pipe exhausts above the fluid level in a sewer main where it is carried off for treatment. There is no physical barrier throughout the length of the waste pipe from the lavatory to the sewer.

Floods are becoming more commonplace in many areas of the world due to rising sea levels and increased precipitation resulting from climate change. The shortage of land to build houses on has led to many new houses being built on flood prone land. As such, incidences of domestic flooding are becoming more commonplace.

When flood waters encounter a waste pipe, it is possible for backflow to occur-i.e. when the water level rises above the level of the lavatory, flood water and sewerage can be forced back along the waste pipe and into the property. This is undesirable as flood water and sewerage is unhygienic and can cause damage to household property.

An aim of the present invention is to alleviate the above problem.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a manually actuated lavatory waste pipe valve.

Advantageously, this waste pipe valve allows the user to actuate it in case of a flood, or flood warning to prevent backflow from occurring.

The valve may comprise a valve body and a valve body housing, wherein the valve body is slidable relative to the valve body housing between an open position and a closed position by a manual control. Preferably the waste pipe valve defines a flow axis, and the valve body is slidable in a direction perpendicular to the flow axis.

Preferably the valve body and the manual control are unitary.

Preferably the valve body defines a first flow orifice and the valve body housing defines a second flow orifice, and in the open position the first orifice and the second orifice coincide to allow fluid flow through the valve, and in the second position the first orifice and the second orifice do not coincide to prevent fluid flow through the valve.

A slidable valve design allows the unit to have a relatively small dimension in the direction of waste pipe flow, thus reducing the space it occupies and permitting installation in small space envelopes (e.g. behind lavatories).

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a valve comprising a valve body defining a valve flow passage therethrough, the passage having an entry orifice perimeter and an exit orifice perimeter, a valve housing comprising a first part and a second part joined to define a valve cavity therebetween, the valve housing defining a join line where the first and second part join, the valve body is movable within the valve cavity between an open position in which fluid is permitted to flow through the flow passage and a closed position in which fluid is prevented from flowing through the flow passage, in which the join line is positioned such that upon movement between the open and closed positions one of the entry and exit orifice perimeters does not coincide with the join line.

Preferably upon movement between the open and closed positions the other of the entry and exit orifice perimeters does not coincide with the join line. Preferably the valve housing defines a flow direction, and the join line lies on a plane angled between 30 to 60 degrees to the flow direction. Preferably the plane is angled at 45 degrees to the flow direction.

Advantageously, if the perimeters do not coincide with the join line, any sealing lines around the perimeters do not have to pass over the join lines. This decreases the incidence of seal wear and increases the life of the unit.

An example valve in accordance with the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures in which: Figure 1 is a side section view of a lavatory and waste pipe comprising a first embodiment of a valve in accordance with the present invention in a first location, Figure 2 is a side section view of a lavatory and waste pipe comprising a first embodiment of a valve in accordance with the present invention in a second location, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the valve of figure 1, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the valve of figure 1, Figure 5 is a top view of the valve of figure 1, Figure 6 is a side view of a part of the valve of figure 1, Figure 7 is a side view of the valve of figure 1 in an open state, Figure 8 is a side view of the valve of figure 1 in a closed state, Figure 10 is a side section view of a second embodiment of a valve in accordance with the present invention in an open state, Figure 11 is a side section view of a valve in accordance with the present invention in a closed state, Figure 12 is a top schematic view of a ball valve in a first condition, Figure 13 is a top schematic view of a ball valve in a second condition, Figure 14 is a top schematic view of a ball valve in accordance with the present invention in a first condition, Figure 15 is a top schematic view of a ball valve in accordance with the present invention in a second condition, Referring to figure 1, a lavatory 100 comprises a lavatory bowl 102. A cistern 104 is situated above the bowl 102 and contains water for flushing. A waste pipe 106 extends from the base of the bowl 102, around a U-bend section 108 and exhausts in a direction 110 to a sewer. The U-bend section 108 is shaped to hold an amount of water at a level 110 in the bowl 102 and the waste pipe 106.

Upon flushing the lavatory, water from the cistern 104 is released and flushes waste materials in the bowl 102 such that they travel down the waste pipe and are exhausted in direction 110.

A valve 114 in accordance with the present invention is placed in the waste pipe 106 downstream of the U-bend section 108. Referring to figure 2, an alternative location for the valve 114 is shown exterior to a building 116 in which the lavatory is located.

Referring now to figures 3 to 5, the valve 114 is shown in more detail. The valve 114 comprises a valve housing 118 and a valve member 120. The valve housing comprises a first sidewall 122 and a second sidewall 124 adjacent to, and offset from the first by a gap distance G. The sidewalls 122, 124 are identical, and as such only the sidewall 122 will be described in detail.

The sidewall 122 is a flat elongate plate comprising a semi-circular portion 126 at a first longitudinal end and a circular orifice 128 proximate a second longitudinal end 130.

The sidewalls 122, 124 are joined by a peripheral wall 132 which seals them at their periphery on all sides except the second longitudinal end 130.

A waste pipe mating member 134 extends from the circular orifices 128 in both sidewalls 122, 124. The waste pipe mating member is a standard section of 101mm (4 inch) diameter tube with an industry standard collar and seal 136 at ends distal to the sidewalls 122, 124. As such, sections of the waste pipe 106 can be mounted to the valve (see figure 4).

The valve 114 comprises a first flange plate 138 in the form of an elongate rectangular plate. The first flange plate 138 defines an elongate rectangular aperture 140 therein of width G and of height H. The valve 114 comprises a second flange plate 142 adjacent the first flange plate 138.

The second flange plate 142 defines an external aperture 144, of width 0 but of height <H.

The valve member 120 is shown in more detail in figure 6. The valve member 120 is a plate member with a thickness J which is slightly less than G. The valve member comprises a semi-circular first end 146 proximate a first portion 147 of height A and a flat second end 148 proximate a second portion 149 of height B. The first portion 147 and second portion 149 are separated by a shoulder 151.

The valve member comprises a first aperture 150 and a second aperture 152. The first aperture 150 is substantially rectangular in shape with undulations 154 defined at a side proximate the second end 148 of the valve member 120. The first aperture 150 is sized to receive human fingers which are received in the troughs of the undulations 154.

The second aperture 152 is circular in shape, and is of a dimension approximately the same as the waste pipe 106 (i.e. 101mm, 4 inches).

The valve is assembled by adhering the first flange plate 138 to the open second longitudinal end 130. The valve member 120 is then slotted into the space between the sidewalls 122, 124 with its flat second end 148 protruding. The second flange plate 142 is then adhered to the first flange plate 138. It should be noted that the dimension A is less than the dimension H to permit this assembly. The height of the external aperture 144 is less than A but slightly greater than B and as such the shoulder 151 abuts the second flange plate 142 to prevent removal of the valve member 120 once assembled.

In use, the valve is operated as shown in figures 7 and 8. In its normal configuration, the valve member 120 is fully inserted into the housing 118. As such the aperture 152 of the valve member 120 is aligned with the waste pipe mating members 134 and therefore the waste pipe 106.

If a flood is detected or suspected, a user may manually grip the valve member 120 by the aperture 150 and slide it from the housing 118 until the aperture 152 is no longer aligned with the waste pipe 106. Rather, at the point at which the shoulder 151 abuts the second flange plate 138 (as shown in figure 8), passage between the pipe mating members, and hence the waste pipe 106 is prevented by the valve member 120.

It is envisaged that the clearances between the parts provide adequate sealing of the system, however seals could be placed, for example, around the aperture 152 of the sealing plate or at the external aperture 144.

Referring to figures 10 and 11, a further embodiment of the present invention in the shape of a ball valve 200 is shown. The ball valve 200 comprises a valve housing 202 and a valve body 204.

The valve housing 202 comprises a first part 201 and a second part 203. The first part 201 comprises a pipe section 208 of standard waste pipe diameter (101mm, 4 inches).

At a first end of the pipe section 208, the first part 201 forms a male mating formation for a female waste pipe 210 to be connected. At a second end of the pipe section 208, a hemispherical section 212 is formed with a radial flange 214. The radial flange 214 defines a small semicircular section 216.

The second part 203 of the housing 202 is substantially symmetrical to the first part 201 except that a female formation 218 is defined for receiving a male formation of a waste pipe 220. As such a seal 222 is also provided. A valve seal 224 is also provided on the second part 203.

The valve member 204 is in the form of a spherical valve body 225 with a cylindrical bore 226 extending radially therethrough. The valve member 204 comprises an actuation shaft 228 extending radially therefrom and having a lever handle 230 defined at an end opposite the body 225.

The valve 200 is assembled by placing the valve body 225 between the hemispherical sections 212 with the shaft 228 extending through the mated semicircular sections 216. An o-ring 232 seals the shaft 228. The radial flanges 214 are sealed together to encase the valve body 225.

As can be seen by comparing figures 10 and 11, the valve 200 can be operated by rotating the lever handle 230 to rotate the body 225 and move the bore 226 to either permit (figure 10) or block (figure 11) the passage of fluid.

Referring to figures 12 and 13 a ball valve 300, similar in form to the valve 200 is shown. The valve 300 comprises a housing 302 having a first part 304 and a second part 306. Each of the parts 304, 306 comprises a hemispherical portion 308, 310 and a pipe part 312, 314 respectively. The hemispherical portions 308, 310 are joined and sealed along joining flanges 316, 318 at a join line 317. A circular seal (not shown) extends around the join line to seal the valve. The valve 300 comprises a spherical valve body 320 (shown in hidden line), through which a cylindrical flow bore 322 is defined. The flow bore 322 borders the outer surface of the valve body 320 at the bore peripheries 324 (indicated by arrows).

The ball valve 300 controls flow along a pipe with a main axis X. The valve 300 may be closed with rotation of the valve body 320 by 45 degrees about an axis perpendicular to the flow axis X in a closure direction 326. The valve is opened by rotating the valve body 320 is the opposite direction by 45 degrees. Valve closure is shown in figure 13, and it should be noted that the bore peripheries 324 must cross the join line 317 in order to close the valve. This is undesirable as this can result in seal wear, damage and leakage.

Referring to figures 14 and 15 a ball valve 400 is shown similar to the ball valve 300 but with reference numerals of common components 100 greater. In this instance, the hemispherical portions 408, 410 are angled such that the flanges 416, 418 join to form the join line 417 at an angle A to the flow axis X. In this instance, the angle A is 45 degrees. It will be noted than when the valve is closed in the direction 426, the bore peripheries 424 never have to cross the join line 417. As such, seal wear, damage and leakage is reduced.

Variations of the above embodiment are envisaged to fall within the scope of the invention.

The lavatory valve could be located at any accessible position along the waste pipe length, inside or outside of the room or building in which the lavatory is located.

The lavatory valve could feature a locking mechanism to prevent unauthorised or undesirable actuation.

Claims

Claims 1. A lavatory waste pipe valve comprising; a valve body defining a flow passage therethrough, the passage having an entry orifice perimeter and an exit orifice perimeter defining a flow direction, and a valve body housing, comprising a first part and a second part joined along a join line to define a valve cavity therebetween, the join line lying on a plane angled between 30 to 60 degrees to the flow direction, wherein the valve body is positioned at least partially inside the valve cavity to be rotatable relative to the valve body housing between an open position and a closed position such that upon movement between the open and closed positions one of the entry and exit orifice perimeters does not coincide with the join line...
2. A lavatory waste pipe valve according to claim 1 in which the plane is angled at degrees to the flow direction.
3. A lavatory waste pipe valve according to claim 1 or 2 in which the valve body is generally spheroidal.
4. A lavatory waste pipe valve according to any preceding claim comprising a locking mechanism to lock the valve in an open and / or closed position.
5. A lavatory waste pipe valve according to any preceding claim in which the valve body is rotatable relative to the valve body housing between the open position and the closed position by a manual control.
6. A lavatory waste pipe valve as defmed herein and / or with reference to the accompanying figures.