MXPA98006420A - Exchangeable spit for a gr assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A tap assembly connected to a water supply for controlling the flow of water through the tap assembly, which has its lower body mounted on a cover, a handle for operating a valve mounted on the lower body, a first tap is removably mounted with the lower body above the cover, when the valve closes, the first spigot is removable from the lower body, and a back-up spigot is mountable on the lower body instead of the first spigot, the spigot of retrofit can add features or refine otherwise the tap assembly, without requiring the reinstallation thereof, such as the characteristic of selectively filtering the water discharged from the gri assembly.

Description

* INTERCHANGEABLE SPIT FOR A QRIFO ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a faucet assembly and refers particularly to a faucet assembly that has been connected to a water supply system in such a manner that "by stopping the flow of water in the faucet assembly" the assembly spigot The faucet is removably mounted therein and can be replaced by a back-up spout which, if desired, can include additional features such as filtration, not provided in the first spout.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Typically »a tap assembly once installed» would have to be removed if one wanted to change the spigot or change the characteristics provided by the tap assembly »such as the provision of the characteristic of purifying the water» for example filtering the passing water through the tap assembly. The alternative systems would have to be connected to the water supply system »if the water purification characteristic with the originally installed tap assembly was desired. Any tap assembly that was installed would remain until replaced by another tap assembly that had its own inflexibility as part of its structure. In other words, the entire faucet assembly must be replaced to change the features provided by the installed faucet assembly with another faucet assembly having other characteristics or additional features. This kind of refinement is very expensive »so it is not practical or easily available to most users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a "flexible construction" faucet assembly into which after the installation "desired characteristics such as water purification" can be added, for example by filtering the same. Another object of the present invention is to provide a tap assembly that is both economical and reliable. Another object of the present invention is that "once installed" the faucet assembly can stop the flow of water therethrough to replace the tap with a "back-up spout that includes the additional features desired" such as filtration. Another object of the invention is that the adjusting spout includes the selective operation of the filtration characteristics "in such a way that the water discharged from the tap assembly can be treated or not" as desired.Other objects »characteristics and advantages of the present invention »will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment» the recipes and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective of the tap assembly of the present invention showing a replaceable spout and a back-up spout, only one of which will be connected to operate with the tap assembly at a time. Fig. 2 is an elevation view »partly in section» of Fig. 1 of a tap assembly of the present invention »on which a replaceable spigot is mounted in the tap assembly. Figure 2A is an elongated fragmentary detail of the circular section of Figure 2 »showing a portion of the annular chamber formed by the lower section of the box and the bell of the replaceable spout. Fig. 3 is a perspective view in separate parts of Fig. 2 showing the tap assembly of the present invention showing a replaceable spigot mounted on the tap assembly and a dotted line representation for a back-up spigot; It is installable instead of 1 to replaceable spigot. Figure 4 is an elevation view »partly in section» of a tap assembly of the present invention »in which a back-fitting spigot is mounted in the tap assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The tap assembly ÍO includes a base plate 12 which serves to mount the assembly IO on a cover 14. Extending from the bottom of the base plate 12 are 1S end appendages and central appendix 18. A cement plate 20 »a through which the appendages iS and 18 »extend is disposed on the underside of the base plate 12» and will settle on the cover 14. The respective appendages ÍS and 18 pass through holes (not shown) in the cover 14. Wing nuts 22 are threadedly connected with the appendixes ÍS on the underside of the cover 14 and are secured in place by a second nut 24 for mounting the ends of the base plate 12 to the cover 14. An appendix central 18 is threadedly engaged on the underside of the cover 14 by means of a washer 2S and nut 28 to secure the middle section of the base plate 12 on the cover 14. A second nut 30 ensures the connection Ion of the appendix 18 with the cover 14. A central box 32 is attached to the base plate 12 to extend vertically upwards from the upper side thereof. substantially perpendicular to the cover 14. The box 32 has a cavity 34 formed internally in its upper section 36"and an outer annular groove 38 formed in its lower section 40. The upper section 36 has a portion screwed externally opposite the cavity 34 and a portion inner member screwed into the upper end of the cavity 34. A pair of annular recesses 42 is formed above and below the annular groove 38 for receiving annular O-rings 44 therein for the purposes explained in detail below. A hollow 42 in 1 to upper section 36 is formed and the other hollow 42 is formed in the lower section 40 of the box 32. A valve 46 is disposed in the cavity 34. Any conventional valve can be used L5. but the one illustrated in the drawings of the present invention is that which is shown and described in the United States patent Na 5 »4? 2» 827 »issued on April 4, 1995. Consequently» the valve 46 has two discs of ceramics that are mounted in operation at 0 a cartridge to stop or otherwise control the flow of hot water and cold water therethrough from the passages 48. The box 32 has passages 48"only one of which is shown in FIG. figure 2 »to which it is connected separately a cold water supply pipe 50 and a hot water supply pipe 52. The passages 48 are connected to the valve 46 for supplying it with hot and cold water "where the flow of water through the water can be completely stopped. of the tap assembly 10 or the temperature of the discharged water can be controlled by mixing the desired quantities of hot and cold water by discharging from the valve 46 to an outlet 52 opening to the annular groove 38. The bell 54 of a removable spout 5S is mounted rotatably in the lower section 40 of the box 32. The internal diameter of the bell is substantially the same as the external diameter of the lower section 40. to which it is adjusted »in such a way that the coupling with the O-rings 44 it will seal the annular groove 3B to form a chamber 5B »which discharges the water therethrough through an opening 60 in the spout 56. from which it will be discharged from the tap assembly 10 at rails of the aerator 62. A dome S4 is threadedly connected to the upper section 3S of the case 32 to removably mount the bell 54 of the spout 56 on the lower section 40 »by placing the bell 54 between itself and the base plate 12 The dome 64 has a central opening 66 through which a lever 68 extends. A retaining nut 70 »through which the lever SB extends, is threadedly connected to the internal thread portion in the upper section 36 of the cavity 34 »for fixing the valve 46 in the cavity 34. A handle 72 is secured to the lever SB by means of a thread holder 74. The handle 72 will operate the lever SB to control the valve 46» by diverting the lever 68 backwards and forwards or upwards and downwards. or by rotating it. As is well known »the movement of lever 68 will result in, in valve 46 »the mixture of hot and cold water» or the total obstruction of flow through it. The handle 72 above the holder 74. is fitted with a cover 7S, such that the fastener connection is not visible. The faucet assembly 10 has a lower body 78 that includes the base plate 12 and the case 32. The lower body 7B has the remaining components mounted thereon to complete the faucet assembly 10. However, after assembling the assembly of faucet 10 and put into operation »it may be advisable to perfect the faucet assembly by changing its characteristics. One of these features is the addition of a filter that the tap assembly 10 selectively treats the water passing through it. With the flow obstruction through the tap assembly 10, the removable spout 56 can be removed from its assembly with the lower section 40 of the box 32. To change spigots the handle 72 is disconnected and the dome 64 is removed from the section 36 of the box 32. Although the removable spout 56 is removed from the box 32"the installation of the lower body 78 of the tap assembly 10 is not otherwise changed, so that expensive and complex assembly of the assembly is not necessary. of tap 10. After removing the removable spout 56 * of the box 32, an adjustment screw "generally designated as 80" is installed in its place on the lower section 40 of the box 32. Then the dome S4 is reconnected to the upper section 36 of the box 32. The reconnection of the the handle 72 completes the reassembly of the faucet assembly 10. The retaining nut 70 »which assembles the valve AG within the cavity 34 of the box 32» does not need to be touched during the # change the respective spigots.56 and 80 »to ensure the integrity of the installation of the tap assembly 10. 0 A spigot of retro-fitting. illustrated in the figures 1. 3 and 4 »has a bell 82 sized and configured substantially like the bell 54 of the replaceable spigot 56» in such a way that the bell 82 can be rotatably mounted to the lower section 40 of the box 32 »instead of the bell 54 of the replaceable spout 56. The bell 82 »on its inner surface» will seal against the O-rings 44 to form the chamber 58 defined by the annular groove 38 and the inner surface of the bell 82. The back-fitting spigot 80 of the present has the added feature of a filter 0 84 'in such a way that the water in the tap assembly 10 can be treated selectively as explained below. The retro-fitting spigot 80 has a bell 82 with an opening 86 between the bell 82 and the spout SO. A filter 84 having a smaller cross-section than the cross section of the back-up spigot 80 is disposed in the spout. The water to be discharged from the back-up spigot 80 will flow through the filter 84 to be treated and also around. of the filter. without going through it, and this flow will remain untreated. At the outer end of the reset spout BO. there is a head 88 having a rotary valve 90 at its distal end. In the head there are 2 passages formed. A passage 92 for treated water extends from the filter 84 through the head 88. shown in Figure 4 and * is generally represented by a dotted line 94 extending from the filter 84 through the head 88 to be released to a discharge outlet 96 for treated water. The other passage C or shown) is generally represented by dashed line 98 which represents the flow of untreated water in the retro-fitting spout 80 passing around and not through the filter 84 »to enter and pass through the head 84 and be discharged from outlet 10O and aerator 102 for untreated water r. Valve 90 is clockwise or counterclockwise rotated to select step 92 represented by stitch 94 to discharge treated water from outlet 96 or passage (not shown) represented by dashed line. 98 for discharging the untreated water from the outlet 100 and the aerator 102. A more detailed description and illustration of the retrofit spout 80 having the filter characteristic "may be taken with reference to the co-pending patent application" No. filed on August 25, 1997 »entitled" Faucet Spout Assembly ". Other features and / or spigot styles can be mounted retrofitting on the faucet assembly 10 »as long as the replaceable spigot bell and the bell of the adjustment spigot are substantially the same, in such a way as to prevent leakage in the assembly thereof. In this way »the tap assembly 10 can be refined or have features added thereto (such as filtration)» without requiring a reinstallation of the lower body 78 of the faucet assembly IO. In general, the invention identified above is not constructed as a limitation of the scope of the present invention. Modifications and other alternative constructions that are within the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims, will be apparent.

Claims (9)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A tap assembly connected to a water supply system for controlling the flow of water through the tap »comprising: a) a lower body mounted on a cover» b > a valve mounted on the lower body above the cover; c) a handle connected to operate the valve; d) a removable spout connected to the lower body, above the cover and adapted to be removed from the body after the valve closes to stop the flow through the tap; e) a back-up spigot connected to the lower body when the first tap is removed from the valve body.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein: a) the resetting spout has a filter mounted thereon; b > the back-up spout has a passage of treated water through the filter and a passage of untreated water that dodges the filter; c) a valve mounted on the adjusting spout to select one of the two water passages, by means of which the selected water treated or untreated will be discharged from the back-up spout.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein a) the filter is mounted in an intermediate section of the adjusting spigot; b) a head is connected to the spout towards the filter exterior »c) the cross-sectional area of the spout is larger than the cross-sectional area of the filter, whereby the untreated water passage around the filter is formed; d) the passage of treated aga and the passage of untreated water extend separately through the head; e > the valve selectively connects to one of the passages to allow its flow to be discharged from the back-up spout and the other passage to be closed to prevent discharge of its flow.

4. A tap assembly comprising: a) a lower body mounted on a cover; b > a box formed on the lower body; c) a cavity formed in the box to receive the water supply; d) a valve mounted in the cavity »in communication with the water supply; e) a handle connected to the valve to control the supply of water passing through the valve; f) the box that has an outlet to receive the water that passes through the valve; g) a first spigot connectable to the box below the dome and in communication with the outlet, and adaptably to discharge the water thereof »h) a second spigot connectable to the box below the dome and in communication with the outlet» and adaptable to discharge water from it »i) The first spigot and the second spigot are interchangeable; and j) a dome removably connected to the box to retain one of the spigots of the tap assembly.

5. - The combination of conformity with the re-indication 4 »where a) the back-up spout has a filter mounted on it; b) the back-up spout has a passage of treated water through the filter and a passage of untreated water that dodges the filter; c) a valve mounted on the back-up spout to select one of the two water passages, whereby the selected water treated or untreated will be discharged from the back-up spout.

6. The combination according to claim 5, wherein: a) the filter is mounted in an intermediate section of the adjusting spigot; b) a head is connected to the spout towards the outside of the filter; c > the cross-sectional area of the spout is greater than the cross-sectional area of the filter. whereupon the passage of untreated water around the filter is formed; d) the passage of treated water and the passage of untreated water extend through the head; e) the valve selectively connects to one of the passages to allow its flow to be discharged from the back-up spout "and the other passage is closed to prevent discharge of its flow.

7. A tap assembly for controlling the flow of hot and cold water supplied thereto, comprising: a) a lower body mounted on a cover; b) a box formed on the faucet body extending above the cover and having a cavity therein. in communication with the hot water supply and the cold water supply; c > the box having an outlet opening and an annular groove formed on the box externally of the cavity »wherein the outlet opening is in communication with the annular groove; d) a valve mounted in the cavity selectively »to mix hot and cold water and discharge the mixture into the outlet opening» e) a handle connected in operation to the valve to open and close it and mix selectively therein hot and cold water; f) a first mountable spigot on the box to be arranged IO sealingly around 1 to annular box slot for receiving and discharging water therefrom from the outlet opening; g > a second mountable spout on the box to be layered disposed around the annular groove of the box to receive and discharge the water therein from the 15 exit opening; h) the first spout and the second spout are exchangeable; i) a dome removably connected to the box to mount one of the spigots on the tap assembly box. 8.- The combination of compliance with the 20 rei indication 7, wherein: a) the back-up spout has a filter mounted thereon; b) the back-up spout has a passage of treated water through the filter and ur \ untreated water passage dodging the filter; and c) a valve mounted on the back-up spigot to select one of the 25 two water passages, whereby the selected water "treated or untreated" will be discharged from the back-up spout). * 9.- The combination of conformity with the indication B »where: a) the filter is mounted in an intermediate section of the adjustment spigot; b > a head is connected to the spout towards the outside of the filter; c) the cross-sectional area of the spout is larger than the cross-sectional area of the filter »whereby the passage of untreated water around the filter is formed; d) the passage treated and the passage not * treated spread across the head »e) the valve selectively connects to one of the passages to allow 0 its flow to be discharged from the back-up spout and another passage to be closed to prevent discharge of its flow.