MXPA98009209A - Faucet cartridge having a plane shutter member - Google Patents

Abstract

A cartridge for a one-way hydraulic faucet of the type having a plane shutter member, wherein the cartridge includes a cartridge body (1) having a bottom portion (2) wherein there is hollowed a cylindrical seat (6) housing a sleeve packing (7) provided with elastic pushing means (8);the plane shutter member is formed by a slide (9-10) which is guided within the cartridge body (1) for diametrical movement with respect to the body, is kept in operative contact with the sleeve packing (7), and shows an opening (11) suitable for registering, in a position of the slide, to the passage of the sleeve packing (7), whereas the slide (9-10), in another position, closes that passage;and the slide (9-10) is kinematically coupled to an inner arm (20) of a lever (19-21), which is pivoted in the cartridge body (1) and whose outer arm (21) forms the control member of the faucet. The slide is manufactured of plastics and it may be provided with a thin sheet (23) having a high resistance, in order to prevent its erosion. The cartridge is easy to use and has a high control sensitivity, it is relatively cheap to manufacture and does not raise particular installation problems.

Description

SPY CARTRIDGE THAT HAS A FLAT SHUTTER MEMBER DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention describes a cartridge for a unidirectional hydraulic spigot of the type having a flat sealing member. Cartridges of the type considered have, in most cases, a rotating sealing member with an eccentric passage opening, which co-operates with a fixed sealing package and, under the action of a rotary control member, is made rotate between a full opening position and. a complete closing position, through intermediate positions of regulation of the supply speed. The main disadvantage of this structure lies in the fact that the trajectory of the complete opening and the complete closure covers a very limited angular field, with which the control of the supply speed is difficult for the user and is not very sensitive, because it needs to be done by means of very limited angular displacements. Also known are cartridges of the type considered, in which two plates of ceramic material are installed, one, immobile, is provided with an entrance opening and an exit opening, and the other is mobile in translation under the action of a tilting control lever, and is provided with a proposed channel for connecting the passage openings of the immobile plate. In this case, by selecting an appropriate relationship between the arms of the control member, it is possible to return to the sufficiently sensitive control. However, a disadvantage of these cartridges, which are of the closed type, resides in the fact that the presence of two passage openings in the immobile plate requires that these openings be arranged in an eccentric manner, and this involves providing complicated passages in the body of the spout for which the cartridge is proposed. On the other hand, the manufacture of such a cartridge is expensive due to the use of plates of ceramic material. Therefore, the object of this invention is to find a remedy for all or part of these disadvantages of the known cartridges, while retaining the respective advantages. More particularly, it is proposed that the cartridge should provide easy and sensitive control, that its manufacturing cost should be limited, that its duration in use should be satisfactory, and that a complicated form for the body of the spout should not be necessary for allow to install the cartridge.

This object is achieved, according to the present invention, in a cartridge for a unidirectional hydraulic spigot of the type having a flat sealing member, in which: the cartridge includes a cartridge body having a lower portion, where it is excavated a cylindrical seat housing a sleeve gasket provided with elastic impulse means; the flat sealing member is formed by a slide which is guided inside the body of the cartridge for its diametrical movement with respect to the body, is kept in operative contact with the sleeve packing, and shows a suitable opening for recording, in a position of slide, the passage of the sleeve packing, while the slide, in another position, closes the passage; and the slide is kinematically coupled to an inner arm of a lever, which is articulated in the body of the cartridge, and whose outer arm forms the control member of the spout. Preferably, the slide is manufactured of a suitable plastic material. Preferably, the sleeve gasket is installed in the lower portion of the cartridge body, in a central position.

Thanks to these characteristics, the control of the spigot can be made easy and sensitive, by means of a suitable selection of the relation between the two arms of the lever. Because the closure of the spout is secured by the sleeve packing, the slide does not need to be made of an expensive material such as ceramic, on the contrary it can be made of a suitable plastic material, with which the manufacture of the cartridge is easy and cheap. Because such a cartridge is of the open type, the lower part of the cavity of the body of the spout, proposed to house the cartridge, only needs to have a passage for the entrance of the water, which on the other hand can be central, with which there is no need for a complicated structure of the body of the spigot. Preferably, the slide includes a thin protective sheet applied to its surface, which co-operates with the sleeve pack. The thin protective sheet may be made of metal, or it may be made of a synthetic material having superior characteristics. In this way, the slide can be made of a particularly cheap plastic material, which, in view of its insufficient characteristics, could not resist for a long time the erosion action due to the flow of water under the conditions of considerable regulation, but protected from the erosive action by the thin protective sheet, which is made of a more expensive material, but in view of its very small amount, does not have a considerable influence on the cost of the cartridge. Preferably, the control lever is articulated in the body of the cartridge by means of a spherical shape of an intermediate portion of the lever and a complementary shape of a seat in the body of the cartridge, providing a suitable package, preferably formed as a so-called quadrant. These and other aspects, objects and advantages of the subject matter of the present invention will appear more clearly from the following description of an embodiment, which is a non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows the cartridge of according to the invention in the closed position and in an axial cross section, transverse with respect to the direction of movement of the slide, ie a section taken along line II of Figure 2; Figure 2 shows the same cartridge in an axial cross section, longitudinal with respect to the direction of movement of the slide, ie, a section taken along the line II-II of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the cartridge in a cross section corresponding to that of Figure 2, but in a fully open position; and Figure 4 shows a cross section of the cartridge, taken along the line IV-IV of Figure 3. The cartridge comprises a body 1 which, in this case, is made in one piece with a lower portion 2, and where openings 3 for the supply of water controlled by the cartridge are made; this cartridge is, therefore, of an open type. The lower portion 2 is provided with a gasket 5, proposed to seal with respect to a water inlet channel, and in the embodiment shown has some pins 4 proposed to establish the position of the cartridge when it is inserted into the body of a spigot (not shown). Different positioning means can be provided in different embodiments of the cartridge. In the lower portion 2 a cylindrical seat 6 is excavated, where a sleeve packing 7, made of an elastomeric material and driven by a spring 8, is installed.

In the body of the cartridge 1 is accommodated a flat sealing member, which has the shape of a slide, comprising a lower part 9 with a passage 11 and an upper part 10 with a coupling seat 12. The passage 11 is arranged and sized so that, in a position of the slide (Figure 2: opening position) the passage 11 registers with the passage of the sleeve packing 7, while in another position of the slide (Figure 3: closing position) the passage 11 does not communicate with the passage of the sleeve packing 7, whereby the latter is closed. As can be understood, in the intermediate positions between the two described and shown, the passage 11 registers only in part with the passage of the sleeve packing 7, which therefore is not closed, but is more or less throttled. The slide 9-10 is held axially in its position within the body of the cartridge 1 by means of an inner member 13, inserted in the body 1 and having tongues 14 preventing its rotation. The inner member 13 is provided with projecting portions 15, and between the latter the upper part 10 of the slide 9-10 is mounted, which is thus guided for a diametral movement with respect to the body 1. On the other hand, the member interior 13 has, opposite the projections 15, a partially spherical seat 16. In turn, the internal member 13 is held in its position inside the body 1 by a cover 17, which is mounted on the body 1 in any way ( for example by means of elastically clamping teeth, not shown, or by adhesion or welding), which in its inner portion forms a partially spherical seat 18. Between the partially spherical seats 16 and 18, the partially spherical intermediate portion 19 of a lever is seated two arms, whose inner arm 20 is coupled with the coupling seat 12 of the slide 9-10, while the outer arm 21 (usually provided with a lever, cover om ango, not shown) forms the control member for the spigot. A seal pack 22, for example of the so-called "dial" type, seals between the spherical portion 19 of the control lever and the spherical portions of the cover 17 and the inner member 13, respectively. In the embodiment shown, the gasket 22 is mounted in an equatorial position with respect to the partial sphere 19, but in other embodiments it could be located in different ways. As can be understood, by causing the control member to tilt, the slide 9-10 is moved to move diametrically, and therefore the flow through the spout is controlled. When the passage 11 of the slide 9-10 closes the passage of the sleeve packing 7 almost completely, the flow of water is highly strangulated, and assumes a high velocity and erosive capacity, which is applied to the edges of the passage 11. In order that these edges are not damaged, the slide 9-10 can be manufactured from a high quality plastic material, such as those based on polysulfones. However, such plastics are somewhat expensive. Therefore, in certain cases it is preferable to use for the slide 9-10 a cheap plastic material, and provide its proposed surface to co-operate with the sleeve gasket 7 with a thin sheet of a material suitable for resisting erosion, Fixed to the slide. This thin sheet can be made of a high quality plastic material or, preferably, of a thin sheet of metal, for example stainless steel. As can be understood from what has been described above, the cartridge according to the present invention gathers together substantially all the advantages of the different types of known cartridges, obviating most of the disadvantages; It is easy to use, has a considerable sensitivity of control, is relatively cheap in its manufacture and does not cause particular installation problems. On the other hand it is easy to design the same to satisfy different installation requirements. An advantage provided by the cartridge according to the invention resides in that, particularly when its entry opening is in a central position, it can be mounted on a body in a simple manner, which can replace the usual threaded top of an existing spout. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment that has been described and shown in the examples. Some possible changes have been described, and others are within the experience of any technician. For example, the lower part 2 of the body 1 could be applied to the body instead of being integral with it; the sleeve gasket 7 can be mounted, when needed, in a non-central position; it can be driven by an elastic member different from a spring, or even by its own elasticity; the shape of the slide 9-10 can be selected in various ways; its diametrical guide inside the body of the cartridge can be obtained in different ways; and the control lever may be hinged in any manner other than a partially spherical intermediate portion. These and other changes and any replacement by technically equivalent means may be introduced without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of this Patent.

Claims (11)

1. Cartridge for a unidirectional hydraulic spigot of the type having a flat sealing member, characterized in that: - the cartridge includes a cartridge body having a lower portion where a cylindrical seat housing a sleeve packing provided with elastic impulse means is excavated; the flat sealing member is formed by a slide which is guided inside the body of the cartridge for its diametrical movement with respect to the body, is kept in operative contact with the sleeve packing, and shows a suitable opening for recording, in a position of slide, the passage of the sleeve packing, while the slide, in another position, closes the passage; and the slide is kinematically coupled to an inner arm of a lever, which is articulated in the body of the cartridge, and whose outer arm forms the control member of the spout.

2. Spigot cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the slide is manufactured from a suitable plastic material.

3. Spigot cartridge according to claim 2, characterized in that the slide includes a thin protective sheet applied to its surface, which co-operates with the sleeve packing.

4. Spigot cartridge according to claim 3, characterized in that the thin protective sheet is made of metal, particularly of stainless steel.

5. Spigot cartridge according to claim 3, characterized in that the thin protective sheet is made of a synthetic material having superior characteristics.

6. Spigot cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the sleeve gasket is installed in the lower portion of the cartridge body, in a central position.

7. Spout cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the control lever is articulated in the body of the cartridge by means of an intermediate portion of a partially spherical shape of the lever, housed in a seat complementary to the body of the cartridge, together with a suitable sealant packaging.

8. Spigot cartridge according to claim 7, characterized in that the sealing package is formed as a so-called dial.

9. Spigot cartridge according to claim 1, characterized in that the cartridge body includes an internal member, mounted in a manner that is not allowed to rotate, and having protruding portions that form a guide for the slide, and is provided with a proposed cover to keep all the parts of the cartridge in their positions.

10. Spigot cartridge according to claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the seat in the body of the spigot for the intermediate portion of the control lever is formed partly by the inner member and partly by the cover.

11. Cartridge for a unidirectional hydraulic spigot of the type having a flat sealing member, characterized by the peculiarities, assemblies and operation, as they appear from the description above and annexed drawings, or replaced by technically equivalent means, taken together, in their various combinations , or separately. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention describes a cartridge for a unidirectional hydraulic spigot of the type having a flat sealing member, wherein the cartridge includes a cartridge body (1) having a lower portion (2) wherein a cylindrical seat (6) is excavated. housing a sleeve gasket (7) provided with elastic impulse means (8); the flat shutter member is formed by a slide (910) which is guided inside the body of the cartridge (1) for its diametral movement with respect to the body, is kept in operative contact with the sleeve packing (7), and shows an opening (11) suitable for recording, in a position of the slide, the passage of the sleeve packing (7), while the slide (9-10), in another position, closes the step; and the slide (9-10) is kinematically coupled to an inner arm (20) of a lever (19-21), which is articulated in the body of the cartridge (1), and whose outer arm (21) forms the control member of the spigot. The slide is made of plastic materials, and may be provided with a thin sheet (23) having a high resistance, to prevent its erosion. The cartridge is easy to use, and has a high sensitivity control, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and does not cause particular installation problems.