US1838140A - Soap valve - Google Patents

Description

Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT R. GOLRICK, OF SHAKER HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GER-SON-STEWART CORPORATION COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO SOAP VALVE Application filed September 4, 1928.

This invention is concerned with apparatus for dispensing liquids and more particularly with valves for dispensing liquid soap.

More specifically, my invention is concerned with the provision of a soap dispensing valve of the plunger operated type adaptable for the dispensing of measured quantities of liquid soap upon the manual operation of the plunger.

: Other objects of my invention will hereinafter become apparent from the following description which relates to the drawings, showing a preferred embodiment thereof. The essential characteristics thereof are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken through the valve body and corresponding to line 11 of Fig.

2; Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse cross sectional '20 views taken through the valve body along the lines 2-2 and 33 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a side view of the valve.

My invention contemplates the provision of a valve construction which is adaptable to either the so-called individual type of dispenser or adaptable for use in connection with a conduit or pipe line leading to the washbowls from a central source of supply, such as a reservoir which maybe disposed or placed at any convenient location in a build ing. There have been many valve constructions proposed, as evidenced by the patented art, and which constructions are operative to some degree.

The present construction has been evolved for the purpose of producing a valve which involves the use of a minimum number of operative parts extremely simple in character from a manufacturing and assembly viewpoint, and which will operate in a highly eflicient manner over extensive periods of time. The main novel operative feature of the present valve is to be found in the arrangement of a combined automatically operable inlet and outlet valve control mechanism comprising merely a freely floating plug formed of material which is lighter in weight per given volume than a corresponding volume of the liquid being dispensed. This plug is associ- 50 ated with an outlet valve, preferably in the Serial No. 303,730.

form of a simple washer formed of any suitable material.

In Fig. 1, I show the valve body as being preferably formed of two hollow parts 10 and 11 threaded together in such manner that a flat end formed on the forward body part 10 is disposed within a chamber formed in the body member 11, the body member 11 be ing preferably formed at the end 12 for suitable engagement with standard pipe connections. The body member 10 is provided with a compression chamber 14 and a manually operated plunger 13 reciprocates therein to first draw the liquid soap from the pipe line through the body member 11 into the compression chamber 14, and thereafter to express the liquid out of the valve through a dispensing orifice 15. 1

The body member 10 is provided with a decreased bore 16 establishing communication between compression chamber 14 and the interior of the body member 11 and disposed in this decreased bore 16 is a floating, freely moving plunger member 17preferably formed of hardwood. The plug 17 is caused to float against a perforated washer member 18 to seal a central perforation formed therein when the liquid is compressed in the chamber 14. I provide a metal washer 19 and a spring member 20 for maintaining the washer 18 in a normal fiat or seated position against the inner end of the body member 10 to thereby seal a longitudinally extending passageway 22 which communicates with the discharge orifice 15. I

The forward end of the body member 10 may be provided with any form of suitable packing means such as a packing gland 24 and packing nut 25 for preventing the leakage of the liquid along the plunger 13 when the latter is manually forced inwardly. A. spring 26 is disposed within the compression chamber 14 for forcing the plunger outwardly and maintaining it in a normally outward position when not in use, and the inner end thereof has a coil formed as shown at 27 in Fig. 2 to provide a barrier for plug 17 to prevent the plug from floating into or being drawn into the compression chamber 14.

The operation of the valve is as follows 100 We will assume that all inner spaces within the valve body, with the exception of passageway 22 and orifice 15, are filled with the liquid. Upon a manual inward movement of the plunger 13 the plug 17 is carried rearwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1 by backward rush of the liquid and thus closes the orifice formed in the washer 18, that is, it obstructs communication between the service line to which the valve is connected and'the compression chamber 14. Further inward movement of the plunger 13 causes the trapped liquid in the compression chamber to force the )lug 17 and washer 18 rearwardly in opposition to the force of the spring 20, thus permitting the liquid to be forced out of the compression chamber 14' through the bore 16 and between the washer 18 and inner face of the valve body member 10, and thus cause it to be forced through the passageway22 and discharge orifice 15.. Any momentary arresting ofthe inward movement of the plunger 13 will immediately cause loss of pressure within the compression chamber 14 and the spring 20 will con sequently cause automatic seating of the washer 18 over the inner terminus of the passageway 22, and thus prevent any free flow of the liquid from the service line directly to the passageway 22 and dischargeorr fioe.

Releasing the manually operated plunger 13 permits the spring 26 to force the same .to the" normally outward position shown in Fig. 1. It will be clear from the foregoing that the plug 17 is free tofloat longitudinal-- ly in the bore 16 between the end coil 27 of the spring 26, and the washer 18 and it will apparent that the valve in its closing action is completely automatic, regardless of any position of the plunger 13 when once manual pressure is relieved on the plunger.

It will be evident from the foregoing that I provide a valve construction which is extremely simple in character, and which can be manufactured at a nominal cost .as compared with other valves utilizable for the same purpose. It is completely automatic in its port closing actions and the parts operate in such manner that any wear due to constant use will not inany way detract from the eflicient and continuous operation of the valve. This is an important point, due to the fact that while the valve in a commercial sense is but a small article of commerce, nevertheless it is usually subjected to public use and frequently to abuse, and if not foolproof in a practical sense, can cause no end of annoyance and d-ifliculty in the way of service and repair demands made upon the merchandiser of the valve.

It .is to be further understood that my invention may be embodied for use in a valvefrom the scope of my invention as hereinafter defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A liquid dispensing apparatus, comprising a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, said valve body being provided with a compression chamber, a plunger member operable within the compression chamber, passageways within the valve body connecting the inlet with the compression chamber, and the outlet with the compression chamber, the two passageways uniting to form one passageway at a point near the compression chamber, and means slidable at this common point andadapted to keep only one passageway open at a time.

2. In a valve of 't-he charac'ter described, a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, said valve bodybeing provided with a compression chamber, a plunger member operable within the compression chamber, passageways within the valve body connecting the inlet with the compression chamber, and connecting the outlet with the compression chamber, the two passageways being common at a point near the compression 7 chamber, and means coacting with the passageways at this common point to normally close the outlet passageway while leaving the inlet passageway open, but when acted upon by a fluid 1.5

under pressure in the compression chamber to reverse this order by closing the inlet passageway and opening the outlet passageway.

3. A liquid dispensing apparatus, comprising a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, said Valvebody being providedwith a compression chamber, .a plunger member -operable within the compression chamber, passageways within the valve body connecting the inlet with the compression chamber, and the outlet with the compression chamber, the two passageways uniting to form one passageway at a point near the compression chaniber,:and a common valve member at this point which is adapted to allow liquids to flow into the compression chamber from the inlet, and to flow from the compression chamher into the outlet upon an outward and inward movement respectively of the plunger member.

4. In a soap valve, the combination of an elongated valve body, having formed therein a relatively large inlet passageway, a compression chamber and a discharge passage way, a disk member slidable within the inlet passageway and having an aperture tlierethrough, yieldable means to hold said disk member in a position to normally seal the discharge passageway, said disk member being substantially the same shape as a cross a section of said inlet passageway to prevent liquids from passing from one side of the disk member to the other, except through said aperture, .a floating member adapted to close said aperture and means to create a pressure within the compression chamber whereby said float-ing member seals said aperture in the disk member and the yieldable means allows the disk member to move away from the discharge passageway, thus allowing liquid under pressure to escape through said discharge passageway.

5. A liquid dispensing apparatus, comprising a valve body having an inlet and an outlet, said valve body being provided with a compression chamber, a plunger member 0perable within the compression chamber, passageways within the valve body, connecting the inlet with the compression chamber, and the outlet with the compression chamber, the two passageways uniting to form one passageway at a point near the compression chamber, a spring actuated washer and a floating member adapted to coactat this point to serve as a combined inlet and outlet liquid check.

6. A liquid dispensing apparatus, comprising a valve body having formed therein a relatively large inlet passageway, a compression chamber, a discharge passageway and a compression chamber passageway smaller in diameter than the compression chamber and leading from the compression chamber into said inlet passageway, the discharge passageway leading into the relatively large inlet passageway, and at a point substantially on the same plane where the compression chamber passageway leads into said inlet passageway, a washer slidable within said inlet passageway, a spring adapted to hold said washer against the discharge and compression cham ber passageways, said washer member having an aperture therein to permit the flow of liquid from one side of the washer to the other, a plunger operable within the compression chamber, a spring for maintaining the plunger in a normally outward position, a floating member within the compression passageway and guided thereby, said floating member being adapted to close the aperture in the washer member when acted upon by a fluid under pressure in the compression chamber to thus close all communication b tween said inlet passageway and the compression chamber, whereby, when the inlet is closed, liquid under pressure within the compression chamber will move the washer member backwards from its normal position, to allow the liquid to pass from the compression chamber into the discharge passageway.

'Z. In a soap valve, the combination of an elongated valve body having formed therein a relatively large inlet passageway, a compression chamber communicating with the inlet passageway, a discharge passageway communicating with said inlet passageway, a disk slidable in said inlet passageway and adapted to normally close the discharge passageway, there being yieldable means to allow the disk to move to open the discharge passageway upon a predetermined pressure being reached signature.

ALBERT R. GOLRIGK.

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