US2035626A - Flush tank ball - Google Patents

Description

March 31, 1936. J. E. WALKER FLUSH TANK .BALL' Filed Oct. 22, 1934 completed.

erly aligned seated Patented Mar. 31, 1936 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFEQE FLUSH TANK BALL Jack E. Walker,

Radiator Specialty Los Angeles, Calif., assignorto Company, Charlotte, N. 0.,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to flush tanks, and particularly pertains to the construction of a flush tank ball.

In the construction and operation of flush tanks -it is usually the practice to provide a valve seat at the bottom of the tank which seat is normally closed by a ball dependent from superposed operating means. It often occurs that due to the surge of water within the tank, and misalignment of the parts of the operating means, the tank ball does not properly assume a sealing position upon the valve seat, with the result that the tank will continue to discharge water through the valve after a flushing operation has been It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a tank ball so constructed as to insure that it will automatically adjust itself to conform to the valve seat irrespective of whether or not it assumed .a propposition thereon, and with the assurance that under all conditions the tank ball will efiectively seal olf the tank when lowered to its intended closed position.

The invention contemplates the provision of a tank ball of shell shape, the side walls of which are designed to readily conform to the mouth of a valve seat, and the top wall of which is adapted to receive the usual rigid Valve stem, but is capable of .a desired fiexure to permit automatic adjustment of the ball upon the seat irrespective of the condition of alignment of the valve stem.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view showing the application of the present invention to the usual flush tank structure.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section through a tank ball embodying the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section through the tank ball and the valve seat showing the normal seated position of the ball with relation thereto, and indicating further by dotted lines the manner in which the ball accommodates misalignment of parts of the operating mechanism.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I indicates a valve seat upon which a tank ball ll normally seats, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawing. The valve seat is a tubular member having an upwardly and outwardly curved lip I2 upon which the tank ball I i seats. The ball is provided with a rigid detachable stem I3 which is connected with a link I l carried by a valve operating lever I5. The valve operating lever is of any common design as may be employed in a flush tank structure. The stem I3 is guided through a guide arm I6 carried by an overflow pipe ll of the flush tank. It often occurs however that the guide arm l supports the stem I3 in a position of misalignment with relation to the valve seat I0, and that under some conditions the surge of water within the flush tank will swing the stem I3 and the tank ball to a position of misalignment with relation to the valve seat, with the result that the tank ball will not efiectively and completely seal the passageway through the valve seat I 0. This is due in most instances to the fact that the wall portions contacting with the lip of the valve seat do not have sufficient yieldability to properly conform to the mouth of the valve seat, and for the additional reason that the valve stem 13 and the tank ball have a substantially rigid relationship to each other. In-

order to overcome these disadvantages'a tank ball of the construction as shown in the drawing is provided, which is formed with a frusto-conical sealing wall I8 having a central opening I9 at its bottom, and which opening is surrounded by an inturned flexible lip 2.0. The frusto-conical side' wall [8 is gradually reduced in thickness from its upper edge to the point of juncture with the lip 20, thereby affording a variable thickness in the side wall, and thus a progressively variable tension of the side wall as exerting pressure against the curved lip I2 of the mouth of the valve It). The frusto-conical wall section I8 is inverted sothat its wall extends downwardly and inwardly through the mouth of the Valve seat Ill. The upper edge of the frusto-conical wall section merges into a cone shaped top wall 2| which terminates in a tubular neck 22.. The end of this neck carries a boss 23 to receive the threaded end of the valve stem I3. By reference to Figs. 2 and 3 it'will be seen that the adjacent faces 24 and 25- of the neck .and the boss are disposed at an angle to each other to form an annular tapered space 26 which will permit lateral fiexure of the boss 23 within the tubular neck 22 and such fiexure of the neck as is necessary to permit the tank ball to assume a properly seated position on the valve seat I 0, irrespective of the condition of alignment of the valve stem I3. It is understood that the tank ball is made of high grade rubber stock which insures that its Walls will have desired flexibility and a predetermined amount of rigidity. By this construction it is possible for the valve ball to be light in weight so that it will readily lift from the valve seat and allow proper flushing which would not be the case in the use of heavier tank balls. In order to insure that the ball will have sufficient lightness and will at the same time have proper rigidity to cause it to firmly seat upon the valve seat the upper conical wall 2! is made relatively thin, and its under face is provided with a plurality of radially extending reinforcing ribs 21 which terminate adjacent the merging line between the upper 'wall'section 2| and the side wall section i8. These relatively rigid ribs insure that the ball will be properly forced on to its seat and will at the same time provide .a proper connection with the side wall to cause the ball to be readily withdrawn from its seat and the seal broken between it and the seat when flushing is desired. The ribs also permit spreading of the ball at the point of contact with the valve seat due to the fact that the interunder pressure. In fact, the entire flexibility, of the ball insures that it will be properly seated due to a normal action of gravity, and the water pressure which would be within the tank. The

valve ball will properly seat even though it may not assume its intended position in exact alignment with its seat. It will also be evident that since the ball is of light weight and is properly balanced it will withstand water pressure and will not stick upon the seat when it is desired to raise it.

In operation of the present invention the tank ball II is suitably suspended upon its stem 13 and supporting link l4. When the lever l5 swings toward its lowermost position from the position indicated in Fig. l of the drawing, the tank ball is deposited on the valve seat Ill. The

action of gravity and weight of water upon the ball will cause the conical portion l8 to move into the mouth of the valve seat l0 and will cause the tapered side wall to conform to the curved surface l2 of the mouth of the valve seat with variable tension, and thus in a manner to insure that the wall I8 will properly conform to the contour of the curved face 12 with which it is brought into contact. In the event that the valve stem 13 is out of alignment .as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the top wall 2| and the tubular neck 22 will flex appropriately to permit the wall portion l8 to assume a proper sealing position with relation to the valve seat, irrespective of the misaligned position of the valve stem. When the valve ball is to be lifted from its seat an upward pull on the member 13 even though misaligned will produce a vertical drawing action on the valve ball and readily pull it away from its seat.

It will thus be seen that the tank ball here disclosed embodies a structure which is decidedly simple in its design, is of light weight, and of proper pliability to insure that the valve ball will at all timesform a seal when positioned upon the valve seat, and that this would be accomplished whether or not the ball registers accurately with the seat.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tank ball comprising a conical top wall flaring outwardly and downwardly and having a plurality of radially extending reinforcing ribs along its inner face, an inverted conical side wall formed integral therewith .and inclined inwardly and downwardly, said side wall being progressively reduced in thickness from its top to its bottom, and terminating in a relatively thin inturned flange surrounding a central opening at its bottom.

2. A tank ball comprising a centralboss dean annular space to occur therebetween, a tank ball shell formed integral with the lower edge of said neck, said shell, neck, and ball being formed of flexible and resilient material, and radially extending reinforcing ribs within the upper part of the shell and formed integral with K the wall thereof.

3. A tank ball having a resilient body portion adapted to rest upon a valve seat, a flexible tubular neck extending upwardly from a conical top wall flaring downwardly and outwardly, said neck formed as a continuation of the wall thereof, and a boss formed integral with the top of the neck and extending downwardly thereinto to receive a rigid valve stem, an inverted conical side wall formed integral with the top wall and inclined inwardly and downwardly, said side wall progressing in thickness from its top to its bottom.

4. A tank ball comprising a resilient body portion adapted to rest upon a valve seat, a flexible tubular neck extending upwardly from a conical top wall flaring downwardly and outwardly, said neck formed as a continuation of the wall thereof, and a boss formed integral with the top of the neck and extending downwardly there into to receive a rigid valve stem, the inner diameter of the tubular neck being materially greater than the boss to cause an annular space to occur therebetween, said conical top characterized as having a plurality of reinforcing ribs spaced radially around its inner face, an inverted conical side wall formed integral with the top wall and inclined inwardly and downwardly, said side wall decreasing in thickness from its top to its bottom, and terminating in a relatively thin inturned flange surrounding a central opening at its bottom.

5. A flush tank ball comprising a resilient hemispherical body portion decreasing in thickness from its top to its bottom toallow flexure thereof, said hemispherical body portion being formed with a relatively rigid frusto-conical top wall, said frusto-conical top wall being formed with a plurality of reinforcing ribs on its inner face to stiffen said frusto-conical top wall, said frustoconical top wall being formed with a tubular neck projecting upwardly above the frusto-conical top wall, a boss formed integral with the top of the neck and projecting downwardly thereinto, the upper end of said boss closing the frusto-conical wall section while the lower end of said boss is free, said boss being adapted to receive a rigid valve stem.

6. A flush tank ball of the type described comprising a resilient hemispherical body portion formedto allow flexure thereof, said hemispherical body portion being formed with a relatively rigid frusto-conical top wall, said frusto-conical top wall being formed with a tubular neck projecting upwardly from said top wall, said tubular neck being formed with a boss integral therewith and projecting downwardly thereinto and forming an annular space therearound, said boss being free at its lower end.

JACK E. WALKER.

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