US2632181A

US2632181A - Adjustable guide bracket

Info

Publication number: US2632181A
Application number: US12282A
Authority: US
Inventors: Samuel M Kass
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-03-01
Filing date: 1948-03-01
Publication date: 1953-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 1970-03-24

Description

March 24, 1953 s. M. KAss 2,632,181

ADJUSTABLE GUIDE BRACKET I Filed March 1, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 March 24, 1953 s. M. KAss 2,632,181

ADJUSTABLE GUIDE BRACKET Filed March 1, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Mar. 24, 1953 U N I T .iig.

T55 ATE OFFICE 1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to adjustable brackets for guiding ball suspension rods in flush tanks of toilets.

The main purpose of my invention is to construct a bracket which can be easily applied to an overflow pipe in a flush tank, the bracket having an extension with a series of apertures for receiving the ball suspension rod Which carries a ball and cooperates with the discharge valve in the flush tank.

A further purpose is to provide a bracket which is attached to an overflow pipe in a flush tank with spring tension holding means on the bracket to securely hold the bracket to the overflow pipe.

A further purpose is to construct a rod guide out of pressed metal.

A further purpose is to fasten a tension spring to two ends of an adjustable guiding bracket about an outlet pipe.

A further purpose is to form an adjustable clamping bracket out of flat metal and, by stepby-step formation of the flat material, construct a bracket which is secured to an overflow pipe by prongs which are resiliently pressed against a supporting pipe.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claim.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating an overflow pipe of a flush tank with a valve fitting in the overflow pipe base and my improved adjustable bracket in place upon the overflow pipe, supporting a suspension rod with a ball at its end and adapted to close the valve opening.

Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section of my improved adjustable bracket set in place upon an overflow pipe.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective View similar to a portion of Figure 1 but illustrating a modified tension means.

Figure 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, similar to Figure 2, but illustrating a modification and with the overflow pipe shown in dotanddash lines.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of Figure 5 but with the overflow pipe in full lines.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the bracket shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevation similar to Figures 2 and 5 but illustrating a further modification.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a perspective View of the bracket shown in Figures 8 and 9 but in the process of assemblage.

Many attempts have been made to supply a bracket for supporting ball suspension rods from an overflow pipe in a flush tank of a toilet. Because of the many forms of construction of flush tank fittings the distance between the discharge valve opening and the overflow pipe is considerably different one from the other in all of the various types of tanks upon the market.

Of course, it is necessary to have a guiding means for the ball suspension rod and this guiding means must be centrally located with respect to the discharge valve opening. Because of the difierence in distances between the overflow pipe and the discharge valve opening it is usually necessary to supply separate brackets having their rod receiving openings located difierent distances from the overflow pipe.

Many attempts have been made to supply guiding brackets which will take care of the existing conditions but to my knowledge there have been no successful brackets for this purpose.

It is necessary to have a bracket which can be quickly and easily placed about an overflow pipe some distance above the discharge valve opening and securely held in place about the overflow pipe.

In my invention I have developed a bracket which is made of spring material which can be put in place about an overflow pipe by pressing outwardly extended arms of spring material and in holding the bracket by the extended arms against the overflow pipe by the resilience of the arms themselves or by added tension spring means.

By using my improved bracket the user can insert the ball suspension rod in any one of a number of openings for guiding purposes. This is required when the distance between the center of the discharge valve and the center of the over-- flow pipe is not the same in different flush tanks.

In carrying out my invention 1 have preferred to illustrate my bracket !5 as being made of pressed metal. It comprises a body It having a lateral extension ll which is formed of walls 38 and [9 which provide an opening 20.

The forward end of the body It is split at 2! with resilient

engaging portions

22 and 23 circumferentially formed at 25 to engage the overflow pipe 25 within the tank.

The

forward ends

28 and 21 are flared outwardly at 28 and 29 in order that the bracket, when it is being put in place about the overflow pipe, will provide a mouth for guiding the flared 3

portions

28 and 29 when the

arms

22 and 23 are expanded as the bracket is placed about the pipe.

After the

arms

22 and 23 have been spread open by placement upon the pipe the arms will spring back to form a contact conforming to the pipe curvature and the resiliency of the metal of the arms will hold the bracket firmly in position upon the overflow pipe. In some instances I find it desirable in addition to the natural spring tendency of the

arms

22 and 23, to employ a tension spring 30 to pull the arms closer together and the spring 30 will have the inner sides of the adjacent turns 30 of the coil of the spring to engage the contour of the pipe. This is clearly shown in Figure 3.

At the ends of the flared ends 28 and 29 I bend the metal transversely at 3| and 32 to provide finger grips which will aid the user in applying or detaching the bracket from the pipe. The forward end or stem 11 of the bracket carries a series of apertures 33 in the top wall It; and 34 in the bottom wall 19. These

apertures

33 and 34 are in line with one another in order that the ball suspension rod 35 may be properly guided as the rod is moved up and down when the ball 36 is moved out of and into the valve seat 3! upon the connecting base 38 which supports the valve seat 3? and the overflow pipe 25.

In Figure 4 I have illustrated a modified form of tension means in which employ an elastic band 46 which is placed about the ends 25' and 29' to engage in recesses 4| and 42 formed in the

arms

22 and 23. In all respects the bracket is the same as the brackets shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. However, the recesses 4| and 42 would not be used in Figure 2 as the additional tension was applied by the use of the coil spring 30.

In the forms of Figures 5, 6 and 's' I have shown a modified bracket l. The forward end of the bracket is channeled at 43 providing a vertical wall 44 and laterally extending

flanges

45 and 46. The

flanges

45 and 46 have a series of apertures 33 and 34' and the apertures 33 and 34' are directly in line with one another in order that the suspension rod 35 may be inserted through these openings as in the illustration of Figure 1.

The forward end of the bracket [5' is extended at 41 and has its center portion cut to form a tab 48. The tab 48 and the extension 4'! are arcuately curved to engage about the overflow pipe 25. The rearward portion of the extended end 4'! is apertured at 49 and the rearward end of the cut-out tab 48 is laterally bent to form a reduced end 50 apertured at 5|. These apertures are used in the event that the user would decide to apply more tension on the pipe engaging ends of the bracket when the bracket is put in place about the overflow pipe.

In all other respects the bracket is the same as the bracket previously described excepting that it shows another way of conveniently shaping a desirable guiding bracket.

In Figures 8, 9 and I show still another form of bracket assemblage. The bracket, when put to place on the overflow pipe is placed about the pipe in the same manner as the bracket of Figures l, 2, 3 and 4.

In Figures 8, 9 and 10 the forward or rod guiding end of the bracket is pressed and shaped from a strip of flat material. It is provided with

projections

52, 53 and 54 at the top end, 52' 53' and 54' at the bottom, projecting from a strip 55 at one end of the bracket.

The opposite end of the strip is bent to form a rod guiding portion 56 and additional partial rod I ing arm.

4 guiding

portions

51 and 58 located in another end portion 59 of the strip material.

The strip portion 55 and the strip portion 59 are bent together into close contact with one another after which the

projections

52, 53 and 54 from the strip portion 55 are bent directly to engage about the other strip portion 59. The

projections

52, 53 and 54 are bent upwardly about the strip 59 to securely hold the strip portions 55 and 59 together.

Between the

projections

52 and 53 and between 53 and 54 and between the projections 52' and 53 and between 53 and 54 and in the center of the strip portion 55 I provide partially curved portions 60 and 6| which cooperate and match with the partial openings 5'! and 58 in the adjoining strip portion 59 to form apertures 62, 63 and 64 to receive the ball suspension rod 35 when in proper position.

The opposite end of the bracket portions 55 and 59 are arcuately curved at 24 to surround and engage the overflow pipe.

In all other respects the bracket and the bracket spring tension means are the same as in the 0 previously mentioned figures.

It will be understood that in all of the forms presented herewith the use of the tension spring is optional with the user.

In operation the bracket is applied to the overflow pipe by first spreading the arms open and then, due to the resiliency of the pipe surrounding arms, allowing the arms to engage the overflow pipe and inserting the ball rod suspension through the desired set of apertures in the guid- Whether the set of apertures used would be close to the overflow pipe or a greater distance from the overflow pipe would depend on the distance of the valve from the overflow pipe, it will be evident that other forms of fastening of the bracket of my invention may appear to others skilled in the art. However, I believe I am the first to provide an adjustable guide of this character which can be applied to an overflow pipe without fastening the bracket to the pipe by the use of screws or bolts or other more permanent fastening.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations modifications to meet individual whim or particular will doubtless become evident to other: skilled. in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claim.

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

In a flush tank guide, a unitary sheet metal member comprising a channel member, the bottom being arranged when assembled in a flush tank, to occupy a vertical plane, the opposed parallel horizontally disposed side flanges having a plurality of pairs of vertically aligned openings for guiding the stem of a flush valve, and having resilient forked supporting jaws secured at the base to the channel member, oppositely curved for gripping engagement with an overflow pipe in. assembled relation, one of the jaws having two branches and an intermediate cutout portion from which the other jaw has been formed, and provided with openings at the opposite ends for engagement by the ends of a coil spring, in combination with the coil tension spring extending across the outer ends of the aws engaged in the openings and urging the 5 outer ends of the jaws together into engagement with the overflow pipe, the spring extending far enough toward the center of the space between the forked jaws to permit one side of the spring coils to engage and grip the side of the overflow 5 Pipe.

SAMUEL M. KASS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hawks Nov. 26, 1912 Kull Aug. 25, 1914 Keenan July 10, 1917 Ferency Dec. 25, 1923 Sundell July 28, 1931 Platt Feb. 19, 1935 Marten June 2 1, 1938 Myers et a1. Nov. 19, 1940 Reiwald Aug. 5, 1947