US3181177A

US3181177A - Mounting assembly for a toilet flush ball

Info

Publication number: US3181177A
Application number: US232392A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles X Marshall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-10-23
Filing date: 1962-10-23
Publication date: 1965-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 1982-05-04

Description

M y 1965 c. x. MARSHALL 3,181,177

MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR A TOILET FLUSH BALL Filed 001;- 23, 1962 INVENTOR C. X. Marshall BY M-f-M Attorneys United States Patent 3,181,177 MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR A TGILET FLUSH BALL Charles X. Marshall, Norway, Micln, assignor of one-half to George F. Sager, Coleman, Wis. Filed Oct. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 232,392 1 Claim. (Cl. 4-57 This invention relates to an improved mounting assembly for a toilet flush ball, and more particularly to a novel support and guide apparatus for a flush ball which is designed to ensure that said ball properly engages its valve seat.

Conventional toilet flush tanks include a ball-like valve formed of rubber or the like which is adapted to be raised and lowered relative to a valve seat in said tank to control the introduction and withdrawal of water from the toilet in response to manipulation of the toilet handle. Unfortunately, such ball-type valves, or so-called flush balls, do not always re-align themselves properly with the valve seat when the toilet is flushed, and it is not uncommon to have constant leakage past said valve, which not only results in considerable wastage of water, but which creates an objectionable noise. With this shortcoming of conventional flush tanks in mind, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel mounting assembly for a flush ball whereby said ball is always lowered accurately relative to its valve seat when the toilet is flushed, and wherein the firm engagement of the ball with said valve seat is promoted.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novel mounting assembly for a toilet flush ball, as described, which assembly includes a vertically-slidable ball-supporting member which rides on guide rods positioned to ensure the perfect engagement of said ball in its valve seat.

A further object is to provide an improved flush ball mounting assembly for toilets which may be readily installed in standard toilets, which unit can be easily removed from the tank for repairs or adjustment, and wherein the ball valve may be separately detached and quickly replaced in the unit when required.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide an improved flush tank ball support and guide assembly which is reliable in operation, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and which novel assembly is otherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, the improved flush ball mounting assembly comprising the present invention includes the apparatus illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter described, and all of its parts and combinations, as set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the novel ball support and guide assembly, showing the ball valve in its raised position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the assembly with the ball in its lowered, sealing position;

FiG. 3 is a side elevational view of the assembly with the ball valve in its lowered position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the supporting bracket employed in the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the ball and slide bar, with the ball removed from said bar; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the top of the flush ball, showing the top member employed in the present invention mounted therein.

3,l3l,l17 Patented May 4, 1965 Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 19 designates the so-called flush L-pipe which is an integral component of a conventional toilet tank. As best appears in FIG. 3, mounted on the lower end of said L-pipe is a cup-like valve seat 11 forming the upper end of a bore 12 which communicates with the interior of the toilet 'bowl, and through which water can be introduced into said bowl, as is well known in the art. Pivotally mounted on the inner surface of the flush tank wall is an arm 14, 'or trip lever, which is operatively attached to a suitable handle (not shown) on the exterior of said tank.

In accordance with the present invention there is mounted on said L-pipe ll) a V-shaped yoke or bracket 16 (FIG. 4) having a split clamping portion with a tightening screw 17, and a pair of diverging arms 18. Said arms are provided with apertures 19, and secured in each is an elongated vertical rod 29 which extends downwardly from said bracket to a point adjacent the valve seat 11 on the base of the L-pipe, said spaced, parallel arms straddling said seat member, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The exact shape of said bracket 16 is not critical to the invention, of course, and other bracket designs providing spaced supports for the vertical rods 20 might be employed without departing'from the spirit of the invention.

Vertically slidably mounted on and between said spaced rods 20 is a cross bar 21, hereinafter referred to as the slide bar, said bar having sleeve bearings 21' adjacent its ends through which said rods closely, slidably project. Said slide bar 21 is attached by means of a chain 23, or other flexible coupling member, to the free end of the aforementioned trip lever 14. When the latter is raised, through the manipulation of an external handle, as described, said slide bar 21 is pulled upwardly to the position of FIG. 1, and upon release of the handle, said slide bar 21 falls by gravity to a lowered position (FIGS. 2 and 3).

As is shown in FIG. 5, said slide bar 21 is provided with a dovetail cutout 24 intermediate its length, and mounted immediately thereabove is a bent arm 25 which may be turned from the position shown in full lines to the lowered, broken line position of said FIG. 5. As appears in FIG. 6, the ball valve 27 in the present assembly is of standard design, including a threaded top opening 28, and in accordance with the invention there is threaded therein a special, dovetail top member 29. To mount said flush ball 27 in the slide bar 21 it is merely necessary to insert the ball top member 29 into the dovetail cutout 24 in said bar member, the arm 25 being in its raised position to permit said assembly. When the ball valve is thus mounted in the slide bar, said arm 25 is turned to its downwardly-extending, broken line position to maintain the same therein. Thus there is provided a very simple, but effective, mounting assembly whereby the flush ball may be readily secured to or detached from the unit.

To install the novel flush ball support and guide assembly comprising the present invention in a standard toilet, the bracket 16 is slipped onto the top of the flush L-pipe and slid downwardly to a proper position intermediate its length, the slide bar and flush ball being slidably mounted on the guide rods 243 as described. Said supporting bracket is then tightened in place, by means of the screw 17, and the assembly is complete.

In the use of the present apparatus, when the handle on the toilet exterior is turned to flush said toilet, the free end of the trip lever 14 is swung upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 1, thus drawing the slide bar 21, together with the flush ball 27 carried thereby, upwardly and away from the valve seat 11, thereby permitting water in the tank to rush into the toilet bowl. When the handle is released, said lever returns to the'lowered position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, thus lowering the ball into engagement with the valve seat 11 again, and preventing further flow of water from the tank.

Due to the positioning of the guide rods 26 in straddling relationship to the valve seat 11, as described, the hush ball 27 in the present invention is always lowered in perfect alignment with said valve seat, and there is no possibility of said ball tipping or sitting askew on said seat, as frequently occurs with conventional flush ball mounting arrangements. Moreover, with the present assembly, the slide bar 2-1 bears downwardly against the seated ball valve, and functions to maintain the same in firm engagement with said valve seat, thus further minimizing the possibility of leakage.

in the event the flush ball 27 in the present invention should become worn or damaged, it may be quickly removed from the slide bar 21 merely by turning the arm 25 upwardly, and withdrawing the ball top member 2 9 from the dovetail slot 24 in said bar. Said top member 29 may then be unscrewed and mounted in a new flush ball, and the latter installed in the slide bar as described. Thus, with the present device the flush ball can be quickly and easily replaced in the unit when necessary. If it should be desired to remove the entire unit from the tank, the bracket screw 17 can be loosened, and the bracket 16 drawn upwardly and oil the top of the L-pipe;

As will be appreciated from the foregoing detailed description, the present invention provides a novel flush ball mounting assembly which is not only simple and reliable in operation, and eliminates a problem which has long beset the art, but which novel device may be easily installed in a standard toilet by a homeowner, there being no special tools or equipment required.

It is to be understood, of course, that the present invention is not to be limited or confined to a structure identical in all respects to that illustrated in. the drawing and hereinabove described. It is contemplated that numerous changes or modifications may be made therein A; while still incorporating the basic novelty of the invention, and it is intended to include herein not only the 7 structure shown and described, but also any and all modifieations or changes therein as may come within the spirit of the invention, and within the scope of the following claim.

What I claim is:

In a toilet flush tank having a pivotal trip lever, having an opening defining a valve seat therebelow, and having an upright L-pipe adjacent said valve seat, a flush ball support and guide assembly, comprising: a bracket removably mounted on said L-pipe above said valve seat, said bracket having a pair of diverging arms; a pair of vertical guide rods mounted in and depending from said bracket arms in straddling relationship to said valve seat; a cross bar slidably carried on and between said vertical guide rods, said bar having a dovetail cutout in its bottom surface intermediate its length; a flush ball valve depending from said cross bar, said flush ball being movable with said cross bar from a raised position spaced above said valve seat to a lowered position in sealing engagement with said valve seat, and said flush ball having a dovetail-shaped top member threaded therein and re movably mounted in said cross bar dovetail cutout; and flexible coupling means connecting said cross bar to said trip lever, whereby said cross bar can be raised and lowered on said guide rods in response to pivotal movement of said trip lever.

References (lited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,450,609 10/48 Phelps 457 2,518,679 8/50 Graham 4-57 2,713,687 7/55 Bill et al 4-57 2,964,758 12/60 Graziosi 457 EDWARD V. BENHAM, Primary Examiner.

FRANK H. BRONAUGH, Examiner.