WO2008026871A1

WO2008026871A1 - Divert valve for faucet

Info

Publication number: WO2008026871A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/004145
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sie-Young Moon; Du-Young Moon
Original assignee: Sie-Young Moon; Du-Young Moon
Priority date: 2006-08-31
Filing date: 2007-08-29
Publication date: 2008-03-06
Also published as: KR200431062Y1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a divert valve for a faucet including: a valve body adapted to be coupled to the faucet having a foam cap fastened thereto and inserted at an upper portion thereof into a hollow portion of the foam cap, the foam cap being of a hollow shape and having a stepped projection along the top end inner periphery thereof, the valve body having a water entrance formed at the upper end portion thereof, a flow passageway formed at the inside thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the water entrance, a main discharge port formed at the lower end portion thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the flow passageway, and an auxiliary discharge port formed at one side thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the flow passageway; and a switch lever mounted in the flow passageway of the valve body for selectively controlling the advancing direction of a stream of water to the main discharge port and the auxiliary discharge port.

Description

DIVERT VALVE FOR FAUCET

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a divert valve for a faucet that selectively switches a stream of water running from the faucet so that the stream of water is supplied

to a separate device like a water purifier, an oral hygiene appliance or the like.

Background Art

Recently, a divert valve is mounted on a wash basin faucet, a sink faucet, and a shower faucet and serves to induce a stream of water from the faucet to auxiliary discharging means like a separate water purifier or oral hygiene appliance that is connected to a discharge port of the faucet.

Generally, conventional divert valves for a faucet each includes a valve body connected to a discharge port of the faucet along the upper portion thereof and having a main discharge port formed along the lower portion thereof and an auxiliary discharge port formed at one side thereof, the auxiliary discharge port being connected to separate auxiliary discharging means, and a switch valve disposed on the valve body for selectively switching a stream of water running from the facet to the main discharge port and the auxiliary discharge port.

According to the conventional divert valve for a faucet, under the manipulation of the switch valve the stream of water running from the faucet is directly discharged through the main discharge port at a time of washing a user's hands or face and discharged through the auxiliary discharge port to the auxiliary discharge means at a time of rinsing a user's mouth during teeth brushing.

The conventional divert valve for the faucet is screw-coupled along the inner peripheral surface of the discharge port of the faucet, that is, to a screw part to which a foam cap and a foam port are assembled. In more detail, the foam cap and the foam port are removed from the interior of the discharge port, and after that, the top end portion of the valve body is inserted into the discharge port so that the valve body and the faucet are directly coupled to each other. Otherwise, a separate adapter is disposed between the valve body and the faucet for connecting them.

However, the conventional coupling structure between the divert valve and the faucet has had the following problems.

First, the sizes and structures of the foam ports in the discharge port of the faucet being presently sold on the market or has been already used by users are almost the same, but the screw threads formed in the discharge port and those formed in the foam cap have very different sizes from each other. However, the screw threads formed on the valve body do not have various sizes except for a specific size, so that it is difficult to make the sizes of the screw threads of the valve body and the faucet correspond to each other.

Therefore, unfortunately, the conventional divert valve is not easy to couple with the faucet presently sold on the market and already used by users. Of course, the sizes of the screw threads formed in the discharge port of the faucet are checked one by one, and the sizes of the screw threads of the valve body are made correspondingly to those formed in the discharge port. In this case, however, the sizes of the screw threads of the discharge ports of the faucets already used by the users can not be recognized at all, and therefore, it is difficult to mount the conventional divert valve on the faucet already used.

In the same manner as above, under the structure where the valve body is coupled to the faucet by means of the separate adapter, each of the divert valves being presently sold on the market has several adapters having different sizes of screw threads so as to correspond to the various sizes of the screw threads of the faucet. Therefore, the total costs of the product are raised, and further, several adapters should be repeatedly assembled and disassembled to check whether it corresponds to the screw thread of the faucet through a mounting process, thereby making it inconvenient to mount. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a divert valve for a faucet that is capable of being directly coupled to the faucet in an easy manner irrespective of the size of a screw thread formed in a discharge port of the faucet so as to be applied to all kinds of faucets in use presently.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a divert valve for a

faucet that does not need a separate adapter since the faucet and the divert valve

can be coupled to each other directly, thereby enabling the production costs to be

lowered and further reducing the mounting time.

Technical Solution

To achieve the above objects, according to the present invention, there is

provided a divert valve for a faucet including: a valve body adapted to be coupled to the

faucet having a foam cap fastened thereto and inserted at an upper portion thereof into a hollow portion of the foam cap, the foam cap being of a hollow shape and having a stepped projection along the top end inner periphery thereof, the valve body having a water entrance formed at the upper end portion thereof, a flow passageway formed at the

inside thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the water entrance, a main

discharge port formed at the lower end portion thereof in such a manner as to

communicate with the flow passageway, and an auxiliary discharge port formed at one side thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the flow passageway; and a switch lever mounted in the flow passageway of the valve body for selectively controlling the advancing direction of a stream of water to the main discharge port and the auxiliary

discharge port, wherein the valve body has a retaining step formed along the upper end outer periphery thereof in such a manner as to have a diameter larger than an outer

diameter thereof, such that the retaining step of the valve body is seated along the stepped projection of the foam cap so as to allow the valve body to be coupled to the foam cap.

Advantageous Effects

The present invention relates to a divert valve for a faucet that is provided with a valve body having the same structure as a foam port in the shape of the upper end periphery thereof, based upon that the mounting structures between foam ports and foam caps are generally almost the same, such that as the divert valve of this invention is mounted into existing foam caps, it can be applied to all kinds of faucets, irrespective of the size of a screw thread formed in a discharge port of the faucet.

Furthermore, the divert valve for a faucet according to the present invention does not need a separate adapter since the faucet and the divert valve can be coupled to each other directly, thereby enabling the production costs to be lowered and further reducing the mounting time.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is an overall exploded perspective view showing a divert valve for a faucet according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cut-off perspective view showing the internal structure of the divert valve of the invention and the coupling structure with the faucet thereof;

FIG 7 is a sectional view showing the coupling structure of the divert valve of the invention with the faucet and the discharging process of a stream of water to an auxiliary discharge port; FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another coupling structure between a valve cover and a valve body of the divert valve of the invention;

FIG.4 is an exploded sectional view showing the coupling procedure of the divert valve of the invention;

FIG.5 is a sectional view showing the discharging process of the stream of water through a main discharge port at the state where the divert valve of the invention is coupled to the faucet; and

FIGS.6 and 8 are sectional views showing a structure for mounting a switch lever at a time when the valve body and the valve cover are made as a unitary body.

Explanations on the reference numerals of the main parts in the drawings>

100: valve body 110: water entrance

112: auxiliary flow passageway 114: main flow passageway

120: flow passageway 140: mounting protrusion

142: movement-preventing step

150: auxiliary discharge port

160: main discharge port 200: switch lever

210: movable rod

220: water flow-blocking plate

300: valve cover 302: coupling hole

304: through-hole 306: retaining step

400: foam port 500: connection pipe

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

A divert valve for a faucet that is proposed to accomplish the above-described objects basically includes: a valve body adapted to be coupled to the faucet having a foam cap fastened thereto and inserted at an upper portion thereof into a hollow portion of the foam cap, the foam cap being of a hollow shape and having a stepped projection along the top end inner periphery thereof, the valve body having a water entrance formed at the upper end portion thereof, a flow passageway formed at the inside thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the water entrance, a main discharge port formed at the lower end portion thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the flow passageway, and an auxiliary discharge port formed at one side thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the flow passageway; and a switch lever mounted in the flow passageway of the valve body for selectively controlling the advancing direction of a stream of water to the main discharge port and the auxiliary discharge port.

Under the above basic construction, the valve body is adapted to be inserted along the upper portion periphery thereof into a hollow portion of a foam cap of the faucet and has a valve cover mounted along the outer periphery of the water entrance thereof, the valve cover being disposed along a stepped projection of the foam cap.

Referring to the structure illustrated in the drawings, an explanation on the detailed structure and operation of the divert valve for a faucet according to the present invention will be given hereinafter. As shown in FIGS.l, 2 and 7, the divert valve for a faucet according to the present invention basically includes a valve body 100, a switch lever 200, and a valve cover 300.

First, the valve body 100 connected to the faucet is a part wherein a stream of water running from the faucet primarily flows and the advancing direction of the stream of water is determined. The valve body 100 is of a generally cylindrical shape and has a water entrance 110 formed along the top end periphery thereof, the water entrance 110 adapted to flow the stream of water running from the faucet thereinto, and a flow passageway 120 formed in a lengthwise direction thereto in the interior thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the water entrance 110. At this time, upper and lower mounting protrusions 140 are formed spaced apart from each other along the flow passageway 120, for disposing the switch lever 200 as will be discussed later and for dividing the stream of water, each of the upper and lower mounting protrusions 140 having a movement-preventing step 142 adapted to prevent the switch lever 200 from being moved. The upper and lower mounting protrusions 140 have an auxiliary flow passageway 112 adapted to make the stream of water run to an auxiliary discharge port 150 as will be discussed later, on one sides thereof, and have a main flow passageway 114 adapted to make the stream of water run to a main discharge port 160, on the other sides thereof. The valve body 100 has the main discharge port 160 formed along the lower end periphery thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the main flow passageway 114 on the same line as the water entrance 110, and the main discharge port 160 has a foam port 400 mounted therein such that the noise generated during discharging of water can be reduced and the scattering of water can be also prevented. The valve body 100 has the auxiliary discharge port 150 formed on one side thereof at a right angle relative to the main discharge port 160 in such a manner as to communicate with the auxiliary flow passageway 112, and the auxiliary discharge port 150 is coupled with a connection pipe 500 adapted to connect with auxiliary discharge means like a separate oral hygiene appliance (which is not shown in the drawings). The outer diameter of the valve body 100 is almost equal to the inside diameter of a foam cap F in the faucet A. That is, the outer diameter of the valve body 100 is almost equal to the outer diameter of a general foam port mounted at the inside of the foam cap F.

At this time, even though not shown in the drawings, only the portion of the valve body 100 abutting with the foam cap F may have the outer diameter equal to the inside diameter of the foam cap F, and the lower portion of the valve body 100 except for the portion abutting with the foam cap F may be larger than the inside diameter of the foam cap F.

Further, the valve body 100 has an insertion hole 102 formed at the opposite position to the auxiliary discharge port 150 in such a manner as to communicate with the main flow passageway 114, and the switch lever 200 is mounted in the insertion hole 102.

The switch lever 200 that is adapted to selectively control the advancing direction of the stream of water running to the valve body 100 includes a movable rod 210 adapted to be inserted at one portion thereof into the valve body 100 and a water flow-blocking plate 220 disposed at one end portion of the movable rod 210 for determining whether the stream of water runs to the main flow passageway 114.

The movable rod 210 is inserted at one portion thereof into the valve body 100 in such a manner as to be placed over the main flow passage 114 and exposed at the other portion thereof to the outside in such a manner as to serve as a grip.

The water flow-blocking plate 220 that is disposed at one end portion of the movable rod 210 inserted into the main flow passageway 114 has a diameter larger than the movable rod 210 but has almost the same height as the gap between the upper and lower mounting protrusions 140, such that the stepped projection on the water flow-blocking plate 220 formed by the diameter difference between the water flow-blocking plate 220 and the movable rod 210 is locked to the movement-preventing steps 142 of the upper and lower mounting protrusions 140, thereby enabling the water flow-blocking plate 220 to block the entrance of the main flow passageway 114. At this time, at the state where the water flow-blocking plate 220 blocks the entrance of the main flow passageway 114, a packing member may be provided between the water flow-blocking plate 220 and the mounting protrusions 140, for preventing the stream of water from leaking to the main flow passageway 114, and the packing member may be also provided between the insertion hole 102 of the valve body 100 and the movable rod 210, for preventing the stream of water from leaking to the outside.

Along the top end periphery of the valve body 100 having the switch lever 200 mounted thereto, that is, around the water entrance 110, are provided two or more coupling holes 104 at predetermined intervals, for coupling with a valve cover 300 as will be discussed later. Each of the coupling holes 104 has a coupling bolt B inserted thereinto, such that the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100 can be coupled to each other.

The valve cover 300 is adapted to couple the valve body 100 and the foam cap F of the faucet A, and has a plate-like shape. The valve cover 300 has a plurality of coupling holes 302 formed along the outer edge of the upper surface to correspond with the coupling holes 104 of the valve body 100 and a plurality of through-holes 304 densely formed in the middle portion thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the water entrance 110 so that the stream of water running from the faucet gently flows to the water entrance 110 via the through-holes 304, without any collection to any specific portion on the valve cover 300.

Further, the valve cover 300 may be formed in a ring shape, and in this case, a single large through-hole 304 may be formed in the middle portion thereof. Otherwise, the valve cover 300 may be formed in a net-like shape.

The area of the valve cover 300 is larger than the outer diameter of the valve body 100 such that when the valve cover 300 is coupled to the valve body 100, a retaining step 306 is formed along the stepped projection F-I formed along the upper portion periphery of the foam cap F by the diameter difference between the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100.

At this time, as explained above, the outer screw threads of the foam cap F presently used have the different sizes, but the foam ports mounted in the foam cap F have the same sizes and coupling structures with the foam cap F. Therefore, the structure where the retaining step 306 formed between the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100 is disposed along the stepped projection F-I of the foam cap F is the same as the coupling structure between a general foam port and the foam cap F and has the same outer diameter as the general foam port.

Thus, the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100 coupled to each other can be mounted in most of foam caps presently used.

In addition to the coupling structure where the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100 are separately made and coupled by means of the fastening bolts B as mentioned above, moreover, another coupling structure between the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100 may be proposed.

For example, as shown in FIG.3, a stepped projection 106 is formed along the upper periphery of the valve body 100, and an insertion rib 308 is formed along the lower periphery of the valve cover 300 in such a manner as to be inserted along the outer periphery of the stepped projection 106 of the valve body 100. At this time, a screw portion H is formed along the outer periphery of the valve body 100 and along the inner periphery of the insertion rib 308 of the valve cover 300, so that the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100 can be screw-coupled to each other.

As a result, the coupling is made in an easier manner when compared with the coupling structure where the separate fastening bolts B are fastened one by one at the state where the valve cover 300 is placed on the valve body 100.

Further, the valve body 100 and the valve cover 300 may be made as a unitary body, which does not need separate assembling processes between them.

In this case, the assembling process with the foam cap is not easy as the foam cap may be locked by the switch lever 200 protruded to the outside.

However, as shown in FIG.6, the movable rod 210 of the switch lever 200 is attachably divided at the middle portion thereof into two parts, and otherwise, as shown in FIG 8, an insertion recess 102a is formed around the insertion hole 102 of the valve body 100 in such a manner as to have a larger diameter than the insertion hole 102, such that when the switch lever 200 is completely pushed toward the valve body 100, the end portion of the switch lever 200 can be mounted in the insertion recess 102a.

An assembling process of the above-mentioned structure will be discussed later.

In addition to the above-mentioned structure, the valve cover 300 may be formed in a ring shape having a single through-hole formed in the middle portion thereof. Otherwise, the valve body 100 may have the opened water entrance 110, with no valve cover 300 mounted thereon, and in this case, only the retaining step 306 is formed along the upper end outer periphery of the valve body 100.

Hereinafter, an explanation on the operation and effects of the divert valve for a faucet according to the present invention will be given. Referring to the assembling procedure of the divert valve for the faucet according to the present invention, as shown in FIG.4, the foam cap F that is screw-coupled with the discharge port A-I of the faucet A is separated therefrom, and then, the foam port (which is not shown) is separated from the foam cap F. Next, the upper portion periphery of the valve body 100 is inserted into the hollow portion of the foam cap F through the lower portion periphery of the foam cap F. After that, the valve cover 300 is mounted along the upper end periphery of the valve body 100, and then, the fastening bolts B are inserted into the coupling holes 302 and 104 of the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100, thereby fixedly fastening the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100. At this time, if the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100 have screw parts, the valve cover 300 is screw-coupled along the upper periphery of the valve body 100, thereby simply achieving the coupling relation to the valve body 100.

If the coupling between the valve body 100 and the valve cover 300 is made, the retaining step 306 that is formed along the lower end periphery of the valve cover 300 is mounted along the stepped projection F-I of the foam cap F, such that the valve body 100 inclusive of the valve cover 300 can not be deviated from its coupled position.

After that, the foam cap F is inserted into the discharge port A-I of the faucet A again, so as to screw-couple a screw part F-2 of the foam cap F and a screw part A-2 in the discharge port A-I to each other, thereby finishing mounting the valve body 100. According to a main feature of the present invention, the valve cover 300 and the valve body 100 are made in such a manner as to have the same outer size as the foam port, based upon that the shapes of the foam ports and the coupling structures between the foam ports and the foam caps F are almost the same, such that the valve body 100 is just coupled along the foam cap F, which allows the divert valve of this invention to be applied to all kinds of faucets A.

Further, the valve body 100 is directly coupled to the faucet A by means of the foam cap F, without any separate coupling adapter, which enables the production costs to be lowered and also reduces inconveniences occurring upon the mounting.

If the mounting process for the valve body 100 is finished, the auxiliary discharge port 150 is connected via the connection pipe 500 to the auxiliary discharge means, thereby completely finishing the mounting process of the divert valve of the invention.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.6, the valve body 100 and the valve cover 300 can be made as a unitary body, wherein the movable rod 210 of the switch lever 300 is dividable into two parts. First, the middle portion of the movable rod 210 of the switch lever 200 is separated, and at the state where the switch lever 200 is not exposed to the outside, the lower end periphery of the valve body 100 is fitted along the upper end periphery of the foam cap F in such a manner as to be mounted along the stepped projection F-I of the foam cap F. Next, the movable rod 210 is assembled again to form a single body, and then, the foam cap F is coupled to the faucet A.

Moreover, referring to the assembling process where the insertion recess 102a is formed on the valve body 100, as shown in FIG 8, the switch lever 200 is fully pushed toward the valve body 100 and the end portion of the exposed portion of the switch lever 200 is disposed in the insertion recess 102. In the same manner as mentioned above, next, the foam cap F is coupled to the faucet A.

At this time, so as for the water flow-blocking plate 220 to completely block the auxiliary discharge port 150 when the switch lever 200 is disposed at one end portion thereof into the insertion recess 102a, the length of the switch lever 200 should be accurately calculated during its manufacturing. Even though not shown, the present invention may have a grip mounted on the switch lever 200 so as to easily draw the switch lever 200 disposed into the insertion recess 102a.

Next, an explanation on the process of selecting the flowing directions of the stream of water in the divert valve for the faucet according to the present invention will be given.

First, in a case where the stream of water discharged from the faucet A runs through the auxiliary discharge port 150 toward the auxiliary discharge means, if the switch lever 200 is pulled to the outside as shown in FIG 7, the water flow-blocking plate 220 of the switch lever 200 is locked to the block projection 142 of each mounting protrusion 140 and at the same time blocks the entrance of the main flow passageway 114.

The stream of water discharged from the faucet does not flow to the main flow passageway 114 and moves to the auxiliary discharge port 150 through the auxiliary flow passageway 112. Then, the stream of water is passed through the connection pipe 500 and moves toward the auxiliary discharge means. To the contrary, in a case where the stream of water discharged from the faucet A is directly discharged through the main discharge port 160 to the outside, if the switch lever 200 is pushed toward the valve body 100 as shown in FIG.5, the water flow-blocking plate 220 of the switch lever 200 blocking the main flow passageway 114 is moved to open the entrance of the main flow passageway 114 and at the same time blocks the entrance of the auxiliary discharge port 150.

Therefore, the stream of water is not discharged to the auxiliary discharge port 150 and flows to the main flow passageway 114. Thus, the stream of water is discharged to the outside through the main discharge port 160. At this time, the formation of the foam port 400 around the main discharge port

160 enables the stream of water being discharged from the main discharge port 160 to run with relatively low noise and with no splashing.

According to the present invention, the foam port 400 is separately provided in the valve body 400, and therefore, even when the foam port in the foam cap F is removed for coupling with the valve body 100, generation of noise during is remarkably low and generation of splashing is completely prevented.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is:

1. A divert valve for a faucet comprising: a valve body adapted to be coupled to the faucet having a foam cap fastened thereto and inserted into a hollow portion of the foam cap, the foam cap being of a hollow shape and having a stepped projection along the top end inner periphery thereof, the valve body having a water entrance formed at the upper end portion thereof, a flow passageway formed at the inside thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the water entrance, a main discharge port formed at the lower end portion thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the flow passageway, and an auxiliary discharge port formed at one side thereof in such a manner as to communicate with the flow passageway; and a switch lever mounted in the flow passageway of the valve body for selectively controlling the advancing direction of a stream of water to the main discharge port and the auxiliary discharge port, wherein the valve body has a retaining step formed along the upper end outer periphery

thereof in such a manner as to have a diameter larger than an outer diameter thereof, such that the retaining step of the valve body is seated along the stepped projection of the foam cap so as to allow the valve body to be coupled to the foam cap.

2. The divert valve for a faucet according to claim 1, wherein the valve body

has a valve cover mounted along the top end periphery thereof, the valve cover having an

outer diameter larger than the valve body and a plurality of through-holes communicating with the water entrance of the valve body, and the retaining step of the valve body is formed by a diameter difference between the valve cover and the valve body.

3. The divert valve for a faucet according to claim 1, wherein the valve cover is formed in a ring shape.

4. The divert valve for a faucet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the valve body has an insertion recess formed around a portion adapted to insert the switch lever thereinto, such that when the switch lever is pushed toward the valve body, the end portion of the switch lever exposed to the outside is disposed in the insertion recess on the valve body.

5. The divert valve for a faucet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the switch lever is attachably divided into a portion disposed in the valve body and a portion exposed to the outside.