A valve assembly for a single-lever faucet is configured to control a flow rate of water and has a valve body, a valve cartridge, and a valve stem. A flow control assembly is operatively connected to the valve assembly and constructed to attach to a faucet handle. The flow control assembly includes
A valve assembly for a single-lever faucet is configured to control a flow rate of water and has a valve body, a valve cartridge, and a valve stem. A flow control assembly is operatively connected to the valve assembly and constructed to attach to a faucet handle. The flow control assembly includes a valve stem, a handle actuator that operates the valve stem to control the flow rate of the water, a gear assembly, and a biasing member. Moving the handle actuator to the water-on position from the neutral position increments the valve stem to an open valve position. The handle actuator automatically returns to a neutral position with the water flowing after the user pivots the handle actuator to a water-on position, and automatically returns to the neutral position with no water flowing after the user pivots the handle actuator to the water-off position.
대표청구항▼
1. A valve cartridge for placement within a single-lever faucet comprising: a valve assembly constructed to be disposed in a manifold of a faucet body, the valve assembly comprising: a valve body; a regulator having a valve stem stop with a top surface and defining an opening axially through the val
1. A valve cartridge for placement within a single-lever faucet comprising: a valve assembly constructed to be disposed in a manifold of a faucet body, the valve assembly comprising: a valve body; a regulator having a valve stem stop with a top surface and defining an opening axially through the valve stem stop from the top surface, the regulator having a pawl release member disposed on the top surface of the valve stem stop and extending toward and into the opening of the valve stem stop and upwardly from the valve stem stop; and a valve stem having a lower end portion and an upper end portion, the valve stem pivotally disposed in the opening of the valve stem stop wherein the valve stem lower end portion operatively engages the regulator, and the upper end portion has an actuator gear disposed thereon, wherein the valve stem is operable between a closed valve position and a plurality of open valve positions, wherein the valve assembly is configured to control a flow rate of water; and a flow control assembly operatively connected to the valve assembly and attached to a handle of the single-lever faucet, the flow control assembly comprising: a handle actuator having an actuator element adapted to attach to the handle of the single-lever faucet, the handle actuator pivotably connected to the valve assembly, wherein the handle actuator is operable between a water-on position, a neutral position and a water-off position, and wherein the handle actuator operates the valve stem to control the flow rate of the water; a pawl pivotably connected to the handle actuator and positioned to engage the actuator gear on the valve stem when the handle actuator is pivoted to the water-on position and to engage the pawl release member on the valve stop body of the valve assembly when the handle actuator is pivoted to the water-off position; an actuator ring having at least a top surface that interacts with a bottom portion of the handle actuator; and a biasing member disposed between the valve assembly and the handle actuator providing a vertical motion to the handle actuator and wherein the biasing member provides a resilient force to bias the handle actuator towards the neutral position when the handle actuator is pivoted to the water-on position or to the water-off position; wherein the handle actuator automatically returns to the neutral position with the water flowing after the user pivots the handle actuator to the water-on position followed by the user releasing the handle actuator; and wherein the handle actuator automatically returns to the neutral position with no water flowing after the user pivots the handle actuator to the water-off position followed by the user releasing the handle actuator. 2. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 1, wherein pivoting the handle actuator a first time to the water-on position moves the valve stem to a first open valve position with a first water flow rate and subsequently pivoting the handle actuator a second time to the water-on position moves the valve stem to a second open valve position with a second flow rate greater than the first flow rate. 3. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 2, wherein, when the valve stem is in the closed valve position, pivoting the handle actuator to the water-on position causes the pawl to engage the actuator gear and move the valve stem to the first open valve position. 4. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 3, wherein when the valve stem is in the first open valve position, pivoting the handle actuator from the neutral position to the water-on position causes the pawl to engage the actuator gear and move the valve stem to the second open valve position. 5. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 1 wherein the actuator ring defines an actuator ring opening, wherein the actuator ring is on an upper portion of the valve stem stop with the upper portion of the valve stem stop extending into the actuator ring opening, the handle actuator pivotably connected to the actuator ring, and with the biasing member positioned between the actuator ring and a valve body upper surface. 6. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 5, wherein the biasing member is a helical wave spring and wherein pivoting an actuator member to the water-on position or to the water-off position causes the actuator ring to compress the helical wave spring, thereby biasing the handle actuator to return to the neutral position. 7. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 6, wherein the top surface of the actuator ring defines a pair of contoured top side portions positioned on opposite sides of the actuator ring opening, each of the pair of contoured top side portions having a middle contoured portion and front and rear contoured portions sloping down and away from the middle contoured portion, wherein the handle actuator defines a plurality of protrusions extending down towards the actuator ring, andwherein each of the pair of contoured top side portions is shaped to accommodate an arc of rotation of the handle actuator and shaped to engage at least one of the plurality of protrusions in each of the neutral position, the water-on position and the water-off position, thereby raising the handle actuator along the central vertical axis with respect to the actuator ring when the handle actuator is in the neutral position. 8. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 7, wherein the contoured top side portions and the plurality of protrusions interact in combination to make the biasing member compress non-linearly over a resultant vertical motion of the biasing member thereby providing more force to the neutral position of the handle. 9. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 1, wherein pivoting the handle actuator to the water-off position when the valve stem is in any of the plurality of open valve positions moves the valve stem to the closed valve position. 10. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the actuator gear is on the upper end portion of the valve stem and has a plurality of gear teeth with a gear slot between adjacent ones of the plurality of gear teeth. 11. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 1 further comprising a valve-closing member on the handle actuator, wherein the valve-closing member engages the valve stem and moves the valve stem to the closed valve position when the handle actuator is moved to the water-off position. 12. A water flow control assembly for a single lever faucet, the assembly comprising: a faucet-valve coupler constructed to operatively connect a handle of a single lever faucet to a valve stem of a valve assembly of the single lever faucet and to engage the valve assembly of the single lever faucet, wherein the faucet-valve coupler has a handle actuator pivotably connected to an actuator ring defining an actuator ring opening, wherein the actuator ring is disposed on the valve assembly with the valve stem extending through the actuator ring opening, and wherein the handle actuator is operable between a water-on position, a neutral position, and a water-off position;a ratchet assembly having a valve stem portion and a handle portion, the ratchet assembly being operatively connected to the valve stem of the valve assembly, wherein the handle portion engages the valve stem portion to increment the valve stem to a plurality of predefined open valve positions in response to each pivot of the handle actuator to the water-on position, and wherein the handle portion disengages from the valve stem portion in response to pivoting the handle actuator to the water-off position; anda biasing member disposed between the actuator ring and the valve assembly of the single lever faucet providing a vertical motion to the handle actuator, wherein the biasing member automatically returns the handle actuator to the neutral position when the user pivots the handle actuator to the water-on position or the water-off position followed by the user releasing the handle actuator. 13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the valve stem portion of the ratchet assembly includes a gear actuator on an upper end portion of the valve stem, and wherein the handle portion includes a pawl pivotably attached to the handle actuator and a pawl release attached to the valve assembly, wherein moving the faucet-valve coupler to the water-on position causes the pawl to engage the gear actuator and move the valve stem to one of the plurality of predefined open valve positions, and wherein moving the faucet-valve coupler to the water-off position moves the valve stem to a closed valve position and causes the pawl to engage the pawl release and disengage the pawl from the gear actuator. 14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the gear actuator has a plurality of gear slots, and wherein each movement of the faucet-valve coupler from the neutral position to the water-on position increments the valve stem to one of the plurality of predefined open valve positions with an increased water flow rate. 15. The assembly of claim 12, wherein a top surface of the actuator ring defines a pair of contoured top side portions positioned on opposite sides of the actuator ring opening, each of the pair of contoured top side portions having a middle contoured portion and front and rear contoured portions sloping down and away from the middle contoured portion, wherein the handle actuator defines a plurality of protrusions extending down towards the actuator ring, and wherein each of the pair of contoured top side portions is shaped to accommodate an arc of rotation of the handle actuator and shaped to engage at least one of the plurality of protrusions in each of the neutral position, water-on position and the water-off position, thereby raising the handle actuator along a central vertical axis with respect to the actuator ring when the handle actuator is in the neutral position. 16. The single-lever faucet valve assembly of claim 15, wherein the contoured top side portions and the plurality of protrusions interact in combination to make the biasing member compress non-linearly over a resultant vertical motion of the biasing member thereby providing more force to the neutral position of the handle. 17. The assembly of claim 12 further comprising a valve-closing member on the faucet-valve coupler, wherein moving the faucet-valve coupler to the water-off position causes the valve-closing member to engage and move the valve stem to a closed valve position.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (24)
Lenart, Robert A.; Loschelder, Todd C., ADA metering faucet mechanism.
Hart Thomas G. (Piscataway NJ) Ohaus Karl G. (Chatham NJ) Nickerson Earl W. (Ocean City NJ) Meisner David J. (Monmouth Beach NJ), Self-closing valve for sanitary installations.
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