US1990207A - Guide for flush tank balls - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 5, 1935. w. F. RUFF GUIDE FOR FLUSH TANK BALLS Filed June 28, 1934 INVgOR TTORNEY Patented Feb. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5Claims.

This invention relates to a guide for the rod of the ball of a flush tank valve such as is commonly employed in flush tanks of water closets and the like.

With known structures of this general character, considerable difliculty is encountered in imperfect or uneven seating of the rubber flush ball on the valve seat, and the guide for the flush ball rod becomes worn so that the ball may swing laterally because of looseness of the ball rod in its guide. Also with known mechanisms aligning of the bearing for theflush ball rod with the valve seat has been troublesome and accomplished only with complicated and expensive structures.

One object of my invention is to provide a guide for the rod of a flush ball embodying novel and improved features of construction whereby the ball shall be accurately guided to its seat, and the guide shall be simple and inexpensive in construction and reliable and durable in operation.

Other objects are to provide a structure of this character which shall embody a guide bracket having an elongated guide sleeve slidable therein and in which the rod of the flush ball shall be slidable, so that the guide sleeve may extend practically throughout the length of the ball rod but shall be movable with the ball rod as the ball is raised from its seat so as not to interfere with opening of the valve; to provide a guide of this character wherein the guide sleeve may vibrate or rapidly slide up and down relatively to both the bracket and the rod as the flush ball bobs up and down on the surface of the water in the tank, to reduce friction between the parts, and permit the ball to freely move to its seat; to provide novel and improved means for aligning the guide with the sleeve seat; and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out by the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawing in which corresponding and like parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a flush tank valve mechanism including a guide constructed in accordance with my invention, and

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Specifically describing the invention, the reference character 1 designates the outlet fitting of the flush tank valve which is connected to the bottom of the tank and has an outlet passage 2 and a valve seat 3 at the inner end thereof. Upon the fitting 1 is mounted an overflow pipe 4 which communicates through a passage 5 with the outlet passage 2.

My invention includes a split clamp 6 to be applied to and surround the outlet pipe 4 and to be clamped thereon by a screw 7 in the usual manner. The clamp has preferably cast integrally therewith, a boss 8 to which a bracket arm 9 is secured. This bracket arm has a guide opening 10 which is normally aligned with the outlet passage 2 and the valve seat 3, and to 10 facilitate the aligning of the guide opening with the valve seat, I utilize a plurality of thin plates or shims 11 which are interposed between the end of the bracket arm 9 and the boss 8, the bracket arm being separably secured to the boss by screws 15 12.

Within the guide opening 10 is slidably mounted a guide sleeve 13 which is of a length slightly shorter than the rod 14 of the flush ball 15, and the rod 14 is slidably mounted in the sleeve 13 20 which telescopes the rod. The upper end of the sleeve 13 has a flange 16 above the bracket arm 9 and beneath which is loosely connected a link 17 which is attached to the lever or other operating mechanism which raises the flush ball from the valve seat. As shown, the link 1'7 has an eye 18 embracing the sleeve beneath the flange 16. Beyond the upper end of the sleeve 13 the rod 14 has a projection or loop 19 against which the end of the sleeve may abut to prevent the sleeve from sliding off the rod.

Normally when the flush ball is seated on the valve seat 3, the sleeve 13 depends from the bracket arm with the flange 16 holding the sleeve in this position as shown in Figure 1. When the operating mechanism is actuated to raise the flush ball, the link 17 is pulled upwardly which in turn raises the sleeve 13 which abutting the eye 19 also raises the flush ball as indicated'by the dot and dash lines. Inactual operation, the ball may be raised higher than shown on the drawing. When the operating mechanism is released, the link 17 descends either with or independently of the sleeve 13, and the sleeve slides downwardly in the bearing opening 10, resting on top of the flush ball. When the flange 16 reaches the bracket arm, movement of the sleeve is stopped, whereupon the rod 14 may continue to slide in the sleeve until the ball 15 is seated. It will thus be observed that the guide sleeve 13 provides a continuous and elongated bearing guide for the rod 14 which will accurately guide the flush ball 15 throughout its movement to the valve seat. The movement of the sleeve upwardly per- I mit the flush ball to be raised as high asnecessary I between said ball and said projection to abut them without interference by the guitgsl ee ve. I thus obtain the advantage of a guide w ich is substantially equal in length to the rod 14but which in no way interferes with longitudinal sliding of the rod, and there will be a minimum of possibility or lateral movement of the flush ball relative to its seat. Also, the up and, down movement ofthe ball resulting from the agitation of the water as it leaves the tank while the ball is 01! its seat,

It will be understood by those skilled in the.

art that the specific details of construction may be modified and changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, and thus I do not desire to be understood to be limiting myself in the construction and use of the invention except as required by the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

I Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1, In a flush valve, a valve seat, a flush ball to cooperate therewith having a rod formed with a projection, a sleeve slidably telescoping said rod upon sliding of the sleeve'or the rod in opposite directions respectively, a bracket having a vertical bearing opening in alinement with said valve seat and in which said sleeve is longitudinally slidable, a support for said bracket, and a link connected to said sleeve for sliding the latter in one direction to abut said projection and raise said flush ball from its seat.

2. In a flush valve for tanks, a valve seat, a ball to cooperate therewith and having a rod, a bracket having a vertical bearing opening alined with said valve seat, and a sleeve slidably telescoping said rod and longitudinally slidable in said bear-' ing opening, and means for raising said ball from its seat, said sleeve being held by said bracket in spaced relation to said ball when the latter is seated and resting at one end upon the ball while the latter is returning to its seat.

. 3. In a flush valve, a valve seat, a flush ball to cooperate therewith having a rod formed with a projection, a sleeve slidably telescoping said rod between said ball and said projection and limited thereby in its movements relative to said rod, a bracket having a vertical bearing opening alined with said seat in which said sleeve is longitudinally slidable, said sleeve having a flangeat its upper end above said bracket, and a link loosely slidably connected to said sleeve to abut said flange for raising said sleeve to abut'said projection and raise the ball from its seat.

4. A guide for a flush valve including a ball having a rod, comprising a support, a bracket formed of two separabiy connected sections one having means for connection to said support and the other having a bearing opening for said rod, and a spacer shim between said sections for varying the distance between said support and said bearing opening to aline the latter with said valve seat.

5. In a flush valve, a valve seat, a flush ball to cooperate therewith having a rod formed with a projection, a sleeve slidably telescoping said rod between said ball and said projection to abut them upon sliding of the sleeve or the rod in opposite directions respectively and of a length slightly less than the distance between said ball and projection, a bracket having a vertical bearing open-

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