Central vacuum system wall valve

• US 5,111,841 A
• Filed: 11/26/1990
• Issued: 05/12/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Healthy Gain Investments Limited
• Original Assignee: Hoover Company (Whirlpool Corporation)
• Inventors: Bilek, Greg A., Houston, William S., McKnight, Darwin T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chambers, A. Michael
• Application Number:
  US07/618,076
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 137/360, 137/356, 137/377, 285/159
• US Class Current: 137/360
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 5/38 Built-in suction cleaner installations, i.e. with fixed tube system to which, at different stations, hoses can be connected
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/242 Hose or pipe couplings
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/60 with plug and fixed wall housing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/698 Wall

Abstract

A central vacuum system wall valve is described which includes a valve cap capable of being pivotally cammed to open position by its interaction with the roomside hose as this hose is moved to inserted position within the wall valve.

Claims

1. A wall valve for use with a central vacuum system comprising;

a) a valve port for communicating with said central vacuum system;

b) means for mounting said wall valve in a room wall having an exposed planar surface; and

c) a valve door covering said valve port, having a surface suitable for engagement by a suction hose, and pivoting on an axis perpendicular to said planar surface of said wall.

2. The wall valve of claim 1 wherein;

a) said valve includes a plate like member mounted adjacent to said planar surface of said wall,

b) said plate like member includes guiding means for directing said suction hose towards said engagement surface of said valve door.

3. The wall valve of claim 2 wherein;

a) said guiding means opens upwardly to enable initial downward guiding movement of said hose.

4. The wall valve of claim 2 wherein;

a) said guiding means is disposed to guide opposite sides of said hose.

5. The wall valve of claim 2 wherein;

a) said guiding means is disposed to guide only one side of said hose.

6. The wall valve of claim 2 wherein;

a) said guiding means includes a curved portion to accommodate final insertion of said hose in said valve.

7. The wall valve of claim 1 wherein;

a) said valve door is substantially rectangular in elevation.

8. The wall valve of claim 1 wherein;

a) said valve door swings from a substantially upright vertical position to a substantially downward vertical position to thereby subtend a swinging arc of substantially 180°

.

9. The wall valve of claim 1 wherein;

a) said wall valve includes fixed guidance means for said suction hose,

b) said fixed guidance means comprising ribs being spaced apart to provide a way for guiding downward movement of said suction hose, each of said ribs extending below an insertion port of said valve for insertion of said suction hose.

10. The wall valve of claim 1 wherein;

a) said engagement surface of said valve door includes at least a vertically oriented upwardly and inwardly urged straight side to provide a camming surface engageable by a cylindrical periphery of said suction hose.

11. The wall valve of claim 1 wherein;

a) said engagement surface of said valve door includes a camming surface engageable by a flat face on said suction hose to move said valve door towards open position.

12. The wall valve of claim 11 wherein;

a) said camming surface is formed in a thickness of said door,

b) said thickness being the thickness between front and rear sides of said door.

13. A wall valve for use with a central vacuum system comprising;

a) a valve port for communicating with said central vacuum system;

b) means for mounting said wall valve in a room wall having an exposed planar surface; and

c) a valve door covering said valve port, having a surface suitable for engagement by a suction hose, pivoting on an axis perpendicular to said planar surface of said wall, and moving inwardly and outwardly along said perpendicular axis when said valve door is turned.

14. The wall valve of claim 13 wherein;

a) said inward and outward and pivoting movement of said valve door is occasioned by cylindrical cam slot formed in a mounting means for said door,

b) said cam slot having a lead and circumferential extent to thereby provide said movement of said valve door.

15. The wall valve of claim 14 wherein;

a) said cam slot is formed in a wall of a hollow cylindrical member, and

b) a follower for said cam slot mounts said door.

16. The wall valve of claim 15 wherein;

a) said follower consists of a door mounting pivot pin disposed in a bore formed by said hollow cylindrical member, and

b) a cross pin inserted in said pivot pin and riding in said cam slot.

17. The wall valve of claim 16 wherein;

a) said cam extends around said hollow cylindrical body substantially 180°

.

18. The wall valve of claim 16 wherein;

a) said cross pin extends outwardly of said pivot pin on only one side of said pivot pin.

19. A spacing plate utilizable with a wall mounted valve for a central vacuum system including;

a) said wall valve including a front plate having boss like engagements on its rear side,

b) said spacer plate having boss like engagements on at least one of its sides;

c) said bosses on said front plate and on said spacer plate being aligned and equally spaced,

d) at least some of said bosses on said spacer plate and said front plate being hollow and larger than the remainder of said bosses,

e) said smaller bosses capable of fitting telescopically into said hollow larger bosses,

f) said bosses being alignable at least two ways, with said small and large bosses on said front plate and spacing plate abutting and with said small bosses received telescopically in said large bosses,

g) whereby said spacing plate and said front plate, when assembled, may have at least two thicknesses.

20. The spacing plate of claim 19 wherein;

a) said spacing plate has small and large bosses on both of its sides.

21. The spacing plate of claim 19 wherein;

a) said spacing plate includes a border extending therearound,

b) said bosses on said spacing plate being disposed within said border.