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Toilet overflow prevention system

  • US 6,032,303 A
  • Filed: 11/19/1998
  • Issued: 03/07/2000
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A toilet bowl overflow prevention system comprising, in combination:

  • a toilet assembly including a bowl having a tank mounted thereon with a rectangular configuration defined by a bottom face mounted on the bowl and a peripheral side wall mounted to a periphery of the bottom face and extending upwardly therefrom, a drain aperture formed in the bottom face of the tank, a flush valve having an outboard portion with an inverted frusto-conical configuration and an inboard portion including a pair of arms pivotally coupled to a pivot rod which is mounted on the bottom face of the tank with ends extending laterally beyond the arms of the inboard portion of the flush valve;

    a knob assembly including a swivel rod positioned within a bore formed in a front face of the tank of the toilet assembly adjacent to an upper peripheral edge thereof, a knob mounted on an outboard end of the swivel rod exterior of the tank with a disk-shaped knurled periphery, a plurality of linearly aligned diametrically disposed bores formed in an inboard end of the swivel rod, a bracket screwably fastened to a central extent of the swivel rod within the tank for maintaining the rod in rotating relationship with the peripheral side wall of the tank of the toilet assembly, and a radially extending portion with a T-shaped sleeve defined by a first tube receiving the inboard end of the swivel rod with a set screw screwably mounted in a central extent thereof for being received by one of the bores of the swivel rod and a second tube for receiving a first end of a linear extension which extends radially from the swivel rod of the knob assembly with a plurality of linearly aligned vertically disposed bores formed therein;

    a weighted pivoting assembly including a pair of linear side members, an interconnect coupled between first ends of the side members for maintaining the same in parallel relationship, a weight mounted on a central extent of the interconnect, a pair of aligned inverted U-shaped cut outs formed in a bottom edge of each of the side members between the first ends of the side members and a central extent thereof for pivotally resting on the ends of the pivot rod, two pair of aligned bores formed in each of the side members between second ends and the central extent thereof, and a pair of dowels each having ends positioned through the bores of the side members and maintained therein via hair pins coupled to ends of the dowels;

    an adjustable intermediate connector assembly having a cubical inboard portion with a horizontal bore for receiving the second end of the linear extension of the knob assembly and having a top aperture adapted to receive a set screw which selectively engages one of the bores of the linear extension of the knob assembly, a cubical first middle portion having a top face fixedly mounted to a bottom face of the inboard portion, a cubical second middle portion with a pivot interconnect rotatably positioned within a through hole formed in the first and second middle portions with a bushing situated therebetween and a pair of hair pins maintaining the pivot interconnect in place, and a cubical outboard portion with a vertical bore and a rivet mounted between the outboard portion and the second middle portion with a bushing positioned therebetween for allowing the rotation thereof about a horizontal axis in perpendicular relationship with the pivot interconnect;

    a plunger mechanism including a vertically oriented sleeve having a top end positioned within the vertical bore of the outboard portion of the intermediate connector assembly with a plurality of linearly aligned diametrically opposed bores for receiving a set screw engaged with the outboard portion of the intermediate connector assembly and a bottom end with a tab extending radially therefrom having a hole formed therein, a chain having a top end with a hook for engaging the hole of the tab and a bottom end connected to the outboard portion of the flush valve of the toilet assembly for lifting the same upon the rotation of the knob of the knob assembly in a first direction, an elongated plunger having a length greater than that of the sleeve slidably disposed within the sleeve and having a bottom end rotatably mounted on an outboard one of the dowels of the weighted pivoting assembly and having a plurality of diametrically disposed bores for receiving a stopper piece which extends from the plunger such that the sleeve abuts the same and forces the dowels of the weighted pivoting assembly against the flush valve in order to manually force the same in sealed abutment with the drain aperture of the toilet assembly upon the rotation of the knob of the knob assembly in a second direction.

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