Cabinet door operated faucet valve

• US 6,219,859 B1
• Filed: 04/10/2000
• Issued: 04/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Soheyl Derakhshan
• Original Assignee: Soheyl Derakhshan
• Inventors: Derakhshan, Soheyl
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Gregory L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US09/546,902
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 467/5-6-8, 462/3, 462/4, 462/6, 463/0, 463/8, 137/599, 137/884, 137/337, 138/31, 251/295, 251/129.04
• US Class Current: 4/677
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/052 Mechanical devices not being part of the tap, e.g. foot pedals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87265 Dividing into parallel flow paths with recombining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87885 Sectional block structure

Abstract

An automatic control system for a faucet of a sink includes a valve manifold adapted to be disposed beneath the sink. The valve manifold is adapted to communicate with at least one of a hot water supply line and a cold water supply line and at least one of a hot water faucet connecting line and a cold water faucet connecting line for delivering water to the faucet of the sink. The valve manifold includes at least one electrically actuatable valve for controlling the flow of water to at least one of the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting line and a diversionary valve adapted to allow water in the valve manifold to bypass the at least one electrically actuatable valve and flow to at least one of the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting line.

Claims

1. An automatic control system for a faucet of a sink, comprising:

a valve manifold adapted to be disposed beneath said sink, said valve manifold adapted to communicate with at least one of a hot water supply line and a cold water supply line and at least one of a hot water faucet connecting line and a cold water faucet connecting line for delivering water to the faucet of said sink, said valve manifold including at least one electrically actuatable valve for controlling the flow of water to at least one of the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting line, said at least one electrically actuatable valve adapted to electrically communicate with an electrical power supply;

at least one switch adapted to selectively cause a connection between said electrical power supply and said at least one electrically actuatable valve to be completed, whereby, upon completion of said connection, said at least one electrically actuatable valve at least partially opens to allow the flow of water to the faucet; and

said valve manifold including a diversionary valve adapted to allow water in said valve manifold to bypass said at least one electrically actuatable valve and flow to said at least one of the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting line.

2. The automatic control system of claim 1, wherein said diversionary valve includes a manually operable diversionary valve.

3. The automatic control system of claim 1, wherein said diversionary valve includes an automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve adapted to open when power ceases to be supplied to said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve.

4. The automatic control system of claim 3, wherein said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve includes a biasing mechanism adapted to urge said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve closed when said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve is supplied with electricity and urge said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve open when said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve is not supplied with electricity.

5. The automatic control system of claim 4, wherein said biasing mechanism includes an electromagnetic mechanism adapted to close said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve when said electromagnetic mechanism is supplied with electricity and a spring adapted to open said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve when electricity is not supplied to said electromagnetic mechanism.

6. The automatic control system of claim 1, wherein said valve manifold is adapted to be disposed beneath said sink, inside a cabinet frame having a pair of hinged doors mounted thereon, said at least one switch adapted to be mounted to the cabinet frame, at least one of said doors including an internal surface facing the inside of the cabinet and adapted to contact said at least one switch when said at least one door is substantially closed, said at least one switch adapted to be activated by the internal surface of said at least one door when pressure is applied to an external surface of said at least one door.

7. The automatic control system of claim 6, wherein said at least one switch includes a latching switch that, upon being activated a first time, maintains completion of the connection of said electrical power supply and said solenoid valves until the switch is reactivated.

8. The automatic control system of claim 6, wherein said at least one switch includes a momentarily non-latching switch.

9. The automatic control system of claim 6, wherein said at least one switch and said at least one valve are adapted to provide variable flow control in said valve manifold proportionate to the amount of pressure applied to the external surface of said at least one door.

10. The automatic control system of claim 9, wherein said at least one switch includes a variable-resistance push switch and said at least one electrically actuatable valve includes a servo valve.

11. The automatic control system of claim 9, further including a wireless mechanism adapted to communicate said at least one switch with said at least one electrically actuatable valve to control said at least one electrically actuatable valve.

12. The automatic control system of claim 11, wherein said wireless mechanism includes a transmitter associated with the at least one switch, and a receiver and a control unit associated with said valve manifold, said transmitter adapted to transmit a signal indicative of the state of said at least one switch to said receiver which communicates the signal to said control unit for control of said at least one electrically actuatable valve.

13. An automatic control system for a faucet of a sink, comprising:

a valve manifold adapted to be disposed beneath said sink, inside a cabinet frame having a pair of hinged doors mounted thereon, said valve manifold supply line and a cold water supply line and at least one of a hot water faucet connecting line and a cold water faucet connecting line for delivering water to the faucet of said sink, said valve manifold including at least one electrically actuatable valve for controlling the flow of water to at least one of the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting line, said at least one electrically actuatable valve adapted to electrically communicate with an electrical power supply;

at least one switch adapted to be mounted to the cabinet frame, at least one of said doors including an internal surface facing the inside of the cabinet and adapted to contact said at least one switch when said at least one door is substantially closed, said at least one switch adapted to be selectively activated by the internal surface of said at least one door when pressure is applied to an external surface of said at least one door so as to cause a connection between said electrical power supply and said at least one electrically actuatable valve to be completed, whereby, upon completion of said connection, said at least one valve at least partially opens to allow the flow of water to the faucet.

14. The automatic control system of claim 13, wherein said at least one switch includes a latching switch that, upon being activated a first time, maintains completion of the connection of said electrical power supply and said at least one electrically actuatable valve until the switch is reactivated.

15. The automatic control system of claim 13, wherein said at least one switch includes a momentarily non-latching switch.

16. The automatic control system of claim 13, wherein said at least one switch and said at least one valve are adapted to provide variable flow control in said valve manifold proportionate to the amount of pressure applied to the external surface of said at least one door.

17. The automatic control system of claim 16, wherein said at least one switch includes a variable-resistance push switch and said at least one electrically actuatable valve includes a servo valve.

18. The automatic control system of claim 13, further including a wireless mechanism adapted to communicate said at least one switch with said at least one electrically actuatable valve to control said at least one electrically actuatable valve.

19. The automatic control system of claim 18, wherein said wireless mechanism includes a transmitter associated with the at least one switch, and a receiver and a control unit associated with said valve manifold, said transmitter adapted to transmit a signal indicative of the state of said at least one switch to said receiver which communicates the signal to said control unit for control of said at least one electrically actuatable valve.

20. The automatic control system of claim 19, wherein said at least one switch includes a static sensitive switch adapted to be coupled with an uncoated metallic sink, a metallic faucet spout or at least one metallic ornamental probe placed in a location of convenience for contact thereof and said control unit for control of said at least one electrically actuatable valve, said static sensitive switch coupled to said control unit via said transmitter and said receiver.

21. The automatic control system of claim 13, wherein said valve manifold includes a diversionary valve adapted to allow water in said valve manifold to bypass said at least one electrically actuatable valve and allow flow to at least one of the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting line.

22. The automatic control system of claim 21, wherein said diversionary valve includes a manually operable diversionary valve.

23. The automatic control system of claim 21, wherein said diversionary valve includes an automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve adapted to open when power ceases to be supplied to said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve.

24. The automatic control system of claim 23, wherein said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve includes a biasing mechanism adapted to urge said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve closed when said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve is supplied with electricity and urge said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve open when said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve is not supplied with electricity.

25. The automatic control system of claim 24, wherein said biasing mechanism includes an electromagnetic mechanism adapted to close said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve when said electromagnetic mechanism is supplied with electricity and a spring adapted to open said automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve when electricity is not supplied to said electromagnetic mechanism.

26. The automatic control system of claim 13, wherein said at least one switch includes a switch adapted to be activated by an upper side of a user'"'"'s foot.

27. The automatic control system of claim 13, wherein said at least one switch includes a static sensitive switch adapted to be coupled with an uncoated metallic sink or a metallic faucet spout and a control unit for control of said at least one electrically actuatable valve.

28. The automatic control system of claim 13, wherein said at least one switch includes a static sensitive switch adapted to be coupled with at lest one metallic ornamental probe placed in a location of convenience for contact thereof and a control unit for control of said at least one electrically actuatable valve.