Domestic hot water service inlet shut off valve triggered by fluid level in overflow tray

• US 6,336,469 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2000
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adrian John Nixon, David Thomas Hair
• Original Assignee: Adrian John Nixon, David Thomas Hair
• Inventors: Nixon, Adrian John, Hair, David Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Walton, George L.
• Application Number:
  US09/673,403
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 137/312, 137/416, 137/420, 137/421, 137/447, 137/449, 251/73, 251/74, 122/504.2, 122/507, 122/504
• US Class Current: 137/312
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/563 for rotating or pivoting valves
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 9/2007 for water heaters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/5762 With leakage or drip collecting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7397 Weight or spring bias
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7481 Rotary valve element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7488 Ball valves

Abstract

A mechanism for opening or closing a shut-off valve, the mechanism having a valve actuator for moving the valve from a first position to a second position, an urging means, a trigger which, when activated, triggers operation of the valve actuator, the trigger including a retainer which ordinarily holds the shut-off valve in the first position against the force applied by urging means, and a sensor reactive to an external stimulus which releases the trigger upon receiving appropriate external stimulus.

Claims

1. A mechanism for opening or closing a valve through which a liquid can flow when open, the mechanism having valve actuation means for moving said valve from a first position to a second position under the urging of urging means, trigger means which, when activated, trigger operation of said valve actuation means, said trigger means including retainer means which ordinarily hold said valve in said first position against the force applied by said urging means, and sensor means arranged so as to be displaced by a rise in the level of the liquid when it is suitably contained, whereby displacement of said sensor means provides a stimulus which is transmitted through a mechanical interaction to said trigger means so as to release said trigger means, and wherein said valve actuation means comprises a rotor connected to a spindle adapted for operative association with said valve and said urging means comprises a torsion spring adapted to act on said rotor, and further comprising a locking cap which extends over and around said rotor and holds the torsion spring in a compressed configuration in order to prevent the induction of rotary motion in said spindle until said trigger means is released.

2. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which said sensor means is a float disposed in a vessel in which the liquid is contained.

3. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which stimulus from said sensor means is transmitted through abutment of an element connected to said sensor means and an element connected to said trigger means.

4. A mechanism as claimed in claim 3 in which said retainer means is a mechanical catch.

5. A mechanism as claimed in claim 4 in which the mechanical catch is formed on a lever.

6. A mechanism as claimed in claim 5 in which the lever on which the catch is formed moves so as to bring the catch into and out of engagement with said valve actuation means through coming into abutment with one of a group of levers in operative association with said sensor means.

7. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which stimulus from said sensor means is transmitted through a mechanical connection to said trigger means.

8. A mechanism as claimed in claim 7 in which said sensor means is connected to said trigger means by a lever or a plurality of pivotally connected levers.

9. A mechanism as claimed in claim 8 in which said retainer means is a mechanical catch.

10. A mechanism as claimed in claim 9 in which the mechanical catch is formed on one said lever.

11. A mechanism as claimed in claim 10 in which the mechanical catch is formed on or adjacent to one end of the lever and the lever is adapted for pivotal motion so as to lift the catch into and out of engagement with catch receiving means associated with said valve actuation means.

12. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1 in which the locking cap has formed therein an orifice through which it engages said trigger means.

13. A mechanism as claimed in claim 12 in which the orifice is formed in a lateral extension of the locking cap.

14. A valve through which liquid can flow when open including a valve housing provided with at least two passage ports, a passage port closure member rotatable from a first to a second position and valve actuation means for rotating said passage port closure member from said first to said second position under the urging of urging means, trigger means which, when released, trigger operation of said valve actuation means, said trigger means including retainer means which ordinarily hold said valve in said first position against the force applied by said urging means, and sensor means arranged so as to be displaced by a rise in the level of the liquid when it is suitably contained, whereby displacement of said sensor means provides a stimulus which is transmitted through a mechanical interaction to said trigger means so as to release said trigger means, and wherein said valve actuation means comprises a rotor connected to a spindle in operative association with the passage port closure member and said urging means comprises a torsion spring adapted to act on said rotor, and further comprising a locking cap which extends over and around said rotor and holds the torsion spring in a compressed configuration in order to prevent the induction of rotary motion in said spindle until said trigger means is released.

15. A valve as claimed in claim 14 in which the closure member is a ball of the type used in ball valves.

16. A hot water system suitable for domestic use associated with a vessel for collecting overflow water comprising a hot water tank, a mains inlet to said hot water tank from a mains supply and an outlet for hot water, said inlet including a shut-off valve having a valve housing provided with at least two passage ports, a first passage port serving as an inlet to said shut-off valve from said mains inlet and a second passage port serving as an outlet from said shut-off valve to said mains inlet, a passage port closure member rotatable from an open position in which flow through said mains inlet is unimpeded to a closed position in which flow through said mains inlet is prevented, valve actuation means for rotating said passage port closure member from an open to a closed position under the urging of urging means, trigger means which, when released, trigger operation of said valve actuation means, said trigger means including retainer means which ordinarily hold said shut-off valve in said open position against the force applied by said urging means, and sensor means arranged so as to be displaced by a rise in the level of water when it is suitably contained, whereby displacement of said sensor means provides a stimulus which is transmitted through a mechanical interaction to said trigger means so as to release said trigger means, and wherein said valve actuation means comprises a rotor connected to a spindle in operative association with the passage port closure member and said urging means comprises a torsion spring adapted to act on said rotor, and further comprising a locking cap which extends over and around said rotor and holds said torsion spring in a compressed configuration in order to prevent the induction of rotary motion in said spindle until said trigger means is released.

17. A hot water system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the sensor means is a float.

18. A hot water system as claimed in claim 17 in which said hot water tank is positioned within a vessel for collecting overflow water.

19. A hot water system as claimed in claim 18 in which said vessel has an overflow chamber in fluid flow association therewith, and said sensor means is positioned within said overflow chamber.

20. A hot water system as claimed in claim 16 in which the hot water tank is positioned within the vessel for collecting overflow water.

21. A hot water system as claimed in claim 16 in which the vessel has an overflow chamber in fluid flow association therewith, and the sensor means is positioned within the overflow chamber.

22. A mechanism for opening or closing a valve through which a liquid can flow when open, the mechanism having valve actuation means for moving said valve from a first position to a second position under the urging of urging means, trigger means which, when activated, trigger operation of said valve actuation means, said trigger means including retainer means which ordinarily hold said valve in said first position against the force applied by said urging means, and sensor means arranged so as to be displaced by a rise in the level of the liquid when it is suitably contained, whereby displacement of said sensor means provides a stimulus which is transmitted through a mechanical interaction to said trigger means so as to release said trigger means, and wherein said valve actuation means comprises a rotor connected to a spindle adapted for operative association with said valve and said urging means comprises two off-set compression springs, each of which acts on a roller-type pin which in turn acts on said rotor.

23. A mechanism as claimed in claim 22 in which said sensor means is a float disposed in a vessel in which the liquid is contained.

24. A mechanism as claimed in claim 22 in which stimulus from said sensor means is transmitted through abutment of an element connected to said sensor means and an element connected to said trigger means.

25. A mechanism as claimed in claim 24 in which said retainer means is a mechanical catch.

26. A mechanism as claimed in claim 25 in which said mechanical catch is formed on a lever.

27. A mechanism as claimed in claim 26 in which said lever on which said catch is formed moves so as to bring said catch into and out of engagement with said valve actuation means through coming into abutment with one of a group of levers in operative association with said sensor means.

28. A mechanism as claimed in claim 22 in which stimulus from said sensor means is transmitted through a mechanical connection to said trigger means.

29. A mechanism as claimed in claim 28 in which said sensor means is connected to said trigger means by at least one lever.

30. A mechanism as claimed in claim 29 in which said trigger means includes a trigger actuating pivoting lever.

31. A mechanism as claimed in claim 30 in which said trigger means includes a displacement means, movement of which under the influence of said trigger actuating pivoting lever activates said valve actuation means.

32. A mechanism as claimed in claim 31 in which said displacement means is a trigger pin adapted for withdrawal from engagement with said valve actuation means so as to activate said valve actuation means.

33. A mechanism as claimed in claim 32 in which the trigger actuating pivoting lever includes a portion responsive to the sensor means through induction of rotation in the trigger actuating pivoting lever and a hooked projection constituting said retainer means which ordinarily engages the trigger pin but releases the trigger pin when the trigger actuating pivoting lever rotates.

34. A mechanism as claimed in claim 29 in which said retainer means is a mechanical catch.

35. A mechanism as claimed in claim 34 in which said mechanical catch is formed on one of said at least one lever.

36. A mechanism as claimed in claim 35 in which said mechanical catch is on or adjacent to an end of said lever and said lever is adapted for pivotal motion so as to lift the catch into and out of engagement with catch receiving means associated with said valve actuation means.

37. A mechanism as claimed in claim 22 in which at least one of said roller-type pins has an orifice on a top surface through which said roller-type pin engages said trigger means.

38. A valve through which liquid can flow when open including a valve housing provided with at least two passage ports, a passage port closure member rotatable from a first to a second position and valve actuation means for rotating said passage port closure member from said first to said second position under the urging of urging means, trigger means which, when released, trigger operation of said valve actuation means, said trigger means including retainer means which ordinarily hold said valve in said first position against the force applied by said urging means, and sensor means arranged so as to be displaced by a rise in the level of the liquid when it is suitably contained, whereby displacement of said sensor means provides a stimulus which is transmitted through a mechanical interaction to said trigger means so as to release said trigger means, and wherein said valve actuation means comprises a rotor connected to a spindle in operative association with the passage port closure member and said urging means comprises two off-set compression springs, each of which acts on a roller-type pin which in turn acts on said rotor.

39. A valve as claimed in claim 38 in which said passage port closure member is a ball of the type used in ball valves.

40. A hot water system suitable for domestic use associated with a vessel for collecting overflow water, a mains inlet to said hot water tank from a mains supply and an outlet for hot water, said inlet including a shut-off valve having a valve housing provided with at least two passage ports, a first passage port serving as an inlet to said shut-off valve from said mains inlet and a second passage port serving as an outlet from said shut-off valve to said mains inlet, a passage port closure member rotatable from an open position in which flow through said mains inlet is unimpeded to a closed position in which flow through said mains inlet is prevented, valve actuation means for rotating said passage port closure member from an open to a closed position under the urging of urging means, trigger means which, when released, trigger operation of said valve actuation means, said trigger means including retainer means which ordinarily hold said shut-off valve in said open position against the force applied by said urging means, and sensor means arranged so as to be displaced by a rise in the level of water when it is suitably contained, whereby displacement of said sensor means provides a stimulus which is transmitted through a mechanical interaction to said trigger means so as to release said trigger means, and wherein said valve actuation means comprises a rotor connected to a spindle in operative association with said passage port closure member and said urging means comprises two off-set compression springs, each of which acts on a roller-type pin which in turn acts on said rotor.

41. A hot water system as claimed in claim 40 wherein said sensor means is a float.