Appliance safety valve assembly

• US 6,895,788 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MCSM, LLC
• Original Assignee: MCSM, LLC
• Inventors: Montgomery, Danny K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stinson, Frankie L.
• Application Number:
  US10/152,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20030005731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 68/120.2, 68/121.9, 682/07, 68/121.6, 137/15, 137/312, 137/360, 137/387, 137/392, 137/624.11, 137/624.18
• US Class Current: 68/12.02
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/421 Safety arrangements for preventing water damage
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4217 Fittings for water supply, e.g. valves or plumbing means to connect to cold or warm water lines, aquastops
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/081 Safety arrangements for preventing water damage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/5762 With leakage or drip collecting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/698 Wall
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/729 Washing machine cycle control

Abstract

A water supply safety valve kit for an appliance in which the kit includes an individual solenoid actuated normally closed valve unit for each water supply line to the appliance and a control unit that plugs into a conventional electrical female household outlet. The control unit has a first outlet at the household line voltage and into which the power cord of the appliance plugs and a second lower voltage outlet responsive to current flow to the first outlet. A count down timer circuit and a low voltage output are activated by the current flow to the first outlet and lines connect that low voltage output to the solenoid valve unit to open the same. The count down timer terminates the low voltage output after a preselected time period.

Claims

1. An appliance safety valve assembly, comprising,

(a) a solenoid controlled normally closed single valve unit having an inlet coupling and an outlet coupling;

(b) a control unit that plugs into a conventional household 110V AC power supply female outlet and having a first female outlet thereon at said power supply voltage and into which the power supply cord for the appliance can be plugged, said control unit having therein a circuit that includes a count down timer, a voltage step-down device selectively providing a low voltage output of less than the operating voltage of the appliance, and means sensing current flow to said first power outlet, said low voltage output being activated in response to current flow to said first outlet detected by said current flow sensing means and deactivated by said count down timer; and

(c) means connecting said low voltage output to terminals of a coil portion of the solenoid of said valve unit to open said normally closed valve upon said detected current flow and close the same upon a preselected time lapse.

2. A kit as defined in claim 1, wherein said low voltage output is up to 15 volts.

3. A kit as defined in claim 1 wherein the appliance is a washing machine and wherein said kit includes an individual solenoid actuated valve unit for each of the hot and cold water supply outlets for the washing machine.

4. A kit as defined in claim 3 wherein said valve inlet and outlet couplings are respectively internally and externally threaded couplings.

6. A kit as defined in claim 1, wherein said low voltage output is up to 15 volts.

5. An appliance and appliance safety valve assembly, comprising,

(a) an appliance selected from the group consisting of a washing machine, a dish washer, and a refrigerator ice maker;

(b) at least one solenoid controlled normally closed single valve unit having an inlet coupling and an outlet coupling;

(c) a control unit that plugs into a conventional household 110V AC power supply female outlet and having a first female outlet thereon at said power supply voltage and into which the power supply cord for the washing machine can be plugged, said control unit having therein a circuit that includes a count down timer, a voltage step-down device selectively providing a low voltage output of less than the appliance operating voltage and means sensing current flow to said first power outlet, said low voltage output being activated in response to current flow to said first outlet detected by said current flow sensing means and deactivated by said count down timer; and

(d) means connecting said low voltage output to terminals of a coil portion of the solenoid of said valve unit to open said normally closed valve upon said detected current flow and close the same upon a preselected time lapse.