Water conservation safety shut-off valve
First Claim
1. A fluid shut-off valve assembly comprising:
- a valve body having a fluid passageway;
a valve plug moveable between a first position and a second position allowing fluid to pass through the passageway when the plug is in the first position, and not allowing fluid to pass through the passageway when the plug is in the second position;
a valve plug catch device adapted to engage the valve stem to hold the valve plug in the first position;
a fluid flow detection device for detecting flow of fluid through the passageway; and
an electronic timer electrically connected to the fluid flow detection device for timing duration of fluid flowing through the passageway and causing the valve plug catch device to disengage the valve plug, causing the valve plug to move from the first position to the second position once a predetermined time limit has been reached by the timer and thereby plugging the fluid passageway and stopping the flow of fluid through the passageway.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a water conservation safety shut-off valve assembly for use on locations which normally have intermittent water usage but need to indicate when there is constant water usage, such as a leak. The valve assembly has a valve body with a fluid pathway and a valve plug held in an open position allowing water to flow through the pathway. As water flows through the pathway, a sensing device detects water flowing through the pathway and begins timing duration of water flowing through the pathway. If the water flow through the pathway stops, the timer value is reset to zero. If the water flows through the pathway, and the timer circuit reaches a predetermined manually set value, the valve closes the pathway, stopping the flow of water through the valve assembly. Preferably, the valve assembly indicates whether the valve is in an open or closed position. In addition, the valve assembly may generate its own electricity or may use standard battery or household power to operate the timer and related circuitry.
34 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A fluid shut-off valve assembly comprising:
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a valve body having a fluid passageway; a valve plug moveable between a first position and a second position allowing fluid to pass through the passageway when the plug is in the first position, and not allowing fluid to pass through the passageway when the plug is in the second position; a valve plug catch device adapted to engage the valve stem to hold the valve plug in the first position; a fluid flow detection device for detecting flow of fluid through the passageway; and an electronic timer electrically connected to the fluid flow detection device for timing duration of fluid flowing through the passageway and causing the valve plug catch device to disengage the valve plug, causing the valve plug to move from the first position to the second position once a predetermined time limit has been reached by the timer and thereby plugging the fluid passageway and stopping the flow of fluid through the passageway. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of conserving fluids comprising the steps of:
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providing a shut-off valve including a valve body having a fluid flow path, a valve plug for opening and closing the flow path, a valve stem operatively attached to the valve plug, a sensor for sensing flow of fluid through the flow path, and a timer for timing duration of fluid flowing through the flow path; engaging the valve stem with a solenoid plunger to keep the valve plug in an open position to allow the fluid to flow through the fluid flow path; sensing the flow of the fluid through the flow path; measuring the duration of the fluid flowing through the flow path; determining whether the duration of the fluid flowing through the flow path has met or exceeded a threshold value; and disengaging the solenoid plunger from the valve stem to close the flow path once the threshold value has been met or exceeded to stop to flow of fluid through the flow path in the valve. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of reducing water loss from a leaky toilet connected to a water supply line, the method comprising:
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providing a shut-off valve including a fluid inlet in fluid communication with the water supply line, a fluid outlet in fluid communication with the toilet, a valve body having a fluid flow path, a valve plug for opening and closing the flow path, a valve stem operatively attached to the valve plug, a sensor for sensing flow of fluid through the flow path, and a timer for timing duration of fluid flowing through the flow path; engaging the valve stem with a solenoid plunger to keep the valve plug in an open position to allow the fluid to flow through the fluid flow path; sensing the flow of the fluid through the flow path; measuring the duration of the fluid flowing through the flow path; determining whether the duration of the fluid flowing through the flow path has met or exceeded a threshold value; turning a rotor within the flow path with the fluid flowing through the valve to generate electricity to power the valve; and disengaging the solenoid plunger from the valve stem to close the flow path once the threshold value has been met or exceeded to stop to flow of fluid through the flow path in the valve. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of reducing water loss through a leaky appliance comprising the steps of:
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attaching an automated shut-off valve body between a water supply line for the appliance and a water inlet for the appliance; adjusting a time setting of an electronic timer within the valve body to a desired duration of water flow; monitoring when water is flowing through the valve body; timing duration of the water flowing through the valve body; automatically resetting the electronic timer within the valve body to the time setting when water flowing through the valve body stops; generating electricity with the water flowing through the valve body to automate operations within the valve body; and closing the valve once the time setting has been reached, thereby stopping flow of water through the valve body and the appliance.
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Specification