US2605479A - Flush valve actuator - Google Patents

Description

1952 M. c. ANSORGE 2,605,479

FLUSH VALVE ACTUATOR Filed Sept. 26, 1946 INVENTOR Mark}; L flnsar e BY M M [aw ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 5, 1952 FLUSH VALVE ACTUATOR Martin C. Ansorge, New York, N. Y.

Application September 26, 1946, Serial No. 699,452

2 Claims.

This invention relates to flush valve actuators, and particularly to an improved means for actuating a flush valve by body pressure to insure the proper flushing of toilet facilities.

Toilet bowls and urinals in public places usually have flush valves which are actuated by a manually operated handle or by a push button. Because of the substantially continuous use of public toilet facilities by people in all walks and stations of life, the handles or push buttons of such valves may serve as carriers of disease germs; and many people are reluctant manually to grasp the handle or to actuate the push button with the fingers for fear of contracting an infectious disease. As a result, and particularly after urination, the toilets or urinals are not flushed, and the toilet rooms become malodorous and unsanitary.

The management or custodians of many buildings place blocks of antiseptic and odor absorbing materials in the drains of urinals or use other means for keeping the toilet facilities in a more sanitary condition; but almost never do porters or janitors of a building clean the valve actuators with germicidal preparations. Thus proper flushing of the equipmentwhich is the most satisfactory means of maintaining it odor free and sanitaryis very often not practiced by the public. Studies have shown that pedal or like foot-pressure actuated valves are frequently ignored by the public; and such valves have the further disadvantage of becoming jammed or disordered, requiring the services of a mechanic to restore to operable condition.

It is a principal object of the invention to prov vide means whereby conventional handle or button actuated flush valves may be simply, easily and practically involuntarily, operated by body pressure and thus obviate the necessity of manually grasping or touching the actuator with the hands.

It is an object of the invention to provide means whereby with slight and oftimes unconscious effort, the user of a urinal or other toilet facility may flush the same during use.

It is another object of the invention to provide means whereby slight body pressure applied in V a substantially straight line of effort is converted to an angular movement of the valve actuator for proper operation of the valve.

It is an object of the invention to provide a flush valve actuator which will insure, encourage or induce an adequate flushing of the sanitary equipment.

It is an object of the invention to provide a flush valve actuator pursuant to which the toilet facilities will be flushed during each use, thereby to improve the sanitary conditions of frequentlyused toilet rooms.

It is an object of the invention to provide a flush valve actuator as aforesaid which is inexpensive to manufacture and install on standard forms of flush valves.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a flush valve actuator which does not in any way modify the internal mechanical structure or method of operation of standard or conventional fiush valves.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter be described.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation of the invention tas applied to a conventional urinal of the stall Fig. 2 is a detail showing a conventional flush valve construction and the engagement therewith by the cam plate of the valve actuator shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a detail, partly in section, showing one embodiment of the invention as applied to a flush valve of the button operated type;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail of a method of removably attaching the actuator means to the handle of a standard flush valve.

Referring initially to Fig. 2, the flush valve I0 is illustrated as of conventional type in which inward movement of the spring biased plunger ll tilts the valve actuator l2 to cause a flow of water from the valve. As is apparent, the plunger l I is guided for straight inward and outward movement, and inasmuch as the spring I4 is frequently of substantial strength, it is customary to provide a lever type of actuator handle which when tilted causes a cam l5 to rotate about its edge as a fulcrum to exert inward pressure against .the end It of the plunger. II. It will be noted that the head I5 has a relatively large flat area in contact with the flat surface of the plunger end [6. Upon release of pressure on the handle or equivalent valve actuator, the spring l4 restores the respective parts to the normal Fig. 2 position.

In a preferred form of the present invention, the usual handle of a flush valve of the Fig. 2 type is replaced by or supplemented by a rod or shaft 11 to the end of which is removably affixed the cam I5, as by the screw threaded means shown in Fig. 2. To the end of the rod I! there is permanently affixed a plate [8, which may be of the order of 2 or 3 inches in diameter, and which has a smooth and preferably convex outer surface.

. In order to transform forward body pressure against plate l8 into the desired angular movement of cam IS, the plate is inclined from the vertical, as shown, with the result that the plate will tend to move downwardly upon pressure applied thereagainst, to rotate the rod and cam in the direction of movement. The red I! may be straight, but preferably has an ogee curvature or is inclined so as to offset the plate with respect to the vertical or horizontalplane.

It should be understood. that.

of plunger I i. whereas the plate is illustrated as being beneath the level of plunger li-and this is considered? preferable-it may be offset to either side, or may. be above the plunger.

to operate by tilting the handle, because the spring ld-is so strong as to make ct inward thrust of the handledifficult. Accordingly, forward body pressure as indicated by thesclid ar row in Fig. l, is translated into an angular movement of the rod 1 l as indicated by the dotted arrow in-such figure. The mechanical advantage obtained by'thelong rod i'i' reduces almost to the point of imperceptibility and bodily effort required' tooperate the valve, and the flushing of the toilet fixture becomes almost an involuntary Or natural act. By making'the rod i? and plate E8 of light materials, the standard spring i l-is completely adequate to return the device to normal position after use.

In contradistinction to the angular movement of the actuator of theconventional lever-operating'flush valve type, the push button valve, as shown in Fig. 3, operates by a direct inward movement of the button 29, said movement urging-the plungerll directly inwar ly, against the resistance of the relatively weaker spring 21. Although the spring 2! is generally of less strength than the spring M of the Fig. Z'type,

ably'receive a shaft 24 which pivotally carries the actuator rod 25. The head of the rod is provided with'oris'formed with a cam 25 which is in engagementwith the button 20. Although the rod 252may be provided with a bodyrpressure plate similafto the plate it, the Fig. 3 embodiment shows a body-pressure member 2] which is bulbous in shape. Said bulb maybe adhesively securedto the end of the rod; Alternatively, the neck'of the bulb may be provided with a female threaded insert for cooperation with a threaded endof the rod. 7

Forward pressure-on thebody-pressure member 2:! :w'ill causea-clockwise rotationof lever'25;

;- member 25.-

whereupon the nose of cam 26 will urge the button inwardly to operate the flush valve. Preferably, means such as the coil spring 28 is utilized to return the lever 25 to its initial position after operation, because the spring 2| may not be of sufiicient strength, in the usual flush valve, for

proper return of the actuator to normal position.

It is obvious that the cam 26 is the equivalent of the cam plate l5 ofFig. 2, and thatcam 26 may bear directly against'the head l6 of the plunger ll. Without in any way affecting the -operation of the device, the button 29 may be eliminated and the structure arranged so that cam 26 directly engages the head iii.

Either of the actuators is easily installed, and does not require any disconnection of piping or shutting OlT. of the water supply. In the Fig. 2 embodiment, it is necessary only to remove the nut 38 and the socket 3!, whereupon the conventional handle is removable. The end of the rod ll is'passedthrough the opening in the socket and' thehead it affi'xed thereto, whereupon the sleeve and nut are resecured and the apparatus is in condition for'immediate use.

Inthe-Fig. 3 embodiment, it is considered preferable to provide a socket 22 having' integral lugs 2-3, and it is contemplated that the socket and rod 25 will besoldfor'installation as a unit.

Fig. 5- shows means whereby'a rod ll or, in

1 the absence thereof, body-pressure member 29*rnay conveniently "be applied directly to the valve handleof aconventional flush valve. A female-threaded sleeve-Balms a reduced-diameter neck 3 securedto the inner wall' of the tapering end-of 'the valve handle, as shown. A split nut 34, having a bore configurated to snugly engage the handle at an intermediate reduceddiameter portion is male-threaded for cooperation with the-sleeve 33; Upon placing said sleeve over the handle and making upon the nut, the

sleeve is urged to the left of Fig; 5, to tightly come into position against the handle 32 for sec'urementthereto. The member 29 has been fragmentarily'shown' as of bulbous form, but it is'obvious that a member such as plate I B may be used to equal advantage.

Although the invention has been described by' making a 'fully'detailed reference to the certain presently preferred embodiments, such detail of description is to be understood in an instructive rather than a limiting'sense, many changes being possible within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

I claim:

1; In combination, a valve actuator for a standard cam actuated flush valveof a urinal, disposed adjacent to and extending transversely outwardly from the large open area of the urinal, which standard cam-actuated flush valve includes a reciprocable member reciprocatingin a substantially horizontal plane for initiating fluid flow through the flush valve together with a cam bearing against the reciprocable member and against a fixed surface in a vertical plane at right angles to the path of reciprocation and to the horizontal plane of reciprocation, the valve actuator extending from the cam at right angles to the vertical plane of contact area; a first section of the actuator extending parallel to the horizontal plane of reciprocation of the reciprocable member and at right angles to the vertical" plane of the contact area; a second section of the actuator attached to the first section'and forming an angle with the horizontal plane-10f Said sleeve preferably contacts the:

reciprocation; a third section of the actuator attical height of the angular second section; and

a plate attached to the end of the third section tilted at an angle to the horizontal plane of reciprocation whereby a pressure on the end plate in a horizontal plane applies a torque to the valve actuator causing the valve actuator and cam to pivot on the fixed surface and thereby actuate the reciprocable member which initiates the fluid flow through the valve.

2. In combination a valve actuator for a standard cam actuated flush valve disposed adjacent to and associated with a toilet fixture, which standard cam actuated flush valve includes a reciprocable member reciprocating in a substantially horizontal plane for initiating fluid flow through the flush valve together with a cam bearing against the reciprocable member and against a fixed surface in a vertical plane at right angles to the path of reciprocation and to the horizontal plane of reciprocation, the valve actuator extending from the cam at right angles to the vertical plane of contact area; a first section of the actuator extending parallel to the horizontal plane of reciprocation of the reciprocable member and at right angles to the vertical plane of the contact area, a second section of the actuator attached to the first section and forming an angle with the horizontal plane of reciprocation; a third section of the actuator attached to the second section parallel to the hori- 35 zontal plane of reciprocation and extending at right angles to the vertical plane and offset from the horizontal plane of reciprocation by the vertical height of the angular section section; and a, plate attached to the end of the third section tilted at an angle to the horizontal plane of reciprocation whereby said valve actuator is extended from the toilet fixture to a suificient length so that a horizontal pressure on the plate applies a torque to the valve actuator causing the valve actuator and cam to pivot on the fixed surface and actuate the reciprocable member thereby to initiate said fluid flow through said valve.

MARTIN C. ANSORGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 831,671 Lipp Sept. 25, 1906 837,077 Kupsch Nov. 27, 1906 1,155,916 Grout Oct. 5, 1915 1,234,643 Doyle July 24, 1917 1,262,425 Young Apr. 9, 1918 1,269,721 Kuntny June 18, 1918 1,285,351 Parsons Nov. 19, 1918 1,292,444 Doyle Jan. 28, 1919 1,409,447 Hughes Mar. 14, 1922 1,540,400 Kellan June 2, 1925 1,560,770 Everstam Nov. 10, 1925 1,657,817 Cadwell Jan. 31, 1928 1,942,837 Schultheiss Jan. 9, 1934 2,482,487 Johnson Sept; 20, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Germany Sept. 8, 1923

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