Float valve

Details Float valve Float valve

2005-05-03

2005-05-03

Walton, George L. (Department: 3753)

Fluid handling

Liquid level responsive or maintaining systems

By float controlled valve

C047S040500, C047S048500, C047S079000, C074S100100, C074S520000, C137S416000, C137S422000, C137S445000, C137S448000, C251S075000, C251S280000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06886589

ABSTRACT:
The float valve (11) controls water level e.g. in an associated plant pot. A housing (21) has a water inlet (25) with an inlet port (26), a float (31) able to rise and fall with the level of the water in the housing (21), a valve operating mechanism (60) able to open and close the port (26), and an actuator means (40) to operate the valve operating mechanism when the float (31) rises and falls to predetermined levels. For opening and closing the inlet port (26), there is a valve operating mechanism comprising a valve operator (60) having a valve member (67) and a lever (61) mounted for pivoting movement about generally central pivot point (65). Actuator means (40) is coupled to the float (31) and switches between a standby condition an active condition respectively to the closed and open positions of the valve operating mechanism (60). The actuator means (40) comprises an over-center mechanism having an actuator (71) which is operatively associated with the valve operator (60), a float follower (41) movable in response to rising and falling of the float (31), and a spring mechanism (58) acting between force points on the float follower (41) and the actuator (71).

REFERENCES:
patent: 1705367 (1929-03-01), Kennedy
patent: 1725820 (1929-08-01), Mumma
patent: 2525014 (1950-10-01), Berge
patent: 3459214 (1969-08-01), Le Grady
patent: 5230361 (1993-07-01), Carr et al.
patent: 5426990 (1995-06-01), Francart, Jr.
patent: 5502924 (1996-04-01), Lee
patent: 5671562 (1997-09-01), Fah
patent: 5678600 (1997-10-01), Locke et al.
patent: 5937574 (1999-08-01), Jacques
patent: 5941691 (1999-08-01), Stephens
patent: 6099260 (2000-08-01), Reynolds
patent: 6240954 (2001-06-01), Bereznai
PCT/AU98/00869 published Apr. 29, 1999 (WO 99/20100); FAH, Ah N. VIC 3173 (AU).
AU 921220-A published Aug. 27, 1992 (AU) Johnson, J.A.
AU-A-57657/94 published Sep. 29, 1994 (AU) Yumoto, Hideaki; TLV Co, Ltd.
AU-B-33000/95 published May 9, 1996 (AU) Yumoto, Hideaki; TLV Co, Ltd.
AU-B-16224/97 published Jul. 17, 1997 (AU) Yumoto, Hideaki; TLV Co, Ltd.
AU-B-16223/97 published Jul. 17, 1997 (AU) Yumoto, Hideaki; TLV Co, Ltd.
PCT/AU99/00957 published May 11, 2000 (WO 00/25572); Kaurah, Jagjitt Singh.
JP 10141589-A dated May 29, 1998 TLV Co Ltd. (paragraph translation + foreign text).
JP 10061887-A dated Mar. 6, 1998 TLV Co Ltd. (paragraph translation + foreign text).
AU 199944776 B3 (Pat. No. 720665) published Jun. 8, 2000; Turner, S.
PCT/US92/07725 published May 27, 1993 (WO 93/10350); Francart, Armand (cover pg.).
EP 0 709 607 A2 published Jan. 5, 1996 Bulletin 1996/18; Yumoto, Hideaki; TLV Co, Ltd.
PCT/AU99/00301 published Oct. 28, 1999 (WO 99/54668); Nixon, Adrian John.
GB2302916 published Aug. 24, 1999 (counterpart to U.S. Pat. 5,941,691 ** Stephens) FYI.
WO 94/04971 mentioned in the International Search Report of PCT/AU01/01538 of the instant application by the PCT IPER as simply “directed to a plant container, holding water” but not used substantively, could not be located at this time.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Float valve does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Float valve, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Float valve will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3372677