Fluid handling – With repair – tapping – assembly – or disassembly means – Pressure regulating type valve
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-11
2001-02-06
Walton, George L. (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
With repair, tapping, assembly, or disassembly means
Pressure regulating type valve
C137S098000, C137S100000, C137S315010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182682
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved pressure balance device which is made up of a pair of symmetric half cylindrical units and a water inlet cap. The two semi-cylindrical units are put in abutment against each other and the water inlet cap can be pushed from the top of the semi-cylindrical units all the way down so as to make the assembly easier and faster as a result of reduction of components and steps in assembly.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a typical conventional pressure balance device is comprised of a pair of semi-cylindrical cases
10
, a water inlet cap
20
and a restraint ring
30
. Each case
10
has a vertically cut flat face with a receiving chamber
11
defined thereon so as to permit a balance shaft
12
to be housed therein On the top surface of each case
10
is disposed a limiting protrusion
15
and at the bottom is disposed a retaining projection
16
. On the sides of the vertically cut plane of each semi-cylindrical cases
10
are also disposed a pair of retaining rods
13
and a pair of retaining holes
14
respectively. As shown in FIG.
1
A. the water inlet cap
20
of a proper thickness is circular in structure with a cross-shaped groove
21
disposed under the bottom thereof.
In assembly, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the two semi-cylindrical cases
10
are placed with their vertical flat faces in abutment against each other, permitting the retaining rods
13
of each semi-cylindrical case
10
to be engaged with the retaining holes
14
of the other semi-cylindrical case
10
respectively. The limiting protrusions
15
on the two semi-cylindrical cases
10
are in abutment with each other to form a cross-shaped block in fitting conformance to the cross-shaped groove
21
of the water inlet cap
20
so that the cap
20
and be engaged firmly with the two semi-cylindrical cases
10
in assembly. At last the restraint ring
30
is put into engagement with the retaining projection
16
of the assembled semi-cylindrical cases
10
to complete the assembly.
Such a prior art pressure balance structure has the following disadvantages:
1. Its assembly components are relatively numerous, and it requires many molds to produce, resulting in the costs of production relatively high
2. It takes more steps to assemble the semi-cylindrical cases
10
and the water inlet cap
20
and the restraint ring
30
together, making the assembly tedious and time consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved pressure balance device which is equipped with less components so that the tooling cost in production can be effectively lowered, resulting in the cutting of production cost thereof.
The other object of the present invention is to provide an improved pressure balance device for use in a faucet wherein the water inlet cap retainer is simply forced into engagement with and encloses the assembled two half cylindrical units from top to bottom. It is assembled with such ease and speed that the time consumption and labor requirement are effectively lowered in production.
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patent: 5355906 (1994-10-01), Marty et al.
patent: 5445181 (1995-08-01), Kuhn et al.
patent: 5501244 (1996-03-01), Shahriar
patent: 5725010 (1998-03-01), Marty et al.
patent: 5727587 (1998-03-01), Yang
patent: 5730171 (1998-03-01), Niakan
patent: 5881757 (1999-03-01), Kuster et al.
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Kuching International Ltd.
Walton George L.
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