Rotatable and reciprocal mixing valve and adjustment limit stop

Claim 2

In a valve arrangement comprising a valve casing with a mixing valve inside the casing and a valve stem extending outwardly therefrom, a tubular collar fixed to the casing surrounding the valve stem, and a rotatable and reciprocal valve operator connected to the valve stem for rotating and reciprocating the mixing valve relative to the valve casing, the improvement according to which the tubular collar has spaced apart fixed stop means and readily accessible adjustable stop means, a projection on the valve operator positioned between the fixed and adjustable stop means constructed and arranged to engage the stops to thereby limit rotation of the valve operator, a pin connected to the tubular collar, and an abutment on the valve operator constructed and arranged to engage the pin on the tubular collar when the operator is moved inwardly toward the mixing valve to prevent complete inward movement of the operator at all rotary positions thereof except when the projection on the operator is near the fixed stop on the tubular collar.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 in which the valve operator reciprocates between inward and outward positions relative to the mixing valve, and wherein the readily accessible adjustable stop means is located on the tubular collar so that the operator conceals the adjustable stop means when inwardly positioned and exposes the adjustable stop means when outwardly positioned.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 in which the readily accessible adjustable stop means comprises a slot in the tubular collar, a stop block mounted in the slot, and fastening means for securing the stop block to the tubular collar at any position along the slot.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 3 in which the stop block includes a bifurcated portion that straddles the tubular collar, and wherein the fastening means urges the bifurcated portion of the stop block into clamping engagement with the collar to secure the stop block thereto at any position along the slot.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 1 in which the valve casing has hot and cold inlets and at least one outlet with the mixing valve disposed between the inlets and the outlet, and wherein rotation of the valve operator to the position where the projection on the operator is near the fixed stop means on the collar causes substantially complete communication of the mixing valve with the cold inlet under flow conditions.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 5 in which the position of the adjustable stop means on the collar determines the maximum amount of communication between the mixing valve and the hot inlet under flow conditions.

Claim 8

In a valve arrangement comprising a valve casing with a mixing valve inside the casing and a valve stem extending outwardly therefrom, a tubular collar fixed to the casing surrounding the valve stem, and a rotatable and reciprocal valve operator connected to the valve stem for rotating and reciprocating the mixing valve relative to the valve casing, the improvement according to which the tubular collar has spaced apart fixed stop means and readily accessible adjustable stop means located on the surface of the collar and spaced apart less than 180*, and a projection on the valve operator positioned between the fixed and adjustable stop means in the area of the shortest arcuate distance between the stop means constructed and arranged to engage the stops to thereby limit rotation of the valve operator.

Claim 9

In a valve arrangement comprising a valve casing with a mixing valve inside the casing and a valve stem extending outwardly therefrom, a tubular collar fixed to the casing surrounding the valve stem, and a rotatable and reciprocal valve operator connected to the valve stem for rotating and reciprocating the mixing valve relative to the valve casing, the improvement according to which the tubular collar has spaced apart fixed stop means and readily accessible adjustable stop means located on the surface of the collar and spaced apart less than 180*, and a projection on the valve operator positioned between the fixed and adjustable stop means in the area of the shortest arcuate distance between the stop means constructed and arranged to engage the stops to thereby limit rotation of the valve operator.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 7 in which the valve operator reciprocates between inward and outward positions relative to the mixing valve, and wherein the readily accessible adjustable stop means is located on the tubular collar so that the operator conceals the adjustable stop means when inwardly positioned and exposes the adjustable stop means when outwardly positioned.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 8 in which the readily accessible adjustable stop means comprises a slot in the tubular collar, a stop block mounted in the slot, and fastening means for securing the stop block to the tubular collar at any position along the slot.

Claim 12

In a valve arrangement comprising a valve casing with a mixing valve inside the casing and a valve stem extending outwardly therefrom, a tubular collar fixed to the casing surrounding the valve stem, and a rotatable and reciprocal valve operator connected to the valve stem for rotating and reciprocating the mixing valve relative to the valve casing, the improvement according to which the tubular collar has a pin connected thereto, and an abutment on the valve operator constructed and arranged to engage the pin on the tubular collar when the operator is moved inwardly toward the mixing valve to prevent complete inward movement of the operator at all rotary positions thereof except when the operator positions the mixing valve in a predetermined relationship with the valve casing.

Claim 13

In a valve arrangement comprising a valve casing with a mixing valve inside the casing and a valve stem extending outwardly therefrom, a tubular collar fixed to the casing surrounding the valve stem, and a rotatable and reciprocal valve operator connected to the valve stem for rotating and reciprocating the mixing valve relative to the valve casing, the improvement according to which the tubular collar has a pin connected thereto, and an abutment on the valve operator constructed and arranged to engage the pin on the tubular collar when the operator is moved inwardly toward the mixing valve to prevent complete inward movement of the operator at all rotary positions thereof except when the operator positions the mixing valve in a predetermined relationship with the valve casing.

Claim 14

In a valve arrangement comprising a valve casing with a mixing valve inside the casing and a valve stem extending outwardly therefrom, a tubular collar fixed to the casing surrounding the valve stem, and a rotatable and reciprocal valve operator connected to the valve stem for rotating and reciprocating the mixing valve relative to the valve casing, the improvement according to which the tubular collar has spaced apart fixed stop means and readily accessible adjustable stop means, and a projection on the valve operator positioned between the fixed and adjustable stop means constructed and arranged to engage the stops to thereby limit rotation of the valve operator, the valve operator being arranged to reciprocate between inward and outward positions relative to the mixing valve, and the readily accessible adjustable stop means being located on the tubular collar so that the operator conceals the adjustable stop means when inwardly positioned and exposes the adjustable stop means when outwardly positioned, the readily accessible adjustable stop means comprising a slot in the tubular collar, a stop block mounted in the slot and fastening means for securing the stop block to the tubular collar at any position along the slot, the stop block including a bifurcated portion that straddles the tubular collar and the fastening means urging the bifurcated portion of the stop block into clamping engagement with the collar to secure the stop block thereto at any position along the slot.

Claim 15

In a valve arrangement comprising a valve casing with a mixing valve inside the casing and a valve stem extending outwardly therefrom, a tubular collar fixed to the casing surrounding the valve stem, and a rotatable and reciprocal valve operator connected to the valve stem for rotating and reciprocating the mixing valve relative to the valve casing, the improvement according to which the tubular collar has spaced apart fixed stop means and readily accessible adjustable stop means, and a projection on the valve operator positioned between the fixed and adjustable stop means constructed and arranged to engage the stops to thereby limit rotation of the valve operator, the valve operator being arranged to reciprocate between inward and outward positions relative to the mixing valve, and the readily accessible adjustable stop means being located on the tubular collar so that the operator conceals the adjustable stop means when inwardly positioned and exposes the adjustable stop means when outwardly positioned, the readily accessible adjustable stop means comprising a slot in the tubular collar, a stop block mounted in the slot and fastening means for securing the stop block to the tubular collar at any position along the slot, the stop block including a bifurcated portion that straddles the tubular collar and the fastening means urging the bifurcated portion of the stop block into clamping engagement with the collar to secure the stop block thereto at any position along the slot.