US3698431A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Water dispenser for animals
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-07-12
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Granted: 1972-10-17
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Expires: 1991-07-12
Abstract
Abstract A dispensing valve for attachment to a water conduit includes an elongated housing having an external pipe thread at its inlet end. The housing provides an enlarged inlet chamber opening to the inlet end, and an axially aligned outlet passage of smaller diameter, defining an intermediate transverse shoulder. An annular gasket positioned on the shoulder defines a valve seat; and a closure member includes a head seating on the valve seat gasket and an elongated shank extending through the outlet passage and beyond the outlet end of the housing. The valve is opened by either tilting or lifting the closure member which is held against the seat by a spring in the inlet chamber. An orifice cap of a plastic material, for example, closes the inlet end of the inlet chamber and includes one or more bosses providing inlet passages. The bosses may be selectively sheared to change the area of the inlet passages.
Inventors
- 👤 Earl Clayton Thompson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 11:31
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16K; F16K31/00; F16K31/44; F16K31/58; A; A01; A01K; A01K7/00; A01K7/02; A01K7/06; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S261/00; Y10S261/75; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/1624; Y10T137/1632; Y10T137/8593; Y10T137/87571; Y10T137/87587; Y10T137/87619
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
157 words
A water dispensing valve for animals comprising an elongated housing; passage means extending longitudinally through said housing including an inlet chamber of larger cross section opening to the housing inlet end, and an outlet passage of smaller cross section opening to the housing outlet end; transverse shoulder means between said inlet chamber and outlet passage defining a valve seat; a valve closure member comprising an elongated stem of smaller cross section than that of said outlet passage, and an enlarged head for sealing engagement with said valve seat; said stem extending through said outlet passage and beyond the housing outlet end; an orifice cap closing the inlet end of said inlet chamber having one or more raised bosses projecting toward the valve inlet end; said bosses enclosing inlet passages extending at least to a point adjacent to the tips thereof; and said boss tips being removable to increase the cross section of the orifice cap inlet passages.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
157 words
A water dispensing valve for animals comprising an elongated housing; passage means extending longitudinally through said housing including an inlet chamber of larger cross section opening to the housing inlet end, and an outlet passage of smaller cross section opening to the housing outlet end; transverse shoulder means between said inlet chamber and outlet passage defining a valve seat; a valve closure member comprising an elongated stem of smaller cross section than that of said outlet passage, and an enlarged head for sealing engagement with said valve seat; said stem extending through said outlet passage and beyond the housing outlet end; an orifice cap closing the inlet end of said inlet chamber having one or more raised bosses projecting toward the valve inlet end; said bosses enclosing inlet passages extending at least to a point adjacent to the tips thereof; and said boss tips being removable to increase the cross section of the orifice cap inlet passages.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
A valve as set forth in claim 1 a resilient annular gasket disposed on said valve seat for sealing engagement with said closure head; said gasket having an internal diameter greater than that of said outlet passage.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
55 words
A valve as set forth in claim 1 wherein said inlet chamber is circular in cross section; wherein said closure head is circular in cross section haVing a diameter only slightly less than that of said valve chamber, whereby the closure head during operation of the valve engages the chamber walls in an abrasive relation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
A valve as set forth in claim 1 including spring means disposed in said inlet chamber for urging said closure member head into engagement with said valve seat.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
68 words
A valve as set forth in claim 4 wherein said spring means is a frusto-conical shaped spring, having its smaller end bearing on said closure cap; said inlet chamber being provided with an internal annular groove adjacent to the inlet end of said housing; and the larger end of said frusto-conical compression spring being dimensioned to seat in said groove for retaining said spring within said inlet chamber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
65 words
A valve as set forth in claim 5 wherein said orifice cap includes an annular rib for engagement with the inlet end surface of the valve housing, and an annular axially extending skirt dimensioned to fit closely to the walls of said inlet chamber; and said skirt having a depth corresponding to the axial distance between the housing inlet end and said annular retaining groove.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
82 words
A valve as set forth in claim 1 wherein said inlet chamber is provided with an annular retaining groove adjacent to the inlet end of the valve housing; wherein said orifice cap is fabricated from a resilient material and is dimensioned to be received within said inlet chamber, said cap being provided with an annular rib having a normal maximum diameter greater than the diameter of said chamber whereby said rib is urged into said retaining groove to retain said orifice cap.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
A valve as set forth in claim 1 including one or more transverse aeration passages communicating between said outlet passage, adjacent to said valve seat, and the exterior of said housing.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
A valve as set forth in claim 1 wherein said orifice cap includes a single bore defining an inlet passage of larger cross section at the base thereof and reducing to a smaller cross section at the outer extremity thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A valve as set forth in claim 9 wherein said inlet passage is defined by stepped bores; and wherein the outer surface of said boss is stepped to define axially spaced annular shoulders.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
51 words
A valve as set forth in claim 1 wherein said orifice cap includes a plurality of bosses projecting from a generally planar surface, each of said bosses having an inlet passage of generally uniform cross section; and the tips of said bosses being removable selectively to expose the respective inlet passages.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
A valve as set forth in claim 11 wherein each of said bosses is provided with a transverse shoulder adjacent to its outer extremity, said shoulders being related to the outer extremities of the respective inlet passages to define a shear plane to expose the respective passages.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
A valve as set forth in claim 11 wherein said bosses have different height relative to said planar surface to facilitate the selective shearing of the tips of said bosses.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
51 words
A valve as set forth in claim 1 a resilient annular washer disposed on said valve seat for sealing engagement with said closure head; said washer having an internal diameter smaller than that of said outlet passage, defining an enlarged reduced pressure chamber in said passage adjacent to said valve seat.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
A valve as set forth in claim 14 including one or more transverse aeration passages communicating between said outlet passage, adjacent to said valve seat, and the exterior of said housing.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-10-17 | 1976-04-17 | 1976-10-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-10-17 | 1980-04-17 | 1980-10-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-10-17 | 1984-04-17 | 1984-10-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |