Water control valve structure

Claim 2

A water control valve for the water tank of a toilet bowl, comprising a cap member having a circular base, a body member also of circular shape, one of the members having a plurality of peripherally arranged, substantially equal bayonet members and a projection element and the other member having a like plurality of peripherally arranged, substantially equal inverted L-shaped members and a corresponding projection element, said bayonet members and said L-shaped members being of such peripheral lengths that they may be interspersed with each other to enable the body member and the cap member to be firmly interlocked, the cap member and the body member, when interlocked, forming a housing for the valve, the body member having integrally molded therein an open-ended chamber having an axis which substantially coincides with the axes of the cap member and the body member, the cap member having a vertically positioned channel, a vertically movable plunger to be guided within the vertically positioned channel, and means responsive to the level of water within the water tank for moving the plunger so as to control the volume of water entering the tank through said chamber.

Claim 3

A water control valve according to claim 1 in which the projection elements substantially continuously coact to bias the bayonet members and the L-shaped members so as to increase the resistance required to initiate the locking of the cap member with the body member and for increasing the resistance required to unock the body member from the cap member.

Claim 4

A water control valve according to claim 2 in which the cap member, the body member, and the plunger are unitary structures made of ABS plastic material.

Claim 5

A water control valve for the water tank of a toilet bowl comprising a body segment of circular cross-section having integrated therein an open-ended chamber through which water may be admitted and a plurality of peripherally arranged substantially equal locking members, a cap segment of similar circular cross-section having integrated therein a plurality of peripherally arranged substantially equal locking members to be interlocked with the locking members of the body segment, means for biasing the locking members of the body segment with respect to the locking members of the cap segment to increase the pressure required to interlock said members and to release said members, said biasing means including a projection element on the body segment and a projection element on the cap segment, the cap segment having a channel having an axis which substantially coincides with the axes of the cap segment and the body segment, a plunger which is guided within the channel of the cap segment, and means responsive to the level of the water within the tank for controlling the movement of said plunger.

Claim 6

A water control valve for the water tank of a toilet bowl comprising a body segment of circular cross-section having integrated therein an open-ended chamber through which water may be admitted and a plurality of peripherally arranged substantially equal locking members, a cap segment of similar circular cross-section having integrated therein a plurality of peripherally arranged substantially equal locking members to be interlocked with the locking members of the body segment, means for biasing the locking members of the body segment with respect to the locking members of the cap segment to increase the pressure required to interlock said members and to release said members, said biasing means including a projection element on the body segment and a projection element on the cap segment, the cap segment having a channel having an axis which substantially coincides with the axes of the cap segment and the body segment, a plunger which is guided within the channel of the cap segment, and means responsive to the level of the water within the tank for controlling the movement of said plunger.

Claim 7

A water control valve according to claim 4 in which the Locking members of one of the segments are bayonet-shaped and the locking members of the other segment are L-shaped.

Claim 8

A water control valve according to claim 5 in which the means for controlling the movement of the plunger includes resilient disk structure mounted on the plunger for guiding the plunger''s movement through the open-ended chamber.

Claim 9

A water control valve according to claim 6 in which the cap segment, the body segment and the plunger are each molded into a unitary structure of ABS plastic material.

Claim 10

A water control valve for the water tank of a toilet bowl comprising a molded unitary body segment and a molded unitary cap segment, the body segment having integrally formed therein a plurality of locking members and a pressure biasing device, the cap segment having integrally formed therein a plurality of peripherally arranged locking members and a second co-acting pressure biasing device, each of the pressure biasing devices having a projection element for increasing the pressure required to interlock the locking members or to release the locking members, the peripheral lengths of the locking members of the cap segment and the locking members of the body segment being so organized that they may be interspersed between each other and, in response to axial manual pressure overcoming the biasing pressure of said devices, caused to join the body segment to the cap segment to form a composite housing, the cap segment having integrally formed therein a guiding channel, a plunger mounted within the interior of the housing formed by the cap segment and the body segment so that the movement of the plunger may be guided within the channel in the cap segment to control the flow of water through the valve.

Claim 11

A water control valve for the water tank of a toilet bowl comprising a molded unitary body segment and a molded unitary cap segment, the body segment having integrally formed therein a plurality of locking members and a pressure biasing device, the cap segment having integrally formed therein a plurality of peripherally arranged locking members and a second co-acting pressure biasing device, each of the pressure biasing devices having a projection element for increasing the pressure required to interlock the locking members or to release the locking members, the peripheral lengths of the locking members of the cap segment and the locking members of the body segment being so organized that they may be interspersed between each other and, in response to axial manual pressure overcoming the biasing pressure of said devices, caused to join the body segment to the cap segment to form a composite housing, the cap segment having integrally formed therein a guiding channel, a plunger mounted within the interior of the housing formed by the cap segment and the body segment so that the movement of the plunger may be guided within the channel in the cap segment to control the flow of water through the valve.

Claim 12

A water control valve according to claim 8 including means responsive to the level of water within the water tank for moving the plunger within the cavity of the housing.

Claim 13

A water control valve according to claim 9 in which the locking members of one segment are bayonet-shaped while the locking members of the other segment are L-shaped.

Claim 14

A water control valve for the water tank of a toilet bowl comprising a body member of circular cross-sectional shape, a cap member of similar cross-sectional shape, the cap member having a guiding channel integrally formed therein, the body member having an open-ended chamber integrally formed therein for receiving water under pressure, a plunger which is movable within the open-ended chamber and guided by the channel in the cap member, and means for interlocking the cap member with the body member, said interlocking means including a plurality of peripherally spaced elements on the cap member and a plurality of peripherally spaced elements on the body member and separate biasing pressure means on said cap member and on said body member so that said elements will be joined and held in contact with each other under the influence of said biasing pressure means upon the application of a manual tangential force overcoming the resistance of the pressure biasing means.

Claim 15

A water control valve for the water tank of a toilet bowl comprising a body member of circular cross-sectional shape, a cap member of similar cross-sectional shape, the cap member having a guiding channel integrally formed therein, the body member having an open-ended chamber integrally formed therein for receiving water under pressure, a plunger which is movable within the open-ended chamber and guided by the channel in the cap member, and means for interlocking the cap member with the body member, said interlocking means including a plurality of peripherally spaced elements on the cap member and a plurality of peripherally spaced elements on the body member and separate biasing pressure means on said cap member and on said body member so that said elements will be joined and held in contact with each other under the influence of said biasing pressure means upon the application of a manual tangential force overcoming the resistance of the pressure biasing means.

Claim 16

A water control valve according to claim 11 including flexible disk means loosely mounted on the plunger for controlling the operation of the plunger in response to the level of water within the water tank.

Claim 17

A water control valve according to claim 12 in which the separate biasing pressure means separately biases the spaced elements on the cap member and on the body member so as to increase the resistance that would otherwise be required to initiate the locking of the cap member with the body member and to increase the resistance required to unlock the body member from the cap member.