Vacuum breaker valve

Claim 2

A vacuum breaker valve for use with a toilet or the like comprising: a two-piece valve housing comprising a base member and a cap member sealed to one another; said base member including a water-inlet pipe terminating at one end in an annular rim; a valve element resting on said rim; said base member further including at least one outlet port; said cap member having an opening therein above said valve element adapted to be closed by said valve element when said element is lifted off said rim; and means on said members defining a tortuous path communicating said inlet pipe with said outlet port whereby, when said valve element is lifted off said rim, fluid entering said inlet pipe will exit from said outlet port, said path defining means including generally cylindrical walls integrally formed on said base member and said cap member, respectively, surrounding said inlet pipe and positioned in nested coaxial relationship, said walls being spaced apart a distance sufficient to allow free flow of liquid therebetween.

Claim 3

A valve as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said base member and said cap member are each integral plastic moldings; said base member also has a relatively flat bottom wall; said water inlet pipe and outlet port extend perpendicular from one side of and bottom wall; and said base member cylindrical wall extends perpendicular from the other side of said bottom wall.

Claim 4

A vacuum breaker valve for use with a toilet or the like comprising: a two-piece valve housing comprising a base member and a cap member sealed to one another; said base member including a water-inlet pipe terminating at one end in an annular rim; a valve element resting on said rim; said base member further including a pair of outlet ports; said cap member having an opening therein above said valve element adapted to be closed by said valve element when said element is lifted off said rim; and means on said members defining a pair of tortuous paths of different lengths communicating said inlet pipe with said outlet ports, respectively, whereby when said valve element is lifted off said rim, fluid entering said inlet pipe will exit at different pressures from said outlet ports.

Claim 5

A vacuum breaker valve for use with a toilet or the like comprising: a two-piece valve housing comprising a base member and a cap member sealed to one another; said base member including a water-inlet pipe terminating at one end in an annular rim; a valve element resting on said rim; said base member further including a pair of outlet ports; said cap member having an opening therein above said valve element adapted to be closed by said valve element when said element is lifted off said rim; and means on said members defining a pair of tortuous paths of different lengths communicating said inlet pipe with said outlet ports, respectively, whereby when said valve element is lifted off said rim, fluid entering said inlet pipe will exit at different pressures from said outlet ports.

Claim 6

A valve as set forth in claim 3 wherein: said path defining means includes generally cylindrical walls on said base member and said cap member in nested coaxial relationship; said path defining means also includes upstanding walls on said members of generally oblong circular configuration, said upstanding walls being in coaxial nested relationship; and the center axes of said upstanding walls being offset from the axes of said cylindrical walls.

Claim 7

A valve as set forth in claim 3 wherein: said path defining means includes a first pair of nested upstanding walls defining relatively narrow flow paths therebetween and a second pair of nested upstanding walls surrounding said first pair of walls and eccentrically disposed with respect thereto whereby one side of the walls of said second pair are spaced from the first pair a distance greater than the opposite side thereof, thereby defining between said one side and said first pair of walls a relatively large chamber.

Claim 8

A valve as set forth in claim 5 wherein: one of said outlet ports communicates with said relatively large chamber; and the other outlet port communicates with the space between the walls of said second pair.

Claim 9

A vacuum breaker valve for use with a toilet or the like comprising: a two-piece valve housing comprising a base member and a cap member sealed to one another; said base member including a water-inlet pipe terminating at one end in an annular rim; a valve element resting on said rim; said base member further including at least one outlet port; said cap member having an opening therein above said valve element adapted to be closed by said valve element when said element is lifted off said rim; means on sqid members defining a tortuous path communicating said inlet pipe with said outlet port whereby, when said valve element is lifted off said rim, fluid entering said inlet pipe will exit from said outlet port, said base member also having a relatively flat bottom surface, said water inlet pipe and outlet port extending below said surface; and a resilient finger on said base member extending downwardly below said surface and formed with a pawl at its terminal end.

Claim 10

A vacuum breaker valve for use with a toilet or the like comprising: a two-piece valve housing comprising a base member and a cap member sealed to one another; said base member including a water-inlet pipe terminating at one end in an annular rim; a valve element resting on said rim; said base member further including at least one outlet port; said cap member having an opening therein above said valve element adapted to be closed by said valve element when said element is lifted off said rim; means on sqid members defining a tortuous path communicating said inlet pipe with said outlet port whereby, when said valve element is lifted off said rim, fluid entering said inlet pipe will exit from said outlet port, said base member also having a relatively flat bottom surface, said water inlet pipe and outlet port extending below said surface; and a resilient finger on said base member extending downwardly below said surface and formed with a pawl at its terminal end.

Claim 11

A valve assembly comprising: a two-piece valve housing comprising a base member and a cap member; said base member including an upstanding water inlet pipe terminating at its upper end in an annular rim, a cylindrical wall surrounding said pipe and joined thereto adjacent their upper ends, an upstanding wall surrounding said cylindrical wall, a first flange joining the lower ends of said cylindrical wall and said upstanding wall, and a second flange extending outwardly from the lower end of said upstanding wall; said cap member including an inverted cup-shaped portion having cylindrical side walls concentric with said inlet pipe and nested between said cylindrical and upstanding walls of said base member, the bottom of said cup-shaped portion being spaced above said rim and having an opening therein adjacent to said rim, a second upstanding wall surrounding and spaced from said base member upstanding wall, a third flange joining the upper end of said second upstanding wall to said cup-shaped portion, and the lower portion of said second upstanding wall being joined to the periphery of said second flange; said walls being spaced apart a distance sufficient to allow free flow of liquid therebetween; a valve element resting on said rim; and said base member further including at least one outlet port, said one port extending from said second flange and communicating with the space between the upstanding walls on said base and cap members.

Claim 12

A valve assembly comprising: a two-piece valve housing comprising a base member and a cap member; said base member including an upstanding water inlet pipe terminating at its upper end in an annular rim, a cylindrical wall surrounding said pipe and joined thereto adjacent their upper ends, an upstanding wall surrounding said cylindrical wall, a first flange joining the lower ends of said cylindrical wall and said upstanding wall, and a second flange extending outwardly from the lower end of said upstanding wall; said cap member including an inverted cup-shaped portion having cylindrical side walls concentric with said inlet pipe and nested between said cylindrical and upstanding walls of said base member, the bottom of said cup-shaped portion being spaced above said rim and having an opening therein adjacent to said rim, a second upstanding wall surrounding and spaced from said base member upstanding wall, a third flange joining the upper end of said second upstanding wall to said cup-shaped portion, and the lower portion of said second upstanding wall being joined to the periphery of said second flange; said walls being spaced apart a distance sufficient to allow free flow of liquid therebetween; a valve element resting on said rim; and said base member further including at least one outlet port, said one port extending from said second flange and communicating with the space between the upstanding walls on said base and cap members.

Claim 13

A valve assembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein: said base member upstanding wall is eccentrically disposed with respect to said base member cylindrical wall whereby one side of said upstanding wall is spaced from said cylindrical wall a distance greater than the opposite side thereof, thereby defining between said one side and said cylindrical wall a relatively large chamber; said base member includes two of said outlet ports, the other outlet port extending from said first flange and communicating with said relatively large chamber.

Claim 14

A valve assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein: said upstanding walls are of generally oblong circular configuration; and said outlet ports are disposed on generally opposite sides of said inlet pipe.