Safety attachment for appliances subject to fluid leakage

Claim 2

An attachment for an appliance having a fluid inlet conduit, the attachment comprising a fluid shut off valve assembly; means for mounting said valve assembly on the conduit in fluid flow controlling relation thereto; fluid leakage sensing means for placement adjacent to the appliance, said sensing means including a switch resiliently urged to a closed attitude, said switch being maintained in a normally open attitude by a member which is responsive to fluid to allow resilient closure of the switch in the presence of fluid; and power means interconnecting the valve assembly and the sensing means for closing the valve assembly to terminate fluid flow through the conduit upon sensing of the presence of fluid by said sensing means.

Claim 3

The attachment of claim 1 in which the valve assembly includes a fitting having opposite, conduit engaging couplings and said valve assembly includes a valve closure and seat mounted internally of the fitting and intermediate the couplings connected to the power means for fluid sealing engagement upon closure of the switch.

Claim 4

The attachment of claim 2 in which the valve closure is borne by a solenoid on the fitting energizable to position the closure in fluid tight engagement with the valve seat, and said power means includes a source of electrical energy and an electrical circuit connecting in series the switch, source and solenoid.

Claim 5

An attachment for an appliance having a fluid inlet conduit, the attachment comprising a fluid shut off valve assembly; means for mounting said valve assembly on the conduit in fluid flow controlling relation thereto; fluid leakage sensing means for placement adjacent to the appliance, said sensing means including a switch, resilient means urging the switch closed, and fluid sensitive means connected in opposition to the resilient means to hold the switch open when the sensing means is unaffected by the presence of fluid but to permit the resilient means to close the switch when the sensing means detects the presence of fluid; and power means interconnecting the valve assembly and the sensing means for closing the valve assembly to terminate fluid flow through the conduit upon the sensing of the presence of fluid by said sensing means.

Claim 6

An attachment for an appliance having a fluid inlet conduit, the attachment comprising a fluid shut off valve assembly; means for mounting said valve assembly on the conduit in fluid flow controlling relation thereto; fluid leakage sensing means for placement adjacent to the appliance, said sensing means including a switch, resilient means urging the switch closed, and fluid sensitive means connected in opposition to the resilient means to hold the switch open when the sensing means is unaffected by the presence of fluid but to permit the resilient means to close the switch when the sensing means detects the presence of fluid; and power means interconnecting the valve assembly and the sensing means for closing the valve assembly to terminate fluid flow through the conduit upon the sensing of the presence of fluid by said sensing means.

Claim 7

In an appliance having a fluid inlet conduit, the combination of a pipe fitting having oppositely extending couplings engaging the conduit in fluid transferring relation and an internal valve seat disposed between said couplings, a valve closure, means mounting the closure in the fitting and enerGizable for movement of the closure between a normal position retracted from the seat and a sealed position in engagement with the valve seat, a fluid sensitive switch, and an electrical circuit interconnecting the switch and mounting means to energize the mounting means upon sensing of the presence of fluid by the switch.

Claim 8

In an appliance having a fluid inlet conduit, the combination of a pipe fitting having oppositely extending couplings engaging the conduit in fluid transferring relation and an internal valve seat disposed between said couplings, a valve closure, means mounting the closure in the fitting and enerGizable for movement of the closure between a normal position retracted from the seat and a sealed position in engagement with the valve seat, a fluid sensitive switch, and an electrical circuit interconnecting the switch and mounting means to energize the mounting means upon sensing of the presence of fluid by the switch.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 5 in which a signal light is connected to the circuit in parallel to the mounting means.

Claim 10

An attachment for controlling fluid flow through a conduit upon the detection of fluid leakage, the attachment comprising a fluid manifold having a pair of individual fluid chambers, each chamber communicating with the exterior of said manifold through conduit engaging inlet and outlet ports respectively and having a valve seat disposed therein intermediate the ports; a pair of solenoids mounted on the manifold, each solenoid having a normally retracted rod having a remote end extending into its respective chamber of the manifold in substantial axial alignment with the valve seat of the chamber; a valve closure borne by the remote end of each rod; a switch having electrical contacts; a spring mounted on the switch resiliently to urge the contacts into engagement; a source of electrical energy; an electrical circuit interconnecting the solenoids in parallel and the solenoids with the source, and the contacts in series; and a member mounted on the switch normally maintaining the contacts thereof in spaced relation and subject to being overridden by the spring in the presence of fluid.

Claim 11

An attachment for controlling fluid flow through a conduit upon the detection of fluid leakage, the attachment comprising a fluid manifold having a pair of individual fluid chambers, each chamber communicating with the exterior of said manifold through conduit engaging inlet and outlet ports respectively and having a valve seat disposed therein intermediate the ports; a pair of solenoids mounted on the manifold, each solenoid having a normally retracted rod having a remote end extending into its respective chamber of the manifold in substantial axial alignment with the valve seat of the chamber; a valve closure borne by the remote end of each rod; a switch having electrical contacts; a spring mounted on the switch resiliently to urge the contacts into engagement; a source of electrical energy; an electrical circuit interconnecting the solenoids in parallel and the solenoids with the source, and the contacts in series; and a member mounted on the switch normally maintaining the contacts thereof in spaced relation and subject to being overridden by the spring in the presence of fluid.

Claim 12

The attachment of claim 7 in which a signal light is connected to the electrical circuit in parallel with the solenoids.

Claim 13

A valve assembly comprising a housing having a plurality of fluid passages therethrough, a valve seat circumscribing each passage, a valve closure individual to each seat, means mounting each closure for movement to and from its respective seat, resilient means individual to each closure urging its respective closure from its seat, and means connected to each closure adapted when actuated to force the closures against their seats in opposition to the resilient means.

Claim 14

A valve assembly comprising a housing having a plurality of fluid passages therethrough, a valve seat circumscribing each passage, a valve closure individual to each seat, means mounting each closure for movement to and from its respective seat, resilient means individual to each closure urging its respective closure from its seat, and means connected to each closure adapted when actuated to force the closures against their seats in opposition to the resilient means.

Claim 15

The valve assembly of claim 9 in which the forcing means are electrical solenoids connected to the respective closures, and including an electrical circuit interconnecting the solenoids for simultaneous actuation.