US3893475A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Float valve
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-10-05
•
Granted: 1975-07-08
•
Expires: 1993-10-05
Abstract
Abstract A hood structure encloses the following: a main valve that controls a water inlet port; a control chamber that has a bleeder port and has a diaphragm to control the main valve; a float; and a pilot valve member unitary with the float to control the bleeder port and thereby control the pressure in the control chamber for actuation of the main valve. Water from the inlet port bypasses the control chamber and flows through the hood to flush the float and the hood interior. Water from the inlet port passes through a screen to enter the control chamber in the form of a jet that flushes both the bleeder port and the pilot valve member. In addition, the pilot valve member is cleaned by a wiping action. Air trapped in the hood structure retards the rise of the float to modify the float cycle and an adjustable vent for the trapped air regulates the modifying effect of the trapped air.
Inventors
- 👤 George D Hudson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 20:17
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16K; F16K31/00; F16K31/12; F16K31/18; F16K31/34; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/7287; Y10T137/7358; Y10T137/7368; Y10T137/7371; Y10T137/7374; Y10T137/7413; Y10T137/742; Y10T137/7423; Y10T137/7426; Y10T137/7436; Y10T137/7439; Y10T137/7465; Y10T137/7472
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
135 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the liquid body, wherein a control chamber is in communication with the pressurized source and has a movable wall to exert pressure to close a main valve to cut off the source from the liquid body and a pilot valve operated by a float opens and closes a bleeder port of the control chamber, the improvement comprising: said pilot valve including a pilot valve member to open and close the bleeder port, said pilot valve member being fixedly mounted on the float and movable therewith to engage or disengage a seat around said bleeder port to thereby close or open the bleeder port in response to rise and fall of the float.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
135 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the liquid body, wherein a control chamber is in communication with the pressurized source and has a movable wall to exert pressure to close a main valve to cut off the source from the liquid body and a pilot valve operated by a float opens and closes a bleeder port of the control chamber, the improvement comprising: said pilot valve including a pilot valve member to open and close the bleeder port, said pilot valve member being fixedly mounted on the float and movable therewith to engage or disengage a seat around said bleeder port to thereby close or open the bleeder port in response to rise and fall of the float.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 1 which includes means to confine the float to a path of movement in which the pilot valve member moves in alignment with the axis of the bleeder port.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 2 in which the float has an adequate bouyancy force to actuate the pilot valve to close the bleeder port effectively without employing leverage to multiply the closing force by the float.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 1 in which said pilot valve member is a pin mounted on the float and extending from the float in the direction of travel of the float.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
65 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 1 which includes means to confine the float to a path in alignment with the axis of the bleeder port; in which the pilot valve member is a pin mounted on the float in alignment with the bleeder port; and in which the bleeder port is provided with a ringshaped elastomer valve seat for cooperation with the pin.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 5 in which said elastomer valve seat is dimensioned to embrace the pin at the closed position of the pilot valve.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
A combination as set forth in claim 6 which includes means to cause the pin to continue to advance relative to the elastomer valve seat after the pin cuts off flow through the valve seat thereby to cause wiping action between the elastomer valve seat and the pin.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
62 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 1 which includes a hood enclosing and guiding the float with clearance space between the float and the surrounding hood; and which includes means bypassing the control chamber to direct the discharge from the main valve into the hood and through said clearance space to flush the float and the inner surfaces of the hood.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
A combination as set forth in claim 8 in which the hood is provided with a plurality of spaced ribs to guide the float.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 8 in which the hood is constructed and arranged to trap a body of air to oppose the rise of the float; and in which the hood is provided with an adjustable vent to release the trapped air.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
86 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the liquid body, wherein a float on the liquid body controls release from the source to the liquid body, the improvement comprising: a hood enclosing the float, said hood being constructed and arranged to trap a body of air to resist the rise of the float; said hood being provided with an adjustable vent to release the trapped air at a retarded rate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
86 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the liquid body, wherein a float on the liquid body controls release from the source to the liquid body, the improvement comprising: a hood enclosing the float, said hood being constructed and arranged to trap a body of air to resist the rise of the float; said hood being provided with an adjustable vent to release the trapped air at a retarded rate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 11 which includes means to direct the discharge from the main valve into the interior of the hood to flush the inteRior of the hood and the surfaces of the float.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
127 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the liquid body, wherein a float on the liquid body controls a valve for releasing liquid from the source, the improvement comprising: a hood enclosing the float and a surrounding portion of the liquid body, said hood being constructed and arranged to trap a body of air in the path of rise of the liquid level inside the hood, whereby the liquid inside the hood is required to compress the trapped air and therefore lags behind the rise of the liquid level outside the hood and the liquid level outside the hood rises higher than it would in the absence of the trapped air.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
127 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the liquid body, wherein a float on the liquid body controls a valve for releasing liquid from the source, the improvement comprising: a hood enclosing the float and a surrounding portion of the liquid body, said hood being constructed and arranged to trap a body of air in the path of rise of the liquid level inside the hood, whereby the liquid inside the hood is required to compress the trapped air and therefore lags behind the rise of the liquid level outside the hood and the liquid level outside the hood rises higher than it would in the absence of the trapped air.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
104 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 13 in which the float is free to rise through a range of levels above the level at which the float closes the valve; and which includes means to vent the trapped air at a retarded rate after the float closes the valve thereby to permit the float to rise into said range whereby the float must retract through said range to open the valve with consequent reduction of the number of times that the valve must be opened to release a given total amount of liquid from said source over a given extended period of time.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
105 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 14 which includes: a control chamber in communication with the pressurized source, the control chamber having a movable wall to operate said valve, the control chamber having a bleeder port to control the pressure in the control chamber; a ring-shaped elastomer valve seat in said bleeder chamber; and a pin on the float to enter said ring-shaped valve seat to close the bleeder port in response to rise of the float, whereby said pin advances in said valve seat when the float enters said range of levels with consequent wiping action between the valve seat and the pin.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
134 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the body of liquid, wherein a control chamber is in communication with the pressurized source and has a movable wall operatively connected to a main valve for releasing liquid from the source, the control chamber having a bleeder port and a float on said body of liquid opens and closes said bleeder port to open and close the main valve, the improvement comprising: a jet nozzle in said control chamber fed by said source, said jet nozzle being smaller than said bleeder port to direct a liquid jet smaller than the bleeder port axially into the bleeder port to flush the bleeder port on each cycle of operation of the float.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
134 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the body of liquid, wherein a control chamber is in communication with the pressurized source and has a movable wall operatively connected to a main valve for releasing liquid from the source, the control chamber having a bleeder port and a float on said body of liquid opens and closes said bleeder port to open and close the main valve, the improvement comprising: a jet nozzle in said control chamber fed by said source, said jet nozzle being smaller than said bleeder port to direct a liquid jet smaller than the bleeder port axially into the bleeder port to flush the bleeder port on each cycle of operation of the float.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
64 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 16 in which said main valve includes a main valve member carried by said movable wall; in which the main valve member has a stem; which includes a fixed guide sleeve slidingly embracing the stem to guide the main valve member; in which said stem is tubular to supply water from the source to said jet nozzle.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
29 words
An improvement as set forth in claim 17 which includes screen means at the inlet end of said tubular stem to keep foreign particles from entering the control chamber.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
67 words
An immprovement as set forth in claim 17 in which said bleeder port is provided with a ring-shaped elastomer valve seat; and in which the float fixedly carries a pin in axial alignment with said valve seat to cooperate with the valve seat to close the bleeder port whereby said jet nozzle delivers a jet stream to flush the pin as well as the ring-shaped valve seat.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
139 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the liquid body, wherein a supply passage from a pressurized liquid source terminates in a supply port and a control chamber is in communication with the supply passage and has a movable wall to exert pressure to close a main valve against the supplY port to cut off the source from the liquid body and a pilot valve operated by the float opens and closes a bleeder port of the control chamber, the improvement comprising: conduit means providing communication between the control chamber and the supply passage, said conduit means extending through said main valve and said supply port and having its inlet end at a point of the supply passage spaced upstream from said port.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
139 words
In a float valve for replenishing a body of liquid from a pressurized liquid source in response to drop in the level of the liquid body, wherein a supply passage from a pressurized liquid source terminates in a supply port and a control chamber is in communication with the supply passage and has a movable wall to exert pressure to close a main valve against the supplY port to cut off the source from the liquid body and a pilot valve operated by the float opens and closes a bleeder port of the control chamber, the improvement comprising: conduit means providing communication between the control chamber and the supply passage, said conduit means extending through said main valve and said supply port and having its inlet end at a point of the supply passage spaced upstream from said port.
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) | 1978-07-07 | 1979-01-06 | 1979-07-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-07-07 | 1983-01-06 | 1983-07-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-07-07 | 1987-01-06 | 1987-07-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |