Faucet valve

Claim 2

A valve assembly including a housing defining a hollow chamber, inlet and outlet ports formed in spaced apart relation within said chamber, rotatable valve means disposed within said chamber and between said inlet and outlet ports, and a flexible sealing member disposed within said housing and extending across said chamber, said sealing member being spaced from said inlet opening and being disposed between said inlet opening and said valve means for sealing said inlet opening from said outlet opening, a first opening formed in said valve means and offset from the rotational axis of said valve means, a second opening formed in said sealing member and offset from the rotational axis of said valve means, said valve means and said sealing member having complimentary engageable surfaces to provide a seal therebetween under the influence of water pressure when said openings are out of registry, said valve means being rotatable to move said first opening into and out of registry with said second opening.

Claim 3

The assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein said chamber is generally cylindrical, said valve means extending across said chamber and is rotatable about an axis coincident with the axis of said chamber, said sealing member extending across said chamber in general registry with said valve means.

Claim 4

The assembly set forth in claim 2 wherein said complimentary surfaces are generally circular, coaxial and have substantially the same diameter, said surfaces being generally normal to the axis of said chamber.

Claim 5

The assembly set forth in claim 3 wherein said sealing member is generally cup-shaped and has a planer base portion engaging said valve means and a skirt portion extending toward said inlet opening from the periphery of the base portion and engaging the walls of said housing, said second opening being formed in said base portion.

Claim 6

The assembly set forth in claim 4 wherein said valve means has a recess formed therein and communicating with said first openings, stop means disposed in said housing for limiting the rotational movement of said valve means between a first position wherein said first opening is in registry with said second opening and a second position wherein said openings are out of registry, said recess communicating with said outlet opening when said valve means is in its first position and for at least that portion of the travel of said valve means toward its second position during which said openings are in partial registry.

Claim 7

The assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein said valve means has a recess formed therein and communicating with said first opening, stop means disposed in said housing for limiting the rotational movement of said valve means between a first position wherein said first opening is in registry with said second opening and a second position wherein said openings are out of registry, said recess communicating with said outlet opening when said valve means is in its first position and for at least that portion of the travel of said valve means toward its second position during which said openings are in partial registry.

Claim 8

The assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein said sealing member is generally cup-shaped and has a planer base portion engaging said valve means and a skirt portion extending toward said inlet opening from the periphery of the base portion and engaging the walls of said housing, said second opening being formed in said base portion.

Claim 9

The assembly set forth in claim 1 and including first locating means on said sealing member and second locating means on said housing and engageable by said first locating means to orient said second openinG in said sealing member relative to the first opening in said valve means and to prevent rotation of said sealing element.

Claim 10

A valve assembly including a housing having a cyclindrical bore, an inlet opening formed in said housing and in one end of said cylindrical bore, an outlet opening formed in said housing and in the side of said cylindrical bore, a rotatable valve element disposed in said bore and in generally spaced relation from inlet opening, said valve element having an outer peripheral surface complimentary with and slidably engaging the internal cylindrical surface of the bore, means for rotating said valve element about the axis of said bore, said valve element having an end face lying in a plane generally normal to said rotational axis and facing said inlet opening, a flexible sealing element disposed in said bore and between said inlet opening and said valve element, said sealing element having a first surface portion lying in a plane normal to said rotational axis and in sliding engagement with said end face, said sealing element having a peripheral surface in sealing engagement with said housing, a first opening in said valve element, a second opening in said sealing element said openings being nonconcentric relative to said rotational axis, rotation of said valve element moving said element from a first angular position wherein said first and second openings are in registry to provide a flow path between said inlet and outlet openings to a second position wherein said openings are out of registry where the existance of pressurized water at said inlet opening will act to hold the first surface of said flexible sealing element against said end face to effect a seal therebetween.

Claim 11

A valve assembly including a housing having a cyclindrical bore, an inlet opening formed in said housing and in one end of said cylindrical bore, an outlet opening formed in said housing and in the side of said cylindrical bore, a rotatable valve element disposed in said bore and in generally spaced relation from inlet opening, said valve element having an outer peripheral surface complimentary with and slidably engaging the internal cylindrical surface of the bore, means for rotating said valve element about the axis of said bore, said valve element having an end face lying in a plane generally normal to said rotational axis and facing said inlet opening, a flexible sealing element disposed in said bore and between said inlet opening and said valve element, said sealing element having a first surface portion lying in a plane normal to said rotational axis and in sliding engagement with said end face, said sealing element having a peripheral surface in sealing engagement with said housing, a first opening in said valve element, a second opening in said sealing element said openings being nonconcentric relative to said rotational axis, rotation of said valve element moving said element from a first angular position wherein said first and second openings are in registry to provide a flow path between said inlet and outlet openings to a second position wherein said openings are out of registry where the existance of pressurized water at said inlet opening will act to hold the first surface of said flexible sealing element against said end face to effect a seal therebetween.

Claim 12

The assembly set forth in claim 9 wherein said sealing element is generally cup-shaped and has a planer base portion upon which said first surface portion is formed and a skirt portion extending toward said inlet opening and from the periphery of the base portion, the outer surface of said skirt portion defining said peripheral surface and engages the walls of said cylindrical bore.

Claim 13

The assembly set forth in claim 10 and including first locating means on said sealing element and second locating means on said housing and engageable by said first locating means to orient said second opening in said sealing element relative to the first opening in said valve means and to prevent rotation of said sealing element.

Claim 14

The assembly set forth in claim 11 wherein said valve element has a recess formed therein and communicating with said first opening, stop means disposed in said housing for limiting the rotational movement of said valve element between a first position wherein said first opening is in registry with said second opening and a second position wherein said openings are out of registry, said recess communicating with said outlet opening when said valve element is in its first position and for at least that portion of the travel of said valve means toward its second position during which said openings are in partial registry.