Flush valve and overflow pipe assembly for a toilet tank

Claim 1

A flush valve and overflow pipe assembly for mounting in a liquid storage tank in cooperation with a downwardlyopening discharge outlet including: a fitting adapted to be mounted in cooperation with said outlet and having an upwardly opening discharge passage provided with a valve seat at the upper end of said fitting; an elongated, upstanding overflow pipe carried by said fitting in radially offset relationship to the discharge passage, said overflow pipe having a lower end in fluid communication with the discharge passage and an inlet at its upper end; and a valve-carrying unit mounted on said overflow pipe for vertical swinging movement above said valve seat and comprising; a valve member, a valve-supporting member having said valve member mounted thereon for cooperation with said valve seat and having an inner end pivoted to said overflow pipe to permit swinging movement about a horizontal axis between a lower horizontal position where the valve member is closed on said valve seat and a substantially upright position where the valve member is spaced upwardly from said valve seat, said valve-supporting member having an axis extending outwardly from and substantially normal to said pivot axis and horizontally disposed when in said lower horizontal position, and a pair of counterbalancing, liquid receiving containers carried by said valve-supporting member at opposite sides of the axis thereof and spaced apart a distance greater than the width of said overflow pipe so as to receive said pipe therebetween when said valve-supporting member is swung to its upright position, said containers being of elongated tubular form having longitudinal axis disposed parallel to each other and to the axis of said valve-supporting member but in relatively offset relationship thereto at the side opposite to said valve member with a liquid capacity to provide a counterbalancing force when filled to maintain said valve-supporting member in an upright position, each of said containers having the inner ends adjacent said pivot axis closed and the other ends open and having a relatively small liquid discharge opening formed therein at the closed end to permit discharge of liquid therefrom at a predetermined rate when said valve supporting member and container are in the upright position whereby enabling the valve-supporting member to return to the lower horizontal position as said containers become emptied.