US5331997A — Flow control device for a single-control mixer ca…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 337 words

Device for the separate inflow of hot and cold water and for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water in a single-control mixer cartridge particularly suitable for a bathtub unit, said bathtub unit comprising a cavity for accommodating said cartridge which is shaped like a well with a cylindrical side wall and a flat base and has, at its side wall, outlets of ducts for the inflow of hot and cold water respectively, said cavity being furthermore provided with at least one outflow opening for hot, cold or mixed water, comprising a disk which is provided with two holes for the inflow of hot and cold water respectively into the cartridge, and with a hole for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water, and has two faces, the first face being substantially flat and arrangeable facing the cartridge, the second face being adjacently provided with a tunnel for connecting the outflow hole present in the disk to the at least one opening for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water from the well, said tunnel forming two separate chambers together with portions of the side wall and of the base of the well; the well outlet of the hot water inflow duct and the hole for the inflow of hot water into the cartridge present in the disk are formed in the first chamber, and the well outlet of the cold water inflow duct and the hole for the inflow of cold water into the cartridge present in the disk are formed in the second chamber; a gasket comprising a circumferential part at the peripheral region of the disk and contacting the side wall of the well; portions extend monolithically from said circumferential part, and are inserted in seats formed on the walls of the tunnel and contact said side wall and the base of the well to delimit said two separate chambers; registration pins extend from said second face of the disk to fit in seats provided in the base of the well.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 337 words

Device for the separate inflow of hot and cold water and for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water in a single-control mixer cartridge particularly suitable for a bathtub unit, said bathtub unit comprising a cavity for accommodating said cartridge which is shaped like a well with a cylindrical side wall and a flat base and has, at its side wall, outlets of ducts for the inflow of hot and cold water respectively, said cavity being furthermore provided with at least one outflow opening for hot, cold or mixed water, comprising a disk which is provided with two holes for the inflow of hot and cold water respectively into the cartridge, and with a hole for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water, and has two faces, the first face being substantially flat and arrangeable facing the cartridge, the second face being adjacently provided with a tunnel for connecting the outflow hole present in the disk to the at least one opening for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water from the well, said tunnel forming two separate chambers together with portions of the side wall and of the base of the well; the well outlet of the hot water inflow duct and the hole for the inflow of hot water into the cartridge present in the disk are formed in the first chamber, and the well outlet of the cold water inflow duct and the hole for the inflow of cold water into the cartridge present in the disk are formed in the second chamber; a gasket comprising a circumferential part at the peripheral region of the disk and contacting the side wall of the well; portions extend monolithically from said circumferential part, and are inserted in seats formed on the walls of the tunnel and contact said side wall and the base of the well to delimit said two separate chambers; registration pins extend from said second face of the disk to fit in seats provided in the base of the well.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 54 words

Device according to claim 1, said mixer cartridge comprising a substantially flat bottom which is provided with means for the stable coupling of a supplemental bottom, wherein the first substantially flat face of the disk, which is suitable to face the cartridge, is provided with means suitable to associate with said stable coupling means.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 108 words

Device according to claim 1, said mixer cartridge comprising a substantially flat bottom provided with means for the stable coupling of a supplemental bottom, said means comprising a plurality of slots which pass through the thickness of the bottom and are provided with a tooth in an intermediate region of said thickness, wherein the means suitable to associate with said stable coupling means provided in the bottom of the cartridge comprise a plurality of legs, said legs extending from the face of the disk which is suitable to face the cartridge, each leg being suitable to associate, in a snap-together manner, with the tooth provided in said slots.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 87 words

Device according to claim 1, said mixer cartridge comprising a bottom provided with registration pins which are shaped so as to form a portion of a cylindrical wall which is appropriately reduced in its outward dimension, said device further comprising, at the face of the disk which is suitable to face the cartridge, cavities for accommodating said pins, the side wall of which is complementary, over its entire extension, to that of said pins, said cavities being separated from the edge of the disk by thin walls.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 85 words

Device according to claim 1, said mixer cartridge comprising a bottom provided with openings for the separate inflow of hot and cold water, said openings being provided with gaskets in which the perimeter of the internal surface is teardrop-shaped, wherein the holes formed in the disk for the inflow of hot and cold water respectively into the cartridge are suitable to face said openings and have, on the face of the disk, a teardrop-shaped cross--section which is complementary to the internal perimeter of said gaskets.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 92 words

Device according to claim 1, said mixer cartridge comprising a bottom which has an opening for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water provided with a gasket in which the perimeter of the internal surface is shaped so as to form two opposite circular arcs which are mutually blended by two other circular arcs, wherein the hole present in the disk for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water from the cartridge faces said opening and has a cross-section in which the perimeter duplicates the internal perimeter of said gasket.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 146 words

Device according to claim 1, said mixer cartridge comprising a cylindrical body for the containment of a fixed plate which is provided with holes for the separate inflow of hot and cold water and for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water, and with an overlying movable plate which internally forms a mixing chamber and is suitable to assume different positions, coupled to an actuation lever which is pivoted on a rotating connector which is also contained within said body, wherein the face of the disk which is suitable to face the cartridge is provided with means for stable coupling to said body, so as to adhere to the fixed plate, the holes formed in the disk facing the corresponding holes provided in the fixed plate and being provided with sealing gaskets the shape of which is complementary to the perimeter of said plate holes.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 159 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein said side wall of said well has a front portion and a rear portion, and wherein the tunnel comprises two aligned diametrical portions, the first portion leading toward the front portion of the side wall of the well, which is entirely delimited by walls, the second portion being open toward the base of the well and ending toward the rear portion of said side wall of the well, the gasket portions which extend monolithically from the circumferential part of said gasket being inserted in interconnected seats which are formed respectively at the edges of the tunnel outlet sections which are perpendicular to the disk, at the edge of the opening of the second tunnel portion which is directed toward the base of the well of the tunnel, and at the face of the first tunnel portion which is directed toward said base, so as to form a longitudinal segment and a transverse one.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 164 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein said side wall of said well has a front portion and a rear portion, said bathtub unit having a single opening for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water at the front or rear portion of the side wall of the well, wherein the tunnel has a substantially uniform diametrical arrangement at least from the outflow hole provided in the disk up to the outlet section at the outflow opening, extending in the opposite direction with a terminal shaped like a simple wall, the gasket portions which extend monolithically from the circumferential part of said gasket being inserted in interconnected seats formed respectively at the edges of the tunnel outlet section which are perpendicular to the disk, on the face of the terminal of the tunnel which is opposite to the outlet, and at the face of the tunnel directed toward the base of the well so as to form a longitudinal segment and a transverse segment.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 113 words

Device according to claim 1, said bathtub unit having a single outflow opening for hot, cold or mixed water at the base of the well, wherein the tunnel is shaped so as to form a duct for the direct connection of the outflow hole formed in the disk to said opening, and is flanked by two diametrical walls up to the peripheral region of the disk, the gasket portions which extend monolithically from the circumferential part of said gasket being inserted in interconnected seats provided respectively at the end of the duct and on the faces of the diametrical walls directed respectively toward the side wall and toward the base of the well.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 210 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein said side wall of said well has a front portion and a rear portion, said bathtub unit having an outflow opening for hot, cold or mixed water at the front or rear portion of the side wall and an outflow opening at the base of the well, wherein the tunnel has a substantially uniform diametrical arrangement at least from the outflow hole provided in the disk up to the outlet section at the outflow opening in the side wall, said tunnel extending in the opposite direction with a tunnel shaped like a simple wall and having an opening at the outflow opening in the base of the well, the gasket portions which extend monolithically from the circumferential part of said gasket being inserted in interconnected seats provided respectively at the edges of the tunnel outlet section which are perpendicular to the disk, at the edge of the opening toward the base of the well, on the faces of the terminal of the tunnel which are directed toward the side wall and toward the base of the well, and at the face of the tunnel which is directed toward the base of the well so as to form a longitudinal segment and a transverse segment.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 126 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein said side wall of said well has front portion and rear portions, said bathtub unit having an opening for the outflow of hot, cold or mixed water at the front and rear portions of the side wall of the well, wherein the tunnel has a substantially uniform diametrical arrangement between the two outlet sections at said outflow openings, the gasket portions which extend monolithically from the circumferential part of said gasket being inserted in interconnected seats formed respectively at the edges of the two tunnel outlet sections which are perpendicular to the disk and, so as to form a longitudinal segment and two transverse segments, at the face of the tunnel which is directed toward the base of the well.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 79 words

Device according to claim 1, wherein all the walls of the gasket which are meant to make contact with the bottom of the seats and with the circumferential edge of the disk belong to a single ideal frustum-shaped surface which corresponds to the continuous frustum-shaped surface of a punch which acts in combination with a gasket forming mold, the remaining walls which extend from said walls being shaped so as to allow extraction of the gasket from the mold.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1997-07-25	1998-01-24	1998-07-26	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2001-07-25	2002-01-24	2002-07-26	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2005-07-25	2006-01-24	2006-07-26	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Flow control device for a single-control mixer cartridge particularly suitable for a bathtub unit

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