Faucet valve with safety handle
View Patent ↗A faucet for controlling the dispensing of liquids includes a valve body having a valve chamber with an inlet and an outlet. A valve element is located in the valve chamber and is movable from a first position for blocking flow between the inlet and outlet to a second position for permitting flow between the inlet and the outlet. An operating stem has an inner end operatively connected to the valve element and an outer end located external to the body. A bonnet is included, and an insert member is rotatably connected to the bonnet and defines an opening through which the stem extends. The bonnet and insert member are secured to the body and enclose the valve element in the valve chamber. The insert is located such that no portion of the insert member is clamped between the bonnet and the body.
1. A faucet for controlling the dispensing of liquids comprising:
a valve body including a valve chamber with an inlet and an outlet;
a valve element located in the valve chamber movable from a first position for blocking flow between the inlet and outlet to a second position for permitting flow between the inlet and the outlet;
an operating stem having an inner end operatively connected to the valve element and an outer end located external to the body;
a bonnet comprising an annular member including a radially inward extending bonnet flange including a bonnet opening defined therein, said bonnet flange comprising an outer surface;
an insert member rotatably connected to the bonnet and defining an insert opening through which the stem extends, wherein said bonnet and insert member are secured to the body and enclose said valve element in said valve chamber, and wherein said insert is located such that no portion of said insert member is clamped between said bonnet and said body, said insert member comprising a base including a radially outward extending insert flange, and said insert further comprising a skirt portion connected to the insert base that is received into said bonnet opening and that engages said bonnet such that said insert is connected to said bonnet with said insert flange slidably and rotatably abutted with the outer surface of the bonnet flange;
spaced-apart guide walls projecting outwardly from said insert member external to said valve chamber;
an actuator handle assembly operatively coupled to the outer end of the stem, said actuator handle assembly including a lever pivotally connected to the outer end of the stem and a cam actuator movably connected to the lever, wherein said cam actuator moves to and between:
(i) an engaged position in which pivoting movement of said lever relative to said stem is effective to cause said lever to exert a pulling force on said stem sufficient to move said valve element from its first position to its second position; and,
(ii) a disengaged position in which pivoting movement of said lever relative to said stem is ineffective to cause said lever to exert a pulling force on said stem sufficient to move said valve element from its first position to its second position.
2. The faucet as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said bonnet comprises a depression defined in the outer surface of the bonnet flange, and wherein said insert flange is seated in said depression of said bonnet external to said valve chamber and in rotatable sliding contact with said outer surface of said bonnet flange.
3. The faucet as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said insert flange is seated in said depression of said bonnet with minimal radial clearance such that radial movement between said insert member and said bonnet is minimized.
4. The faucet as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said skirt portion of said insert is defined by a plurality of tabs each including a bite tooth, and wherein said insert member is snap-fit to said bonnet by engagement of the bite tooth of each tab with said bonnet.
5. The faucet as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said bonnet flange comprises a lip that defines an opening in said bonnet, and wherein said skirt portion of said insert member is located in said opening of said bonnet, with the bite tooth of each tab engaged with said lip.
6. The faucet as set forth in claim 5 , wherein said insert comprises a boss that surrounds the opening in said insert member, wherein said boss is surrounded by said skirt portion such that a space is defined between said boss and said skirt, said faucet further comprising a spacer ring seated in the annular space between the boss and the skirt, said spacer ring inhibiting radial inward deflection of the tabs of the skirt portion and disengagement of each bite tooth from the lip of the bonnet.
7. The faucet as set forth in claim 6 , wherein said annular spacer ring comprises an L-shaped cross section comprising a first portion that is abutted with said base of said insert member and a second portion that is abutted with said tabs of said skirt portion.
8. The faucet as set forth in claim 7 , wherein said annular spacer ring is defined as a one-piece metallic construction.
9. The faucet as set forth in claim 6 , further comprising a spring engaged between said insert member and said valve element and biasing said valve element into its first position, wherein said spring is coaxially positioned about said stem and said boss projects into an open end of said spring.
10. The faucet as set forth in claim 5 , wherein said body defines a valve seat between said valve chamber and said outlet, and wherein said valve element comprises a polymeric seat cup comprising a closed end adapted to sealingly engage said valve seat when said valve element is located in said first position, said polymeric further comprising an open end in which said lip of said bonnet is received.
11. The faucet as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said body defines a valve seat between said valve chamber and said outlet, and wherein said valve element comprises a polymeric seat cup comprising a closed end adapted to sealingly engage said valve seat when said valve element is located in said first position.
12. The faucet as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said cam actuator of said actuator handle assembly is spring-biased to said disengaged position.
13. The faucet as set forth in claim 12 , wherein said cam actuator comprises at least one cam surface that is adapted to engage at least one of said bonnet and said insert when said cam actuator is located in its engaged position.
14. The faucet as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said spaced-apart guide walls are defined as a one-piece construction together with said insert member.
15. The faucet as set forth in claim 14 , wherein said lever of said actuator handle assembly is closely received between said spaced-apart guide walls such that said lever pivots relative to said stem between said spaced-apart guide walls about only a single pivot axis.
16. A faucet for controlling the dispensing of liquids comprising:
a valve body having a valve chamber, an inlet to the valve chamber, an outlet from the valve chamber, and a valve seat located between the inlet and the outlet;
a valve element in the valve chamber movable to and between a first position engaged with the seat and a second position spaced from the seat;
an operating stem having an inner end operatively connected to the valve element and an outer end;
a bonnet including an outer surface and a bonnet opening, wherein an insert member is rotatably connected to said bonnet and said bonnet is connected to said body such that said bonnet and insert member enclose said valve element in said valve chamber, said insert member defining an insert opening through which said stem extends such that said outer end of said stem is located external to said valve chamber, wherein said insert member is positioned so as not to be clamped between said bonnet and said body, said insert member comprising a base including a radially outward extending insert flange and a skirt portion connected to the base that is received into said bonnet opening and that engages said bonnet such that said insert is connected to said bonnet with said insert flange slidably and rotatably abutted with the outer surface of the bonnet;
spaced-apart guide walls projecting outwardly from said insert member external to said valve chamber;
an actuator handle assembly including a lever connected to the outer end of the stem and a cam actuator movably connected to the lever, wherein said cam actuator moves relative to said lever to and between:
(i) an engaged position in which said actuator handle assembly is operative to move said valve element from said first position to said second position; and,
(ii) a disengaged position in which said actuator handle assembly is inoperative to move said valve element from its first position to its second position.
17. A faucet for controlling the dispensing of liquids comprising:
a valve body including a valve chamber with an inlet and an outlet;
a valve element located in the valve chamber and movable from a first position for blocking flow between the inlet and outlet to a second position for permitting flow between the inlet and the outlet;
a stem having an inner end operatively connected to the valve element and an outer end located external to the body;
a bonnet including an outer surface and a bonnet opening;
an insert rotatably connected to the bonnet, said insert comprising a base that is located in said bonnet opening and a portion that extends through said bonnet opening and that engages said bonnet, said insert further comprising a flange that projects outwardly from said base, said flange abutted with an outer surface of said bonnet, said bonnet and insert member secured to the body to enclose said valve element in said valve chamber without said flange being clamped between said bonnet and said body, said insert member defining an opening through which said stem extends;
an actuator handle assembly operatively coupled to the outer end of the stem, said actuator handle assembly including a lever pivotally connected to the outer end of the stem and a cam actuator movably connected to the lever, wherein said cam actuator moves to and between:
(i) an engaged position in which pivoting movement of said lever relative to said stem is effective to cause said lever to exert a pulling force on said stem sufficient to move said valve element from its first position to its second position; and,
(ii) a disengaged position in which pivoting movement of said lever relative to said stem is ineffective to cause said lever to exert a pulling force on said stem sufficient to move said valve element from its first position to its second position.
18. The faucet as set forth in claim 17 , wherein said insert comprises spaced-apart guide walls that outwardly from said base of said insert member external to said valve chamber, wherein said outer end of said stem is located between said guide walls.