Patent ID: 6135151
Filing Date: 2000-10-24
Classification: C02F,E03C,Y10T

Abstract:
A valve cartridge for association with a faucet assembly for mixing hot and cold input tap water and also for diverting cold input tap water and then receiving back processed water, said valve cartridge comprising in combination:(A) a valve body means having input and output aperture means;(B) two disk members positioned in stacked, interfacially contacting and transversely slidable relationship relative to one another in said valve body means with one said disk member being lowermost relative to the second thereof;(1) said lowermost one of said disk members resting in contacting relationship over said input and output aperture means and having lowermost disk aperture means defined therethrough that are aligned with said input and output aperture means,(2) each one of said disk members having a respective defined perimeter configuration and a plurality of cavity means defined therein,(3) said disk members having defined therebetween a mixing chamber and a diverting cavity,whereby a plurality of positions of said disk members relative to one another is achievable in said valve body means so that any given position of said disk members determines the amount if any of each of hot and cold tap water that is input from said input aperture means into said mixing chamber or only the amount of cold water that is input from said input aperture means into said diverting cavity, as well as the amount if any of water that is conveyed from said mixing chamber or from said diverting cavity into selected ones of said output aperture means; and(C) valve actuating lever means having a proximal end portion and an opposite distal end portion, said proximal end portion being adjustably and movably associated with said second disk member whereby the spatial position of said distal end portion determines the position of said second disk member relative to said lowermost disk member;the interrelationship between said valve body members, said disk members, and said lever means being such that the following water flow settings from said output aperture means can each be independently and separately achieved by positioning said distal end portion:(1) no water flows from said output aperture means,(2) only hot tap water flows from said output aperture means,(3) only cold water flows from said output aperture means,(4) only a mixture of hot and cold tap water flows from said output aperture means, and the water flow volume and the mixture ratio of hot tap water to cold tap water is exteriorly regulatable by said spatial position of said distal end portion, and(5) only diverted and processed cold tap water flows from said output aperture means, the cold tap water flow volume being exteriorly regulatable by said spatial position of said distal end portion.