Abstract:
Disclosed are faucets having a housing with a hollow main body, a lower inlet, a hollow side arm, and an upper outlet. A control valve is mounted to the side arm. A waterway subassembly is removably mounted in the main body using a catch located in the side arm which is accessible from outside the side arm and moveable between a first position that prevents the waterway from dropping out of the housing lower inlet and a second position that permits the waterway to drop out of the housing lower inlet.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    This invention relates to faucets having an upwardly extending spout and a control valve mounted along the side of the spout body. More particularly, it relates to an assembly for removably attaching a waterway to such a faucet. 
         [0004]    Many faucets have a main body that extends substantially vertically upwardly. There is typically a fixed spout, or a pull-out type spout, at the upper end of the body, and preferably also a control valve mounted along the side of the body. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,289,531, 6,371,163, and 6,757,921. 
         [0005]    Such control valves are typically linked to a lever or other control handle. Moving the handle moves a disk or other element in the control valve, which in turn regulates the flow of water through the valve (and typically also the temperature of the water). 
         [0006]    These faucets have a hot water supply line, a cold water supply line, and a mixed water line that carries water from the control valve to the spout outlet. A variety of techniques and assemblies have been used to attach these varied lines. 
         [0007]    In this regard, some faucets have a bulky receptor area integrated with the faucet body such that the lines are received in machined or otherwise formed integral bores of the body. However, these assemblies use large amounts of metal, and may add complexity to the manufacturing process. 
         [0008]    Other faucets use a pre-formed waterway subassembly consisting of an elbow, two inlet lines and an outlet line linked to a downward face of the elbow. A vertical face of the elbow is designed to abut a valve control cartridge or the like. 
         [0009]    This type of waterway can be difficult to assemble to the faucet body in an efficient fashion. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,757,921 the waterway is threaded through the side arm such that the elbow catches in the side arm and the lines then drop out the bottom of the body. Handling elongated lines during this assembly method can add complexity. Further, attempting to ease this assembly procedure by widening the area of the body adjacent the intersection with the side arm places limitations on the aesthetics of the design. 
         [0010]    Inserting the waterway from the bottom of the faucet can complicate securing the waterway in place. Where the waterway is welded in place, separate maintenance of the waterway cannot be achieved thereafter. 
         [0011]    Hence, a need still exists for improved faucet assemblies where the waterway can be efficiently installed, yet can be readily removed, when desired, for maintenance or replacement purposes. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The present invention provides a faucet of a type having a housing with a hollow main body, a lower inlet, a hollow side arm, and an upper outlet. A control valve is mounted to the side arm. A waterway is removably mounted in the main body. The waterway has at least one inlet line, a waterway face positionable adjacent the control valve, and an outlet line. 
         [0013]    The improvement is providing a catch located in the side arm which is accessible from outside the side arm and moveable between a first position that prevents the waterway from dropping out of the housing lower inlet and a second position that permits the waterway to drop out of the housing lower inlet. The catch may be in the form of a rotatable sleeve. The rotatable sleeve may have a projection and the waterway face may have an undercut. 
         [0014]    In a preferred form the projection of the rotatable sleeve may grip the undercut of the waterway face when the projection is in a first rotational position. Thus, the catch may form a part of a bayonet-type assembly. 
         [0015]    According to other preferred aspects of the invention, the control valve may be in the form of a valve cartridge located in the side arm radially inward of the catch. A face of the valve cartridge may abut the waterway face. The faucet may also have a bonnet nut that secures the valve cartridge in the side arm. The waterway may have two inlet lines linked to an elbow. 
         [0016]    The present invention permits the waterway to be inserted axially up from the bottom of the faucet body. A rotatable sleeve in the side arm can be positioned to catch behind the elbow and trap it in place. The valve body and control handles can then be mounted in the side arm to complete the assembly. 
         [0017]    Hence, installation is highly efficient. Yet, if the waterway thereafter needs to be maintained or replaced one can remove the handle and control cartridge, rotate the catch sleeve, and cause the waterway to simply drop down out of the faucet body. This permits access to the waterway without any need to remove the faucet from the counter top. 
         [0018]    The waterway can be inexpensively manufactured (e.g. from a metal such as brass, or a plastic), and that the use of the rotatable sleeve does not materially affect the cost of the final product. Further, this assembly is sufficiently intuitive that a consumer who is not a skilled plumber can quickly learn how to disassemble the waterway from brief instructions. 
         [0019]    These and still other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings. What follows is merely a description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. To assess the full scope of the invention the claims should be looked to as the preferred embodiment is not intended to be the only embodiment within the scope of the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a faucet of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a front plan view thereof; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of portions of the  FIG. 1  faucet; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of the top of a preferred waterway of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of a preferred catch of the present invention in the form of a rotatable sleeve; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 2 ; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a side arm portion of the faucet of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0027]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , faucet  10  is shown having a housing  12  with a hollow main body  14  having a hollow side arm  16  to which a control handle  18  is attached. The body  14  has on top of it a neck  20  extending up from a junction  22 . The neck then leads to a U-shaped spout  23  and ultimately spray head  24 . 
         [0028]    A lower escutcheon or base  26  decorates the base of the faucet, and sits on a sink, counter top or the like (not shown). Below the escutcheon  26 , a nut  28  may be positioned around a lower inlet section  30  such that the faucet  10  may be secured to a sink. 
         [0029]    The assembly also has a waterway  32  having quick attach type connectors  34  at the ends of a hot water inlet line  36 , a cold water inlet line  38 , and a mixed water outlet line  40 . Water supply pipes will be linked to lines  36  and  38  from room water supplies. Also, a tube will be linked to the line  40  to bend back up and through the spout  23  to a spray head  24 . 
         [0030]    As can be most clearly seen in  FIGS. 3 and 7 , the hollow side arm  16  includes a sleeve form catch  42 , a control valve cartridge  44 , a bonnet nut  46 , a bonnet  48 , and a set screw  49  that secures the handle  18  to a valve stem  76  of the control valve cartridge  44 . The control valve cartridge  44  may be of any conventional type. However, as shown, the control valve cartridge  44  is a mixing valve for mixing the hot water inlet line  36  and the cold water inlet line  38  and also controlling the flow rate. The resultant mixed water is outputted to the mixed water outlet line  40 . 
         [0031]    The upper end of the waterway  32  has an elbow  52 , as best shown in  FIG. 4 . This elbow  52  bends the direction of flow from the vertical inlet lines to a waterway face  54  which abuts the valve cartridge. 
         [0032]    Preferably, an undercut  56  is formed behind the waterway face on the elbow. As can be best seen in  FIG. 5 , the catch  42  has a catch face  58 . The catch face  58  has a cutout  60  defining a set of projections  62  on opposing sides of the cutout  60 . The cutout  60  is slightly larger than the profile of the waterway face  54  such that the cutout  60  can receive the waterway face  54  in inserted fashion. The cutout  60  on the catch face  58  also provides access to an inner bore  64  of the catch  42 . 
         [0033]    On the outer periphery  66  of the catch  42  is a radial flange  68 . As shown, the flange  68  is in the form of a step such that a portion  70  of the outer periphery  66  of the catch  42  is radially inset from portion  72  of the outer periphery  66 . 
         [0034]    The catch  42  also includes a pair of axial slots  73  that are formed on a face opposite the face having the set of projections  62 . The slots  73  may be used to facilitate rotation of the catch  42  once the catch  42  is inserted into the hollow side arm  16  using a tool. 
         [0035]    Referring next to  FIG. 6 , it can be seen that when the waterway  32  is properly aligned, the elbow will present termini of the inlets and the outlet at the waterway face  54 . Corresponding holes, with seals, will be formed on the control valve cartridge. 
         [0036]    To assemble the faucet, an upper portion of the waterway  32  is inserted into the lower inlet section  30  of the hollow main body  14  and the catch  42  is inserted into the hollow side arm  16 . While the waterway  32  and the catch  42  are inside the housing  12 , the waterway face  54  of the waterway  32  is inserted into the cutout  60  on the catch face  58 . 
         [0037]    The catch  42  is then rotated within the hollow side arm  16  such that the set of projections  62  on the catch  42  grip the undercut  56  of the waterway  32 . A tool may engage the pair of slots  73  to rotate the catch  42  from within the hollow side arm  16 . When the catch  42  is rotated to a first position in which the set of projections  62  of the catch engage the undercut  56  of the waterway  32  after the waterway face  54  is inserted, the waterway  32  is prevented from dropping out of the lower inlet section  30  of the faucet housing  12 . 
         [0038]    However, when the catch  42  is rotated to a second position in which the cutout  60  and the waterway face  54  are aligned, then the waterway face  54  may disengage the catch  42  and the waterway  32  is permitted to drop out of the lower inlet section  30  of the hollow main body  14 . This connection between the rotational sleeve and the waterway is a bayonet-type assembly. 
         [0039]    It should be appreciated that other types of connections may be used to connect the waterway face  54  to the catch  42 . For example, the catch  42  and the waterway  32  may each have a set of threads that may engage one another when the catch  42  is rotated relative to the waterway  32 . 
         [0040]    Once the catch  42  is connected to the waterway  32 , the waterway  32  is secured at a position adjacent to the hollow side arm  16 . The flange  68  on the outer periphery  66  of the catch  42  contacts a step  78  on walls of the inner bore of the hollow side arm  16  to prevent the catch  42  from sliding all the way into the hollow main body  14 . In this manner, once the connection between the catch  42  and the waterway  32  is formed, the waterway  32  is secured to the catch  42  at a point near the hollow side arm  16 . 
         [0041]    Once the waterway is secured, control valve cartridge  44  may be inserted into the bore  64  of the catch  42  such that the waterway face  54  abuts a valve face  74  of the control valve cartridge  44 , placing the waterway  32  and the control valve cartridge  44  in fluid communication with one another. The usual seals between the waterway face  54  and the valve face  74  create a water-tight seal is formed around each of the connecting water channels. 
         [0042]    The control valve cartridge  44  can then be secured in the hollow side arm  16  by fastening the bonnet nut  46  to the hollow side arm  16 . As the bonnet nut  46  is fastened to the hollow side arm  16 , the valve face  74  of the control valve cartridge  44  is firmly pressed against the waterway face  54  or seal located there between. Thus, the bonnet nut  46  helps to both retain the valve cartridge in the hollow side arm  16  and maintain the connection between the waterway  32  and the control valve cartridge  44 . 
         [0043]    Once the bonnet nut  46  is in place, the bonnet  48  may be placed on the end of the hollow side arm  16 . As the valve stem  76  can extend through the bonnet nut  46  and the bonnet  48 , the handle  18  is fastened to the valve stem  76  to permit operation of the control valve cartridge  44  using the handle  18 . 
         [0044]    The handle  18  may be used to operate the faucet  10 . The handle  18  is capable of rotation about an axis of the hollow side arm  16  to control the temperature of the water. Further, the handle  18  may be tilted from a closed position (shown as solid lines in  FIG. 2 ) to an open position (shown as phantom lines in  FIG. 2 ) to control the flow rate of water from the faucet  10 . Although one type of handle-valve control is described, it should be appreciated that other types of handle-valve control known to those skilled in the art may also be used. 
         [0045]    Thus, the present invention permits easy insertion of the control valve and waterway assembly into a faucet housing. If maintenance of either is needed, they may easily be removed without having to remove the faucet from the counter top or the like. 
         [0046]    Many modifications and variations to this preferred embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art, which will be within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, if the control valve is merely for controlling either hot or cold water, only a single inlet line would be needed. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the described embodiment. To ascertain the full scope of the invention, the following claims should be referenced 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
       [0047]    The invention provides a faucet having a waterway subassembly that can be easily installed and removed where the faucet is of the type having a side arm control valve system.