Cabinet door operated faucet valve

An automatic control system for a faucet of a sink includes a valve manifold adapted to be disposed beneath the sink. The valve manifold is adapted to communicate with at least one of a hot water supply line and a cold water supply line and at least one of a hot water faucet connecting line and a cold water faucet connecting line for delivering water to the faucet of the sink. The valve manifold includes at least one electrically actuatable valve for controlling the flow of water to at least one of the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting line and a diversionary valve adapted to allow water in the valve manifold to bypass the at least one electrically actuatable valve and flow to at least one of the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates generally to sink faucets and, more
 specifically, to an automatic valve control system for remotely activating
 a water faucet.
 2. Description of the Prior Art
 Remote and automatic control of a sink faucet go back many years. In early
 years, the use of photo cells and foot pedals were common, and, more
 recently, the use of electronic proximity switches has become widespread.
 The introduction of numerous electronic controlled faucets in recent years
 points to the need of a functional multipurpose remote and automatic sink
 faucet control system. Besides the protection from transfer of bacteria
 and the convenience of hand free operations, the water saving potential
 and capability of a reliable, low maintenance, functional system will make
 such a device a necessity rather than a luxury.
 Unfortunately, the electronic and foot pedal versions of faucet control
 valves have demonstrated many limitations and short falls, making the need
 for a more practical and user friendly device for households even more
 apparent. The existing electronic version of the faucet control valve
 limits its use for simple hand washing application. Its indiscriminate
 actuation by sensing an object makes this type of valve faucet useless for
 any other application that requires instantaneous on/off control of water
 flow. The uncontrolled and indiscriminate actuation by proximity or motion
 sensing devices make simple tasks such as dishwashing, clothes washing, or
 even sink cleaning a self defeating act. Other disadvantages of electronic
 faucets are the lack of control over the water flow and ability to
 override the system. In case of power failure, these units can only rely
 on limited storage capacity of the battery cells.
 Furthermore, because the components of the electronic faucets are
 interdependent and inseparable, they replace the existing faucet without
 making any use of it. Also, because of extensive electronic circuitry and
 its related high cost, plus their functional limitations, the electronic
 faucets are most suitable only for newly built public hand washing
 facilities where high cost and limitations are not of any major concern.
 Similarly, the floor mounted foot pedal is an obtrusive device, difficult
 to use and to install and requires extensive plumbing changes. The foot
 pedals' bulky space-taking body makes floor cleaning difficult and becomes
 an obstacle to foot traffic. Its use by the elderly and some physically
 impaired individuals is also limited. Due to extensive plumbing changes
 and its related high cost, foot pedal sink faucet controls are only
 suitable for institutional use. The impracticality, inconvenience,
 difficulty of installation and high cost of existing devices necessitates
 the need for a new device that is practical, responsive, easy to use, easy
 to install, and low cost.
 To work in the consumer market, an automatic faucet control must be a
 retrofitted appliance, sold as a kit to be installed by consumer, which
 uses the existing plumbing and fixtures, and is responsive to almost every
 demand that one may expect from a faucet. To accommodate the existing
 plumbing and accessories such as water filters, ice makers, and auxiliary
 water heaters, the auto faucet inlet ports must be numerous and
 strategically placed for all conceivable connecting situations. The low
 cost, user-friendliness, and ease of installation would play a crucial
 role in success of such a product. To be practical it should be possible
 for a consumer to override the automation easily and conveniently. In the
 case of power failure, the consumer must be able to bypass the system with
 ease.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 The instant invention fulfills the above stated needs by providing an
 automatic control system for a faucet of a sink, the automatic control
 system including a valve manifold adapted to be disposed beneath the sink,
 the valve manifold adapted to communicate with at least one of a hot water
 supply line and a cold water supply line and at least one of a hot water
 faucet connecting line and a cold water faucet connecting line for
 delivering water to the faucet of the sink, the valve manifold including
 at least one electrically actuatable valve for controlling the flow of
 water to at least one of the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold
 water faucet connecting line, the at least one electrically actuatable
 valve adapted to electrically communicate with an electrical power supply,
 and at least one switch adapted to selectively cause a connection between
 the electrical power supply and the at least one electrically actuatable
 valve to be completed, whereby, upon completion of the connection, the at
 least one electrically actuatable valve at least partially opens to allow
 the flow of water to the faucet, and the valve manifold including a
 diversionary valve adapted to allow water in the valve manifold to bypass
 the at least one electrically actuatable valve and flow to at least one of
 the hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting
 line.
 Implementation of the above aspect of the invention may include one or more
 of the following. The diversionary valve includes a manually operable
 diversionary valve. The diversionary valve includes an automatic
 electrically actuatable diversionary valve adapted to open when power
 ceases to be supplied to the automatic electrically actuatable
 diversionary valve. The automatic electrically actuatable diversionary
 valve includes a biasing mechanism adapted to urge the automatic
 electrically actuatable diversionary valve closed when the automatic
 electrically actuatable diversionary valve is supplied with electricity
 and urge the automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve open
 when the automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve is not
 supplied with electricity. The biasing mechanism includes an
 electromagnetic mechanism adapted to close the automatic electrically
 actuatable diversionary valve when the electromagnetic mechanism is
 supplied with electricity and a spring adapted to open the automatic
 electrically actuatable diversionary valve when electricity is not
 supplied to the electromagnetic mechanism. The valve manifold is adapted
 to be disposed beneath the sink, inside a cabinet frame having a pair of
 hinged doors mounted thereon, the at least one switch adapted to be
 mounted to the cabinet frame, at least one of the doors including an
 internal surface facing the inside of the cabinet and adapted to contact
 the at least one switch when the at least one door is substantially
 closed, the at least one switch adapted to be activated by the internal
 surface of the at least one door when pressure is applied to an external
 surface of the at least one door. The at least one switch includes a
 latching switch that, upon being activated a first time, maintains
 completion of the connection of the electrical power supply and the
 solenoid valves until the switch is reactivated. The at least one switch
 includes a momentarily non-latching switch. The at least one switch and
 the at least one valve are adapted to provide variable flow control in the
 valve manifold proportionate to the amount of pressure applied to the
 external surface of the at least one door. The at least one switch
 includes a variable-resistance push switch and the at least one
 electrically actuatable valve includes a servo valve. The automatic
 control system further includes a wireless mechanism adapted to
 communicate the at least one switch with the at least one electrically
 actuatable valve to control the at least one electrically actuatable
 valve. The wireless mechanism includes a transmitter associated with the
 at least one switch, and a receiver and a control unit associated with the
 valve manifold, the transmitter is adapted to transmit a signal indicative
 of the state of the at least one switch to the receiver which communicates
 the signal to the control unit for control of the at least one
 electrically actuatable valve.
 An additional aspect of the invention includes an automatic control system
 for a faucet of a sink, the automatic control system including a valve
 manifold adapted to be disposed beneath the sink, inside a cabinet frame
 having a pair of hinged doors mounted thereon, the valve manifold adapted
 to communicate with at least one of a hot water supply line and a cold
 water supply line and at least one of a hot water faucet connecting line
 and a cold water faucet connecting line for delivering water to the faucet
 of the sink, the valve manifold including at least one electrically
 actuatable valve for controlling the flow of water to at least one of the
 hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting
 line, the at least one electrically actuatable valve adapted to
 electrically communicate with an electrical power supply, at least one
 switch adapted to be mounted to the cabinet frame, at least one of the
 doors including an internal surface facing the inside of the cabinet and
 adapted to contact the at least one switch when the at least one door is
 substantially closed, the at least one switch adapted to be selectively
 activated by the internal surface of the at least one door when pressure
 is applied to an external surface of the at least one door so as to cause
 a connection between the electrical power supply and the at least one
 electrically actuatable valve to be completed, whereby, upon completion of
 the connection, the at least one valve at least partially opens to allow
 the flow of water to the faucet.
 Implementations of the aspect of the invention described immediately above
 may include one or more of the following. The at least one switch includes
 a mechanical or electronic latching switch that, upon being activated a
 first time, maintains completion of the connection of the electrical power
 supply and the solenoid valves until the switch is reactivated. The at
 least one switch includes a momentarily non-latching switch. The at least
 one switch and the at least one valve are adapted to provide variable flow
 control in the valve manifold proportionate to the amount of pressure
 applied to the external surface of the at least one door. The at least one
 switch includes a variable-resistance push switch and the at least one
 electrically actuatable valve includes a servo valve. The automatic
 control system further includes a wireless mechanism adapted to
 communicate the at least one switch with the at least one electrically
 actuatable valve to control the at least one electrically actuatable
 valve. The wireless mechanism includes a transmitter associated with the
 at least one switch, and a receiver and a control unit associated with the
 valve manifold, the transmitter adapted to transmit a signal indicative of
 the state of the at least one switch to the receiver which communicates
 the signal to the control unit for control of the at least one
 electrically actuatable valve. The valve manifold includes a diversionary
 valve adapted to allow water in the valve manifold to bypass the at least
 one electrically actuatable valve and allow flow to at least one of the
 hot water faucet connecting line and the cold water faucet connecting
 line. The diversionary valve includes a manually operable diversionary
 valve. The diversionary valve includes an automatic electrically
 actuatable diversionary valve adapted to open when power ceases to be
 supplied to the automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve. The
 automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve includes a biasing
 mechanism adapted to urge the automatic electrically actuatable
 diversionary valve closed when the automatic electrically actuatable
 diversionary valve is supplied with electricity and urge the automatic
 electrically actuatable diversionary valve open when the automatic
 electrically actuatable diversionary valve is not supplied with
 electricity. The biasing mechanism includes an electromagnetic mechanism
 adapted to close the automatic electrically actuatable diversionary valve
 when the electromagnetic mechanism is supplied with electricity and a
 spring adapted to open the automatic electrically actuatable diversionary
 valve when electricity is not supplied to the electromagnetic mechanism.
 The at least one switch includes a switch adapted to be activated by an
 upper side of a user's foot. The at least one switch includes a static
 sensitive switch connected to an uncoated metallic sink, a metallic faucet
 or numerous metallic ornamental probes placed in a location of convenience
 such as a sink countertop and all being isolated from the ground and to be
 activated by the user's touch.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 With reference to FIG. 1, a prior art sink 1, faucet with faucet valves 2,
 3, sink cabinet with doors 4, 5, supply gland nuts 6, 7, connecting tubes
 8, 9, and upper door frame 10 are shown. The sink faucet valves 2, 3 are
 connected by tubes 8, 9 to the supply valve gland nuts 6, 7. The cabinet
 doors 4, 5 are hingeable connected to the cabinet frame and, when closed,
 an upper inside part of each door 4, 5 rests adjacent to or against the
 upper door frame 10.
 With reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5-8, a valve manifold 17 constructed in
 accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown. During
 installation of the valve manifold 17, the gland nuts 6, 7 are first
 removed, two of the valve manifold inlet ports 11, 12 are connected to the
 gland nuts 6, 7 via supply tubes 15, 16, and the faucet connecting tubes
 8, 9 are then connected to the valve manifold outlet ports 13, 14. The
 inlet ports 11, 12 not connected to the supply tubes 15, 16 may be capped
 or may be coupled to other appliances that require water, e.g., ice
 makers, water filtration devices, auxiliary water heater for coffee or tea
 making purposes.
 In the embodiment of the controlling switches 21, 22 shown in FIGS. 2, 4
 and 10, the controlling switches 21, 22 are normally opened push button
 switches and controlling switch 21 is a latching switch and the
 controlling switch 22 is a momentary switch. In alternative embodiments of
 the invention, the opposite may be true, only one of the above types of
 switches may be used, or, as will become better understood below, one or
 more of these types of switches and a different type of switch may be
 installed on a cabinet, giving the user more selectivity.
 The controlling switches 21, 22 are preferably connected to a central
 portion of the inside upper door frame 10, inside of the cabinet. Although
 the controlling switches are shown connected near the center of the inside
 upper door frame, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art
 that the controlling switches 21, 22 may be positioned in locations on the
 inside upper door frame 10 other than that shown and may be connected to
 other elements of a cabinet other than that shown. For example, but not by
 way of limitation, the controlling switches 21, 22 may be connected to the
 inside faces of the doors 4, 5 or a center frame (not shown) of the
 cabinet. The switches 21, 22 should be located so that when a user applies
 gentle pressure with his or her knee to the exterior surface of the
 cabinet door, when the door is substantially closed, this pressure will
 cause the corresponding switch 21, 22 to close.
 With reference to FIG. 9, in an alternative embodiment of the invention,
 the switches 21, 22 may instead be activated by pressure sensitive switch
 pads 37 mounted on the exterior surface of the cabinet doors. This
 embodiment advantageously immediately makes the user aware that the sink
 is equipped with a cabinet door faucet valve system.
 With reference to FIG. 12, in a further embodiment of the invention, one or
 both of the switches 21, 22 may be replaced with a contact switch 54 that
 activates a self-powered infrared or radio frequency (RF) transmitter 55
 for wirelessly communicating with a matching receiver 57 separate from or
 integrated with the valve manifold 17, to activate the solenoid valves 19,
 20 remotely and wirelessly. Also, a commercially available transmitter
 circuit board 59 along with a battery 61 and the contact switch 54 can be
 encased in a container 63 and attached by means of adhesive or fasteners
 to the upper inside of the cabinet door 4, 5 just below the door frame 10
 in a manner such that when pressure is applied to the closed door 4, 5,
 the upper door frame 10 causes the contact switch 54 to close, thus
 activating the transmitter 55, sending coded instructions or signals to
 the receiver 57 to activate the solenoid valves 19, 20. A control unit 58
 including a power switching circuit is associated with the receiver 57 to
 decode and amplify the coded emission from the infrared or RF transmitter
 55 and activate or open the solenoid valves 19, 20. When the contact
 switch 54 opens, transmitting stops and the power switch unit cuts power
 to the solenoid valves 19, 20, causing them to close. Also, as will be
 described in more detail below, the contact switch 54 may be a
 variable-resistance switch to operate a servo valve for variable flow
 control. Although RF and infrared communication means have been described
 for communicating the switch with the valve 19, 20, it will be readily
 apparent to those skilled in the art that other wireless means may be used
 to accomplish this same purpose.
 With reference to FIGS. 19-21, in an alternative embodiment of the
 invention, one or more lever-operated switches 110 may be strategically
 positioned on the cabinet or cabinet frame to control the valves 19, 20 in
 a wired or wireless manner such as that described immediately above.
 Although not shown, the switch 110 may include a transmitter and
 associated electronics such as that described above to achieve this
 purpose. The one or more lever-operated switches 110 may be located on a
 front edge 112 (FIGS. 12, 19) of the sink or cabinet, on a front surface
 of the cabinet door 4, 5 or to a bottom surface 114 of the cabinet frame.
 In a preferred embodiment, the switch 110 is located on the bottom surface
 114 of an overhang 116 of the cabinet frame, behind and below the cabinet
 door 4, 5, or in a similar location where the user can activate the switch
 110 with upper toe pressure. Because the switch 110 is located above
 ground, but beneath the overhang 116, the switch 110 is not obtrusive or
 an obstacle to foot traffic, mopping, cleaning, etc. This location is also
 desirable because the user's feet normally extend underneath the overhand
 116 of the cabinet, in the area underneath the switch 110. The valves 19,
 20 are activated by simply lifting one's toes and applying pressure to the
 switch 110 with the upper side of one's toes.
 With reference specifically to FIGS. 20 and 21, the switch 110 will now be
 described in detail. A series of electrically connected metallic springs
 126 are attached to a non-metallic housing 122, just above a metallic
 strip lever 124. The metallic springs 126 include bottom ends 128 that are
 normally separated from the strip lever 124 by a gap G by the action of
 springs 120. The separation distance of the gap G should not be more than
 1/8 to 3/16 inches. The metallic strip lever 124 is the first leg of the
 contact switch 110 and the springs 126 form the second leg of the contact
 switch 110. First and second conductive cables 130, 132 are connected to
 the strip lever 124 and the springs 126, respectively, to complete the
 circuit. By closing the gap G with the external pressure of, for example,
 a user's toe, the circuit is completed, activating the valves 19, 20. It
 will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that other upper
 toe-activated switches may have alternative constructions such as, but not
 by way of limitation, reflective infrared emitter and detector switch that
 detects a nearby object such as a user's toe underneath the overhang 116.
 With reference to FIGS. 4-19 in an alternative embodiment of the invention,
 a static sensitive switch circuit can be integrated to the existing
 control unit circuitry 58 or the infrared or RF transmitter circuitry 59
 to activate solenoid 19, 20 conventionally or wirelessly. The input
 terminal of the static sensitive switch, which may be integrated in the
 control unit 58 or transmitter circuitry 59, can communicate by means of
 conductive cable to a ground isolated metallic probe such as a faucet
 spout 140, an uncoated metallic sink 1, or to numerous ornamental metallic
 probes such as a chrome plated button 142 (FIGS. 4, 19) placed at any
 location of convenience. Those skilled in the art will understand that
 there are almost no numerical limitations for such a metallic probe being
 connected to a single input terminal of such a static sensitive switch
 provided that all those metallic probes remain ground isolated. Although
 not shown, the switch 110 may include a transmitter and associated
 electronics such as that described above to achieve this purpose. The
 static-sensitive switch is similar to those used in touch-on, touch-off
 light fixtures. The switch includes a sensing terminal connected to a
 ground isolated metallic body of the sink 1 (stainless steel sink) or to a
 ground isolated spout of a faucet. To activate the valves 19, 20, the user
 touches, for example, an edge of the sink or spout of a faucet. To
 deactivate the valves, 19, 20, a second touch is required.
 With reference to FIG. 10, the solenoid coils 31 of the solenoid valves 19,
 20 are connected in parallel, and the connection to a low voltage
 transformer 18 is interrupted so long as the switches 21, 22 remain open.
 The solenoid valves 19, 20 are closed to water flow unless the coils 31
 are energized when the switches 21, 22 are closed. Because the switches
 21, 22 are normally open, they interrupt the connection of the solenoid
 coils 31 to the low voltage transformer 18, which serves as the power
 supply, until the switches 21, 22 are closed. For consumer safety,
 transformer 18 is preferably a 24 Volt step-down transformer that reduces
 the high wall reciprocal voltage to a safe handling voltage.
 Latching switch 21 is adapted to stay in a closed position when activated
 (so as to cause a continuous flow of water), thereby continuously
 maintaining the connection of the solenoid coils 31 to the low voltage
 transformer 18 until the latchable switch 21 is engaged a second time,
 which re-opens the switch 21. The latching switch 22 also can be replaced
 by a momentary switch similar to switch 22 to activate a timer circuitry
 incorporated in control unit 58 to activate solenoids 19, 20 for a
 predetermined duration.
 Instantaneous on-off control of water may be accomplished by the push
 button or momentary switch 22. The switch 22 remains closed, causing the
 solenoid valve(s) 19, 20 to remain open and water to flow to the faucet,
 as long pressure is imparted on the switch 22.
 The valve manifold inlet ports 11, 12 are denied access to the valve
 manifold outlet ports 13, 14 (FIG. 8) by the action of needle valves 23,
 24 at point 25, 26 and by the inactivated solenoid valves 19, 20 (FIG. 6).
 Solenoid valves 19, 20 are typical, normally closed solenoid valves which
 restrict the water flow through their inlet port 27 and the outlet port
 28. Because the internal configuration of a normally closed solenoid valve
 is not part of the claimed invention, those of ordinary skill in the art
 will recognize that any suitable configuration for a normally closed
 solenoid valve may be adopted. However, for purposes of illustration, FIG.
 6 shows the function of a basic dual solenoid valve arrangement consisting
 of spring-loaded non-corrosive magnetic plungers 29 and guides 30,
 electromagnetic coils 31 and valve manifold with inlet ports 11, 12 and
 outlet ports 13, 14.
 In a non-actuated mode, the spring-loaded plunger 29 of FIG. 6, aided by
 water pressure of inlet ports 11, 12, creates a positive seal against the
 outlet port 28 of the solenoid valves, 19, 20 thus restricting the water
 flow.
 In the activated mode, the energized magnetic coil 31 causes the plunger 29
 to move upward, thus removing the obstacle of communication between valve
 manifold inlet ports 11, 12 and valve manifold outlet ports 13, 14 of the
 solenoid valves 19, 20. In the activated mode, the two solenoid valves 19,
 20 simultaneously open, permitting unrestricted water flow through their
 outlet ports 28, and consequently to the-sink faucet, as its settings
 permit.
 With reference to FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 in an alternative embodiment of the
 invention, the solenoid valves 19, 20 may be replaced with one or more
 variable liquid flow control valves that allow the user to more precisely
 control the flow rate through the valve manifold 17. For example, but not
 by way of limitation, the solenoid valves 19, 20 may be replaced with
 respective servo valves 50, 52 or servo-operated plungers to provide
 variable liquid flow control in the valve manifold 17. It should be noted,
 replacing the solenoid valves 19, 20 with servo valves 50, 52 may even be
 done within the same valve manifold 17 with little or no changes to the
 valve seats of the manifold 17 because the valve seats may be designed for
 valve interchangeability.
 To control the servo valves 50, 52, one or both of the switches 21, 22 may
 be replaced with a pressure sensitive switch such as a variable resistance
 push switch 54, a transmitter unit 63 (infrared or RF), a receiver 57, a
 signal amplifier 56, and control unit 58 to operate one or both servo
 valves 50, 52. Of course, in an alternative embodiment, a wired connection
 may exist between the pressure sensitive switch and the control unit 58.
 The resistance of undisturbed switch 54 is set to maintain servo valve or
 servo plunger 50, 52 in a closed condition. Increasing or decreasing the
 pressure on the cabinet door 4,5 changes the resistance of the variable
 resistance push switch 54, which is amplified by the signal amplifier 56
 and processed by the control unit 58 to control one or both of the servo
 valves 50, 52 to provide variable fluid control through the open faucet.
 Preferably, this embodiment would be configured so that as the pressure on
 the cabinet door 4, 5 is increased by the user, the flow rate through the
 servo valve(s) 50, 52 would proportionately increase.
 It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that other pressure
 sensitive switches may be used to provide variable control of the valves.
 In another embodiment of the invention, instead of the aforementioned
 control switches controlling both of the solenoid valves 19, 20 or
 variable flow control valves 50, 52 simultaneously, respective control
 switches may be used to control respective hot and cold water valves in
 the valve manifold 17 to independently control the relative amounts of hot
 and cold water going to the faucet. This would reduce the need for the hot
 and cold water handles 2, 3 for the faucet.
 With reference to FIG. 8, a pair of needle valve assemblies 23 allow a user
 to manually bypass the solenoid valves 19, 20 for the free flow of fluid
 through the valve manifold 17 in the event of a power failure or
 malfunction, or for any other reason. A needle valve 24 of the needle
 valve assembly 23 may be manually withdrawn (at least partially) from
 bores 25, 26 to allow free irrigational communication between inlet ports
 11, 12 and outlet ports 13, 14 of valve manifold 17 in order to bypass the
 closed solenoid valves 19, 20.
 With reference to FIGS. 13-16, a pair of automatic electrically actuated
 needle valve assemblies 70 that automatically open in the event of a power
 failure or malfunction so that the solenoid valves 19, 20 are bypassed for
 the free flow of fluid through the valve manifold 17 will now be
 described. The automatic electrically actuated needle valve assemblies 70
 may physically replace the manually actuated needle valve assemblies 23
 discussed above. The needle valve assembly 70 includes a needle valve stem
 74 attached to a circular magnetically excitable plate 76. The needle
 valve stem 74 carries a spring 78 adjacent to the plate 76 and a retaining
 ring 80.
 The needle valve stem 74 is disposed in the bore of a magnetically
 excitable flange 82 having magnetic coil 84 in the center. The flange 82
 carries an O ring 86 and includes an external thread 88 compatible with a
 internal thread 90 in the valve manifold 17, making retrofitting or
 replacement of the manually operable needle valve assembly 23 easy,
 inexpensive, and standardized. The retaining ring 80 insures the limited
 movement of the needle valve stem 74 with respect to the flange 82 and the
 O ring 86 insures proper fluid seals between the needle valve stem 74 and
 the flange 82.
 With reference to FIG. 16, the magnetic coils 84 are connected in parallel
 through a normally closed switch 92 and are in constant communication with
 the power supply 18, resulting in magnetization of flange 82 and, as a
 result, a constant pull on plate 76. The constant pull on plate 76 causes
 needle valve stem 74 to close the manifold bores 25, 26, preventing water
 flow there through.
 In the event of a power failure or opening of switch 92, the flange 82
 demagnetizes. The lack of pull on the plate 76, along with the action of
 spring 78 and fluid pressure in bore 25, 26, forces the valve stem 74
 backward, causing the free communication of fluid between the inlet ports
 11, 12 and the outlet ports 13, 14 in the valve manifold 17. When the
 supply of power is resumed or the switch 92 is closed, the magnetized
 flange 84 attracts plate 76, thus closing the bore passage way 25, 26 and
 causing the valve manifold 17 to resume to its normal operating condition.
 With reference to FIG. 17, the switch 92 may be conveniently located on a
 wall behind or adjacent to the sink or on a cabinet fixture so that by
 opening the switch 92, the operator can override or bypass the valves 19,
 20 so that the faucet works manually and conventionally if so desired.
 With reference to FIG. 8, the valve manifold 17 may include a hammer
 arrestor device to provide a shock absorbing environment to minimize the
 hammering action and related noises that may be generated by the sudden
 closing action of the solenoid valves 19, 20. For example, such a device
 may be comprised of two cylindrical cavities 30 filled with compressed air
 and sealed by two pistons 32 containing O-rings 33 as a seal, and
 retaining rings 34 to retain the pistons 32 within the cylindrical
 cavities 30. The lower end of each of the two cylindrical cavities, on the
 uncompressed side of the piston 32, may be sealed by threaded plugs 35 and
 connected by passage ways 36 to water inlets 11, 12.
 The sudden shock caused by the closing action of the solenoid valves 19, 20
 passes through bores 36 and causes the pistons 32 to move against the
 preset pressurized cavities 30, thus absorbing the shock and hammer effect
 of sudden closure.
 With reference to FIGS. 13 and 18, in another embodiment, the hammer
 arrestor device may include a flexible air bag 100 made out of a thin wall
 of corrugated stainless steel cylinder that is pressurized with
 predetermined quantity of compressed air and sealed at both ends.
 Cylindrical cavities 30 in the valve manifold 17 may be filled with a
 compressed air to absorb the hammering effect. When placed in cavity 30
 (FIG. 13), the longitudinal flexibility of the corrugated cylinder 100
 will absorb the sudden impact and hammering effect of sudden valve
 closure.
 The present invention will now be described in use. Slight knee pressure on
 one of the cabinet doors 4, 5 causes the switch 21, 22 to close, in turn
 causing the solenoid valve(s) 19, 20 to open, allowing the water to flow
 freely through the existing faucet as its flow settings permits.
 Continuous water flow may be accomplished by way of the push button
 latchable switch 21. To latch the latchable switch 21, a light knee
 pressure is applied to one of the cabinet doors 4, 5. In the latch mode,
 the solenoid valve(s) 19, 20 remain open indefinitely and the faucet works
 conventionally, and the user can manipulate the water flow manually and
 conventionally or terminate the flow by applying a second knee pressure to
 the same cabinet door 4, 5 or by turning the faucet manually to the off
 position.
 Instantaneous on-off control of water may be accomplished by the push
 button or momentary switch 22. The switch 22 remains closed, causing the
 solenoid valve(s) 19, 20 to remain open and water to flow to the faucet,
 as long pressure is imparted on the switch 22.
 Variable control may be accomplished by the variable control or pressure
 sensitive switch 54. Increasing or decreasing the pressure on the cabinet
 door 4,5 changes the resistance of the variable resistance push switch 54,
 which is amplified by the signal amplifier 56 and processed by the servo
 control unit 58 to control one or both of the valves 50, 52 to provide
 variable fluid control through the open faucet. If a static-sensitive
 switch is used, the touch-on, touch-off control of water can be
 accomplished by the user by touching a metallic object such as uncoated
 metallic sink 1, a faucet spout 140, or an ornamental metallic button 142
 (FIG. 4, 19). The static-sensitive switch should be ground isolated,
 placed in a location of convenience, and should be in communication with
 the input terminal of the touch sensitive switch.
 To child proof the invention, all that is necessary is to close the sink
 faucet manually. In this case, if a child exerts pressure on the doors 4,
 5, the solenoid valves 19, 20 will activate, but the closed sink faucet
 restricts the flow.
 In the event that the solenoid valves 19, 20 become fixed in a closed
 condition due to a power failure or malfunction, manually operable needle
 valve assemblies 23 allow a user to manually bypass the solenoid valves
 19, 20 and automatic electrically actuated needle valve assemblies 70
 automatically open to bypass the solenoid valves 19, 20 for the free flow
 of water through the valve manifold 17 and to the faucet. The remote
 switch 92 may be used with the electrically actuated needle valve
 assemblies 70 to control the opening of the electrically actuated needle
 valve assemblies 70 in the event of a power failure or malfunction.
 The illustrated embodiment is exemplary in nature and many of the details
 thereof could be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of
 the present invention. For example, the internal configuration of the
 solenoid valves 19, 20 could be of a different type, such as a piloted
 solenoid valve, which can rely on storage energy of the battery cell for
 its operations. It must also be noted that such piloted solenoid valves
 can also work with dual energy source such as battery cells and AC
 current, or as described above, a servo valve. The general shape of the
 valve manifold 17 could also be different. For example, a single valve
 manifold 17 could be replaced with two separate manifolds or blocks, each
 containing a solenoid valve, a diversionary valve, and multiple inlet
 ports for a single fluid, e.g., hot water. Style-wise, the inlet or outlet
 ports may be configured differently or the switching apparatus, namely
 control unit 58, can contain an electronic version of the latching switch,
 replacing the mechanical latching switch with a momentary switch. Control
 unit 58 can also contain a static sensitive switch or a timer circuitry
 for measured fluid flow or a voice activated switch which converts voice
 commands to a working current to activate solenoid valves 19-20. To reduce
 consumer cost, the shock-absorbing portion may be simplified or
 eliminated.
 The arrangement of the present invention makes the automatic valve control
 system advantageously very easy to install as a retrofit or with new
 faucet plumbing, even by non-plumber consumers. Its simplicity and minimal
 parts makes it inexpensive, and its practicality and ease of operation
 encourage its use. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that
 other changes and modifications can be made to the invention within the
 scope of the appended claims.