Faucet spring

A faucet spring utilized to urge the faucet seal member into sealing contact with the rotatable valving member and prevent large debris, such as valve washer screws from previous faucet assemblies, from contacting the valving member under the fluid pressure. The coil spring has a substantially frusto-conical configuration with a smaller diameter upper end which engages the seal and urges it against the valving member. The larger diameter lower end of the spring engages an annular shoulder of the counterbored inlet passage of the valve assembly. The lower end of the spring also includes an obstruction member formed as an extension of the coil spring which extends into the opening of the spring's lower end to prevent large debris from traveling through the spring and seal. As a result, the faucet spring provides the added function of preventing potentially damaging debris from contacting the valving member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
I. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a coil spring for a faucet assembly and, in 
particular, to a faucet spring which in addition to urging the seal member 
into contact with the movable valving member prevents damaging debris from 
contacting the valving member. 
II. Description of the Prior Art 
One of the features of a washerless faucet is the resilient seal element 
which cooperates with the valving member to ensure complete shut-off of 
fluid flow when the valve is moved to the off position. Generally, the 
seal element is seated within a smaller secondary bore offset from the 
center of the main bore which houses the valving member. In order to 
maintain sealing contact between the seal element and the valving member, 
means are normally provided to urge the seal against the bottom of the 
valving member. Such means may be provided by the resilient properties of 
the seal when the seal element is axially compressed within the secondary 
bore. Alternatively, a spring may be utilized to urge the seal upwardly to 
ensure engagement. 
Because the seal element and/or the spring form a tubular flow passage 
leading to the valving member, debris found in the supply lines of the 
faucet will be forced through the passage under the force of the water 
pressure into contact with the valving member. Certain types of debris can 
damage the valving member or jam its operation as it is rotated. 
Such damaging debris can even be in the lines unnoticed before the new 
washerless faucet is installed. Oftentimes the retaining screws for a 
valve washer in an old faucet can loosen and drop into the supply line. 
After the old faucet is replaced by the new washerless faucet and the 
water is turned on, the screw can be forced up against the valving member 
by the pressure of the fluid flow resulting in damage to the valve. When 
the water pressure is turned off to investigate the malfunction or to 
replace the valve, the screw can fall back into the supply line unnoticed. 
This routine can occur repeatedly until the frustrated consumer gives up 
on the new faucet assembly. Many times the only evidence of the recurring 
problem is the set of thread marks left on the valve member by the screw. 
To date no means have been developed to prevent such large debris from 
engaging the valve seat while maintaining the efficient operation and low 
cost of the washerless faucet valve cartridge. 
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior known faucet 
assemblies by providing a faucet spring adapted to urge the seal member 
into contact with the valving member while also blocking large debris, 
such as old loose valve washer screws, from engaging the valving member. 
The faucet assembly embodying the present invention includes a valve body 
having a first axial bore and a second smaller bore offset from the axis 
of the valve body. A valving member is rotatably disposed within the first 
bore of the valve body while a seal element is seated within the offset 
secondary bore. The secondary bore, which forms the inlet passage for the 
valve, comprises a lower passageway and an upper counterbore within which 
the seal element is disposed. In order to urge the seal upwardly to 
maintain sealing contact with the rotatable valving member, a spring 
extending from the shoulder formed by the counterbore and in contact with 
the seal element is utilized. Unlike past known faucet springs, however, 
the spring of the present invention includes means for reducing the 
cross-sectional area of the flow passage through the spring and seal in 
order to block any large debris from flowing therethrough. 
The faucet spring is in the nature of a coil spring and generally has a 
frusto-conical configuration with a bottom diameter greater than the top 
diameter. In this manner, the bottom of the spring is adapted to securely 
engage the annular shoulder formed by the counterbore while the 
frusto-conical shape and the top of the spring facilitates engagement with 
the seal element. Formed at the bottom as an integral extension of the 
coil spring is a blocking member which extends into the central passage of 
the spring and seal to reduce the dimensions of the opening although not 
significantly reducing the flow rate therethrough. In a first preferred 
embodiment of the spring, the blocking member is formed by a reduced 
diameter coil of the spring. In a second embodiment, the blocking member 
consists of a cross member bent across the large diameter opening of the 
spring. Thus, both embodiments provide integral structural means for 
preventing large debris found in the supply line from being forced into 
the faucet housing. 
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent 
from the following detailed description taken in connection with the 
accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
Referring first to FIG. 1, there is shown a faucet valve assembly 10 
embodying the present invention and generally comprising a valve body 12 
and a valving member 14 rotatably disposed within the valve body 12 and 
connected to an operating member 16 for selectively rotating the valving 
member 14 within the valve body 12 to control the water flow through the 
valve 10. The valve assembly 10 is connected to a supply line 18 which 
communicates with an inlet passageway 20 of the valve body 12. The valve 
body 12 also includes an outlet passage 22 which fluidly communicates with 
the faucet spout to deliver water to the user. Fluid flow through the 
valve assembly 10 is controlled by rotating the valving member 14 within 
the valve body 12 to selectively bring the fluid passageway 24 into and 
out of registry with the inlet passageway 20 and the outlet passage 22. As 
is shown in FIG. 1, the inlet passageway 20 is smaller than the main bore 
26 and offset from the rotational axis thereof. As a result, as the 
valving member 14 is rotated the port 28 formed in the valving surface 30 
will be brought into (FIG. 1) and out of registry with the inlet 
passageway 20. 
In order to provide a fluid seal between the inlet passageway 20 and the 
valving surface 30 of the valving member 14, a substantially tubular seal 
element 32 is seated within the inlet passageway 20. In a preferred 
embodiment of the valve assembly 10, the seal element 32 is disposed 
within a counterbore 34 of the passageway 20 to maintain the proper 
position of the seal element 32 between the valving surface 30 and an 
annular shoulder 36 of the counterbore 34. 
In the embodiments of the present invention, a faucet spring 50 is utilized 
to bias the seal element 32 against the valving surface 30 of the valving 
member 14. As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the faucet spring 50 is in the 
form of a compressible coil spring having a plurality of helical coils 52 
with a central passage extending through the spring 50. The faucet spring 
50 of the present invention preferably has a substantially frusto-conical 
configuration with a lower end 54 of greater diameter than the upper end 
56 of the spring. The faucet spring 50 is disposed within the counterbore 
34 of the inlet passageway 20 such that the lower end 54 of the spring 50 
engages the annular shoulder 36 of the counterbore 34. The upper end 56 of 
the spring 50 and the general frusto-conical shape thereof act against the 
seal element 32 to urge it into contact with the valving member 14. When 
fluid flow is initiated the water flows through the inlet passageway 20 
and the passage through the seal and spring. 
In addition to the general coil structure of the faucet spring 50, the 
spring includes means 58 for preventing large debris components from 
traveling through the central passage of the seal and spring into damaging 
contact with the valving member 14. Debris, such as old valve washer 
screws 100 from previous faucet assemblies, can be forced up the supply 
line 18 under the pressure of the water thereby damaging the valving 
member 14. The preventing means 58 stops such debris from contacting the 
valving member 14. In a first embodiment of the present invention shown in 
FIGS. 2-4, the preventing means 58 comprises a reduced diameter coil 60 
forming as an integral extension of the main coils 52 of the spring. In 
addition to maintaining the general helical shape of the coil spring 
thereby reducing manufacturing costs, the reduced coil effectively reduces 
the dimensions of the bottom opening of the spring 50 to block debris 
without significantly reducing flow volume through the inlet passageway 
20. This is because any flow restriction occurs at the upper end of the 
spring 50 first by the reduced flow passage formed by the seal 32 and then 
the inlet port 28. The lower end 54 of the spring 50 is, in essence, 
oversized to accommodate the required flow rate and, thus, the blocking 
means 58 does not significantly reduce the rate of fluid flow through the 
valve 10. 
In a second embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the 
preventing means comprises a cross member 62 which bisects the bottom 
opening of the spring 50. Again, while reducing the dimensions of the 
passage through which debris may pass, fluid flow is not significantly 
reduced. The cross member 62 is an integral extension of the coil spring 
and is formed simply by bending the end portion of the spring 
perpendicularly across the bottom face of the spring. 
Thus, the present invention provides simple, economical to manufacture and 
efficient means for preventing damaging debris from coming into contact 
with the valving member. Although the present invention has been described 
in conjunction with a rotatable valve assembly, the faucet spring 50 can 
similarly be utilized in conjunction with a ball-type valving member 
wherein the spring 50 urges the seal element against the valving surface 
of the ball-type valving member. 
The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of 
understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood 
therefrom as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the 
art without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.