Selector valve

This selector valve (20) may be used to control flow from a chemical supply (22) and a proportioner (14) attached to a faucet (12). The valve includes a valve body (30) having a central passage (32) receiving a rotatable stem assembly (38) having a stem (40) provided with interior passages (94, 96). The stem passages (94, 96) selectively communicate between an inlet line (18) and any one of a plurality of transverse intermediate passages (44, 46 and 48), or a transverse outlet passage (50), and an outlet line (16) depending on the rotational position of said stem (40). Each intermediate passage (44, 46 and 48) includes a metering adaptor (54, 56 and 58) and the outlet passage (50) also includes a metering adaptor (60). When the stem passages (96) is aligned with the metering adaptor (54, 56 and 58) of an intermediate passage (44, 46 and 48) fluid flows through that adaptor by way of connecting passages (102, 100, 104 and 87) to the outlet line (16). When the stem passage (96) is aligned with the metering adaptor (60) of the outlet passage (50) fluid flows through that adaptor directly to the outlet line (16).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to a selector valve for controlling flow 
through a fluid supply line and more particularly to the use of such a 
valve to selectively predetermine the amount of liquid additive supplied 
to a proportioner-actuated water line. 
It is very common to provide liquid chemicals in concentrated form so that 
they must be diluted with water prior to use. In particular, this applies 
to cleaning chemicals and it is conventional to connect a line from a 
liquid chemical supply to a pushbutton-controlled proportioner which is 
attached to a water supply such as a water faucet. The proportioner, such 
as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,166,086, is actuated by depressing a 
button and water from the faucet creates a negative pressure which draws 
chemical into the proportioner for blending or mixing with the water, the 
dilutant mix being discharged from the proportioner into a container such 
as a cleaning pail. By placing a selector valve between the liquid 
chemical supply and the proportioner it is possible to control the flow of 
liquid chemical from the supply and therefore determine the degree of 
dilution more accurately than is possible using the proportioner alone. 
Selector valves are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 
3,687,163 discloses a selector valve which can be used to provide a 
stationary input port connected to one of a choice of several output 
ports. A rotary valve member is provided having a single port connected to 
the output ports by means of a stationary annular cage having sealed 
openings. With this device multiple output ports are required. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,049 discloses an oscillatory valve by which one of 
several selected inlet lines is connected to an outlet line through the 
medium of a rotating valve member having an arrangement of radial passages 
and a cooperating housing. When one of the passages is aligned to connect 
the chosen inlet with the outlet the other passages are closed by the 
valve housing. With this valve multiple inlet ports are required and the 
aim is not to control flow rate from a supply but rather to select a 
particular supply. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This selector valve is insertable into a fluid supply line to predetermine 
the amount of fluid flowing through the line and can be inserted into the 
line between a liquid chemical supply and a proportioner-controlled water 
line to provide a means of accurately controlling the flow of liquid 
chemical to the water line. 
The selector valve provides a rotatable valve member which selectively 
aligns metering passges, within the valve, with the valve input to 
predetermine the valve output and is operated by means of a manually 
rotated control knob between a plurality of settings each adjusting the 
valve to meter a predetermined amount of liquid through the valve. 
The valve includes metering adaptors which supply liquid chemical either 
indirectly, through an intermediate adaptor, to the outlet line or 
directly to the outlet line through a metering adaptor in the outlet 
passage. 
It is an aspect of this invention to provide a selector valve comprising a 
valve body including a first passage having an inlet portion and a 
stem-receiving portion, a second passage having an outlet portion, a 
plurality of intermediate passages, each having an inner end communicating 
with said first passage stem receiving portion, and connecting passage 
means communicating between said intermediate passages and said second 
passage; a rotatable stem received within the first passage stem-receiving 
portion and including passage means having one end communicating with said 
first passage inlet portion and the other end selectively communicating 
with each intermediate passage as the stem is rotated, and metering means 
within each intermediate passage controlling flow from said stem passage 
means into a selected intermediate passage when said stem passage means is 
rotated into aligned relation with said intermediate passage. 
It is another aspect of this invention to provide that the stem passage 
means includes an axial passage communicating with said first passage 
inlet portion and a connecting transverse passage communicating with said 
selected intermediate passage. 
It is still another aspect of this invention to provide that the stem 
includes a fixedly attached knob, said knob including means indicating 
alignment between said stem passage means and said selected intermediate 
passage. 
It is yet another aspect of this invention to provide an adaptor means 
threadedly received into each intermediate passage, each adaptor means 
including a metering passage of a predetermined size communicating between 
said stem passage means and said valve body connecting passage means. 
One aspect of this invention is to provide that each adaptor means includes 
a reduced inner portion cooperating with its associated intermediate 
passage to define an annular cavity communicating with said valve body 
connecting passage means, and to provide that each adaptor means metering 
passage includes an axial passage and a connecting transverse passage 
communicating with said annular cavity and another aspect is to provide 
that each adaptor means includes a threadedly attached metering tip 
providing said axial passage, said axial passage being of said 
predetermined size to perform said metering function. 
Still another aspect of this invention is to provide that said valve body 
connecting passage means includes an annular cavity disposed about said 
stem, a plurality of connecting passages, one of said passages 
communicating between said cavity and said second passage and each of the 
other of said passages communicating between said cavity and an associated 
intermediate passage, and another aspect to provide that said connecting 
passages are disposed in angular relation to the axis of rotation of said 
stem. 
Yet another aspect of this invention is to provide that said second passage 
includes an inner end communicating with said first passage stem-receiving 
portion and selectively communicating with said other end of said stem 
passage means as said stem is rotated, and to provide metering means 
within said second passage controlling flow from said stem passage means 
into said second passage when said stem passage means is rotated into 
aligned relation with said second passage inner end. 
It is an aspect of this invention that a plurality of transverse passages 
provide said intermediate passages and said second passage and that 
adaptor means are threadedly received within each transverse passage, each 
adaptor means including a metering passage of pre-determined size 
communicating between said stem passage means and said valve body 
connecting means and controlling flow from said stem passage means into 
said transverse passage when said stem passage means is rotated into 
aligned relation with said transverse passage, each of said adaptor means, 
except said adaptor means in said transverse passage providing said second 
passage, having a closed outer end. 
It is another aspect of this invention to provide that said valve body 
includes a removable cover plate having a plurality of indentations 
aligned with said transverse metering passages and said stem knob includes 
an upper portion and a lower portion, said lower portion including a 
biased ball selectively receivable by said indentations and said upper 
portion including an indicator mark, said mark and said ball cooperating 
with said indentations to indicate the selected metering means. 
It is an aspect of this invention to provide a selector valve which is 
relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and highly efficient in 
operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now by reference numerals to the drawing and first to FIG. 1, it 
will be understood that the blend system generally indicated by numeral 10 
includes a valve-controlled water supply such as a faucet 12 which flows 
through a proportioner 14 and creates a suction in lines 16 and 18 which 
are provided with a selector valve 20 and are connected to a liquid 
chemical supply 22. The selector valve 20 provides a means of controlling 
flow of liquid chemical to the proportioner 14 thus determining the 
water/chemical mix issuing from the proportioner output 24 which can be 
used to fill mop buckets, for example, with cleaning fluid of a 
predetermined dilution. The selector valve 20 will now be described with 
particular reference to FIG. 3. 
The selector valve 20 includes a valve body 30 having a central passage 32 
constituting a first passage and including a lower chemical inlet portion 
34 communicating with outlet line 18, and an upper portion 36. A rotatable 
stem assembly 38 is mounted to the valve body 30 and includes a stem 40 
which is received in rotatable relation within the central passage upper 
portion 36 and a knob 42 which is fixedly attached to the stem by a set 
screw 43. The valve body 30 also includes a plurality of transverse 
passages, four (4) in number in the preferred embodiment, which 
communicate with the central passage 32 at their inner end. The transverse 
passages include three (3) intermediate passages 44, 46 and 48 and a 
transverse outlet passage 50 as shown in FIG. 2. Passages 44, 46 and 48 
each include closed end adaptor plugs 54, 56 and 58 which serve a metering 
function and are identical except as to the size of a metering passage and 
will be described with respect to adaptor plug 54. The outlet passage 50, 
which constitutes a second passage, includes an open end adaptor plug 60 
which is similar to plugs 54, 56 and 58 in other respects. 
Adaptor plug 54 (56 and 58) includes a threaded outer end 62 and a reduced 
diameter inner end 64 which cooperates with the transverse intermediate 
passage 44 to define an annular cavity 66. The plug inner end 64 includes 
a metering tip 68 having an axial passage 70, said tip 68 being threadedly 
received within an opening 71 which communicates with a transverse passage 
72. Interconnected passages 70 and 72, which constitute a metering 
passage, communicate between the annular cavity 66 and a reduced portion 
74 of the transverse intermediate passage 44 which in turn communicates 
with the stem-receiving portion 36 of the central passage 32. Each 
metering passage axial portion 70 is reduced at its inner end to provide a 
metering orifice 76 of a predetermined size. The metering orifice of each 
metering tip 68 is associated with a transverse passage 44, 46 and 48. 
Adaptor plug 60 includes a threaded outer end 78 and a reduced diameter 
inner end 80 which cooperates with the transverse outer passage 50 to 
define an annular cavity 82. The adaptor plug inner end 80 includes a 
metering tip 84 having an axial passage 86, said tip being threaded 
received within an opening 87. Axial passage 86 communicates with a 
transverse passage 88, and includes a portion 89 which extends outwardly 
therebeyond to communicate with line 16. Interconnected passages 86 and 
88, passage 86 constituting a metering passage, communicate between the 
annular cavity 82 and a reduced portion 90 of the transverse outlet 
passage 50, which in turn communicates between the stem-receiving portion 
36 of the central passage 32. The metering passage 86 is reduced at its 
inner end to provide a metering orifice 92 which is of a different 
predetermined size to the metering orifices 76 associated with the 
transverse intermediate passages 44, 46 and 48. 
The transverse intermediate passages 44, 46 and 48 and the transverse 
outlet passage 50 are selectively connected to the central passage inlet 
portion 34 through the stem 40, which includes an axial passage 94 
communicating with said inlet portion 34, and a connected transverse 
passage 96. Stem passage 96 is selectively connected to each of said 
transverse passages 44, 46, 48 and 50, as the stem 40 is rotated and hence 
to the metering tips 68 and 84 associated with said transverse 
intermediate passages 44, 46 and 48, and with said outlet transverse 
passage 50, respectively. The transverse intermediate passages 44, 46 and 
48 are connected to the transverse outlet passage 50 by connecting passage 
means which, in the preferred embodiment, include an annular cavity 100, 
disposed about said stem 40. The connecting passage means also includes 
passages 102 connected between said cavity 100 and intermediate transverse 
passage 44, 46 and 48, by way of associated annular cavities 66, and 
passage 104 connected between said cavity 100 and outlet passage 50, by 
way of associated annular cavity 82. In the embodiment shown, passages 102 
and passage 104 are disposed in inclined relation to the rotational axis 
of the stem 40, which facilitates the formation of said passages. 
The valve body 30 includes a cover plate 106, attached thereto as by 
fasteners 108, and having a central opening 110. The stem assembly 38 is 
held in place within the valve body central opening 32 by means of a snap 
ring 112, a washer 114 and a sealing ring 116 sandwiched between said 
washer 114 and said ring 116. The cover plate 106 includes a plurality of 
openings 118 corresponding in number to the number of metering tips 68, 84 
and arranged to lie on the axes of the orifices of said metering tips. The 
underside of the stem assembly cap 42 includes a socket 120 receiving a 
ball 122 and a biasing spring 124 and vertically aligned with the axis of 
the transverse passage 96 in the stem 40. With this structural arrangement 
of parts the indentations provided by said cover plate openings 118 tend 
to retain the ball when said transverse passage 96 is vertically aligned 
with a metering tip. The upper side of the cap 42 includes an arrow 126 or 
similar indicia which is vertically aligned with the ball 120. 
Since the outlet transverse passage 50, as well as the intermediate 
transverse passages 44, 46 and 48, includes a metering tip, and each has a 
different predetermined size, there are four (4) selections of flow rate 
possible by the utilization of the selector valve 20 inserted between the 
proportioner 14 and the liquid chemical supply 22. In order to select the 
desired orifice it is simply a matter of rotating the stem 40 by means of 
the knob 42 until the arrow 126 is disposed in aligned relation with the 
desired metering orifice. 
When the arrow 126 is aligned with a metering tip 68 associated with an 
intermediate passage 44, 46 or 48, the flow from the inlet portion 34, of 
the central aperture 32, is directed into the stem axial passage 94 and, 
by way of the stem transverse passage 96, into the selected metering tip 
orifice 76. The fluid entering metering orifice 76 passes through metering 
passages 70 and 72, annular cavity 66, connecting passage 102 and into 
annular cavity 100. Fluid then passes from annular cavity 100 into 
connecting passage 104, annular cavity 82, transverse passage 88 of 
metering tip 84 and into the axial passage 89 which communicates directly 
with line 16. It will be understood that during this operation the orifice 
92 of the metering tip 84 is effectively closed and said metering tip 84 
is not providing a metering function. The metering tips of the other 
intermediate passages 46 and 46 are likewise effectively closed. It will 
also be understood that when the arrow 126 and stem transverse passage 96 
are aligned with metering tip orifice 92 there is a direct flow through 
the metering tip 84 into axial passage 86, extension passage 89, and line 
16. 
Although the selector valve has been described by making detailed reference 
to a preferred embodiment, the details of description are not to be 
understood as restrictive numerous variants being possible within the 
scope of the claims hereunto appended. For example, the metering tip 84 in 
the outlet passage 60 can be omitted and the passage portion 90 also 
omitted so that passage 60 performs as an outlet passage only with no 
metering function.