Toilet tank valve seat structure

A toilet tank valve seat structure mainly includes a body and an overflow tube located on one side of the body. The overflow tube consists of an inner tube and an outer tube. The inner tube has a gear rack on one side to couple with a hook located on one end of the outer tube so that the outer tube may be moved up and down to adjust the length of the overflow tube. The body has a valve opening covered by a plug. The plug has an anchor notch bordering by two slots on two sides that provide elasticity to make coupling of the anchor notch easier. The structure provides the overflow tube with an adjustable length according to the water level and makes replacement of the plug easier.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a toilet tank valve seat structure and particularly to a valve seat that has an overflow tube with an adjustable length and a plug easy to couple.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Referring toFIG. 1, a conventional valve seat1of a toilet tank includes a body10and an overflow tube11located on one side of the body. The overflow tube11has an overflow outlet111at the top end to discharge excessive water through a valve opening101to prevent the water in the tank from spilling outside the tank. The overflow tube11has a strut102on a lower side to couple with an anchor notch121of a stopping cap12. The stopping cap12has a seal pad122to cover the upper side of the valve opening101and is driven by a chain13to move about the strut102which serves as a fulcrum to control the water to flush from the tank into the toilet. Such a structure still has problems in practice, notably:1. The overflow tube11has a fixed length and must be cut to a corresponding height according to the water level. If the length of the overflow tube is not proper, or the water level is altered, the overflow tube11cannot function as desired, and the valve seat has to be replaced.2. After the stopping cap12has been used for a period of time, the seal pad122could be aged and hardened, and the sealing effect is impaired. Hence the seal pad has to be replaced periodically. Due to the strut102and the anchor notch121are coupled forcefully, removing or coupling of the two could result in breaking of the strut102or hurting user's hands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the aforesaid disadvantages, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved toilet tank valve seat structure to overcome the problems of the overflow tube whose length cannot be adjusted to suit change of water level and the plug which is not easy to replace. The invention provides an overflow tube which has an alterable length to suit different water levels and an elastic anchor notch to make replacing of the plug easier.

The valve seat according to the invention mainly includes an overflow tube on one side of a body. The overflow tube has an inner tube and an outer tube. The inner tube has a gear rack on one side to couple with a hook on one end of the outer tube so that the outer tube may be moved up and down to adjust the length of the overflow tube. The body has a valve opening to couple with a plug on the upper side. The plug has an anchor notch with two slots formed on two sides so that the anchor notch has a greater elasticity to facilitate coupling. The structure allows the length of the overflow tube to be adjusted to suit water level and makes coupling and replacing of the plug easier.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3, the valve seat2according to the invention mainly includes a body20, an overflow tube21and a plug22.

The body20has a valve opening201which has one side communicating with a water discharge outlet202to form a jutting dock203. The jutting dock203has two L-shape struts204extending from two sides. The body20has an external screw thread section205on the outer side.

The overflow tube21includes an inner tube211and an outer tube212.

The inner tube211is hollow and has one end mounted onto the jutting dock203, a gear rack2111located on one side, and a bulged rim2112on the top end. The bulged rim2112has an annular groove2113to couple with a seal ring2114.

The outer tube212is hollow to couple with the inner tube from outside. It has a hook2121and a bulged rim2122on the inner side of a lower end. The hook2121is engageable with the gear rack2111of the inner tube211. The bulged rim2122presses the outer side of the inner tube211and is confined below the bulged rim2112of the inner tube211so that the outer tube212may slide up and down without breaking off. The top end of the outer tube212is coupled with a water intake head2123.

The plug22includes a cap221, a seal pad222, a washer223and a plug dome224.

The cap221is a circular tray slightly larger than the valve opening201. The seal pad222, washer223and plug dome224are coupled on the bottom of the seal cap221in this order. It has two arms2211on two sides. The distal end of the arms2211has an anchor notch2212to couple on the strut204of the body20. There are two slots2213on two sides of the anchor notch2212. The cap221has an aperture2214on another side to couple with a chain2215.

The seal pad222is a pliable blade with an outer diameter slightly larger than the valve opening201, and has a round opening2221in the center to couple with the lower side of the cap221.

The washer223is a hard blade sandwiched between the seal pad222and the plug dome224to reduce the friction resistant force when the plug dome224is turned. The washer223has a round opening2231in the center.

The plug dome224is a hollow semi-spherical member located below the cap221and is turnable. It has a water inlet2241on the bottom and an air vent2242on one side.

By means of the elements and construction set forth above, the outer tube212is coupled on the inner tube211from outside with the hook2121latching on the gear rack2111. The outer tube212may be moved up and down for a selected distance to adjust the length of the overflow tube21to suit the water level of the tank (referring toFIG. 4). Moreover, The slots2213on two sides of the anchor notch2212provide the anchor notch2212with a desired elasticity so that it may be expanded towards two sides when coupling with the struts204without causing damages (referring toFIG. 5).

Referring toFIGS. 6 and 7, the plug dome224of the plug22also provides water discharge adjustment function. When the air vent2242of the plug dome224is located on a upper side (referring toFIG. 6), and the cap221opens, the water level drops and water pressure decrease gradually, the water in the tank continuously flows through the water inlet2241into the plug dome224. The plug dome224becomes heavier and result in the plug22sinking to close the valve opening201. Due to the water in the tank is not yet fully depleted, such a mechanism can save water consumption. On the other hand, when the plug224is turned and the air vent2242is located on a lower position (referring toFIG. 7), and the water in the tank starts discharging, due to the inverse pressure effect caused by pressure difference, water in the tank is difficult to enter the plug dome224, thus the plug22closes slowly, and the water in the tank can be fully discharged. Therefore by turning the plug dome224to alter the location of the air vent2242, the closing speed of the plug22may be controlled to adjust the amount of the storing water.

In summary, the invention provides an overflow tube that has an adjustable length to suit different water levels and a plug which is easier to couple and replace. It offers a significant improvement over the conventional techniques.