A recessed cistern for a flushing system

Abstract: A recessed cistern for a flushing system for sanitary use, comprising a cistern body or tank (2) for containing the water and a control device (1) for opening the water outlet valve; the control device (1) is operated manually by an external actuator element, for example, constituted by a rocking switch, connected to a rod (22) which passes through an opening (2a) in a wall of the tank (2) and is pivoted to an angle lever (9) of the control device (1), in turn connected to a rod (6) for controlling the outlet valve; the control device is mounted on a support frame (5) located in the upper part of the tank (2); according to the invention, the frame (5) is removably coupled in the form of a bridge to two opposite walls (3, 4) of the tank (2) by means of elastic coupling means (25) projecting from the frame itself and inserted in suitable seats; the elastic coupling means (25) comprise a moveable coupling element provided with a projecting wing (30; 38), pushed outwards by elastic means (31; 39) for holding the wing (30) in engagement with the edge (26) of a front opening (2a) of the tank (2) or in a slot (26a) in a front wall of the cistern body; in this way, the frame (5) can easily be removed from the cistern body (2) through the opening (2a) or an upper opening using a simple tool, disengaging the moveable engagement element (27) from the edge (26) or slot (26a), even when the cistern (2) is already wall-mounted.

Description: The present invention concerns a cistern for a flushing system of the recessed type, in which the water outletvalve is controlled by a control device, manually operated by an external actuator element through an opening in the wall of the cistern; the control device is mounted on an auxiliary frame located in the upper part of the cistern and releasably engaged with two opposite walls of the cistern itself. European Patent No. 276 633 B2 describes a recessed cistern for a flushing system comprising a water container and a support frame releasably mounted therein, between the front and rear walls of the container; the frame supports a device for opening the outlet valve and includes an oscillating angle lever connected at one end to a control rod for the outlet valve and, at the other end, to a push rod which passes through an opening in the front wall of the container and is operated by an external actuator element constituted by a rocking switch. The frame is fixed on one side to a side wall of the container by means of two cross pins inserted in corresponding blind holes and, on the opposite side, the frame has a fixed tongue projecting from the frame, which simply rests on the lower edge of a front opening in the container. This structure does not ensure that the frame is solidly fixed to the container, and this allows accidental movements of the frame, which can compromise its functionality. German Patent Application No. 36 05 188 describes a flushing cistern that can be mounted on a wall, in which the control device for the outlet valve is mounted on a frame fixed with screws to the closure cover of an opening in an upper part of the cistern; even this arrangement is not ideal, both from the point of view of the simplicity and economy of production, and from the precision of the positioning of the control. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to produce a recessed cistern for a flushing system, in which the support frame for the outlet valve control device can easily be mounted between the walls of the cistern and, in addition, can easily be removed, even in the case of wall-mounted cisterns, without otherwise prejudicing the stability of its mounting. In accordance with the defined object, there is described a cistern for a flushing system comprising a cistern body or tank for containing the water, a support frame releasably mounted in the upper part of the tank and which supports a control device for opening the water outlet valve, the frame being provided with fixing members projecting from one side of the frame and insertable in corresponding holes in a first wall of the cistern, characterised in that the frame is further provided with moveable elastic engagement means located on an opposite side of the frame and capable of cooperating elastically in abutment with corresponding openings in a second wall opposite the first wall. There now follows a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, given by way of non-limitative example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a support frame for the outlet valve control device for a cistern for a flushing system, according to the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the frame of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a variant of that illustrated in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a constructional detail of the moveable element of Figure 1. With reference to Figure 1, the reference numeral 1 generally indicates a control device for an outlet valve, not shown, for a cistern of a flushing system, including a tank 2 containing a determined quantity of flushing water, of which an anterior, or front, wall 3 and a rear wall 4 are shown in partial section. The device 1 is supported by a support frame 5 made from plastics material and releasably mounted to form a bridge between the two opposite walls, front 3 and rear 4; the frame 5 is located in the upper part of the tank 2, in a substantially horizontal position; a column 6 is formed integrally on the frame 5, provided with a support rod 7 terminating at its ends in two upwardly facing lateral wings 8 on which an angle lever 9 is rotateably pivoted; the angle lever 9 is constituted by a first pair 10 of parallel arms 10a and 10b (Figure 2) which are of equal length and fixed at one of their ends to a transverse connection element 12 carrying two lateral pins 14 which engage corresponding holes in the wings 8; a second pair 11 of parallel arms 11a and 11b leaves the element 12 in a substantially perpendicular direction to the arms 10a, 10b; the arms of the pair 10 can be the same or a different length from the arms of the pair 11; one of the two arms of the pair 11, for example, the arm 11a, also lengthens the corresponding arm 11b with a tract 11c which terminates in a seat 15 which engages a slot of a lifting rod 16 connected to the outlet valve of the cistern. On the arms 11a, 11b, or alternatively on the arms 10a, 10b, as described in a patent utility model application filed in the name of the Applicant on the same date, there is rotateably mounted a push element 17 constituted by a catch 17 having a threaded hole coupled with a threaded rod 18 which is, in turn, connected to an actuator element, not shown, for the outlet discharge valve and constituted by a rocking switch, of known type, mounted outside one of the walls of the tank 2. The angle lever 9, the catch 17, with screwed threaded rod 18 and the lifting rod 16 are mounted on the frame 5, preferably outside the tank 2, before introducing the completed frame 5, together with the assembled control device 1, for example, through an opening in the upper part of the tank 2, known and not illustrated for simplicity, or through an opening 2a in the front of the wall 3. According to the invention, the frame 5 can easily be introduced into the tank 2 and fixed between two opposite walls 3 and 4 and, with equal simplicity, it can be removed with a simple release operation and removed, even in a wall-mounted cistern; to this end, the frame 5 is constituted by a flat, ribbed structure 20 of substantially rectangular shape, delimited by at least two opposite, rectilinear, parallel edges 21 and 22 which face the inside of two opposite walls 3 and 4 of the tank 2; the frame 5 is provided with two fixed pins 23 in the form of a cross in section projecting from an edge, for example, the edge 21, and which engage two corresponding holes 24 formed in a side wall 4 of the tank 2. The frame 5 is further provided on the side opposite the edge 21 with moveable engagement means 25 projecting from the edge 22 and which automatically snap-engage an opening formed in the opposite side wall 3, in the example illustrated in Figure 1, a lower edge 26 of the front opening 2a or, as illustrated in Figure 3, a seat or slot 26a formed through the wall 3. According to the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the engagement means 25 are constituted by a moveable guide element 27 slideable on parallel guides 29 in a direction perpendicular to the side wall 3; the moveable element 27 is provided at the front with an engagement member 30 constituted by a projecting wing which engages, upon the thrust of elastic means 31, the opening 2a in order elastically to abut against the edge 26; the elastic means 31 can be of any known type; in the example described, they are helical springs 31 interposed between the moveable element 27 and the frame 5. When the frame 5 is located outside the cistern, the moveable element 27 is prevented from leaving the guides 29 by resistance means 32 constituted by elastic arms 32 fixed to the element 27 and capable of engaging against a stop tooth 33 fixed to the frame 5. The wing 30 is interrupted at its centre in order to define an opening 34 within which the edge 35 (Figure 4) of the moveable element 27 has an inclined surface portion 36 which forms, when the frame 5 is fixed in use to the walls 3 and 4, a space 37 (Figure 1) between the moveable element 27 and the wall 3, used to remove the frame from the cistern, as will be described below. The frame 5 is mounted in its use position between the walls 3 and 4 of the cistern by first inserting the fixed pins 23 in their seats 24, keeping the frame 5 inclined with the edge 22 up; the frame 5 is then rotated downwards, holding the springs 31 under compression, until the wing 30 enters the opening 2a, resting on the edge 26 against which it remains due to the effect of the thrust of the spring 31. In order to remove the frame 5, mounted between the walls 3 and 4, it is sufficient to insert a slim tool, for example, a screwdriver, into the space 37 and withdraw the moveable element 27, using the tool as a lever in such a way as to remove the wing 30 from the aperture 2a (and thus release its engagement against the edge 26) and, therefore, lift the frame 5. An embodiment of the elastic means 25 and the coupling system described is shown schematically in Figure 3 in which the moveable element is constituted by a body 38, usually projecting from the edge 22 of the frame 5 and fixed to project from a flexible, elastic shank (or tongue) 39 of limited thickness, fixed to the edge 22; when the frame 5 is introduced into the tank 2 in the way described above, by operating this time through an opening in the upper part of the cistern, known and not illustrated, the projecting body 38 is therefore pushed into snap-engagement, as soon as the frame 5 is rotated downwards, with a slot-like opening 26a formed in the wall 3 instead of the opening 2a; furthermore, the body 38 has a channel 40 at its upper part which accommodates the tip of a screwdriver which, by acting as a lever, once mounting has been achieved, forces the body 38 out of the seat 26, thus enabling the frame 5 to be removed from the cistern, even when it is wall-mounted. Obviously, this arrangement is also usable in a cistern having a front opening, as shown in Figure 1, the slot-like opening 26a possibly being formed below the opening 2a. Furthermore, the opening 26a could be discontinuous, in the sense of being defined by a series of at least two adjacent slots, each accommodating a corresponding tooth of the engagement element 38. The arrangement proposed according to the present utility model is very advantageous in comparison with the analogous arrangements known in the art, in which mounting the frame in the cistern is effected manually without using tools, and removing the frame from the cistern is achieved simply by utilising a common screwdriver; furthermore, the use of moveable elastic means such as the element 27, or the projecting body 38, ensure that the frame is fixed firmly and securely between the walls of the cistern, irrespective of the way in which this is effected.

Claims: A recessed cistern for a flushing system, including a cistern body or tank (2) containing the water, a support frame (5) releasably mounted as a bridge in the upper part of the tank (2) and which supports a control device (1) for opening the water outlet valve, the said frame (5) having fixed fixing members (23) projecting from a first side (21) of the said frame (5) and insertable into corresponding holes (24) in a first wall (4) of the cistern body (2), characterised in that the said frame (5) is further provided with movable elastic coupling means (25; 38) located on a second side (22) of the said frame (5) opposite the first, and which co-operates in elastic snap-engagement with a corresponding opening (2a; 26a) in a second wall (3) of the tank (2), opposite the said first wall (4). A cistern according to Claim 1, characterised in that the said moveable elastic coupling means (25) comprise a moveable guide element (27), slideable on parallel guides (29) in a direction perpendicular to the side wall (3); the moveable element (27) being provided with a projecting coupling member (30) which engages the said opening (2a) as the result of the thrust of elastic means (31) interposed between the said sliding element (27) and the said frame (5). A cistern according to Claim 2, characterised in that the said coupling member (30) is constituted by a projecting wing (30), the said wing (30) having an interruption (34) at its centre delimited by an inclined surface portion (36) which engages an extractor tool for removing the said wing (30) from the said opening (2a), in order to remove the said frame (5) from the said cistern. A cistern according to Claim 1, characterised in that the said moveable elastic coupling means (25) comprise a body (38) projecting from an edge (22) of the said frame (5) and fixed so as to project from a flexible, elastic shank (39) of limited thickness, fixed to the said edge (22). A cistern according to Claim 4, characterised in that the said projecting body (38) has an upper slot (40) which engages an extractor tool for removing the said body (38) from the said opening (26a), in order to enable the removal of the said frame (5) from the said cistern.

Inventors: VAROTTI MARIO, VAROTTI, MARIO
Applicants: VALSIR SPA, VALSIR S.P.A.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: E03D1
IPC codes: E03D5, E03D1