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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention is directed to a tub and shower water control valve, a plastic ground that supports the control valve on a wall and a decorative trim that surrounds the operating handle of the control valve and conceals the opening through the wall in which the control valve is mounted. Tub and shower water control valves are equipped with interchangeable cartridges which permit the control valve to be used as a cycling valve or a volume control valve. It is advantageous to be able to interchange cartridges of these two types after the control valve has been installed in a wall without cutting into the wall or otherwise damaging it. A plaster ground is used to attach a control valve to the structure of a supporting wall or enclosure and also to protect the valve during the completion of the wall or enclosure by workers of other building trades. In addition to concealing the opening in the supporting wall through which the components of the water control valve extend to be connected to an operating handle, the escutcheon plate carries indicia, both in the form of letters and words as well as graphic symbols which are essential for the safe operation of the control valve. This indicia must remain legible over the life of the plumbing which can last many years. For this reason, the indicia applied to the escutcheon must be durable and withstand the use of abrasive cleaners applied to the surfaces of the escutcheon and handle as well as the moisture which is always present in tub and shower areas.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention concerns a tub and shower water control valve, a plastic ground for supporting a control valve on the structure of an enclosing wall and an escutcheon which conceals from view the control valve and any openings in the wall associated with the control valve. The plastic ground must also protect the control valve and its cartridge during the construction of the wall after rough in of the plumbing. The escutcheon must depict operating instructions in the form of letters, words and graphics which will not be easily worn away or disfigured from moisture and abrasives used for cleaning in a tub and shower area.  
           [0003]    The water control valve of this invention permits the alternate installation or replacement of a cycling cartridge or a volume control cartridge utilizing the same valve housing. The structure of the control valve also permits the removal and substitution of a cartridge for upgrading the control valve after the valve has been installed in the wall without requiring breaking into or damaging the wall. The valve housing of this invention is designed to increase flow rate through the valve cartridge while greatly reducing audible noise. The inlet and outlet ports and the tub and shower ports of the control valve may be connected to water pipes by threaded or soldered fittings. The control valve may be supported from below by a structural support member within the wall and will still be capable of being connected to its water supply pipes and to the shower and tub outlet pipes which are supplied through the cartridge. A cartridge housing extension sleeve is provided for installations in extra thick walls and to accommodate errors in locating the control valve in the wall. Mounting tabs are provided on the control valve to permit it to be attached to a support behind the control valve and also to attach the plaster ground and escutcheon to the valve body.  
           [0004]    The plaster ground of the present invention can be assembled on the control valve at the factory so that it is ready for installation on thin walls such as glass fiber shower surrounds without any need for further assembly by the installing worker. A flat surface is formed on each of the top and bottom of the plaster ground body to permit the ground and control valve to be supported on a structural element of a wall extending beneath the ground. Nail receiving grooves are formed in the sides of the plaster ground body to permit the use of nails or screws to hold the control valve and plaster ground in position while the escutcheon is installed making the installation possible by only one installer. The plaster ground of this invention permits the control valve and ground to be installed in both thin and thick walls. It is clearly marked to indicate to the installer the correct position for each type of wall and can be changed from one thickness of wall to the other by inverting the ground and oriented it as indicated by markings on its face.  
           [0005]    The tubular protective cover formed as part of the plaster ground protects the control valve and its cartridge before installation and during rough-in of the plumbing. The protective cover can be cleanly separated from the plaster ground base to present a flush surface for receiving the escutcheon and its sealing gasket.  
           [0006]    The escutcheon can be provided with different overlays made of a clear durable plastic such as polycarbonate, with one overlay for a cycling cartridge and another overlay for a volume control cartridge. The plastic of the overlay is printed on its reverse side with lettering and/or graphics which can indicate its operation and the desired temperatures of the water. The overlay is adhered to the escutcheon with the printed material on the underside to protect the printed material against wear and tear.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the operating handle and escutcheon with a portion of the control valve body also visible;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one version of the water control valve of this invention before its connection to the water piping;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the escutcheon assembly;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a plan view of one embodiment of the escutcheon overlay with indicia for a cycling valve;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment of the escutcheon overlay with indicia for a volume control valve;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective of one embodiment of the control valve and the plaster ground;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view through one embodiment of the water control valve cartridge and the plaster ground;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the control valve;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  9 - 9  of FIG. 8;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the control valve of FIG. 8;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  11 - 11  of FIG. 8;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line  12 - 12  of FIG. 10;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of a control valve of this invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  14 - 14  of FIG. 13;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of the valve of FIG. 13;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  16 - 16  of FIG. 13;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 17 is a front elevational view of the plaster ground of this invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the plaster ground taken along line  18 - 18  of FIG. 17;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the plaster ground taken along line  19 - 19  of FIG. 17;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 20 is a top plan view of the plaster ground;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 21 is a rear elevational view of the plaster ground;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 22 is an enlarged axial cross-sectional view taken through the longer of the fastener receiving tubes;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 23 is an enlarged axial cross sectional view taken through one of the shorter of the fastener receiving tubes;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 24 is a front elevational view of the plaster ground attached to a control valve and mounted on a horizontal support member of a wall;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 25 is a side elevational view of the control valve and plaster mount installed in the structure in a “thin wall” enclosure;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 26 is a side elevational view of the plaster mount and control valve installed on a horizontal wall support of a “thick wall” installation;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 27 is a side elevational view of the plaster guard and control valve installed on a horizontal wall support of a thick wall with an extension sleeve provided on the control valve cartridge;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of an extension sleeve for a cartridge valve; and  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of a stem extension for a cartridge valve. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0036]    [0036]FIG. 1 of the drawings shows the tub and shower valve of this invention in a demonstrative assembly mounted on a horizontal support of an uncompleted shower wall for ease of illustration. In this illustration, a control valve  31  is shown with a handle  33  and an escutcheon  35  of the type used with a shower cycling valve. The handle and escutcheon are fitted over a plaster ground  37  which is visible in FIGS. 6, 7 and  26  of the drawings. The control valve is supported on a horizontal support member  39  of the unfinished wall as shown in FIG. 24 of the drawings and because this is only a demonstrative illustration, the water connections to the control valve have not been installed.  
         [0037]    The control valve  31 , in its two embodiments, is shown in more details in FIGS.  6 - 16  and  28 - 29  and in its various positions of mounting in FIGS.  24 - 27 . Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 6- 11  of the drawings, because the control valve  31  is usually mounted in what will be called an upright or vertical orientation, the parts of the valve will be described using such orientation as a guide to the relative location of its components but it should be understood and appreciated that the control valve can be mounted other than upright. The control valve  31  includes a valve body  51  having front and rear faces  53  and  55 , respectively. Hot and cold water inlets  57  and upper and lower water outlets  59 A,  59 B are formed in the valve body. It should be understood that the inlets  57  are connected to suitable hot and cold water supply pipes and the outlets  59 A and  59 B are connected to pipes extending to, for example, a shower head and a tub spout, respectively. It should be noted that the inlets and outlets are threaded for the use with threaded fittings and may also be connected to piping by the conventional sweating. It should further be noted that the water inlets and outlets  57  and  59 A and  59 B are located in the same plane which usually will be the horizontal aligned at what would be considered the base of the valve body  51 . Check valve chambers  61  are located inwardly of the water inlets  57  and each chamber contains a check valve insert  63 . The position of each check valve is controlled by a check stop assembly  65  and a check stop screw. The check valve inserts  63  prevent cross flow between the hot and cold water supplies as well as any siphoning into these supplies.  
         [0038]    The check valve chambers  61  are seen most clearly in FIG. 7 of the drawings. Each leads into a separate chamber  62 , one for the hot water and one for the cold water. Water passages  63  formed in the top wall  64  of these chambers open into a cup-like socket  65  defined by an annular wall  66  formed as part of the valve body  51 . A valve cartridge  67 , which may be of the type used for cycling or the type used for volume control is seated in the cup-like socket  65 . Hot and cold water from the separate chambers  62  mix in the valve cartridge  67 . The mixed water exits the valve cartridge through two sets  68  of passages extending through the top wall  64  of the chambers  62 . These sets of passages, which can be best seen in FIG. 8 of the drawings, are located 180° apart and are at the outer periphery of the cup-like socket  65 . The sets of passages lead into a tub and shower supply passage  66  of the valve body  51  as shown in FIG. 11. Each set  68  of passages includes a central passage  69  and a pair of laterally located passages  70 . The central passage of each set is larger in diameter than the laterally located passages  70  and may also function as an indexing socket for the valve cartridge  67 . The tub and shower passage  66  connects to a shower passage  71  which also functions as a shower drain and which is shown most clearly in FIG. 11 of the drawings. A threaded sleeve  81  connects to the annular wall  66  with an O-ring seal  83  positioned between the annular wall and the threaded sleeve. A cartridge nut  85  locks the valve cartridge  67  to the threaded sleeve. A dome  87  with a central opening  89  fastens to the threaded sleeve and to the cartridge nut. A stem  91  of the valve cartridge extends through the central opening in the dome  87 . As shown most clearly in FIGS. 2, 6,  8  and  10  of the drawings, the valve body  51  is provided with two sets of integrally formed mounting tabs. One set of mounting tabs  93  is located at the lower portion of the front face of the valve body while the other set of mounting tabs is located at the rear face at the upper side of the valve body.  
         [0039]    A valve body  101 , which is a modified version of valve body  51 , is shown in detail in FIGS.  14  to  16  of the drawings. It functions in the same manner as the valve body  51  but does not have check valve chambers or check valve inserts as does the valve body  51 . The modified body  101  has a front face  103  and a rear face  105 . Hot and cold water inlets  107  are formed integrally with the body as are upper and lower water outlets  109 A and  109 B, respectively. The valve body includes separate chambers  111 , one for the hot water and one for the cold water, to supply water to the upper and lower water outlets  109 A and  109 B. Water passages  115  in the top wall  117  of the valve body  101  lead into a cup-like socket  119  which opens to the front face of the valve body. An annular wall  121  surrounds the cup-like socket and is adapted to receive the threaded sleeve  81  and O-ring  83  in the manner previously described. A valve cartridge, which may be a cycling or volume control type such as that previously described, may be seated in the cup-like socket  119 . Hot and cold water from the separate chambers  111  mix in the valve cartridge  67 . The mixed water exits the valve cartridge through two sets  122  of passages extending through the top wall  117  of the chambers  111 . These sets of passages, which can best be seen in FIG. 13 of the drawings, are located 180° apart and are at the outer periphery of the cup-like socket  119 . The set of passages lead into a tub and shower supply passage  123  of the valve body  101  as shown in FIG. 11 of the drawings. Each set  122  of passages includes a central passage  124  and a pair of laterally located passages  125 . The central passage of each set is larger in diameter than the laterally located passages  125  and may also function as an indexing socket for the valve cartridge  67 . The tub and shower passage  123  connects to a shower passage  126  which also functions as a shower drain and which is shown most clearly in FIG. 16 of the drawings. The valve body  101  includes mounting tabs  127  located at the front face of the valve body and mounting tabs  128  located at the rear face of the valve body as shown most clearly in FIG. 13 of the drawings.  
         [0040]    The escutcheon  35  is shown installed on the control valve  31  in FIG. 1 of the drawings. It is also shown in exploded detail in FIG. 3 of the drawings. The escutcheon includes an annular disk  131  formed of a brass alloy that is nickel plated. The disk includes a front face  133  and has an outer peripheral wall  135  which extends rearwardly of the front face. An indexing notch  137  is cut in the edge of the rearwardly extending wall. A central opening  139  extends through the annular disk and located radially outwardly of the central opening is an annular area  141  formed on the front face. An upstanding indexing bead  143  is formed in the disk at the outer periphery of the annular area  141 . An overlay  145  formed of a transparent plastic such as polycarbonate is sized to be positioned on the annular area  141  and held there by an adhesive. Graphics  147  applied to the rear surface of the overlay  145  are visible from the front face  133  of the escutcheon  35  as can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. Notches  151  are formed in the outer peripheral edges of the overlay and are located 180° apart to provide for indexing of the overlay relative to the annular disk  131 . The graphics  147  applied to the reverse side of the overlay indicate proper operation of a cycling valve cartridge installed in the control valve  31 . A modified form of transparent overlay  153 , shown in FIG. 5, is marked with graphics  155  on its rear face and visible from the front face of the overlay to indicate a volume control valve installed in the control valve  31 . Indexing notches  147  are formed in the outer peripheral edge of the annular overlay  153  and are located 180° apart relative to each other. The annular overlays  145  and  153  are interchangeable on the escutcheon annular disk  131  permitting the use of a single escutcheon for two types of cartridge valves. An annular gasket  159  is provided for the escutcheon disk  131  and is provided with an indexing notch  161 . A gasket  163  is provided for the central opening. The escutcheon plate is provided with two fastener passages  165 , one of which is visible in FIG. 1 of the drawings and the other is concealed by the handle  33 . The fastener passages are located radially inwardly of the annular transparent plastic overlay  145 .  
         [0041]    The plaster guard  37  of this invention is shown in detail in FIGS. 6, 7 and  17 - 23  of the drawings and installed in FIGS. 24, 25,  26  and  27 . The plaster guard includes a base  181  which is injection molded of a suitable plastic with the walls being relatively thin and reinforced by internal webs  183 . The plaster guard has a front face  185  and a rear face  187 . A peripheral wall around the base  181  has a top supporting surface  189  and a bottom supporting surface  191 . A central opening  193  extends through the base from front to rear. A rearwardly extending interior wall  195  surrounds the central opening  193 . A pair of openings  197  through the base are formed on opposite sides of the central opening. Sets of fastener tubes  199  and  201  are formed integrally with the base  181  and extending rearwardly thereof. The fastener tubes  199  are longer than the fastener tubes  201 . Indicia reading “Thin wall” and Thick wall” to indicate the mounting orientation of the base on a horizontal support in a wall are provided on the front face  183  of the base. The indicia  203  indicate the orientation for a thick wall and are positioned adjacent the fastener tubes  199 . The indicia  205  indicating the orientation of the base for a thin wall is located on the face of the base adjacent the shorter fastening tubes  201 . Nail receiving notches  207  are formed in the peripheral wall of the plaster guard.  
         [0042]    A tubular cover  211  formed of the same injection molding plastic as that of the base  181  of the plaster guard is attached to the front face of the plaster guard with a gap  213  located between the cover and the base  181 . The cover is supported on the base  181  by L-shaped mounting tabs  215  arranged around the periphery of the tubular cover. An opening  217  at the distal end of the tubular cover permits the cartridge stem to extend therethrough.  
         [0043]    [0043]FIGS. 28 and 29 of the drawings show a tubular sleeve extension  221  for cartridge sleeve  181  and a cartridge stem extension  223  to provide operating access to the cartridge stem when the tubular extension sleeve is installed.  
         [0044]    In FIGS. 24 and 25 of the drawings, the plaster guard  37  is shown installed on a horizontal support member  39  of a wall. The bottom supporting surface  191  of the base  181  is resting on the horizontal support  39  and is being held by nails  231  driven through notches  207  formed in the side walls of the base. Note that the plaster guard is installed for what is called a thin wall as shown in FIG. 25 of the drawings. In the thin wall installation, the longer fastener receiving tubes  199  are positioned at the top of the valve body  51  and engage the mounting tabs  95  at the rear face of the valve body  51 . The shorter fastener tubes  201  contact the mounting tabs  93  at the front face of the valve body  51  and will receive fasteners to hold the escutcheon plate in position. As shown in FIG. 25 of the drawings, this arrangement is particularly useful for installation of the control valve in a wall having a 2″ thick stud with a total wall thickness of 3″. This type of connection is particularly useful with modem flexible plastic piping. It should be noted in FIG. 25 that the plaster guard  37  is mounted on top of the horizontal support member  39  in order to conserve the limited front to rear space within the thin wall.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 26 of the drawings shows the plaster guard  37  and control valve  31  installed in what is called a thick wall installation. The plaster guard  37  will accommodate a finished wall having an outer covering up to 2″ thick. In this arrangement, fasteners extending through the mounting tabs  95  at the rear of the valve body  51  attach the valve body to the front face of a horizontal support member  39 . The plaster guard  37  is inverted from its position shown in FIG. 24 in order to position the longer set of fastener tubes  199  below the shorter set of fastener tubes  199 . The longer set of fastener tubes  199  are attached by fasteners (not shown in FIG. 26) which extend through the plaster guard and the longer set of fastener tubes  199  to engage the mounting tabs  93  on the front face of the valve body. This arrangement allows the wall covering to be installed in the space between the front face of the vertical stud  41  and the front face  185  of the plaster guard. This distance can be up to 2″. With the thick wall installation, the plaster guard is removed before the wall covering material is installed.  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 27 of the drawings shows the installation of the control valve  31  of this invention in a supporting wall where the finished wall covering material can be up to 3″ thick. This is accomplished by the installation of the tubular extension sleeve  221  to the sleeve  81  which encloses the valve cartridge  79 . The use of the extension sleeve provides a one inch extension of the valve body  101 . To provide access to the cartridge stem  91 , a cartridge stem extender  223  engages the cartridge stem and extends outwardly of the cartridge dome  87  which is fastened on the outer end of the tubular extension sleeve  221 . In addition to providing for the installation of wall covering material up to 3″ thick, the tubular extension sleeve  221  may also be utilized when the control valve body  51  is accidentally installed deeper in the wall than was originally expected so it can also be used with wall covering materials that are less than 3″ thick.

Summary:
A tub and shower valve assembly including a valve having a housing with an outwardly opening cup-like socket. A removable cartridge having an outwardly extending operating stem installed in the cup-like socket. A plaster ground is provided for mounting the valve on a supporting wall structure. An escutcheon assembly is positioned over the valve housing and is removably attached to the plaster ground and to the valve housing. The escutcheon assembly is removable to permit access to the valve housing and cartridge for removal and replacement of the cartridge. A transparent overlay is applied to the escutcheon with graphics and operating indicia applied to the underside of the overlay.