Abstract:
A handle assembly for providing dual flush functionality to a flush valve. The handle assembly comprising a handle and a plunger engagable with each other. The plunger axially slidable in a bush disposed between the handle and the flush valve. The bushing having a passage for receiving the plunger. The plunger having a first and a second axis along which the plunger may travel through the passage. Movement of the handle moves the plunger from first axis to the second axis wherein actuation of the flush valve by the plunger along the first axis results in a different flush volume than actuation along the second axis.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/711,391, filed Feb. 27, 2007, which claims priority from United States Provisional Patent Applications 60/776,993 filed Feb. 27, 2006 and 60/849,042 filed Oct. 3, 2006. These applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the field of flush valves in general. More particularly, the present invention relates to dual flush volume flush valves. 
         [0003]    Flush valves are used to selectively control the flushing of a urinal or toilet with a certain volume of water. Typically, flush valves include a flexible diaphragm with forms a seal between the inlet and outlet, whereby a disruption of the diaphragm will result in a flow of water into the urinal or toilet. This disruption controls the volume of the flush, and is generally fixed. 
         [0004]    Commercial toilets and urinals have traditionally utilized a single flush volume in their operations. This flush volume is designed to provide the maximum amount of water needed that may be needed to clear solid waste products. However, solid waste and liquid waste require different volumes of water. In a single flush system, the higher volume of water necessary to flush solid waste is also used to flush liquid waste, with the result that more water than is necessary is often used. There is a need for a dual flush volume toilet which allows for the use of a lower volume of water when a full volume is not needed to clear waste. 
         [0005]    Some prior art flush valves provide for a dual flush. However, such prior art dual flush mechanisms typically rely on modifying the action of the flush handle. This presents a user with a non-standard flushing experience and lessens the likelihood of proper usage. 
         [0006]    Due to the ubiquitous nature of urinals and toilets, their operation has become an afterthought for most users. Therefore, there is a need for a dual flush toilet which allows for easy of operation and provides operation and design similar to current commercially used systems. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    One embodiment of the invention relates to systems and apparatus for providing more than one flush volume. A user is able to select between a greater and a lesser flush volume, either via manual actuation or automatic actuation. 
         [0008]    In one embodiment, the flush device relates to a handle comprising a housing mountable to a valve body having diaphragm valve disposed therein with a stem extended downwardly therefrom. The handle pivotally is mounted to the housing and engagable with the stem via a plunger. The plunger has an outer end for engaging the handle, an inner end for engaging the stem, and a shank therebetween, the plunger being axially slidable through a passage in a bushing. The bushing is positioned between the handle and the valve. The passage comprises a first axis and a second axis, the axes in substantially the same vertical plane and intersecting at a point. The point of intersection is a pivot point of the plunger. Actuation of the handle in a first direction moves the plunger axially along the first axis and actuation of the handle in a second direction moves the plunger axially along the second axis. 
         [0009]    In one embodiment, the pivot point is proximate the valve body. In another embodiment the pivot point is opposite the valve body. In one embodiment, the first axis is horizontal and the second axis is tilted either up or down therefrom. In another embodiment, the passage comprises a third axis which is tilted in relation to the first axis opposite the tilt of the second axis. 
         [0010]    These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements have like numerals throughout the several drawings described below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  illustrates a longitudinal cross-section of a valve body; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  illustrates a longitudinal cross-section of the handle assembly; 
           [0013]      FIGS. 3A-3F  illustrate various handle and plunger arrangement embodiments;  FIGS. 3A-3C  illustrate embodiments having a pivot point proximate the handle and  FIG. 3D-F  having a pivot point proximate the valve body; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 4A-C  illustrate the operation of one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5   a  illustrates a view along axis A-A of  FIG. 1 , illustrating the relative circumferences of the plunger head, the bore at the pivot point, and the opposite end thereof the bore;  FIG. 5   b  illustrates a perspective partial cut-away view of the plunger and plunger sleeve along axis A-A; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 6A-C  illustrate the operation of one embodiment of the invention having a manual handle with a bead and a conical plunger head. 
           [0017]      FIGS. 7A-C  illustrate the operation of one embodiment of the invention having an automatic handle and a conical plunger head. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]    The present invention relates to a flush valve system having at least two flush volumes. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the flush valve system  10  of the present invention includes a body  11  having an inlet  12  and an outlet  14 . When installed the inlet  12  is connected to a water supply [not shown] and the outlet  14  is connected to a fixture [not shown] such as a toilet or urinal. A valve member is indicated generally at  16 . The valve member  16  may be any of the various assemblies shown in the art that utilize a plunger and sleeve mechanism. In the illustrated embodiment, the valve member  16  is a valve assembly but it could be otherwise, such as a piston assembly. In one embodiment, the valve member  16  includes a diagram  18  peripherally held to the body  11  by an inner cover  20 . The diaphragm  18  is seated upon a shoulder  22  at the upper end of body  11  by an inner cover  20 . The diaphragm edge  52  of the diaphragm  18  is clamped in this position by the inner cover  20 . An outer cover  21  is attached to the body  11  to hold the inner cover  20  in position. 
         [0019]    The valve member  16 , in addition to diaphragm  18  and the relief valve  30 , includes a retaining disk  43 , a refill ring  42  and a flow control ring  44 . The underside of the retaining disk  43  is attached, such as threadedly, to a collar  46 , which in turn is attached, such as threadedly, at its exterior to a chamber flow sleeve  48  which carries the refill ring  42 . The above described assembly of elements firmly holds the diaphragm  18  between the upper face of the refill ring  42  and a lower facing surface of the collar  46 . Above the valve member  16  is a pressure chamber  50  which maintains the valve member  16  in a closed position when the flush valve system  10  is in a resting state, i.e. not being flushed. 
         [0020]    The valve member  16 , is closed upon a valve seat  26  formed at the upper end of a barrel  28 . The barrel  28  forms the fluid conduit connecting the valve seat  26  with outlet  14 . The valve member  16  includes a relief valve  30  having a downwardly extending stem  32 , in one embodiment telescopically carrying a movable sleeve  34 . The handle assembly  37  of the present invention is described in further detail below and illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In general, the handle assembly  37  includes a handle  38  that actuates the plunger  36 , manually or automatically. Sleeve  34  is positioned for contact by a plunger  36  when operated by a handle  38 . 
         [0021]    As is known in the art, when the handle  38  is operated, the plunger  36  will contact sleeve  34 , tilting the relief valve  30  off its seat on the retaining disk  43 . This will permit the discharge of water within the pressure chamber  50  down through the chamber flow sleeve  48 . Inlet pressure will then cause the diaphragm  18  to move upwardly off its seat  26 , permitting direct communication between the inlet  12  and the outlet  14  through the space between the bottom of the valve member  16  and the seat  26 . The raising of the diaphragm  18  also lifts the relief valve sleeve  34 , allowing it to clear the plunger  36  and return to a vertical, non-tilted position even if the user has held the handle  38  in an actuated position. Once the sleeve  34  clears the plunger  36  the relief valve reseats on the retaining disk  43 . As soon as this operation has taken place, the pressure chamber  50  will begin to fill through the filter and bypass orifice  54  in the valve assembly. As flow continues into the pressure chamber  50 , the valve assembly will move back down toward its valve seat  26  and when it has reached that position, the flush valve will be closed. 
         [0022]    It will be appreciated that as a result of the interaction of the sleeve  34 , stem  32 , and diaphragm  18 , the position on the sleeve&#39;s vertical axis at which the plunger  36  contacts the sleeve  34  as well as the distance the plunger  36  travels after initially contacting the sleeve  34  (generally referred to as “the throw” of the plunger  36 ) control the volume of water that will flow past the diaphragm  18 . Dropping the plunger tip  35  to a lower position will permit the sleeve  34  of the relief valve  30  to clear the plunger tip  35  sooner than is the case when the plunger travels on the horizontal axis and the tip is at position  108 . As a result of the earlier plunger clearance, the relief valve  30  closes sooner. This allows reestablishment of the pressure in chamber  50  sooner, resulting in earlier closure of the diaphragm  18  and lesser volume per flush cycle. So when the user pushes the handle  38  upwardly, the plunger  36  will be angled downwardly and there will be a minimum or reduced flush. When the user pushes the handle  38  in any direction but up, the plunger  36  will move on the horizontal axis and a greater or maximum flush volume will result. Similarly, the opposite motion of the plunger tip  35  results in the opposite effect, i.e. the sleeve  34  is not able to clear the plunger tip  35  until later and thus the relief valve  30  remains open longer. 
         [0023]    The handle assembly  37  fits through an opening in the valve body  11  and is retained therein. In one embodiment, the handle assembly  37  is retained on the valve body  11  by a nut  45 . The handle assembly  37  includes the handle  38  having an inner end  39  proximate valve body and an outer end  40  opposite the valve body  11 . The handle  38  includes a face plate  58  at its inner end  39 . The face plate  58  is held within a chamber  61  formed by a handle socket  60 . In one embodiment, the handle  38  is partially disposed within the handle socket  60 . The socket  60  includes an inner end  63  proximate the valve body  11  and an outer end  64  distal the valve body  11 . An inwardly extending flange  62  on the socket&#39;s outer end  64  retains the handle face plate  58 . A covering  65  may line the socket chamber  61  and flange  62 . In one embodiment, the inner end  63  of the socket  60  is threaded to the bushing  66  in one embodiment. The skirt  71  is threaded to the socket  60  in one embodiment. The handle assembly  37  may include a handle  38  for manual activation or engagable with an automatic actuation mechanism ( FIG. 7 ). 
         [0024]    The bushing  66  has a plunger sleeve  68  defining a bore or passage  78  in the handle assembly  37  and an outer skirt  71  joined by a wall  72 . The passage  78  having an inner end  77  proximate the valve body  11  and an outer end  79  proximate the handle  38 . Further details of the passage  78  will be described below. The inner end  69  of the plunger sleeve  68  has, in one embodiment, a beveled nose  74  that mounts a handle packing or seal  76 . The plunger  36  includes a shank  80  and an inner end  81  proximate the valve body  11  and an outer end  82  opposite the valve body  11 . In one embodiment, a head  83  is positioned on the outer end  82  of the plunger shank  80 . The head  83  interacts with the face plate  58  of the handle  38 . In an exemplary embodiment, the handle assembly  37  includes a biasing mechanism  84 . The biasing mechanism  84  provides force to retain the handle  38  in a neutral (i.e. horizontal) position despite the force of gravity. In one embodiment, a compression spring or other suitable biasing device  84  fits between the bushing  66  and the head  82  to urge the plunger  36  into engagement with the face plate  58  of the handle  38 . 
         [0025]    In one embodiment, it can be seen that the diameter of the passage  78  (as defined by sleeve  65 ) is at its smallest, just slightly larger than that of the plunger  36 . Thus, the plunger  38  can slide and tilt freely in the circular opening  92  but it cannot move up, down or sideways appreciably. This contrasts with the oval opening  94  which permits appreciable up and down movement of the plunger at that point. The result of the combination of the passage  78  and the openings  92 ,  94  is the plunger  38  can tilt up and down as well as slide axially. 
         [0026]    The present invention provides a mechanism to engage the sleeve  34  with the plunger  36  at two or more positions along the vertical axis of the sleeve  34 .  FIGS. 3A-F  depict several embodiments which provide two or more flush volumes.  FIGS. 3A-3C  illustrate embodiments having a pivot point  130  proximate the handle  38 . In on embodiment, the handle  38  engages the plunger  36  generally as described above. A movement of the handle  38  pivoting the plunger  36  about pivot  130  such that the inner end of the plunger pivots, resulting in a changed flush volume. 
         [0027]    The embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 3D-F  have a pivot point  130  proximate the valve body. The positioning of the pivot point at the opposite end of the plunger  36  from the handle  38  results in an increased need for a plunger  36 /handle  38  interface able to create a moment to pivot the plunger  36 . Motion of the handle  38  pivots the plunger  36  about the pivot  130 , resulting in a changed flush volume. 
         [0028]    The interface of the handle  38  and the plunger  36  maybe any of the various designs that achieve the movement of the plunger  36  about the pivot point  130  as dictated by statics. As such, the embodiments utilizing at the inner end, i.e. proximate the valve body  11  rather than the handle  38 , generally require a plunger head  83  and or a handle face plate  58  which has a particular shape designed to create a moment. In one embodiment, the plunger  36  of  FIGS. 3A  and B include head  83  having a flattened conical shape (best illustrated in  FIG. 6 ). A downward movement of the handle  38  pivots the plunger upward in this embodiment. The plunger head  83  may comprise any shape to enable the creation of a moment to pivot the plunger about the axis. For example, an alternative embodiment utilizes an inverted flattened conical shape and imparts the opposite relationship between handle  38  movement and plunger  36  pivot, i.e. a downward movement of the handle  38  pivots the plunger  36  downward as well. Thus, the handle  38 /plunger  36  interface maybe selected to provide a specific use profile. 
         [0029]    As can be seen in  FIGS. 3A-F , the plunger  36  may be provided with a plurality of axes. For example, instead of having the widened opening of the passage at the outside end of the sleeve, it could be at the inner end. Or, instead of having the lowermost edge of the passage be horizontal and the uppermost edge be angled as shown, this arrangement could be reversed. A further alternative is to provide a sleeve passage with a horizontal axis and an angled axis wherein the inner end of the plunger is angled above horizontal. In that case the horizontal travel, caused by an upward actuation of the handle  38 , would provide the lower flush volume. Similarly, the upwardly angled travel, caused by a downward actuation of the handle  38 , would provide the higher volume flush. Some shortening of the relief valve sleeve might be needed in conjunction with this setup. Yet another possible alternate construction of the bushing passage  78  is to make the inside diameter of the bushing passage  78  appreciably larger than the outside diameter of the plunger. This would cause the plunger to tilt somewhat no matter which direction the handle  38  is actuated, but only tilting in the vertical plane would affect the volume of the flush. 
         [0030]    In one embodiment, shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3D , the plunger includes an axis A-A which is substantially horizontal, similar to traditional plunger  36  arrangements. The plunger  36  of  FIGS. 3A and 3D  is also provided with an axis B-B which is tilted upward from the axis A-A but remains in the same vertical planes such that axes A-A and B-B are non-parallel and intersect at the pivot point  130 . When the plunger travels along axis B-B, it strikes the sleeve  34  at a higher point on the sleeve&#39;s vertical axis resulting in a higher flush volume than if the plunger  36  travels along axis A-A. Thus, for the embodiment of  FIG. 3A , a downward motion of the handle  38  results in a maximum flush volume and other motions result in a lesser flush volume. For the embodiment of  FIG. 3D , an upward motion of the handle  38  results in a reduced flush volume and a downward or lateral motion results in a maximum flush volume. 
         [0031]    In another embodiment, shown in  FIGS. 3B and 3E , the plunger includes an axis A-A which is substantially horizontal, similar to traditional plunger  36  arrangements. The plunger  36  of  FIGS. 3B and 3E  is also provided with an axis C-C which is tilted downward from the axis A-A but remains in the same vertical planes such that axes A-A and C-C are non-parallel and intersect at the pivot point  130 . When the plunger travels along axis C-C, it strikes the sleeve  34  at a lower point on the sleeve&#39;s vertical axis resulting in a lower flush volume than if the plunger  36  travels along axis A-A. Thus, for the embodiment of  FIG. 3B , an upward motion of the handle  38  results in a reduced flush volume and a downward or lateral motion results in a maximum flush volume. For the embodiment of  FIG. 3E , an upward motion of the handle  38  results in a reduced flush volume. 
         [0032]    In one embodiment, shown in  FIGS. 3C and 3F , the plunger includes an axis A-A which is substantially horizontal, similar to traditional plunger  36  arrangements. The plunger  36  of  FIGS. 3C and 3F  is also provided with an axis B-B which is tilted upward from the axis A-A and an axis C-C which is tilted downward from axis A-A. All of these axes remain in the same vertical planes such that axes A-A, B-B, and C-C are non-parallel and intersect at the pivot point  130 . When the plunger travels along axis B-B, it strikes the sleeve  34  at a higher point on the sleeve&#39;s vertical axis resulting in a higher flush volume than if the plunger  36  travels along axis A-A or axis C-C. When the plunger travels along axis C-C, it strikes the sleeve  34  at a lower point on the sleeve&#39;s vertical axis resulting in a lower flush volume than if the plunger  36  travels along axis A-A or axis B-B. If the plunger travels along axis A-A, the flush volume is between the volume triggered by a path along B-B and that trigged by a path along C-C. Thus, for the embodiment of  FIG. 3C , a downward motion of the handle  38  results in a maximum flush volume and an upward motion results in reduced flush volume. 
         [0033]    The embodiments shown in  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B,  3 D, and  3 E exhibit an orientation of the handle  38  to the plunger  36  and to the valve body  11 . For embodiments where the plunger  36  has a horizontal axis A-A and either a upward tilted axis B-B or a downward tilted axis C-C, the handle  38  and plunger  36  must be orientated correctly with each other and with the bushing  66  and valve body  11  to achieve the appropriate tilting of the plunger  36  within the passage  78 . That is, because of the need to create a moment in order to tilt the plunger  36 , the plunger  36  and or handle  38  include a specific profile. Since this tilt of the axis (i.e. the plunger  36  only occurs upward ( FIGS. 3A and 3D ) or downward ( FIGS. 3B and 3E ), only one direction of operation of the handle  38  need achieve a moment. 
         [0034]    However, in some embodiments of the handle assembly  37 , the orientation of the handle  38  to the plunger  36  and to the valve body  11  is irrelevant to the flush volume, i.e. assembly is orientation neutral. Embodiments with no orientation provide for simpler assembly and maintenance. As opposed to  FIGS. 3A-B  and  3 D-E, the embodiments of  FIGS. 3C and 3F  provide for both upward and downward tilting and thus require a handle  38 /plunger  36  interface that is capable of creating a moment regardless of whether the handle  38  is moved up or down. Such an orientation-free design is particularly useful where it is desired to have an ambidextrous flush valve assembly so that the handle  38  may be either left-handed or right-handed, particularly where the handle  38  is automatically actuated (See  FIGS. 7A-C ). 
         [0035]    Turning now to  FIGS. 4A-C , details of the bushing passage  78  of one embodiment (that illustrated generally in  FIG. 3F ) are shown. The passage  78  can be considered to be defined by a plurality of bores, such as first and second bores  88  and  90  extending through the plunger sleeve  68 . Each bore corresponds with an axis as described above. For example, first bore  88  corresponds with axis A-A and second bore  90  corresponds with axis B-B (a third bore  91  would correspond with axis C-C). The bores  88 ,  90  are preferably substantially centered on the same vertical plane. The first bore  88  is horizontal and defines a horizontal plunger travel axis A. The second bore  90  is not horizontal. The second bore  90  is tilted from the end adjacent the handle  38  to the end adjacent the valve member  16  at the outer end  70  of the plunger sleeve  68  and defines an angled plunger travel axis B. The second bore can be considered a tilted portion of the bushing passage  78 . The bores preferably each have a diameter slightly greater than that of the plunger shank  80 . The bores overlap and merge together at the inner end  69  of the plunger sleeve  68  so that they define a substantially circular opening  92  at the inner end  69 . At the outer end  94 , the bores&#39; divergent axes result in an oval-shaped opening.  FIG. 5A  illustrates a view along axis A-A illustrating the relative shape and positions of the two openings.  FIG. 5   b  illustrates a perspective partial cut-away view of the plunger  36  and plunger sleeve  68  along axis A-A. In one embodiment ( FIGS. 3B and 3E ), at the outer end  70  of the plunger sleeve, the second bore  90  is above the first bore  88 . In another embodiment, the outer end of the second bore  90  is below the first bore  88 . As seen in  FIG. 5 , the opening  94  at the outer end  70  of the plunger sleeve  68  includes an upper arcuate portion  96 , a lower portion  98 , and a pair of extension portions  100  and  102  joining the upper and lower arcuate portions. The result is a somewhat oval, although not strictly elliptical, shaped opening  94 . As seen on  FIG. 5 , the opening  92  at the inner end  69  of the plunger sleeve  68  includes an upper arcuate portion  104 , a lower arcuate portion  106 . In one embodiment the height of the extension portions at the opening has shrunk to essentially zero so the arcuate portions  104  and  106  join one another. 
         [0036]    The operation of one embodiment of the handle assembly  37  will now be described. In one embodiment, shown in  FIGS. 3D and 3F , downward motion of the handle  38  results in a reduced flush volume and an upward motion results in a standard or larger flush volume. The downward movement of the handle  38  causes the face plate  58  to pivot about the upper portion of the plate (which remains in contact with the socket flange  62 ) with the lower portion of plate  58  moving to the right. This places a force F handle  on the plunger  36 , the plunger  36  remains centered on the horizontal plunger travel axis A-A. The handle  38  in an actuated position where it has been moved up by a user. Upward movement of the handle  38  causes the face plate  58  to pivot about the lower portion of plate with the upper portion of plate  58  moving to the right. This places a force F handle  on the upper portion of the plunger head  58 . With noted forces F bushing  on the plunger  36 , the plunger  36  tilts upward at the left end and downward at the right end, taking the plunger  36  into the second bore  90  where it is aligned with the angled plunger travel axis B. This lowers the inner tip of the plunger  36 . 
         [0037]    As will be evident from the above description, the second bore  90  provides a tilt portion of the bushing passage  78 . This produces a non-symmetrical configuration of the passage, as compared to having only a simple, single horizontal bore at  88 . In order to provide the vertical plunger tip drop D with the attendant lower flush volume, the bushing  66  must be installed on the valve body such that the first and second bores  88 ,  90  re oriented in a generally vertical plane with the second bore  90  on top. However, since the bores are in the interior of the bushing  66  an installer can see neither the bores nor the indicia  86  once the bushing  66  goes into the valve body. The present invention solves this problem by providing an externally-visible mark or indicator  85  showing the location of the second bore. The wall  72  may have indicia  85  thereon which indicates which side of the busing  66  has an angled axis as described above. The indicia  85  may be in the form of a depression  86  in the wall. The indicia  85  will assist the installer in orienting the bushing  66  properly. Other indicia  85  may be used without varying from the scope and purpose of the invention. In the illustrated embodiment the mark  85  is simply a line which may be suitably printed on a label that is attached to the exterior portion  112  of the socket  60 . The label may optionally carry additional graphics  116  to instruct the user regarding the availability of the reduced flush alternative. Instead of a label, the mark  114  could be engraved or otherwise formed directly on the socket. The mark  114  can be used in conjunction with the indicia  86  on the bushing  66 . That is, at the time of installation of the handle assembly  37  on to the valve body  11 , the installer can look to ensure that the mark  114  is rotationally aligned with the indicia  86  and then make sure that the mark  114  is at the top of the handle assembly  37  when the nut  45  is tightened. This will result in the bushing passage  78  having the proper orientation relative to the valve body  11  and relief valve sleeve  34 . Further assurance of proper alignment may be added by placing a flat  118  on the external flange of the bushing  66 . Aligning the mark  114  with the flat  116  during assembly of the handle  38  and then placing the mark at the top of the handle  38  during installation of the handle assembly  37  will result in the correct orientation. 
         [0038]    In one exemplary embodiment actuation of the handle  38  downward results in a reduced flush volume and actuation of the handle  38  upward results in a standard flush volume. It will be appreciated that this orientation may be reversed based on the desired manner of operation of the water closet. In one embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the plunger head comprises a tapered conical head and the handle face plate  58  includes a bead  61 . The bead provides a discrete contact point to engage the conical head. The placement of a bead around a circumference of the faceplate results in the handle  38  having no discrete orientation in relation to the plunger  36 , thus providing for easier and more error free assembly. 
         [0039]    In this embodiment, actuation of the handle  38  in any direction other than upward or downward results in a reduced flush volume that depends on the exact position of the handle  38  during actuation. The plunger  36  is provided with a tapered head  56  having a substantially conical shape where the diameter is much greater than the height. At least one protrusion  60 , such as a bead  61 , engages the conical surface of the tapered head  56  when the handle  38  is actuated. In operation, actuation of the handle  38  results in the plunger  36  tilting in the opposite direction of the motion of the handle  38 . For example, where the handle  38  is actuated upwards, the bead  61  engage the top portion of the conical surface, exerting force sufficient to both move the plunger  36  laterally to engage the stem and also to pivot the plunger  36  in relation to the resting plane so that the plunger  36  strikes the stem at a position above the resting plane. The higher striking point of the plunger  36  on the stem results in the valve seat being displaced longer, thus providing a longer flush, i.e. more volume. Likewise, the opposite motion of the handle  38  results in the opposite impact on the flush volume. 
         [0040]    The foregoing description of embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the present invention. For example, while the present invention has primarily been described in regard to on embodiment of a valve member, it will be appreciated that various other embodiments of valve members may be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the present invention in various embodiments, and with various modifications, as are suited to the particular use contemplated.