Abstract:
A mechanism for opening or closing a shut off valve, the mechanism having a lever mounted on a spindle to which the valve is attached for mounting the valve from a normally open position to a closed position. A trigger mechanism including the lever and a biasing spring which when activated, rotates the lever, spindle and valve. A retainer mechanism ordinarily holds the trigger mechanism in a cocked position corresponding to the open position of the valve. The float, when subjected to water, releases the retainer mechanism permitting the trigger mechanism to close the valve.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to a float control safety valve mechanism for closing fluid supply lines and, more particularly, to a shut off valve mechanism which is located in a gas line on the inlet side of a gas meter, gas dryer, gas furnace, other gas operated appliance or in a water line, as an example, on the inlet side of a hot water tank or heater. In addition, the mechanism may be interposed in any liquid line leading to a vessel or container for holding any liquid. The water or liquid escaping, as an example from a ruptured hot water tank or other vessel, is effective to operate one or more float control valve mechanisms located in the inlet line of the water tank or vessel and in the adjacent gas operated appliance where the escaping water or liquid raise the float mechanisms and closes the water and gas inlet lines. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Hot water tanks are typically provided with protective devices for automatically shutting off the supply of gas to the burner when the burner flame is extinguished due to leaking water. However, there may be circumstances when the burner flame is extinguished and the gas continues to escape through the pilot light into the room. 
   Water heaters or hot water tanks, whether in residential or commercial buildings, are susceptible to failure in a manner when the water within the tank and water entering the tank will leak uncontrollably onto the underlying floor. Such flooding could cause extensive damage to the building and its contents particularly when the flooding occurs on a weekend in a commercial building or when the homeowner is absent from the building or house. 
   Because the water tank is often placed in a position remote from the water drain, serious damage can result to floors, floor coverings and to goods that are stored proximate to the leaking tank, if the tank is allowed to leak for a prolonged period of time. In addition, it is possible for the pilot light to go out and in certain cases for gas to escape into the house or building. Accordingly, there is a need for a simplified and improved safety fluid shut off valve mechanism which shuts off the water or other fluid supply to the water tank/heater, to a brine tank and to gas operated appliances when an undesirable water leak occurs. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a shut off valve mechanism which is actuated in response to an external stimulus such as, for example, escaping water or liquid from a domestic hot water system or tank or other vessel. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is a feature of the present invention to provide a safety cut off mechanism for opening and closing a valve located in an inlet line through which a fluid, either a liquid or gas, can flow when open, the mechanism having valve actuation means for moving the valve from a first open position to a second close position under the influence of a trigger mechanism which is normally cocked to hold the valve in the open position to permit a fluid, either gas or liquid, to flow in the inlet line. 
   Another feature of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for opening and closing a valve through which a fluid, either a liquid or a gas, can flow when the valve is open, with the mechanism including an elongated pipe threaded at both ends and having a leading end and a trailing end, a valve body threaded to the leading end of the pipe and a float tube arranged perpendicular to the pipe, with an upper end of the float tube attached to the pipe and the lower end of the pipe being open. 
   Still another feature of the present invention is to provide a mechanism of the aforementioned type wherein a valve is located in the valve body, a rotatable spindle mounted in the valve body and secured to the valve to open or close the valve thereby permitting or preventing a fluid from entering the pipe. A float is located in the float tube and is displaced vertically by an escaping liquid entering the bottom end of the tube. 
   A further feature of the present invention is to provide a mechanism of the aforementioned type which includes a trigger mechanism including a lever having one end mounted on the spindle, and a spring interconnected to the lever and to the float tube and a retainer mechanism including an upper pivot arm carried by the upper end of the float tube and having a first wire part extending across the top of the float and second wire part forming a loop pivoted on a wire mounting element secured to the exterior of the float tube. 
   A still further feature of the present invention is to provide a mechanism of the aforementioned type wherein the retainer mechanism also includes a vertical wire element having an upper end hanging from a bracket secured to the float tube, with the vertical wire element being vertically aligned with the loop of the second wire part, said safety cut off mechanism when the valve is open having the trigger mechanism cocked and retained in a cocked position by the vertical wire element of the retainer mechanism engaged within the loop of the second wire part. With such a construction, the retainer mechanism is released by the float as the float rises in the float tube upon the escaping liquid entering the bottom of the tube thereby creating a force on the float which controls and moves the first wire part in a direction to disengage the loop forming the second wire part from the vertical wire element thereby permitting the energy of the spring to rotate the lever and spindle in a direction closing the valve. 
   The resulting property damage is minimized due to the automatic shut off of the water supply to the water heater and to the gas supply. One advantage of the present invention is that there are no personal safety hazard concerns regarding electrical shock with water contact as this invention requires no electrical power in order to operate. Another important advantage over other devices is that the present invention performs even during a power outage. The invention is constructed of simple materials and hardware that can be found in a typical hardware store. No newly designed or manufactured valve or other major components are required except for the retainer mechanism. Standard, “off the shelf” hardware pipes, fittings, tubes, springs, floats, and valves are used in the construction of the present invention. Thus, minimal capital is required for tooling and production. The retainer mechanism is not commercially available and is manufactured from available wire. 
   The simplicity of the present invention is clearly an advantage over prior art devices such that a typical homeowner can easily understand, purchase, install and operate the present invention with present gas and water lines leading to gas meters, gas operated appliances and to water tanks or heaters. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     So that the invention may be more readily understood and carried into effect, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which are offered by way of example only and are not to be taken as limiting the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims which are intended to embrace equivalent structures. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a relatively small water heater or tank incorporating the float control fluid shut off device or mechanism of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an elevational view of the shut off mechanism, with a part broken away and illustrating the trigger mechanism held in a latched position by a retainer mechanism thereby permitting flow of water therethrough; 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the shut off mechanism with the trigger mechanism in an unlatched position thereby preventing flow of water therethrough; 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view through the shut off mechanism in a latched position taken on the line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view through the ball valve of the shut off mechanism, taken on the line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4  and illustrating the ball valve open to permit water to flow therethrough; 
       FIG. 6  is a sectional view through the shut off mechanism, similar to  FIG. 4 , but illustrating the trigger mechanism in an unlatched position thus closing the valve and preventing the flow of water therethrough; 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view through the ball valve of the shut off mechanism, taken on the line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6  and illustrating the ball valve closed to prevent flow of water therethrough; 
       FIG. 8  is the top view through the ball valve, partly in section, taken on the line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 7  and illustrating a stop in the ball valve to limit rotation thereof; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention illustrating the water heater or tank and the shut off mechanism located within an overflow or water collection pan; 
       FIG. 10  is a fragmentary view of still another embodiment of the present invention, showing a vertical wall and floor with a gas meter and a shut off valve mechanism incorporated in the gas inlet line leading to the meter; 
       FIG. 11  is an elevational view of a further embodiment showing the cut off valve mechanism incorporated in the gas inlet line leading to a gas operated furnace; 
       FIG. 12  is an elevational view of a another embodiment illustrating a gas operated dryer, with the cut off valve mechanism inserted in the gas inlet line leading to the dryer; and 
       FIG. 13  is an elevational view of still another embodiment of a gas operated hot water tank illustrating a pair of shut off mechanisms, one incorporated in the gas inlet line and the other mechanism incorporated in the water inlet line. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-8  inclusive. Other embodiments are illustrated in  FIGS. 9-13  inclusive. Common to each embodiment is the use of the float control valve shut off assembly or mechanism  10 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The mechanism  10  is incorporated in the water inlet line  12  leading to a hot water tank  13  of the type that is utilized in kitchens of industrial or commercial buildings to supply hot water to the adjacent dishwasher and to a sink requiring hot water. As will be explained later, the float operated shut off valve mechanism  10  is designed for opening and closing a valve through which a fluid, either a liquid or a gas, can flow when the valve is opened. 
   The shut off valve mechanism  10  includes a housing having an elongated pipe  14  threaded at the inlet end  16  and at the outlet end  18 . The pipe  14  has a straight flow through passage  20  extending between the ends  16 ,  18  of the pipe  14 . 
   A conventional ball type shut off valve mechanism  22  is threaded to the inlet end  16  of the pipe  14 . The ball valve mechanism  22  is best illustrated in  FIGS. 5-8  inclusive and includes a valve body  24  internally threaded at the inlet end  26  and at the outlet end  28 . The valve body  24  has a straight flow through passage  30  enlarged at the ends and threaded at the inlet and outlet ends  26  and  28 , respectively. Located within the flow passage  30  is a ball or closure member valve  32  having a flow through passage  34 . The valve body  24  at the center thereof has an enlargement or lug  38  in which is mounted a spindle  40 . The lug  38  has a pair of stop abutments  35 ,  36 . The spindle  40  has an upper end  42  and a lower end  44  which is attached to the ball or closure member  32  as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 7 . As will be explained later, the rotation of the spindle  40  is effective to rotate the ball  32  so as to open the ball valve  22  to align the ball passage  34  provided therein with the flow passage  30  provided in the valve body  24 . The water inlet line  12  is threadedly connected to the inlet side of the valve  22  as best shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   The threaded end  18  of the pipe  14  is provided with a fitting  50  having an externally threaded end  52  to permit the valve mechanism  10  to be connected to the inlet fitting  54  of the hot water tank  14  by a threaded member  56 . The hot water tank  14  has other fittings  58  and  60  which permit the tank  14  to be connected to appliances which use hot water such as a dishwasher and a supply line providing hot water to a sink, as an employee. The lower end of the tank  14  has a hand operated valve mechanism  62  which includes a threaded outlet  64  which may be connected to a hose or to another appliance as is well known in the art. 
   A float passage  68  forms part of the housing of the valve mechanism  10 . The float passage  68  is located in a tube  70  having an upper end  71  and a lower end  74  which is open. The lower end  74  of the tube  70  is located relatively close to the floor upon which the hot water tank  13  rests. Tube  70  is arranged generally perpendicular to the flow passage  20  provided in the pipe  14 . The tube  70  includes one or more floats  72  such as ping pong balls. The lower end  74  of the float tube  70  is provided with a stop or pin  78  carried by the tube  70  in order to prevent the float(s)  72  from exiting the tube  70 . 
   The upper end  71  of the float tube  70  is cut away to provide a saddle  73 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 1 , for the pipe  14 . The pipe  14  is received in the cut away portion or saddle  73  of the tube  70  and is held therein, as an example, by welding. 
   The valve mechanism  10  includes a trigger mechanism  80 . The trigger mechanism  80  has a handle or lever  82  having one end  84  provided with an opening which receives the upper end of the spindle  40 . Trigger mechanism  80  also includes a lever extension plate  86  which overlies one end  84  of the lever  82 . The plate  86  has an opening for receiving the upper end of the spindle  40 . A fastening nut  88  is applied over the upper end of the spindle  40  which is threaded. The nut  88  holds the extension plate  86  and the one end  84  of the lever  82  on the upper surface or seat  89  of the enlargement or lug  38  of the valve body  24 . 
   The housing further includes an L-shaped bracket  90  having the longest end or first leg  92  secured to the upper end of the tube  70 , as an example by welding. The other or second leg  94  of the L-shaped bracket  90  extends over and is spaced from the upper end  71  of the tube  70 . The first leg  92  of the bracket  90  provides an abutment  89  ( FIGS. 2 and 4 ) for connecting a coil spring  96  to the extension plate  86 . The spring  96  may be either a closed helical tension spring or an open helical tension spring. 
   A retainer or retaining mechanism  100  is provided for holding the trigger mechanism  80  including the lever  82  and the spring  96  in a cocked position, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  5  which correspond to the open position of the ball valve  22 . The retaining mechanism  100  includes a pivot arm  102  carried by the tube  70  or housing, with a first wire  104  part located in the float passage  68  at the upper end  71  of the tube  70  and a second wire forming a mounting coil  106  and a loop  108  located on the outside of the tube  70 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the upper end  71  of the housing tube  70  includes an opening  110  through which the second wire and coil  106  of the pivot arm  102  extends. The pivot arm  102  is provided with the spiral end portion or coil  106  which is mounted on a wire or mounting element  112  secured to the outside of the tube  70 . 
   The retaining mechanism or retainer  100  also includes a swingable vertical arm or wire element  116 , having upper and lower ends  118 ,  120 . The upper end  118  is provided with a hook which extends through an opening provided in the second leg  94  of the bracket  90  and forms part of the housing. The lower end  120  of the wire element  116  is aligned with and is engageable within the loop  108  of the pivot arm  102 . The shut off valve mechanism  10  , when the ball valve  22  is open, permits water to enter the tank  13  through the ball valve  22  and the pipe  14 . At such time the trigger mechanism  80  is cocked and is retained in the cocked position by the vertical arm or wire element  116  of the retainer  100  received in the loop  108  as best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 ,  4  and  6 . 
   Upon rupture of the tank  13  or water accumulating on the floor adjacent to tank  13  the water enters the bottom of the tube  70  and urges the float  72  or floats vertically in the float passage  68  of tube  70 . As the float or floats  72  rise in the float passage  68 , as a result of escaping water entering the lower end of the float passage  68 , a force is created on the float or floats  72  which engages and moves the first part of the pivot arm  102  in a direction to lower the loop  108  relative to the pivot arm  102  thereby removing the loop  108  from the lower end  120  of the retainer wire element  116 . Such action frees the wire element  116  from the trigger mechanism  80  thus enabling the spring  96  to contract causing the lever arm  82  to rotate as illustrated in  FIG. 3  in a direction of arrow A to rotate the spindle  40  and thereby close the valve  22  as illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8  by preventing water from inlet line  12  from entering the flow passage  20  of the pipe  14 . 
   The second embodiment of  FIG. 9  illustrates the hot water tank  13  and the float control fluid shut off valve mechanism  10  located within open top collection pan or tray  130  into which the water from the tank  13 , when ruptured, is collected. The tube  70  is spaced slightly from the bottom of the collection tray  130  to permit water to enter the tube  70  and to raise the floats  72  and thereby operate the trigger mechanism  80  as disclosed previously. 
     FIGS. 10-13  inclusive incorporates the fluid control shut off valve mechanism  10  in a gas line, with the tube  70  in each embodiment spaced from the floor to collect any water on the floor as the result of leakage from a hot water tank, a water storage tank, a washing machine, a drinking fountain or appliances. 
   In  FIG. 10  the valve mechanism  10  is located in the gas supply line  132  leading to the gas meter  134  in the home or building. In  FIG. 11  the shut off valve mechanism  10  is located in a gas line  136  leading to a gas furnace  138 . In  FIG. 12  the shut off valve mechanism  10  is located in the gas line  140  leading to a gas operated dryer  142 . 
     FIG. 13  illustrates a gas operated relatively large hot water tank  146  in which a pair of float operated shut off valve mechanisms  10  are located, with the tank  146  including one mechanism  10  located in the gas line  150  leading to the gas operated pilot light mechanism  152  for heating the water. In addition the second shut off valve mechanism  10  is located in the water line  156  leading from a water source of supply to the tank  146 . In the event the tank  146  should rupture, water accumulating on the floor will enter the tubes of the two shut off mechanisms  10  thereby closing the water supply to the tank  146  as well as closing the gas supply line leading to the heater  152  for the tank  146 . 
   The present invention is constructed of simple materials and hardware that can be found in typical hardware stores. The only part of the invention which must be manufactured is the wire retainer or retaining device  100  used to maintain the trigger mechanism  80  in a cocked position. Standard off-the-shelf hardware, valves, floats, pipes, and tubes are used in the construction of the present invention hence minimal initial capital is required for tooling and production. The shut off valve mechanism  10  of the present invention is easily incorporated in a typical office building or house. 
   Those persons skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein. Such equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the following claims.