Patent Publication Number: US-11028930-B2

Title: Single control mixer valve structure for taps and fittings

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject of the present invention is a single control mixer valve structure for taps and fittings. 
     As is known, in the tap and fitting sector, mixer cartridges, with disks made of ceramic or some other material, have long been used for single control taps and fittings. 
     The above mixer cartridges are devised for mixing hot water and cold water, gradually passing from a lower temperature to a higher temperature and vice versa, both at complete opening and with more or less partialised openings. 
     Conventional cartridges have the outlet for the mixed water arranged on their bottom or on their sides, a dynamic-seal system guaranteed by the ceramics and one or more static seals. 
     The increasing shortage of drinking water, which in some areas of the world is reaching critical values, has pushed the governments of many countries to introduce legislative interventions aimed at reducing the waste of this extremely precious asset. 
     To tackle the problem of reduction of water consumption, for about a decade mixer valves have been proposed provided with various control systems: the so-called “click clack” system, having a point which opposes resistance to the movement of the control lever and overstepping of which signals excessive consumption of water; a fixed limitation of the opening of the cartridge; aerators that choke the outlet of the tap, and flow-reduction valves applied to the outlet of the ceramic-disk cartridge. 
     The majority of the aforesaid arrangements can, however, be easily removed and/or deactivated by the user, whereas others have a very limited duration; finally, some are subject to decline in performance due to the debris present in the water that comes to clog the system. 
     An ideal solution would be the creation of a new mixer valve with reduced flow rate that can overcome the problems set forth above; however, this would entail a modification in the processes of production of the taps and non-interchangeability on existing products. 
     Moreover, the creation of a new product entails considerable investments both for design and for its industrialisation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The aim of the present invention is to provide a single control mixer valve structure for taps and fittings that will overcome the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned above. 
     Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a new valve structure by operating on one or more existing products with modification of just one component, designed to limit the delivery performance of water, variable according to an appropriate sizing. 
     An important object of the present invention is to provide a structure that will enable limiting the delivery of water by the tap in a durable way, without allowing removal of the limiter, while maintaining perfect interchangeability of the cartridge. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a structure that will enable considerable reduction of the manufacturing costs of the taps, enabling manufacturers to use standard accessories or manufacturing processes that are simpler and standardized for the different markets. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure that, on account of its peculiar characteristics of implementation, will be able to ensure the widest guarantees of reliability and safety in use. 
     The above and other objects, which will appear more clearly hereinafter, are achieved by a single control mixer valve structure for taps and fittings comprising a fixed disk provided with an outlet port and two ports, respectively, one for the hot water and the other for the cold water that come from two inlet openings, which are formed in a base, mounted in which is the aforesaid fixed disk; a mobile disk mounted in a mobile-disk holder being slidable on said fixed disk; said mobile-disk holder and said mobile disk defining a mixing opening, which is adapted to connect said inlet openings with an outlet opening, formed in said base, in a position corresponding to said outlet hole on said fixed disk, from which the mixed water flows out; sliding of said mobile disk on said fixed disk determining partial opening or complete closing of one or both of the aforesaid ports of the fixed disk, thus adjusting the amount of hot and cold water that passes from the inlet openings to the outlet opening for the mixed water; said mixer valve structure being characterised in that said mobile-disk holder has, on the side facing said fixed disk, a body that is closed or is provided with one or more cavities; said body being configured so as to reduce the useful area of passage of said mixing opening. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from an examination of the description of a preferred, but non-exclusive, embodiment of the present invention, illustrated by way of indicative and non-limiting example in the attached drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view from beneath of a mobile-disk holder according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the mobile-disk holder; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the top part of the mobile-disk holder of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another perspective view of the mobile-disk holder; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of a mixer valve structure according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a section view of the mixer valve structure according to the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  show a mobile-disk holder of a conventional mixer valve. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With particular reference to the reference numbers appearing in the aforesaid figures, the single control mixer valve structure, in particular for taps and fittings, according to the present invention, designated as a whole by the reference number  100 , comprises a fixed disk  2  provided with an outlet port  3  and two ports, respectively, one for the hot water and the other for the cold water that come from two inlet openings, which are formed in a base  4 , in which the fixed disk  2  is mounted. 
     A mobile disk  5 , mounted in a mobile-disk holder  1 , is slidable on the fixed disk  2 . 
     The mobile-disk holder  1  and the mobile disk  5  define a mixing opening  8 , which is adapted to connect the inlet openings with an outlet opening  7 , formed in the base  4 , in a position corresponding to the outlet hole  3  on the fixed disk  2 , from which the mixed water comes out. 
     The mobile-disk holder  1  and the mobile disk  5  are driven by a control rod  6 , in a way in itself known. 
     Sliding of the mobile disk  5  on the fixed disk  2  causes partial opening or complete closing of one or both of the ports of the fixed disk  2 , thus adjusting the amount of hot and cold water that passes from the inlet openings to the outlet opening  7  for the mixed water. 
     According to the present invention, the mobile-disk holder  1  has, on the side facing the fixed disk  2 , a body  10  that is closed or is provided with one or more cavities  11 , defined by separation walls and projections  12 ,  13  having variable height. 
     Illustrated in the figures is an embodiment in which the body  10  has three cavities  11  defined by separation walls  12  having a height different from that of the perimetral and central separation wall  13  of the body  10 . 
     The body  10  is configured so as to reduce the useful area of passage of the mixing opening  8 . 
     The reduction of the useful area of passage of the mixing opening  8  may be varied in the design stage according to the requirements by modifying the dimensions of the body  8 , the number and dimensions of the cavities  11 , and the heights of the separation walls  12  and  13 . 
     From  FIG. 6  it is evident how the body  10  obstructs what, in a conventional mixer valve structure, is a very large cavity. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  show a mobile-disk holder of a conventional type which, not being provided with the interference body according to the present invention, enables free circulation of a large amount of water. 
     It may in practice be noted how the present invention achieves the intended aim and objects. 
     A novel mixer valve structure is in fact provided, which is characterised by the presence of a mobile-disk holder suitably modified so as to limit delivery of water by the tap in a durable way. 
     The novel structure according to the present invention provides important advantages at the production, functional, and management levels, thanks to the fact that just one component is modified with respect to a conventional structure. 
     The new component enables limitation of delivery of water by the tap, in a variable way according to the appropriate sizing. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is represented by the fact that the limiter device cannot be removed and, in any case, maintains perfect interchangeability of the cartridge. 
     Moreover, the present invention affords considerable reduction in the production costs of the taps because it enables manufacturers to use standard accessories, for example aerators, and production processes that are simpler and standardized for the different markets. 
     Of course, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any, according to the requirements.