Patent Publication Number: US-2018030697-A1

Title: Water Tap Assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a water tap assembly, and more particularly to a water tap assembly that is adapted to be mounted on a one-hole sink and that has two handles. 
     2. The Prior Arts 
     As we all know, a water tap assembly is an indispensable device in our daily life and houses since the water tap assembly can provide large or small amount of water according to our needs in addition to economizing the water source. Conventionally, water tap assemblies are installed in kitchens, bathrooms and toilets, where water is mostly needed. 
     Several types of water tap assembly are available in the market and have different structures. Due to installing restriction, the water tap assembly should match with the configuration of a sink, upon which it is to be installed. In other words, not all water tap assemblies can be mounted on a desired sink. Presently, two types of water tap assembly are available for mounting on one-hole or two-hole sink. To be more specific, the water tap assembly to be mounted should match with the designated hole of the sink. A conventional one-hole sink requires a water tap assembly having only one connection tube and a handle while a conventional two-hole sink requires a water tap assembly having two connection tubes and two handles such that the latter water tap assembly cannot be mounted on the former one-hole sink, thereby restricting the usage of water tap assembly and causing inconvenient to the user of the water tap assembly. 
     In case of replacing a sink or a water tap assembly (generally the water tap assembly), due to their different structure and if the purchased tap water assembly cannot be installed on the existing sink, the user may feel discomfort since it is time-wasting or laborious to return the purchased tap water assembly to the shop. Most people are not familiar with the plumbing tools and due to different structure of water tap assemblies, a buyer may accidentally buy a wrong ones and causing difficulties to the plumber or the shop owner. Hence, a novel water tap assembly is needed in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a water tap assembly that is adapted to be mounted on a one-hole sink or a three-hole sink and that has two handles, thereby eliminating the problem of selecting and economizing a storage space for the manufacturers, which, in turn, reduces the manufacturing expense. 
     A water tap assembly of the present invention for a one-hole sink, includes a main body, a cold-water control valve and a hot-water control valve. 
     The main body has a water passage provided with a water outlet, a cold water passage, a hot water passage, a cold-water inlet and a hot-water inlet for fluidly in communication with the cold water passage and the hot water passage respectively, wherein each of the cold water passage and the hot water passage has on end portion connected fluidly and respectively to the water passage such that cold or hot water in the cold water passage and the hot water passage can flow out to an exterior of the main body through the water outlet. The cold-water control valve is mounted rotatably between the cold water passage and the water passage. The hot-water control valve is mounted rotatably between the hot water passage and the water passage, wherein, the main body further has a connection pipe that is adapted to be mounted on the one-hole sink and that defines the cold-water inlet and the hot-water inlet. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the hot-water control valve includes a first operating handle while the cold-water control valve includes a second operating handle to facilitate operation of a desired handle so as to permit outflow of cold or hot water from the water outlet. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the connection pipe has an outer diameter configured to match with an inner diameter of a connection hole of the sink, thereby eliminating the problem of the installing a water tap assembly having two handles on a one-hole sink according to the prior art. Note that since the water tap assembly of the present invention can also be mounted on a three-hole sink, the problem of selecting a desired type of water tap assembly during the purchase can be avoided. In other words, there is no return of the purchase water tap assembly as encountered in the prior art, hence providing time-saving and non-pollution to the environment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded and perspective view of a water tap assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates how the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a one-hole sink; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a water tap assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , wherein,  FIG. 1  is an exploded and perspective view of a water tap assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention and  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown, a water tap assembly  100  of the present invention accordingly includes: a main body  10 , a decoration casing  50 , a decoration base  51 , a cold-water control valve  30  and a hot-water control valve  20 . 
     The main body  10  is disposed in such a manner to be sandwiched between the decoration casing  50  and the decoration base  51 . The main body  10  has a water passage  15  provided with a water outlet  16 , a cold water passage  14 , a hot water passage  13 , a cold-water inlet  12  and a hot-water inlet  11  for fluidly in communication with the cold water passage  14  and the hot water passage  13  respectively, wherein each of the cold water passage  14  and the hot water passage  13  has on end portion connected fluidly and respectively to the water passage  15  such that cold or hot water in the cold water passage  14  and the hot water passage  13  can flow out to an exterior of the main body  10  through the water outlet  16 . 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the water tap assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that in this embodiment, the cold-water control valve  30  is mounted rotatably between the cold water passage  14  and the water passage  15 , and has an operating first handle  21  while the hot-water control valve  20  is mounted rotatably between the hot water passage  13  and the water passage  15 , and has an operating second handle  31  such that a user can optionally manipulate the first and second handles  21 ,  31  in order to obtain the desired water flowing out from the water outlet  16 . 
     As best shown in  FIG. 1 , the hot-water control valve  20  is formed with an opening  22  for passage of hot water therethrough upon rotation of the first handle  21  to a desired location while the cold-water control valve  30  is formed with another opening  32  for passage of cold water therethrough upon rotation of the second handle  31  to a desired location so that a mixture of hot and cold water can be discharged from the water outlet  16 . 
     To be more specific, a hot-water supply source (not visible) is connected fluidly with one end of the hot-water inlet  11  such that the hot water from the hot-water supply source can flow into the water passage  15  after passing through the hot water passage  13  and the opening  22  of the hot-water control valve  20  and is later discharged from the water outlet  16 . In the same manner, a cold-water supply source (not visible) is connected fluidly with one end of the cold-water inlet  12  such that the cold water from the cold-water supply source can flow into the water passage  15  after passing through the cold water passage  14  and the opening  32  of the cold-water control valve  30  and is later discharged from the water outlet  16 . 
     An important aspect to note that rotation of the first handle  21  (the hot-water control valve  20 ) or the second handle  31  (the cold-water control valve  30 ) with respect to the water passage  15  varies the dimension of the openings  22 ,  32 , thereby varying the amount of hot or cold water entering into the water passage  15  before being discharged from the water outlet  16 . In this embodiment, a clockwise rotation of the first and second handles  21 ,  31  can align the openings  22 ,  32  of the hot-water control valve  20  and the cold-water control valve  30  with the water passage  15  while an anti-clockwise rotation of the first and second handles  21 ,  31  can stagger the openings  22 ,  32  of the hot-water control valve  20  and the cold-water control valve  30  with the water passage  15 , thereby blocking the openings  22 ,  32  and thus hot and cold water cannot enter into the water passage  15 . Note that rotation of the first and second handles  21 ,  31  in the clockwise and anti-clockwise directions are explained for better understanding of the present invention, and should not be limited only thereto. Any other means can be applied so long as they can provide the desired function and features. 
     To be more specific, when hot water is required, the first handle  21  can be rotated in the clockwise direction so as to align the opening  22  with the water passage  15  such that hot water can be discharged from the water outlet  16 . When cold water is required, the second handle  31  can be rotated in the clockwise direction so as to align the opening  32  with the water passage  15  such that cold water can be discharged from the water outlet  16 . Of course, the water tap assembly of the present invention should be mounted on a sink, like the sink in a kitchen, such that the water discharged from the water outlet  16  can be ejected into the sink. 
     In the event, only warm water is required, the first and the second handles  21 ,  31  can be rotated to a half of the entire rotation length so as to align only a half of each of the openings  22 ,  32  with respect to the water passage  15 , where the cold and hot water mix together to form the warm water within the water passage  15  and will be discharged from the water outlet  16  afterward. By adjusting the dimensions of the openings  22 ,  32  with respect to the water passage  15 , water with a desired temperature can be discharged from the water outlet  16  of the water tap assembly of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates how the water tap assembly  100  according to the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a one-hole sink  40 , wherein, the main body  10  has a connection pipe  17  mounted in a connection hole (one-hole)  41  of the sink  40  for connection with a water supply source (not visible). Of course, some fastener screws should be applied for installation of the connection pipe  17  within the connection hole  41  of the sink  40 . Note that the connection pipe  17  has an outer diameter equivalent to or smaller than so as to match with an inner diameter of the connection hole  41  of the sink  40 . 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a water tap assembly  100  according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which, the decoration casing and the decoration base are excluded and the hot-water control valve  20  and the cold-water control valve  30  are mounted directly on the main body  10  while the other structure is the same as the first embodiment. 
     Note that in the second embodiment, the cold-water inlet  12  and the hot-water inlet  11  are formed within the connection pipe  17 . In other words, the connection pipe  17  defines the cold-water inlet  12  and the hot-water inlet  11  such that once the connection pipe  17  is installed in the sink  40  the cold-water inlet  12  and the hot-water inlet  11  are respectively connected with the hot and cold water supply sources, which are preferably made from metals or heat-resistant plastic materials. 
     One aspect to note is that the connection pipe should have fastening thread with a diameter of 32 mm and can also be installed on a three-hole sink, thereby eliminating the problems encountered during usage of the conventional water tap assembly. In other words, the problem of selecting a desired type of water tap assembly during the purchase can be avoided and there is no return of the purchase water tap assembly as encountered in the prior art, hence providing time-saving and non-pollution to the environment. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.