Patent Publication Number: US-6666431-B2

Title: Remote water control valve

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention related to appliances that use water and more particularly to electrically operated flow control valves used with such appliances. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Power operated mixing and flow control valves are employed where it is desired to mix fluid from a heated and unheated source to produce a fluid mixture of hot, cold and warm temperatures for an appliance that utilizes water. In particular, power operated valves of this type are employed in domestic laundry appliances, such as clothes washing machines, to control the filling of water in the wash tub, particularly those of the type having a tub with a motor driven agitator. In the typical household washing machine an electrically operated valve assembly has attached to one inlet thereof the household cold water supply and to a second inlet thereof the hot water heater. Upon being energized by the washing machine control circuitry, the electrically operated valve assembly admits either cold, hot or a mixture of the hot and cold water into the washing machine tub. 
     More particularly, these mixing and flow control valves are located inside a washing machine and are controlled by the control circuitry therein. Mounted on or in the wall adjacent to where a washing machine is located are conventional cold and hot water outlets with manually operated shutoff valves. As is well known in the art, one end of hoses of three foot to four foot in length are screwed onto the wall mounted cold and hot water outlets and the other end of the hoses are screwed onto the respective ones of the cold and hot water inlets of the mixing and flow control valves of the washing machine. 
     When a washing machine is not in use the manually operated shutoff valves should be placed in their shutoff state, but this is seldom if ever done. As a result water pressure is always present in the hoses connected between the manually operated shutoff valves and the washing machine mixing and flow control valves. Over time the metal rotating screw-on fittings on the end of the hoses become rusted and/or the material from which the hoses are fabricated degrades and a leak occurs. The result is water damage since there is nothing inhibiting water from flowing. The hoses connected to the water feed lines are pressurized. 
     Too often the electrically operated mixing and flow control valve inside a washing machine also degrade and fail due to age and the vibrations and temperatures inside the washing machine. When this valve leaks the result is water damage since there is nothing inhibiting water from flowing. The hoses connected to the water feed lines are pressurized. 
     These are two common areas in which water leaks occur in washing machines. Thus, there is a need for means to minimize or prevent the leakage problems and resulting damage in the prior art described the previous paragraphs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the teaching of the present invention apparatus is provided to minimize or prevent the problems in the prior art described in the Background of the Invention. 
     Separate electrically operated flow control valves are provided that screw directly onto the threaded outlet of each of the wall mounted manually operated water supply shutoff valves. The manually operated water supply shutoff valves remain in their open state as they typically are now. An inlet side of one of these new flow control valves is screwed onto each of the hot and cold water supply outlets. The hoses that are normally screwed directly onto the manually operated water supply shutoff valves are now screwed onto an outlet side of the new electrically operated flow control valves. 
     When these new flow control valves are not in their operated state, which is the state they are automatically in when the washing machine is not in use, the water pressure from the hot and cold water supply lines is isolated from the hoses and the washing machine. Any leak that may occur is limited to the small amount of water that lies in the hoses. 
     One end of a well insulated pair of wires is molded directly into the housing of the new flow control valve where it is electrically connected to a coil of a solenoid that controls the operation of the new valve. The other end of the wires are electrically connected in parallel to the control wires of the corresponding water mixing and flow control valve inside the washing machine, so that when the washing machine cold water mixing and flow control valve is operated the new, external cold water flow control valve is also operated, and when the washing machine hot water mixing and flow control valve is operated the new, external hot water flow control valve is also operated. 
     The new flow control valves may be retrofit to an existing washing machine in the manner described in the previous paragraph, or the conventional electrically operated mixing and flow control valve inside a washing machine may be eliminated and only the external flow control valves are utilized for cost savings. In the latter case an appropriate electrical connector is provided on the rear of the washing machine to which the control wire from the new hot and cold water flow control valves mounted external to the washing machine are connected. In that manner the washing machine control circuitry may selectively energize the remote water flow control valves to supply hot water, cold water, or a mixture of the two. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The invention will be better understood upon reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the drawing in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows a prior art mixing and flow control valve used in washing machines; 
     FIG. 2 is a simplified view other rear of a washing machine; and 
     FIG. 3 shows the new water control valve; 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In FIG. 1 is shown a prior art mixing and flow control valve unit  10  used in clothes washing machines. These valves are typically molded of plastic and contain both a hot water and cold water flow valve. There is typically a main body  11  protruding from the sides of which are a male threaded portion  12  to which the hot water hose is screwed onto, and a male threaded portion  13  to which the cold water hose is screwed onto. There is typically a pipe  14  to which another hose (not shown) is fastened using a hose clamp. Cold water, hot water or a mixture of the two exit valve unit  10  via pipe  14  and travel through the hose to the tank (not shown) in the washing machine. 
     Integral to mixing and flow control valve unit  10  are two electrically operated solenoids  15  and  16  that are used to respectively open the individual hot and cold valves in valve unit  10 . A coil in each of solenoids  15  and  16  is accessed via electrical terminals  17  using push on connectors in a manner well known in the art. Mating connectors from a wiring harness internal to the washing machine  20  are connected to these terminals. There is typically a metal bracket (not shown) that is part of valve unit  10  and is used to mount valve unit  10  to the frame of the washing machine. 
     In FIG. 2 is shown a simplified view of the rear of a clothes washing machine  20 . There is shown the male threaded hot and cold water portions  12  and  13  of valve unit  10  (FIG. 1) mounted inside washing machine  20 . There is also shown electrical connectors  21  and  22  that may be installed in new washing machines  20  in which the conventional internal mixing and flow control valve unit  10  has been eliminated in favor of a pair of new, externally mounted, flow control valves  25  shown in and described with reference to FIG.  3 . 
     In FIG. 3 is shown a new flow control valve  25  in accordance with the teaching of the present invention. Valve  25  has a main body  26  with an electrically operated solenoid  29  on its side for actuating a valve internal to body  26 . The internal valve is not shown but is identical to those found in conventional mixing and flow control valves presently used in washing machines. Solenoid  29  and how it operates the internal valve is identical to those found in conventional mixing and flow control valves presently used in washing machines. By having all these parts the same as are presently in use minimizes the cost of manufacturing the new valve  25 . 
     In one end of main body  26  of valve  25  is a threaded hole  27 . The hole diameter and threading are identical to the metal ends of the water hoses so valve  25  can be turned onto the threaded outlet of standard wall mounted, manually operated, water outlet valves. The opposite end of body  26  has a threaded extension  28 . Its diameter and threading are identical to the threaded outlet of standard wall mounted, manually operated, water outlet valves so the metal end of the hose removed from the standard wall mounted water outlet valve can be re-screwed onto threaded extension  28 . 
     One end of a well insulated pair of wires in cable  30  are molded directly into the solenoid housing  29  of the new flow control valve  25  where they are electrically connected to a coil of a solenoid that controls the operation of the new valve in a manner well-known in the art. Cable  30  may have a relatively hard, flexible shield around it as necessary to pass Underwriters Laboratories requirements for safety. 
     Two valves  25  are needed for a typical installation, one for the standard, wall mounted, manually operated cold water feed valve and one for the hot water feed valve. First, the hoses are removed from the manually operated hot and cold water feed valves on the wall. Then, a valve  25  is turned onto the mating threads of each of the cold and hot water valves via its threaded hole  27 . Pipe thread dope of tape should preferably be placed on the threads of the wall mounted water feed pipes before screwing a new flow control valve  25  thereon. 
     Next, the loose ends of the connecting hoses (not shown) are screwed onto the mating threaded end  28  of the valves  25 . That is, the cold water hose from washing machine  20  will be screwed onto the new valve  25  that is now on the cold water feed valve on the wall. Then, the hot water hose from washing machine  20  will be screwed onto the new valve  25  that is now on the hot water feed valve on the wall. Water will then flow from the wall mounted feed valves, through a new valve  25 , through the hoses, then through the mixing and flow control valve  10  inside washing machine  20  to the washing machine top. 
     When these new flow control valves  25  are not in their operated state, which is the state they are automatically in when the washing machine is not in use, the water pressure from the hot and cold water supply lines is isolated from the hoses and the washing machine. Any leak that may occur is limited to the small amount of water that lies in the hoses. 
     The electrical connections to the new flow control valves  25  must then be made. The wires from each new flow control valve  25  must be connected in parallel with the two wires connected to the two terminals  17  of solenoid  15  or  16  of valve unit  10 . In a retrofit installation the two wires from the new flow control valve  25  screwed onto the cold water feed valve on the wall must be connected in parallel with solenoid  16  of the cold water valve in mixing and flow control valve unit  10 , and the two wires from the new flow control valve  25  screwed onto the hot water feed valve on the wall must be connected in parallel with solenoid  15  of the hot water valve in mixing and flow control valve unit  10 . 
     When the new flow control valves  25  are provided as part of a retrofit kit to an existing washing machine, electrical connectors  21  and  22  will not be at the rear of washing machine  20 . To install the retrofit kit a hole (not shown) is drilled through the rear of washing machine  20 , an insulating grommet (not shown) is mounted in the hole to protect wires  30  passing through the hole from being frayed or cut, and wires in cable  30  from the exterior mounted hot and cold flow control valves  25  are passed through the grommet. Interior to washing machine  20 , the retrofit electrical connections may be accomplished in at least two different ways. Individual ones of the two wires in cable  30  may be connected in parallel with the wires of the corresponding water control valve in valve unit  10 . That is, the wires from new hot flow control valve  25  are connected in parallel with the two wires already pushed onto the two terminals  17  of solenoid  15  that controls the hot water valve in valve unit  10  using crimp on connectors that are known in the art. These crimp connectors crimp around the insulation of the wire and have a pointed member that penetrates the insulation to contact the interior wires. Similarly, the wires from the new cold flow control valve  25  are connected in parallel with the two wires connected to the two terminals  17  of solenoid  16  that controls the cold water valve in valve unit  10  using crimp on connectors. 
     Alternately, the female connectors pushed onto male connectors  17  may be pulled off, and an adapter connector (not shown) is used. An adapter connector is pushed onto each of terminals  17 . The adapter connectors each have a female portion that is pushed onto one of terminals  17  and two opposing male connectors. One male connector is for connecting the wire that was originally removed from terminal  17 , and the other male connector is for a female connector on the end of one of the wires that make up wire cable  30  from a new flow control valve  25 . 
     The conventional electrically operated mixing and flow control valve inside a washing machine may be eliminated and only the external flow control valves utilized for cost savings on new washing machines. In that case appropriate electrical connectors  21  and  22  (FIG. 2) are provided on the rear of the washing machine to which the control wires from the new hot and cold water flow control valves mounted external to the washing machine are connected. In that manner the washing machine control circuitry may selectively energize the remote water flow control valves to supply hot water, cold water, or a mixture of the two. 
     While what has been described herein is the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be appreciated that numerous changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, in FIG. 2 while hole  27  of new flow control valve is a tapped hole in the housing, a more conventional screw on connector, such as on the ends of the hoses, may be utilized. Further, while individual new flow control valves  25  are described herein, similar to a prior art mixing and flow control valve  19 , the two new valves  25  may be combined into a single unit. Further, while the appliance that is referenced herein is a clothes washing machine, the invention may also be used with other appliances such as a dishwasher, and the water supply to an ice maker.