Patent Publication Number: US-2007102053-A1

Title: Plumbing fill valve restrictor and regulator apparatus

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application relates to, claims priority from, and incorporates herein by reference, as if fully set forth, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/736,115 filed on Nov. 10, 2005 and entitled “400 Restrictor/Regulator Scheme.” 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to toilet fill valves and more particularly to restrictors for such toilet fill valves.  
      2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information  
      Fill valves for toilets provide water from a supply line to a toilet tank and/or bowl. Water pressure and flow rates for these supply lines vary per geographic region. It is common for water pressure in one country or state, for example, to vary from that of another area. Accordingly, even if identical fill valves are installed on toilets in different regions, the volume, flow rate and pressure of incoming water can vary drastically for each toilet. The resulting inconsistency is undesirable particularly when excessive water pressure and/or flow rates lead to high levels of noise and waste of water.  
      The inconsistency is also undesirable to toilet manufacturers who seek to provide toilets and plumbing systems that perform consistently through a variety of situations and geographic areas, as well as to public/governmental water agencies who seek to conserve water.  
      While the prior art may include certain devices to decrease, or restrict, water flow in a fill valve, such devices lack the capacity to regulate water flow, namely, to cap the water flow at ceiling. Accordingly, such prior art devices still lead to water waste, albeit at a slower pace, when excessive water pressure from supply lines leads to high flow rates.  
      Such prior art devices also suffer from the drawback of excessive noise and cavitation. In particular, many prior art devices simply consist of a single hole defined in the passageway of the device to enable water to flow through. This single hole can lead excessive noise as water gushes through the only opening to the rest of the fill valve.  
      These prior art devices also create cavitation that results from pressure changes in the system. The pressure changes associated with cavitation generate partial vacuums which can lead to the formation of air bubbles, or larger pockets of air, in the water leading out from the fill valve. Accordingly, as such air-filled water travels from the fill valve downstream to other sections of the toilet with greater air pressure, the air pockets will decrease in volume and eventually pop, which results in high noise levels.  
      Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a device that restricts or regulates water flow in a fill valve without causing cavitation.  
      It would also be desirable to provide a device that restricts or regulates water flow in a fill valve while minimizing or reducing noise.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides structures and methods which overcome the deficiencies in the prior art.  
      In one aspect, a toilet fill valve control device is provided. The device comprises a hollow body including a closed end and an open end. The hollow body comprises an expandable sidewall, and a tortuous outer surface included in the hollow body. The tortuous outer surface comprises a plurality of flow paths.  
      The sidewall is preferably composed of an elastomeric material. In the preferred embodiment, the outer surface comprises a spiraled surface that defines a plurality of spiraled flow paths. The device further comprises a fill valve having a vertical conduit with an inner surface. The hollow body is configured to slidingly abut the inner surface of the vertical conduit which defines a fluid passageway. Disposed within the vertical conduit of the fill valve, the hollow body defines an upstream section and a downstream section of the fluid passageway. The hollow body is configured to be disposed within the fill valve in either a first position where the open end faces the upstream section, or a second position where the closed end faces the upstream section.  
      In another aspect, a toilet fill valve control device comprises a fill valve having a vertical conduit that includes an inner surface and defines a fluid passageway. A hollow flexible body is disposed in the vertical conduit and configured to abut the inner surface of the vertical conduit so as to define an upstream section and a downstream section of the fluid passageway. The hollow body comprises a closed end, an open end and a sidewall. The hollow flexible body is reversible such that it may be oriented in a first position where the open end faces the upstream section, and a second position wherein the closed end faces the upstream section. The hollow body caps a flow rate of fluid in the fill valve in the first position.  
      The sidewall preferably comprises a plurality of spiraled flow paths. The device further comprises means for providing a tortuous flow path. The means for providing a tortuous flow path may comprise a spiraled outer surface formed on the hollow body. The hollow body is preferably composed of an expandable material. The hollow body is slidingly disposed in the vertical conduit.  
      In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a fill valve is provided. The method comprises providing a fill valve with a vertical conduit that defines an inner diameter, providing a flexible hollow body having a closed end, an open end and an outer diameter that is substantially similar to the inner diameter of vertical conduit, and disposing the hollow body in the vertical conduit in one of two possible positions.  
      The step of disposing the hollow body in the vertical conduit in one of two possible positions comprises dividing a passageway of the vertical conduit into an upstream section and a downstream section and either facing the open end of the hollow body toward the upstream section or facing the closed end of the hollow body toward the upstream section.  
      The step of providing the flexible hollow body having a closed end, an open end and an outer diameter that is substantially similar to the inner diameter of vertical conduit comprises forming the flexible hollow body with a spiraled outer surface.  
      A method for controlling fluid flow in a toilet fill valve is also provided. The method comprises directing fluid through a vertical conduit of a fill valve, disposing a flexible hollow body in the vertical conduit so as to divide the vertical conduit into an upstream section and a downstream section, capping the flow rate of the fluid in the fill valve by orienting the flexible hollow body in a first position, and reducing a flow rate of the fluid in the fill valve by orienting the flexible hollow body in a second position.  
      The step of disposing a flexible hollow body in the vertical conduit comprises disposing in the vertical conduit an expandable fluid control device having an open end and a closed end.  
      The step of reducing the flow rate of the fluid in the fill valve by orienting the flexible hollow body in the second position comprises facing the closed end of the hollow body toward the upstream section.  
      The step of capping the flow rate of the fluid in the fill valve by orienting the flexible hollow body in the first position comprises facing the open end of the hollow body toward the upstream section. The step of capping the flow rate of the fluid in the fill valve by orienting the flexible hollow body in the first position comprises filling the hollow body with the fluid so as to expand a sidewall of the hollow body against an inner surface of the vertical conduit.  
      In summary, a toilet fill valve device may function as a restrictor to reduce water flow, or as a regulator to cap water flow beneath a certain limit depending upon its orientation. If composed of a rigid material, the device functions as a restrictor to decrease water flow. If composed of a soft, flexible or compressible/expandable material, the device functions as a regulator as its walls expand to partially block fluid passageways when water pressure fills up a void within the device. The device includes a spiraled outer surface to provide a tortuous path for water to travel so as to reduce noise. The dual functionality of a regulator or restrictor may also be accomplished with the orientation of the device. Methods for manufacturing and using a toilet fill valve control device are also provided.  
      The invention, now having been briefly summarized, may be better appreciated by the following detailed description.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a toilet fill valve including a first preferred embodiment of a fill valve control device according to the invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional operative view of the first preferred embodiment of the fill valve control device in a first orientation;  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of the fill valve control device;  
       FIG. 4  is a graph illustrating the regulated flow rate as a result of employing the first preferred fill valve in the first, upright orientation;  
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional operative view of the first preferred embodiment of the fill valve control device in a second orientation;  
       FIG. 6  is a graph illustrating the restricted flow rate as a result of employing the first preferred fill valve in the second, upside-down orientation;  
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a toilet fill valve including a second preferred embodiment of a fill valve control device according to the invention;  
       FIG. 8  is a diagram of a preferred method of manufacturing a toilet fill valve; and  
       FIG. 9  is a diagram of a preferred method for controlling the flow rate of a fluid in a toilet fill valve.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description wherein illustrated embodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way of limitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.  
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a toilet fill valve  10  employing a first preferred embodiment of a fluid control device  12  according to the invention. The fill valve  10  includes a vertical conduit  14  that defines a fluid passageway  16 . The fluid control device  12  is disposed in the fluid passageway  16  so as to divide the passageway  16  into an upstream section  18  and a downstream section  20 . In the preferred embodiment, the control device  12  may be either slidably or fixedly disposed in the vertical conduit  14 . Where the control device  12  is slidably disposed in the vertical conduit  14 , the upstream section  18  and downstream section  20  are defined relative to the position of the control device  12 .  
      In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the fluid control device  12  preferably comprises a hollow body  22  defining an axis  23  and having a closed end  24 , an open end, or opening,  26  at an opposite end along the axis  23 , and a hollow chamber  28  defined therebetween. The hollow body  22  is preferably composed of an expandable, elastomeric material, such as thermoplastic elastomer or rubber, which will enable a sidewall  31  of the hollow body  22  to expand when the chamber  28  is filled with fluid. The device  12  also comprises an outer surface  33  configured to provide a tortuous fluid flow path so as to reduce, or restrict, the flow rate of fluid passing therethrough. In the preferred embodiment, the device  12  comprises a spiraled surface  33  that includes a helical flange  35  which loosely abuts an inner cylindrical surface  37  of the vertical conduit. causes water to travel one or more tortuous paths between the upstream section  18  and the downstream  20 .  
      In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , it will be appreciated that the spiraled surface  33  forms two spiraled flow paths or flow channels,  34 ,  36 . The dual flow paths  34 ,  36  cumulatively provide a greater total distance that water must travel to traverse the device  12  in order to reach the downstream section  20 , thereby more effectively reducing the flow rate. A distance “D” defined between the helical flanges  35  determines the amount of buckling that the device  12  will undergo in operation (i.e., lesser distance “D” correlates to lesser buckling).  
      In an alternative embodiment, the same result may be accomplished with a spiraled surface having a single flow path, but with a longer device  12  so as to provide an extended flow path.  
      In  FIG. 1 , the device  12  is configured to be reversible, or reversibly configured, such that it may be positioned in the vertical conduit  14  in one of two positions, or orientations. In the preferred embodiment, the device  12  can fit within the conduit  14  in only those two orientations, namely, a first upright position where the open end  26  faces the upstream passageway section  18 , and a second upside-down position where the closed end  24  faces the upstream passageway section  18  as shown in  FIG. 5 .  
      It is to be expressly understood that the dual, reversible positions of the device  12  within the vertical conduit  14  may be accomplished in a variety of different ways. In the preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  the sidewall  31  of the hollow body  22  is generally cylindrical and formed with an outer-diameter  39  that is slightly less than or substantially equal to the inner diameter  41  of the vertical conduit  14 . Accordingly, this provides a sufficiently secure fit when the device  12  is disposed into the vertical conduit  14  in one of the two possible positions such that the device  12 , though permitted to slide axially within the passageway  16 , cannot rotate or shift away from the orientation in which it is disposed. In other words, if the device  12  is disposed in the conduit  14  in the upright position, the peripheral dimensions of the device  12  are such that the device  12  cannot rotate or somehow move into the upside-down position. Similarly, if placed in the upside-down position, the device  12  cannot be shifted to an upright position within the conduit  14 .  
       FIGS. 1 and 5  show the first preferred fluid control device  12  in operation and illustrate preferred methods of controlling fluid flow rate in a fill valve according to the invention.  
      In  FIG. 1 , the fluid control device  12  is disposed in the fill valve  10  and oriented in a first, upright position  42  wherein the open end  26  faces the upstream section  18  (shown as beneath the device) of the fluid passageway  16 . A fluid channel space, or flow path space,  43  is defined between the outer surface  33  of the device  12  and the inner surface  37  of the conduit  14 . As water is pushed upward through the passageway  16 , the water will encounter the upright oriented fluid control device  12 , thereby entering the chamber  28  and traveling around the hollow body  22  into the flow path space  43 . The water eventually travels upward through the tortuous flow path space  43  provided by the spiraled outer surface  33 .  
      As pressure of the incoming water increases, the water will not only fill the hollow chamber  28  of the device  12 , but also cause the sidewall  31  to expand and, thus, more tightly abut the inner conduit surface  37 . The expansion of the sidewall  31  caused by higher water pressure reduces the available flow path space  43  through which the incoming water must travel to get past the control device  12 . This reduced space  43  in conjunction with the tortuous pathway results in a capping of the flow rate of the incoming at a certain maximum rate. Thus, when the fluid control device  12  is oriented with its open end  26  facing the upstream passageway section  18 , the device  12  functions as regulator by not only reducing the water flow, but also capping the water flow rate at a particular maximum when the water pressure exceeds a certain trigger point.  
      As charted in the graph of  FIG. 4 , the fluid control device  12  in the upright position will reduce the flow rate of incoming water, indicated by line  44 , as compared to an unrestricted flow rate, indicated by line  46 . At a predetermined higher water pressure, or the trigger water pressure,  48 , the device  12  will expand as described above and thereby cap, or regulate, the flow of incoming water shown by line  51 .  
      As examples and not by way of limitation, the trigger water pressure at which the fluid control device  12  will begin to cap or regulate flow rate may range from 20 pounds per square inch (psi) to 230 psi. As further examples and not by way of limitation, the capped flow rate at such water pressures may be configured at 3 gallons per minute or greater. It is to be expressly understood that the predetermined trigger water pressure may be adjusted by a variety of different ways, such as changing the elasticity of the composition of the device  12 , increasing or decreasing the distance between adjacent coils of the helical flange  35 , etc.  
       FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate the adapter  12  functioning as a restrictor only, namely, that the device  12  reduces, but does not cap, the flow of incoming water through the fill valve  10 . In  FIG. 5 , the fluid control device  12  is oriented in a second, upside-down position  53  where the closed end  24  faces the upstream passageway section  18 , and the open end  26  faces the downstream section  20 . This orientation  53  generally prevents fluid from filling up the hollow chamber  28 , at least not to a point where the sidewall  31  would expand. Instead, water in the upstream section  18  is immediately directed toward the outer adapter surface  33  to the tortuous pathway defined between the spiraled surface  33  and in the inner conduit surface  37 . Since the sidewall  31  does not expand in this configuration, the flow path space  43  through which the water must travel to pass the device  12  does not get decreased.  
      Accordingly, as shown in the  FIG. 6 , water flow rate indicated by line  55  is simply reduced with respect to the unrestricted rate indicated by line  46  when water pressure increases. However, since capping does not occur when the device  12  is in the upside-down position, the reduced rate  55  will continue to steadily climb without limit as water pressure increases.  
      It will be appreciated that the preferred embodiment of the fluid control device  12  is reversible in that it may hold dual axial positions, each with a corresponding function. In one position, the device  12  acts as a regulator to reduce water flow and to cap said flow when water pressure reaches a target amount. In an inversed, or axially reversed, position the fluid control device  12  acts as a restrictor to simply reduce water flow without capping. Thus, as described above, the invention comprises preferred methods of controlling fluid flow in a toilet fill valve as well as methods for using a fluid control device in a fill valve.  
      In  FIG. 7 , a second preferred embodiment of a fill valve control device  12   b  is illustrated where elements of similar structure are designated by the same reference numerals followed by the lower case “b”. The device  12   b  is also composed of a flexible, expandable material, such as an elastomer, so that its sidewall  31   b  may expand when filled with incoming water. The device  12   b  includes a cylindrical outer surface  33   b  that is substantially smooth. The hollow body  22   b  may optionally include a plurality of ports  57  disposed adjacent to the open end  26   b , in a radial configuration.  
      If the device  12   b  is composed of a soft, flexible material such as an elastomer, then the device  12   b  can function as both a regulator and restrictor depending upon its orientation, in a manner similar to that of the first embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . In particular, by facing the open end  26   b  toward the upstream section  18 , then the device  12   b  functions as a regulator. In an opposite orientation where the closed end  24   b  faces the upstream section, the device  12   b  will function as a restrictor.  
      A process of manufacturing a restrictor, or regulator is also provided according to the invention. It will be appreciated that varying the function between a restrictor and a regulator with the device  12   b  in  FIG. 7  may be accomplished by forming the device  12   b  with different materials. In particular, if the device  12   b  is composed of a soft or flexible material, the device  12   b  has the capacity to function as a regulator due to the ability of the sidewall  31   b  to expand when the hollow chamber  28   b  is filled with water. To make the device  12   b  work only as a restrictor (regardless of its orientation within the fill valve  10 ), the device  12   b  may be manufactured with a rigid material. In such case, the device  12   b  will only serve to reduce, but not cap, the flow rate since the sidewall  31   b  will not expand.  
       FIG. 8  illustrates a preferred method  100  of manufacturing a toilet fill valve. Step  110  includes providing a fill valve with a vertical conduit that defines an inner diameter. Step  120  comprises providing a flexible hollow body having a closed end, an open end and an outer diameter that is substantially similar to the inner diameter of vertical conduit. Step  130  comprises disposing the hollow body in the vertical conduit in one of two possible positions. In step  130 , disposing the hollow body in the vertical conduit divides a passageway therein into an upstream section and a downstream section. In step  130 , the hollow body may be disposed in the vertical conduit with the open end facing an upstream section or the closed end facing the upstream section.  
      In step  140 , the flexible hollow body may be formed with a spiraled outer surface or a smooth outer surface. Step  140  may also comprise forming the hollow body with a sidewall having an outer diameter that is substantially equal or slightly less than an inner diameter of the vertical conduit so as to prevent the hollow body from shifting to a different orientation once it is disposed in the hollow body in a desired orientation.  
      It will also be appreciated that a method  200  for controlling fluid flow in a toilet fill valve is also provided. Step  210  comprises directing fluid through a vertical conduit of a plumbing fill valve. Step  220  comprises disposing a flexible, expandable hollow body with an open end and a closed end into the vertical conduit so as to divide the vertical conduit into an upstream section and a downstream section. Step  230  comprises capping, or regulating, the flow rate of the fluid in the fill valve by orienting the flexible  14 , hollow body in a first position where the open end of the hollow body faces the upstream section.  
      By orienting the hollow body in the first position, step  240  comprises filling the hollow body with the fluid so as to expand a sidewall of the hollow body against an inner surface of the vertical conduit. In step  240 , the water entering the hollow body through the open end expands the sidewall and causes the sidewall to press up against the inner surface of the vertical conduit. Thus, the method  200  comprises the step  250  of decreasing or reducing the flow path space between the hollow body and an inner surface of the vertical conduit.  
      Step  260  comprises reducing, or restricting, a flow rate of the fluid in the fill valve by orienting the flexible hollow body in a second position where the end of the hollow body faces the upstream section. In step  260 , water is immediately directed into the fluid channel space between the hollow body and the inner surface of the fill valve without causing any expansion of the sidewall of the hollow body.  
      Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples and that they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer, more or different elements, which are disclosed in above even when not initially claimed in such combinations.  
      The words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification the generic structure, material or acts of which they represent a single species.  
      The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to not only include the combination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.  
      Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.  
      The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptionally equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essential idea of the invention.