Patent Publication Number: US-2020299945-A1

Title: Smart Toilet Connection

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/822,021 filed Mar. 21, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of plumbing of existing art and more specifically relates to toilet fill valves. 
     RELATED ART 
     Toilets generally comprise of a commode and a reservoir tank. The reservoir tank holds a predetermined amount of water to flush clean the commode after use. The reservoir tanks are generally connected to a water supply source via a fill valve for refilling the reservoir tank after each use. 
     Presently, most toilet fill valves have a conventional threaded connection. This connection can split or crack over time, causing thousands of dollar&#39;s worth of water damage. Insurance companies are forced to cover the damage in many cases and homeowners often lose valuable personal property. A suitable solution is desired. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,594 to Dan E. Molter relates to a toilet valve quick connect system. The described toilet valve quick connect system includes an upper housing having a capture chamber which facilitates the operation of a capture nut with oversized outward peripheral portions to enable it to be turned within the confines of a typical toilet tank. The toilet valve quick connect has a lower section which extends through the hole in a typical toilet tank and is secured in much the same way as a conventional toilet valve fitting. The toilet valve quick connect includes an internal conical sealing member for facilitating the sealed connection with the bottom rim and inside of a conventional toilet valve fitting. A capture housing partially encloses the capture nut to enable it to engage the threaded bottom fitting of a conventional toilet valve and to impress a downward force on the threaded bottom fitting. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known toilet fill valve art, the present disclosure provides a novel quick-connect toilet fill valve. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a toilet fill valve including a quick-connection to quickly and easily connect and disconnect the fill valve to a water supply line. 
     A fill valve is disclosed herein. The fill valve is for installation into a toilet tank and connection to a water supply of a building. The fill valve includes a fill valve body which may include an elongated length configured for vertical orientation in the toilet tank relative to a vertical axis. The fill valve body may have a top end and a bottom end relative to the vertical axis, the bottom end sized for insertion through a tank aperture located in the toilet tank. The fill valve body further may include a refill tube and a float device. A nut may be provided and configured to mate with the bottom end and secure the fill valve body in the toilet tank when the bottom end is inserted through the tank aperture. 
     Further, a quick-connect fitting may be located at the bottom end of the fill valve body, the quick-connect fitting may include a quick-connect fitting body having an outer shell defining an inner capacity, the inner capacity housing an O-ring configured to create a water tight seal, and a collet. The collet may be moveable inside the inner capacity between a retracted position and an extended position, and the quick-connect fitting body, the O-ring, and the collet may all be concentric relative to the vertical axis. 
     A water supply tube may be provided and configured for connection to a water supply valve at a first end, and for insertion into the quick connect fitting at a second end. The second end of the water supply tube may be configured for insertion into the collet and held in friction within the inner capacity of the quick-connect fitting body. 
     According to another embodiment, a method of installing a fill valve into a toilet tank is also disclosed herein. The method includes providing the fill valve as above; placing the fill valve body in the toilet tank; inserting the bottom end of the fill valve body through the tank aperture located in the toilet tank; mating the nut with the bottom end of the fill valve body to secure the fill valve body in the toilet tank; connecting the water supply tube to the water supply valve at the first end; and inserting the second end of the water supply tube into the quick-connect fitting. 
     For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a quick-connect toilet fill valve, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of the fill valve during an ‘in-use’ condition, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the fill valve of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a cutaway side view of the fill valve of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the fill valve of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow diagram illustrating a method of installing a fill valve, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a toilet fill valve and more particularly to a quick-connect toilet fill valve as used to improve the connection between the fill valve and a water supply of a building. 
     Generally, disclosed is a toilet fill valve assembly with a quick water supply connector. The may toilet fill valve assembly may eliminate the conventional threaded nut connection, which can break down over time. This valve allows the toilet supply line to be connected to the fill valve without the use of a threaded nut, instead you can connect ⅜″ outer diameter water supply line directly into the quick water supply connector. The quick water supply connector includes an O-ring to provide a water tight connection. In some embodiments a metal ring holds the water supply line in the quick water supply connector. The exact specifications may vary. 
     Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , various views of a fill valve  100 . 
       FIG. 1  shows a fill valve  100  during an ‘in-use’ condition  50 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the fill valve  100  may be beneficial for use by a user  40  to quickly connect a water supply to the fill valve  100 . As illustrated, the fill valve  100  may include a fill valve body  110 , a nut  120 , a quick-connect fitting  130 , and a water supply tube  140 . The fill valve  100  may be for installation into a toilet tank  5  and for connection to a water supply of a building. 
       FIG. 2  shows the fill valve  100  of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The fill valve body  110  may include an elongated length  112  configured for vertical orientation in the toilet tank  5  relative to a vertical axis  105 . The fill valve body  110  may have a top end  114  and a bottom end  116  relative to the vertical axis  105 , the bottom end  116  sized for insertion through a tank aperture  10  located in the toilet tank  5 . Further, a nut  120  may be configured to mate with the bottom end  116  and secure the fill valve body  110  in the toilet tank  5  when the bottom end  116  is inserted through the tank aperture  10 . Preferably, the bottom end  116  of the fill valve body  110  may include a threaded outer surface  118 . In this embodiment, the nut  120  may include a threaded aperture  122  configured to mate with the threaded outer surface  118 . Further, as shown, the fill valve body  110  may further include a refill tube  111  and a float device  113 . 
       FIG. 3-4  are side views of the fill valve  100  of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The quick-connect fitting  130  may be located at the bottom end  116  of the fill valve body  110 . The quick-connect fitting  130  may include a quick-connect fitting body  132  that is preferably cylindrical. In one embodiment, the quick-connect fitting body  132  may be made from a plastic material. The quick-connect fitting body  132  may include an outer shell  133  defining an inner capacity  131  housing an O-ring  134  configured to create a water tight seal, and a collet  160 . The collet  160  may be made from a plastic material. In addition, the fill valve  100  may include an O-ring guide  136  adjacent to the O-ring  134 . In one embodiment, O-ring guide  136  may be made from a metallic material. Preferably, the metallic material may be stainless steel to prevent rust build up from contact with water from the water supply. 
     The collet  160  may be moveable inside the inner capacity  131  between a retracted position and an extended position. Further, the collet  160  may include a cylindrical collet body  161  and a circumferential collar  162  and the cylindrical collet body  161  may include an outer collet surface  163  and an inner collet surface  164 . In one embodiment, the inner collet surface  164  may include a gripping means  165  configured to positively grip the water supply tube  140  when inserted into the collet  160 . 
     Further, an inner fitting surface  137  of the quick-connect fitting  130  body may include a stop means  135 . The stop means  135  may be configured to block the gripping means  165  from moving into fitting  130  more than called for by op the device&#39;s operation and may prevent the collet  160  from falling out of the quick-connect fitting body  132  when pulled into the extended position. This may be particularly useful when the water supply tube  140  is pulled. In this example, the gripping means  165  holds its grip on the water supply tube  140  whilst it&#39;s being pulled, and the stop means  135  prevents the collet  160  and the water supply tube  140  from falling out. This may prevent unwanted disconnection of the water supply tube  140  from the quick-connect fitting  130 . When a user wants to remove the water supply tube  140  from the quick-connect fitting  130  they may hold down the circumferential collar  162  of the collet  160  to hold it in the retracted position such that the stop means  135  is not engaged, and the water supply tube  140  can be pulled from a grip of the gripping means  165 . 
     Preferably, the fill valve  100  does not comprise a coupling nut to attach the water supply tube  140  to the fill valve body  110  due to the issues that arise from the coupling nut, such as cracking of the coupling nut resulting in leaks and floods. Instead, the water supply tube  140  may be configured for connection to a water supply valve  15  at a first end  144 , and for insertion into the quick connect fitting at a second end  146 . The second end  146  of the water supply tube  140  may be configured for insertion into the collet  160  and held in friction within the inner capacity  131  of the quick-connect fitting body  132 . As above, the gripping means  165  may hold the water supply tube  140  in friction. 
     The quick-connect fitting body  132 , the O-ring  134 , and the collet  160  may all be concentric relative to the vertical axis  105 . In embodiments including the O-ring guide  136 , the O-ring guide  136  is also concentric with the quick-connect fitting body  132 , the O-ring  134 , and the collet  160 . A concentricity of the quick-connect fitting body  132 , the O-ring  134  and the collet  160  (and the O-ring guide  136  in embodiments where it is included) may define a tube-passageway  152  having a passage-diameter  153  substantially equal to an outer diameter  142  of the water supply tube  140 . Preferably, the water supply tube  140  may include the outer diameter  142  of  3 / 8  inches. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow diagram illustrating a method for installing a fill valve into a toilet tank  500 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, the method for installing a fill valve into a toilet tank  500  may include one or more components or features of the fill valve  100  as described above. As illustrated, the method for installing a fill valve into a toilet tank  500  may include the steps of: step one  501 , providing the fill valve as above; step two  502 , placing the fill valve body in the toilet tank; step three  503 , inserting the bottom end of the fill valve body through the tank aperture located in the toilet tank; step four  504 , mating the nut with the bottom end of the fill valve body to secure the fill valve body in the toilet tank; step five  505 , connecting the water supply tube to the water supply valve at the first end; step six  506 , inserting the second end of the water supply tube into the quick-connect fitting. Further steps may include: step seven  507 , pressing a circumferential collar of the collet such that the collet is held in the retracted position; and step eight  508 , pulling the water supply tube from the quick-connect fitting to remove. Those with ordinary skill in the art will now appreciate that upon reading this specification and by their understanding the art of plumbing and toilet fill valves as described herein, methods of using and installing a toilet fill valve will be understood by those knowledgeable in such art. 
     It should be noted that steps seven  507  and eight  508  is an optional step and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use  500  are illustrated using dotted lines in  FIG. 5  so as to distinguish them from the other steps of method of use  500 . It should also be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. The use of “step of” should not be interpreted as “step for”, in the claims herein and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f). It should also be noted that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods for installing a fill valve into a toilet tank are taught herein. 
     The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.