Patent ID: 8079098

Claim:
A faucet assembly comprising: a pull rod including a longitudinal axis, a proximal end, and a distal end; a fluid control device; a coupling operably connecting the distal end of the pull rod to the fluid control device, the coupling including a male portion supported by the distal end of the pull rod and having a male threaded section with a plurality of external threads, a female portion having a female threaded section with a plurality of internal threads and a socket positioned axially adjacent and distal to the female threaded section, the male portion being movable from a first mode where the external threads are threadably coupled with the internal threads of the female portion, to a second mode where the external threads are uncoupled from the internal threads and received within the socket; the male portion further includes a connecting section connecting the male threaded section to the distal end of the pull rod, the connecting section being positioned proximal to the male threaded section and having an outer lateral dimension less than the minor diameter of the internal threads of the female portion, such that the male portion is rotatable relative to the female portion about the longitudinal axis and independently movable along the longitudinal axis within the socket when the male portion of the coupling is in the second mode; and a stop surface supported by the male portion and configured to contact an internal surface of the socket to limit axial movement of the male portion upwardly relative to the female portion when the male portion of the coupling is in the second mode.