Patent ID: 7556061

Claim:
A mixing faucet assembly for changing a mixing ratio between hot and cold water supplied thereto and adjusting a discharge flow rate, using a single operating lever, comprising: a mixing valve unit having valve inlet ports for receiving the supplied hot and cold water respectively therethrough, a operating rod for adjusting a mixing ratio between said received hot and cold water and a discharge flow rate, and a valve outlet port for discharging a mixture of hot and cold water therethrough, said mixing valve unit has a lateral surface formed in a cylindrical shape; a faucet body having water-feed passages for leading the supplied hot and cold water, respectively, to said valve inlet ports and having a valve unit-receiving recess formed on an upper portion of said faucet body, said valve unit-receiving recess housing said mixing valve unit to receive the mixture discharged from said valve outlet port; a spout portion extending from an upper end of said faucet body in an approximately horizontal direction and having a spout-portion water passage for receiving the mixture discharged from said valve unit-receiving recess and a spout port for spouting the mixture received in said spout-portion water passage; and a load-supporting portion inwardly protruding toward the inside of said valve unit-receiving recess and contacting with an upper region of a lateral surface of said mixing valve unit on at least one side corresponding to a location of said spout portion, to support said mixing valve unit; wherein said valve unit-receiving recess has a first surface located on the side communicating with said spout portion, and second and third surfaces extending from respective opposed edges of said first surface to form a generally angular-C shape in cooperation with said first surface; and wherein the mixture discharged from said valve outlet port flows into said spout-portion water passage via generally triangular-shaped passages defined between two corners of said angular-C shaped surface and said cylindrical-shape lateral surface of said mixing valve unit.