Patent ID: 7703476

Claim:
A trigger mechanism for a water heater fail safe valve assembly having a vertically elongated housing, said trigger mechanism comprising: a) paired embracing panels upwardly emergent from said housing in spaced apart parallel juxtaposition and defining a confinement region having open front, rear and upper extremities and a floor member containing a centered aperture, b) a horizontally disposed first axle journaled to said panels adjacent said upper extremity, c) an action arm pivotably mounted upon said axle and adapted to move in a vertical plane substantially centered between said panels, said action arm comprising a lever portion and a cam portion having a curved bearing surface that terminates in a pointed tip, d) an abutment stub horizontally emergent from said cam portion adjacent said pointed tip, e) a drive rod upwardly driven by a spring and having an uppermost extremity adapted to pass through said centered aperture and contact said curved bearing surface, and f) a control assembly comprised of an elongated lever pivotably secured by a horizontally positioned second axle journaled to said panels at a site below said first axle and adjacent the rear extremity of said confinement region, said lever extending through said confinement region and terminating in a rearward extremity adapted to engage a rod upwardly extending from a float device, and a forward extremity having a downwardly curved contact surface integral with a contiguous rearward notch adapted to engage said abutment stub, whereby g) said valve assembly is placed in an open state when said action arm is rotated to a position where the pointed tip of said cam portion is downwardly directed and in contact with said uppermost extremity of said drive rod, and is placed in a closed state when said tip is displaced from said contact by upward movement of the rearward extremity of said elongated lever.