Cabinet Door Operated Faucet Valve
A manifold containing a set of hydraulically operated valves, interposed between a water supply line and an existing faucet and actuated by one or more pilot valves mounted on the sink cabinet door frame or in toe kick area of a cabinet, will provide instantaneous control of water flow from an existing sink faucet. The controlling pilot valves are easily mounted on the cabinet door frame or in the form of pressure sensitive valves mounted to the toe kick area of the cabinet. Slight knee pressure on the door or a gentle toe pressure on these controlling pilot valves opens the valves manifold and water flow through the faucet.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sink faucets and more specifically to an automatic valve control system for remotely activating a water faucet.
2. Description of Related Art
Remote and automatic control of a sink faucet goes back many years. In early years the use of photo cells and foot pedal were common and more recently the use of electronic proximity switches has become wide spread. The introduction of numerous electronic controlled faucets in recent years points to the need for a functionally multipurpose remote and automatic sink faucet control system. Besides the protection from transfer of bacteria and the convenience of hand free operation, the water saving potential and capability of a reliable, low maintenance, functional system will make such a device a necessity rather than a luxury.
Unfortunately the electronic and foot pedal variation of faucet control valves have demonstrated many limitations and shortfalls, making the need for a more practical and user friendly device for households even more apparent. The existing electronic version of the faucet control valve limits its use for simple hand washing applications. It's indiscriminate actuation by sensing an object makes this type of valve faucet useless for any other application that requires instantaneous on/off control of water flow. The uncontrolled and indiscriminate actuation by a proximity or motion sensing devices make simple tasks such as dish washing, clothes washing, or even sink washing a self defeating act. Other disadvantages of electronic faucets are the lack of control over the water flow and ability to override the system. In case of power failure, these units can only rely on limited storage capacity of the battery cells.
Furthermore, because the components of electronic faucets are interdependent and inseparable, they replace the existing faucet without making any use of it. Also because of extensive electronic circuitry and its related high cost, plus their functional limitation, the electronic faucets are most suitable only for newly built public hand washing facilities where high cost any limitations are not of any major concern.
Similarly, the floor mounted foot pedal is an obtrusive device, difficult to use and to install and requires extensive plumbing changes. The foot pedals bulky space-taking body makes floor cleaning difficult and becomes an obstacle to foot traffic. Its use by the elderly and some physically impaired individuals is also limited. Due to extensive plumbing changes and its related high cost, foot pedal sink faucet controls are only suitable for institutional use. The impracticality, inconvenience, difficulty of installation, and high cost of existing devices necessitates the need for a new device that is practical, responsive, easy to use, easy to install, and low cost.
To work in the consumer market an automatic faucet control system must be a retrofitted appliance sold as a kit to be installed, which uses the existing plumbing and fixtures, and is responsive to almost every demand that one may expect from a faucet. To accommodate the existing plumbing and accessories such as water filters, ice makers, and auxiliary water heaters, the system inlet ports must be numerous and strategically placed for all conceivable connecting situations. The low cost, user-friendliness, and ease of installation would play a crucial role in success of such a product. To be practical it should be possible for the consumer to override the automation easily and conveniently in case of failure, the consumer must be able to bypass the system with ease.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe instant invention fulfills the above stated needs by providing an after market retrofitted faucet control system which is mounted under the sink, on the wall, and directly under the existing faucet. The invention features two or more normally closed hydraulically operated valve input ports connected by way of two standard tubes to the water supply hot and cold valves. The valves output ports are then connected to the existing faucet and or a hand held sprayer. In addition to the main input and output ports, the manifold possesses two additional in and out ports by means of two flexible tubes connected to a pilot valve or valves mounted behind the cabinet doorframe or toe kick area of the cabinet. To activate the system a slight knee pressure on the cabinet doors or slight foot pressure on the pilot valve housing in the toe kick area of the cabinet, causes the normally closed pilot valve to open, in turn causing the hydraulically operated valves to open allowing water to flow freely to the valve block output ports and through the existing faucet as its setting permits. The instantaneous on-off control of water flow is accomplished by the normally closed push button pilot valves connected to the right, left, or both cabinet doorframes or in the toe kick area. The continuous water flow is accomplished by a push button latchable pilot valve connected to the right or left cabinet doorframe or in the toe kick area of the cabinet. To latch the pilot valve a slight knee pressure is applied to the left or right cabinet door. In latched mode, the hydraulically operated valve remains open indefinitely and the faucet works conventionally. The user can manipulate the water flow manually and conventionally or terminate the flow by applying a second knee pressure to the left cabinet door or by turning the faucet manually to the off position. It should be also recognized that the flexibility of this device also permits the use of other pilot valve mounting configurations and locations. To child proof the system all that is necessary is to close the sink faucet manually. In this case if a child exerts pressure on the cabinet door or toe kick valve, the valve block will open but the closed sink faucet restricts water flow.
The preceding Summary is intended to serve as a brief introduction to some embodiments of the invention. It is not meant to be an introduction or overview of all inventive subject matter disclosed in this document. The Detailed Description that follows and the Drawings (or “Figures” or “FIGs.”) that are referred to in the Detailed Description will further describe the embodiments described in the Summary as well as other embodiments. Accordingly, to understand all the embodiments described by this document, a full review of the Summary, Detailed Description and the Drawings is needed. Moreover, the claimed subject matter is not to be limited by the illustrative details in the Summary, Detailed Description and the Drawings, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims, because the claimed subject matter may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.
With reference to
To install the present invention, the gland nuts 6, 7 are first removed as shown in
As shown in
In the embodiment, the controlling pilot valves 21, 22, and 52 shown in
The controlling valves 21, 22 are preferably connected to a central portion of the inside upper door frame 10, inside of the cabinet. Although the controlling valves are shown near the center of the inside upper door frame, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that controlling valves 21, 22 may be positioned in other locations on the inside upper door frame 10 other then that shown and may be fastened to other elements of a cabinet other than that shown. For example, but not by way of limitation, the controlling valves 21, 22 may be connected to the inside of the cabinet floor immediately behind the cabinet doors not shown.
The valves 21, 22 should be located so that when a user applies a gentle pressure with his or her knee to the exterior surfaces of the cabinet doors, when the doors are substantially closed, this pressure will cause the corresponding normally closed valve 21, 22 to open. With reference to
As it is shown in
In reference to
As it can be seen in exemplary circuit diagram 10, the diaphragm chamber output port 32 is connected by means tube 42 to pilot valve 21 input port 40. Similarly the pilot valve 21 output port 41 is connected by tube 43 to check valve 35 input port 33. In an inactivated mode, the diaphragm chamber output port 32, is blocked by the action of normally closed pilot valves 21, 22
To activate valve block 17 to water flow, pilot valve 21 or 22
Similarly, the needle valves 64, 65 and the controlling knobs 74, 75 of
As shown in
The illustrated embodiment is exemplary in nature and many of the details thereof could be modified without departure from the spirit and the scope of the present invention. For example, the internal configuration of the valve block can be changed. The general shape of the system could also be different. For example, two separate blocks verses one, each containing a hydraulically actuated valve and a diversionary valve. Style-wise, the inlet or output ports may be configured differently. To reduce consumer cost the shock-absorbing portion maybe simplified or eliminated. The essential elements of the invention are a dual hydraulically operated valve block with separate inlet-outlet ports and a manually operable diversionary valve to be operated by two or more pilot valves mounted on the cabinet door frame, cabinet inside floor or toe kick area and the retrofit nature of the design in which the valves are interposed between the existing faucet and fresh water supply valves. The arrangement of the present invention makes the automatic valve control system very advantageously easy to install, even by non-plumber consumer. Its simplicity and minimal parts make it inexpensive and its practicality and easy of operation will encourage its use. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that other changes and modifications can be made to the invention within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. An automatic control system for a faucet of a sink comprising:
- a valve manifold adapted to be disposed beneath said sink, inside a cabinet frame having a pair hinged doors mounted thereon, said valve manifold having a plurality of supply inlet ports adapted to communicate with hot and cold water supply lines, a plurality of supply outlet ports adapted to communicate with hot and cold water faucet connecting lines for delivering hot and cold water to the faucet of said sink, and a pair of hydraulically actuated valves and a dual check valve connected in parallel for controlling the flow of water to said supply outlet ports, a first of said hydraulically actuated valves adapted to control hot water flow and a second of said hydraulically actuated valves adapted to control cold water flow where each of said hydraulically actuated valves adapted to communicate hydraulically with the inlet port of at least one normally closed pilot valve;
- at least one hydraulically actuated valve is adapted to selectively complete the communication between said valve and the normally closed pilot valve inlet port, whereby, upon completion of said communication, said valve manifold simultaneously opens to allow the flow of water to the faucet;
- at least one pilot valve including a latching valve that upon being activated the first time maintains completion of the communication between said valve and at least one hydraulically actuated valve; and
- a second pilot valve in connection with said valve manifold being a momentarily non-latching valve and being separate from said latching valve for separate activation, wherein: each of said doors are in communication with a respective one of said pilot valves, whereby either of said pilot valves is activated by applying pressure to an associated one of said doors; each of said pilot valve output ports adapted to communicate with the inlet port of a dual check valve adapted to allow water connection between pilot valve output ports and at least one valve manifold faucet output ports; and said valve manifold includes a diversionary valve adapted to allow water in said valve manifold to bypass at least one hydraulically actuate-able valve and flow to at least one of the hot or cold water faucet connecting lines.
2. The automatic control system of claim 1, wherein said manifold valve includes a manually operable diversionary valve.
3. The automatic control system of claim 1, wherein said manifold valve includes a dual check valve in communication with at least one valve manifold output port and a pilot valve output port.
4. The automatic control system of claim 1, wherein:
- said valve manifold is adapted to be disposed beneath said sink inside a cabinet frame having a pair of hinged doors mounted thereon;
- at least one pilot valve adapted to be mounted to the cabinet frame;
- at least one of said doors including an internal surface facing the inside of the cabinet and adapted to contact at least one pilot valve when at least one door is substantially closed; and
- at least one pilot valve adapted to be activated by the internal surface of at least one door when pressure is applied to an external surface of at least one door.
5. The automatic control system of claim 4, wherein at least one pilot valve includes a latching pilot valve that upon being activated the first time maintains completion of the communication of said fluid and said valve block until the pilot valve is reactivated.
6. The automatic control system of claim 4, wherein at least one pilot valve includes a momentarily non-latching valve.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 9, 2012
Publication Date: Jul 11, 2013
Inventor: Soheyl Derakhshan (San Diego, CA)
Application Number: 13/346,595
International Classification: E03B 1/00 (20060101);