Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to plumbing control fittings such as faucets and shower controls. In particular it relates to assemblies for mounting them on counter tops, sinks or vertical walls, without the need for access to the unexposed side of the walls.
Conventional faucet fixtures often require the installer to connect the components of the assembly from beneath the sink, typically in cramped, dark spaces. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,165.
Faucet fixtures that can to a greater extent be assembled from above a counter top have been developed. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,465,749 and 5,946,746. A drawback of these assemblies is that they are features of the faucet fixtures, thus requiring somewhat complicated manufacturing processes, and rendering them unsuitable for retrofitting existing faucets.
Another top mounted faucet installation assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,882. It includes a spring member mounted to a threaded rod that can be inserted through mounting opening(s) from above the counter top or sink deck. The spring has upper shoulders that can engage the underside of a counter top or sink deck to secure the fixture in place. The spring is raised or lowered by rotation of a nut along the threaded rod. This system is disadvantageous because the nut for tightening the spring must be worked from below the sink.
An improved mounting system for plumbing control valves is therefore desired.
In one aspect the invention provides an assembly for mounting a plumbing control fitting to a wall. The wall is of the type having a mounting opening there through (e.g. a counter top, a sink basin wall, a shower enclosure side wall). The assembly has a fitting having an externally threaded outer housing, an elevator cage having a base and at least two flexible legs extending axially from the base to feet that extend radially outwardly, and a nut positioned within the cage having an annular body with a threaded inner diameter engaging the external threads of the fitting. The nut has a tab extending radially outwardly between the legs. Rotation of the fitting about its longitudinal axis can drive the nut axially along the fitting and thereby drive the legs radially outwardly.
The elevator cage can further include a third leg extending axially from the base. The three legs are preferably substantially evenly circumferentially spaced around the base. If desired the outward surfaces of the legs can be substantially co-cylindrical with the outer diameter of the base and an outer surface of a leg can have teeth. Contact between the tab and a leg can limit rotation of the nut.
In yet another aspect the invention provides an assembly for mounting a plumbing control fitting having an externally threaded housing to a wall, the wall being of the type having a mounting opening there through. The assembly has an elevator cage having a base and at least two flexible legs extending axially from the base to feet that extend radially outwardly. A nut is positioned within the cage having an annular body with a threaded inner diameter suitable to engage the external threads of the fitting. The nut has a tab extending radially outwardly between the legs. Rotation of the fitting about its longitudinal axis (if the assembly is used to mount the fitting on the wall) can drive the nut axially along the fitting and thereby drive the legs radially outwardly.
The fitting can be a cartridge for a control valve, or it can be a tubular extension from a faucet or the like, or it can be some other fitting housing element with external threads. The cage will typically have a central hole through its base. However, it need not have this feature if the fitting element is small.
The invention thus provides a mounting assembly that can be attached to a counter top, sink basin, or vertical wall without requiring access to the underside/inside of the wall/top/basin. The fitting can be assembled or disassembled quickly. The device works by driving legs of a cage outward. In counter top installations, the axial direction will typically be vertical. In vertical wall mounted installations, it will be horizontal.
The elevator cage has an annular base sized smaller than the mounting opening. The nut, preferably in the shape of a ring with a tab, is captured within the cage. As it rides up on the fitting, it is limited in rotation by the tab/leg interaction, and thus drives the inwardly bent legs outward.
The ring and cage components of the attachment assembly can be manufactured separate from the faucet fixture. They can be sold separate from the faucet fixture (in place of the usual under counter nut), as a retrofit kit.
These and still other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds