Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
S~
~ [~his :inverlt:i.on E;.nds its background in the Eiclcl
related to resin systems pertaining to the conditioning
of wa-ter to provide sof-t wa-ter in a household, or similar
installations and prima:rily relates to the valves and
controls used with such systems.
Prior controls for water softening systems
utilized valves o~ rigid construction and rigidly mounted
and the brine valve commonly has been incorporated
in~egrally with the softener valve body and in order to
select a softener valve for a particular system, or to
adapt the valve to systems of varying si~e, or capacity,
it was necessary to install the complete valve assembly
of the size and capacity required with no provision for
modification or adaptability of the valve to systems of
different capacities.
The presen-t invention resides in.a water
conditioning system having a timer control and an
associated softener valve operatively associated with a
treatment tank and a brine tank with piping connections
for water supply and brine injection and soEt water
distribution. A rigidly mounted motor is provided which
drives a piston and a timer control with a skipper wheel
being provided in the timer control with an operating
connection between the driving motor and the skipper
wheel for initiating operation of the conditioning system.
The sof-tener has a unitary brine valve module incorporating
an injector and a brine valve ~ith a plurality of spacer
rings provided in the softener valve and the piston
operating in the rings. T~e spacer rings each made of
plastic material in two parts including vertically
spaced upper and lower elements separated by a plurality
of pins integral with one such element and heat bonded
to the other element, and seal rings between the adjacent
pc/~
1~5~3~7~t~
spac~ r r Lncl; .
A speci~ic embodiment of -the present invention
provides a control valve of improved function ut.ilizing a
simpli.Eied piston drive incorporating a one way clutch
for manua.l operation of the reyenerating system. The
control valve mechanism disposes with the multiplicity of
levers used heretoEore with rollers and moving plates to
start the regeneration cycle and ins-tead an arm has been
provided on -the drive shaft of the piston and extending to
a position where it will be activated by a finger projecting
from the skipper wheel. The brine valve module is provided
for assembly with the softener valve whereby the control
can readily be adapted to softener systems of various
sizes, or capaclties.
A supply of brine valve modules and the softener
valve will enable a dealer to provide controls readily for
. any size installation or enable an existing system to be
modified as the need may arise. The plumbing connections
for the softener valve incorporate flexible fittings which
enable rigid plumbing parts attached to the plastic
valve body to have some "give" in order to relieve the
plastic component of any undue strairl.
One purpose of this invention is to provlde
controls for a water conditioning system incorporating a
timer control having simplified operation and a softener
valve body, which may be constructed of plastic, with a
brine valve module assembled thereto.
Another object of the invention is the
provision of a softener valve for a water condit.ioning
system having a separate brine valve module assembled
thereto and interchangeable.
. - 2 -
pc/\s(~
~ .r~ object of one embodi.mel1t o~ the invention is
to provide a timer control for a water conditioniny
system haviny a rigidly moun-ted driving mo-tor and a one
way clutch for manual opera-tion of a cycle of opera-tion
of the system includ:iny a pis-ton actuated by the timer.
DES RIPT:EON OE' THE DRAWINGS
The foreyoing and other and more specific
objects of the invention are attained ~y the controls
and valves illustrated in the accompanyiny drawings
wherein;
Figure 1 is a fragmentary but yeneral view of
a water conditioning system incorporating the timer
control and associated softener valve of this invention~
showing the timer from the front side thereof;
Figure 2 is a detail view to somewhat larger
scale showing the timer control mechanism from the back
side with the back cover removed and with the softener
valve disposed below the timer;
Figure 3 also is a detail view with the
timer illustrated in side elevation and the softener
valve therebelow also in side elevation;
Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view
through the timer control and softener valve taken
on the line 4-4 of Figure l;
Figure 5 is a detail view showing parts
of the softener valve in exploded relationship;
Figure 6 is a detail sectional view through
the softener valve taken on the line 6-6
- 3 -
pc/~
of Figure 3 showing its relationship to the timer
control,
Figure 7 also is a detail sectional view ..
through the softener valve taken on the line 7-7
of Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a plan view of the softener
valve from the plane indicated at ~he line 8-8
in Figure 3;
Figure 3 i.s a detail elevational view
o~ the softener valve installation between the
timer control and the mineral treatment tank;
. Figure 10 is a fragmentary detail view
of the timer mechanism with parts broken away to show
; the engagement of a lug on the rear of the tim.e
dial with a projection on the skipper wheel to start
the regenerati.on cycle;
~iyure 11 is a sectional view taken on
the line 11-11 of Figure 10 showing the details of
the engagement illustrated in that figure; and
Figure 12 is a horizontal sectional view
through the softener valve taken on the line 12-12
of Figure 4 a'structural detail of the spacer rings
in the valve.
:
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
. _
As shown in Figure 1 of the drawings~
this invention is used in association with a water
conditioning system including a brine tank 10 and
,
a treatment tank 11 with the softener valve 12 and
timer control 13 operatively related to each other
and mounted on top of the treatment tank 11 with
suitable piping connections in accordance with the
required circulation offresh incoming hard water
and brine solution through the control valve and
softened water to a household plumbing system all
as well known in this art.
The softener valve 1~ preferably is
made from a suitable plastic material and includes
a threaded f.itting 14 screwed into a suitable fitting
in the treatment tank for mounting the valve on top
of the tank 11 with an O-ring sealing member between
the tank top and a collar flange on the valve body,
as best indicated in Figure 4~ The timer control 13
is mounted on top of the softener valve 12 on an
intermediate plate 16 as shown in Figure 4. At the
back side of the control 13 it is secured by two
stud bolts 17 (see Figure 2) which extend through
the bottom wall of the timer control and through the
plate 1-~ for threading into the softener valve body
12.
The bolts 17 are accessible when the
metal rear cover plate 18 of the timer housing
is removed, but when the timer housing 13 is mounted
on the softener valve 12 the front side becomes
inaccessible for the purpose of fastening down this
side of the housing. Accordingly, the intermediate
_ 5 ~
plate 16 is provided with an upstanding and for-
wardly directed hookl.ike projection 19 for engaging
over the bottom wall of the timer housing 13 and
thus secure this side to the valve housing 12. The
~late 16 is secured to the timer housing 13 at the
front side by recessed s~ud bolts 31 (see Figure
8) threaded into the housing 13 and installed prior
to assembly of the timer housing onto the softener
valve.
The timer control 13 incorporates a
rigidly mounted electric motor 20 operated from
house current obtained through suitable wiring in-
cluding lead-in 21. The motor 20 is a continuously
operating motor ha~ing a drive gear 81 which drives
a twenty four hour time dial 23. Ever~ twent~
four hours at a pre-set time, usually in the early
A.M. hours, a projecting lu~ 24 on the rear side of
the time dial 23 is adapted to engage a projected
lug 79 on a skipper ~heel 26 which is adapted
0 to drivP the lug through thirty degrees of rotation.
There are twelve of the trip fingers
25 equally spaced around the skipper wheel and are
each projected, or retracted, by means of an integral
finger piece 27, so that only one t~ip finger 25 is
projected normally for engagement with the actuator
arm 80. If one of the trip fingers is not projected
the actuator arm 80 will not be tripped but with one
of the fingers 25 extended it will en~aae the
actuator arm 80 to start the complete cYcle of rege-
~ _ G-
~ . .
neration. ~hen the arm 80 and lug 2~ are activated
a notched gear 28 is brought into operative engage-
ment with the driving ~ears to effect the start-up
of the regeneration cycle.
It should be noted that the first our
teeth on the gear 28 ater the notch 29 are
cantilevered, as at 30, to afford some displacement
of the teeth radially durin~ initial engagement
with the driving gear because of the difference in
s~eed between the two gears but once adequate en-
gagement of the gears is achieved the drive gear 22,
of course, takes over and rotates the gear 28 to
start the complete regene-ation cycle of the water
- softening system and upon completion of the regenera-
tion cycle the notched gear 28 arrives at the
neutral position where the not~h 29 is out of engage-
ment with the teeth on the driving gear and secured
in the neutral Do~ition by detent balls 82 and springs 83.
- The operating piston 35 in the softener
valve 12 is actuated by the gear 28 and for this
~urpose the gear is provided with a rearwardly
directed offcenter lug 36 that rotates with the gear
and which is entered into a horizontally slotted
opening 37 in a flat plate head 38 on the piston
stem 39 so that when the gear 28 rotates the piston 35
is actuated vertically in the valve body 12 to control
the several ports and passages therein normally utili~ed
in the operation of the conditioning system. Accordingl~,
the piston 35 is actuated only when the gear 28 is
activated by the timer mechanism described~
~:J' - 7 -
~ b
However, the re~eneration cycle may be
started manually by actuating the gear 28 from the
face of the timer control 13 by means of a hand
control knob 40. This will rotate the gear ~8
directly and thus actuate the operating piston 35.
The driving gear ~2 includes a one way clutch (not
shown) which enables the gear 28 to be rotated
manually without affecting the normal operation of
the motor 20 and driving mechanism so that the manual
regeneration can be established without any effect
on the normal operation of the system which will
continue to operate automatically in accordance
with the timer control mechanism 13 when the manual
operation is completed.
The piston 35 is operative in the valve
housing 12 through a plurality of spacer rings 41
stacked in the valve housing 12 within the inner
bore 42 and separated by sealing rings 43 disposed
between all of the rings 41 and between the bottom
wall 44 of the housing and the top of the chamber
formed within the bore 42 as defined by the plate
16. The sealing rings 43 are formed from a rubber
compound for accommodating the sealing pressures
required to be applied for compressing the seal
rings and thus preventing any l~akage between the
rings 41 and the rings 43 where the rings 41 seat
against the seal rings. The rings 43 might be made
from a suitable synthetic if prefered.
~l~J'~
It should be noted that the rings 41 are
formed in two parts for simplification during manu-
facture and comprising an upper circular member 44
and a bottom circular member 45, formed with a plu-
rality of integral upstanding pins 46 equally spaced
around the member and engaging the underside of the
upper member 44 with a snap fit so that, after manu-
facture as separate articles they may be heat bonded
together to provide a unitary ring assembly for
insertion into the bore 42 in alternate relation
with the seal rings 43. The rings 41 are made from
a suitable plastic material both for economy of
manufacture and for ease of assembly of the two
parts.
The entire housing 13 for the softener
valve is made from a suitable plastic material also,
but the piston 35, which is hollow, is comprised
of metal, such as bronze, and is provided with a
plurality of lands 47 with channels 48 therebetween
to provide communication between the various ports
in the softener valve as the piston is shifted
vertically between its operative positions during
normal operation. The piston is connected with the
rod, or stem 39 by a metal pin 49 against which a
hollow seCuring member 50 seats when screwed into
the top end of the piston.
The piston thus is open at both top
and bottom ends for the flow of water therethrough
"~a,~
as clictated by system operations. The member 50 is
plastic, the stem 39 is metal and the head plate 38
is of metal, the motor 20 of course is fabricated
from metal parts, but to a major extent the parts
of the softener valve 12, the timer control 13,
including the various driving gears are all made
from plastic materials. The cap member 51 closing
off the top of the piston chamher also is made from
a plastic material and prevents the escape of any
water circulating in and around the piston 35.
An important feature of the softener
valve assembl~ 12 is the provision of a separate
brine valve module 55 assembled to the valve housing
12 and secured by two screws 56 which also seGure
an injector cover plate 47 to the body 55. The
brine valve comprises an injector and is actuated by
a cam 58 on a wheel 59 in the control housing 13
and which is rotated by the gear 28. The cam 58,
when the wheel 59 is operated by the,gear 28 engages
the brine valve 50 as it reaches that position to
depress the valve against the resistance of the brine
valve spring 61 and thus move the brine valve away,
from the seat 62 (see Figure 6).
' The ca,oacity of the brine valve may be
varied to adapt the unit to systems of different
sizes and capacities. An interchangeable series of
ports is provided which h~ve different size openings
0
for use of se].ected ports in a given system to provide
the flow capacities desired. An injector set 63
is provided that can be varied as to size in
accordance with the capacity of the system in which
the softener valve 12 is used. An injector screen
64 is provided in this section of the brine valve
behind the cover plate 57. An interchangeable port
member 65 i5 provided in the passage 67 secured by
a collar member 66 threaded into the passage 67 and a
similar interchangeable port member 68 is provided
in the brine line and this latter port member is
secured in the fitting 69.
Thus~ the brine valve module 55
- may vary to suit any system having the capacity
for a selected installation and accordingly ~he
softener valve 12 may be assembled to include a brine
valve adaptable as to size and capaclty in accord-
ance with the particular system with which it is to
be used. The brine valve, as actuated by the
timer control member 58, will function to control the
flow path through the several ports and passages in
accordance with the conditions encountered in the .
normal operation of the conditioniny system with
which it is associated.
Inlet and outlet fittings 70 and 71 are
flexibly mounted to the softener valve for connection
with a household plumbing system without impos.ing
undue strain, or stress, on the plastic structure
of the housing 12. These fittings 70 and 71, as best
shown in Figure ~, fit into inlet and outlet openings
in the valve body 12 and each fitting has an 0-ring
72 about the portion extending into the valve body
which not only acts as a seal but permits some move-
ment, or flexibility, of the fitting in the valve body.
A similar 0-ring 73 is disposed about each fitting
70 and 71 adjacent to its outwardly extending portion
and these 0-rings provide sealing means and flexi-
bility with respect to a supply fitting 74 which hasa slip fit with the fittings 70 and 71 over the
0-rings 73.
Thus, the fittings 70 and 71 have some
capability for relative movement with respect to
the valve body 12 and in relation to the supply
fitting 74 and this flexibility is maintained by
the fastening means util.ized to hold the supply
fitting in operative relation to the fixtures 70
and 71 and ~he latter fittings in operative rela-
tion to their mounting in the plastic valve body 12.The valve body has a projecting lug 75 at each side
and the supply fitting 74 has similar laterally
projecting lugs 76 and these lugs provide the means
for retaining the fittings 70 and 71 and the supply
fitting 74 in properly aligned relationship with
the inlet and outlet in the valve body 12 while
allowing the flexibility of some movement afforded
by the 0-rings 72 and 73~ A clamp member 77 at each
i-~t
side holds the fittinys in operative relationship
without binding, or exerting any stress on the
parts. The clamps 77 are each secured to the
fitting 70 or 71 as the case may be, by a small
bolt, or screw 7~.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that
a universally adaptable softener valve assembly for
a water condi-tioning system has been provided where-
in the valve may be easily modified, or adjusted,
to provide capacities for use with any conditioning
system and operating in conjunction with an asso-
ciated operation timing control that activates the
softener valve and the related brine valve and
wherein a major part of the valves and timer assem~
bly are made from plastic materials and a flexible
attachment is provided for connection with an
existing household plumbing system in a manner
whereby any damage to the plastic parts, or undue
stress thereon, is avoided.
. 20 The softener valve provides a separate
brine valve assembled therewith which is made from
plastic but may he assembled with a plastic softener
valve body or assembled with one made rom metal,
such as brass, or bronze. The assembled softener
valve incorporates internally all of the passages
and ports necessary to the operation of the water
conditioning system whereby the need for any ex-
ternal plumbing is eliminated. The timer control
simplifies this operation by eliminating the multi-
,~ ~J ~
plicity of parts heretofore used to start the re-
generation cycle and provides a direct o~erative re-
lationship with a fixedly mounted drive motor. The
improvements incorporated herein have been found
to simplify the operability of a water conditioning
system of the type contemplated herein.
~ 1~'' .
