Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02508105 2005-05-20
ADJUSTABLE TANK LEVER
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates generally to a toilet lever mechanism. More
particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable toilet lever
mechanism that can
be configured so that it can be mounted to various locations on a toilet in
order to be used
with toilets of varying design.
Toilet lever mechanisms are used to open the flush valve of toilets, thus
allowing
the water stored in the toilet tank to enter the bowl of the toilet and cause
the toilet to
flush. Typically, toilet lever mechanisms are mounted to either the front or
one of the
sides of the toilet tank and include a rod that extends into the toilet tank
and is connected
to the flush valve of the toilet by a chain or other connector. When the
handle of the
toilet tank lever mechanism is turned by a user, the rod extending within the
toilet tank
rises and pulls the flush valve of the toilet upward, thereby flushing the
toilet. Due to the
configuration and location of the components of toilet flushing mechanisms,
separate,
1 S differently configured toilet tank lever mechanisms are used when the
toilet lever
mechanism is mounted to the front of the tank as opposed to one of the sides
of the tank.
It is desirable to develop a single toilet lever mechanism that is capable of
being
adjusted so that it can be mounted on various locations of a toilet. It is
also desirable to
develop a toilet lever mechanism that is quickly and easily adjustable in such
a manner to
allow for the quick mechanism of various toilet designs.
CA 02508105 2005-05-20
SUMMARY
Accordingly, the present invention provides an adjustable toilet lever
mechanism
that can be easily configured so that it can be mounted to various locations
on a toilet for
use with toilets of varying design. In one embodiment, the toilet lever
includes a lever
arm with one or more joints.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become
readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and
the
embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The toilet lever mechanism of the present invention may be more readily
understood by reference to the following drawings. While certain embodiments
are
shown as illustrative examples of the toilet lever mechanism, the scope of
this application
should not be construed as limited to these illustrative examples.
Figure 1 is another perspective view of one embodiment of the toilet lever
mechanism of the present invention mounted to the side wall of a toilet tank;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the toilet lever mechanism of the present
invention mounted to the side wall of a toilet tank shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3A is a top plan view of the arm mechanism of the toilet lever
mechanism
shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3B is a front elevation view of the arm mechanism of the toilet lever
mechanism shown in Figure 1;
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Figure 3C is a perspective view of the arm mechanism of the toilet lever
mechanism shown in Figure 1;
Figure 4A is a top plan view of the toilet lever mechanism of Fig. 1 mounted
to
the front of the toilet tank;
Figure 4B is a top plan view of the toilet lever mechanism of Fig. 1 mounted
to
the corner of the toilet tank; and
Figure 4C is a top plan view of the toilet lever mechanism of Fig. 1 mounted
to
the side of the toilet tank.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms,
there
are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail specific
embodiments
thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered
as an
exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to
limit the
invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
The present invention relates to a toilet lever mechanism, in particular, to
an
adjustable toilet lever mechanism that can be configured so that it can be
mounted to
various locations on a toilet for use with toilets of varying design. The
invention is
applicable to toilet lever mechanisms of varying construction. Fig. 1
illustrates a toilet
lever mechanism 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As
shown in
Fig. 1, the toilet lever assembly 100 generally includes a handle 102, a
mounting portion
104, and a lever arm assembly 106.
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The toilet lever assembly 100 includes a handle 102. The handle 102 is
typically
formed out of a metal although other suitable materials, such as plastic may
also be used.
As shown in Fig. 1, the handle 102 of the illustrated embodiment has an arm
portion 108
that protrudes from a central hub 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the
central hub 110
includes a flange 112 that abuts against the surface of the toilet tank.
However, it should
be apparent to those skilled in the art that the handle 102 could be shaped in
many
different ways, and the present invention is not limited to the shape or
configuration of
the handle 102 as shown in Fig. 1.
The toilet lever mechanism 100 also includes a mounting portion 104. The
mounting portion 104 extends from the handle 102 and protrudes through a
portion of the
toilet tank. The mounting portion 104 includes a shaft 114 and a fastener 116.
As shown
in Figs. 1 and 2, the mounting portion 104 of the illustrated embodiment
includes a shaft
114 that has a threaded portion 118 and an escutcheon 120. The fastener 116 of
the
embodiment shown in Figure 1 is a nut 116. The shaft 114 and nut 116 are
typically
formed out of a metal, such as brass, although other suitable materials, such
as other
metals or plastic may also be used. The shaft 114 and its threaded portion 118
extend
from the handle 102 and protrude through the wall of the toilet tank.
The escutcheon 120 of the mounting portion 104 of the illustrated embodiment
abuts against the outer wall of the toilet tank and obscures the hole in the
toilet tank wall
from view. The escutcheon 120 is an optional component and may be either a
unitary
piece with the handle or it may be a separate component. The nut 116 is
threaded onto
the threaded portion 118 of the shaft 114 that protrudes through the wall of
the toilet tank.
Thus, the wall of the toilet tank is located between the handle 102 and the
fastener 116.
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In this manner, the handle 102 is mounted to the wall of the toilet tank and
is able to
rotate the shaft 114 of the mounting portion 104.
It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the mounting portion
104
could have many different configurations. The handle 102 and the mounting
portion 104
could be of unitary construction, or the mounting portion 104 could be formed
separately
from the handle 102 and subsequently attached to the handle 102. In one
possible
embodiment, the handle 102 could include a rod that extends through the wall
of the
toilet tank and the mounting portion 104 could be a threaded sleeve with an
escutcheon
120, which the rod of the handle passes through. In addition, it should be
apparent to
those skilled in the art that the components of the mounting portion 104 could
also vary
greatly. For example, the shaft 114 of the mounting portion 104 need not be
threaded.
Also, the fastener 116 could simply be a cotter pin or clamp that is affixed
to the
mounting portion 104 and secures the handle 102 to the wall of the toilet
tank.
The toilet lever mechanism 100 also includes a lever arm assembly 106. As
shown in Fig. l, the lever arm assembly 106 includes a first lever arm portion
122 and a
second lever arm portion 124. The lever arm portions 122, 124 are formed out
of a metal,
such as brass or stainless steel, although other suitable materials, such as
other metals or
plastic may also be used. Additionally, the lever arm assembly 106 may include
more
than two portions. For example, the lever arm assembly 106 may include a third
lever
arm portion that is connected at a joint to the second lever arm portion 124
and is
movable relative to the second lever arm portion 124.
The first lever arm portion 122 includes an attachment portion 126 that is
used to
attach the first arm to the mounting portion 104 or a portion of the handle
102 that
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protrudes through the toilet tank wall. In the illustrated embodiment shown in
Fig. 1, the
attachment portion 126 is a cylindrical sleeve that slides onto the shaft 114
of the
mounting portion 104 and is secured onto the shaft by a screw 128. Optionally,
a
receiving hole could be defined in the shaft 114 of the mounting portion 104
to accept the
screw 128 and further secure the first lever arm portion 122 to the mounting
portion 104.
As mentioned previously, the handle 102 could include a rod that passes
through
the wall of the toilet tank with a mounting portion 104 that is subsequently
secured to the
rod. In this embodiment, the first lever arm portion 122 could be attached
directly to the
rod of the handle 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the first lever arm
portion 122
proj ects outward from the mounting portion 104 at an orientation that is
generally
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis "X" of the mounting portion 104.
However, the
orientation of the first lever arm portion 122 with respect to the mounting
portion 104
could vary greatly.
A hinge receiving opening is defined within one end of each of the first and
second lever arm portions 122, 124. A plurality of flush valve chain openings
132 are
defined within the second lever arm portion 124. One end of a chain, string,
or other
similar connector is attached to the flush valve chain openings 132. The other
end of the
chain, string, or other similar connector is then attached to the flush valve
of the toilet. In
this manner the movement of the second lever arm portion 124 urges the flush
valve to
open or allows it to close. The second lever arm portion 124 of the
illustrated
embodiment shown in Fig. 1 includes three flush valve chain openings 132
spaced axially
along the length of the second lever arm portion 124, however, different
numbers and
configurations of flush valve chain openings could be used.
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The lever arm assembly includes a joint 134 that passes through the hinge
receiving openings of the first and second lever arm portions 122, 124. In the
illustrated
embodiment, the joint 134 is a hinge. The joint 134 may be any mechanism which
allows
the first and second lever arm portions 122, 124 to move, in any direction,
relative to one
another. The second lever arm portion 124 is thereby hingeably linked to the
first lever
arm portion 122 and is capable of rotating about the hinge 134 while the first
lever arm
portion 122 remains stationary. In the illustrated embodiment shown in Fig. 1,
the hinge
134 is a screw that passes through the hinge receiving openings of the first
and second
lever arm portions 122, 124.
The joint 134 can be adjustable, lockable, or both. The hinge 134 of Fig. 1 is
capable of being loosened, or otherwise disengaged, so that the second lever
arm portion
124 can be freely rotated about the hinge 134. The hinge 134 can also be
locked,
however, to prevent the second lever arm portion 124 from rotating about the
hinge 134
relative to the first lever arm portion 122. In this manner the orientation of
the second
lever arm portion 124 can be adjusted and locked once it is in its desired
position so it
will remain in that position.
It should be apparent to one skilled in the art, that the hinge 134 could be
configured differently than the hinge 134 shown in the illustrated embodiment
and many
other fasteners could be used as the hinge 134, such as a cotter pin or nut
and bolt. In
addition, the hinge 134 could also include a locking washer, nut, or other
component that
ensures that the hinge 134 locks securely when desired. While the illustrated
embodiment only includes first and second lever arm portions 122, 124,
alternative
embodiments could include additional lever arms that are linked together in a
similar
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manner as the illustrated embodiment. This would allow for additional
adjustability of
the present invention.
The toilet lever mechanism 100 is mounted to a toilet tank wall by inserting
the
mounting portion 104 through an opening defined within the toilet tank wall.
The
fastener 116 of the mounting portion 104 is then tightened down onto the shaft
114 of the
mounting portion. This mounting method allows the handle 102 to rotate the
shaft 114 of
the mounting portion 104 relative to the wall of the toilet tank. The lever
arm assembly
106 is then attached to the mounting portion 104 or other portion of the
handle 102 that
protrudes into the toilet tank. As the handle 102 is moved outside of the
tank, the first
lever arm portion 122 located inside of the tank moves accordingly. The first
lever arm
portion 122 then, in turn, drives the second lever arm portion 124 to move. As
the
second lever arm portion 124 moves upward it pulls on the chain or other
connector that
it is attached to and thereby lifts the flush valve of the toilet causing the
toilet to flush.
Due to the hinge 134 between the first and second lever arm portions 122, 124,
the second lever arm portion 124 can be adapted to activate the flush valve
regardless of
whether the toilet lever mechanism 100 is mounted to the front wall or a side
wall of a
generally rectangular toilet tank or if it is mounted to a non-rectangular
toilet tank.
Generally, if the toilet lever mechanism 100 is mounted to the front wall of a
toilet tank,
the second lever arm portion 124 will need to extend into the toilet tank with
an
orientation that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X of the
mounting
portion to properly activate the flush valve.
Conversely, if the toilet lever mechanism is mounted to the side wall of the
toilet
tank, the second lever arm portion 124 will need to extend into the toilet
tank with an
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orientation that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis X of the
mounting portion. In
addition the second lever arm portion 124 is capable of being adjusted within
a generally
180° range of motion within the toilet tank. This allows for the toilet
lever mechanism
100 to be mounted nearly anywhere on the toilet tank, whether it be a
rectangular or non-
rectangular toilet tank, and still properly activate the flush valve. In
general, the only
requirement on the size and orientation of the lever arms is that they provide
adequate
clearance from the tank to allow for flushing.
While the second lever arm portion 124 of the lever arm assembly 106 of the
illustrated embodiment is only capable of moving within a horizontal plane,
the hinge
134 could be adapted to also allow the second lever arm portion 124 to move
within a
vertical plane as well. The hinge 134 of a vertically adjustable lever can be
the same
configuration as the horizontally adjustable lever or it could be designed
differently.
Optionally, the vertical hinge can include a locking mechanism, similar to the
optional
locking mechanism of the horizontal hinge. As such, the tank lever of the
present
invention can be adjusted in the horizontal plane, the vertical plane, or both
and may be
adjustable at one or more points along the lever arm. This allows the tank
lever to be
mounted in various locations along the tank, to be manipulated around
interfering objects,
to be positioned such as to allow for appropriate interaction with the flush
valve, and to
be positioned such as to provide the adequate stroke to operate the flush
valve.
Since the toilet lever mechanism of the present invention can be adapted to be
mounted on toilets of varying designs as shown in Figures 4A, 4B and 4C, it
saves both
time and money in the initial assembly of toilets. In addition, the
adjustability of the
toilet lever permits it to be used effectively as a replacement part for
toilets of varying
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design and structure. Further, it allows for the lever to be positioned on
various locations
on the toilet tank and still be properly positioned to interact with the flush
valve and
provide adequate stroke for the operation of the flush valve.
The above description of some of the embodiments of the present invention has
been given by way of example. From the disclosure given, those skilled in the
art will
not only understand the present invention and its attendant advantages, but
will also find
apparent various changes and modifications to the structures and methods
disclosed. It is
sought, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within
the spirit and
scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims, and equivalents
thereof.
