Hydraulic valve

Abstract

In one aspect, the device includes a control apparatus including a pilot valve projecting through a passage in a control diaphragm to be formed with an enlarged poppet to seat the underside of the diaphragm and formed with a poppet head shaped to direct incoming flow away from the pilot passage to minimize entry of residue. In another aspect, the present invention includes an elongated catch device pivotally mounted intermediately to an inlet pipe device and carrying at its upper extremity a keeper selectively disposed in the path of a float device to, unless a toilet has been flushed, block lowering of the float device and consequent opening of the control valve.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A refill valve apparatus comprising:
 an upright fluid supply pipe device;   a valve housing mounted on the pipe device, formed with a valve chamber configured with a central inlet port and outlet port and a control valve seat interposed between the inlet and outlet ports;   a flexible diaphragm in the chamber and formed with a valve seal to engage the control valve seat, the diaphragm being shiftable to shift the seal into and out of engagement with the seat and formed centrally with a pilot passage of a predetermined diameter aligned over the inlet port, the diaphragm being further configured with an underside formed with a downwardly facing planer pilot seat surrounding the pilot passage;   a pilot valve stem received in the pilot passage and configured with a diameter sufficiently smaller than the predetermined diameter to form an annulus for flow of the fluid, formed with upper and lower extremities, and shiftable from a lower bleed position to an upper pilot valve sealing position;   a poppet on the lower extremity, formed with an upwardly facing poppet sealing surface to abut the pilot valve seat when the valve stem is in the pilot valve sealing position; and   a float lever assembly coupled with the pilot stem and operable to advance and retract the stem between the bleed position and the sealing position to draw the poppet sealing surface into positive sealing contact with the pilot seat.   
     
     
         2 . The refill valve apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the poppet is configured on its bottom side with a conical shape to deflect water flowing upwardly there-against. 
 
     
     
         3 . The refill valve apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the poppet is formed with the upwardly facing planar poppet sealing surface. 
 
     
     
         4 . The refill valve apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the poppet is formed with a circular horizontal cross section. 
 
     
     
         5 . The refill valve apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the poppet is spherically shaped. 
 
     
     
         6 . The refill valve apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the valve stem is formed with at least one enlarged section configured with splines to define longitudinal grooves for flow of the fluid there-through. 
 
     
     
         7 . The refill valve apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the pilot valve is formed with radially projecting grooves to feed the fluid past the pilot seat. 
 
     
     
         8 . The refill valve apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 the pilot valve seat is formed with radial bleed passages to cooperate with the poppet when unseated, provide for bleed of the fluid past the valve seat. 
 
     
     
         9 . A valve apparatus comprising:
 an upright fluid supply pipe device;   a valve housing configured with a valve chamber defining a circular wall formed with a central inlet port and outlet port for flow of a fluid and a control valve seat interposed between the inlet port and outlet ports;   a diaphragm formed with a seal to engage the control valve seat, the diaphragm being shiftable to shift the seal into and out of engagement with the seat and formed centrally with a pilot passage of predetermined diameter, aligned over the inlet port, the diaphragm being further formed with a downwardly facing planer pilot seat surrounding the pilot passage;   an elongated pilot valve stem received in the pilot passage and configured with a diameter sufficiently smaller than the predetermined diameter to form an annulus for flow of the fluid, formed with upper and lower extremities, and shiftable from a lower bleed position to an upper sealing position; and   a poppet on the lower extremity formed with an upwardly facing poppet sealing surface to abut the pilot valve seat when the valve stem is in the sealing position.   
     
     
         10 . The valve apparatus of  claim 9  wherein:
 the poppet is configured on its bottom side with a conical shape to deflect water flowing upwardly there-against in a laterally outward pattern. 
 
     
     
         11 . The valve apparatus of  claim 10  wherein:
 the poppet is formed with the upwardly facing poppet planar sealing surface. 
 
     
     
         12 . The valve apparatus of  claim 10  wherein:
 the poppet is conically shaped. 
 
     
     
         13 . The valve apparatus of  claim 10  wherein:
 the poppet is spherically shaped. 
 
     
     
         14 . The valve apparatus of  claim 10  wherein:
 the valve stem is formed with at least one enlarged section configured with longitudinal splines to define there-between longitudinal grooves for flow of the fluid there-through. 
 
     
     
         15 . The valve apparatus of  claim 10  wherein:
 the pilot valve is formed with radially projecting grooves to feed flow of the fluid past the pilot seat. 
 
     
     
         16 . The valve apparatus of  claim 10  wherein:
 the diaphragm is formed with a radial bleed passage to cooperate with the poppet when unseated, to provide for bleed of the fluid past the valve seat. 
 
     
     
         17 . The valve apparatus of  claim 1  to be mounted in a toilet tank having a flush control device mounted to the tank to be actuated by a flush lever shiftable to a flush position to flush the toilet, an upright fill pipe device including a flow control valve, the apparatus comprising:
 a float apparatus coupled with the flow control valve and configured to lower and raise with the level of the fluid in the tank; 
 a vertically elongated catch device disposed exclusively on one side of the pipe device for rotating between catch and release positions; 
 a mounting device for mounting the catch device from the pipe device for rotation between the catch and release positions; 
 a keeper device mounted on the upper portion of the catch device to be, when the catch is in the catch position, being disposed in the predetermined path to block lowering of the float apparatus; and 
 a connector connecting the catch device with the flush lever to, upon the flush lever being rotated to the flush position, rotate the catch to the release position. 
 
     
     
         18 . The valve apparatus of  claim 17  that includes:
 a fitting received rotatably on the fill pipe device; and 
 a snap lock for locking the fitting to the fill pipe device for rotation relative thereto. 
 
     
     
         19 . The valve apparatus of  claim 18  wherein:
 the fitting is configured with an inside diameter to cooperate with the fill pipe device to form an annulus. 
 
     
     
         20 . A valve apparatus comprising:
 a valve housing configured with a valve chamber constructed with a circular wall formed with spaced apart inlet and outlet ports, and a control valve seat interposed between the inlet port and outlet ports, the seat formed with a radial bleed passage;   a flexible diaphragm in the chamber and formed with a seal to engage the control valve seat, the diaphragm being shiftable to shift the seal into and out of engagement with the seat and formed centrally with a pilot passage, aligned over the inlet port, the diaphragm being further formed with a downwardly facing planer pilot seat surrounding the pilot passage;   an elongated pilot valve stem received in the pilot passage and constructed with a diameter sufficiently smaller than the passage to cooperate therewith to form an annulus for flow of the fluid and configured with a central enlarged portion formed with longitudinal splines to define therebetween longitudinal grooves and further formed with upper and lower extremities, and shiftable from a lower bleed position to an upper sealing position; and   a conical poppet on the lower extremity formed with an upwardly facing planar poppet sealing surface to abut the pilot valve seat and cover the bleed passage when the valve stem is in the sealing position.