Replacement Fitting for Toilet Flush Valve Support Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional toilet flush valve assemblies require costly and time-consuming replacement when support arms or stop tabs break, leading to water leakage and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A replacement fitting made from a lamina sheet, with retention arms and fulcrum holes, is designed to securely attach to the flush valve body, providing functional support and stopping mechanisms without the need for full assembly replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If a traditional flush valve assembly is used, then the toilet can function normally, but when support arms or stop tabs break, the entire assembly must be replaced which is costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the flush valve assembly into separable components: a permanent valve body and replaceable support arms with integrated stop tabs. This segmentation allows only the broken support arm to be replaced rather than the entire assembly, directly resolving the contradiction by enabling simple repairs while maintaining overall system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support arms are designed with localized reinforcement features including integrated stop tabs and connection mechanisms. This local quality enhancement allows the support arms to be replaced independently when damaged, avoiding full assembly replacement and improving ease of repair while maintaining the reliability of the permanent valve body.
2Productivity
If the entire flush valve assembly is replaced when components break, then functionality is restored, but water leakage and disassembly are required which increases time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the assembly into a permanent valve body and replaceable support arms, the invention enables quick replacement of only the broken component without disassembling the entire tank or valve body, dramatically improving repair speed while reducing the complexity of the replacement process.
Solution Approach 2:
The support arms are designed as extractable components that can be removed and replaced independently from the valve body. This extraction capability allows for rapid replacement without affecting the main valve body structure, increasing productivity while simplifying the overall device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If plastic support arms and stop tabs are used, then manufacturing is simple, but they frequently break during normal use
Solution Approach 1:
The support arms incorporate locally reinforced areas with integrated stop tabs and strengthened connection points. This local quality enhancement provides additional strength at critical stress points while maintaining the overall simplicity of manufacture through injection molding or similar processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The support arms can be manufactured using composite materials or reinforced plastics that combine the ease of plastic manufacturing with enhanced strength and durability. This allows retention of manufacturing simplicity while overcoming the weakness of plain plastic components.
Data Source
AI summary
The device of the present invention comprises a limiting face configured to limit a movement of a stop arm of a toilet flush system actuator unit, that may be mounted to a toilet flush valve body by at least one retention piece. A fulcrum piece may also be provided, the fulcrum piece including a fulcrum hole adaptably sized to receive a fulcrum pin of a toilet flush system actuator unit, such that when the device is installed on a broken toilet flush valve the device will substitute, or provide support, for the support arms with fulcrum holes and stop tab for the toilet tilt valve.