Universal Flush Valve with Adjustable Overflow Tube
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for lower water flush toilets has led to compatibility issues with older piping systems, resulting in clogged sewer lines and the need for costly and labor-intensive flush valve replacements, as existing flush valves are often non-interchangeable and require expensive mold changes for new tank designs, straining OEMs, aftermarket parts distributors, and maintenance markets.
Innovation Solution
A universal flush valve system with interchangeable adapter/coupler molds and components, allowing for easy adaptation to various toilet models, reducing inventory needs, and enabling quick identification and installation of replacement parts, including a riser for increased water flow and adjustable overflow tube height to prevent clogs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If lower GPF toilets are installed on older piping systems, then water conservation is improved, but sewer line clogging increases
Solution Approach 1:
The overflow tube height is made adjustable rather than fixed, allowing the tube height to be dynamically changed based on the specific piping system requirements. This enables the same flush valve to adapt to different pipe configurations and lengths, ensuring adequate flush volume reaches the sewer line while maintaining low GPF operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of overflow tube height to optimize flush performance. By adjusting this physical parameter, the system can compensate for variations in piping system characteristics (length, complexity, pitch) and ensure sufficient water velocity and volume reach the sewer line, preventing clogs while maintaining water conservation.
2Manufacturing precision
If non-interchangeable flush valves are used for different toilet models, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of repair deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flush valve is designed with universal compatibility features - a standard threaded body that can be installed on multiple toilet tank types (one-piece and two-piece models). This allows a single flush valve design to serve multiple functions across different toilet models, making it interchangeable and easy to replace without requiring model-specific parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The flush valve is segmented into separate components: a removable seal assembly and a permanent body. This segmentation allows the seal to be replaced independently of the body, enabling minor repairs without replacing the entire flush valve assembly, thus improving ease of repair while maintaining manufacturing precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If OEMs create new mold designs for each tank design, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flush valve body is designed as a universal component that can be installed on multiple different tank designs and configurations. This universality allows OEMs to produce a single mold for the flush valve body that can serve multiple toilet models, reducing the number of unique molds needed while maintaining adaptability to different tank designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded connection interface acts as an intermediary between the flush valve body and various tank types. This standardized interface allows the same flush valve design to adapt to different tank configurations without requiring custom mold designs for each tank variation, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining versatility.
4Manufacturing precision
If labor-intensive flush valve replacements are required, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flush valve is segmented into a permanent body and a removable seal assembly. This segmentation allows the seal to be quickly replaced by simply removing the old seal and installing a new one, without requiring disassembly of the entire flush valve or tank. This dramatically reduces replacement time while maintaining installation precision through the standardized threading and sealing surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal assembly is extracted as a separate, independently replaceable component from the flush valve body. This extraction allows the seal to be replaced as a standalone part, eliminating the need for complex disassembly procedures and reducing replacement time to a simple swap operation while maintaining precise alignment through the standardized interface.
Data Source
AI summary
The universal flush valve system comprises an universal system connector accommodating seating thereon of both a flapper style flush valve assembly and a canister style flush valve assembly, as required; a plurality of toilet tank specific connector extensions, each of which are threadedly engageable to a bottom portion of the universal system connector and are used to suitably engage the universal system connector to a water flow port in a toilet tank by extending through the port and receiving a suitable cooperating connection element thereover; a sealing device for sealing the required flush valve assembly against the universal system connector; and a locking mechanism for locking the required flush valve assembly onto a top portion of the universal system connector, seating over the sealing device to produce a water tight engagement therebetween.