“Countdown Timer” automatic water limiting supply shut off safety
Contents
1. ES 2 8z pen ATT TA 09 Z Old US 7 293 583 B2 Sheet 3 of 3 Nov 13 2007 U S Patent O LA 18111 UMOG UNOD 118 9100104 ATdan Age ODA AYALLVB OWS ABS NAWANG ARES eee OH MEWWVEDONd IVOL AGFYOSNLV GANI Dda baNOWOSINI ad CLN Sdz onOne TANIDA OCB ALNIOMTOSONS NALNO RLWOdNOSOUH tid SAV Fp US 7 293 583 B2 1 COUNTDOWN TIMER AUTOMATIC WATER LIMITING SUPPLY SHUT OFF SAFETY VALVE FLO CONTROL SYSTEM I claim priority filing date of Jan 25 2005 of provisional 5 Application No 60 646 853 STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT Not Applicable REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING A TABLE OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX Not Applicable BACKGROUND FIELD OF INVENTION Current U S Class 4 415 4 366 137 436 210 170 713 322 Intern Class EO3D 001 00 CO2F 003 02 GO6F 001 04 REFERENCES CITED 25 S Patent Documents S Pat No 6 903 766 Jun 7 2005 Silverbrook et al 348 211 4 348 333 06 348 207 2 396 264 USS Pat No 6 989 721 May 24 2005 Schmidt 713 322 30 713 501 713 600 455 205 455 502 US Pat 6 178 569 Jan 30 2001 Quintana 4 427 4 406 73 304C 137 392 137 558 340 620 US Pat 5 752 281 May 19 1998 Con2. 12 United States Patent Arigoni US007293583B2 US 7 293 583 B2 Nov 13 2007 a0 Patent No 45 Date of Patent 54 76 21 22 65 60 51 52 58 56 COUNTDOWN TIMER AUTOMATIC WATER LIMITING SUPPLY SHUT OFF SAFETY VALVE FLO CONTROL SYSTEM Inventor John Henry Arigoni 924 River Rd Clarksburg MA US 01247 Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 0 days Appl No 11 303 527 Filed Dec 16 2005 Prior Publication Data US 2006 0162788 A1 Jul 27 2006 Related U S Application Data Provisional application No 60 646 853 filed on Jan 25 2005 Int Cl F16K 31 48 2006 01 US ssesseessstesesstecsessesses 137 624 11 137 624 12 4 427 137 624 11 4 427 See application file for complete search history Field of Classification Search References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 4 195 374 A 4 1980 Morris et al 4 427 6 543 479 B2 6 671 893 3 7 000 627 3 cited by examiner 4 2003 Coffey et 137 624 11 1 2004 Quintana et al 4 427 2 2006 137 624 11 Primary Examiner Kevin Lee 57 ABSTRACT An electronically controlled electro mechanical device designed to limit a finite amount of water per flush to a tank reservoir of the common household toilet or tan
3. 220K R4 9 Resistor SMD 0603 330E ATMEGA48V 10AI 102 LED Yellow 3 mm BAT LOW D8 Transister SMD SOT23 BC848 T2 4 Transister SMD SOT23 BC858 T3 T4 T5 T6 Diode Zener C3V3PH D2 LED Green 3 mm CHARGING D7 Transister SMD SOT223 FZT788B 4 Display Common anode KLS351 CA MOSFET DUAL IRF7307 Ql LP2950 IC1 Connector Stereo socket PG203J X1 LED Red SUPPLY IN D6 PCB CNT DN TMR 1 0 Battery 6 V 1 3 Ah Output Cable Tilt switch cable assembly Count Down Timer Hardware Description Document Version Date Description v1 0 25 Aug 2005 First release of this document By Naveen Negasha TronicsZone as per contract for hire Table of Contents 1 Power Supply Voltage Regulator Battery Charger 2 Micro controller 3 The Displays 4 The O P Load Driver 5 The User Interface 1 Power Supply Voltage Regulator The circuit works at a regulated 3 3v DC A voltage regulator LP 2950 is used for the purpose of regulating the 9v DC input A battery backup is also provided for smooth operation of the Timer The Regulator is sup plied with both the voltages from battery 6v and the external power source 9v These are fed to the regu lator through two Diodes D1 and D2 D1 will avoid the external power source from loading the Battery and the D2 will avoid the high voltage input directly fed to the Battery The filter capacitors C1 C4 are provided at the input and the output of the Regulator Bat
4. discussed above this invention utilizes a start arm with a pawl to ratchet forward the cam to allow a predetermined volume of water by notches fixed in the cam While this method appears to be able to work well a shortcoming to address is each toilet with a different tank capacity would need a special cam for that particular volume of water Additionally this ratchet cam system does not address the ability to adjust the volume of water metered so a 3 5 gallon valve will not service the 1 5 gallon tank of a newer toilet or vise versa In other words one 10 20 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 size does not fit all due to the arrangement of the fixed setting or position of notches in the cam and the ratcheting mechanism Due to the fact that until the present invention no elec tronic timer control for metering water flow to toilets has been developed the search for timer modules is made in unrelated fields to the effect that the Timer module for compact printer system U S Pat No 6 903 766 of Silver brook et al though it is applied to printer systems this unit can be preset to spool documents pictures images for printing as well as captures images by specific intervals however it does not apply itself to the present invention s countdown timer control where the timer control is preset to be programmed by the user for specific on and off control of electronic devices such as the solenoid valve discussed below
5. float upwards to shut off the water supply should a continuous flow or wasting of water occur Similar to the above is the Toilet Bowl Automatic Flow Shut Off and Water Saver Device USS Pat No 4 901 377 of Weir that accomplishes the same results with a bellows assembly that lifts the float when the tank remains empty for a period of time beyond that of normal flushing Both of the foregoing devices utilize a large portion of the toilet tank area to the right of the flapper valve causing access to the flapper to be flanked on all sides and tends to limit service space for repairs causing repairs to be costly and labor intensive Addressing the issues of conservation the Water Con serving Toilet Flush Control U S Pat No 5 031 254 of Rise is a device that addresses preventing the wasting of water achieved by limiting the lifting action of the flapper and restricting or preventing automatic operation of flush ing Relatively similar in operation the Water Conserving Toilet Flapper Valve Control U S Pat No 5 185 891 of Rise which in effect limits the height that the flapper can be lifted achieving the same results as the prior invention of Rise when the flush lever is activated Though both Rise controls address stopping automatic function of the flapper and limiting the flappers movement they do not address wasting of water when the flapper becomes defective by means of blowout tear or just ordinary wear of the seal the results of
6. is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor for those so skilled to do so FIG 1 is a front view of a conventional toilet tank 10 of the type universally found in most homes in the United States and North America which is fitted with a Countdown Timer 29 and a Solenoid Safety Valve 44 in accordance with the present invention In the conventional home toilet a ball cock assembly comprising a float arm and float ball is mounted at the upper end of a water tube for closing an inlet valve via a mechanical linkage when the tank is filled to a predetermined level In the present invention a float valve assembly is left unchanged being mounted to the tank in its usual fashion The illustrated toilet tank comprises a toilet tank 10 with a float valve inlet 14 extending through the left rear bottom of the tank 10 Water supply is introduced by means of a water feed line 16 which is connected by known means of a standard sized fitting as currently used with flush tanks providing a sealable mount to the tank 10 A Solenoid Safety Valve 44 is fitted into the water feed line 16 by means of two compression fittings 18 Water received in tank 10 US 7 293 583 B2 7 which exceeds the tank s design capacity spills into a standard overflow tube wherefrom it is discharged to the bowl through the main tank outlet 12 which is normally closed by a stan
7. safety valve 44 comprised of a valve body 60 consisting of an inlet chamber 64 and an outlet 66 externally or internally threaded to accept NPT 62 of a size necessary to connect to the water feed line of the toilet used A flow port 68 of sufficient diameter allows the water flow between the inlet chamber 64 and the outlet chamber 66 At the outlet chamber end of the flow port 68 is a valve seat 70 A valve seal 72 stops the flow of water through said flow port 68 when in contact with said valve seat 70 The valve seal 72 is opened and closed by means of a valve shaft 76 to which it is permanently affixed Said valve shaft 76 is made of material suitable to magnetic pull Said valve shaft 76 moves towards a valve shaft end plug 84 made of suitable magnetizable material by means of an electromagnetic field generated within a valve shaft chamber 82 being forced closed by means of a valve 14 shaft spring 80 when there is no power to created said electromagnetic field Said valve shaft 76 is able to move into the open position easily without resistance due to back pressure reduction by means of a valve shaft flute 78 which allows the water at said plug end 84 to move freely towards said valve seal end 72 Said valve shaft chamber 82 is surrounded by a valve shaft chamber wall 88 and is molded to a valve shaft chamber base 86 Said chamber base 86 is mounted to said valve body 60 by means of four chamber base mounting screws 9
8. to the solenoid safety valve by means of the valve power feed wire US 7 293 583 B2 5 and plug connection As said valve opens the water flows from the water feed line into the inlet of said valve through said valve and out the outlet of said valve continuing on into the toilet float valve assembly or through a float eliminator to fill the toilet tank as normal or directly to the rundle of a tank less toilet or urinal Ideally if used the float assembly affixed to the uppermost portion of the float valve body will successfully activate shut off five seconds prior to the conclusion of the preset count down timed closing of the solenoid valve installed in the toilet water feed line The countdown timer will reset to its preset time and wait for the flush lever to be depressed for the next flush Any toilet tank that has a lesser volume capacity than the capacity set by time will cause the float valve to elevate and effectively shut off the flow of water and the countdown timer will finish it s cycle anyway It is suggested for the purpose of equal control of water flow that a user should flush the toilet and time the flush prior to installation and set the control for five seconds longer than the actual flush to eliminate excess over flush water if the toilet float or flapper fails Should the float or flapper fail to close the tank would call for more water than allowed the countdown timer will shut off the valve and flow of water whe
9. triggered by a tilt switch In addition to searching the Timer module for compact printer systems I felt it necessary to search at least one other timer or clock system thus for the purpose of eliminating any infringements the Clock generation systems and methods U S Pat 6 898 721 of Schmidt was searched to compare the timer controlling processor In the clock gen eration systems and methods each of the processing units has a clock input to control the performance of the unit wherein the processors are all receiving input from a com mon master clock via a transceiver This unit is in effect designed to generate a clock signal to speed up performance of computerized functions and processors and thus does not relate to the present invention or it s application SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly the reader will see in FIGS 1 and 2 the instant invention a countdown timer and in FIGS 1 and 4 a solenoid safety valve comprising a safety valve system designed to operate in conjunction with or without a float assembly by providing a limited amount of water to any given toilet during flushing sufficient to allow a complete flush and performing a positive shut off of the water supply every time a numeric display shown in FIGS 1 and 2 displays 00 00 even if the flushing operation should fail for any reason Should a toilet float flapper or other tank less flushing mechanism fail to operate properly and only after the maximum am
10. which could lead to a continuous loss of water to the sewer or overflow and water damage Fill valves designed to save water such as the Toilet Water Preservation Device U S Pat No 5 230 104 of Ocampo tend to use the flow of wasting water redirecting it to a secondary float device that in turn lifts the primary float device This device though it appears to be quite functional also renders much the same results as the Weir devices utilizing or cluttering tank space hindering and causing labor intensive costly service when repairing or replacing the flapper or primary float valve The secondary float fill valve is also still subject to fail in much the same way as the primary float fill valve Adaptations to fill valves such as the Shut off Device For The Float Valve Assembly Of A Toilet U S Pat No 5 752 281 of Conner designed so that the rotation of the lever arm causes the float valve assembly to rotate to a stop position and stop the flow of water to the toilet tank in the US 7 293 583 B2 3 event that the float fails to raise up for any known reason appears as an entirely different approach While this system would effectively shut off the flow of water it is possible that with the rotating movement of the float assembly it could eventually cause leakage and overflow from wear due to excessive movement Most of these devices work fairly well shutting off the water while addressing anti siphoning of water but do not adequate
11. 0 and sealed by means of an o ring 74 of suitable material An electromagnetic field is gener Date loaded to disk Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec 65 15 2005 15 2005 15 2005 15 2005 15 2005 15 2005 15 2005 15 2005 15 2005 15 2005 ated by means of a solenoid coil wire 94 of suitable gauge and length to create said field by means of winding said wire around a solenoid coil spool 92 and placing said coil spool 92 over the valve shaft chamber wall 88 To charge said coil 94 electric current of the proper voltage must be introduced by means of a positive lead wire 96 and a negative lead wire 98 Said solenoid coil wire 94 is covered by means of a solenoid coil casing 100 held in place by means of a solenoid casing screw 102 Said positive lead wire 96 and negative lead wire 98 pass through said solenoid coil casing for access to electrical current to create the electromagnetic field needed to open said valve seat 72 Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just described preferred embodiments which can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention Therefore it is to US 7 293 583 B2 15 be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein such as use of a larger volume solenoid safety valve 44 on a tank
12. alve flo control to the existing water feed line of a toilet or urinal providing a connection to a source of water under pressure an outlet for connecting said electrically controllable safety valve flo control to the inlet of a toilet or urinal by means of the existing water feed line a normally closed plunge stopper centrally positioned for preventing water flow through said safety valve flo control when not activated 2 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein external components of said countdown timer enclosure are composed of suitable materials 3 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein certain internal components of said system are composed of suitable electronic parts and materials 4 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor memory component is comprised of suitable capacity 5 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor memory component is turned on and programmed by means of said set button switch said minute button switch and said second button switch which are labeled set min and sec 20 25 35 40 45 55 60 65 16 6 The countdown timer automatic water limitin
13. dard flapper When water from tank outlet 12 is introduced into toilet bowl the level of water in bowl is raised until it exceeds the waste outlet of the flush trap causing the water to flow from bowl by siphoning action As demonstrated in FIG 1 and again in FIG 2B the solenoid safety valve 44 is electronically connected to the countdown timer 29 by means of a valve power feed plug 41 and a valve power feed wire 42 to open the valve 44 during operation FIG 1 shows a flush handle 19 located in the upper left front area of the tank 10 used to activate the flushing operation of the toilet When depressed the flush handle lifts a flush rod 20 lifting open the flapper by means of a flapper 15 flush linkage 21 simultaneously the flush rod 20 activates a tilt switch 36 connected to said flush rod 20 by means of two wire ties 40 Said tilt switch 36 is electronically connected to said countdown timer 29 by means of a tilt switch plug 35 connected to a tilt switch transmission wire 20 38 which activates the countdown timer 29 allowing water to flow to the tank 10 by electronically opening the Solenoid Safety Valve 44 for a time period set by the user sufficient to allow for a complete flush As shown in FIG 1 the countdown timer has three buttons the first is a set button 46 the second is a minute button 48 and the third is a second button 50 Although self explanatory the operation and function will be discuss
14. dwntimr c Jun 30 2005 C File 17 KB CntDwnTimr eep Jun 30 2005 EFP File 1 KB Cntdwntimr Jun 30 2005 H File 4KB CntDwnTimr Jun 30 2005 Error Log 1 KB CntDwnTimr cof Jun 30 2005 COF File 7 KB CntDwnTimr Jun 30 2005 OJB File 8 KB CntDwnTimr Jun 30 2005 Text Document 5 KB entdwntimr h Jun 30 2005 H File 4KB CntDwnTimr hex Jun 30 2005 HEX File 5 KB CntDwnTimr s Jun 13 2005 LS File 75 KB CntDwnTimr st Jun 30 2005 LST File 80 KB CntDwnTimr map Jun 30 2005 MAP File 2 KB CntDwnTimr pr Jun 27 2005 PR File 4KB CntDwnTimr prj Jun 30 2005 PRJ File 4 KB CntDwnTimr rom Jun 30 2005 ROM File 11 KB CntDwnTimr vec Jun 30 2005 VEC File 1 KB CntDwnTimr_ Jun 30 2005 C File 17 KB CntDwnTimr_cof Jun 7 2005 APS File 3 KB swart Jun 6 2005 C File 2 KB swart Jun 8 2005 H File 1 KB swart Jun 8 2005 H File 1 KB Firmware loading instructions fun 30 2005 Wordpad Document 119 KB __sp12dev un 20 2005 File 33 KB sp12re Dec 9 2005 File 4 KB decoder eep un 18 2005 EFP File 1 KB decoder hex un 18 2005 HEX File 5 KB giveio Apr 4 1996 System File 6 KB install Sep 27 2003 MS_DOS Batch File 1 KB instdrv May 14 1999 Application 157 KB lock un 24 2005 MS_DOS Batch File 1 KB sp12 Feb 17 2003 Application 58 KB sp12 Feb 7 2003 Text Document 48 KB 5 124 an 28 2003 Text Document 9 KB uninstall Sep 27 2003 MS_DOS Batch File 1 KB upload un 30 2005 MS_DOS Batch File 1 KB FIG 4 is a cutaway view of the solenoid
15. e various Power statuses The User Manual can be referred for more details The user interface is entirely controlled by the microcontroller The following Countdown Timer Flow Chart below sub mitted By Naveen Negasha TronicsZone as per contract for 65 hire with the schematic and components parts list shows the flow of current and function of components as described above US 7 293 583 B2 1 12 COUNT DOWN TIMER FLOW CHART 25 AUG 2005 SET TIME KEY yes YES START KEY V gt BAT LOW V lt BAT LOW GET BATTERY VOLTAGE V MINUTES KEY INCREMENT MINUTE BY 1 SECONDS KEY INCREMENT SECOND BY 5 WAITING FOR KEY PRESS US 7 293 583 B2 13 The Countdown Timer microprocessor s programmable memory is factory programmed by means of computer interface wherein the programming files on the accompa nying CD labeled Countdown Timer Programming and Instuctions Copy 1 are down loaded to the memory of the countdown timer from a IBM PC with a MS Windows NT 2000 XP operating system consisting of the following files Disk labeled Countdown Timer Programming and Instructions Copy 1 written To disk on Dec 15 2005 Copy 2 written To disk on Dec 15 2005 Date Modified Type of file File size Files on disk Cntdwntimr Jul 01 2005 C File 16 5 KB CntDwnTimr Jun 30 2005 ASM File 50 KB CntDwnTimr Jun 30 2005 INC File 1 KB ent
16. ed a little later on Also shown in FIG 1 the reader will note there is a power indicator LED 52 a charge indicator LED 54 and a low battery LED 56 though easily understood the purpose and function will be discussed a little later on Awall transformer 32 which is plugged into a wall outlet 22 is connected to the countdown timer 29 by means of a wall transformer power cord 34 a wall transformer plug 33 35 and a wall transformer plug receiver 31 mounted solidly to a enclosure side 25 as depicted in FIG 2B FIG 2 is a front view of the countdown timer 29 as described in FIG 1 The preferred embodiment of said countdown timer 29 is comprised of an enclosure front 24 40 consisting of two equal sized numeric displays 30 to allow the user to program and view the run time and see the running countdown when activated The countdown timer 29 is turned on and programmed by means of three control buttons The control buttons consist of a set button 46 Countdown Timer Parts List 30 8 colored red a minute button 48 colored green and a second button 50 colored yellow located below and slightly to the left of the numeric digital display 30 To turn on the countdown timer 29 the operator or user will depress and hold the second button 50 then depress the set button 46 To set the running time for countdown the user will press the set button 46 until the numeric displays 30 flash 00 and 00 The user will then s
17. et the minute run time by depressing the minute button 48 once for each minute desired and then depress the second button 50 once for every five 5 seconds desired Once the time has been selected the user will then depress the set button 46 to commit the run time desired to memory To the right and below the numeric displays 30 the user will find three indicator LEDs the uppermost being a power indicator LED 52 colored red when lit to indicate that a wall transformer 32 is connected to the countdown timer 29 The middle being a charge indicator LED 54 colored green when lit to allow the user to see when the countdown timer 29 is in charge mode The lower most being a low battery indicator LED 56 colored yellow to allow the user to see the condition of the battery FIG 2A is a rear view of the enclosure back 26 of the same dimensions and mating the enclosure front 24 con sisting of two enclosure screws 27 located center from side to side and in from top and bottom edges sufficient to hold said enclosure front and back securely together while accommodating the electronics within and keeping in place two enclosure sides 25 of the same dimensions One side being without plug receivers the other side being with plug receivers as depicted in FIG 2B As depicted in FIG 2A in the rear view of the enclosure back 26 the reader will find a wall hanger hole 28 for mounting to a wall with a wall anchor screw not shown FIG 2B is a
18. g supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said programming display has four common anode type 7 segment displays to display the minutes and seconds multiplexed by a set of four transistors the seven segments are connected to the microprocessor memory component by means of a group of current limiting resistors comprised of suitable resistance 7 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor memory component is comprised of suitable capacity 8 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said battery is comprised of suitable voltage 9 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said regulator within the circuit for regulating charging voltage is of suitable voltage to charge said battery by means of vower supplied from a wall transformer 10 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein charging is monitored by means of said charge indicator and said low battery indicator 11 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said start switch is a suitable electronic switch 12 The countdown timer automatic water limiting s
19. installed or a leaky flapper can be adjusted without taking too much time for cleanup and once the repair is complete all that is necessary to return to normal flushing operation is to activate the flow of water by depressing the flush lever of the toilet tank and the tank will fill up for the next flush One could even completely remove the toilet without a water mishap simply by unplugging the valve 44 from the countdown timer 29 as the valve is normally closed BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING The present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description as depicted in the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts closely related figures have the same number but different alpha betic suffixes FIG 1 is a front partial cutaway view of a typical conventional toilet tank with the tank lid removed incor porating the Countdown Timer automatic water limiting supply Shut off Safety Valve flo control system of the present invention FIG 2 is a front view of the Countdown Timer of the present invention FIG 2A is a rear view of the Countdown Timer of the present invention FIG 2B is a side view of the Countdown Timer of the present invention FIG 3 is the Countdown Timer schematic of the present invention FIG 4 is a cutaway front view of the supply shut off solenoid valve of the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The following description
20. invention the Toilet King U S patent application Ser No 11 090 602 and needs no further discussion here OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES Accordingly being designed to address the problems of toilets that have been discussed with the prior art several objects and advantages of the present invention are a to provide a limited supply of water by timed volume to any given flush mechanism or toilet tank per flush irregardless of a flapper or float malfunction b to provide a failsafe positive shutoff of the water feed line when the maximum limit of water by timed volume has been reached c to prevent overflow and limit the extent of water damage from a plugged toilet or sewer drain d to conserve water and to prevent wasting of water e to reduce municipal water production and waste water treatment costs 5 20 25 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 f to reduce the production of unnecessary sewage pol lution into the environment g to provide a positive means of anti siphon and back flow prevention Further objects and advantages are to provide a cost effective easy to install toilet fill valve that will not interfere with servicing of other toilet tank parts For instance with the present invention should the flapper valve not seat properly or worse yet rupture the water supply will be shut off and the toilet tank will be left empty and ready for easy no muss or fuss servicing A new flapper can be
21. k less toilet or urinal providing positive shutoff of water flow and anti siphon backflow prevention The toilet is flushed the flush lever activates an attached tilt switch the tilt switch actuates the countdown timer by means of electrical linkage the countdown timer in turn activates the solenoid valve by means of electrical connection The water enters the sole noid valve passing through the valve and on to the float valve mounted to the toilet tank for fill up The Countdown timer counts down from the full minutes and seconds set to 00 00 and shuts off the solenoid valve and ultimately the flow of water The Countdown timer then resets itself to the time set in memory for the next flush operation A float eliminator may be affixed to the toilet tank replacing the float valve then connected to the solenoid valve For the purpose of adjusting the volume of water per flush the Countdown timer can be programmed from 00 00 minutes and seconds to 99 minutes and 55 seconds The average toilet will need approximately 2 minutes It is suggested that the user flush and time his toilet prior to installation of the electro mechanical solenoid valve unit and add five seconds to assure the proper volume of water per flush 16 Claims 3 Drawing Sheets US 7 293 583 B2 Sheet 1 of 3 Nov 13 2007 U S Patent US 7 293 583 B2 Sheet 2 of 3 Nov 13 2007 U S Patent Old Ve Oli bb 92
22. less toilet or urinal and using a push button to start the countdown in place of a tilt switch 36 to activate the flush cycle or with any other electroni cally controllable device What I claim to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is 1 A countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system for use with toilets with or without tanks and urinals comprising a countdown timer enclosure mountable to any flat sur face a circuit board mounted within said enclosure an electronic circuit attached to said circuit board a microprocessor memory component incorporated in said circuit a battery mounted within said enclosure a regulator within said circuit for regulating charging voltage and operating voltage electrically connected to a wall transformer as a source for power to charge said battery a power on indicator a charge indicator a low battery indicator a set button switch a minute button switch a second button switch a run time settable anode type 7 segment display to display programming and run time set for said count down timer a start switch for starting said countdown timer a twisty wire for attaching said start switch to an existing toilet flush control lever an electrically connected and controlled normally closed safety valve flo control for stopping and permitting water flow an inlet for connecting said electrically controllable safety v
23. ly address backflow prevention wasting of water if the float fails to be elevated by the water or lack thereof and or overflow of the bowl or a leaky gasket between tank and toilet Recently developed toilet fill valves address one or more of these problems One of the more recent toilet fill valves the FlowMan ager AquaOne Technologies Inc addresses most of these problems incorporates the use of electronic water sensors that detect leaks and overflow The major drawbacks of such devices are that they require regular and periodical battery maintenance and replacement as well as regular cleaning of the sensor devices that appear as necessary clutter and are actually in the way of cleaning the bowl and or the floor Additionally the cleaning of the sensors and the chemicals used both cleansers and antibacterial toilet additives can cause premature failure Although the sensor in the bow will effectively stop overflow of the bowl or bowl in households with children who might lose a toy or otherwise plug the bowl a floor sensor could present a problem with flushing where bath water is accidentally splashed on it or if a child accidentally misses the bowl and wets the sensor Electronic valve systems such as the above generally utilize a normally open solenoid valve so the batteries will last a long time if the valve is not triggered shut by a sensor however if the valve is triggered shut in the case of a flapper leak the batteries would
24. n the time limit is reached simultaneously the volume of water will have been reached effectively conserving water and reducing the volume of sewage waste caused by toilets that continuously run In effect and operation the function of the instant invention is to shut off the water supply after every timed flush irregardless of any malfunction of the toilet flushing system for any reason ultimately rendering all other sensor systems gadgets duel float controls and other anti overflow devices obsolete while preventing over flows flooding and excessive waste of water and generation of unnecessary sewage The reader will note that there are two interchangeable water delivery systems for toilets with tanks one being the common float assembly and the other being a float elimi nator When using a common float assembly the countdown timer and solenoid valve can be used universally irregardless to capacity The second delivery system is the float elimi nator This system replaces the float valve and attaches to the toilet tank the same way as the float valve assembly However this system is simply a channeling device that directs the water downward towards the base of the tank for fill up from a delivery tube with a replenish tube shaft at its upper most portion for removeably connecting the replenish tube to restore the water level in the bowl during fill up The float eliminator has been designed and described in the present inventor s prior
25. ner 4 427 4 415 35 U S Pat No 5 524 299 Jun 11 1996 Dalfino 4 415 4 366 137 410 U S Pat No 5 440 756 Aug 15 1995 Weir 4 415 137 400 U S Pat No 5 185 891 Feb 16 1993 Rise 4 324 4 314 4 415 33 531 33 567 US Pat No 5 230 104 Jul 27 1993 Ocampo 4 415 4 367 4 434 S Pat No 5 031 254 Jul 16 1991 Rise 4 324 4 415 5 Pat No 4 901 377 Feb 20 1990 Weir 4 415 137 400 US Pat 4 916 762 Apr 17 1990 Shaw 4 366 4 415 222 16 222 20 251 230 The present invention relates to the fill and flush valves 5 of ordinary toilets with and without holding tanks or reser voirs more specifically to improve and expand the scope and function of the toilet fill and flush valves addressing the issues of water shut off water conservation environmental preservation water damage prevention anti siphon back flow prevention and to reduce water production and sewage treatment costs due to leaking toilets and urinals GG eke DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART Toilet systems of the reservoir tank type generally installed in American homes are connected to the potable water supply The average American home has at least one of these toilets each of which uses approximately one and one half to three and a half gallons or more of water per flush depending on the age of the toilet 65 Generally toilet fill valves are made with a float mecha nism causing the valve to
26. not last very long which would in short time lead to water running to the sewer or worse yet water damage if the bowl was plugged Addressing the issues of toilet tank fill and flush problems and wasting of water with control devices has made signifi cant progress in the Positive Shut off Metered Water Con trol System For Flush Tanks U S Pat No 4 916 762 by Shaw This device utilizes the flow of water to turn a vaned water wheel A worm gear attached to the water wheel drives a spur gear which in turn rotates a second spur and worm gear The worm gear of the secondary or intermediate gear assembly then engages a spur gear seated in a ratchet and cam assembly The cam of the ratchet cam assembly controls both opening and closing of a stopper The cam is ratcheted to the start position by a pawl connected to the flush lever of the toilet to cause the stopper to dislodge from its seat when the toilet is flushed to allow water to pass or flow driving the water wheel which causes the cam to turn and reseat the stopper after the desired amount of water has been metered through the system Although this device is impressive it has the possibility of lockup of the drive system While addressing anti siphon ability as with the other devices heretofore mentioned this particular device also addresses backflow prevention when the stopper is reseated by water pressure but will not stop backflow if water pressure is lost during fill up As previously
27. open when the toilet is flushed as 2 the water leaves the tank and to close once the float is lifted by the water when the tank or reservoir becomes full Typically these toilet fill valves work fairly well but have several drawbacks that lead to wasting of water overflow and leaks These drawbacks result in a myriad of problems from wells running out of water dirt being introduced into the water lines from low water levels in shallow wells and septic system failure to high water and sewage bills for those on public water supply and sewage systems to water damage to the floor of a bathroom and ceilings and walls of a downstairs room to remediation of mold and mildew To address these issues manufacturers and inventors began to develop other types of toilet fill valves such as the Toilet Tank Water Flow Shutoff Apparatus For Preventing Leakage And Overflow U S Pat No 5 524 299 of Dalfino which uses tilting trays to control water level and shutoff of the water supply Though this device can effectively cause shut off it tends to have many external moving parts subject to mechanical failure and also uses most of the toilet tank area and servicing as well as installation require more intensive labor and increased expense A quite different approach is taken with the Revised Automatic Water Shut Off For Stuck Open Flush Valves In Toilet Water Tanks U S Pat No 5 440 765 of Weir which utilizes a two cylinder system to force the
28. ount of water limited by time control has passed to the tank of a toilet a rundle of a tank less toilet or urinal the electronically controlled solenoid valve of the instant invention will close and prevent the flow of water for the purpose of eliminating running or wasting of water preventing overflow and or water damage Additionally the valve is normally closed and doubles as a backflow preven tion check valve to stop any possible reverse flow in case of water pressure loss The volume limiting shut off action of the present invention can be used on any common or uncommon toilet tank of any dimension comprising a time programmable countdown timer controller shown in FIGS 1 and 2 which is turned on by means of a tilt switch shown in FIGS 1 and 2B connected to said timer by means of a tilt switch transmission wire and a tilt switch plug A solenoid safety valve is also connected to said timer by means of a valve power feed wire depicted in FIGS 1 and 2B by means of a valve power feed wire plug The solenoid safety valve is positioned within the water feed line shown in FIG 1 by means of two compression fittings to start and stop the flow of water from the feed line angle stop to the toilet during operation The tilt switch is attached to the toilet flush rod shown in FIG 1 by means of two wire ties when the flush lever is depressed the tilt switch causes the countdown timer to start the preset timed event which in turn sends power
29. side view of the countdown timer 29 depicting the enclosure side 25 with left and right sides being of the same dimension The difference between the two sides is that the right enclosure side 25 is fitted with a tilt switch plug receiver 39 a wall transformer plug receiver 31 and a valve power feed plug receiver 43 FIG 3 is the Countdown Timer schematic of the present invention as described hereafter by Naveen Negasha Tron icsZone as per consultant s contract for hire Countdown Timer Parts List below itemizes the existing electronic components used as depicted in FIG 3 showing the Countdown Timer schematic of the present invention MINUTES SECONDS SET_TIME Cl C4 C5 C6 C9 C10 Qty Part Name Value PBC Marking 3 Switch tact 4 pin 12 mm Switch tact 2 pin RESET 2 Connector Power coaxial 2 1 mm J1 12 Solder points BAT Connector relimate 6 pin PROG 6 Capacitor SMD 0603 0 1 uf 2 Resister SMD 0603 1k R3 R11 Diode 1N4007 D5 3 Diode 1N5819 D1 D3 D4 4 Resister SMD 0603 2K2 R10 R16 R20 R24 Resister SMD 0603 3K3 R2 Crystal HC49 4 MHz Q2 Resistor CFR 2 W 5E6 2 W R1 3 Resistor SMD 0603 10K R5 R12 R23 2 Capacitor SMD 0603 22 pF C7 C8 Resistor SMD 0603 39K R8 2 Resistor SMD 0603 100K R6 R7 Capacitor polarized 100 uF 16 v G3 Capacitor polarized 100 uF 25 v US 7 293 583 B2 9 continued Countdown Timer Parts List Qty Part Name Value PBC Marking Resister SMD 0603
30. tery Charger The voltage across the battery is continuously monitored by the Micro controller for Over Under Voltage pro tection to the Battery If the same is found dropped bellow the pre set threshold of 5 75v the BAT LOW YELLOW LED will be ON The Charger will be on whenever the Battery voltage reaches 5 2v and as an indication the CHARGING GREEN LED will be ON The Charger consists of two transistors T2 and T3 The Charger Control from the Micro Controller will go high as soon as the voltage across the battery drops to 5 2v This will put the T1 in ON state now the R3 1K and the Zener Diode D3 2 7v together will provide a constant voltage at the base of T1 The T1 while it is ON will provide the battery with a constant current ich which can be calculated as per the following Equation Ich Vz 0 7 Re Ich The Battery charging current Vz The Voltage across the Zener Diode Re The resistance connected at the Emitter of T1 25 35 40 45 50 55 60 10 R9 R13 R14 R15 R17 R18 R19 R21 R22 DIS1 DIS2 DIS3 DIS4 The CHARGING LED is connected to the collector of the T1 so that when ever the Charger is ON and the external power source is connected the LED will indi cate the charging 2 Microcontroller An Atmel AVR series microcontroller ATMEGA48 is used as a processor in this project The microcontroller forms the brain of the circuit and it controls all the functions of
31. the Count down timer including battery charging count down sensing tilt switch setting the timer controlling the load controlling the LEDs etc 3 The Displays The Count down timer has four common Anode type 7 Segment Displays to display the Minutes and Sec onds These are multiplexed by four PNP Transistors T3 T6 The seven segments are connected to the Micro Controller through current limiting resistors 4 The O P Load Driver The system can drive a load with the rating of 6v 2 A during the Count Down The OUTPUT will be supplied from the battery A fully charged 6 9v battery will serve the Load nearly 20 to 30 Minutes 6 0v 2 A The Load is switched On OFF through an N Channel FET Q1 which has a current rating up to 3A The resistor R7 will always keep the Gate at the GND potential so that the load is disconnected as long as the output from the controller is LOW As soon as the Gate goes high the FWT will be put ON and the Load will be served with the 6 v from the Battery The Load will be ON during the Count Down and will be put OFF when the Count reaches 00 00 During the Count Down the Battery Charger will be put OFF 5 The User Interface The Count Down Timer has been provided with three 3 Push to On type switches which are labeled as SET TIME MINUTES and SECONDS Three LEDs which are labeled as POWER CHARGING and BAT LOW are also provided for indicating th
32. upply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said safety valves external housing is com posed of suitable non corrosive materials 13 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein internal components of said safety valve and said plunge stopper are composed of suitable non corrosive magnetically moveable electronic materials 14 The countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein components of said electronic circuit are com posed of suitable electrical materials 15 The countdown timer automatic water limiting sup ply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said safety valve is connectively threaded at its upper most outlet by means of a outlet compression fitting connected to the existing water feed tube thereby mounting said control valve to the existing flush valve mounted to the tank of a toilet or urinal 16 The countdown timer automatic water limiting sup ply shut off safety valve flo control system of claim 1 wherein said safety valve is connectively threaded at its lower most inlet by means of a inlet compression fitting connected to the existing water feed tube for providing a connection to a source of water under pressure whereby said countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system will activate b
33. y means of said start switch causing a settable countdown to electrically power open and hold open said safety valve for a settable and re programmable length of time thereby allowing flow of water to facilitate the flushing cycle of a toilet of any tank capacity by volume and allow closing of said safety valve when said countdown reaches 00 00 and terminating electrical power to said valve thereby limiting a certain amount of water by volume to pass to the toilet and providing positive shutoff of the water after which said US 7 293 583 B2 17 countdown timer will reset for the next flush cycle when closed said countdown timer automatic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control system doubles as a back flow prevention device the countdown timer auto matic water limiting supply shut off safety valve flo control 18 system will limit a certain amount of water by volume per flush prevent wasting of water overflow anti siphoning and backflow of water from a toilet
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