US2545928A - Automatic water shutoff device - Google Patents

Description

March 20, 1951 G. K. MARTIN ET AL 2,545,928

AUTOMATIC WATER SHUTOFF DEVICE Filed July 16, 1948 Fig. 20

ll IO 24 2 66 V. V 70W72 If n l2 /4 F 1g 2.

1 -62 i :52 g 64 g 4-30 F 72 I George K. Mart/n Mary M. Mart/h INVENTORS.

BY WW 3% Patented Mar. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Marcos, Tex.,

assignors of one-fourth to Thomas A. Buckner, Jr., San Marcos, Tex.

Application July 16, 1948, Serial No. 38,968

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an automatic water shut-off device to be employed especially in connection with a water sprinkler unit and the like.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a device which will automatically shut off the water being delivered to any desired place after a desired amount of water has been employed thus obviating the necessity of manually disconnecting the supply of water from the water delivery conduit.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an automatic water shut-off device for attachment to a water supply which includes a conventional alarm clock engageably connected to a valve means for shutting off the water supply after a predetermined time has elapsed. The length of time water is to be delivered to any desired place can be set in the usual manner by means of the conventional alarm clock, and after this time has elapsed, the Water supply will be automatically shut off. The shut-off device can, of course, be reset any number of times for any desired length of time required to deliver a desired amount of water.

These, together with various ancillary objects and features of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the device, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device of the instant invention in association with a conventional alarm clock, some parts being shown in elevation and others being broken away;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device shown in Figure 1, some parts being shown in elevation and other parts being broken away; and

Figure 3 is another transverse sectional view taken substantially in a plane of section line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings. In the several views in the accompanying drawings and in the following specification reference characters indicate corresponding elements throughout.

Generally indicated at I is a conventional alarm clock having a U-shaped housing 12 which carries a face plate 14, which face plate is also U-shaped as seen in Figure 2 and contains recesses l6 which engage a ball member l8 for detachably retaining the face plate on the housing. The face plate I4 is additionally provided with 2 the conventional dial 20. The hand shaft 22 is further provided with a cam 24 well known in the clock art.

The side members 26 and 28 are additionally provided with transversely extending slots for frictionally retaining a water retaining conduit 36 which extends transversely of the bottom of the clock and which is further provided, if preferred, with a male connection 32 and a female connection 34, either connection to be attached to a hose leading to a source of water (not shown).

Pivoted to a frame member 36 of the clock is a bell crank 38, the lower leg 40 of which is provided with a hook element 42. The upper leg 44 of the bell crank is positioned adjacent the cam 24 and is normally retained against this cam by means of a spring 46 which is terminally secured to the frame member '36 and the lower leg 46 intermediate the ends thereof. Pivoted to the housing of the clock as at 48 and extending through a suitable slot 5!] in the side wall 28 is a lever bar 52, one end of which is provided with an upstanding hooked lug 54 for engageably receiving the hook member 42. Adjacent the lug 54, the lever bar 52 is additionally provided with a longitudinally extending slot 56. Communicating with the water retaining conduit 30 is a branch conduit 58 which is screw threaded at its upper end to retain thereon an internally threaded apertured nut 60.

Slidably connected to the lever bar 52 as at 62 is a valve stem 64 which extends through the branch conduit 58 and carries at its bottom end a valve 66. A suitable packing gland 68 is provided about the valve stem to prevent leakage of water thereby.

The water retaining conduit 30 is additionally provided with internally disposed depending lugs H! and 12 forming in combination a valve seat immediately disposed beneath the valve 66. Interposed between the nut El! and the valve 66 about the valve stem 64 is a spring 14 which normally urges the valve 66 toward the valve seat ill-l2 to shut off the water flowing through the conduit 30.

In practical operation, the alarm clock is set so that water flowing through the conduit 30 will be supplied to a sprinkler for a predetermined length of time. After the time has elapsed, the cam 24 revolving on the hand shaft 22 will depress the upper leg 44 of the bell crank pivoting the entire bell crank upwardly. When this occurs, the hook member 42 releases the hooked lug 54, and the spring 14 urges the valve 66 towards preferred embodiment of the invention the sameis susceptible to certain changesiully comprehended by the spirit of the invention 'as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention Whatis' claimed as new is:

1. In combination with an alarm clock having a cam on the hand shaft; an automatic water shut-off device comprising, a bell crank pivoted at its corner to the clock housing, resilient means normallyurging oneleg of saidbell:crank against' the:v cam; a water retaining conduit extending through the clock housing, valve means insaid conduit; and' lever-actuated 'means interconnecting theotherleg of said bell crank and said valve means forishutting off the water in said conduit in response to a predetermined time-set,- the other leg of said bellcrank including a terminal hook' member and said lever-actuated means includes a bar pivoted to the housing intermediate its ends, said. bar having an upstanding hooked lug for engaging said hook member.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said valve means includes a branch conduit having an apertured cover, a valve stem slidably secured at its upper end to said bar and extending through said branchxconduit, a valvezcarried at, the lower end of said'valve stem, a va'lve seat in" said conduit immediately below said valve, and a spring about said valve stem interposed between said cover and said valve for normally urging said valve towards said valve seat.

3. Theccombinati'onl of claim 2 wherein said resilient meansincludes a spring terminally securedto aframe-member of said clock and the otherleg of saidbell crank.

GEORGE K. MARTIN. MARY M. MARTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following" references areof record in' thefile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS;

Images