US2518679A - Guide bracket for flush tank valve stems - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 15, 1950 B. o. GRAHAM GUIDE-BRACKET FOR FLUSH TANK VALVE-STEMS Filed Sept. 23, 1946 /l\/l/EI\/7 OE BENJAMIN O. (BRAHAM H TTORA/EY tion 35 of the clamping screw 34 is provided with a diametral nick 3! for conventionally receiving a screw driver and is additionally provided with a transversely extending aperture 38 through which a, nail, awl, or similar instrument may be inserted where it is inconvenient or impossible to employ a screw driver.

When being installed for actual use, the clamp member 21 of the flush tank guide bracket B is loosely slipped up around the end lugs III, II, which are spread sufiiciently far apart to slide freely around the particular over-flow pipe upon which the guide bracket B is being mounted. The clamping screw 34 is slipped through the washer and pushed downwardly between the juxtaposed faces [2, l3, of the end lugs ID, II, and threaded into the aperture 33 of the clamp member 21. Thereupon, the guide bracket B is slipped down over the free upper end of the over-flow pipe 6 until it is located at the desired or proper height above the floor or bottom wall of the tank A, whereupon it is clamped securely and tightly in place by turning the clamping screw 34, thereby drawing the clamp member 21 upwardly, so that the inner faces 3!, 32, slide camwise against the complementary faces l4, 15, of the end lugs It, I I, forcing them together and drawing the C-clamp portion 9 into tightv embracing engagement around the over-fiow pipe 6. It should be noted in this connection that the transverse width of the clamp member 2'! is slightly smaller than the distance between the shoulders l6, ll, and the point of juncture of the end lugs [0, II, with the C-clamp portion 3. Consequently, the clamp member 27 will be retained by the shoulders IE, IT, and thereby prevented from slipping radially outwardly and off of the end lugs IE), I I, during clamping action.

When the guide bracket B is securely clamped to the over-flow pipe 6, the set screw 25 may be loosened and the arm 19 adjusted inwardl or outwar i as the case may be to bring the axial line of the apertures 23, 24, into precise coincidence with the axial line of the valve seat. 4, so that, when the stem 1 is operatively disposed through the apertures 23, 24, it will be guided for accurate travel in a vertical line coincident with such axial line and the syphon ball supported thereby will function properly.

It will be noted by comparison of Figures 3, 7, and 8 that the guide bracket B may be readily adapted to, and mounted upon, over-flow pipes having a substantially wide range of different diameters. In actual practice in the plumbing trade, over-flow pipes usually range in diameter from one inch to one and three-eighths inches and the flush tank guide bracket B will fit equally well upon a small over-flow pipe 6, as shown in Figure 3, or upon an intermediate size over-flow pipe 8, as shown in Figure '7, or a large size overflow pipe 6", as shown in Figure 8, and it will, of course, be understood that the guide bracket 13 will equally well fit upon over'flow pipes of the adjustable arm I9 is hollow for slidable disposition around and upon the arm it. In addition, the arm I9 is provided with a threaded aperture 25 for receiving a set screw 26. Furthermore, the C-clamp portion 9 is provided with end lugs 10, I I, having inclined or beveled outer faces l4, 15', which are not only inclined downwardly, but also converge inwardly with respect to the body of the C-clamp portion 9 for co-operation with a modified form of clamp member 'or element 27, which is, in turn, provided with downwardly and inwardly inclined inner faces 3|, 32'. By reason of the inward convergence of the matching surfaces l4, l5, and 3!, 32, the clamp member 21' will not tend to slide outwardly and off of the end lugs Hi, ll, during clamping action and the shoulders l8, H, of the previously described flush tank guide bracket B may thus be omitted.

It has been found in actual practice that flush tank guide brackets constructed in accordance with the present invention are entirely universal and can be readil adapted to fit any style or type of flush tank commonly used in the plumbing trade. Furthermore, flush tank guide brackets constructed in accordance with the present invention may be readily and quickly installed and can be tightened, if necessary, by a screw driver inserted vertically into the tank, thereby making it possible to secure the flush tank guide bracket tightly in place even in the most cramped quarters. In addition to this, flush tank guide brackets of the present invention can be tightened much more securely because of the greater clamping action which can be imposed upon the clamp-forming members thereof.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the guide bracket may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension arm adjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a C-clamp formed on the other end of the fixed arm, said C-clamp being provided with radial extension lugs having inclined faces, a U-shaped clamp element having inclined faces complementary to the inclined faces on the lugs, and screw means for drawing the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon the lugs whereby to draw the lugs together.

2. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension arm adjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a C-clamp formed on the other end of the fixed arm, said C-clamp being provided with radial extension lugs having inclined faces, a U-shaped clamp element having inclined faces complementary to the inclined faces on the lugs, and screw means for drawing the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon the lugs whereby to draw the lugs together, said lugs being provided adjacent their outer extremities with outwardly projecting elements for preventing the clamp element from slipping off of the lugs while being drawn up into clamped position.

3. A flush tank guide bracket'including a fixed arm, an extension arm adjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a C-clamp formed on the other end of the fixed arm, said CJ-clamp being provided with radial extension lugs having inclined faces, a U-shaped clamp'element having inclined faces complementary .to the inclined faces on the lugs, and screw means for drawin the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon the lugs whereby to draw the lugs together, said inclined faces on the lugs and the complemental inclined faces on the clamp element being further converged in the plane of the c-clamp to prevent the clamp element from slipping off of the lugs while being drawn into clamped position.

4. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension arm adjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a c-clamp formed on the other end of the fixed arm, said C-clamp being provided with radial extension lugs having inner flat faces and outer inclined faces, stop shoulders provided on said lugs adjacent the inclined faces, a clamp element having opposed upstanding legs having inclined faces complementarily inclined to the inclined faces of the lugs, and screw means for drawing the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon the lugs whereby to draw the lugs together.

5. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension arm adjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a c-clamp formed on the other end of the fixed arm, said O-clamp being provided with radial extension lugs having inclined faces, a U-shaped clamp element having inclined faces complementary to the inclined faces of the lugs, a washer member adapted to rest flushwise upon the upper face of the end lugs, and screw means adapted to extend through said washer member and the clamp element for drawing the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon the lugs to draw them together.

6. A flush tank guide bracket including a fixed arm, an extension arm adjustably mounted on one end of the fixed arm, a C-clamp formed on the other end of the fixed arm, said C-clamp being provided with radial extension lugs having inner flat faces and outer inclined faces, a U- shaped clamp element having inclined faces complementary to the inclined faces on the lugs, a washer member adapted to rest on the upper surfaces of the lugs, a screw member adapted to extend downwardly through the washer and the clamp element for drawing the clamp element wedgewise upwardly upon the lugs to draw them together, and shoulders provided on said lugs to prevent radially outward slipping of the clamp element during clamping action.

BENJAMIN O. GRAHAM.

REFERENCES CITED .The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,767,519 Duncan June 24, 1930 1,838,355 Benjamin Dec. 29, 1931 2,004,504 Lyons June 11, 1935 2,016,840 Schubert Oct. 8, 1935

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