AU742152B2 - Device for pneumatic actuation of a cistern - Google Patents

Abstract

Two buttons (4,5) are provided in a housing (2) and cooperate with a pressure pulse transducer (6), which is configured so that pressing one or the other button produces two different pressure pulses. The pressure pulse transducer is preferably in the form of two bellows, one assigned to each button, which are rectangular in cross section, having narrow sides half the width of the broad sides.

Description

A

S F Ref: 443330

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

0 0 0 0 0* *0 0 Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Geberit Technik AG Schachenstrasse 77 CH-8645 Jona

SWITZERLAND

Marcel Helerli and Alfred Mahler Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Device for Pneumatic Actuation of a Cistern 00 oo 0 eoeeeo e The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5845 Device for Pneumatic Operation of a Cistern The invention concerns a device for pneumatic operation of a cistern, with a push-button mechanism arranged in a housing, the said push-button mechanism cooperating with a pressure impulse generator mounted in the housing to produce a pressure impulse.

A device of this type has become known in the prior art from CH-A-424 664.

This device is designed as a manually-operated trigger and has a push-button which is mounted so that it can slide in the housing. The inner end of the push-button is in contact with a diaphragm which can be deformed to exert a pressure impulse.

A similar device has become known from DE-C-23 50 189. In this case a cambered rubber diaphragm is pushed in manually to exert a pressure impulse-or a tubular diaphragm is compressed by means of a push-button.

Cisterns having two different flushing volumes have been known in the art for a long time. However, until now these were triggered typically by buttons mounted directly Is on the cistern. It is therefore desirable to facilitate the operation of a cistern with two different flushing volumes such that pressing one button can produce for example a full flush in the cistern and pressing the other button for example can produce a partial flush.

It is further desirable to make remote release possible for these cisterns, which are most advantageous on environmental and economic grounds.

It is the object of the present invention to substantially overcome or at least S• •ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art or to meet one or more of the above desires.

o o Accordingly, the present invention provides a device for pneumatic operation of a cistern having: a housing; a pressure impulse generator mounted in said housing to produce pressure impulses; a first button associated with a first member of said pressure impulse generator such that a first pressure impulse is produced by pressing said first button; and a second button associated with a second member of said pressure impulse generator such that a second pressure impulse is produced by pressing said second button; wherein said first button and said first member operate independently of said second button and said second member; and wherein said two buttons and said impulse generator are guided in said housing.

[R:\LIBLLI I 183.doc:caa la According to a preferred embodiment, the pressure impulse generator has two bellows, whereby one of the bellows cooperates with one of the buttons and the other bellows cooperates with the other button. If both of these bellows are expansion bello.ws flattened out laterally, they can be accommodated in a smaller volume, for example in a can. These structural dimensions facilitate retrofitting to an already built-in actuating **o go• *i [R:\LIBLL] I1183.doc:caa 2 button. A particularly reliable way of functioning is then ensured if the expansion bellows have inwardly-tensioned lateral corrugations. These corrugations prevent uncontrolled deformation of the bellows and ensure accurately-determined pressure impulses. A preferred embodiment further provides on the under-surface of each of the buttons a guide piece, which is brought down onto a bellows and laterally guides the bellows. For actuation of the button the bellows is consequently controlled by this guide piece.

Accordingly to a preferred embodiment, the two bellows are detachably fixed to a retaining and guide piece which is fitted in the bottom section of the housing.

Preferably this retaining and guide piece has at least two, preferably three mounting positions. In this way it is possible that alternatively two or one bellows can be mounted in the housing. The device according to this embodiment can therefore be used optionally for operating a normal cistern with one flushing volume or for operating a cistern with two flushing volumes. The housing can therefore also be used for accommodating a is single bellows. Accordingly the two buttons can be replaced by a single button.

In a preferred embodiment, the pressure impulse generator has two bellows, whereby one of the bellows cooperates with one of the buttons and the other bellows with S•the other button. The two bellows are preferably expansion bellows flattened out laterally and, seen in cross-section are more or less rectangular, whereby the ends are considerably 20 shorter, preferably by at least twice, than the sides. It is preferred that the expansion •**bellows have inwardly-tensioned lateral stabilising corrugations.

••In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the buttons are each dome-shaped or bonnet-shaped in design and are guided in sliding by walls engaging laterally in the housing, and each have on the bottom a guide piece which is positioned on a bellows and controls the bellows laterally. The buttons preferably have guidance means by which the buttons are guided in sliding in the housing and in that these guidance means have snap-in locking means for detachably attaching the buttons to a retaining and guide piece.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, a retaining and guide piece, to which at least the pressure impulse generator is detachably mounted, is detachably installed in the housing. It is preferred that the retaining and guide pieces has mounting means with at least two, preferably three, mounting positions in such a way that alternatively two or one bellows can be mounted.

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: SORA 35 Figure 1 is a section through a device according to the invention, Figure 2 is a section through the device along the line II-II according to Figure 1, [R:\LIBLL] 11 183.doc:caa Figure 3 is a view of the bottom surface of a bellows, Figure 4 is a side view of the bellows, Figure 5 is a view of the top surface of the bellows, and Figure 6 is a view of the fixing means for the choice of mounting one or two bellows.

The device 1 is a manual trigger, also termed "push-button", which essentially consists of a housing 2, a cover 3, two buttons 4 and 5, two bellows 6 and a retaining and guide piece 8 mounted in the bottom section of the housing. These components are detachably connected to each other by snap-in means and assembly connectors. The individual parts can therefore be replaced without [R:\LIBLL]1I I 183.doc:caa damage and without using tools. Also the assembly is carried out using snap-in connectors, without using tools, which will be explained further in still more detail below.

The housing 2 is formed in the shape of a can and has in its bottom four attachment positions 26 by which the housing can be attached with screws (not shown here) in a recess of a wall of a building. A flexible pressure pipe 27 (Figure 2) is pulled through each of two openings 24 also in the bottom. Inside the housing 2, two pressure pipes 27 are each connected to a nipple 9.

A retaining and guide piece 8 is mounted in the housing 2. Two nipples 9, two bellows 6, two push-buttons 4 and 5 and the housing cover 3 are detachably fixed to the retaining and guide piece 8. The two nipples 9 are each inserted in an airtight fashion from the bottom of the component 8 into an elastomeric attachment 28 of a bellows 6. As shown in Figure 2, the upper end of the nipple 9 projects above the opening 28 and engages in a corresponding opening (not described in detail here) in :o 15 the attachment 28. The nipples 9 each connect a pneumatic line 27 to a bellows 6.

For attachment of the two bellows 6, the retaining and guide piece 8 according ~to Figure 6 has a slot 14, which has a large circular opening 14d and three smaller enlargements 14a, 14b and 14c. For their mounting in this slot 14, the bellows 6 each have a disc-shaped attachment 12 on the bottom, as clearly shown in Figure 4.

20 In order to attach a first bellows to the component 8, the disc 12 is inserted through the large opening 14d and the bellows 6 slid in the slot 14 to the left in Figure 6, until the disc 12 locks into the enlargement 14a in the slot 14. A second bellows 6 is likewise inserted with its disc 12 through the opening 14d and slid to the right in Figure 6 as far as the enlargement 14c. If only one bellows 6 is provided, then this is 25 slid as far as the enlargement 14b in Figure 6. The enlargement 14b thus allows a single bellows 6 to be detachably mounted approximately in the middle of the housing 2.

Each bellows 6 has two lugs 30 formed on its bottom to prevent rotation, each lug engaging in an opening 25 in the component 8. As shown in Figure 2, the disc 12 has a centrally-located through-passage 28 into which a strut-shaped extension of a nipple 9 can be inserted. The disc 12 is made from an elastomeric material such as for example the rest of the bellows 6 and seals off the nipple 9 from the bellows 6.

Thus each of the two nipples 9 is detachable and has an airtight connection with a bellows 6.

The component 8 has several upwardly-aligned flexible snap-in tongue locks 16 and 22 for attaching the frame-shaped cover 3 and the push-buttons 4 and Figure 1 shows one of the snap-in tongues 16 which engages by means of a locking catch in an opening 15 in the housing cover 3. Preferably several such snap-in tongues 16 are formed on the component 8.

800001 4 Each of the two buttons 4 and 5 is dome-shaped and, shown here in the case of the button 5, has according to Figure 2 a cambered upper wall 4b and a guide wall engaging laterally at the bottom in an opening 3a in the housing cover 3. The button 5 has a smaller touch area than the button 4, although both buttons are fundamentally of similar design. The larger button 4 is provided for actuating a full flush and the smaller button 5 for actuating a partial flush. The buttons 4 and 5 are movably mounted with the retaining and guide piece 8 by means of the abovementioned snap-in tongues 22 and are locked in the upper position. The buttons 4 and 5 can each be moved individually downward in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. The depicted upper position is fixed by an upper limit stop.

As shown particularly in Figure 2, the buttons 4 and 5 each extend over a bellows 6. The bellows arranged below the button 4 has been omitted for graphical reasons, but it is otherwise identical to the depicted bellows 6. With a touch movement on one push-button 4 or 5, the respective bellows 6 is operated by means o* is5 of a dish-shaped guide piece 7 attached to the button on the underside. This guide piece 7 has a central link 31 with a bottom connection piece 21 and a top connection piece 20. The connection piece 20 is locked into an attachment 32. Obviously the S same goes for the button 5. The bottom connection piece 21 engages in a tubular attachment 33 of the bellows 6 and thereby attaches the bellows 6 to the piece 7. As 20 shown in Figure 2, the bellows 6 at its upper end fits closely against the piece 7 and is controlled laterally by the latter. When the button 4 is depressed, the piece 7 consequently prevents the upper end of the bellows 6 from deflecting laterally.

The two bellows 6 have, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, a comparatively low profile with an essentially rectangular and rounded-side cross-section. For stability, the S 25 bellows 6 each have several inwardly-tensioned lateral stabilising corrugations These corrugations 10a are inherently normal corrugations 10, though they are 0 designed so that they project bow-shaped into the interior of the bellows 6. The stabilising corrugations 10a make it possible for the bellows 6 to essentially retain its shape during compression. The depicted flat design of the two bellows 6 has the basic advantage that they take up little space in a rectangular housing 2 and the internal volume of the housing 2 is used optimally. The housing 2 can therefore be produced with an overall size which corresponds to normal push-buttons.

For exceptionally simple assembly, the two bellows 6, or only one bellows 6, are attached to the retaining and guide piece 8. Now the device is installed and the lines 27 connected. The guide pieces 7 are now positioned on the upper surface of the bellows 6. After locking on the buttons 4 and 5, the connected components are inserted into the housing from the top. Finally the cover 3 is locked onto the mounting frame.

To release a flush, the button 4 or the button 5 is pressed, thereby compressing the corresponding bellows 6 due to the guide piece 7 itself moving downward, and 800001 through which the air pressure in the chamber 35 is increased. This pressure impulse is transmitted through the corresponding line 27 to a pneumatic actuator of a cistern for release of a flush. Pneumatic actuators for cisterns are well-known and therefore do not need to be explained here. After actuation, the corresponding button 4 or 5 returns to the initial position shown in Figures 1 and 2 as a result of the elasticity of the actuated bellows 6 and the prevailing air pressure in the bellows. A separate spring for resetting the buttons 4 and 5 is therefore unnecessary.

*000 0 0 0* 0 0 000 0 0* 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 B00001

Claims (13)

1. A device for pneumatic operation of a cistern having: a housing; a pressure impulse generator mounted in said housing to produce pressure impulses; a first button associated with a first member of said pressure impulse generator such that a first pressure impulse is produced by pressing said first button; and a second button associated with a second member of said pressure impulse generator such that a second pressure impulse is produced by pressing said second button; wherein said first button and said first member operate independeitly of said second button and said second member; and wherein said two buttons and said impulse generator are guided in said housing. fee o 15

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure impulse generator °has two bellows, whereby one of the bellows cooperates with one of the buttons and the S•other bellows with the other button.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the two bellows are expansion bellows flattened out laterally. a.: boo• a

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the expansion bellows seen in oo, ~cross-section are more or less rectangular, whereby the ends are considerably shorter than the sides.

A device according to claim 4, wherein said sides are twice as long as .said ends.

6. A device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the expansion bellows have inwardly-tensioned lateral stabilising corrugations.

7. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the buttons are each dome-shaped or bonnet-shaped in design and are guided in sliding by walls engaging laterally in the housing. R:\LIBLL]I I IS .doc:caa 7

8. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the buttons each have on the bottom a guide piece which is positioned on a bellows and controls the bellows laterally.

9. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the buttons have guidance means by which the buttons are guided in sliding in the housing and wherein these guidance means have snap-in locking means for detachably attaching the buttons to a retraining and guide piece. 0o

10. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a retaining and guide piece, to which at least the pressure impulse generator is detachably m'iounted, is detachably installed in the housing. 00 0

11. A device according to claim 10, wherein the retaining and guide piece 15 has mounting means with at least two, mounting positions in such a way that alternatively two or one bellows can be mounted. o S

12. A device according to claim 11, wherein said mounting means has three mounting positions. 0*S

13. A device for pneumatic operation of a cistern, said device being substantially as hereinbefore described with referenced to the accompanying drawings. *000 Dated 21 September, 2001 Gerberit Technik AG Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON [R:\LIBLL] 1181 doc:caa