Non-Visible Faucet Handle Connection

This invention relates to a handle assembly and, more specifically, it relates to a handle assembly in which there are no visible connection means showing between the handle assembly and the valve.

In the more conventional handle assembly, the connection to the valve is visible which makes it easier to interfere with or otherwise lose parts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-visible faucet handle connection which is simple in construction, economical to produce and highly reliable in operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a non-visible faucet handle connection that, once assembled, will stay connected under normal operating conditions, but may be disassembled without damaging the interconnected components.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a non-visible faucet handle connection that operates smoothly in assembled position.

It is another object of the present invention to assemble the handle and the valve separately and then connect the handle to the valve to couple the assembly with no visible connection means showing.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective, partly in section, of a preferred embodiment of the handle assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective, partly in section, of the preferred embodiment of the handle assembly of the present invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the preferred embodiment of the handle assembly of the present invention shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion of FIG. 3 showing the details of the connection of the handle member and the hub via the snap ring.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings wherein a deck 10 is shown through which a faucet plumbing fixture 11 having a faucet valve 12 protruding therefrom. Only the upper part of the valve body 14 of the valve 12 is shown and it is externally threaded. A conventional valve stem 16, best shown in FIG. 1, with its upper end 18 splined protrudes from the top of the valve body 14. An annular escutcheon flange or nut member 20 having a central threaded opening 22 engages the threaded valve body 14. The outer edge 24 turns downwardly and has a flat bottom that seats upon the upper surface of the deck 10. The inner edge 26 of the escutcheon member 20 turns upwardly and is externally threaded at 28. A nut 30 with a washer 32 threadedly engages the threaded valve body 14 on the underside of the deck 10 to secure the valve body 14 to the deck 10.

It will be understood that reference to the orientation of the various components being either horizontal or vertical refers to the orientation illustrated in the drawings, but that, if the faucet were to be installed in a vertical wall or at another orientation, the angle of the mounting would change to correspond to the angle of the mounting of the faucet plumbing fixture 11.

A handle assembly 34, illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, includes a lever handle 36, a handle member or handle adapter 38, a handle hub 40, a snap ring 42 and other components described hereinafter is connected independently from the valve 12 connection to the deck 10. The handle hub 40 is bell shaped with an internal open space 41 and an upper section 44 having a central opening 46 that extends therethrough from the top 48 to a bottom 50 of the upper section 44 which is formed above the open space 41. A sleeve bearing 52 having a short outwardly extending annular flange 54 to sit on the top 48 is disposed in the opening 46 to terminate a short distance from the bottom 50 of the upper section 44. The handle member 38 has a handle portion 56 journaled in the opening 46 by the bearing 52. The hub portion 56 has a splined open bottom 58 which is sized to fit the splined upper end 18 of the valve stem 16 for purposes to be described more fully hereinafter. The hub portion 56 extends below the bottom 50 of the upper section 44 wherein an annular recess 60 is formed to extend radially inwardly from the smooth outer surface a short distance below the bottom 50 of the upper section 44. A taper 62 is formed on the bottom section of the hub portion 56 to extend from below the recess 60 to the bottom 58 of the hub portion 56 with the taper extending downwardly and inwardly at a small angle. A cap 64 is formed above the hub portion 56. The cap 64 has a bottom sized with substantially the same diameter as the diameter of the top 48 of the upper section 44 of the hub portion 56. The bottom 66 of the cap 64 nests upon the annular flange 54 of the sleeve bearing 52. The cap 64 tapers upwardly and inwardly with the same gentle arcuate curve as that of the outer surface of the bell shaped handle hub 40. The handle member 38 has an elbow 68 formed above the cap 64 to turn it from the vertically disposed hub portion 56 to a horizontal direction of arm 70, the outer end of which is a threaded opening 72. The generally horizontally disposed lever handle 36 has a capped bulbous end 74 which is gently curved to a smaller diameter at the other end and necked down near the connection end 76 which has a threaded projection 78 shown best in FIG. 1 that is threadedly connected within the threaded opening 72.

The snap ring 42, shown best in FIG. 1, has a rigid flat outer ring 80 formed with a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the bottom 50 of the upper section 44 and is sized to nest thereunder, as explained more fully hereinafter. The diameter of the outer ring 80 is slightly larger than the diameter of the hub portion 56 of the handle member 38 for purposes more fully explained hereinafter. A plurality of inwardly extending tangs 82 are circumferentially spaced from each other and formed at a slight downward direction. The distance between the inner end of adjacent tangs 82 is a little larger than the largest diameter of the tapered section 62 of the hub portion 56 and, also, just slightly larger than the diameter measured across the recess 60 of the hub portion 56. A thrust washer 84 is sized the same as the bottom 50 of the upper section 44 and, as explained hereinafter, will be sandwiched between the bottom 50 of the upper section 44 and the snap ring 42.

The handle assembly 34 can conveniently be made before interconnecting the handle assembly 34 to the valve 12. This is done by connecting the lever handle 36 to the handle member 38 with the threaded connection of threaded member 78 into the threaded opening 72. Alternatively, the handle 36 could have been connected at any convenient time during or after the assembly of the faucet 11. Then the sleeve bearing 52 is disposed through the top of the opening 46 of the upper section 44, followed by the hub portion 56, being disposed in the sleeve bearing 52. The flange 54 of bearing 52 rests on the top 48 of the upper section 44, while the cap 64 sits on the flange 54. The recess 60 of the hub portion 56 extends below the bottom 50 of the upper section 44 and the thrust washer will be passed upwardly over the recess 60 of the hub portion 56 to engage the bottom 50 of the upper section 44. Together with, or thereafter, the snap ring 42 is raised upwardly onto the hub portion 56 by the tangs 82, acting like spring fingers, yieldably engaging the tapered section 62 of the hub portion 56 to bend radially outwardly until the ends of the tangs 82 of the snap ring 42 snap into the recess 60 of the hub portion 56, as best shown in FIG. 4. With the tangs 82 of the snap ring 42 firmly mounted in the recess 60 of the hub portion 56, the ring 80 thereof engages and urges the thrust washer 84 into contact with the bottom 50 of the upper section 44. Upon connection of the snap ring 42 to the hub portion 56, the handle assembly 34 is complete and the handle member 38 and the handle hub 40 are journaled to each other to permit relative rotation of one to the other.

The handle hub 40 will be placed over the escutcheon member 20 with the splined opening 58 of the hub portion 56 engaging the top of the splined valve stem 16. The lower section 86 of the handle hub has an internal threaded section 88 that threadedly engages the upturned threaded portion 28 of the escutcheon member 20. The threaded connection between threaded section 88 of the lower section 86 and the threaded portion 28 of the member 20 is completed when the bottom 90 of the handle hub 40 engages the upper surface of the escutcheon flange 20. The hub portion 56 was moved vertically downwardly in a non-rotative manner as the handle member 38 is journaled to the handle hub 40 which was free to turn without turning the handle member 38.

The assembled position shown in FIG. 3 illustrates that the handle assembly 34 has been connected to the valve 12 in a non-visible manner by the use of internal and non-visible connection means.

It will be understood that, while a specific handle member 38 and handle hub 40 have been described and illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the construction of the invention renders disassembly easy and, also, the interchange of the components with other decorative components are readily accomplished with the handle hub 40 unscrewed from its connection to the threaded section 28 and the snap ring 42 disengaged from the recess 60. Whether the components shown or replacements components are used, assembly will be substantially as described and illustrated hereinbefore.

While a preferred embodiment has been described above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the invention should not be limited by the description of the preferred embodiment, but only by the claims which follow.