AU2001260008B2

AU2001260008B2 - Drain fitting for a flushing cistern

Info

Publication number: AU2001260008B2
Application number: AU2001260008A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Alois Diethelm; Marcel Heierli
Original assignee: Geberit International AG
Current assignee: Geberit International AG
Priority date: 2000-06-09
Filing date: 2001-06-06
Publication date: 2005-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 2021-06-06
Also published as: DE50106261D1; AU6000801A; AT5561U1; EP1287210A1; CN1436265A; CN1247862C; DE20109462U1; WO2001094708A1; HUP0301090A2; ATE295919T1; EP1287210B1; ES2241822T3; HU226311B1

Description

V Drain Fitting for a Flushing Cistern The invention relates to a drain fitting for a flushing cistern.

;A drain fitting is disclosed in EP 0 479 716 A by the applicant. Said drain fitting has a yoke which connects the drain valve housing to the actuating device. The yoke has two downwardly protruding arms which are fastened to the drain valve housing by means of latching tongues arranged on the latter. The yoke can be fastened at different heights 00 on the main valve housing, with the result that adaptation to different spacings between the flushing cistern cover and the system bottom is possible here. During the installation CI of the drain fitting the yoke is displaced from the top downward into the provided position. The latching tongues fix the yoke at the set height. Re-setting of the height CI requires removal of the drain fitting. Different spacing of this type occur, in particular, in flushing cisterns made of ceramic. However, the setting of the yoke to different heights is comparatively complex here.

US 4,566,140 discloses, in figure 10, a drain fitting in which the actuating device is connected to the drain valve housing by a yoke. The fastening of the yoke to the drain valve housing takes place by means of fastening pins which are passed through holes in the drain valve housing and yoke. A change in the height is not possible without the removal of the drain fitting.

WO 98/46836 shows a further drain fitting. In the case of the latter, a yoke which can be fastened at different heights on the drain valve housing is likewise provided.

However, the height setting is also comparatively complex here.

The present invention aims to provide a drain fitting which permits easier height setting.

The present invention provides a drain fitting for a flushing cistern, having a drain valve housing in which a valve body, which can be raised in order to initiate flushing, is mounted, and which is to be fastened to the bottom of the flushing cistern, having an actuating device which has at least one actuating means, which is arranged on a flushing cistern cover and, in order to open the drain valve, interacts with a control means which is to be arranged below the flushing cistern cover, and having a connecting component which is connected to the drain valve housing and connects the drain valve housing to the actuating device, the connecting component being mounted in a vertically displaceable manner on the drain valve housing, wherein the connecting component can be adjusted for setting the height and, in a first position with respect to the drain valve housing, is released and, in a second position with respect to the drain valve housing, is [R:\LIBLL]171 13.doc:gxt 2 O fixed, and in that it is guided in a manner such that it can be displaced vertically upward and downward in the released position on the drain valve housing.

;Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described.

In a preferred development of the drain fitting according to the invention, the connecting means is fixed on the drain valve by the abovementioned, movable connecting element. A connecting element of this type is preferably rotatable and can be actuated in oO 0a particularly simple manner and can be designed, for example, as a rod which can be Ctwisted at an upper end. The fixing of the connecting means takes place in a particularly C simple and secure manner if, according to a development of the invention, the connecting element has latching means which can be latched to the drain valve housing by means of CI rotation. The connecting component is preferably of bar-shaped and, in particular, hollow-cylindrical design and is mounted on a hollow cylindrical guide part of the drain valve housing. A channel, in which the connecting element is mounted, is preferably' arranged between this hollow cylindrical guide part and the connecting component.

The fixing of the connecting component can be carried out in a particularly simple manner if, according to a development of the invention, the connecting element is coupled to at least one pull rod in such a manner that when the pull rod is rotated the connecting element is twisted and therefore latched or unlatched. When the pull rod is twisted it is likewise latched or unlatched at the same time. After setting of the desired height of the connecting component, the connecting element and, at the same time, the at least one pull element, can therefore be fixed in a simple manner by a single rotational movement. This is particularly advantageous if at the same time two pull rods are provided for flushing using two different amounts. Thus, two pull rods and the connecting element can then be fixed or released by means of a single rotational movement.

[R:\LIBLL] 17113.doc:gxt WO 01/94708 PCT/CHOI/00347 3 Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a partially cutaway view of a drain fitting according to the invention, Fig. 2 shows a section along the line II-II in fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows a view of a rotational latching rod, Fig. 4 shows a view of the rotational latching rod in the axial direction, Fig. 5 shows a section through the rotational latching rod along the line V-V in fig. 3, Fig. 6 shows a section through the rotational latching rod along the line VI-VI in fig. 3, Fig. 7 shows a view of a pull rod, Fig. 8 shows a view of the pull rod, as seen in the axial direction, Fig. 9 shows a section along the line IX-IX in fig. 7, Fig. 10 shows a section along the line X-X in fig. 7, Fig. 11 shows a plan view of the drain fitting according to the invention in accordance with fig. 1, Fig. 12 shows a section through the drain fitting, Fig. 13 shows a further section through the drain fitting, but with a different position of the pull rods, Fig. 14 shows a further section through the drain fitting, Fig. 15 shows a vertical section through the connecting component, Fig. 16 shows a view of the connecting component, Fig. 17 shows a section through the connecting component along the line XVII-XVII in fig. Fig. 18 shows a section through the connecting component along the line XVIII-XVIII in fig.

Fig. 19 shows a view of a drain valve according to the invention, according to one variant, WO 01/94708 PCT/CH01/00347 4 Fig. 20 shows a section through the drain valve, along the line XX-XX, Fig. 21 shows a section along the line XXI-XXI in fig.

19, Fig. 22 shows a section along the line XXII-XXII in fig. 19, Fig. 23 shows a section along the line XXIII-XXIII in fig. 19, Fig. 24 shows a plan view of the valve housing, Fig. 25 shows a side view of part of the valve housing, Fig. 26 shows a section through the bridge of the connecting component, Fig. 27 shows a view of the bridge, Fig. 28a shows a further view of the bridge, Fig. 28b shows an enlarged section of the bridge according to fig. 28a, Fig. 29a shows a view of a connecting rod, Fig. 29b shows a section through the connecting rod, and Fig. 30 shows a view of an actuating rod.

The drain fitting shown in fig. 1 has a drain valve 3 having a drain valve housing 4 which is fastened to a downwardly protruding discharge connecting pipe 7 at the bottom 31 of a flushing cistern tank 30. This tank together with a flushing cistern cover 2 forms a flushing cistern 1, in particular a flushing cistern made of ceramic.

The drain valve 3 has, in the customary manner, a closure body 5 which rests in the position shown on a valve seat 6 and which can be raised by actuating a push-button 9 in order to initiate flushing. A further, second push-button is preferably arranged here, so that, in a manner known per se, complete or partial flushing is possible. For the partial flushing, a weight (not shown here) is raised and the closure body is loaded by this weight, so that the closure body WO 01/94708 PCT/CHOI/00347 5 closes the drain valve 3 before the flushing cistern 1 is completely emptied. In order to raise the closure body 5, the latter is connected at its upper end to a pull rod 18 by means of a lever 23, while, according to fig. 14, a further lever 22 for partially flushing is connected indirectly to the closure body 5. The two levers 22 and 23 are respectively fastened to a pull rod 18 and 17.

In order to raise the pull rod 18 or 17, an actuating device 8 is provided which is mounted on the flushing cistern cover 2 and in which the abovementioned two push-buttons 9 are mounted. The housing of the operating device 8 has an upper housing part 8b and a lower housing part Ba. The lower housing part 8a has a foot 14 on which two two-colored levers 11 are mounted in each case in a manner such that they can be pivoted to a limited extent. When the one or the other pushbutton 9 is pressed, the one or other lever 11 is pivoted by means of a tappet 10a of the reversing means and in the process the pull rod 17 or the pull rod 18 is raised. As fig. 11 shows, a laterally protruding pin lla is integrally formed on each of the two levers 11, said pin, according to fig. 11, being connected releasably to the pull rod 17 or 18. As fig. 7 shows, the pull rod 18 has a slot 18b which is arranged on an upper arm 18a and extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the rod 18. The pull rod 17 is of mirror-symmetrically identical design to the pull rod 18.

The two pull rods 17 and 18 are mounted rotatably on a connecting component 16 which, according to figs 15 and 16, has an upper receiving part 27 which extends horizontally and which has a recess 28 into which the abovementioned foot 14 of the housing 8 is inserted.

For the mounting of the two pull rods 17 and 18, the connecting component 16 has, according to figs 15 and WO 01/94708 PCT/CHOI/00347 6 16, a transverse wall 32 which has two bearing holes 32a. The pull rods 17 and 18 reach through these bearing holes 32a.

The connecting component 16 is mounted in a hollow cylindrical guide part 20 which, according to fig. 14, is integrally formed laterally on the drain valve housing 4 and is open vertically continuously. Figs 1 and 2, in particular, show how the connecting component 16 is inserted into this guide part 20 and reaches vertically through the latter.

As can be seen, the connecting component 16 is provided on its outer side with a latching toothing 29 which is in engagement, at a respective latching projection 21a, with two opposite, resilient latching tongues 21. The two latching projections 21a connect the connecting component 16 to the guide part 20 in such a manner that the latter can be displaced upward by means of tension and downward by means of compression. In the process, the latching tongues 21 are deflected resiliently. They automatically latch again in the end position. At a desired height position, the connecting component 16 can be connected fixedly to the guide part 20, and therefore fixedly to the drain valve housing 4, by means of a rotational latching rod 19.

The rotational latching rod 19 is illustrated in greater detail in figs 3 to 6. As can be seen, the rotational latching rod 19 has at its upper end a rotational head 19a on which a pinion 19b is integrally formed. A shoulder 19d, which has opposite, radially projecting stop projections 19e, is integrally formed at a distance from the pinion 19b. Below the shoulder 19d the rotational latching rod 19 is provided with latching flutes 19c which, according to fig. 6, extending only partially around the circumference of the rotational latching rod 19. As can be seen, the WO 01/94708 PCT/CHOI/00347 7 rotational latching rod 19 is provided with latching flutes 19c of this type from the shoulder 19d as far as a lower end. The latching toothing is therefore provided comparably with fine spacings here. For mounting the rotational latching rod 19, the receiving part 27 has, according to figs 15 and 17, an integrally formed, resilient tongue 26 which, above the shoulder 19d, engages radially over the latter, as figure 1 shows. The latched-in rotational latching rod 19 is therefore fixed axially and, as a consequence of the stops 19e, can be rotated to a limited extent through approximately 180 0 C. As fig. 14, in particular, shows, the guide part 20 and the connecting component 16 form a channel 24 which is formed by a wall 25, which is semicircular in cross section, and by an opposite, similar wall 20b. The latching projections 20a are integrally formed on the inside of this wall 20b. In the one rotational position of the rotational latching rod 19, the latching projections 20a engage in latching flutes 19c. The connecting component 16 is therefore fixed at the set height and therefore fastened to the guide part 20, by means of the rotational latching rod 19. In another rotational position, the latching projections 20a are not in engagement with the latching flutes 19c and, in this position, the rotational latching rod 19 can be displaced freely in the channel 24.

In order to rotate the rotational latching rod 19, the pinion 19b, which is integrally formed on the latter, meshes with a pinion 18d, which is integrally formed on the pull rod 18, as figs 7 to 9 show. This pinion 18d forms a radially projecting extension 18c which is in the shape of a quarter circle and is integrally formed below the slot 18b. The other pull rod 17 likewise has a pinion 17d of this type which meshes with the pinion 18d, as fig. 11 shows. If the rotational latching rod 19 is rotated about its longitudinal axis, the two pull wo 01/94708 PCT/CH01/00347 8 rods 17 and 18 are pivoted. The connection to the guide part 20 and to the levers 22 and 23, respectively, is therefore released or produced.

The two pull rods 17 and 18 have, in each case corresponding to fig. 7, on a bar 18e, which is crossshaped in cross section, latching flutes 18f which, according to fig. 10, extend only around part of the circumference. The two pull rods 17 and 18 respectively reach through an opening 22a and 23a in the lever 22 and 23, as fig. 14 shows. The openings 22a and 23a are designed in such a manner that, in a rotational position shown in fig. 11, the pull rods 18 and 17 the levers 22 and 23 is connected fixedly in each case to the pull rod 18 and 17, respectively, by respective engagement of a projection 22b and 23b in one of the latching flutes 18f in each case. If the two pull rods 17 and 18 are in the position shown in fig. 12, and the abovementioned latching engagement is cancelled and the pull rods 17 and 18 can be displaced freely in the longitudinal direction in the openings 22a and 23a, respectively.

The two pull rods 17 and 18 and the rotational latching rod 19 are designed in such a manner that they are fixed or can be adjusted freely at the same time. In the position of the pull rods 17 and 18 which is shown in fig. 11, these pull rods and the rotational latching rod 19 are latched in position. The connecting component 16 is therefore connected fixedly to the guide part 20, and thus to the drain valve housing 4.

At the same time, the levers 22 and 23 are connected fixedly to the pull rods 17 and 18. The rotational latching rod 19, the guide part 20 and the connecting component 16 form, together with the housing part 18a, a connecting means 15 which connects the actuating device 8 to the drain valve 3.

WO 01/94708 PCT/CHOI/00347 9 The installation process will be explained below: With the cover 2 removed, the drain valve 3 is fixed in a known manner to the bottom 31 of the flushing cistern tank 30. The connecting means 15 and the lower housing part 8a are fastened here to the drain valve 3. The two pull rods 17 and 18 are now pivoted into the position which is shown in fig. 12 and in which, as explained above, the pull rods 17 and 18 and also the connecting component 16 can be displaced vertically. However, the connecting component 16 is temporarily held on the guide part 20 by the two projections 21a. The connecting component 16 is now displaced into an upper position. The flushing cistern cover 2 is then put on.

In this connection, the lower housing part 8a and, together with the latter, the connecting component 16 is displaced downward until the flushing cistern cover 2 is finally put on. The cover 2 is now removed and the two pull rods 17 and 18 are pivoted by the rotational latching rod 19 into the position shown in fig. 11. In this position, the levers 11 are coupled to the two pull rods 17 and 18 and, as explained above, the connecting part 16 is fixed in place. In addition, the two levers 22 and 23 are connected fixedly to the pull rods 17 and 18. The cover 2 is now put on again and the upper valve housing 8b is placed on. The drain fitting is therefore fitted. An inspection is possible in a similarly simple manner. By rotation of the rotational latching rod 19 and corresponding pivoting of the pull rods 17 and 18, the connecting component 16 can be released again. The latter can be displaced freely vertically again. An essential feature is that the connecting means and the pivoting of the two pull rods 17 and 18 can take place at the upper end of the connecting component 16 and at the same time by means of a rotational movement. It is therefore not necessary to reach deep into the flushing cisterns or to activate the individual elements.

WO 01/94708 PCT/CH01/00347 10 The design according to figures 19 to 30 will be explained below.

A drain valve 101 is arranged in a flushing cistern 102 which is likewise preferably a ceramic flushing cistern and which has a cistern body (only part of which is shown here) with a bottom 104 and a cover 103. The height H between the bottom 104 and the flushing cistern cover 103 can differ. The drain valve 101 can be adapted to such different heights H, as will be explained further below.

The drain valve 101 has a valve housing 105 which comprises a lower, hollow cylindrical housing part 106, a "basin" and an upper part 111. The upper part 111 is fastened releasably to the lower part 106 by means of pivotable fastening levers 112. The lower housing part 106 contains apertures 107 through which, after raising of a valve body 109, flushing water can flow out below a valve disk 110 through a connecting pipe 108 into a flushing bend (not shown here) and finally into a toilet bowl. At the connecting height 108, the drain valve 101 is fastened releasably to the bottom 104 by means of a nut (not shown here). A weight body 113, which permits partial flushing in the manner known per se, is fastened to the valve body 109. The overflow of the flushing water takes place via an overflow pipe 114 which protrudes upward parallel to the valve body 109.

A design is also conceivable in which the valve body 109 simultaneously forms the overflow pipe.

In order to raise the valve body 109 and, in the event of partial flushing, also the weight body 113, two actuating rods 125 are provided which, at their lower end, are in each case fastened fixedly to one of the two levers 121 and, at their upper end, are in each case fastened to one of the two levers 134. In order to initiate flushing, either both actuating rods 125 or WO 01/94708 PCT/CH01/00347 11 just one of them can be released. For this purpose, the large push-button 138 shown in fig. 20 is moved downward or the two push-buttons 138 and 139 are moved downward at the same time. These push-buttons 138 and 139 are mounted in a push-button housing 137 of an actuating device 141 which is arranged on the cover 103. In fig. 19, the arrow 140 indicates the direction in which the push-buttons 138 and 139 have to be moved downward in order to initiate the flushing. The pushbuttons 138 and 139 can be designed as desired per se.

The push-buttons 138 and 139 interact in a manner known per se with the levers 134 which are mounted in an actuating housing 135. The connection of the two levers 134 to the two push-buttons 138 and 139 can take place via push-in pins (not shown here). The push-button housing 137 is fastened to the actuating housing 135 by a threaded connection. A clamping washer 138 permits compensation of tolerances. The push-button housing 137 rests, as can be seen, on the upper side 103b of the flushing cistern 103 and the clamping washer 136 bears against the lower side 103a.

The actuating housing 135 and the levers 134 are mounted on a yoke-shaped or U-shaped connecting component 150 which has a bridge 129 and two separately produced connecting rods 117. In addition, the two actuating rods 125 are mounted displaceably on the bridge 129.

The actuating housing 135 has, at its lower end, a flange (not visible here) at which the housing 135 is snapped in [lacuna] recess 132 shown in figs 26 and 27.

The actuating housing 135 is therefore fastened releasably to the bridge 129.

The two connecting rods 117 are designed as rotational latching bolts and have, in each case at their upper WO 01/94708 PCT/CH01/00347 12 end, a radially protruding lever 119 at which they can be pivoted about their longitudinal axis. The stem of the connecting rods 117 has a noncircular cross section in each case, according to fig. 26b [sic], and has a plurality of projecting teeth 120. As can be seen, the teeth 120 are arranged opposite one another and between them are regions 117a which do not have any teeth. In a corresponding rotational position of the connecting rod 117, these teeth are in engagement in a lower region with latching tongues 123 of the upper housing part 111 and in an upper region with latching teeth 149 of the bridge 129. In another rotational position, this engagement is not present and the connecting rods 117 can therefore be displaced in the longitudinal direction with respect to the upper housing part 111.

The upper housing part 111 has two sleeve-shaped integral formations 115 which, according to fig. 24, each have a passage 122. The passage 122 is designed in such a manner that in a rotational position the connecting rods 117 can be pushed freely through these passages 122. The latching tongues 123 protrude in each case by means of a latching projection 123a into the passage 122, as fig. 24 shows. In the one rotational position, these latching projections 123a in each case block displacement of the connecting rod 117 by means of engagement with teeth 120. As fig. 24 shows, the two integral formations 115 are not arranged diametrically, but at an angle a with respect to each other, said angle being substantially smaller than 1800C. This has the substantial advantage that a comparatively large amount of space for lines and the like is present next to the connecting rods 117 above the upper housing part 111. For example according to fig. 21, the two actuating rods 125 are arranged between the two connecting rods 117, which results in an arrangement which is compact and therefore requires little space.

WO 01/94708 PCT/CH01/00347 13 The two levers 119 are integrally formed at the upper end of a head part 118 and, as can be seen, this head part 118 is smooth on the outer side and circular in cross section. Integrally formed below the lever 119 is a projection 148 which projects radially and interacts with the projections 147 and 146, which can be seen in fig. 28b, as follows: if the lever 119 in fig. 20 is in the position shown by solid lines, then the connecting rod 117 can be displaced axially in the passage and the teeth 120 are therefore not in engagement with a projection 123a. In this position, the lever 119 is therefore directed radially inward. In this position, the projection 148 is latched behind the projection 146. The abovementioned position is therefore latched in place and, in the case of the passage 130 according to fig. 28b, the lever 119 can only be unlatched in the clockwise direction. In the passage 130 the head part 118 having teeth 120 is in engagement with teeth 149 and the connecting rod 117 is therefore fixed axially in the passage 130. If the lever 119 is pivoted into the position shown by broken lines in fig. 20, then teeth 120 come into engagement with a projection 123a and the connecting rod 117 is therefore fixed axially on the upper housing part 111. In the one position of the two connecting rods 117, the connecting component 150 can therefore be adjusted vertically in an infinitely variable manner while in the other position the connecting component 150 is fixed vertically. In the fixed position, the connecting rod 117 is connected to toothings 151. For release purposes, in fig. 20 the lever 119 is therefore pivoted in the anticlockwise direction. The two pivoting directions are indicated in fig. 20 by the double arrow 145. With a pivoting movement in the anticlockwise direction, the axially displaceable position is latched in place and, with a pivoting movement in the clockwise direction, the axially fixed position is latched in place. The releasing and fixing therefore takes [sic] place by WO 01/94708 PCT/CH01/00347 14 simple pivoting movements which can be carried out by hand at the lever 119 without a tool. It can also be readily determined visually whether the released or the fixed position is present.

The two actuating rods 125 are provided on one side with teeth 128 which likewise permit essentially infinitely variable fixing. A lever 126, which has a lateral recess 127, is integrally formed at the upper end. The actuating rods 125 reach in each case through a noncircular recess 144 of a lever 121, as can be seen from figs 22 and 23. If the lever 126 is in the position which is shown by solid lines in fig. 20 and in which the levers 126 protrude approximately radially inward, then the teeth 128 are in engagement with the latching projections 141 indicated in fig. 23. The actuating rods 125 are therefore fixed axially in the passages 143. If the levers 126 are pivoted into the positions which are shown by broken lines in fig. and in which these levers 126 therefore protrude approximately tangentially outward, then the engagement of the teeth 128 with the latching projections 143 is cancelled and the actuating rods 125 can be displaced axially in the passages 143. The abovementioned pivoting movements are indicated in fig. 20 by the double arrows 133. The recesses 127 serve, according to fig. 20, for holding a respective driver arm 134a of a lever 134. If the levers 126 are therefore in the position shown by broken lines in fig. 20, then the levers 134 are in each case in positive-locking engagement with an actuating rod 125. Since the actuating rods 125 do not have a toothing 129 [sic] in the region of the bridge 129, they are not fixed axially for an actuating movement in the passages 142 of the bridge 129. The two actuating rods 125 can therefore be raised either on their own or together by means of a pivoting movement of the levers 134.

Correspondingly, one of the levers 121 or both levers WO 01/94708 PCT/CH01/00347 15 121, and therefore the valve body 109 or, together with them, the weight body 113 are raised. In the first case, full flushing is initiated and, in the second case, partial flushing is initiated. In the present exemplary embodiment, either full flushing or partial flushing is therefore possible. However, a design is also conceivable in which only one lever and also only one actuating rod 135 are provided.

The individual steps during fitting of the drain valve 100 will be explained below.

With the flushing cistern cover 103 removed, the drain valve 101 is inserted into the interior of the cistern and is fastened to the flushing cistern bottom 104 in a known manner. The two connecting rods 117 and the two actuating rods 125 engage displaceably in the passages 130 and 144. The levers 119 and 126 are therefore situated in the position in which the connecting rods 117 and the actuating rods 125 are guided in a released manner at the lower end. The connecting rods 117 are guided in the passages 122 in a self-locking manner by means of the latching tongues 123. Even in the released state a certain force is therefore required in order to displace the connecting component 150 vertically.

During fitting, the connecting component 150 is in the uppermost position shown in fig. 20. The actuating housing 135 and the levers 134 are preferably prefitted. However, the push-button 138 and the pushbutton housing 137 are separate in this case. If the drain valve 101 has been fastened to the bottom 104, then the cover 103 is placed onto the cistern body. In this connection, by means of the lower side 103a bearing against the actuating housing 135, the connecting component 150 is displaced downward until the flushing cistern cover is placed on correctly. The flushing cistern cover 103 is now lifted off again and the connecting rods 117 and the actuating rods 125 are WO 01/94708 PCT/CHOI/00347 16 in each case pivoted at the lever 119 or 126 and the connecting component 150 is therefore fixed vertically.

The connecting rods 117 are now connected fixedly to the upper housing part 111 and the actuating rods 125 are connected fixedly to the levers 121. The levers 134 are therefore fixed vertically and can be pivoted for test flushing. The flushing cistern cover 103 is now placed down again and the push-button housing 137 can be placed on or screwed on together with the pushbuttons 138 and 139 until the housing bears against the upper side 103b of the flushing cistern cover 103. As can be seen, a tool is not required for setting the height of the connecting component 150. If the need arises, for example in the case of an inspection, the connecting component 150 can be released and re-set if necessary. As can be seen, the connecting component 150 can be set to very different heights H. Since the teeth 120 and 128 are very fine, the setting is to be essentially infinitely variable. Together with the clamping washer 136 very precise setting is therefore possible and the latter can nevertheless be carried out very simply and rapidly, as explained above. Since the connecting rods 117 and the actuating rods 125 can in each case be pivoted at their upper end, it is not necessary to reach deep into the flushing cistern during fitting. Since all of the parts can be produced from plastic by injection molding, the drain valve 101 is not susceptible to corrosion. The drain valve 101 is suitable in particular for flushing cisterns made of a ceramic body and a ceramic cover, since particularly large tolerances occur here due to production.

Claims

3. The drain fitting as claimed in claim 2, wherein the connecting element is a rotational latching rod.
4. The drain fitting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting component is mounted on a hollow cylindrical guide part of the drain valve housing. The drain fitting as claimed in claim 4 wherein the hollow cylindrical guide part has at least one internal toothing which can be latched to an external toothing of the connecting element.
6. The drain fitting as claimed in claim 5, wherein the hollow cylindrical guide part forms, together with the connecting component, a guide channel in which the connecting element is mounted.
7. The drain fitting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connecting element is mounted in a manner such that it can be twisted.
8. The drain fitting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the connecting element can be actuated, in particular can be pivoted, at an upper end.
9. The drain fitting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least one pull rod is mounted on the connecting component and can be used to raise the closure body of the drain valve by means of the actuating device. [R:\LB LL171 13.doc:gxt The drain fitting as claimed in claim 9, wherein two pull rods are mounted on the connecting component, the one pull rod being provided for complete ;flushing and the other pull rod being provided for partial flushing.
11. The drain fitting as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein at least one of the O 5 pull rods is designed as a rotational latching rod.
12. The drain fitting as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the 00 connecting element is coupled to at least one pull rod in such a manner that when the connecting element is rotated the pull rods are pivoted at the same time. S13. The drain fitting as claimed in claim 12, wherein at least one pull rod is t0 coupled to the connecting element be means of engagement of teeth. N 14. The drain fitting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein a rotational knob is integrally formed on the connecting element. The drain fitting as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the connecting component has at least one connecting rod which can preferably be joined by rotation.
16. The drain fitting as claimed in claim 15, wherein the connecting rod can be rotated at an upper end.
17. A drain fitting for a flushing cistern, the drain fitting substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 5 August, 2005 Geberit Technik AG Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON [R:\LIBLL] 17113.doc:gxt