WO1997030383B1

WO1997030383B1 - Automatic variable-demand flow regulator

Info

Publication number: WO1997030383B1
Application number: PCT/US1997/002621
Authority: WO
Filing date: 1997-02-19
Publication date: 1997-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1998-08-20

Abstract

A variable-demand flow regulator (10) regulates water flow into a building based on variable water supply and variable demand pressures. When demand increases downstream of the flow regulator, the water pressure decreases on the downstream side of a piston valve (200) and a piston (201) of the piston valve (201) moves in the downstream direction. This results in an increased number of access holes (320) being exposed to water flow, thus allowing a higher flow of water when demand increases. An adjustable bleeder valve (500) controls the flow characteristics of the regulator (10) by affecting movement of the piston (201).

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the Internationai Bureau on 9 September 1997 (09.09.97); new claims 11-22 added; remaining claims unchanged (7 pages)]

11. A variable demand flow regulator valve system

for regulating city supplied water to a multiple-use building, comprising :

an external water supply line;

a building water meter having an inlet and an

outlet, wherein the inlet of the building water meter is

connected to the external water supply line;

a variable demand flow regulator valve having an

inlet and an outlet, wherein the mlet of the variable demand flow regulator valve is connected to the outlet of the

building water meter;

a main incoming water line for the building

connected to the outlet of the variable demand flow regulator

valve; and

a bypass line including a bypass valve having an

open position and a closed position, wherein the open position

allows for water from the external water supply line to bypass

the variable demand flow regulator valve and pass through the

bypass line into the building, and the closed position causes

the water from the external water supply line to pass into the

variable demand flow regulator valve.

27 12. The variable demand flow regulator valve system

of claim 11, wherem the multiplie-use building is a multiple-

unit apartment building, a multiple-unit condominium building,

or a multiple-unit office building.

13. A variable demand flow regulator valve for

regulating fluid flow based on variable pressure supply and

variable pressure demand, the valve comprising:

a cylindrical housing having an mlet side and an

outlet side;

a hollow pipe coaxial with the cylindrical housing, the hollow pipe havmg a closed mlet end and an open outlet

end, the hollow pipe further having a plurality of openings

along an exterior wall adjacent to the mlet end;

a slidable cylindrical piston valve which slides

about the exterior circumference of the hollow pipe adjacent

to the mlet end, the piston valve having a first position for

substantially covering the exterior wall openings of the

hollow pipe, the piston valve having at least one through-hole

running from a first end to a second end;

a compression spring coaxially mounted about the

hollow pipe adjacent to the open outlet end, the compression spring having a first end and a second end, the first end

abutting agamst the first end of the piston valve and the

second end abutting agamst an edge adjacent to the outlet

side of the cylindrical housing, wherem fluid passing mto

the mlet side of the cylindrical housing passes through the

at least one through-hole of the piston valve until supply-

side pressure of the incoming fluid and demand-side pressure

of the outgoing fluid causes the piston valve to compress

agamst the compression spring to allow incoming fluid to pass

into the plurality of exterior wall openings of the hollow

pipe and to the open outlet end of the hollow pipe.

14. The variable demand flow regulator valve of

claim 13, further comprising a bleeder valve positioned

adjacent to the outlet side of the cylindrical housing for

adjusting the piston valve position.

15. The variable demand flow regulator valve of claim 13, further comprising a bypass lme mcludmg a bypass

valve having an open position and a closed position, wherem

the open position allows for fluid from an external fluid

supply lme to bypass the variable demand flow regulator valve

29 and pass through the bypass lme, and the closed position

causes the fluid from the external fluid supply line to pass

mto the variable demand flow regulator valve.

16. The variable demand flow regulator valve of

claim 15 for use with a building meter havmg an mlet and an

outlet, wherem the mlet of the meter is connected to the

external fluid supply lme, and the outlet of the meter is

connected to the bypass valve.

17 The variable demand flow regulator valve lf

claim 13 for use in a multiple-use building, the multiple-use building being a multiple-unit apartment building, a multiple-

unit condominium building, or a multiple-unit office building.

18. The variable demand flow regulator valve of

claim 13, wherein the closed mlet end of the hollow pipe

further comprises:

an inlet end plate closing off the mlet end of the

cylindrical housing, the mlet end plate having a center hole

opening to the mlet end of the hollow pipe, and a second

opening adjacent to an edge of the mlet end plate for

30 allowing fluid communication between a first side and a second

side of the mlet end plate;

a screwable cape for sealmgly closing the center

hole of the mlet end plate and the mlet end of the hollow

pipe.

19. The variable demand flow regulator valve of

claim 14, further comprising an outlet end plate closing off

the outlet end of the cylindrical housing, the outlet end

plate having a center hole opening to the outlet end of the

hollow pipe, and a second opening adjacent to an edge of the

outlet end plate for allowing fluid communication between a

first side and a second side of the outlet end plate, wherein

the bleeder valve is positioned m the second opening of the

outlet end plate.

20. The variable demand flow regulator valve of

claim 19, wherem the closed mlet end of the hollow pipe

further comprises :

an mlet end plate closing off the mlet end of the

cylindrical housing, the mlet end plate having a center hole

opening to the inlet end of the hollow pipe, and a second

31 opening adjacent to an edge of the mlet end plate for

allowing fluid communication between a first and a second side

of the mlet end plate; and

a screwable cap for sealmgly closing the center

hole of the mlet end plate and the mlet end of the hollow

pipe.

21. A variable demand flow regulator valve for

regulating fluid based on variable pressure supply and

variable pressure demand, comprising:

a hollow housing having an inlet and an outlet;

a hollow valve element withm the housing, the valve

element having a closed mlet and an open outlet and having a

plurality of openings through an exterior wall for allowing

fluid flow mto an interior of the hollow valve element; and

a piston withm the housing and circumscribing the

hollow valve element, the piston being slidable about the

exterior wall of the hollow valve element, from a first

position substantially covering the plurality of openings of

the valve element to a second position exposing one or more of

the plurality of openings, whereby fluid passing into the mlet of the housing

32 pushes the piston toward the outlet of the housing, thereby

exposing one or more of the plurality of openings in the

hollow valve element, and the fluid flows through the

plurality of openings into the interior of the hollow valve

element and thence through the open outlet, until supply-side

pressure of the incoming fluid and demand-side pressure of the

outgoing fluid causes the piston to reach an equilibrium

position within the housing.

22. The variable demand flow regulator valve of

claim 21, further comprising compression means within the housing for permitting the piston to slide from the first

position to the second position and to reach thee equilibrium

position.

33

AMENDED.SHEET (ARTICLE 19)