TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a tap shank adaptor and more particularly to an adaptor which can be fitted to a tap so that it enables the tap to be made safe for operation in the vicinity of children.

The invention is applicable to a range of taps including hot and cold water taps in domestic and commercial situations as well as other types of taps such as gas taps and dispenser taps.

BACKGROUND ART

There can be a serious safety problem if small children can actuate for instance a hot water tap into a bath while they are in the bath and thereby introduce hot water and scald themselves. One solution to the problem may be to put a cover over the tap once the bath is full but this and other solutions are not foolproof and an alternative arrangement by which the problem can be solved may be to make the tap unable to be turned by a person who is not sufficiently dexterous to do so.

Australian Patent specification No. 7172/66 published 9th January 1969 proposes a child proof tap in which an existing spindle is replaced by an alternative spindle having provision for axial movement to allow for gripping for transfer of rotational movement. This requires considerable modification to the tap and may require a plumber to install it.

Australian Patent specification No. 74396/81 published 4th March 1982 proposes a tap spindle assembly of a similar construction which again requires a difficult modification.

If one is to encourage users to use a safety device such as the child proof tap of this invention it should be made easy to install so that persons will be encouraged to fit it themselves.

SUBSTfTUTE SHEET (RULE 2βϊ

It is to the solving of this problem that the present invention is directed or at least to provide the public with a useful alternative device.

The invention will be discussed in general with reference to hot and cold water taps but as indicated above the invention is applicable to other types of taps as well.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In one form therefore the invention is said to reside in a safety tap adaptor for a tap of a type having a valve spindle adapted to be rotated to actuate a valve and a handle removably mounted on to the valve spindle to enable rotation thereof, the handle having an aperture therethrough for the valve spindle, the safety tap adaptor comprising an extension shaft with connection means at one end adapted to connect onto the valve spindle and a stop means at the other end thereof and a spring means, in use the extension shaft being adapted to extend through the aperture in the handle and engage with the valve spindle and the spring means adapted to hold the handle on the extension shaft against the stop means and off the valve spindle whereby pressure on the handle against the resilient force of the spring means enables movement of the handle along the extension shaft and engagement of the handle with the valve spindle to allow for rotation thereof.

It will be seen by this invention there is provided an arrangement where an extension shaft is put on to an existing valve spindle and a tap handle is held away from the valve spindle on the extension shaft by the spring means and when it is desired to actuate the valve the handle is pushed down along the extension shaft to engage with the valve spindle to enable turning of the valve spindle so that for instance hot water can be turned on. When disengaged the handle will free spin in either direction and if released even momentarily will disengage from the valve spindle by the action of the spring means and be free spinning. A certain amount of dexterity is needed to depress the handle and to rotate the valve spindle and hence the invention may provide the safety necessary in the vicinity of children

The actual method of engagement of the extension means to the tap spindle and the tap handle to the spindle will depend upon the construction of the original spindle and handle.

In a first arrangement the tap spindle may have an external spline and the handle may have a corresponding internal spline and the handle is of a type that is held onto the valve spindle by means of a screw extending through the handle and extending into a threaded aperture inside the valve spindle. In such cases the extension shaft has an enlarged upper end to stop the handle coming right of the extension means and a shaft which extends through the screw aperture in the centre of the handle with a threaded end which engages into the thread in the spindle. The spring means then holds the handle off the spline and against the enlarged portion of the extension shaft but the handle can still be slid down the extension shaft against the pressure of the spring means so that the corresponding splines are engaged together to enable turning of the valve spindle.

In one form the enlarged top of the extension means maybe a circular disc mounted on the end of the extension means and such disc may include indicia to show whether it is the hot or cold tap.

In an alternative arrangement of safety tap adaptor, the tap may be of type having an external thread with opposite flats cut on the outer surface of the valve spindle onto which the handle engages. In such a case the extension shaft may include a adaptor piece with an internal thread which engages against the external thread of the valve spindle and an internal thread which engages the external thread of the extension shaft. An outer surface of the adaptor piece can have a corresponding shaping to the shaping of the engagement portion of the handle, so that when the handle is pushed against the spring force it engages the shaped portion to enable rotation of the valve spindle by turning off the handle.

Once again the enlarged portion of the tap end adaptor extension means can have a disc to indicate hot or cold or whatever other information is required to be provided.

Alternatively there maybe provided a cap which fits over the end of the extension piece to enable more convenient handling of the tap handle.

The extension shaft may further include a sleeve over the extension shaft adapted in use to fit snugly into the aperture in the handle in use.

There may further include an extension shroud adapted to cover the spring means beneath the sides of the handle to prevent fingers from getting caught under the edge of the handle.

It was seen generally by this invention, therefore, that a handle arrangement is provided which an adult with some understanding of the mechanism can operate to turn a tap on and off but a small child who may not have the manual dexterity to push the tap in against the spring and then to rotate the handle once the corresponding engagement pieces have engaged. By this means, particularly in the case of a hot water tap, a small child can not actuate the tap to give a risk of injury. The device can be easily fitted by a handyman because it does not require special tools or breaking of any seals of the water supply system.

This then generally describes the invention but to assist with understanding of the invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings;

FIG 1 shows an assembly of a tap adaptor according to a first embodiment of this invention,

FIG 2 shows the embodiment of FIG 1 mounted on to an existing tap,

FIG 3 shows the embodiment of FIG 2 with the handle depressed to actuate the valve spindle,

FIG 4 shows an assembly of a tap adaptor according to an alternative embodiment of this invention,

FIG 5 shows the embodiment of FIG 4 mounted on to an existing tap,

FIG 6 shows the embodiment of FIG 5 with the handle depressed to actuate the valve spindle,

FIG 7 views (a) and (b) show an extension shaft according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG 8 views (a) to (c) show an extension piece for an extension shaft according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG 9 views (a) and (b) show a cap according to one embodiment of the invention,

FIG 10 shows an extension cowl according to one embodiment of the invention, and

FIG 11 views (a) and (b) show a sleeve to fit over the extension shaft according to one embodiment of the invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Now looking more closely at the drawings in particular the embodiment shown in Figures 1 , 2, and 3 it will be seen that this tap shank adaptor is constructed for a tap of a type having a splined operative connection between its handle and valve spindle.

The tap shank adaptor 1 according to this embodiment of the invention includes an enlarged disk like upper portion 2 and a shaft 3. The enlarged disk like upper portion 2 comprises a cap 12 and a head 13 of the shaft 3 onto which the cap 12 clips. The shaft 3 has a sleeve 14 around it which provides a neat fit of the adaptor into a handle of a tap and an enlarged upper portion which fits into a recess in the top of a tap handle. The shaft 3 includes a thread 4 at its lower end which engages with a corresponding thread 5 in a tap

spindle 6. The tap spindle 6 is shown partly as a sectioned view. The outer portion of the upper end of the tap spindle 6 includes a splined portion 7 which is adapted to engage in use with a corresponding splined aperture 8 in a tap handle 9. The shaft 3 extends through an aperture 10 in the tap handle 9. A spring 11 holds the tap handle 9 off the splined portion 7 and against enlarged portion 2. The other end of the spring 11 engages against a recess in a tap cowl extension 16. The spring 11 has a collar 15 fitted to its top end which bears against the underside of the tap handle and allows the handle to turn relative to the spring. The valve spindle 6 extends to a valve arrangement generally shown as 19. It will be noted that the tap spindle 6 and the valve arrangement 19 are part of the existing tap arrangement and do not need to be removed or changed when adding the safety tap adaptor of the present invention.

Figures 2 and 3 show the method of installation and operation of the safety tap adaptor of the present invention. By pushing down on the handle 9 against the resilient force of the spring 11 the splined portion 7 may be made to engage with the splined aperture 8 to thereby enable rotation of the valve spindle and turning on of a tap. Turning of the handle without pushing down and engaging the splines will only allow free rotation of the handle.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show an alternative embodiment of safety tap adaptor or tap shank adaptor according to this invention. It will be seen that this tap shank adaptor is constructed for a tap of a type having a slotted operative connection between its handle and valve spindle. In these Figures items of the same construction in the tap and the adaptor as in Figures 1 to 3 are given the same numbers.

in this embodiment an extension piece 20 is included between the shaft 3 of the extension means and the valve spindle 21. The extension piece 20 has an internal thread 22 which engages with an external thread 23 on the valve spindle 21. The extension piece has an internal thread 24 which engages with the external thread 4 on the extension shaft 3. The upper external portion

25 of the extension piece 20 comprises a shaped portion which engages with the corresponding shaped aperture 26 in the tap handle 28. In this embodiment the tap cowl extension 27 is longer than the tap cowl extension 16 of the earlier embodiment because the extension piece 20 increases the separation of the handle 9 from the tap assembly 19 and a higher extension

cowl is needed so that a user's fingers cannot get under the handle and touch the spring 11.

In use the tap handle 28 is pushed down against the force of the spring 11 so that the shaped portion 25 on the extension piece 20 engages into the aperture in the tap handle 28 so that the spindle can be rotated and hence the valve 19 opened or closed.

FIG 7 shows various views of the extension shaft 3 according to one embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment it will be noted that the head 13 of the shaft includes a tapered edge so that the cap 12 as shown in Figure 9 can be clipped onto the head 12. A screwdriver slot 31 is included on the head 13 to enable screwing of the thread 4 into the complimentary thread 5 in the valve spindle as in the first embodiment or into the thread 24 in the extension piece 20 of the second embodiment.

FIG 8 shows the extension piece 20 with its internal thread 22 to engage the external thread on a valve spindle and the internal thread 24 to engage the external thread 4 on the shaft 3 as shown in FIG 4. The shaped portion 25 on the outside of the extension piece 20 comprising opposed flats is adapted to engage into a complimentary shaped recess in the base of a tap handle.

FIG 9 shows a cap 12 according to one embodiment of the invention which is adapted to clip onto the head 13 of the shaft 3. The cap can be formed from plastics material and can either be coloured to indicate a hot or a cold tap or include some indicia to indicate hot or cold. Clips 35 in the recess 36 on the underside of the cap 12 are adapted to clip over the tapered portion 30 of the head 13 of the extension shaft 3 and to allow the cap to be removable.

FIG 10 shows a tap cowl extension 16 according to one embodiment of the invention. A shoulder 40 at the inner side 41 at the lower end 42 of the cowl is provided to support the lower end of the spring 11 in use.

Figure 11 shows two views of the sleeve 14 having an aperture 44 therethrough into which is adapted to fit the extension shaft 3 in use and to provide a snug fit into the aperture of a tap handle. The stepped shoulder 45 on the sleeve 14 is shaped to fit into a recess in the top of a tap handle.

The materials of construction of the various components of this invention may be selected for ease of manufacture and resistance to corrosion and in one preferred embodiment of the components shown in FIG 7 and FIG 8 may be manufactured from brass, the spring may .be made from stainless steel and the other components may be made from plastics materials.

Throughout this specification and the claims that follow unless the context requires otherwise, the words 'comprise' and 'include' and variations such as 'comprising' and 'including' will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.