Moen® type valve cartridge extractor tool having both right-hand and left-hand threads

Abstract

A two piece tool with an adapter sleeve is provided that extracts both -inch and 1-inch diameter Moen-type valve cartridges from the valve body. An extractor shaft incorporates a right-hand male 10-24 threaded shank at the fore end thereof, in addition to a much longer and larger diameter left-hand Acme male thread. The Acme male thread thread engages a left-hand female Acme thread at the aft end of a tubular extractor body. The aft end of the extractor shaft is equipped with a quarter-inch hexagonal drive that couples to a portable electric drill motor. Clockwise rotation of the extractor shaft while holding and preventing the tubular extractor body from rotating allows the threaded shank to engage the cartridge control shaft, while simultaneously pushing the extractor body toward the valve body. Once the extractor body abuts the valve body, the cartridge is extracted, all in a single step.

Claims

1. A tool for extracting a valve cartridge having a single control stem from a valve body in which the cartridge is installed within an open-ended, cylindrical valve cartridge containment chamber and held in place with a retainer clip, said tool comprising: an extractor shaft with an aperture at a fore end thereof that is internally threaded, said extractor shaft having a trapezoidal left-hand male thread, coaxial with the internally-threaded aperture, that extends a major portion of a length of the extractor shaft; and a drive shaft axially extending from an aft end of the extractor shaft, said drive shaft enabling coupling of the extractor shaft to a rotary power tool; a tubular extractor body having a trapezoidal left-hand female thread at an aft end thereof that engages the trapezoidal left-hand male thread of the extractor shaft, said tubular extractor body having a fore end that buts up against a lip of the valve body that surrounds the open end of the valve cartridge containment chamber when extraction of the cartridge from the containment chamber begins; a coupler shank, having a right-hand male thread, which is threadably installed within said internally-threaded aperture; and an adapter sleeve that fits within a recess between the extractor shaft and the tubular extractor body and enables the tool to extract cartridges having a nominal diameter of 0.75 inch, said adapter sleeve being removable in order to extract cartridges having a nominal diameter of 1.00 inch; wherein, following removal of the retainer clip, clockwise rotation of the extractor shaft while holding and preventing the tubular extractor body from rotating allows the threaded coupler shank to coaxially engage an internally and axially threaded exposed end of the control stem, while simultaneously pushing the extractor body toward the valve body, and wherein once the fore end of the extractor body abuts the lip of the valve body, the cartridge is extracted, all in a single step.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein said left-hand male thread and said left-hand female thread are both Acme threads.

3. The tool of claim 2, wherein said left-hand male Acme thread has a nominal outside diameter of 0.75 inch.

4. The tool of claim 1, wherein the coupler shank has a right-hand 10-24 thread.

5. The tool of claim 1, wherein said tubular extractor body incorporates a pair of opposed longitudinal slots, which provide clearance for upper and lower plastic ears on the cartridges that provide pressure-balancing function between hot and cold water inputs to a valve, as the cartridge enters the tubular extractor body during an extraction operation.

6. The tool of claim 1, which further comprises a pair of opposed recesses on a fore end of the tubular extractor body, said recesses fitting over projections on the lip that surrounds the open end of the valve cartridge containment chamber.

7. A tool for extracting a valve cartridge having a single control stem from an open-ended, cylindrical valve containment chamber in a valve body, said tool comprising: an extractor shaft with an aperture at a fore end thereof that is internally threaded, said extractor shaft having a trapezoidal left-hand male thread, coaxial with the internally-threaded aperture, that extends a major portion of a length of the extractor shaft; and a drive shaft axially extending from an aft end of the extractor shaft, said drive shaft enabling coupling of the extractor shaft to a rotary power tool; a tubular extractor body having a trapezoidal left-hand female thread at an aft end thereof that engages the trapezoidal left-hand male thread of the extractor shaft, said tubular extractor body having a fore end that buts up against a lip of the valve body that surrounds the open end of the valve cartridge containment chamber when extraction of the cartridge from the containment chamber begins, said tubular extractor body also incorporating a pair of opposed longitudinal slots, which provide clearance for upper and lower plastic ears on cartridges that provide pressure-balancing function between hot and cold water inputs to a valve, as the cartridge enters the tubular extractor body during an extraction operation; a coupler shank, having a right-hand male thread, which is threadably installed within said internally-threaded aperture; and an adapter sleeve that fits within a recess between the extractor shaft and the tubular extractor body and enables the tool to extract cartridges having a nominal diameter of 0.75 inch, said adapter sleeve being removable in order to extract cartridges having a nominal diameter of 1.00 inch; wherein, following removal of a retainer clip that retains the valve cartridge within the valve containment chamber, clockwise rotation of the extractor shaft, while holding and preventing the tubular extractor body from rotating, allows the threaded coupler shank to coaxially engage an internally and axially threaded exposed end of the control stem, while simultaneously pushing the tubular extractor body toward the lip of the valve containment chamber, and wherein once the fore end of the extractor body abuts the lip of the valve body, the cartridge is extracted, all in a single step.

8. The tool of claim 7, wherein said left-hand male thread and said left-hand female thread are both Acme threads.

9. The tool of claim 8, wherein said left-hand male Acme thread has a nominal outside diameter of 0.75 inch.

10. The tool of claim 7, wherein the coupler shank has a right-hand 10-24 thread.

11. The tool of claim 7, which further comprises a pair of opposed recesses on a fore end of the tubular extractor body, said recesses fitting over projections on the lip that surrounds the open end of the valve cartridge containment chamber.

12. A tool for extracting a single-control-stem valve cartridge having a nominal outer diameter of 1 inch from a valve body in which the cartridge is installed within an open-ended, cylindrical valve containment chamber, in which axial movement of the cartridge is prevented by a retainer clip, said tool comprising: an extractor shaft with an aperture at a fore end thereof that is internally threaded, said extractor shaft having a trapezoidal left-hand male thread, coaxial with the internally-threaded aperture, that extends a major portion of a length of the extractor shaft; and a drive shaft axially extending from an aft end of the extractor shaft, said drive shaft enabling coupling of the extractor shaft to a rotary power tool; a tubular extractor body having an outer nominal diameter of 1.25 inch, a trapezoidal left-hand female thread at an aft end thereof that engages the trapezoidal left-hand male thread of the extractor shaft, said tubular extractor body having a fore end that buts up against a lip that surrounds the opening of the valve cartridge containment chamber when extraction of the cartridge from the containment chamber begins, said tubular extractor body also incorporating a pair of opposed longitudinal slots, which provide clearance for upper and lower plastic ears on the cartridges that provide pressure-balancing function between hot and cold water inputs to a valve, as the cartridge enters the tubular extractor body during an extraction operation; an adapter sleeve that fits within a recess between the extractor shaft and the tubular extractor body, is supported at an aft end by an annular barrier located where the left-hand female Acme thread begins, and enables the tool to extract cartridges having a nominal outside diameter of 0.75 inch; a coupler shank, having a right-hand male thread, which is installed within said internally-threaded aperture; and a nut which is threadably installed on said coupler shank and tightened against the fore end of said extractor shaft; wherein, following removal of the retainer clip that retains the valve cartridge within the valve containment chamber, clockwise rotation of the extractor shaft, while holding and preventing the tubular extractor body from rotating, allows the threaded coupler shank to coaxially engage the internally-threaded exposed end of the control stem, while simultaneously pushing the tubular extractor body toward the lip of the valve containment chamber, and once the extractor body abuts the lip, the cartridge is extracted, all in a single step.

13. The tool of claim 12, wherein said left-hand male thread and said left-hand female thread are both Acme threads.

14. The tool of claim 12, wherein the coupler shank has a right-hand 10-24 thread.

15. The tool of claim 12, which further comprises a pair of opposed recesses on a fore end of the tubular extractor body, said recesses fitting over projections on the lip of the valve body.

16. The tool of claim 1, which further comprises a nut which is threadably installed on said coupler shank and tightened against the fore end of said extractor shaft.

17. The tool of claim 7, which further comprises a nut which is threadably installed on said coupler shank and tightened against the fore end of said extractor shaft.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a older style Moen single-handle mixing valve that uses the -inch-diameter Moen I 1225 cartridge;

(2) FIG. 2 is a Model 2520 Moen Posi-Temp valve body without lip extensions, with the Model 1222 cartridge installed therein;

(3) FIG. 3 is a Moen Posi-Temp valve body equipped with lip extensions;

(4) FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the extractor shaft with the 10-24 threaded shank installed in the fore end thereof;

(5) FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the extractor shaft showing the 10-24 threaded shank and optional 10-24 nut removed from the drilled and tapped aperture in the fore end of the extractor shaft;

(6) FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the tubular extractor body and the extractor shaft, showing how the extractor shaft axially and threadably installs within the tubular extractor body;

(7) FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the extractor shaft threadably installed within the tubular extractor body;

(8) FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the tubular extractor body and the adapter sleeve, showing how the latter fits within a recess in the former; and

(9) FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the extractor shaft threadably installed within the tubular extractor body and the adapter sleeve installed between the tubular extractor body and the extractor shaft.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

(10) The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawing figures. It should be understood that the drawings may not be drawn to exact scale and are intended to be merely illustrative of the invention.

(11) Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, an extractor shaft 400 incorporates both right-hand and left-hand threaded elements. A size 10 right-hand-threaded coupler shank 401 having 24 threads per inch is installed in an axially-drilled and tapped aperture 501 at the fore end 402 of the extractor shaft 400. It will be noted that an optional 10-24 nut 403 has been threadably installed on the threaded shank 401. Thus, if the tool is inadvertently dropped and the threaded shank 401 receives a blow, it will fracture in front of the 10-24 nut 403, thereby enabling the remainder of the threaded shank 401 to be removed from the extractor shaft by engaging the nut 403 with a wrench and rotating the shank counterclockwise until it is unscrewed from the aperture 501. A new, unbroken threaded coupler shank with a nut secured thereon can be installed in the fore end of the extractor shaft. The threaded coupler shank 401 at the fore end 402 of the extractor shaft 400 engages the internally-threaded aperture 107 or 208 on the axially-rotatable control stem 106 or 207, respectively of a Moen cartridge 100 or 200, respectively. A major portion of the extractor shaft 100, which has a nominal diameter of 0.75 inch, incorporates a much larger, left-hand Acme male thread 404 along a major portion of the extractor shaft 400. Both the left-hand Acme male thread 404 and the right-hand male thread on the threaded shank are coaxial. The aft end of the extractor shaft 400 is equipped with a quarter-inch hexagonal drive shaft 405 having an annular retaining groove 406 that engages a snap-on quarter-inch hexagonal socket installed on a hand-held electric drill motor (not shown). The presently preferred dimensions of the extractor shaft 400 are as follows: 0.190 inch outside diameter of the threaded shank 401; exposed length of the threaded shank, 0.5 inch; 0.745 inch outside diameter of the male Acme thread; the male Acme thread is 5.275 inches in length; the hexagonal drive shaft is a nominal 0.25 inch between parallel flats; and length of the hexagonal drive shaft is 0.95 inch.

(12) Here is a brief history and explanation of the benefits of Acme threads. An Acme thread is a screw thread profile with a trapezoidal outline. Such threads are the most common forms used for both power screws and lathe leadscrews. They offer high strength and ease of manufacture. They are typically found where large loads are required, as in a vise or the leadscrew of a lathe. Standardized variations include multiple-start threads, left-hand threads, and self-centering threads. The Acme thread, which is the original trapezoidal thread form, is still probably the one most commonly encountered worldwide. The Acme thread was developed in 1894 as a profile well suited to power screws that has various advantages over the square thread, which had been the form of choice until that time. It is easier to cut via either single-point threading or die than the square thread because the latter's shape requires a tool bit or die tooth geometry that is poorly suited to cutting; it wears better than square because compensation can be made for wear; it is stronger than a comparably sized square thread; and it makes for smoother engagement of the half nuts on a lathe leadscrew than does square threading.

(13) Referring now to FIG. 6, a tubular extractor body 600 has a left-hand female Acme thread 601 at the aft end thereof, which threadably engages the left-hand Acme male thread 404 of the extractor shaft 400. The fore end 602 of the tubular extractor body 600 buts up against the lip 202 at the mouth of Posi-Temp cartridge housing 203. The tubular extractor body 600 is equipped with a pair of opposed longitudinal slots 603-A and 603-B, which provide clearance for the upper and lower plastic ears 204-U and 204-L, respectively of the Posi-Temp cartridge as the latter is extracted from the cartridge housing 203. It will be noted that a major anterior internal portion of the tubular extractor body 600 has a pair of opposed hemi-cylindrical walls 604-A and 604-B, which end at an annular barrier 605 located precisely where the left-hand female Acme thread 601 begins. Some, but not all models of the Moen Posi-Temp valves have lip extensions at the opening of the cartridge installation socket. FIG. 3 shows a valve with lip extensions 301-A and 301-B. For this reason, the fore end of the tubular extractor body 600 has shallow cutouts 606-A and 606-B which fit over the lip extensions. For Posi-Temp valve bodies without the lip extensions, the cutouts serve no purpose. The presently preferred dimensions of the tubular extractor body 600 are as follows: the length is 4.0 inches; the outside diameter is 1.25 inch; the inside diameter is 1.1 inch; the inside diameter of the left-hand Acme female 601 thread is 0.650 inch; the length of each of the longitudinal slots 603-A and 603-B is 3.0 inches; the width of each longitudinal slot 603-A and 603-B is 0.506 inch; the length of the left-hand female Acme thread is 1.0 inch; the width of the half circle at the aft end of each longitudinal slot 603-A and 603-B is 0.175 inch; the width of the shallow cutouts 606-A and 606-B at the fore end of the tubular extractor body 600 is 0.615 inch; and the depth of each of the shallow cutouts 606-A and 606-B is 0.10 inch.

(14) Referring now to FIG. 7, the extractor shaft 400 is shown together with the tubular extractor body 600. The drawing shows how the extractor shaft 400 is axially engages the tubular extractor body 600. Although the extractor shaft 400 can be installed into either end of the tubular extractor body 600, threaded insertion through the interior of the tubular extractory body 600 requires fewer rotations of the extractor shaft 400 to position it properly for the cartridge extraction process.

(15) Referring now to FIG. 8, the extractor shaft 400 has been threadably installed within the tubular extractor body 600 and is now ready to remove the cartridge of a Posi-Temp valve.

(16) Referring now to FIG. 9, an adapter sleeve 900 is shown that enables the cartridge extractor (consisting of the extractor shaft 400 and the tubular extractor body 600) to remove old style -inch diameter cartridges, such as Moen cartridge number 1225 old style Moen valve bodies. The adapter sleeve 900 fits into the chamber between the two hemisperical walls 604-A and 604-B of the tubular extractor body and buts up against the annular barrier 605. Either end of the adapter sleeve 900 mates with the lip 104 of the old style valve body 100. As the old style 1225 valve cartridges 102 have no projecting ears, no opposed longitudinal slots, such as slots 603-A and 603-B in the tubular extractor body, need be machines in the sleeve. The presently preferred dimensions of the adapter sleeve 900 are as follows: 1.0 inch outside diameter; 0.755 inside diameter; and a length of 3.0 inches.

(17) Referring now to FIG. 10, the extractor shaft 400 has been threadably installed within the tubular extractor body 600, and the adapter sleeve 900 has been installed between the tubular extractor body 600 and the extractor shaft 400.

(18) The cartridge extractor tool of the present invention is unique in that it incorporates both a right-hand male thread and a left-hand male thread on the same shaft. Because the extractor shaft is equipped with both a left-hand thread and a right-hand thread, any Moen cartridge can be extracted from the valve body in a single step following removal of the retainer clip 103 or 209. With the exposed tip of the threaded coupler shank 401 about even with the fore end of the tubular extractor body 600, clockwise rotation of the extractor shaft 400 (seen from the rear of the extractor shaft 400), while holding and preventing the tubular extractor body 600 from rotating allows the threaded shank to coaxially engage the internally-threaded end of the control stem 106 or 207, while simultaneously pushing the tubular extractor body 600 toward the lip 104 or 202 at the open end of the cylindrical valve cartridge containment chamber 101 or 201, once the fore end of the tubular extractor body 600 abuts the lip 104 or 202, the cartridge 102 or 205 is extracted, all in a single step. Because the cartridge control stem 106 or 207 is free to rotate within the cartridge 102 or, it spins freely, driven by the extractor shaft 400, as the cartridge 102 or 205 is extracted from the valve cartridge containment chamber 101 or 201.

(19) Although only a single embodiment of the improved cartridge extractor tool has been shown and described, it will be obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed.