-et int<) engagement with the locking catch. Thereby the pusher rod 11 is displaced under the influence of th.- valve spring 8 and displaces the valve closure body 7 returnin.into its closed position relatively to the still retained lever 28 and the locking bolt 23, so that the position shown in FIG. 7 is reached. By closing the ignition safety valve 7/2 the gas supply to the pilot burner through 5 is shut off so that the pilot burner is extinguished. During the cooling down time lasting several seconds, the rotary control knob cannot be tlirned into the "On" position a.-ain, as otherwise unburnt -as could escape during this tirne. This locking of the rotary control knob 18 is provided by the engagement of the locking catch 24 into the slot 26 of the pusher rod 11, as shown in FIG. 7. If the armature 33 has been released by the magnet 35 after the cooling down of the thennocouple has taken place, the lever 28 and the locking bolt 23 can return into their initial positions under the influence of the spring 37, so that the locking catch 24, as shown in FIG. 6, comes out of engagement andthe lockingof the rotary cgntrol knob 18 is released automatically. Invention is claimed as @follows: 1. In a gas valve including a body having a main gas supply connection, a pilot burncr connection and a main burner connection, and inclucl@ing,a thermoelectric magnet means, the improvement comprising: a pilot valve including a fu-st closure member in said body between the main connect-ion and the pilot connection; first operating means,operatively connected to the closure member and the electromagnet means to hold the closure member open when the magnet means is energized and the pilot valve is otherw@ise opened, said iopera-ting means including a manually operable member to permit the pilot valve to be manually opened; a main burner valve including a second closure member in said body between the pilot connection and the main bumer connection; second operating means operatively connected to- the second closure member and including a manually operable member to open the main valve and hold it open; and means inter connecting the first and second operat@ing means to prevent the main valve from being closed and thereafter reopened until after said magnet means has been deenergized. 2. In la gas valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein said closure rnembers are coaxial with the second closure member being up stream, with respect to the flo-w (>f gas, of the first closure member, one of said actuatin.- means including a sleeve and the other of the actuating means inclu(hng a pusher rod positioned within the sleeve, said sleeve and rod being axially !aligned with the closure members. 3. In a gas valve as set forth in claim 1, wherein the firs,t operating means includes a means to provide a mechanical advantage to the magnet means in holding the closure member of the pilot valve open. 3,099,994 4 . A g a s v a l v e i n c l u d i n g : a h o l l o w b o d y h a v i n g a g a s hilet connection, a first chamber communicating with the inlet connection and a second chamber communicating w@ith the first chamber, said body defining ;a first valve seat between the inlet connection and the first compartment and a second valve seat between the first compartment and the second compartmenit, said two seats being coaxial, a phot line connection communicating with the first compartment, @a main burner l@ine connect-ion com10 municating with the second compartment; a first closure member seated on the first seat; a second closure member seated on the second seat; a sleeve journaled in the body coaxial with the seats with one end in juxtaposition to the seated side!of the second closure member; pusher rod 15 m-,ans joumaled in the sleeve, extending through the second closure member and in juxit@aposition to a portion of the seated side iof first closure member; means resiliently urg@ing said closure members against said eeats; a first operating means for the rod means to move the rod 20 means axially to unseat the first closure member; a second operatin.- means -for the sleeve to move thD sleeve axially to unseat the -second closure member; a lever pivotally coinnected to the body and to the rod means; electro magnetmeans cojinected to the lever to hold the 25 rod means in a position at which the first closure member is unseated when the magnet meansis energized and the rod means is otherwise moved to said position; and means interconnecting the two ;Operating means to prevent the sleeve from moving the second closure member 30 to the unseated position, after both members have been unseated and the second closure mgmber reseated, until after said magnet means has been deenergized. 5. A gas valve as set forth in clairn 4, wherein the second operating means includes a rotary control knob 35 having a cam moveable from an "off" p@asition to. an "on" position to unseat the second closure member, an axially nioveable, non-r@otatable cam foliower opieratively connected to the cam and to the sleeve; sa-ld first operating means including a push button extending through the 40 control knob, and means operatively connecting the push but@ton and the rod means to permit the push rod to be moved by an inward push on the button only when the control knob is at an intermediate position between the 45 "on" and "off" positions. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 50 2,313,890 Ray ------------------ Mar. 16, 1943 2,395,470 Ew@ing ----------------- Feb.26,1946 2,455,542 Weber et al -------------- Dec. 7, 1948 2,901,034 Puttfarcken et al --------- Aug. 25, 1959 2,917,062 Schuchardt ------------- Dec. 15, 1959

United States Patent Office 32099@994 3,099,994 THr-4'RMOELEA CTFUC IGiNITi'LON SAFET17DEVICE Hans Putz, Robert Lehnartz, and Ernst - Feldman, Remscheid, Germany, assignors to Joh. Vaillant K.G., Remscheid, Germiany Filed Feb. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 88,566 Clai.ms priority, appli,-ation Germany Feb. 11, 1-0,60 5 Claims. (Cl. IL37-66) T,his invention relatesto a thermoelectric ignition safe-ty device, in paiiticular for gas-water-heaters. As is weHknown in a thermoelectric i.@nition safety d,-vice, the amiature of a magnet thermo,-Iec-trically energized by a pilot burner is pressed on the magnet poles by rneans of ia inanually @actuated mernber, and by the energized electromagnet a valve closure body is maintained in open position against the action of a valve spring. It is weU known to effee'@ the pressin.- on of the r@lagnet a@@rinature and the opening movement of the valve closure body by means of a lever as an inter-ir@ediate member. With all prior art the,-moelectrig i.-nitioi safety devices, thedifficulty iarises that th-. force exerted by @the valve spring cannot be greater than the reitaining power of the thermoelectrically energized magnet. Therefore, if a thermoelectric i.-iiition safety device is used, one has to be satisfied with ia relatively small closing force of the valve spring, which force of-ton could not warran,t for a safe sealing off. Accordin.- to the iiivention this dii-neulty is overcome in that making use of a lever as an intermediate member-knovin per sethe supporting point of the valve closure body lies on a shorter arm of the lever, and the point of en.-agement of the magnet,armature lies on a longer arm thereof. With such a str-ucture, the force of the valve spring c@,--n be larger th'an the retaining power of the magnet by the ratio of the lever a-rms. i-he lever can be both a one arm lever and a two arm lever or can be designed g,s an angle lever. In:a par-.ticularly adva-.ltageous manner, such a thermoelectric ignition safety device can be com@bined with a manually op-- Pated valve system-well known per sewhich can be opened and closed at will and comprises a main and @an ignition gas valve, and which has 'Lwo coaxial plate valves, one of which is opened, by @a pusher rod against the .@as pressure andthe other,one of which is opened in the -same direction by a @driver after a certain stroke of said rod, in combination with cgntact piece nonrotatably guided in the casing and axially mova-ble by means of a rotary control knob through a cam surface. In sucli a double valve structlire of successm construction a ithermoelectric i,-nition safety device of the invention can be provided in such a manner that the driver is desi.-ned as a sleeve enclosing the pusher rod and directly abuttin,-,the contact piece, andthat,an additional push -button is provided for ithe actuation of the pusher rod, which @axially penetrates the rotary control knob and t,he contact piece and which at the same titne engages tlle lever of the i.-nition safety device at the shorter lever arm thereof, the lever of the i.- nition safety device being pivoted on the casing and passing through the pusher sleeve throu.-h a diamettral slo-t thereof. With such a structure, the upstream plate valve acting both as ian ignition gas valve and as an ignitionsafety valve is opened by pushin.- down the push button, the -n-iagnet armature bein@ pressed on q@t the same time. The second ;downstrea,m plate valve iacting as main gas valve is, however, opened through the contact piece @and the pusher slec-,ve by means of the rotary control knob. Thus two operating positions are provided for the rotary control knob, namely "Off":and "On." Provision can be made without difficulties that push button can be pushed down only Patented Aug. 6, 1963 2 in the position "Off" tand is -locked inthe other position "On." Asthe i.-nition safety valve is retained in its open position by the ithennoeteotrically energized magnet, if the pilot flame burns, the -downstream main gas valve can be closed, with the pilot flame buming, by turning the rotary control knob into the position "Off." Thus the piloit flame can be kept lburning to prevent -the apparatius from freezing up. It is, however, not possible simply to extin-guish,the pilot lo flame by operation of the, rotary control knob, and to close @tho ignition gas valve. lt is well known, with thermoelectric ignition safety -devices to withdravi the Tnagnet armature from the magnet while the pilot flame is still burning in order to close 15 the i,-nition safety valve. This could be realized also in a device according tothis invention. This has, however, @the disadvantage that the -apparatus can be, again, put -.nto operation lat once. The magnet would then still retain the ignition gas valve in its open position for a 20 certain period wi-thout the pilot flainebuming, which has been extinguished in the meantime. Thereby,,the resultin@g danger is -that unburned gas niight escape. Iii a fur-Lher modifica-.tion of the invention, the thennoelectric ignition safety device is construrted in such a 25 ir@anner thatthe i.-nition gas valve is closed at the "Off" posi-tion of the rotary control knob, -that, however, again putting !the apparatus into operation is prevented until -the armature of the thermoelectrically energized magnet has fallen oiT, i.e., until the thermocouple heated by the 30 pilo@t flame has been cooled idown. In ord,--r to -achieve this, advantageously, provision is made in a striieture of t-he -type described ihereinbefore, that the push button non-rotatably gliided in the rotary icentrol knob comprises a locking bolt gliided non-ro35 tatably but axiahy movable;against the action of a spring fixed to the casing, which bolt is coupled to the lever guiding the armature, of thethermoelecatric igni@tion safety device, a@- id that upon rotation of the Totary control knob into its "Off" position an axially guided in non-rotatable 40 manner pusher rod icomes into engagement with a projectina loclcing catch of the locking bol-t rotated with the rotary control k-nob and thereby -moves in axial direction relatively to the lever so -that -the valve returns into its closing position, while tho magnet armature is still re45 tained. Thereby the blocking of @the rotary control knob effected bythe locking bolt is -automatically released not before then, wh@-n the lever guiding the magnet armatlire and the loeking bolt coupled thereto have returned to 50 their initial positions after the armature has been released. An embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1-7 and is described hereinbelow: FIG. I is a sectional elevational view of a gas con55 troller according to the invention, iand FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof. FIGS. 3 and 4 show details of a blocking device. FIGS. 5-7 are perspective views and show several operational positions of the locking bolt and the parts cooperating therewith. 60 Within a gas c<)ntroller casing 1, int@o @which the gas enters in the direction of the ;arrow, two coaxial valve seals 2 and 3 are provided. Valve seat 2 has a larger diam--ter than valve seat 3. An ignition gas passaae branches off from an ;annular space 4 formed between 65 the valve seats 2, 3. Behind the valve seat 3, as viewed in the @direction of the gas flow, the main gas passage 6 is arranged leading to a burner (not shown). A pot-shaped valve closure body 7 abuts t@he valve seat 21 which body is held in closing direction both by -the 70 gas pressure and by a valve spring 8 resting @on the gas controller,casing. Another valve closure body 9 abutting the valve seat

3,099,9" 3 3 is arranged concentrically to the valve closure body 7 and is pressed tonvards the valve seat 3 by a valve sprin.@ 10 -also in the directibn of the gas pres@ure. The valve spring 10 is p6sitioned with;n the -pot-shaped valve clo@urb body 7 and rests thireon. A spacer rod 11' inserted into a blind-end bore 14 of the valve closure body 7 passes throiigh the valve cl<),sure body 7 in a seal 13 and extends into a control sleeve 12, which is axially g,uided in a seal 1,2' ih a partition wall I' of the,casiiig. In the interior of this sleeve @12 a pusher rod 11 is axially giiided codperatin- with a spacer rod 11', and is scaled -by means!of a seal II,'. A rotary -control knob 18 is turnably mounted on the, ga@ contfoller casin@ IL by r@leans of a cap nut I"'. The rotary control knob has two diainetrically opposed cams i7 on the inner surface there6f which cooperate with cam surface 17' of a contact piece 15 g-uided non-rotat,ably in axial direction in the .@as controller casin@. If the rotary coritrol knob IS is turned manually thr4Dugh about 90', from the "Off" position sho@vn to the "On" position, the contact piece 15 is shifted in axial direction @by the cams 17 running up the cam surfaces 17', whereby tN@o c<)mpression springs IL6 restin, on the partition wall I' are put under stress. A blockin@ sleeve 19, -shown separdt@aly in FIG. 3, is slipped over the control sleeve 12, which blocking sleeve exte-nds into a center hole of the contact piece 15 and abuts the partition wall 1'. -the blocki,@g sleeve 19 is milled out at the end exteiiding tc)wards the partition wall jL', s6 that merely fork Igg,s @19'. are produced, which between them take up flange proj@ction 20 of the control sleeve. The Range projections 20 abut within the recess of the front face of the contact piece 15 so that, if the contact piece 15 is shifted, . itic -cont@rol sleeve 12 is shifted therewith, therpby, lifting t@e v@l-ve closure body 9 from its seat, i.e. opening the main gas valve. A'Push-button 21 is mounted in the rotary control knob 'i8, whi6h with a hollow shaft 21' projects from the rotary contr6l knob and is guided non-rotatably in the knob @t8 by means of a fork-shaped extension 22, which is shown s6parately in FIG. 4. At the "Off" position shoivn 6f the rotary @ontrol knob 18, the push-button 21 cannot by pushed down, as the fork-shaped extension 22 strikes again@f the front face of the @blocking sleeve 19. The blbcking sleeve 19 is, hcywever, p.ro-vided with suitable recesses 19", extension 22 can enter into these recesses I 9", if the rotary control knob is is tumed into an interm6diate p@osition, the ,Ignitiolf, position. Th@us in this "Ignition" position . the push button can be Pushed down. A flattened locking bolt 23 is arranged in the forknsion 12 and is al 'ded non @haped exte so zm -rotatably in the rotary control knob. @Tihe @lockin,@ bolt 23,sho-n @Lt an enlarged scale in FIGS, 5-7 has a locking catch 24 at its one end projec@ing the extension 22 c6nsisting of a ,bl,ade -aroduced by miuin,@ out 24'. The end of the pusher rod 11 extending towards the locking bolt 23 is provided with a blind-end bore 25 and with axial slot 26 corresponding to the thickness Of the locking catch 24. A threaded @rod 27 is screwed into the lockin-. bolt 23 from the front face thereof, whichrod extends into the slotted e,nd of the pusher rod 11 provided wi th the blind-end hoke 25. A lever 28 is pivotably connected to the threaded rod at pivot 2 - 8', which lever is MOUTI@Led at 29 in the g@s' c I ontrofier casin,-. The lever 28 passes through the control sleeve 12 through a slot 30 thereof and is lead out oi the gas controller casing I through a slot 31. The lever 28 is pivotably connected at its projecting end with thepusher r6d 32 of a magnet armature 33. The pusher rod 32 is axially -,uided in the casing 34 of a thermoelectric magnet. 'A,,com@ression spri-ng 36 is housed in the shaft 21' of push button 21, whirh spring rests on locking bolt 23. Additionally, a sprin,@ 37 is provided which, on the one hand rests on the locking bolt 23 and ion the other hand on the blockin-, sleeve 19 fixed to the casin,@. 4 At the "Off" position of_ the rotary control knob 18 as shown in FIGS. I and 2, the locking bolt 23 is in the position shown in FIG. 6. As already described hereinbefore, at this "Off" position the push button 21 cannot be pushed down, since the fork-shap@ed extension 22,abuts the blocl@in- sle.-ve 19. If the rotary conlrol knob 18 is turned into the position "Ign-tion where it is engaged by a catch device (not shown), 'Lhe push butt<)n 21 is turned therewith so that 10 the fork shaped extension 22 is positioned in front of the recess 19" of the blorking sleeve 19 and the locking bolt 23 has the position shown in FIG. 5. In this position, the lockin.- catch 24 is tra-@isverse to the slot 26 of the pusher rod II. As the lever 28 canrot perform tais 15 rotation of the locking bolt 23, the threaded rod 27 connected fo the lever 28 in pivot point 28' is turned in its thread in lockin.- bolt 23. At this "Ignition" position the push button 21 can be pushed down. Thereby, the locking catch 24 shilts the pusher rod 11 and opens the igni20 tion safety valve 7/2 against the action of valve spring 8 by means of spacer rod 11', so that i.-nition gas can get through the ignition gas passage 5 to the pilot burner. At the same time, when the push button 21 is pushed do%,vn, the lever 28 is swungout by means,of the threaded 25 rod screwed into the locking bolt, so that the armature 33 is pressed on the poles of the thermoelectrically energizable magnet 35. If now, with the push button ZI pushed down the pilot flame is i,@nited and in well-known manner the themiocurrent necessary to tenergize the 30 magnet 35 is produced by the heat of the pilot-flame, the iarmature 35 will zbe retained by the inagnet 35, so that lever 23 cannot return into its initial position, when the piish-button is released and returns under the influence of the spring 36. With the lever 28 held in the displaced 35 position, also the locking bolt 23 is retained by the threaded rod 27 with the spring 37 put under stress, so that the pusher rod 11 remains in its displaced position and the i,-nition safety valve 7/2 remains opened. It is essential that the forces of the valve spring 8 40 through the pusher rod 1.1 and the locking bolt 23 as well as the forces of the sprin.@ 37 act in the point 28' on a shorter arm of the lever 29 than the retaining force e=ted bythe magnet 35 o-n the armature 33. Therefore this retaining force can be smaller than the opposing 45 spring forces 8 and 37- by the ratio of the lever arm. Thus the lever 28 can be retained by a relat-ively small magnetic force -against the @action of @a relatively strong valve sprin-. 8 and an additional spring 37. By a further rotation of the rotary control knob 18 into 50 its "On" position taking place with axially displaced locking bolt 23 and consequently Gpening ignition safety valve 7/2, the contact piece 15 and the pusher rod 12 abu@tting thcreon is displaced iaxially by means of the eams 17 and the cam surfaces 17' and thus the main gas valve 9/3 55 ds opened. NTow the gas is allovied to flow through the two open valves 7/2 and 9/3 to the connecting socket 6. There a water deficiency safety valve 38 is provided in usual manner, which is openedby a flow actuated member 40 through a pusher rod 39, if water flows there60 flirough. Then -the gas can be ignited in the burner (not shown) by @he burning pilot flame, whereby the apparatus comes into operation. If for some reasonthe pilot flame is extinguished before the lapparatus is put into operation, the @armature of the r,5 magnet is released after a cer-tain cooling down time, so that the lever 23 and the locking bolt 23 return to. their imtial position under the influence of the spring 37. Thereby the ignition safety valve retums to its closed position under the influence,of the spring 8. 70 This device enables, however, also a closing of the ignition safety valve 7/2 with the pilot flame still burnin-., i@e. with retained armature 33 @and still swung-out lever 29. If, namely, in this condition the rotary control knob 18 and thus also the lockin- bolt is returned into 75 ',the "Off" position, the slot 26 6f ttlle puslier rod 11 can