The present invention, relates to a water tap assembly, and in particular a water tap assembly for use on the exterior of a building to supply water for outside use, such as in gardens or yards. Such water taps are required to withstand extremes of temperature and adverse weather due to their location and are also more prone to tampering and vandalisation due to their accessibility.

In order to prevent the formation of ice within a tap, possibly leading to damage of the tap, it is known to provide insulated covers or enclosures for fitment over exterior taps . Examples of such arrangements can be seen in US4577655 and US4244394. The main problem with such devices is that they must be removed before the tap can be used and thus interfere with the operation of the tap. Furthermore, due to the inconvenience of removing the cover to use the tap, the operator may forget or

deliberately fail to refit the cover after using the tap.

It is also known to provide lockable covers or other obstructing means over an exterior water tap to prevent unauthorised use of the tap. Examples of such devices are shown in GB2367341 and US592711. Again, such devices interfere with the normal operation of the tap and require the user to replace the cover after use to be effective.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved exterior tap assembly that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

According to the present invention there is provided a water tap assembly for exterior use comprising a tap body having an inlet adapted to be connectable to a water supply, an outlet and a flow path between said inlet and outlet, a valve member being provided within the tap body, the valve member being moveable between a closed position wherein the valve member obstructs said flow path, preventing the flow of water between the inlet and the outlet, and an open position wherein communication between the inlet and outlet is established, the tap assembly further comprising a removable key insertable into a receiving aperture in the tap body, the key and the valve member having co-operating formations whereby the key can be manipulated to move the valve member between its open and closed positions to operate the tap, the removable key and the receiving aperture

having co-operating formations whereby removal and insertion of the key is only possible when the valve member is in its closed position. In one embodiment the valve member comprises a. lift valve. In an alternative embodiment the valve member comprises a ball valve.

Preferably the co-operating formations of key and key receiving aperture comprise a radially extending projection formed on a side surface of the key and a. corresponding slot formed in the key receiving aperture, the slot of the receiving aperture and the projection of the key being arranged such that the slot is in, radial alignment with the projection when the valve member is in its closed position.

Such arrangement prevents removal of the key unless the tap is correctly closed, preventing the tap from being accidentally left running and preventing over- tightening of the tap.

Preferably the co-operating formations of the key and the key receiving aperture and/or the co- operating formations of the valve member prevent operation of the tap assembly unless the correct key for the particular tap assembly is utilised.

Preferably the valve body is mounted within a housing, the inlet, outlet and key receiving aperture being accessible from outside of the housing. Preferably the space between the interior surfaces of the housing and the valve body is filled

with an insulating material, such as a polymeric foam material. This enables the tap to be used outdoors without the risk of water within the tap freezing and causing damage to the tap in the winter.

Preferably the housing includes a mounting flange having a plurality of mounting apertures therein to permit the tap assembly to be mounted on a surface.

The housing insulates the tap body to prevent frost damage, facilitates wall mounting of the tap assembly and protects the valve components from damage, both accidental and deliberate vandalisation.

The valve body may further include an anti-syphon valve for preventing the back flow of water between the outlet and the inlet. Such ant-syphon valves are known in the art and thus need not be described in more detail. Such anti-syphon valves prevent water being drawn back into the water supply through the tap in the event of sudden drops in supply pressure and are mandatory for use with outside taps connected to a mains water supply in many countries.

Preferably the inlet of the tap is provided with quick fit connection means permitting tooless connection of the inlet to a water supply pipe.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of an exterior water tap assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the tap assembly of Fig. 1; and

Figure 3 is a sectional view on line A-A of Fig. 2.

The tap assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an insulated housing 1 having a rear flange provided with mounting apertures 3 to permit the tap assembly to be secured to a surface, such as the outside wall of a building. A tap body 4 is mounted within the housing. The housing 1 may be injected with an expanding polymeric foam to provide insulation for the tap, preventing the tap from freesing when the ambient temperature falls below 0°C. The foam insulation fills the spaces between the inner surfaces of the housing 1 and the tap body 4.

The housing 1 may be formed from sheet metal or may be made of a plastic material. Preferably the housing 1 comprises a plastic moulding.

The tap body 4 has an inlet 5 accessible from the rear face of the housing 1. The inlet 5 is

preferably equipped with a quick fit connector 6 whereby the inlet 5 can be connected to a water supply pipe 7.

The tap body 4 has an outlet 8 extending from a front lower face of the housing 1. The outlet 8 may have an externally threaded extension 9 to permit attachment of a hose pipe thereto .

In one embodiment, the interior of the tap body 4 contains a valve seat 10 and an axially moveable valve member 11, the valve member 11 being axially moveable between a closed position, wherein the valve member 11 engages the valve seat 10 to cut off flow between the inlet 5 and outlet 8 and close the tap, and an open position wherein the valve member 11 is spaced from the valve seat 10 to open the tap. The shaft of the valve member 11 is threadedly mounted in an internally threaded portion 12 of the tap body 4 whereby rotation of the valve member 11 causes axial movement of the valve member 11 in a desired direction, as is conventional in lift valve design for domestic taps .

In alternative embodiment (not shown) , the tap body contains a flow passage between the inlet and the outlet, the valve member being in the form of a quarter turn ball valve mounted in the flow passage to be rotatable about an axis normal to the flow passage and having a through passage extending perpendicular to said rotational axis, whereby the through passage establishes flow communication

between the inlet and outlet when the valve member is in an open position, the valve member obstructing the flow passage to close the flow passage when the valve member is rotated 90° from its open position to a closed position. Such quarter turn ball valves are conventional in tap design and, thus need not be described in more detail.

The tap is operable by means of a removable key 15 insertable through a key receiving aperture 16 to engage an end 17 of the valve member 11. A distal end of the key 15 and the end 17 of the valve member 11 have co-operating formations whereby the valve member 11 can be moved between its open and closed positions by rotation of the key 15 once the end of the key 15 is engaged with the end 17 of the valve member 11. Preferably the end 17 of the valve member comprises an elongate extension, shaped to be received in an aperture in the end of the key, said end 17 of the valve member 11 and the aperture in the end of the key having a complimentary non- circular cross sectional shape (e.g. a hexagonal) such that the end 17 and the aperture inter-engage. Preferably the key 15 and key receiving aperture 16 have cooperating formations to permit operation of the tap only when the correct key is used, in the manner of a conventional security key.

Removal (and insertion) of the key 15 out of the key receiving aperture 16 can only occur when the valve member 11 is in its closed position. This is achieved by the provision of a radially extending

projection 18 adjacent the end of the key 15 and a corresponding radial slot 19 provided in the opening 20 of the key receiving aperture 16. The projection 18 and slot 19 are positioned such that they are in radial alignment only when the valve member 11 is in its closed position.

This arrangement ensures that the key 15 can only be removed when the tap is correctly switched off, preventing unauthorised use of the tap, preventing the tap from being accidentally left running and preventing over-tightening of the tap, with resulting damage to sealing surfaces of the valve member 11 and valve seat 10.

An anti-syphon valve 21 is incorporated into the tap to prevent the backflow of water from the outlet to the inlet.

In an alternative embodiment the housing may contain two tap bodies, a first connectable tg a cold water supply and a second connectable to a hot water supply. Each tap body may have a separate outlet or both may communicate with, a single, common outlet.

Known taps intended, for outdoor use have been typically formed from brass to cope with the wide range of ambient temperatures to which the tap is exposed and to provide corrosion resistance. Due to the insulating properties of the water tap assembly according to the present invention and the protection of the tap body from the environment

afforded by the housing 1, the tap body 4 and associated components can be made out of alternative materials, such as different metals or plastic, which might be less tolerant to the conditions under which the valve would have to operate without the insulation afforded by the housing, such as expansion problems due to ambient temperature changes .