CA1037654A - Mounting assembly and method for food waste disposer - Google Patents
Mounting assembly and method for food waste disposerInfo
- Publication number
- CA1037654A CA1037654A CA287,050A CA287050A CA1037654A CA 1037654 A CA1037654 A CA 1037654A CA 287050 A CA287050 A CA 287050A CA 1037654 A CA1037654 A CA 1037654A
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- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- sink
- flange
- disposer
- flared
- annular
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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Abstract
MOUNTING ASSEMBLY AND METHOD FOR FOOD WASTE DISPOSER
Abstract of the Disclosure A simplified mounting and sealing assembly for rapidly attaching a food waste disposer to a sink includes a sink flange which is inserted into the drain opening in the sink and has an elongated neck extending below the sink. An annular pressure plate is received on the flange neck below the sink, and is tem-porarily supported by bosses or protuberances on the flange while also capturing the flange in the sink opening. An annular groove is formed in the flange neck below the bosses and a snap ring which is held captive in the disposer engages this groove upon lifting the disposer over the neck. The groove and snap ring hold the disposer on the flange so it is free to be rotated for making electrical and drain connections. An annular flange seal is received in the disposer and an annular compression plate rests on the upper surface of this seal. Jack screws extend between this annular compression plate and the pressure plate to lift the annular pressure plate against the bottom of the sink, compress the annular seal and lock the disposer against movement. The jack screws are threaded into the compression plate and force it down-wardly against the seal to cause the seal to engage both the neck of the flange and the disposer at the same time that the pressure plate is lifted up against the bottom of the sink. The arrange-ment is such that extending the jack screws to lift the pressure plate and compress the flange seal does not alter location of the disposer with respect to the sink or previously completed plumbing-electrical connections.
Abstract of the Disclosure A simplified mounting and sealing assembly for rapidly attaching a food waste disposer to a sink includes a sink flange which is inserted into the drain opening in the sink and has an elongated neck extending below the sink. An annular pressure plate is received on the flange neck below the sink, and is tem-porarily supported by bosses or protuberances on the flange while also capturing the flange in the sink opening. An annular groove is formed in the flange neck below the bosses and a snap ring which is held captive in the disposer engages this groove upon lifting the disposer over the neck. The groove and snap ring hold the disposer on the flange so it is free to be rotated for making electrical and drain connections. An annular flange seal is received in the disposer and an annular compression plate rests on the upper surface of this seal. Jack screws extend between this annular compression plate and the pressure plate to lift the annular pressure plate against the bottom of the sink, compress the annular seal and lock the disposer against movement. The jack screws are threaded into the compression plate and force it down-wardly against the seal to cause the seal to engage both the neck of the flange and the disposer at the same time that the pressure plate is lifted up against the bottom of the sink. The arrange-ment is such that extending the jack screws to lift the pressure plate and compress the flange seal does not alter location of the disposer with respect to the sink or previously completed plumbing-electrical connections.
Description
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('? ` ~LQ~ G54 ~ his is a divisional of Canadian application Serial No. 228,857 filed June 9th, 1975.
Back~round of the Invention Food waste disposers, particularly for home use, are com-monly installed in a sink opening by one person. An important consideration is the speed and ease with which a disposer may be installed.
It has become common practice to suspend or otherwise support the disposer on the sink drain sleeve, or drain flange.
Since the disposer is supported on the drain flange, it has been a common necessity first to install the flange in the sink and then lock it onto the sink using jack screws or the like before the disposer itself is installed and attached to the drain flange.
Thus, the necessity for installing and locking the drain flange prior to the connection o the disposer makes the subsequent installation of the disposer awkward and often difficult. In many instances, the angular position of the disposer depends upon the orientation of the drain flange, and it ma~ be difficult or at least time consuming to achieve the proper sighting and alignment ~ of the disposer in order to make the plumbing and electrical con-- nections. Thus, prior arrangements have commonly failed to pro-vide ull flexibility in the position of the disposer with respect to the sink drain flange prior to the final fastening and tighten-ing on the flange. At times, these installations are one of trial and error! since the installer must first surmise as to whether a selected drain flange position will assure that the disposerr after its installation, will be properly lined up so that the drain and electrical connections can be made.
Another problem inherent in the installation of waste food disposers concerns the necessity of making a full seal of the drain flange with the sink and making a full seal of the disposer to the drain flange. Commonly, these seals are effected in sepa-rate tightening, fastening, or clamping operations.
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- ~37~i4 A particular problem in the installation of food waste disposers resides in the fact that they are usually installed by one person, and the installations are normally made under a sink where the work space is already limited and cramped. Thus, one particular difficulty resides in the lack of freedom to rotate or turn the disposer into any position while it is supported on the sink flange. In other instances, it may be difficult or not pos-sible to turn the sink flange separately from turning the disposer, so that trademark information or operating instructions which may be carried on the exposed flared ~pper surface of the sink ~lange may be properly aligned.
One prior arrangement which simplified disposer instal~a-tions is disclosed in the U. S. patent o~ Thierer No. 2,946,525 of 1960, now assigned to the same assignee as this application.
lS In Thierer, a mounting ring was secured to the neck portion of the drain -flange and held in place by a retainer or snap ring after the flange had been inserted in the sink opening. ~his mounting ~ing was formed with a series of key-hole-shaped slots and the disposer was provided with headed hanger screws which fit into the slots so that when the disposer was rotated with respect to the mounting ring, these hanger screws would slide into the slots and thus support the weight of the disposer for further installa-tion and adjustment. These hanger screws were individually tight-ened once the disposer was connected. The mounting ring was also provided with jack screws which were turned so as to urge a pres-sure washer upwardly against the sink seal and lock ~he flange on the sink. As a practical matter, it was necessary to have the drain flange at least fairly well secured in place by use of these jack screws prior to placing the ~isposer into position and turning it in the key-hole-shaped slots, otherwise the flange would turn instead. Further, although the entire uni~ could be rot2lted, as ~376~i4 a practical matter, the installer had to be careful that he did not inadvertently bring the disposer around to where the headed hanger screws lined up with the access holes, otherwise the disposer would come free of the retainer riny. Further-more, the final tightening of the hanger screws could alter ~ the location of the disposer by an amount sufficient to disturb the plumbing connections where they were short or rigid in nature.
Summary of the Invention Th~ present invention is directed to the further simplification o~ installing disposers in sinks over that shown in the prior art. In one aspect of the invention, a food waste disposer apparatus uses a sink flange which has a body with a flared upper end. The flange is received in a sink opening with the upper end retained on the top side of the sink opening and with the body extending through the sink.
The disposer has a mouth portion received over the flange body.
There are means engaging the disposer with the flange body.
A compressible gasket is received in the disposer mouth por-tion and expandable means apply a sealing force to the gasket while immobilizing the disposer with respect to the sink.
The preferred means engaging the disposer with the flange body includes a spring snap ring mounted on the disposer adjacent the tapered mouth portion, and an annular groove defined in the flange cylindrical body for receiving the spring snap ring.
In another aspect of the invention, the food waste disposer includes a sink flange with a flared upper end and a tubular neck portion. The flanye is received in the sink opening with the upper end on one side of the sink ana with the neck portion extending therethroug~ and terminatin 376i~i4 beneath the sink, There are sealing means between the flared end of the sink flange and the sink, and the food waste disposer has a tapèred mou~h portion received in telescopic relation to the flange neck portion. The disposer is sus-pended rotatably on the neck portion of the sink flange, with a compressible gasket received between the disposer and the flange in the tapered mouth portion, and adjustable com-pression screws act between said sink and gasket for applying equal and opposite axially outward forces to mutually seal the sealing means at the sink opening and the flange to the gasket, and to fix the disposer in the selected rotational position with respect to the sink flange.
~ n another aspect of the invention a food waste disposer assembly has a sink flange with an upper end which is flared and a tubular neck portion. The flange is adapted to be received in a sink opening with the flared end on one side of the sink and the neck portion extending therethrough and terminating beneath the sink. There is a seal between the flared end and the sink. The food waste disposer also has a tapered mouth portion terminating in a ledge at its upper end which is received in telescopic relation on the flange neck portion. A compressible gasket is receiving in the tapered disposer mouth portion adjacent the sink flange therein. The gasket has a free portion exposed axially above the leage.
An annular compression plate is received on the exposed free portion of the gasket and is movable to compress the gasket in response to a compression means force. The ledge aefines the maximum extent of compression movement of the plate.
Adjustable compression means direct a ~orce against the sink and also against the compression plate for mutually seal~ng !~ the sealing means at the sink opening and the gasket at the ~ .
1~37~4 flange while the disposer is located in a selected rotational position with respect to the sink.
In another aspect of the invention a disposer has a mouthpiece which surrounds the lower part of a sink flanye and de~ines an annular space therebetween. ~ snap ring - engages the sink flange. An annular collar ring has a flared portion adjacent the innermost diameter thereof. The flared portion is of a first diameter at an axially extreme portion remote from the coliar ring body and of a larger second diameter near the ring body to provide for positive capture ana retention of the snap ring in the axially extreme portion and escape by expansion of the snap rin~ near said ring body.
In a typical embodiment, a fastenerless arrangement i8 provided by which a sin~ flange is temporarily secured in assembled relation to the sink, such as by a bayonet type of retainer. With the sink flange so secured, the disposer can be lifted, engaged with and supported from the neck of the flange. Thereafter, the disposer may be freely rotated on the sink flange so that its electrical and plumbing connec-tions can be madeO Compression means include jack screws threaded in a portion of the mounting apparatus which engage the sink flange retainer, lift the retainer upwardly, and compress the gaskets between the sink and the sink flange.
The compression jack screws also operate against a compression plate to compress a seal between the sink flange and throat of the dispenser.
Assembly of a typical embodiment of the disposer into a sink drain opening is substantially simplified in that the pressure ring or washer on the sink flange is used to 30~ support the flange in temporary location in the drain opening so that the installer can simply lift the disposex into tele-scopi~ relation with the sink flange from under the sink.
1~)37~S4 Upon engagement with the flange, the disposer becomes self-holding and attached to the flange, and yet both the disposer and the flange are free to be rotated for alignment and con-nection purposes. Thereafter, in ~he preferred embodiment, only two jack bolts or jack screws are operated, simultaneously locking and sealing the sink flange to the disposer itself while tightening the disposer so that it ca~ not twist or rotate with relation to its position on the sink.
Further according to a typical embodiment, a slotted annular pressure washer cooperates with detents or bosses on the sink flange neck for capturing the sink 1ange in its temporary position. The disposer support incorporates a wire snap ring which is received in an annular groove formed in the neck of the sink flange below the bosses. A ring retainer or collar on the disposer mouthpiece or inlet is formed with a flared inside ring-receiving or capturing surface. When the disposer is pushed upwardly into telescoping re~ation on the neck of the sink flange and the snap ring engages the groove, ~he weight of the disposer may thereafter rest on the ring, in that the ring retainer prevents the ring from expanding, and effectively captures it within the neck groove. A portion of the snap ring is brought transversely out of a slot in the retainer housing or collar and is exposed so that, by lifting the weight of the disposer and pushing the ring laterally by grasping its exposed end, the disposer can be released from the flange neck. The opposite end of the ring is also brought transversely out of the retainer housing slot for a short distance to provide a firm anchor point for the snap ring.
The ring retainer mentioned above is assembled to the disposer housing and is held by a series of shouldered ~i cap screws threaded into a radial flange formed on the neck or ~3137~j4 mouthpiece of the disposer. T~e compression plate is disposed for limited movement between the ring retainer or collar and the disposer neck and bears the disposer seal. This seal is of annular, generally wedge-shaped cross section which is received within the neck of the disposer. The seal compres-~ sion plate is somewhat loosely fitted between the ring retainer and the neck and is piloted but not threaded on the same shouldexed screws which retain the ring retainer. Ri~ets or riveted studs could be employed as a cost savings measure in lieu of shouldered bolts, however, the use o removable threaded fastenings to mount the r~ng retainer provldes a secondary or last resort method for separating a mounted dis-poser from a sink flange in the event corrosion or other deterioration should occur over a long period of disposer use.
The gasket and seal tightening means include jack screws which are threaded into the pressure plate. The upper ends of the jack screws engage the annular pressure plate on the neck of the sink flange. Thls is the same plate which provided temporary support for the sink flange and permitted the disposer to be telescoped over the flange neck prior to snap ring eng~gement. Turning the jack screws has the dual effect of pushing the annular plate upward away from the sink flange protuberances and against the bottom of the sink while at the same time forcing the compression plate on the dis-poser downwardly into compressing engagement with the annular seal in the neck of the disposer to urge the seal tightly against the neck of the sink flange. Since the disposer is firmly locked on the neck of the flange by the snap ring and ring retainer, the downward force of the jack screws causes the sink flange itself to be brought downwardly into sealing en-..
gagement with the sink. At the same time, the disposer is sealed with the sink, it is fixed against rotation and supported on the sink for use. ~
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In disassembly, the jack screws are loosened, per-mitting the disposer to be raised and the snap ring to be manually openea; this allows the disposer to slip down off of the neck of the sink flange. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, only a sing~e operating mechanism, comprising a ~ pair of jack screws, is required to assemble or disassemble the disposer on the sink; this accordingly substantially reduces the time required to assemble or disassemble the dis-poser.
One of the aavantages of the present arrangement is that the installation can readily be accomplished by a single installer workiny primarily from beneath the sink. Once the sink 1ange is dropped into place, the other operations may be performed from below. When the disposer is brought up onto the sink flange, there is no need to hold the flange in position from the top since it is captured by the pressure washer under the sink. Moreover, there is also need to hold the pressure washer in position on the bottom of the sink flange since it is captured and prevented from falling by the protuberances or detents on the neck of the flange; thus once engaged, the sink flange and the pressure washer mutually capture each other and prevent their displacement from the desired mounting location.
It is accordingly an impoxtant object of this invention to provide a simplified arrangement and method for installing a disposer into a sink.
A further object of the invention is to provide a disposer in which the tightening of the seals both between the sink flange and the disposer and between the sink and the sink flange is accomplished at the same time by a single sequence of steps.
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~ further object of the invention is the provision of a disposer having assemblea thereto a snap ring and a ring retainer which automatically engages within a groove formed on the neck of a sink flange and provides support for the dis-poser while permitting the disposer to be turned and rotated in the connection of the plumbing.
These and other obiects and advantages of the inven-tion will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is an exploded view showing the manner of assembling the sink flange in a sink, and showing some of the details of the disposer;
Fig. 2 is a partially broken away exploded view showing the sink flange captured on a sheet metal sink and showing the b `;
- 8b -` 1~376S4 disposer just prior to being assembled on the neck of the sink flange;
Fig. 3 is a section through the disposer after having been assembled on the sink flange and the jack screws tightened;
~ig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a portion of Fig. 3 sh~wing the manner in which the disposer is clamped and sealed to the sink flange;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the sink flange as applied to a cast iron sink with disposer attachedi Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged section through the lower portion of the sink flange showing the splash shield installed;
Fig. 7 is a section simiiar to Fig. 6 showing a sink stopper in place and seatçd on the splash shield, the stopper being for the continuous type flow disposer; and Fig. 8 is a sec~ion through the lower portion of the sink flange showing a stopper in place for use with a batch type dis-poser .
Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the figures of the drawing which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, a stainless steel drain sleeve or sink flange is illustrated generally at lO in Figs. l and 2. Tlie sink flange has an outwardly flared or flanged top ; 12 and a depending sleeve or neck 14 which is adapted to extend through an opening lS formed in the bottom of a sink 16. Thesink flange lO is shown in Figs~ 1-3 as being applied to a sheet metal sink, such as a stainless steel sink. As sh~wn in Figs. l and 2 a ring gasket 17 may be positioned between the flared top 12 and the sink 16- In alternate installation arrangements the _g_ .
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1C~37~
ring gasket 17 may be replaced with a quantity of sealant material such as plumbing putty or silicone rubber. These sealant materials are especially useful where the opening 15 is itself flared, as is frequently true in cast :iron sinks, as shown in Fig. 5.
Means for temporarily capturing the sink flange 10 in the sink 16 includes a plurality of protuberances or bosses 20 or 21 which are formed on the neck 14 of the sink flange in spacedrela-tion to the ~lared top 12. Two sets 20 and 21 of three bosses are shown in the drawings. These bosses are dimpled or pressed out-wardly at approximate 120 intervals around the neck 14 with the two sets of bosses being separated axially along the flange sleeve.
The set of bosses 20 closest to the flared top 12 of the flange 10 is intended for use with thin stainless steel or sheet metal sinks as shown. The additional set of bosses 21 are provided for use with a thicker sink which is made from such material as cast iron as shown in Fig. 5. Obviously, either the set of bosses 20 or the set 21 can be omitted if desired.
The temporary flange support means includes an annular retainer or pressure plate 25 having an inside diameter which will permit it to be slipped up over the neck ~4 of the flange but which will not permit it to pass by the bosses 20 or 21. A plurality of clearance openings, slots, or cut-outs 26 are formed in the inside circumference of the plate 25 at the same 120 spacing as the bosses and may be aligned with the bosses 20 or 21 to permit the plate 25 to be assembled over the bosses. The plate may then be rotated and thus keyed or held in place by resting on the upper surfaces of one of the sets of bosses. The bosses 20 and 21 and the cut-outs 26 combine to fbrm cooperating interlock means engageable upon rotation of the plate 25 while leaving the plate free for unrestricted movement upwardly against the sinlc bottom.
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1~376~i~
The combination of the bosses 20 or 21 with the cooperating pressure plate 25 prevent the sink flange from being orced upwardly through the sink opening 15 by the act of engaging the disposer 30 with the flange.
, 5 An annular gasket 28 of elastomeric material may be - placed between the pressure plate 25 and the sink 16 if desired.
The gasket 28 serves primarily to:distribute forces exertea by the pressure plate 25 evenly over- the area of the sink surrounding.
the opening 15.
The food disposer 30 of this invention is particularly adapted to be used for the sink flange 10 and is shown as being provided with an inlet or a'mouthpiece 32. The mouthpiece 32. lS
terminated in a fla,red upper end in the form of a radial portion .
34. A reinforcing ring 35 is attached beneath the flared upper end 34 to provide rigidity and also to provide for the threaded .
engagement of shoulder bolts, described below. The f~ared upper.
end 34 ïs joined with the tubular neck portion 36 by means of an intermediate, inwardly-tapered wall 37 and a bottom, inwardly extenaing ledge 38. The wall 37 is shown as being formed with a slight taper in the order of 5-20 and receives therein an elas-tomeric sealing gasket'40 which is generally wedge-shaped in cross section. As shown in Fig. 2, the gasket'40 has an outer tapered surface conforming genera1ly to the taper of the wall 37 and is formed with a cylindrical inside surface 41. The inside surface'41 is such as to permit the gasket 40 to be received telescopically over the lower edge of the sink flange without undu,e interference.' In the relaxed state of the gasket 40, it extends somewhat above the level of the flared end 3~, as indi-cated at 42 in Fig. 2. The gasket 40 is formed of a relatively soft elastomeric sealing material, and it has been found that neoprene or buta-N have a S ~ 7A~ ~ometex reading of about 35 is satisfactory.
A snap ring retainer assembly mounted on the dispose~ 30 ~ includes an annular ring retainer or collar 45. The collar 45 is secured to the radial flange 34 on the disposer housing by a series of three shoulder bolts 46 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The bolts 46 are threaded into the flange 34 and are also threaded into the reinforcing rings 35. The retainer 45 is formed with a central opening 47 which has a diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the neck 14, thus permitting the collar 45 to be placed over the neck 14 when the disposer is assembled on the sink flange.
The retainer ~5 captures a loosely-held snap ring 50.
The ring 50 is preferably formed of spring wire material with an inside diameter in the relaxed state which is slightly less than the outside diameter of the neck and with an outside diameter which is greater than that of the opening 47. The neck 14 of the sink flange is provided with an annular groo~e 52 which is axially spaced below the lower set of bosses 21. The groove 52 is pro-portioned to receive the snap ring partially there~n when the disposer is assembled. One free end 53 of the ring 50 is extended transversely outwardly through a small access cut-out or opening 54 which is formed in one side of the retainer 45. The cut-out 54 thus serves to capture the end 53 of the ring 50. The oppo-site end of the ring 50 is terminated in a radially outwardiyturned end 55 extending through a somewhat wider access opening 56 in the retainer 45 than the capturing opening 54. The outwardly turned end 55 provides means by which the ring 50 can be gripped and spread open within the re~ainer 45 for disassembly of the disposer from the neck 14.
~376S4 The retainer 45 is formed with a flared internal surface - defining an upper inside curved ring-capturing surface 58 which .which is designed to conform closely to the auter surface of the '. ring 50 when the ring is received within the groove 52 and thus prevents the ring 50 from expanding and leaving this groove once it is snapped in place in the.groove. The retainer 45 also pro-vides a certain amount of axial and radial space at S9 within which the ring 50 may freely expand during assembly and disassem-; bly of the disposer on the neck 1~. ' An annular, generally radially flat compression plate 60 is assembled on the disposer housing between the ring retainer 45 and the radially flared upper end 34 of ~he disposer inlet throat.
The plate is piloted for limited vertlcal movement on'the shoulder bolts 46. It is formed with a central opening corresponding in diameter to the opening 47 formed in'the retainer 45 so that it also may'be readily assembled over the neck 14 and is also .formed with an annular downwardly-turned edge 62 which overlies the fiared end 34. The lower surface of the plate 60 is in flat abut-ment with the extended and exposed upper portion of the seal 40, and in the relaxed position, the seal 40 holds the plate 60 as well as the retainer 45 in a raised position substantially against the lower surfaces of the heaas of the shoulder bolts 46.
The compression plate 60 is threaded to receive a pair of elonga~ed jack screws 65. These sc~ews extend through clearance 25 . openings formed in both the retainer 45 and the radial flange 34 and the reinforcing ring 35, as shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 4. The heads of the screws 65 are provided with a hex 68 for the convenience of attaching a wrench. The heads 68 are pro-portioned to bear against the lower surface of the pressure plate 25 when they are in raised positions as shown in Fig. 3. rrhe jack screws 65 may thus be considered to be adjustable compression means ~37~S4 ~
which direct an upward force against the plate 25 and simul-taneously direct a seal compressing downward force against the seal 40.
The lowermost end of the neck 14 is provided with an inwardly flared portion 69 terminating in a downwardly extending skirt 70 of rather short axial dimension. When the parts are assembled, the skirt 70 extends slightly into the n~ck 32 and forms a close fit therein, as shown in Fig. 4. The sink flange.
14 defines an annular sealing land 72 immediately above the flared portion 69 and in the assembled position, this sealing land is engaged by the inner circumference 41 of the seal 40.
In the assembly of the disposer 30 to the drain flange 10 in a stainless steel sink 16, the drain flange 10 is first inserted from the top in the opening 15 with the upper gasket 17 thereon. The installer will then place a second gasket 28 up from the bottom of the flange 14 and will loosely assemble the pressure plate 25 by raising it up over the neck 14 with the slots 26 in alignment with the bosses 20 and 21 and will then rotate the plate so that it rests on the upper set of bosses 20. At this time, neither gasket 17 or 28 is under compression, but the sink flange 10 is captured and is prevented from moving upwardly in relation to the sink and the plate 25 is captured and prevented from falling.downwardly off of the flange.
The disposer is preassembled with the retainer 45 loosely arresting the snap ring 50 and the seal 40 in the flanged upper end 34. The shoulder bolts 46 are drawn so that the retainer 45 and the compression plate 60 are retained, as shown in Fig. 2.
~ he installer now lifts the dispenser up so that the neck 14 is received within the throat 32 of the disposer. During this lifting the smaller diameter skirt portion 70 of the ~lange 10 acts , ~(~3~ 4 to guide the neck of the flange smoothly through the snap ring 50 ana the seal 40. The inwardly flared portion 69 of the flange assists in this lifting operation by providing a smooth camming surface which expands or dilates both the snap ring 50 and the 5 seal 40 as these members move upward on the flange neck.
~ he installer continues lifting until the ring 50 drops into the groove 52. When the installer then lowers th~ disposer~
the ring 50 becomes captured and cannot expand out of the groove 52 by reason of its engagement with the inside surface 58 of the retainer 45. The disposer 30 is now self-held and suspended on the sink flange and may be freely turned so that the electrical and plumbing connections can be made. After these are made it is now only necessary to turn the jack screws 65 so that the heads 68 will bear against the pressure plate 25. This causes the plate 25 to be pushea upwardly into sealing engagement with the ring 28 and the sink 16. At the same time, the jack screws 65 bear down-wardly on the compression plate 60 and the seal 40, causing the seal to firmly engage the adjacent outside surface of the neck 14.
~he downward movement of the compression plate 60 against the seal 40 continues until the plate 60 is in flat metal-to-metal engagement with the adjacent upper surface of the flange 34, as shown in Fig. 4. A con~rolled compressive force is thus applied to the seal 40 causing it to be firmly compressed about the land 72 and into the space 73 between the flange neck and the disposer mouth opening. The close fit of the skirt 70 with the neck 32, and the air lock effected between these parts by the seal 40 ade-quately prevents liquids and waste material from entering and be-coming trapped in the space 73. Once the jack screws 65 have be~n brought into play in the manner described, the installation is completed.
~376~4 It is significant to note that turning the jack scxews 65 to push the pressure plate 25 upward and the compression plate 60 downward does not change the location of the disposer with respect to the sink so that the final tightening and sealing of the dis-poser does not disturb the disposer drain connection, a dishwasherdrain inlet connection to the disposer (not shown) or the elec-trical wiring and its conduit. These connections can be made per-, manently prior to the final tightening and sealing of the disposer when the present mounting arrangement is employed.
It is of course desirable that the force required to satis-factorily compress and seal the sink to the flange gasket 17 be re,asonably the same as the force required to compress the seal 40 and bring the plate 60 down flat against the flange 34. This con- -dition can be achieved b,y an appropriate selection of physical dimensions and composition material for the two gaskets. Neoprene rubber or Buna rubber have been found to be satisfactory gasket materials. Removal of'the disposer merely requires the reversal of the tightening procedure and relaxing the pressure of the jack screws 65 followed by grasping the free end 55 of the snap ring 50 to expand it out of the groove 52. The disposer is then free to slide down off of the neck 14. Removal can alternately be accom-plished by loosening the shoulder bolts 46. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the heads of both the shoulderbolts 46 and the jack screws 68 are readily accessible when the disposer is mounted.
The adjustability of the sink flange up to the time of final disposer locking in the present mounting arrangement is also found to provide for a neat and aesthetically appealing disposer instal-lation since it allows bhe installer to locate the sink flange in a position in thP sink opening w~ich is optimum for covering any marred surfaces remaining from a previous disposer or sink flange ( installation. This adjustability of the flange up to the last possible moment in the installation als~ permits the installer to adjust the position of the flange and any printed material located on the flared portion of the flange just prior to locking the entire structure in position.
It is of course possible to employ alternate gripping means in lieu of the snap ring 50 and the annular grove 52 for engaging and suspending the disposer from the sink flange 10. One such alternate gripping means for example could employ gravity biased balls (ball bearings) which are held captured in the dispo~er or the sink flange and whiah seat in tapered races in the opposite member to support the disposer from the sink flange.
As previously mentioned, the drain flange 10 of this inven-tion is also particularly adapted for use with cast iron type sinks, such as where the hub area at which the cast iron is poured has substantial thickness. Fig. 5 illustrates the invention as applied to such a sink 160 which has a sink opening formed in the relatively thick hub area 161 providing a wall dimension of sub-stantial axial thickness in the order of one-half to one inch.
For this purpose, the lowermost bosses 21 are used or temporarily - retaining the flange 10 within the sink opening, the pressure plate 25 being show~ in Fig. 5 in broken lines in its temporary position where it has captured the flange within the sink opening. In this condition, the upper bosses 20 are substantially received within the axial thickness or dimensions of the sink hub 161 and thus do not interfere with ~he forming of a compression seal and the fix-ing of the disposer to the sink, as described above. In this embodiment, only the lower gasket 28 is employed, plumberts putty having been substituted for the upper gasket 17, permitting the flared top 12 to be received within the conventional annular recess formed within the hub 161 for receiving a drain or sink flange.
1~3~
' It has previously been mentioned that.the drain flange ~f this invention permits the connection of either batch type or con--tinuous 'ype disposers. When a continuous type disposer is used, it is possible to operate the disposer with the stopper removed, although this practice is not preferred. Thus, in these disposers, " a splash shield indicated generally at 100 is commonly'employed..
The shield 100 is formed with an annular body 105 'which is molded to conform closely to the inner surface of the inwardly flared portion 69, as shown in Fig. 6. A series of inwardly extended V-shaped flaps 103 permit waste food and'water to pass into the disposer. A wire r~ng 110 is preferably received with a confor-ming groove at the inside circumference of the body 105 to addstrength and stability to the splash shield, to prevent it from being inadvertently collapsed and pushed down into the disposer when waste food particies are dropped or pushed through the sink flange into the disposer. .
Means on the drain flange f.or retaining the splash shield in its seated position includes a plurality of interrupted or arcuately spaced indentations 115 which define therebetween outer smooth portions 116. The indentations are thus arcuately spaced - about the flange immediately above the sealing land region 72 and immediately above the splash shield body 105 and form, in effect, a series of arcuate retainers for the splash shield 100. The purpose of the intermediate portions 116 is to guide the snap ring 25' 50 past the indentations 115 so that the snap ring will be received only in the annular groove 52 spaced axially above the indentations 115.
In the continuous operating type of disposer, a drain stopper l20 is provided which has a lower annular lip 12]. adapted to rest directly on the upper surface of the shield body 105 to .
'1~3q~5~
provide a drain seat so that the sink may be filled with water.
The stopper 12D is further provided with a series of three arcu-ately spaced flexible ears 125 which have a cliameter greater than that of the lip 121. In the seated positi~n, these flexible ears are located and retained just under the groove 52. When it is - desired to put the stopper in the drain flange but not to seat the stopper in order to run water pask the stopper and into the disposer, i~ is merely brought down to the point where the ears 125 rest on the upper surface of the groove 52, and in this posi-tion, the stopper is not seated and water may freely pass between the ears 125 and around the lip 121 into the disposer.
~ he sink flange 10 may be used for a batch type disposer and a magnetic stopper and actuator 130 is illustrated in Fig. 8.
~he stopper 130 has an annular lip 131 which, in this case, is proportioned to engage the sink flange at the flared portion 69 : thereof just above the skirt 70 as shown in Fi~. 8, to form a seat so that the sink may be filled with water. In the batch type disposer, the splash shield 100 is not used.
~he stopper 130 includes a depending magnet actuator 135, which when lifted and rotated through 90 from the position shown, actuates a magnetically-operated swikch in the manner disclosed in the U. S. patent of Coss, No. 2,619,654 issued December 2, 1952, and now assigned to the same assignee as this invention. The mag-net portion 135 thus extends downwardly into the neck 32 of ~he disposer but when it is rotated to the position in which it oper-ates the disposer magnetic control switch, the stopper 130 is elevated somewhat above the portion 69 of the drain flange so that water may readily pass thereabout and into the disposer~
It may accordingly be appreciated that the apparatus herein described permits a substantial sLmplification in the installation of disposers to sinks. Once the sink flange has been inserted from the top, it i5 only necessary to bring the pressure ,plate 125 -19 - , 1~376S~
up and locate it on the proper set o~ bosses according *o the type of sink. The installer may now simply lift the disposer into position to the point where the snap ring 50 drops into the groove 52, make his electrical and plumbing connections and pro-ceed to turn the jack screws at the hex 68 until firm resistanceis felt. ~t this point not only has the sink flange been drawn d~wn firmly onto the sink and the pressure plate brought up firmly underneath, the compression plate has automatically effected the forming of a water tight seal by the controlled compression of the seal 40 bet~een the constricted region at the land 72 and ~he tapered throat portion 37. The added resistance is noted when the compression plate 60 has bottomed on the surface of the ~lared radial portion 34. The installation is now complete. ~f a con-tinuous type disposer has been installed it is now a simple matter to insert the splash shield 100 and its reinforcing ring 110, if this has not previously been accomplished.
Removal s quite simply a reversal of the above procedure, that is, a retraction of the jack screws 65 and a slight lifting of the disposer and a spreading out of the ring 50 by pushing at the end 55. This releases the ring from the groove 52 by movement into the space 59. The disposer may now be lowered from the drain flange. However, if the disposer has been installed for a long period of time, it is possible that the seal 40 may have become adhered to the drain flange, and if this presents difficulty in disconnecting, the shoulaer bolts 46 may be removed, permitting direct access to the seal 40 and permitting the disposer to drop away by separation along the outer surface of the seal and the disposer.
While the method herein described, and the form of apparatus for carrying this method into effect, constitute preferred ~37~4 embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise method and form o~ -apparatus, and that changes may be made in either without - departing from the scope of the invention.
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('? ` ~LQ~ G54 ~ his is a divisional of Canadian application Serial No. 228,857 filed June 9th, 1975.
Back~round of the Invention Food waste disposers, particularly for home use, are com-monly installed in a sink opening by one person. An important consideration is the speed and ease with which a disposer may be installed.
It has become common practice to suspend or otherwise support the disposer on the sink drain sleeve, or drain flange.
Since the disposer is supported on the drain flange, it has been a common necessity first to install the flange in the sink and then lock it onto the sink using jack screws or the like before the disposer itself is installed and attached to the drain flange.
Thus, the necessity for installing and locking the drain flange prior to the connection o the disposer makes the subsequent installation of the disposer awkward and often difficult. In many instances, the angular position of the disposer depends upon the orientation of the drain flange, and it ma~ be difficult or at least time consuming to achieve the proper sighting and alignment ~ of the disposer in order to make the plumbing and electrical con-- nections. Thus, prior arrangements have commonly failed to pro-vide ull flexibility in the position of the disposer with respect to the sink drain flange prior to the final fastening and tighten-ing on the flange. At times, these installations are one of trial and error! since the installer must first surmise as to whether a selected drain flange position will assure that the disposerr after its installation, will be properly lined up so that the drain and electrical connections can be made.
Another problem inherent in the installation of waste food disposers concerns the necessity of making a full seal of the drain flange with the sink and making a full seal of the disposer to the drain flange. Commonly, these seals are effected in sepa-rate tightening, fastening, or clamping operations.
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- ~37~i4 A particular problem in the installation of food waste disposers resides in the fact that they are usually installed by one person, and the installations are normally made under a sink where the work space is already limited and cramped. Thus, one particular difficulty resides in the lack of freedom to rotate or turn the disposer into any position while it is supported on the sink flange. In other instances, it may be difficult or not pos-sible to turn the sink flange separately from turning the disposer, so that trademark information or operating instructions which may be carried on the exposed flared ~pper surface of the sink ~lange may be properly aligned.
One prior arrangement which simplified disposer instal~a-tions is disclosed in the U. S. patent o~ Thierer No. 2,946,525 of 1960, now assigned to the same assignee as this application.
lS In Thierer, a mounting ring was secured to the neck portion of the drain -flange and held in place by a retainer or snap ring after the flange had been inserted in the sink opening. ~his mounting ~ing was formed with a series of key-hole-shaped slots and the disposer was provided with headed hanger screws which fit into the slots so that when the disposer was rotated with respect to the mounting ring, these hanger screws would slide into the slots and thus support the weight of the disposer for further installa-tion and adjustment. These hanger screws were individually tight-ened once the disposer was connected. The mounting ring was also provided with jack screws which were turned so as to urge a pres-sure washer upwardly against the sink seal and lock ~he flange on the sink. As a practical matter, it was necessary to have the drain flange at least fairly well secured in place by use of these jack screws prior to placing the ~isposer into position and turning it in the key-hole-shaped slots, otherwise the flange would turn instead. Further, although the entire uni~ could be rot2lted, as ~376~i4 a practical matter, the installer had to be careful that he did not inadvertently bring the disposer around to where the headed hanger screws lined up with the access holes, otherwise the disposer would come free of the retainer riny. Further-more, the final tightening of the hanger screws could alter ~ the location of the disposer by an amount sufficient to disturb the plumbing connections where they were short or rigid in nature.
Summary of the Invention Th~ present invention is directed to the further simplification o~ installing disposers in sinks over that shown in the prior art. In one aspect of the invention, a food waste disposer apparatus uses a sink flange which has a body with a flared upper end. The flange is received in a sink opening with the upper end retained on the top side of the sink opening and with the body extending through the sink.
The disposer has a mouth portion received over the flange body.
There are means engaging the disposer with the flange body.
A compressible gasket is received in the disposer mouth por-tion and expandable means apply a sealing force to the gasket while immobilizing the disposer with respect to the sink.
The preferred means engaging the disposer with the flange body includes a spring snap ring mounted on the disposer adjacent the tapered mouth portion, and an annular groove defined in the flange cylindrical body for receiving the spring snap ring.
In another aspect of the invention, the food waste disposer includes a sink flange with a flared upper end and a tubular neck portion. The flanye is received in the sink opening with the upper end on one side of the sink ana with the neck portion extending therethroug~ and terminatin 376i~i4 beneath the sink, There are sealing means between the flared end of the sink flange and the sink, and the food waste disposer has a tapèred mou~h portion received in telescopic relation to the flange neck portion. The disposer is sus-pended rotatably on the neck portion of the sink flange, with a compressible gasket received between the disposer and the flange in the tapered mouth portion, and adjustable com-pression screws act between said sink and gasket for applying equal and opposite axially outward forces to mutually seal the sealing means at the sink opening and the flange to the gasket, and to fix the disposer in the selected rotational position with respect to the sink flange.
~ n another aspect of the invention a food waste disposer assembly has a sink flange with an upper end which is flared and a tubular neck portion. The flange is adapted to be received in a sink opening with the flared end on one side of the sink and the neck portion extending therethrough and terminating beneath the sink. There is a seal between the flared end and the sink. The food waste disposer also has a tapered mouth portion terminating in a ledge at its upper end which is received in telescopic relation on the flange neck portion. A compressible gasket is receiving in the tapered disposer mouth portion adjacent the sink flange therein. The gasket has a free portion exposed axially above the leage.
An annular compression plate is received on the exposed free portion of the gasket and is movable to compress the gasket in response to a compression means force. The ledge aefines the maximum extent of compression movement of the plate.
Adjustable compression means direct a ~orce against the sink and also against the compression plate for mutually seal~ng !~ the sealing means at the sink opening and the gasket at the ~ .
1~37~4 flange while the disposer is located in a selected rotational position with respect to the sink.
In another aspect of the invention a disposer has a mouthpiece which surrounds the lower part of a sink flanye and de~ines an annular space therebetween. ~ snap ring - engages the sink flange. An annular collar ring has a flared portion adjacent the innermost diameter thereof. The flared portion is of a first diameter at an axially extreme portion remote from the coliar ring body and of a larger second diameter near the ring body to provide for positive capture ana retention of the snap ring in the axially extreme portion and escape by expansion of the snap rin~ near said ring body.
In a typical embodiment, a fastenerless arrangement i8 provided by which a sin~ flange is temporarily secured in assembled relation to the sink, such as by a bayonet type of retainer. With the sink flange so secured, the disposer can be lifted, engaged with and supported from the neck of the flange. Thereafter, the disposer may be freely rotated on the sink flange so that its electrical and plumbing connec-tions can be madeO Compression means include jack screws threaded in a portion of the mounting apparatus which engage the sink flange retainer, lift the retainer upwardly, and compress the gaskets between the sink and the sink flange.
The compression jack screws also operate against a compression plate to compress a seal between the sink flange and throat of the dispenser.
Assembly of a typical embodiment of the disposer into a sink drain opening is substantially simplified in that the pressure ring or washer on the sink flange is used to 30~ support the flange in temporary location in the drain opening so that the installer can simply lift the disposex into tele-scopi~ relation with the sink flange from under the sink.
1~)37~S4 Upon engagement with the flange, the disposer becomes self-holding and attached to the flange, and yet both the disposer and the flange are free to be rotated for alignment and con-nection purposes. Thereafter, in ~he preferred embodiment, only two jack bolts or jack screws are operated, simultaneously locking and sealing the sink flange to the disposer itself while tightening the disposer so that it ca~ not twist or rotate with relation to its position on the sink.
Further according to a typical embodiment, a slotted annular pressure washer cooperates with detents or bosses on the sink flange neck for capturing the sink 1ange in its temporary position. The disposer support incorporates a wire snap ring which is received in an annular groove formed in the neck of the sink flange below the bosses. A ring retainer or collar on the disposer mouthpiece or inlet is formed with a flared inside ring-receiving or capturing surface. When the disposer is pushed upwardly into telescoping re~ation on the neck of the sink flange and the snap ring engages the groove, ~he weight of the disposer may thereafter rest on the ring, in that the ring retainer prevents the ring from expanding, and effectively captures it within the neck groove. A portion of the snap ring is brought transversely out of a slot in the retainer housing or collar and is exposed so that, by lifting the weight of the disposer and pushing the ring laterally by grasping its exposed end, the disposer can be released from the flange neck. The opposite end of the ring is also brought transversely out of the retainer housing slot for a short distance to provide a firm anchor point for the snap ring.
The ring retainer mentioned above is assembled to the disposer housing and is held by a series of shouldered ~i cap screws threaded into a radial flange formed on the neck or ~3137~j4 mouthpiece of the disposer. T~e compression plate is disposed for limited movement between the ring retainer or collar and the disposer neck and bears the disposer seal. This seal is of annular, generally wedge-shaped cross section which is received within the neck of the disposer. The seal compres-~ sion plate is somewhat loosely fitted between the ring retainer and the neck and is piloted but not threaded on the same shouldexed screws which retain the ring retainer. Ri~ets or riveted studs could be employed as a cost savings measure in lieu of shouldered bolts, however, the use o removable threaded fastenings to mount the r~ng retainer provldes a secondary or last resort method for separating a mounted dis-poser from a sink flange in the event corrosion or other deterioration should occur over a long period of disposer use.
The gasket and seal tightening means include jack screws which are threaded into the pressure plate. The upper ends of the jack screws engage the annular pressure plate on the neck of the sink flange. Thls is the same plate which provided temporary support for the sink flange and permitted the disposer to be telescoped over the flange neck prior to snap ring eng~gement. Turning the jack screws has the dual effect of pushing the annular plate upward away from the sink flange protuberances and against the bottom of the sink while at the same time forcing the compression plate on the dis-poser downwardly into compressing engagement with the annular seal in the neck of the disposer to urge the seal tightly against the neck of the sink flange. Since the disposer is firmly locked on the neck of the flange by the snap ring and ring retainer, the downward force of the jack screws causes the sink flange itself to be brought downwardly into sealing en-..
gagement with the sink. At the same time, the disposer is sealed with the sink, it is fixed against rotation and supported on the sink for use. ~
~37~
In disassembly, the jack screws are loosened, per-mitting the disposer to be raised and the snap ring to be manually openea; this allows the disposer to slip down off of the neck of the sink flange. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, only a sing~e operating mechanism, comprising a ~ pair of jack screws, is required to assemble or disassemble the disposer on the sink; this accordingly substantially reduces the time required to assemble or disassemble the dis-poser.
One of the aavantages of the present arrangement is that the installation can readily be accomplished by a single installer workiny primarily from beneath the sink. Once the sink 1ange is dropped into place, the other operations may be performed from below. When the disposer is brought up onto the sink flange, there is no need to hold the flange in position from the top since it is captured by the pressure washer under the sink. Moreover, there is also need to hold the pressure washer in position on the bottom of the sink flange since it is captured and prevented from falling by the protuberances or detents on the neck of the flange; thus once engaged, the sink flange and the pressure washer mutually capture each other and prevent their displacement from the desired mounting location.
It is accordingly an impoxtant object of this invention to provide a simplified arrangement and method for installing a disposer into a sink.
A further object of the invention is to provide a disposer in which the tightening of the seals both between the sink flange and the disposer and between the sink and the sink flange is accomplished at the same time by a single sequence of steps.
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~ further object of the invention is the provision of a disposer having assemblea thereto a snap ring and a ring retainer which automatically engages within a groove formed on the neck of a sink flange and provides support for the dis-poser while permitting the disposer to be turned and rotated in the connection of the plumbing.
These and other obiects and advantages of the inven-tion will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is an exploded view showing the manner of assembling the sink flange in a sink, and showing some of the details of the disposer;
Fig. 2 is a partially broken away exploded view showing the sink flange captured on a sheet metal sink and showing the b `;
- 8b -` 1~376S4 disposer just prior to being assembled on the neck of the sink flange;
Fig. 3 is a section through the disposer after having been assembled on the sink flange and the jack screws tightened;
~ig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section of a portion of Fig. 3 sh~wing the manner in which the disposer is clamped and sealed to the sink flange;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the sink flange as applied to a cast iron sink with disposer attachedi Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged section through the lower portion of the sink flange showing the splash shield installed;
Fig. 7 is a section simiiar to Fig. 6 showing a sink stopper in place and seatçd on the splash shield, the stopper being for the continuous type flow disposer; and Fig. 8 is a sec~ion through the lower portion of the sink flange showing a stopper in place for use with a batch type dis-poser .
Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the figures of the drawing which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, a stainless steel drain sleeve or sink flange is illustrated generally at lO in Figs. l and 2. Tlie sink flange has an outwardly flared or flanged top ; 12 and a depending sleeve or neck 14 which is adapted to extend through an opening lS formed in the bottom of a sink 16. Thesink flange lO is shown in Figs~ 1-3 as being applied to a sheet metal sink, such as a stainless steel sink. As sh~wn in Figs. l and 2 a ring gasket 17 may be positioned between the flared top 12 and the sink 16- In alternate installation arrangements the _g_ .
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1C~37~
ring gasket 17 may be replaced with a quantity of sealant material such as plumbing putty or silicone rubber. These sealant materials are especially useful where the opening 15 is itself flared, as is frequently true in cast :iron sinks, as shown in Fig. 5.
Means for temporarily capturing the sink flange 10 in the sink 16 includes a plurality of protuberances or bosses 20 or 21 which are formed on the neck 14 of the sink flange in spacedrela-tion to the ~lared top 12. Two sets 20 and 21 of three bosses are shown in the drawings. These bosses are dimpled or pressed out-wardly at approximate 120 intervals around the neck 14 with the two sets of bosses being separated axially along the flange sleeve.
The set of bosses 20 closest to the flared top 12 of the flange 10 is intended for use with thin stainless steel or sheet metal sinks as shown. The additional set of bosses 21 are provided for use with a thicker sink which is made from such material as cast iron as shown in Fig. 5. Obviously, either the set of bosses 20 or the set 21 can be omitted if desired.
The temporary flange support means includes an annular retainer or pressure plate 25 having an inside diameter which will permit it to be slipped up over the neck ~4 of the flange but which will not permit it to pass by the bosses 20 or 21. A plurality of clearance openings, slots, or cut-outs 26 are formed in the inside circumference of the plate 25 at the same 120 spacing as the bosses and may be aligned with the bosses 20 or 21 to permit the plate 25 to be assembled over the bosses. The plate may then be rotated and thus keyed or held in place by resting on the upper surfaces of one of the sets of bosses. The bosses 20 and 21 and the cut-outs 26 combine to fbrm cooperating interlock means engageable upon rotation of the plate 25 while leaving the plate free for unrestricted movement upwardly against the sinlc bottom.
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1~376~i~
The combination of the bosses 20 or 21 with the cooperating pressure plate 25 prevent the sink flange from being orced upwardly through the sink opening 15 by the act of engaging the disposer 30 with the flange.
, 5 An annular gasket 28 of elastomeric material may be - placed between the pressure plate 25 and the sink 16 if desired.
The gasket 28 serves primarily to:distribute forces exertea by the pressure plate 25 evenly over- the area of the sink surrounding.
the opening 15.
The food disposer 30 of this invention is particularly adapted to be used for the sink flange 10 and is shown as being provided with an inlet or a'mouthpiece 32. The mouthpiece 32. lS
terminated in a fla,red upper end in the form of a radial portion .
34. A reinforcing ring 35 is attached beneath the flared upper end 34 to provide rigidity and also to provide for the threaded .
engagement of shoulder bolts, described below. The f~ared upper.
end 34 ïs joined with the tubular neck portion 36 by means of an intermediate, inwardly-tapered wall 37 and a bottom, inwardly extenaing ledge 38. The wall 37 is shown as being formed with a slight taper in the order of 5-20 and receives therein an elas-tomeric sealing gasket'40 which is generally wedge-shaped in cross section. As shown in Fig. 2, the gasket'40 has an outer tapered surface conforming genera1ly to the taper of the wall 37 and is formed with a cylindrical inside surface 41. The inside surface'41 is such as to permit the gasket 40 to be received telescopically over the lower edge of the sink flange without undu,e interference.' In the relaxed state of the gasket 40, it extends somewhat above the level of the flared end 3~, as indi-cated at 42 in Fig. 2. The gasket 40 is formed of a relatively soft elastomeric sealing material, and it has been found that neoprene or buta-N have a S ~ 7A~ ~ometex reading of about 35 is satisfactory.
A snap ring retainer assembly mounted on the dispose~ 30 ~ includes an annular ring retainer or collar 45. The collar 45 is secured to the radial flange 34 on the disposer housing by a series of three shoulder bolts 46 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The bolts 46 are threaded into the flange 34 and are also threaded into the reinforcing rings 35. The retainer 45 is formed with a central opening 47 which has a diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the neck 14, thus permitting the collar 45 to be placed over the neck 14 when the disposer is assembled on the sink flange.
The retainer ~5 captures a loosely-held snap ring 50.
The ring 50 is preferably formed of spring wire material with an inside diameter in the relaxed state which is slightly less than the outside diameter of the neck and with an outside diameter which is greater than that of the opening 47. The neck 14 of the sink flange is provided with an annular groo~e 52 which is axially spaced below the lower set of bosses 21. The groove 52 is pro-portioned to receive the snap ring partially there~n when the disposer is assembled. One free end 53 of the ring 50 is extended transversely outwardly through a small access cut-out or opening 54 which is formed in one side of the retainer 45. The cut-out 54 thus serves to capture the end 53 of the ring 50. The oppo-site end of the ring 50 is terminated in a radially outwardiyturned end 55 extending through a somewhat wider access opening 56 in the retainer 45 than the capturing opening 54. The outwardly turned end 55 provides means by which the ring 50 can be gripped and spread open within the re~ainer 45 for disassembly of the disposer from the neck 14.
~376S4 The retainer 45 is formed with a flared internal surface - defining an upper inside curved ring-capturing surface 58 which .which is designed to conform closely to the auter surface of the '. ring 50 when the ring is received within the groove 52 and thus prevents the ring 50 from expanding and leaving this groove once it is snapped in place in the.groove. The retainer 45 also pro-vides a certain amount of axial and radial space at S9 within which the ring 50 may freely expand during assembly and disassem-; bly of the disposer on the neck 1~. ' An annular, generally radially flat compression plate 60 is assembled on the disposer housing between the ring retainer 45 and the radially flared upper end 34 of ~he disposer inlet throat.
The plate is piloted for limited vertlcal movement on'the shoulder bolts 46. It is formed with a central opening corresponding in diameter to the opening 47 formed in'the retainer 45 so that it also may'be readily assembled over the neck 14 and is also .formed with an annular downwardly-turned edge 62 which overlies the fiared end 34. The lower surface of the plate 60 is in flat abut-ment with the extended and exposed upper portion of the seal 40, and in the relaxed position, the seal 40 holds the plate 60 as well as the retainer 45 in a raised position substantially against the lower surfaces of the heaas of the shoulder bolts 46.
The compression plate 60 is threaded to receive a pair of elonga~ed jack screws 65. These sc~ews extend through clearance 25 . openings formed in both the retainer 45 and the radial flange 34 and the reinforcing ring 35, as shown in the enlarged view of Fig. 4. The heads of the screws 65 are provided with a hex 68 for the convenience of attaching a wrench. The heads 68 are pro-portioned to bear against the lower surface of the pressure plate 25 when they are in raised positions as shown in Fig. 3. rrhe jack screws 65 may thus be considered to be adjustable compression means ~37~S4 ~
which direct an upward force against the plate 25 and simul-taneously direct a seal compressing downward force against the seal 40.
The lowermost end of the neck 14 is provided with an inwardly flared portion 69 terminating in a downwardly extending skirt 70 of rather short axial dimension. When the parts are assembled, the skirt 70 extends slightly into the n~ck 32 and forms a close fit therein, as shown in Fig. 4. The sink flange.
14 defines an annular sealing land 72 immediately above the flared portion 69 and in the assembled position, this sealing land is engaged by the inner circumference 41 of the seal 40.
In the assembly of the disposer 30 to the drain flange 10 in a stainless steel sink 16, the drain flange 10 is first inserted from the top in the opening 15 with the upper gasket 17 thereon. The installer will then place a second gasket 28 up from the bottom of the flange 14 and will loosely assemble the pressure plate 25 by raising it up over the neck 14 with the slots 26 in alignment with the bosses 20 and 21 and will then rotate the plate so that it rests on the upper set of bosses 20. At this time, neither gasket 17 or 28 is under compression, but the sink flange 10 is captured and is prevented from moving upwardly in relation to the sink and the plate 25 is captured and prevented from falling.downwardly off of the flange.
The disposer is preassembled with the retainer 45 loosely arresting the snap ring 50 and the seal 40 in the flanged upper end 34. The shoulder bolts 46 are drawn so that the retainer 45 and the compression plate 60 are retained, as shown in Fig. 2.
~ he installer now lifts the dispenser up so that the neck 14 is received within the throat 32 of the disposer. During this lifting the smaller diameter skirt portion 70 of the ~lange 10 acts , ~(~3~ 4 to guide the neck of the flange smoothly through the snap ring 50 ana the seal 40. The inwardly flared portion 69 of the flange assists in this lifting operation by providing a smooth camming surface which expands or dilates both the snap ring 50 and the 5 seal 40 as these members move upward on the flange neck.
~ he installer continues lifting until the ring 50 drops into the groove 52. When the installer then lowers th~ disposer~
the ring 50 becomes captured and cannot expand out of the groove 52 by reason of its engagement with the inside surface 58 of the retainer 45. The disposer 30 is now self-held and suspended on the sink flange and may be freely turned so that the electrical and plumbing connections can be made. After these are made it is now only necessary to turn the jack screws 65 so that the heads 68 will bear against the pressure plate 25. This causes the plate 25 to be pushea upwardly into sealing engagement with the ring 28 and the sink 16. At the same time, the jack screws 65 bear down-wardly on the compression plate 60 and the seal 40, causing the seal to firmly engage the adjacent outside surface of the neck 14.
~he downward movement of the compression plate 60 against the seal 40 continues until the plate 60 is in flat metal-to-metal engagement with the adjacent upper surface of the flange 34, as shown in Fig. 4. A con~rolled compressive force is thus applied to the seal 40 causing it to be firmly compressed about the land 72 and into the space 73 between the flange neck and the disposer mouth opening. The close fit of the skirt 70 with the neck 32, and the air lock effected between these parts by the seal 40 ade-quately prevents liquids and waste material from entering and be-coming trapped in the space 73. Once the jack screws 65 have be~n brought into play in the manner described, the installation is completed.
~376~4 It is significant to note that turning the jack scxews 65 to push the pressure plate 25 upward and the compression plate 60 downward does not change the location of the disposer with respect to the sink so that the final tightening and sealing of the dis-poser does not disturb the disposer drain connection, a dishwasherdrain inlet connection to the disposer (not shown) or the elec-trical wiring and its conduit. These connections can be made per-, manently prior to the final tightening and sealing of the disposer when the present mounting arrangement is employed.
It is of course desirable that the force required to satis-factorily compress and seal the sink to the flange gasket 17 be re,asonably the same as the force required to compress the seal 40 and bring the plate 60 down flat against the flange 34. This con- -dition can be achieved b,y an appropriate selection of physical dimensions and composition material for the two gaskets. Neoprene rubber or Buna rubber have been found to be satisfactory gasket materials. Removal of'the disposer merely requires the reversal of the tightening procedure and relaxing the pressure of the jack screws 65 followed by grasping the free end 55 of the snap ring 50 to expand it out of the groove 52. The disposer is then free to slide down off of the neck 14. Removal can alternately be accom-plished by loosening the shoulder bolts 46. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the heads of both the shoulderbolts 46 and the jack screws 68 are readily accessible when the disposer is mounted.
The adjustability of the sink flange up to the time of final disposer locking in the present mounting arrangement is also found to provide for a neat and aesthetically appealing disposer instal-lation since it allows bhe installer to locate the sink flange in a position in thP sink opening w~ich is optimum for covering any marred surfaces remaining from a previous disposer or sink flange ( installation. This adjustability of the flange up to the last possible moment in the installation als~ permits the installer to adjust the position of the flange and any printed material located on the flared portion of the flange just prior to locking the entire structure in position.
It is of course possible to employ alternate gripping means in lieu of the snap ring 50 and the annular grove 52 for engaging and suspending the disposer from the sink flange 10. One such alternate gripping means for example could employ gravity biased balls (ball bearings) which are held captured in the dispo~er or the sink flange and whiah seat in tapered races in the opposite member to support the disposer from the sink flange.
As previously mentioned, the drain flange 10 of this inven-tion is also particularly adapted for use with cast iron type sinks, such as where the hub area at which the cast iron is poured has substantial thickness. Fig. 5 illustrates the invention as applied to such a sink 160 which has a sink opening formed in the relatively thick hub area 161 providing a wall dimension of sub-stantial axial thickness in the order of one-half to one inch.
For this purpose, the lowermost bosses 21 are used or temporarily - retaining the flange 10 within the sink opening, the pressure plate 25 being show~ in Fig. 5 in broken lines in its temporary position where it has captured the flange within the sink opening. In this condition, the upper bosses 20 are substantially received within the axial thickness or dimensions of the sink hub 161 and thus do not interfere with ~he forming of a compression seal and the fix-ing of the disposer to the sink, as described above. In this embodiment, only the lower gasket 28 is employed, plumberts putty having been substituted for the upper gasket 17, permitting the flared top 12 to be received within the conventional annular recess formed within the hub 161 for receiving a drain or sink flange.
1~3~
' It has previously been mentioned that.the drain flange ~f this invention permits the connection of either batch type or con--tinuous 'ype disposers. When a continuous type disposer is used, it is possible to operate the disposer with the stopper removed, although this practice is not preferred. Thus, in these disposers, " a splash shield indicated generally at 100 is commonly'employed..
The shield 100 is formed with an annular body 105 'which is molded to conform closely to the inner surface of the inwardly flared portion 69, as shown in Fig. 6. A series of inwardly extended V-shaped flaps 103 permit waste food and'water to pass into the disposer. A wire r~ng 110 is preferably received with a confor-ming groove at the inside circumference of the body 105 to addstrength and stability to the splash shield, to prevent it from being inadvertently collapsed and pushed down into the disposer when waste food particies are dropped or pushed through the sink flange into the disposer. .
Means on the drain flange f.or retaining the splash shield in its seated position includes a plurality of interrupted or arcuately spaced indentations 115 which define therebetween outer smooth portions 116. The indentations are thus arcuately spaced - about the flange immediately above the sealing land region 72 and immediately above the splash shield body 105 and form, in effect, a series of arcuate retainers for the splash shield 100. The purpose of the intermediate portions 116 is to guide the snap ring 25' 50 past the indentations 115 so that the snap ring will be received only in the annular groove 52 spaced axially above the indentations 115.
In the continuous operating type of disposer, a drain stopper l20 is provided which has a lower annular lip 12]. adapted to rest directly on the upper surface of the shield body 105 to .
'1~3q~5~
provide a drain seat so that the sink may be filled with water.
The stopper 12D is further provided with a series of three arcu-ately spaced flexible ears 125 which have a cliameter greater than that of the lip 121. In the seated positi~n, these flexible ears are located and retained just under the groove 52. When it is - desired to put the stopper in the drain flange but not to seat the stopper in order to run water pask the stopper and into the disposer, i~ is merely brought down to the point where the ears 125 rest on the upper surface of the groove 52, and in this posi-tion, the stopper is not seated and water may freely pass between the ears 125 and around the lip 121 into the disposer.
~ he sink flange 10 may be used for a batch type disposer and a magnetic stopper and actuator 130 is illustrated in Fig. 8.
~he stopper 130 has an annular lip 131 which, in this case, is proportioned to engage the sink flange at the flared portion 69 : thereof just above the skirt 70 as shown in Fi~. 8, to form a seat so that the sink may be filled with water. In the batch type disposer, the splash shield 100 is not used.
~he stopper 130 includes a depending magnet actuator 135, which when lifted and rotated through 90 from the position shown, actuates a magnetically-operated swikch in the manner disclosed in the U. S. patent of Coss, No. 2,619,654 issued December 2, 1952, and now assigned to the same assignee as this invention. The mag-net portion 135 thus extends downwardly into the neck 32 of ~he disposer but when it is rotated to the position in which it oper-ates the disposer magnetic control switch, the stopper 130 is elevated somewhat above the portion 69 of the drain flange so that water may readily pass thereabout and into the disposer~
It may accordingly be appreciated that the apparatus herein described permits a substantial sLmplification in the installation of disposers to sinks. Once the sink flange has been inserted from the top, it i5 only necessary to bring the pressure ,plate 125 -19 - , 1~376S~
up and locate it on the proper set o~ bosses according *o the type of sink. The installer may now simply lift the disposer into position to the point where the snap ring 50 drops into the groove 52, make his electrical and plumbing connections and pro-ceed to turn the jack screws at the hex 68 until firm resistanceis felt. ~t this point not only has the sink flange been drawn d~wn firmly onto the sink and the pressure plate brought up firmly underneath, the compression plate has automatically effected the forming of a water tight seal by the controlled compression of the seal 40 bet~een the constricted region at the land 72 and ~he tapered throat portion 37. The added resistance is noted when the compression plate 60 has bottomed on the surface of the ~lared radial portion 34. The installation is now complete. ~f a con-tinuous type disposer has been installed it is now a simple matter to insert the splash shield 100 and its reinforcing ring 110, if this has not previously been accomplished.
Removal s quite simply a reversal of the above procedure, that is, a retraction of the jack screws 65 and a slight lifting of the disposer and a spreading out of the ring 50 by pushing at the end 55. This releases the ring from the groove 52 by movement into the space 59. The disposer may now be lowered from the drain flange. However, if the disposer has been installed for a long period of time, it is possible that the seal 40 may have become adhered to the drain flange, and if this presents difficulty in disconnecting, the shoulaer bolts 46 may be removed, permitting direct access to the seal 40 and permitting the disposer to drop away by separation along the outer surface of the seal and the disposer.
While the method herein described, and the form of apparatus for carrying this method into effect, constitute preferred ~37~4 embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise method and form o~ -apparatus, and that changes may be made in either without - departing from the scope of the invention.
' ' ' ! . i " '','; ' ' ', . . ' .
_ .. ~
Claims (12)
1. Food waste disposer apparatus comprising a sink flange having a body with a flared upper end, the flange being receivable in a sink opening with said upper end retained on the top side of the sink opening and with said body extending through the sink; a food waste disposer having a mouth portion received over said flange body; means engaging said disposer with said flange body in any rotational align-ment; a compressible gasket received within said mouth portion surrounding said flange body, and means expandable to develop internal compression force therein applying sealing forces to said compressible gasket while immobilizing the disposer with respect to the sink.
2. The mounting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means engaging said disposer with said flange body includes a spring snap ring mounted on the disposer adjacent said tapered mouth portion, and an annular groove defined in said flange cylindrical body for receiving said spring snap ring.
3. A food waste disposer assembly comprising a sink flange having a flared upper end and a tubular neck portion, said flange being receivable in a sink opening with said upper end on one side of the sink and with said neck portion extending therethrough and terminating beneath the sink, sealing means between said flared end and said sink, a food waste disposer having a tapered mouth portion received in telescopic relation to said flange neck portion, means rotatably suspending said didposer on said neck portion, a compressible gasket received between the disposer and flange in said tapered mouth portion, and adjustable compression means acting between said sink and gasket applying equal and opposite axially outward forces thereto for mutually sealing said sealing means at said sink opening and said flange to said gasket fixing said disposer in the selected rotational position with respect to the sink flange.
4. The assembly of claim 3 further including an annular pressure plate surrounding said sink flange and movable between a first position wherein said flange and pres-sure plate are mutually captured on said sink and a second position wherein said adjustable compression means engages said annular pressure plate in acting against said sink.
5. Waste disposer mounting apparatus comprising a sink flange receivable in the drain opening of a sink including a sleeve portion insertable through said opening and an out-wardly flared top larger than said opening and sealable with the inside sink bottom in response to a force urging the flange flared top and sink bottom together, means engaging said sleeve portion axially below said sink, a disposer having a mouth-piece surrounding the lower part of said sleeve portion and defining an annular space therebetween, means for axially supporting said disposer mouthpiece from said axially engaging means while providing for substantial relative rotation between said disposer and sleeve portion, sealing means in said annular space deformable in response to axial compressive force thereon, and means expandable between the sink bottom and said sealing means applying equal action and reaction forces thereto for sealing flange-to-sink and flange-to-mouthpiece junctions.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said means for engaging said sleeve member includes a spring snap ring, and means for axially supporting includes means mounting said snap ring on said disposer. 23
7. A food waste disposer assembly comprising a sink flange having a flared upper end and a tubular neck portion, said flange being adapted to be received in a sink opening with said flared end on one side of the sink and with said neck portion extending therethrough and terminating beneath the sink, sealing means between said flared end and said sink, a food waste disposer having a tapered mouth portion terminating in an arcuate ledge at the upper end thereof and received in telescopic relation on said flange neck portion, means rotatably suspending said disposer on said neck portion, a compressible gasket received in said tapered disposer mouth portion adjacent the sink flange therein, said gasket having a free portion exposed axially above said ledge, an annular compression plate received on the exposed free portion of said gasket and being movable to compress said gasket in response to compression means force, said ledge defining the maximum extent of compression movement of said plate, and adjustable compression means directing a force against the sink and against said compression plate for mutually sealing said sealing means at said sink opening and said gasket at said flange while the disposer is located in the selected rotational position with respect to the sink.
8. Waste disposer mounting assembly comprising a sink flange receivable in the drain opening of a sink including a sleeve portion insertable through said opening and an outwardly flared top larger than said opening and sealable with the inside sink bottom in response to force urging the flange flared top and sink bottom together, means including a spring snap ring axially engaging said sleeve portion below said sink, a disposer having a mouthpiece surrounding the lower part of said sleeve portion and defining an annular space therebetween, means for axially supporting said disposer mouthpiece from said axial engaging means including an annular collar ring having a flared portion adjacent the innermost diameter thereof, said flared portion being of a first diameter at an axially extreme portion remote from the collar ring body and of a larger second diameter near the ring body to provide for positive capture and retention of said snap ring in said axially extreme portion and escape by expansion of said snap ring near said ring body, a compression gasket in said annular space deformable in response to axial compressive force thereon, and means expandable between the sink bottom and said gasket to apply equal action and reaction forces thereto for sealing flange-to-sink and flange-to-mouthpiece junctions.
9. Waste disposer mounting apparatus comprising a sink flange receivable in the drain opening of a sink and including a sleeve portion insertable through said opening and an outwardly flared top larger than said opening, means including a spring snap ring for gripping said sleeve portion below said sink in an axially rigid manner, a disposer having a mouthpiece surrounding the lower part of said sleeve portion and defining an annular space therewith, means for axially supporting said disposer mouthpiece from said means for gripping while providing for mutual rotation between said disposer and said flange and so that the sink flange can be oriented apart from the orientation of the disposer, deformable means in said space responsive to axial force adjacent said sleeve portion for sealing said sleeve portion and said disposer mouthpiece, means for applying axial force mutually to said sink flange flared portion and said deformable means; said means for axially supporting including an annular collar ring having a flared portion adjacent the innermost diameter thereof and and wherein said flared portion is of a first diameter at the axially extreme portion thereof and a larger second diameter near the ring body to allow positive capture and retention of said snap ring in said axially extreme portion and escape of said snap ring near said ring body, said means for supporting also including threaded screw members connecting said annular collar ring with said disposer mouthpiece, said screw members being removable for alternate demounting of a disposer from said flange.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said sink flange has a first set of annularly arranged protuberances on said flange body and spaced a first axial distance from said upper end providing temporary support for a pressure ring thereon in underlying relation to the sink to capture said flange in a sheet metal sink, and a second set of annularly arranged protuberances spaced from said upper end a greater axial distance than the spacing of said first set for supporting such pressure ring thereon in underlying relation to a cast iron sink.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said sink flange comprises a set of circumferentially disposed protuberances located at a first axial position along said body and capable of bayonet engagement with an annular plate member, an inwardly flared lower portion connected with said body, a generally cylindrical downwardly extending skirt portion of smaller diameter than said body and connected with said body by said inwardly flared lower portion, said skirt portion providing means for excluding waste from crevices between said sink flange and said disposer, said inwardly flared portion providing, on the exterior thereof, a camming surface capable of gradually expanding spring means received on said skirt portions during telescoping said disposer onto said body and, on the interior thereof, a seat for retaining a sink stopper.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 further including a second set of circumferentially disposed protuberances in a second axial position along said body for alternate engagement with said annular plate member.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US05/483,456 US3982703A (en) | 1974-06-26 | 1974-06-26 | Mounting assembly for food waste disposer |
| CA228,857A CA1026502A (en) | 1974-06-26 | 1975-06-09 | Mounting assembly and method for food waste disposer |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1037654A true CA1037654A (en) | 1978-09-05 |
Family
ID=25667983
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA287,050A Expired CA1037654A (en) | 1974-06-26 | 1977-09-20 | Mounting assembly and method for food waste disposer |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1037654A (en) |
-
1977
- 1977-09-20 CA CA287,050A patent/CA1037654A/en not_active Expired
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