EP0615025A1

EP0615025A1 - Overflow drainage device using the holes in the upper horizontal surface of kitchen and bathroom sinks

Info

Publication number: EP0615025A1
Application number: EP94103511A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Benito Lanfranchini
Original assignee: LIRA SpA
Current assignee: LIRA SpA
Priority date: 1993-03-09
Filing date: 1994-03-08
Publication date: 1994-09-14
Also published as: IT1271995B; ITMI930445A1; ITMI930445A0

Abstract

An overflow drainage device for sinks comprises a spillway mouth (9a) associated to one of the holes (R2) formed on the upper horizontal plane (L1) of the sink to fit in the water-tap units (7), and a drain pipe (2) connected by water-tight fittings, at the top to said spillway mouth (9a) and at the bottom to the sink drain. Said spillway mouth (9a) consists of a circumferential port formed between the edge of said hole (R2) in the sink and the outer surface of a tubular pipe fitting (9) inserted into said hole (R2) and forming a through slot for a tap unit (7).

Description

The object of the present invention is an overflow drainage device, to be applied in correspondence of the holes in the upper horizontal plane of sinks and, more precisely, of the holes into which are normally fitted the water-tap units or the drain plug control unit.
As known, sinks (hereinafter reference is made only to sinks, it being understood that the same considerations apply both to kitchen and to bathroom sinks) are constructed at present with one or more holes on their upper horizontal plane (to fit in the water-taps, the water spout and/or the plug control unit), with a main water drain hole on the bottom of the sink basin, and with an overflow hole on the vertical wall of the sink basin, formed at a certain height below its edge.
This known arrangement has two kinds of drawbacks: on one hand, it compels sink producers to form a supplementary overflow hole, perpendicular to the holes for fitting in the taps and/or to the main water drain hole, which involves further manufacturing difficulties and costs; on the other hand, it does not allow to fill the sink basin up to the top, as would often be desirable.
To overcome these drawbacks, it has already been proposed - for example in AU-B-530101 and in DE-U-9202901 - to make an overflow hole in correspondence of an upper horizontal plane of the sink. In both cases, the sinks are provided with a hole specially meant for overflow drainage.
The object of the present invention is to propose an overflow drainage system - of the type of that described in DE-U-9202901 - which makes it instead possible to use, for overflow drainage, the usual holes formed on the upper horizontal plane of the sink, into which are fitted the water-taps or the control unit for the plug of the main water drain hole.
In actual fact, an arrangement in which the overflow hole is formed into an upper horizontal plane of the sink and is also used to fit in the control unit for the drain plug, is already described in DE-A-1915065. This arrangement has however two kinds of drawbacks:

on one hand, the overflow hole must have a special toroidal shape, which is difficult to manufacture and anyhow involves extra costs;
on the other hand, the water flowing through said overflow hole wets the whole plug control unit and, in the long run, this produces rust and jamming, or anyhow causes damages.

The object of the present invention is therefore, more exactly, to realize an overflow drainage device of the aforecited type, allowing however to overcome all the above drawbacks. This object is now reached with the structure described in the characterizing part of claim 1.
Further characteristics and advantages of the overflow drainage device according to the present invention will anyhow be more evident from the following detailed description of some preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example and illustrated on the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a lateral, part section, view of a sink comprising an overflow device according to the present invention, associated to the hole into which is fitted a water-tap unit with the respective water spout;
Fig. 2 shows a different embodiment of the invention, wherein the overflow device is associated to the hole into which is fitted the control unit for the plug of the main water drain.

As shown in figure 1 of DE-U-9202901, a sink of known technique normally comprises: a water drain hole with vertical axis, formed into the bottom of the sink basin and to which is connected the main drain pipe; some top holes, formed into the upper horizontal plane of the sink, into which are fitted the water-taps, the water spout and/or the control unit for the closing plug associated to the main water drain hole; and a hole with horizontal axis, formed into the vertical wall of the sink basin and close to its top, used for overflow drainage. To this last hole there is associated an auxiliary drain pipe, which joins into the main drain pipe downstream of said closing plug.
Figures 2 and 3 of DE-U-9202901 show instead a sink comprising no overflow holes on the vertical wall of its basin: said hole is in fact formed into an upper, horizontal, lowered plane of the sink. In this case, as already said, it is a hole specially made for overflow drainage.
According to the present invention - and as shown in fig. 1 - use is made, for the overflow drainage, of a hole R2 already provided in correspondence of the upper horizontal plane L1 of the sink to house a pipe fitting for the tap 7 and the respective water spout 8. Into the hole R2 there is in fact inserted a tubular pipe fitting 9, the top edge of which carries a set of ribs or tabs 9a distributed along its circumference. These tabs - having an overturned L-shape and partially engaging into the hole R2 - act as spacers for the pipe fitting 9, which thus remains perfectly centred into the hole R2 with a free space all around, as well as slightly raised in respect of the horizontal plane L1 of the sink.
Between the edge of said hole R2 and the upper raised edge of the pipe fitting 9 there is hence formed a spillway mouth, through which the water flowing over the sink plane L1 can run down into the circumferential port between the contour of the hole R2 and the outer surface of the pipe fitting 9. As can be seen, the water initially flows externally to the pipe fitting 9.
A bush 2a, forming the upper end portion of an auxiliary overflow drain pipe 2, is connected by a water-tight fitting to the outer surface of the pipe fitting 9, below the sink plane L1. Said bush 2a forms a seal both against the outer surface of the pipe fitting 9 and against the lower surface of the sink wall L; sealing is guaranteed for example by conventional rubber gaskets 5 and 6, of the O-Ring type, as shown on the drawing. In this way, when the water overflows into the bush 2a - as indicated by the arrows - it is conveyed, through said bush, into the overflow drain pipe 2.
A conventional body 10, for the tap 7 and respective water spout 8, is simultaneously fitted into the pipe fitting 9. By this arrangement, the overflow drainage ports, formed between the tabs 9a, are practically masked by the body 10 of the tap unit.
Fig. 2 illustrates an arrangement similar to that described heretofore with reference to fig. 1. In this case, the overflow drainage ports are formed in correspondence of the control unit 11, 12, 13, for closing the plug of the main water drain 1. In fact, into the hole R3 there is likewise mounted a pipe fitting 9 - here formed in a manner such as to guarantee the housing and operation of the control unit 11, 12 (comprising a Bowden cable, as shown, or a rod) - which is equally kept centred by radial tabs 9a (fully similar to those of fig. 1), between which the drainage ports are formed.
Similarly to the arrangement of fig. 1, also here the auxiliary overflow drain pipe 2 ends at the top with a bush 2a which, by way of the gaskets 5 and 6, forms a seal against the pipe fitting 9 and, respectively, against the surface of the sink wall L; in this way, the water flowing over the sink plane L1 and penetrating into the ports between the tabs 9a, is conveyed into the drain pipe 2.
It is anyhow understood that the invention is not limited to the particular configurations described heretofore, which are merely non-limiting examples of its scope, but a great number of variants can be introduced - especially if adopting a similar arrangement with other types of fittings for water-taps or the like - all within reach of a technician skilled in the art, without thereby departing from the protection field of the present invention.

Claims

Overflow drainage device, particularly for use on sinks, of the type comprising a spillway mouth associated to a hole formed in correspondence of an upper horizontal plane of the sink, and an auxiliary drain pipe connected, by water-tight fittings, at the top to said mouth and at the bottom to the sink drain, characterized in that said spillway mouth consists of a circumferential port formed between the edge of said hole in the upper horizontal plane of the sink and the outer surface of a tubular pipe fitting inserted into said hole and forming a through slot for a tap unit, a water-spout unit, and/or a drain plug control unit, and in that a bush is radiused under said circumferential port by a water-tight fitting, said bush surrounding said tubular pipe fitting and forming the upper end portion of said auxiliary drain pipe.
Overflow drainage device as in claim 1), wherein said bush of the auxiliary drain pipe comprises sealing gaskets, on one side against the outer surface of said tubular pipe fitting and, on the other side, against the lower surface of the horizontal wall of the sink into which said spillway mouth is formed.