FI4143393T3 - Replaceable outlet filter - Google Patents

Description

EP 4 143 393 B1

Replaceable drain strainer

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a replaceable strainer for a drain of a sink, shower or bath for domestic use.

State of the art

Plugholes and drains are easily clogged, in the case of shower and bath facilities in particular by human hair clinging to protrusions and the like. To prevent these blockages, there are commercially available strainers, usually made of metal, which must be placed over the drain and cleaned regularly. However, cleaning these strainers is comparatively time-consuming or the strainers are not particularly hygienic, depending on how often they are cleaned.

A strainer for bathtubs is known from US2011089099A, wherein the strainer is made of a flexible material.

Description of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide a drain strainer that makes it easy and uncomplicated to remove the captured debris.

This object is solved by a drain strainer according to claim 1. Further features of the invention are included in the dependent claims.

A drain strainer according to the invention comprises, among other things, a mesh formed from a flexible material, wherein the individual bars are 0.5 mm - 1.5 mm wide and the mesh has a through hole in the centre. This kind of strainer helps to prevent blockages in the drain and makes cleaning easier because the strainer can be easily replaced, does not block the drain during use and the drain can still be closed with a plug. The flexible material may be a plastic such as PVC, the essential aspect being that the strainer can be pushed into the drain.

However, the flexible material is preferably biodegradable and/or compostable. For example, the drain strainer may be made of hemp, wood or another biodegradable material. As a result, disposal is environmentally friendly and it does not have to be disposed of with household waste.

A circumferential ring is preferably formed on the inner edge and/or outer edge. These rings stabilise the drain strainer.

Preferably, the mesh holes have a maximum diameter of 6 mm or less, in particular 4 mm or less, and a minimum diameter of 2 mm, preferably 3 mm. The water can still flow through this diameter unhindered, but the mesh 2 is close-meshed enough to retain hair, food residues or other debris.

EP 4 143 393 B1

The drain strainer preferably has a maximum thickness of 1 mm, in particular 0.8 mm, and has a minimum thickness of 0.5 mm.

The drain strainer is preferably configured to be substantially circular. As a result, there are fewer gaps between the strainer and the drain pipe at the outer edges, so that all materials entering the drain are captured.

In particular, the through hole has a diameter of 7.5 mm to 8.5 mm.

Optionally, the drain strainer has at least one pulling element by which the drain strainer is removable from a drain. This makes it easier to remove the strainer.

Radially inward protrusions or two intersecting slots, in particular two slots running perpendicular to each other, are provided on the through hole so that a slot cross is formed starting from the through hole. Optionally, these secure the drain strainer to the plug, if the plug is designed with a pin.

This means that the drain strainer can be combined with a thumb plug.

Brief description of the Figures

Figure 1 shows a basic design of a drain strainer according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a design of a drain strainer with an inner and an outer ring, wherein this design is not covered by claim 1; and

Figure 3 shows a drain strainer according to the invention with protrusions on the inner ring.

Description of the preferred embodiments

Figure 1 shows a basic design of a drain strainer according to the invention. The basic design of a drain strainer 10 has a mesh 12, which in this case is made of intersecting bars. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the mesh grid forms a plurality of square through holes.

However, the grid can also be configured in other shapes, such as diamond-shaped, rectangular or even round holes, in which the mesh is formed by punching the holes in a corresponding film, netting or fabric. In general, the mesh must have through-holes through which water can drain and at the same time can also capture the material that is not intended to enter the drain. A through hole 11 is provided in a central area through which a drain plug can be inserted. This allows the drain strainer to be combined with a drain plug. A slot cross can be provided in the mesh to allow further combinations with thumb plugs (see dotted lines in Figure 1). The slots extend from the through hole 11 to the edge of the mesh. They can be seen as two mutually perpendicular slots that run through the through hole 11.

The mesh 10 is preferably configured to be circular, but other shapes are also conceivable, for example a square, rectangular or other polygonal shape, in which the corners bend upwards

EP 4 143 393 B1 when the mesh is inserted, but there must not be too much space between the drain and the mesh (less than 5 mm).

As shown in Figure 2, a reinforcement 14 may be formed on the outer edge of mesh 12, for example as a flat ring or as a ridge-shaped border. A reinforcement 16 may also be provided on the inside. The reinforcement 16 on the through hole 11 may further comprise protrusions 18 that improve the hold on a plug (see Figure 3).

Further, a pulling element 20 can also be attached to the mesh, for example as a simple extension of a mesh bar of the mesh grid. As the mesh is made of a flexible material, the extension can be bent upwards and easily gripped by hand at the drain opening. Other pulling elements 20 are also conceivable, for example an upwardly projecting rod-shaped protrusion formed on the outer ring 14.

The material should be flexible so that deviations in the exact dimensions of the drain can be compensated for by the drain strainer. Suitable materials include various plastics such as PVC, but also biodegradable materials such as hemp or wood or suitable types of cardboard or paper.

The mesh preferably has a thickness of 0.5-1 mm, preferably a maximum thickness of 0.8 mm.

The individual mesh bars have a thickness of 0.5 mm - 1.5 mm, preferably a maximum thickness of 1 mm or even just 0.8 mm. The outer diameter may vary depending on the dimensions of the drain where the strainer is to be used. For example, the outer diameter may be adapted to an Austrian or German standard and therefore have a diameter of 4-5 cm.

When in use, first the plug, if there is one, is removed from the drain. The drain strainer 10 is then pushed into the drain so that the strainer completely covers the diameter of the drain. The strainer can be inserted only slightly or more deeply. The drain is then covered again with the plug, wherein the rod of the plug is pushed into the through hole 11, preferably without pushing the drain strainer any further into the drain. Depending on the amount of material that ends up in the drain, the strainer can then be removed after a few days or even after one or more weeks and disposed of in the household waste or compost.

EP 4 143 393 B1

List of reference signs

Drain strainer 10

Through hole 11

Mesh 12

Reinforcement 14

Reinforcement 16

Protrusion 18

Pulling element 20

Claims (8)

EP 4 143 393 B1 Patent claims 1. A drain strainer (10) intended for the drain of a sink, shower or bathtub intended for household use, with a net (12) made of flexible material, so that the drain strainer can be pushed into the drain, where the net (12) has a through hole (11) in the middle, characterized by the fact that the net ( 12) the individual mesh bars are 0.5-1.5 mm wide, and at the through-hole (11) there are projections (18) that protrude radially inwards, or with two or more intersecting grooves, so that starting from the through-hole (11) at least one career crusader. 2. A drain strainer (10) according to claim 1, wherein the flexible material is biodegradable. 3. A drain strainer (10) according to one of the preceding claims, in which a circumferential reinforcement (14, 16) is formed on the inner edge and/or the outer edge. 4. A drain strainer (10) according to any one of the previous claims, in which the mesh size of the net is no more than 6 mm. 5. A drain strainer (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the thickness of the drain strainer (10) is no more than 1 mm, especially 0.8 mm. 6. The drain strainer (10) according to claim 1, wherein the drain strainer (10) is shaped essentially round. 7. A drain strainer (10) according to any of the previous claims, in which the diameter of the through hole (11) is 7.5-8.5 mm. 8. A drain strainer (10) according to any of the previous claims, which additionally contains at least one pulling element (20) with which the drain strainer can be detached from the drain. 1