GB2249477A - Sink unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A sink unit has at least one basin (1) with a drainage opening in the base thereof and an upper edge which defines the basin opening. The upper edge merges into a surrounding support (11). A substantially rectilinear portion of the upper edge forms a base edge (3) of the contour of the basin opening and the other edge portions (2, 2'; 4, 4') are arranged symmetrically relative to a mean perpendicular from the base edge (3). The centre of the drainage opening (6) is located in the base surface on the projection of the mean perpendicular (5) thereonto. <IMAGE>

Description

SINK UNIT The invention relates to a sink unit having at least one basin, the base surface of which has a drainage opening and the upper edge of which merges into a substantially horizontal support flange. Such units are typically fitted in an opening in a work surface, with the flange resting on the surface around the periphery of the opening.

There are a large number of variations from the above basic design, in which at least one further smaller basin is arranged as a leftovers basin in addition to a first, large basin or sink. Instead of a simple circumambient edge, a draining surface may adjoin one basin edge. Sink units of the kind to which the invention relates are normally made of steel or a plastics material, but high-grade steel is usual, with the basin body itself being deep-drawn as a separate part and then welded on from below to the support edge which is designed as a frame. The basin body thus produced as a separate component is provided with the drainage opening located in the base surface before welding to the other part forming the support. The provision of the drainage opening can take place simultaneously with the formation of the basin body.It is then necessary, in particular for sink units with a draining surface, to manufacture them in such a manner that the basin must be located on the right-hand or the left-hand end of the draining surface, according to use. Hitherto, this necessitated the use of different sets of tools for manufacture for the left-hand and right-hand versions.

The present invention is directed at a sink unit of the above type, the design of which permits a reduction in the tooling and hence a reduction in the manufacturing costs. According to the invention a substantially rectilinear part of the upper basin edge forms a base edge of the contour of the basin opening and the other edges extend symmetrically on either side of a mean axis extending perpendicular to the base edge. The centre of the drainage opening is located on the line of the mean axis. This configuration of the basin makes it possible to manufacture a wide variety of sink units with the same basic basin design. A basin constructed in such a manner may be used for both left-hand and right-hand versions and also for double basin units. This applies both to the formation of the main basin or basins and of a leftovers basin, which is then of smaller overall dimensions.Special tools then need to be produced for the individual embodiments only for the other part of the sink unit; ie, for the support edge and/or the draining surface with an appropriate cutout for the basin or basins.

Whereas in principle round, curved, or any polygonal contours are within the scope of the invention, in a preferred configuration provision is made for a square basic contour of the basin opening with the length of the base edge shorter than the edge lying opposite the base edge. A basin opening thus defined can be formed in practice by a substantially square basin opening in which one edge is "cut off" parallel to the diagonal. For a basin body formed in this manner, it is connected to the section of the sink unit forming the support in such a manner that the base edge runs obliquely, i.e. at 45", to the longitudinal edge of the support.This demonstrates a further advantage available according to the invention, since even for square supports the region adjoining the base edge can be designed as a small draining surface, so that storage surface is available to the user even for the tightest space requirement.

The location of the drainage hole can be varied along the line of the mean axis defined above. It can be arranged centrally of the basin, or at a shorter distance from the side wall defined by the base edge than from the other side walls. This makes possible a drainage opening located in the vicinity of the side walls, i.e. away from the central region, without restricting the possible variations yielded by the shape.

The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 shows a top view of a basin body without its support; Figure 2 shows a vertical section through the basin of a sink unit in accordance with the invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view from above of a simple sink unit with a draining surface located on the right; Figure 4 is a perspective view from above of a simple sink unit with a draining surface located on the left; Figure 5 shows a sink unit with a double basin; Figure 6 shows a sink unit with a leftovers basin and a large draining surface in a right-handed embodiment; and Figure 7 shows a sink unit with a leftovers basin and a large draining surface in a left-handed embodiment.

The contour of the delimiting edge 2 of the basin opening of a basin 1 of a sink unit, shown schematically in a top view in Figure 1, illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention. Here, in a substantially square basic form one corner is "cut off", so that this part of the delimiting edge forms a base edge 3 of the contour. Relative to a mean perpendicular 5 running in a plane containing the basin opening and perpendicular to the base edge 3, the other delimiting edges 2, 2', 4, 4' are orientated mirror-symmetrically. A drainage opening 6 cut in the base surface of the basin is arranged in such a manner that its central point lies directly under the mean perpendicular 5.Depending on the design of the basin, the central point of the drainage opening 6 can be located at the point of intersection 7 with the associated diagonal 8 running perpendicular to the mean perpendicular 5 or alternatively displaced towards the side wall associated with the base edge 3, as illustrated here.

The advantage of such a basin form consists in that basins which permit very widely varying sink forms can be produced using only one tool. The illustration in broken lines in Figure 1 shows that it is possible to make a basin layout added to either left or the right, without changing the basin form. The marking 9 shows that simply rotation by 90 is required for this.

As is illustrated schematically in Figure 2, the basin 1 is manufactured as a separate component, the basin 1 being provided in the region of its delimiting edges with a weld edge 10 which is not shown in Figure 1.

With the aid of this weld edge 10, in order to produce a sink unit, the basin 1 is then welded to the adjacent horizontal edge of a support 11, which as a rule consists of an embossed plate into which an opening corresponding to the basin opening is cut.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a sink unit with the basin in the form illustrated in Figure 1. In this case, the basin 1 is connected to a support 11, which in addition to the cutout for the basin opening has a moulded fittings bank 12, a short draining surface 13 and a small depositing recess 14. The base edge 3 and the mean perpendicular 5 therefrom can be seen.

Whereas in the layout of Figure 3 the draining surface 13 adjoins the basin 1 to the right, in the embodiment of Figure 4 the support 11 is designed so that the draining surface 13 adjoins the basin to the left, with the individual function surfaces of the support 11 otherwise being in the same relation to one another.

Figure 5 shows a sink unit of the invention having two basins. This embodiment makes it apparent that the basin form still permits the arrangement of draining surfaces 13 even for such a double basin with the lowest possible space requirement.

Figures 6 and 7 show, in a left-hand and a right hand layout respectively, sink units which are each based on the basin form shown in Figure 1. A particular feature of these embodiments is the provision of a leftovers basin 15 which, although of different overall size, has the same basic form or shown as the basin of Figure 1. Thus, only one tool is required for such leftovers basins as well in order to design sink units which can be manufactured both in right-handed and lefthanded versions. In the embodiments illustrated, the base edge 3' of the leftovers basin 15 faces the base edge 3 of the basin 1, so that both edges run parallel to one another in the region of overlapping.

The illustrated embodiments of the invention have been described as being made of high-grade steel, but other materials can be used, as mentioned above. If the support, in particular a support formed with a draining surface, adjoining work surface or the like in the form of a sink unit cover, consists of a non-metallic material, for instance is made of a plastic, the basins may be connected as one piece to the support. The advantages and benefits of the invention, as described above, are equally applicable.

Claims (4)

Claims

1. A sink unit having at least one basin with a drainage opening in the base thereof and one upper edge which defines the basin opening and merges into a surrounding support, the upper edge including a substantially rectilinear portion forming a base edge of the contour of the basin opening and with the other edge portions being arranged symmetrically relative to a mean perpendicular from the base edge, the centre of the drainage opening being located on the line of the mean axis.

2. A sink unit according to Claim 1 wherein, for a substantially square basic form of basin opening, the base edge runs parallel to a diagonal of the square, and has a length shorter than each side of the square.

3. A sink unit according to Claim 2 characterised in that the centre of the drainage opening lies between the side wall contiguous with the base edge and said diagonal of the square.

4. A sink unit substantially as described herein with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.