GB2456579A

GB2456579A - A plug hole strainer

Info

Publication number: GB2456579A
Application number: GB0801061A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Scarborough Taylor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-01-21
Filing date: 2008-01-21
Publication date: 2009-07-22
Also published as: GB0801061D0; WO2009093021A3; WO2009093021A2

Abstract

A strainer 10 for a sink or the like is made up of a tubular perforated portion 12 which extends upwardly from the plug hole in line with the drain together wit outwardly extending perforated flanges 18 at the bottom and upstanding perforated walls 20 to create a trough for catching detritus when the sink is emptied. A plug 28 can extend down the central tubular portion to close the plug hole and frusto-conical angular adaptors 39 can be attached to the bottom of the strainer to enable its use with various different sized plugholes.

Description

1 2456579

A STRAINER

The invention relates to a strainer for sinks or the like.

Known sink strainers include a type which is made from a single perforated circular 5 metal plate shaped so as to provide a cup shaped portion which extends downwardly into a plug hole with a radially outwardly extending flange at the top edge of the cup portion. Such strainers are useful particularly for collecting hair which can build up in a bath tub or shower which collects in the cup portion and can easily be disposed of by taking the strainer out of the bath tub and emptying the hair into a bin. Such strainers 10 are also commonly used in sinks to collect food residue which is either rinsed from cutlery or crockery or collects in washing up water when cutlery and crockery are washed up. Such strainers suffer certain disadvantages in particular they are easily clogged up by the waste material caught in the cup portion requiring the user to put his or her hand into the dirty water and either dislodge the clogged material with a finger or 15 take out the strainer and empty it. There are problems associated with both of these operations in that dislodging waste material with a finger must be done frequently if there is a significant amount of debris in the water being drained and of course when the strainer is removed it ceases to perform its normal function allowing material that would otherwise be caught in it, to escape down the plug hole.

20 In light of such disadvantages various alternatives have been proposed. For example, US6276000 and US2004/0073992 both propose sink strainers which comprise perforated tubes adapted to be fitted to a basin drain extending upwardly from the plug hole. Such a strainer does not catch detritus in a cup portion but rather it is prevented from blocking the plug hole by being caught outside the perforated tube. Unfortunately, 25 such a strainer also causes all the debris washed from cutlery or crockery to be left at the bottom of the sink so that it must be scooped up and thrown away separately once the sink has drained.

Against this background the invention provides a strainer for a sink or the like comprising a water permeable tubular member having a first open end which in use is placed over a plug hole of a sink and is provided with a radially outwardly extending flange which engages the sink around the plug hole so as to provide a surface on which waste material can be caught when the sink is drained.

Accordingly a user does not have to place his or her hand in the dirty water due to clogging because the provision of a water permeable tubular member means there is no cup portion to clog and additionally the user does not need to scoop the waste material from the bottom of the sink but can simply lift up the strainer and throw away waste material caught on the flange.

Preferably the flange is provided with upstanding perforated walls at its periphery.

The provision of upstanding walls at the periphery of the flange has the effect of providing a trough around the tubular member in which waste material is caught and is useful in avoiding spillage when transferring the waste material from the strainer to a bin.

Although the upstanding wall need not necessarily be at the periphery of the flange, it is preferable to have the widest trough possible to retain the maximum amount of debris therefore it is preferred that the flange does not extend beyond the upstanding wall. Preferably the walls are perforated to aid drainage.

Preferably the flange is also perforated. Providing a perforated flange also assists draining.

Preferably the first open end of the tubular member is provided with annular seating means to engage with the inner rim of the plug hole in use, and thereby aligns the tubular member with the plug hole such that water can drain out via the central passage in the tubular member, the annular seating means and the plug hole.

The provision of seating means which in use sits below the flange ensures that the strainer is securely located in the correct position. Suitable materials for the annular seating means include resilient plastics and rubber.

Preferably the strainer is provided with a closure member which can be inserted into the tubular member so as to close the plug hole.

Preferably the closure member is provided with a pull handle extending through the other end of the tubular member. The provision of a pull handle means that the user's hand does not need to be placed in dirty water to open the plug hole.

Preferably the closure member is tubular and fits snugly into the water permeable tubular member.

Preferably the tubular closure member is provided with a first end to seal the central passage by engaging with the seating means, a second closed end and water impermeable sides between the two ends. The provision of a closed second end and water permeable sides prevents debris falling into the central passage through the tubular member and becoming trapped therein.

Preferably the water permeable tubular member is between 100mm and 500mm in length more preferably about 300mm. Preferably the tubular plug member is between 50mm and 200mm in length more preferably about 100mm in length. Preferably the tubular plug member is between 20mm and 100mm in diameter, more preferably 30-60mm and most preferably about 45mm in diameter. Preferably the plate is between 50mm and 200mm in diameter more preferably about 75mm in diameter. Preferably the upwardly extending walls at the periphery of the plate member are between 10mm and 50mm in height most preferably about 40mm. Preferably the tubular member has a circular cross section.

Preferably the annular seating means is frusto-conical. Preferably the strainer is provided with at least one of frusto-conical adapter which in use engages with the plug hole and the seating means to adapt the seating means for use with plug holes of differing diameters Preferably the at least one frusto-conical adapter is a snap fit adapter having a tongue or groove to engage with a corresponding groove or tongue in

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the annular seating means or another adapter. The frusto-conical adapters are suitably manufactured from rubber or resilient plastics.

The invention may be understood more readily and various other aspects of the features of the invention may become apparent from consideration of the following 5 description.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only,

with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a strainer according to the invention; and

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the strainer according to the invention along 10 the line A-A shown in Figure 1.

In Figure 2 of the drawings, the strainer 10 is shown in the "upright" position in which it will be used. All references to "up", "down" or similar terms in this description are referring to those directions when the strainer 10 is in use, and should not be taken as limiting.

15 As shown in the drawings, the strainer 10 is composed of a water permeable tubular member 12 taking the form of a cylindrical tube with an open first (lower) end 14 and an open second (upper) end 16, the water permeable tubular member 12 is suitably made from perforated stainless steel and is 100mm long with a diameter of 45mm.

A radially outwardly extending flange 18 e.g. a flat annulus of perforated stainless 20 steel is provided around the first (lower) end 14 of the tubular member. The annulus has an inner diameter of 45mm and at its inner periphery is attached to the outer periphery of the tubular member 12, for example by welding. The outer diameter of the flange 18 is suitably 75mm.

An upstanding wall 20 is provided at the periphery of the flange 18 so as to provide 25 a trough surrounding the lower end 14 of the tubular member. The upstanding wall 20 is suitably made of perforated stainless steel and at its lower end is preferably welded to the outer periphery of the flange 18.

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The perforations in the tubular member 12, flange 18, and upstanding wall 20 are suitably uniformly spaced circular holes about 2mm in diameter

Annular seating means 22 is provided at the first (lower) open end 14 of the tubular member in the form of a frusto-conical polyphenylene (PPE) member which is glued at 5 its wider end 24 to the tubular member 12 so as to depend downward below the flange 18, narrowing downwardly. The annular seating means 22 is provided with a circumferential groove 1mm in height and depth (not shown) between its wider end 24 and its narrower end 26 on its outwardly facing surface.

A tubular closure member 28 is shaped to fit snugly into the perforated tubular 10 member 12 and is made of high density polyethene (HDPE). The tubular closure member consists of water impermeable, 100mm tall side walls 30, frusto-conical sealing surface 32 and a circular top wall 34.

The closure member 28 is connected to an annular pull handle 36 via an upwardly extending stem 38, the pull handle is sized to comfortably accommodate a large finger 15 and the stem is 300mm in length, both are moulded in HDPE.

Frusto-conical adapter 39 consists of a frusto-conical portion 40 and an inwardly extending circumferential flange portion 42, which is 1mm in height and depth at the circumference of the wider end of the frusto-conical adapter.

In use the annular seating means 22 is pushed into the plug hole of a sink to fit 20 tightly therein. If a tight fit cannot be obtained, an adapter 39 is snap fitted on to the outside of the seating means by engaging the circumferential flange 42 with the groove (not shown) in the seating means. The adapter can then be pushed into the plug hole to obtain a tight fit.

When the strainer 10 is thus located, the flange 18 lies on the floor of the sink and 25 the water permeable tubular member 12 extends upwardly. Thus a central passage extends through water permeable tubular member 12, seating means 22 and the plug hole and water entering the tubular member 12 through the perforations is able to flow

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out of the sink through the central passage. Thus if a bowl of dirty water is emptied into the sink the water flows through the perforations out of the sink. Any residual debris that flows over the upstanding wall 20 is caught in the trough unless it is so small as to pass through the perforations.

5 To close the plug hole and fill the sink, the closure member 28 is inserted downwardly into the tubular member 12 so that the frusto-conical sealing surface 32 engages the annular seating means 22. Water can then be run into the sink and flow through the central passage, out of the drain will be prevented.

Once the water has been used, for example for washing up, the closure member 10 28 can be pulled out by the handle 38 without the need for the user to put his/her hand in the dirty water and the water will flow out through the central passage via the perforations in the tubular member 12. Again any debris that flows over the wall 20 will be caught in the trough.

Once the water has all flowed out through the plug hole the strainer 10 is lifted out 15 of the sink and the debris caught on the flange 18 between the tubular member 12 and the wall 20 can be disposed of.

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Claims

1. A strainer for a sink or the like comprising a water permeable tubular member having a first open end which in use is placed over a plug hole of a sink and is provided with a radially outwardly extending flange which engages the sink around the

5 plug hole so as to provide a surface on which waste material can be caught when the sink is drained.

2. A strainer according to claim 1 wherein the flange is provided with upstanding perforated walls at its periphery.

3. A strainer according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the walls are

10 perforated.

4. A strainer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the flange is perforated.

5. A strainer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the first open end of the tubular member is provided with annular seating means to engage with the

15 inner rim of the plug hole in use, and thereby aligns the tubular member with the plug hole such that water can drain through a central passage in the tubular member, the annular seating means and the plug hole.

6. A strainer according to any of the preceding claims further comprising a closure member which can be inserted into the tubular member so as to close the plug

20 hole.

7. A strainer according to claim 6 wherein the closure member is provided with a pull handle extending through the other end of the tubular member.

8. A strainer according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the closure member is tubular and fits snugly into the water permeable tubular member.

25

9 A strainer according to claims 8 wherein the tubular closure member is provided with a first end to seal the central passage by engaging with the seating means, a second closed end and water impermeable sides between the two ends.

10. A strainer according to any of claims 5 to 9 wherein the annular seating means is frusto-conical.

11. A strainer according to any of claims 5 to 10 wherein the strainer is provided with at least one frusto-conical adapter which in use engages with the plug hole and the seating means to adapt the seating means for use with plug holes of differing diameters.

12. A strainer according to claim 11 wherein the or each frusto-conical adapter is a snap fit adapter having a tongue or groove to engage with a corresponding groove or tongue in the annular seating means or another adapter.

13. A strainer according to any of the preceding claims wherein the tubular member has a circular cross section.