JP7471636B2 - Drain Structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drain structure.

It is common for buildings, condominiums, and other structures to have drains on the rooftops and balconies on each floor to drain rainwater. Drain caps are attached to these types of drains to prevent solid objects such as fallen leaves, twigs, paper, and vinyl that are carried along with the rainwater from entering the drains, to avoid the danger of the drains being exposed, and to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the structure.

An example of a conventional drain structure using this type of drain cap is shown in Figure 14. In the case of the drain structure 1 shown here, a drain pipe 3 is buried vertically in a concrete structure 2 that constitutes the roof or balcony of a building to drain rainwater that accumulates on its surface, and a drain body 5 that forms a drain outlet 4 that draws in rainwater is fitted to the upper end of the drain pipe 3.

Here, the surface of the concrete structure 2 is covered with a waterproof sheet 6, which is fixed so that it is sandwiched between the flange 7 at the top end of the drain body 5 and a hollow disk-shaped waterproof layer holder 8, and this waterproof layer holder 8 is screwed to the flange 7 at the top end of the drain body 5.

The drain outlet 4 is covered by a drain cap 9 with a water-permeable structure. The drain cap 9 is dome-shaped as shown in the figure, has multiple openings 10 for letting rainwater through, has a stem 9a in the center, and a spring member 11 made of two leaf springs is fixed to the stem 9a with a screw. The length of the spring member 11 is sufficiently longer than the diameter of the drain outlet 4, and the two spring members 11 are fixed in a cross-shaped overlapping state.

Figure 15 shows how the drain cap 9 is attached to the drain outlet 4. When attaching the drain cap 9, the worker bends the two spring members 11 to narrow the lower ends of the spring members 11 to a diameter smaller than the diameter of the drain outlet 4, and inserts the spring members 11 into the inside of the drain outlet 4. When the worker releases the spring members 11 after insertion, the lower ends of the spring members 11 expand due to their own elasticity and press against the inside of the drain pipe 3 directly below the drain outlet 4, thereby fixing the drain cap 9 in place.

However, in such a conventional drain cap 9, the two cross-shaped spring members 11 were inserted into the drain outlet 4 by narrowing them to a diameter smaller than the diameter of the drain outlet 4. This meant that a large area of the opening area of the drain outlet 4 was blocked by the cross-shaped intersections of the spring members 11, which led to the problem that the drain outlet 4 was prone to clogging due to fallen leaves and other debris carried by rainwater getting caught in them.

The same applicant as the present invention has proposed the following Patent Document 1, in which, as shown in Figure 16, spring members 11 are individually provided at multiple locations on the lower inner circumference of the drain cap 9, and the spring members 11 are used to minimize narrowing of the opening area of the drain port 4 (see Figure 14). Note that for the sake of convenience, the components of the drain cap 9 shown in Figure 16 that are functionally the same as those in Figures 14 and 15 above are given the same reference numerals and will not be described here.

JP 2015-55140 A

However, with these conventional drain caps 9, the spring members 11 that protrude on all four sides must be narrowed to a size smaller than the diameter of the drain outlet 4 before being inserted into the drain outlet 4, which makes installation difficult. In addition, there is also a concern that the drain cap 9 may be blown out of the drain outlet 4 and blown away by strong winds such as those caused by a typhoon.

One way to prevent this from happening would be to strengthen the elasticity of the spring member 11 to improve its holding power; however, the stronger the elasticity of the spring member 11, the worse the attachment becomes, and this could lead to new problems, such as the spring member 11 opening forcefully when removing it, increasing the risk of hitting the worker's hand.

Moreover, no matter how much the elasticity of the spring member 11 is strengthened, the fixing method, which relies on the frictional force caused by the spring member 11 abutting against the inside of the drain pipe 3 directly below the drain outlet 4, is somewhat weak as a measure against strong winds, and it is desirable to take more reliable measures to prevent the drain cap 9 from coming off.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a drain structure that is easier to install than conventional structures and does not need to be blown away by strong winds.

The present invention comprises a drain cap with a water-permeable structure for covering a drain outlet, a plurality of spring members that extend outward from the inside of the lower end of the drain cap and are inserted into the inside of the drain outlet in a compressed state, and then return to their original shape by their own elasticity to press against the inside periphery of the drain outlet, and anchors provided at a plurality of locations on the outer edge of the drain outlet so as to hook onto each of the spring members and prevent them from coming off the drain outlet, each of the spring members having a slit extending in the longitudinal direction, and each of the anchors being formed to have a width that fits within the width of the slit and to form a hook shape facing downward. This drain structure is characterized in that each of the spring members is shaped like a wire frame made of elastic wire, with the gaps between the spring members forming the slits, the tip of each spring member forms a bent portion that bends downward when deployed outside the lower end of the drain cap , and directly below each anchor at the outer edge of the drain outlet, a ring-shaped shelf portion that slopes downward toward the inside of the drain outlet is formed, and each of the spring members can be raised up on the shelf portion to support the drain cap in a floating manner .

When configured in this way, when the tip of each spring member is lowered toward the hook-shaped bent portion of each anchor while the spring member is contracted downward, the tip of each spring member is bent inward as a bent portion, so that the hook-shaped bent portion of each anchor is smoothly inserted into the slit of the bent portion, and by continuing to lower each spring member in this state, the tip of each spring member passes over the tip of each anchor, and each anchor passes through the slit of each spring member, entering an engaged state.

In other words, without having to take the trouble of narrowing each spring member to a position inside each anchor and then returning it to fit the anchor through the slit, it is possible to simply lower each spring member that has been narrowed downward toward the hook-shaped bent portion of each anchor, and this bent portion can be easily inserted into the slit of the bent portion of each spring member. From that state, simply by continuing to lower each spring member, it is possible to easily engage each anchor with the slit of each spring member.

Next, when the drain cap is pushed down, it descends while maintaining the engagement between each anchor and each slit, and the drain cap sits over the drain outlet, while each spring member restores its elasticity and presses against the inner periphery of the drain outlet, thereby fixing the drain cap to the inner periphery of the drain outlet.

On the other hand, when the drain cap is pulled up, it rises while maintaining the engagement between the anchors and the slits, and when the drain anchors reach the lower ends of the slits relative to each other, the downward hook-shaped anchors are hooked onto the lower ends of the slits, preventing the drain cap from being pulled up any further.

Therefore, even if the drain cap is blown out of the drain by strong winds such as a typhoon, once it has been pulled out a distance equivalent to the slit length of each spring member, each anchor will latch onto the lower end of each slit, preventing further pulling out, and the drain cap will be reliably prevented from being blown away.

As a result, there is no need to overly strengthen the elasticity of the spring member to prevent it from being blown away by strong winds, making it easier to install than before. Also, even when the drain cap is pulled up to clean the drain, the engagement between each anchor and each slit is maintained, so the spring member does not open forcefully, eliminating the risk of the spring member hitting the worker's hand.

In other words, if there is no risk of the spring member opening forcefully when the drain cap is pulled up, the drain cap can be pulled up carelessly without any problems, making it extremely easy to remove the drain cap from the drain outlet.

In addition, the drain cap that has been pulled up is supported in a floating state above the drain outlet by the spring member pressing against the outer edge of the drain outlet at the position where each anchor is hooked onto the lower end of each slit, making it extremely easy to clean the drain outlet without having to completely remove the drain cap.

In this case, an annular shelf portion that slopes downward toward the inside of the drain outlet is formed directly below each anchor on the outer edge of the drain outlet, and the spring members are configured to be raised up on the shelf portion to support the floating of the drain cap.Therefore , by raising each spring member up on the shelf portion, it is possible to support the floating of the drain cap more stably.

In addition, when the drain cap is pushed down from its raised support state, the downward inclination of the shelf and the bending of the tips of the spring members cause the spring members to narrow closer to each other, allowing the drain cap to be seated again over the drain outlet.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the tip of each anchor is bent in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet to form a guide portion, and each spring member is twisted and removed from each anchor by simply rotating the drain cap in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet. In this way, each spring member can be easily removed from each anchor by simply rotating the drain cap.

In other words, when the drain cap is rotated in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet, the spring members are squeezed together, and the tip ends of the spring members are pulled inward in the radial direction of the drain outlet while being pulled in the direction of rotation of the drain cap, and are guided by the guide portions of the anchors while sliding and coming off the anchors.

In addition, since each spring member is simply shaped into a wire frame using elastic wire, it can easily twist and bend in all directions, and can effortlessly follow the bending of the guide section.

In addition, in the present invention, the upper end of each spring member is attached individually to multiple circumferential positions on the inside of the lower end of the drain cap, and each spring member is preferably formed so that it first faces inward and then turns back outward via an inverted portion. In this way, the rate at which the opening area of the drain port is blocked is significantly reduced, making it less likely to become clogged, compared to a conventional structure in which two spring members are fixed in a cross-shaped overlapping state.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that each spring member is configured to be able to unfold substantially horizontally when removed from the drain outlet, so that when storing the drain caps when not in use, multiple drain caps can be stacked together to avoid taking up too much space.

The drain structure of the present invention provides a variety of excellent effects, including:

(I) According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, it is possible to realize a drain structure that is easier to install than conventional drain caps and does not have to be blown away by strong winds. Moreover, since the drain cap that has been pulled up can be supported in a state where it is floating above the drain outlet, cleaning of the drain outlet can be performed very easily without having to completely remove the drain cap.

(II) According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, the drain cap can be supported in a floating state by raising each spring member above the shelf portion, thereby realizing a more stable floating support of the drain cap, and the drain cap can be easily returned to a seated state on the drain outlet by simply pushing down from the floating supported state.

(III) According to the invention described in claim 2 , the spring members can be easily removed from the anchors by simply rotating the drain cap, and easy removal can be achieved while still adopting an engagement method with the anchors.

(IV) According to the invention described in claim 3 of the present invention, compared to the conventional structure in which two spring members are fixed in a cross-shaped overlapping state, the proportion of the opening area of the drain that is blocked can be significantly reduced, making it less likely to clog.

(V) According to the invention described in claim 4 of the present invention, each spring member can be removed from the drain outlet and laid out approximately horizontally. Therefore, when storing the drain caps when not in use, multiple drain caps can be stacked and stored so as not to take up too much space, and multiple drain caps can be stored efficiently.

1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drain cap of FIG. 1 removed from the drain outlet. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the spring member of FIG. 1 alone. 2 is a perspective view showing a state immediately before the spring member of FIG. 1 is engaged with an anchor. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state immediately after the spring member of FIG. 1 is engaged with the anchor. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the drain cap of FIG. 1 is pulled up to the maximum. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the spring member of FIG. 1 is erected on a shelf portion. FIG. FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the spring member of FIG. 8 alone. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the drain cap of FIG. 8 removed from the drain outlet. FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the spring member of FIG. 11 alone. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the drain cap of FIG. 11 removed from the drain outlet. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional example. FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the drain cap in FIG. 14 is attached. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of the conventional art.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

Figures 1 to 7 show a first embodiment of the drain structure of the present invention. In this first embodiment, a drain pipe 3 is buried vertically in a concrete structure 2 that constitutes the roof or balcony of a building to drain rainwater that accumulates on its surface, and a drain body 5 that forms a drain outlet 4 that draws in rainwater is fitted to the upper end of the drain pipe 3. In the example shown here, an auxiliary pipe 12 with a flange-shaped waterproof layer holder 12a at its upper end is fitted into the drain body 5, and a waterproof sheet (not shown for convenience of explanation: see waterproof sheet 6 in Figures 14 and 15) is sandwiched between the waterproof layer holder 12a at the upper end of the auxiliary pipe 12 and the flange 7 at the upper end of the drain body 5, and in this state, the waterproof layer holder 12a is screwed to the flange 7 at the upper end of the drain body 5.

Furthermore, the drain cap 9 has a water-permeable structure and covers the drain outlet 4; a spring member 13 that extends downward from the inside of the drain cap 9 and is inserted into the drain outlet 4 in a narrowed position, and then expands by its own elasticity to press against the inside of the drain outlet 4 (the cylindrical part of the auxiliary pipe 12 and the inner surface of the drain pipe 3 below it); and an anchor 14 that is provided on the outer edge of the drain outlet 4 to hook onto the spring member 13 and prevent it from coming off the drain outlet 4. In the example shown here, each anchor 14 is provided on the inner periphery of the upper end of the auxiliary pipe 12 that forms the outer edge of the drain outlet 4.

That is, each of the spring members 13 has a slit 15 extending in the longitudinal direction, and each of the anchors 14 is formed to have a width that fits within the width of the slit 15 and to form a hook shape facing downward. More specifically, each of the spring members 13 is formed in a wire frame shape using elastic wire, and the gap between the anchors forms the slit 15. The tip of each of the spring members 13 forms a bent portion 13a that bends downward when deployed outside the lower end of the drain cap 9 (see Figure 2).

On the other hand, the tip of each anchor 14 is bent in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet 4 to form a guide portion 14a, and each spring member 13 is twisted and removed from each anchor 14 simply by rotating the drain cap 9 in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet 4. Furthermore, since each spring member 13 is simply shaped into a wire frame using elastic wire, it can be easily twisted and bent in all directions and can be made to naturally follow the bending of the guide portion 14a.

The drain cap 9 is dome-shaped and has multiple openings 10 for letting rainwater through, as in the conventional example described in Figures 14 and 15, and has ribs 9b at multiple locations around the circumference on the inside of its lower end. The base end 13b (see Figure 3) of each of the spring members 13 is attached to the underside of each of the ribs 9b, and each of these spring members 13 is formed so that it turns inward and then turns back outward via a P-shaped inverted portion 13c. For example, as shown in Figure 2, each of the spring members 13 can be configured to be able to unfold approximately horizontally when removed from the drain port 4.

Furthermore, in this first embodiment, an annular shelf 16 that slopes downward toward the inside of the drain outlet 4 is formed directly below each anchor 14 on the outer edge of the drain outlet 4, and each spring member 13 can be raised on the shelf 16 to support the drain cap 9 in a floating manner.

When the drain structure 17 is constructed in this manner, as shown in FIG. 4, when the tip of each spring member 13 is lowered toward the hook-shaped bent portion of each anchor 14 while each spring member 13 is pinched downward, the tip of each spring member 13 is bent inward as a bent portion 13a, so that the hook-shaped bent portion of each anchor 14 is smoothly inserted into the slit 15 of the bent portion 13a. By continuing to lower each spring member 13 in this state, the tip of each spring member 13 passes over the tip of each anchor 14, and each anchor 14 passes through the slit 15 of each spring member 13, entering an engaged state (see FIG. 5).

In other words, without having to take the trouble of narrowing each spring member 13 to a position inside each anchor 14 and then returning it to pass each anchor 14 through the slit 15 to engage it, it is possible to simply lower each spring member 13 that has been narrowed downward toward the hook-shaped bent portion of each anchor 14, and this bent portion can be easily inserted into the slit 15 of the bent portion 13a of each spring member 13. From that state, simply by continuing to lower each spring member 13, it is possible to easily engage each anchor 14 with the slit 15 of each spring member 13.

When the tip of each spring member 13 passes over the tip of each anchor 14 (see Figure 4), the tip of each anchor 14 is bent in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet 4 to form a guide portion 14a, and the tip of each spring member 13 is subjected to a twisting force by the guide portion 14a. However, as described above, each spring member 13 is simply shaped like a wire frame using elastic wire, so it can easily twist and bend in all directions to effortlessly follow the bending of the guide portion 14a.

Next, when the drain cap 9 is pushed down, it descends while maintaining the engagement between each anchor 14 and each slit 15, and as shown in FIG. 1, the drain cap 9 sits over the drain outlet 4, while each spring member 13 restores its elasticity and presses against the inside of the drain outlet 4 (the tubular part of the auxiliary pipe 12 and the inner surface of the drain pipe 3 below it), thereby fixing the drain cap 9 to the inside of the drain outlet 4.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the drain cap 9 is pulled up, the drain cap 9 rises while maintaining the engagement between the anchors 14 and the slits 15. When the anchors 14 of the drain outlet 4 reach the lower ends of the slits 15, the downwardly hooked anchors 14 are hooked onto the lower ends of the slits 15, preventing the drain cap 9 from being pulled up any further.

Therefore, even if the drain cap 9 is blown out of the drain outlet 4 by strong winds such as a typhoon, when each spring member 13 is pulled out a distance equivalent to the length of the slit 15, each anchor 14 hooks onto the lower end of each slit 15, preventing further pulling out, and the drain cap 9 is reliably prevented from being blown away.

As a result, there is no need to overly strengthen the elasticity of the spring member 13 to prevent it from being blown away by strong winds, making it easier to install than before. Also, even if the drain cap 9 is pulled up to clean the drain outlet 4, the engagement between each anchor 14 and each slit 15 is maintained, so the spring member 13 does not open forcefully, eliminating the risk of the spring member 13 hitting the worker's hand.

In other words, if there is no risk of the spring member 13 opening forcefully when the drain cap 9 is pulled up, there is no problem even if the drain cap 9 is pulled up carelessly, so the task of removing the drain cap 9 from the drain outlet 4 becomes extremely easy.

In addition, the drain cap 9 that has been pulled upward is supported in a state where it is raised above the drain outlet 4 by the spring member 13 pressing against the outer edge of the drain outlet 4 at the position where each anchor 14 is hooked onto the lower end of each slit 15, making it extremely easy to clean the drain outlet 4 without having to completely remove the drain cap 9.

In this case, if an annular shelf portion 16 is formed directly below each anchor 14 as in the first embodiment, the spring members 13 can be raised up on the shelf portion 16 as shown in FIG. 7, which allows for more stable floating support of the drain cap 9. Furthermore, when the drain cap 9 is pushed down from the floating support state, the downward inclination of the shelf portion 16 and the bending of the tips of the spring members 13 cause the spring members 13 to narrow closer to each other, allowing the drain cap 9 to be seated again over the drain outlet 4.

Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, if the tip of each anchor 14 is bent in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet 4 to form a guide portion 14a, and each spring member 13 is twisted and removed from each anchor 14 simply by rotating the drain cap 9 in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet 4, it becomes possible to easily remove each spring member 13 from each anchor 14 by simply rotating the drain cap 9 to make each spring member 13 naturally follow the bending of the guide portion 14a.

In other words, when the drain cap 9 is rotated in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet 4, the spring members 13 are squeezed together so that they are bundled together, and the tip side of each spring member 13 is pulled inward in the radial direction of the drain outlet 4 while being pulled in the rotation direction of the drain cap 9, and slides while being guided by the guide portion 14a of each anchor 14, and is released from each anchor 14.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the upper end of each spring member 13 is individually attached to multiple circumferential positions on the inside of the lower end of the drain cap 9, and each spring member 13 is formed so that it first faces inward and then folds back outward via a P-shaped inverted portion 13c. Compared to a conventional structure in which two spring members 13 are fixed in a cross-shaped overlapping state, the proportion of the opening area of the drain outlet 4 that is blocked is significantly reduced, making it less likely to become clogged.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, each spring member 13 is configured to be able to unfold substantially horizontally when removed from the drain outlet 4, so that when storing the drain cap 9 when not in use, multiple drain caps 9 can be stacked together to avoid bulky storage.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to realize a drain structure 17 that is easier to install than conventional structures and does not have to be blown away by strong winds. Moreover, since the drain cap 9 that has been pulled upward can be supported in a state where it is floating above the drain outlet 4, cleaning of the drain outlet 4 can be performed very easily without having to completely remove the drain cap 9.

In particular, in the case of the first embodiment, the drain cap 9 can be supported in a floating manner by raising each spring member 13 upright on the shelf portion 16, which allows for more stable floating support of the drain cap 9, and also allows the drain cap 9 to be easily returned to a seated state on the drain outlet 4 by simply pushing down the drain cap 9 from the floating supported state.

In addition, the tip of each anchor 14 is bent in one circumferential direction of the drain outlet 4 to form a guide portion 14a, so that each spring member 13 can be easily removed from each anchor 14 simply by rotating the drain cap 9, realizing easy removal while adopting an engagement method for each anchor 14.

Moreover, compared to the conventional structure in which two spring members 13 are fixed in a cross-shaped overlapping state, the percentage of the opening area of the drain outlet 4 that is blocked is significantly reduced, making it less likely to become clogged.

In addition, each spring member 13 can be removed from the drain outlet 4 and left deployed approximately horizontally, so that when storing the drain caps 9 when not in use, multiple drain caps 9 can be stacked together to avoid taking up too much space, allowing multiple drain caps 9 to be stored efficiently.

Furthermore, Figures 8 to 10 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which, instead of the P-shaped inversion portion 13c in the first embodiment described above, a coil-shaped inversion portion 13c is added by winding an elastic wire once around it, thereby strengthening the elastic force of the spring member 13 and improving its durability.

Figures 11 to 13 show a third embodiment of the present invention, in which a simple U-shaped inverted portion 13c is used instead of the P-shaped inverted portion 13c in the first embodiment described above. This eliminates the need to process the spring member 13 from elastic wire, thereby reducing production costs.

The drain structure of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the number and shape of the spring members and their mounting method do not necessarily have to be exactly as shown in the illustrated example. The number and shape of the anchors do not necessarily have to be exactly as shown in the illustrated example. For example, the hook-shaped bend and guide part of the anchor may be formed into a shape that continuously connects curves with a smoother curvature than the illustrated example. Of course, various other modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention.

4 Drain port 9 Drain cap 13 Spring member 13a Bent portion 13c Inverted portion 14 Anchor 14a Guide portion 15 Slit 16 Shelf portion 17 Drain structure

Claims (4)

The drain cap has a water-permeable structure for covering a drain outlet, and a plurality of spring members that extend outward from the inside of the lower end of the drain cap and are inserted into the inside of the drain outlet in a compressed state, and then return to their original shape by their own elasticity to press against the inside periphery of the drain outlet, and anchors are provided at a plurality of locations on the outer edge of the drain outlet so as to hook onto each of the spring members and prevent them from coming off the drain outlet, each of the spring members having a slit extending in the longitudinal direction, and each of the anchors is formed to have a width that fits within the width of the slit and to form a hook shape facing downward. A drain structure, characterized in that each of the spring members is formed into a wire frame shape using elastic wire and the gaps between the spring members form the slits, the tip of each of the spring members forms a bent portion that bends downward when deployed outside the lower end of the drain cap, and a ring-shaped shelf portion that slopes downward toward the inside of the drain outlet is formed directly below each anchor at the outer edge of the drain outlet, and each of the spring members can be raised on the shelf portion to support the drain cap in a floating position . The drain structure described in claim 1, characterized in that the tip of each anchor is bent toward one side in the circumferential direction of the drain outlet to form a guide portion, and each spring member is twisted and detached from each anchor by simply rotating the drain cap in one side in the circumferential direction of the drain outlet. 3. The drain structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper end of each spring member is individually attached to multiple circumferential positions on the inside of the lower end of the drain cap, and each spring member is formed so as to first turn inward and then turn back to the outside via an inverted portion. 4. The drain structure according to claim 3 , wherein each spring member is configured to be able to expand substantially horizontally when removed from the drain outlet.

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