JPH04357222A - Device for regulating drain valve for bathtub - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a drain valve controller for bathtub having a shape and structure in which a drain opening cover plate works as a draining control lever and of which the profile of the vertical bath tub wall is shaped to have a smooth continuous face on which a user can comfortably lean his body. CONSTITUTION: A drain opening cover plate 26 is mounted so as to be movable between the open position and the close position and has a roughly smooth external face. The plate 26 is flush with the vertical bathtub wall 14 to form the profile of the vertical bathtub wall 14 when it is in the closed position, to form a face on which a user can lean comfortably. A connection member connects the plate 26 and a drain valve 40. The plate 26 transfers to the open position where it opens the drain valve 40 and also the close position where it closes the valve by the connection.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drain valve control device for a bathtub, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a drain valve control device for a bathtub, and more particularly, the drain plate forms a smooth extension of the bathtub wall, and the drain valve is operated using the drain plate. Regarding a control device.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Almost all bathtubs have a drain in the bottom of the bathtub for draining water and a valve in the drain to close the drain. Such bathtubs usually have an overflow outlet for draining overflow water, the overflow outlet being such that the overflow outlet can be passed fluidly, i.e. without leaking water, into said drain. Connected. This overflow outlet is located in the vertical wall of the bathtub, and should someone forget to turn off the faucet or
If the water level rises too high when a bather enters the bathtub,
To prevent hot water from overflowing from the bathtub, water can be drained from the overflow outlet.

[0003] Typically, a fixed drain plate is attached to the bathtub, and the drain plate invisibly covers the overflow outlet. In contrast, the drain at the bottom of the bathtub is not covered. It has also been widely adopted to movably attach a drain control lever to the fixed drain plate and extend the lever into the bathtub. This drain control lever is connected to a drain valve at the bottom of the bathtub.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] One problem with the conventional drain valve control device and drain plate is that the drain valve control device and the drain plate protrude into the bathtub. The drain plate could get stuck in the back of a person who tried to lean against the bathtub wall. For this reason, the drain valve control device and drain plate described above are not used in many bathtubs, and are only used in bathtubs that accommodate only one person at a time. To solve this problem, an attempt was made to separate the drain plate and the drain lever. (Use a separate sheathing member to In such devices, the bather must lift the drain plate and move a lever to control the drain.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to define the contour of a vertical bathtub wall by
To provide a device for controlling drainage of a bathtub having a shape and structure in which the drain outlet plate acts as a drainage control lever by supplementing the surface so that it becomes a smooth continuous surface on which a bather can lean comfortably.

[0006]

[Means and actions for solving the problem] The above purpose is to
a vertical bathtub wall forming a drain port connected to a descending drain pipe; a bathtub bottom wall forming a drain port connected to the drain pipe; and a bathtub bottom wall forming a drain port connected to the drain pipe; a drain valve connected to the drain port so as to be able to pass through the drain port, and a drain plate attached to the substantially vertical wall of the bathtub and covering the overflow port for discharging overflow water so as to be generally invisible; In an apparatus for controlling a bathtub drain valve with When in position, the connecting member is substantially flush with the vertical bathtub wall to follow the contour of the vertical bathtub wall, forming a surface on which a bather can rest comfortably; A plate and the drain valve are connected, and the connection is made such that the drain plate can be moved to a position where the drain valve is opened, and the drain plate can be moved to a position where the drain valve is closed. This is accomplished by a device that controls the drain valve of the bathtub.

[0007]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

In FIG. 1, a bathtub 10 has a bottom wall 12, substantially vertical side walls 14, 14, and substantially vertical side walls 16, 16.
has. Usually, the bottom wall (i.e., the bottom plate) of the bathtub 10
12 is provided with a hole 18 which acts as a drain. The vertical end side wall 14 is also provided with an opening 20 which acts as an overflow water outlet. The drain port 18 and the overflow water outlet 20 are connected to a water pipe 22 so that fluid can pass therethrough without leaking. The end side wall 14 has a recess surrounding the overflow water outlet 20 (i.e.,
pocket) 24 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the recess 24 has a tapered cross section that is narrow at the top and widened at the bottom. The drain plate 26 is attached to the recess 24 so as to cover the overflow water outlet 20, as shown in the figure. The outlet plate or cover 26 defines a cavity within the end side wall 14 when in the position shown in FIG. This cavity, or pocket 24, is formed slightly below the drain plate 26. This is done by a person inserting a finger under the free end of the drain plate 26 and pulling the drain plate 26 outward to easily drain water from the overflow outlet 20 (Fig. This is to allow it to flow out (as shown by the arrow in Figure 3).

Preferably, the drain plate 26 is comprised of two pieces. The outer piece 28 is preferably made of metal and has a finish that corresponds to the finish of the stopper or other fixed fitting on the bathtub 10. The outer surface of the outer piece is substantially smooth, and the drain plate 26 is shaped to be flush with the rest of the bathtub side wall 14 when closed, and to complement the contour of the vertical bathtub side wall 14. This creates a smooth, almost continuous surface that allows bathers to wash comfortably.

The inner piece 30 is preferably made from a molded polymeric material (eg, a plastic material). A notch is provided on the top edge (FIG. 6) of the inner piece 30 and the outer piece 28 has a protrusion 34 that matches the notch. In order to assemble the outer piece 28 to the inner piece 30, first surround the lower edge of the inner piece 30 with the lower part 36 of the outer piece, and then the projection on the top of the outer piece 28. Place the section 34 into the notch of the inner piece 30.

The inner piece 30 has an arm 38;
This arm 38 is formed integrally with the hole 39 by molding. This inner piece 30 can connect the drain plate 26 to a coupling member that controls the drain valve 40. Further, the top edge of the inner piece 30 is provided with a large number of small holes 42, 42, . . . for hinge connection.

A small hole for hinge connection is provided at the top edge of the fixing member 44. This small hole is used for the hinge connection. The drain plate 26 is coupled to the fixing member 44 using the hinge pin 48 and the hinge coupling hole, and this coupling causes the drain plate 26 to rotate about a substantially horizontal first axis. The bathtub 10 can be rotated. Accordingly, the drain plate 26 can be movably attached to the bathtub 10 using its top edge. What should be noted here is that the outer small piece 28 has the small holes 42 and 4 for the hinge connection.
This is slightly more prominent than 6. The purpose of this protrusion is to hide the small holes 42, 46 for the hinge connection.

The fixing member 44 is fixed to the end wall 14 of the bathtub 10 by screws 50, 50, . . . (only one is shown in FIG. 5). The extension 52 is clamped to the end wall 14 of the bathtub. The screws 50, 50... pass through the hole 54 of the fixing member 44 and the overflow water outlet 20 of the end wall 14 of the bathtub, and enter the screw hole 56 of the drainage extension 52. . A gasket 58 is compressed between the drainage extension 52 and the outer surface of the tub end wall 14. This gasket 58 is for sealing between the drainage extension 52 and the end wall 14 of the bathtub.

The connecting member allows the drain port plate 26 to function as a drain valve control lever as follows (FIGS. 5 and 6). That is, a Y-shaped connecting member 60 is rotatably coupled to the arm 38 at point 39 and integrally couples this arm 38 to the inner piece 30 of the outlet plate 26. The connecting member 60 is attached to the fixing arm 62 at the point 61 at the other end.
Connect so that it can be rotated. This fixing arm 62 is attached to the fixing member 44 so as to be rotatable at a point 61, thereby centering the fixing arm 62 around the fixing point 64 (i.e., the substantially horizontal second axis). It can be rotated as A spring 66 is mounted inside the fixing arm 62 between two washers 68, 70, which act as plugs.

The washer 70 supports an extension 72 extending integrally from the securing member 44, which extends through the end wall 14 of the bathtub. Above extension part 7
2 has an upper surface and a lower surface 74, 76 that act as cams, and these upper and lower surfaces 74, 76 are connected to the drain plate (i.e.
It acts to create two positions for the lever (lever that controls the valve).

When the outlet plate 26 is in the closed position, the washer 70 supports the upper surface 74 which acts as the cam, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. As the outlet plate 26 rotates counterclockwise, the washer 70 begins to move toward the camming lower surface 76. When the fixing arm rotates counterclockwise, the washer 70 moves between the first surface acting as the cam and the second surface.
Move it until it balances at the point between it and the surface. When the fixing arm 62 moves straight beyond the balance position, the spring 66 moves the washer 70 into contact with the lower cam surface 76, as shown in FIG.
The drain plate 26 is fixed in the open position. When closing the valve control lever 28, the spring 66 is actuated in the same manner as described above to force the washer 70 onto the upper cam surface 74.
move it so that it touches the This is similar to when this washer moves past the balance position.

The innermost end of the fixing arm 62 contacts the vertical coupling member (ie, drive member) 78. The length of this connecting member 78 is adjusted by an adjustment arm 80. The lower end of this adjustment arm 80 is connected to a spring 82 . The drain valve 40 is rotatably coupled at point 84 to a seesaw device 86 which swings back and forth about a fulcrum 88. This see-saw device 86 can be deflected inwardly about the point 85, which deflection allows it to be installed through the drain 18. However, since this seesaw type device 86 cannot flex outwardly, the seesaw type device can perform a strong operation due to the seesaw movement when a downward force is applied to the other end.

When the drain plate 26 is in the closed position as shown in FIG.
is pressed against the upper cam surface 74, and the lower spring 82 is pressed against the upper cam surface 74.
and away from the unrestrained end 90 of the seesaw device 86. When a force is applied to the right side portion of the connecting member 86, the right side portion of the connecting member lowers and closes the drain valve 40. When the drain outlet plate 26 is raised to the open position, the spring 68 pushes against the washer 70.
is pressed against the second cam-acting surface 76 and the spring 82 is lowered until it contacts the unrestrained end of the seesaw-type connecting member 86, and the force exerted by the spring 82 causes the connecting member 86 to rotates counterclockwise around the fulcrum, thereby opening the drain valve 40.

What should be noted here, especially in FIGS. 1 and 2, is that when the drain outlet plate 26 is in the closed position,
The drain plate 26 is flush with the inner surface of the vertical bath wall 14, forming a smooth, substantially continuous surface, upon which the bather can lean comfortably. The end wall 14 has a recess 24 into which the drain plate 26 fits and forms the flat, smooth surface on the bathtub wall.

To incorporate the drain valve into the bathtub 10, a hinge pin 48 is used to connect the inner piece 30 to the fixed member 44. The extension portions 102 and 52 of the drain pipe are connected to the corresponding openings 18 and 2, respectively.
Connect to 0. The above extension part 102 is attached to the flanged small piece 1
04 with screws, and this flanged piece 104 forms the drain port 18. The extension part 52 of the drain pipe,
As already explained, it is connected to the fixing member 44 with bolts. At this time, use a screwdriver, that is, a screwdriver.
The bolts 5 are inserted into the holes 51, 51, ... of the inner small piece 30.
0 and attach the connecting member 78 to the adjustment arm and spring 82. Leg portion 1 of the connecting member 78
05 into the hole of the adjusting arm 80 and the hole 108 above the nut 110, and attach it to the desired position of the adjusting arm 80 using the bolt 112. This nut 11
0 is fixed by screwing using the lower hole 114.

The spring 66 and washers 68 and 70 are attached to the fixing arm 62 and held by a cotter pin 69. The vertical connecting member 78 is hooked on the end of the fixing arm 62 and the connecting member 78 is attached to the notch 7 of the fixing member 44 together with the adjusting arm 80 and the spring 82.
1 through the opening 20 for said overflow.
and descend through the drain pipe 52. Before passing the fixing arm 62 through the fixing member 44, a pin 65 is inserted into the hole 64 of the fixing arm 62. This pin 6
5 into the horizontal recess 67 of the fixing member 44, and when the washer 70 comes into contact with one of the surfaces 74, 76 acting as the cam, press the pin 65 into the recess of the fixing member 44, In this way, the fixing arm 62 is attached to the fixing member 44. The outer piece 28 is then attached to the inner piece 30 of the take-up roller 26 and the see-saw device is attached to the drain valve 40, as already explained.
and position the unrestrained end 90 of this seesaw device into the drain 18. The separate pieces of the seesaw-type device are deflected inwardly toward each other. This is so that the independent piece can surround the curved portion 100 of the drain pipe 102.

[0023] Regarding the embodiment of the present invention described above,
Obviously, modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For example, the plate-like member may be rotated by its side edges or about another axis. Further, the specific function of the lever or other functional member can be changed.

[0024]

The bathtub drain valve control device of the present invention is simpler than conventional drain plate and drain valve control devices. This combination of drain plate and drain valve control device is easy to use and relatively inexpensive. Moreover, the device has a smooth surface on which a person can lean, and two people can comfortably face each other by leaning against the opposite walls of the bathtub.

[0025] Also, by installing the overflow and drainage control device as described above, the bather need only rotate the drain plate up and down when he wishes to control the drain valve.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial top view of a bathtub including a drain valve control device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3, except that the drain lever and drain valve are in an open position.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of components coupled to the bathtub to form the drain valve control device of FIG. 1;

6 is an enlarged side sectional view of the drain valve control lever portion of FIG. 3; FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 Bottom of the bathtub 14 Bathtub wall 18 Drain port 20 Overflow water outlet 22 Drain pipe 24 Pocket 26 Drain outlet plate 38 Connecting member 40 Drain valve 42, 46, 48 Connection device 60 Connecting member 62 Lever 78 Drain valve member.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vertical bathtub wall (14) forming an overflow outlet (20) connected to a downwardly directed drain pipe (22).
and a bathtub bottom wall (12) forming a drain port (18) connected to the drain pipe (22), which opens and closes the drain port (18) and allows fluid to flow through the drain port (18). A drain valve (40) for allowing the water to flow, and a drain plate (26) movably attached to one end of the substantially vertical bathtub wall so as to cover the drain port (20) invisibly; The outlet plate (26) is mounted to move between an open position and a closed position and has a substantially smooth outer surface, and the outlet plate (26) is configured to move in the vertical direction when in the closed position. The vertical bathtub wall (14) follows the contour of the bathtub wall (14).
is substantially flat to form a surface on which a bather can lean comfortably, and further includes a connecting member that connects the drain port plate (26) and the drain valve (40), is a first connecting member (60) which is pivotally attached to the drain outlet plate (26) at a pivot point remote from the attachment portion of the drain outlet plate (26), and a first connecting member (60) which is pivotably attachable at the middle of both ends thereof. has a second connecting member (62) connected to the bathtub wall (14), one end of the second connecting member (62) is pivotally connected to the first connecting member (60), and A connecting means is provided between the other end of the second connecting member (62) and the drain valve (40), and by moving the drain outlet plate (26) to the open position, the second connecting member ( 62) is raised and the other end is lowered so that the connecting means connects to the drain valve (40).
), and by moving the drain port plate (26) to the closed position, one end of the second connecting member (62) is lowered, the other end is raised, and the connecting means connects to the drain valve (40).
A device that controls the drain valve of a bathtub that is closed. 2. The vertical bath wall (14) forms a pocket (24) in the form of a recess surrounding the outlet (20), and when the outlet (20) is closed, the outlet plate (
A drain valve control device for a bathtub according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve (26) is hidden within the bathtub wall (14). 3. The drain valve control device for a bathtub according to claim 2, wherein the drain outlet plate (26) is rotatably attached at its upper end and free at its lower end. 4. The pocket (24) is arranged so that water can easily reach the outlet (20) along the pocket (24) and the finger is attached to the outlet plate (26).
the free end of said drain plate (26) when said drain plate (26) is in the closed position in order to be able to move said drain plate (26) under said drain plate (26) into an open position. 4. The drain valve control device for a bathtub according to claim 3, wherein the device extends slightly beyond the lower end of the bathtub.