US2450393A - Sink strainer valve and operating mechanism therefor - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 28, 1948. y P. F. DONAHUE SINK STRANER VALVE AND OPERATING MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Oct. 25, 1945 1N VEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 28, 1948 SINK STRAINER VALVE AN l) OPERATING MECHANISM THEREFOR Patrick F. Donahue, Waterbury, Conn., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application October 25, 1945, Serial No. 624,387

(Cl. L1--28'7) 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in sink strainer valves and operating mechanism therefor, and resides in certain improvements over the device disclosed in my similarly entitled co-pending application Serial No. 545,689, led July 19, 1944.

An object of the present invention is to simplify the construction and movement of sink plug valve operating devices in a manner which achieves the lifting and opening of the valve byl a quick and easy application of mechanical force with expenditure of a minimum of effort on the part of the housewife or other operator, and in which the closure of the valve is equally simple both from construction and operational standpoints aided by the action of gravity and the head of water which builds up in the sink.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved operating device for sink plug valves constructed and operable in conjunction with a crumb basket strainer wherein the stabilized condition of the basket strainer seated in the body member or shell at the bottom of the sink is taken advantage of to constitute a guide for the vertica l reciprocating movement of the plug valve in relation to its seat in this same shell, to the end that ease of vertical operation is had together with leak-proof seating of the plug.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel forms of related structures between the basket strainer and the plug valve and its operthe purpose of restraining the plug valve, usually of wide surface area, from undue wobbiing or4 sidewise chattering motion, while leaving the plug free for self-aligning seating, such restraining and guiding means being both above and below the valve; all to the end of aiding the cam, eccentric or other operating device for smoothly insuring the lifting and lowering of the plug in a convenient and yquick manner and one in which tight seating of the plug will at all times take place in the lowered position of the valve.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved operating member of a novel form of construction and cooperating in a novel manner with the complemental guide members of the basket strainer and the plug valve, such 2 operating member having both a rotatable and a reciprocating motion with a handle construction complemental to the strainer guide for automatically locking the plug valve in its open raised position; the invention further contemplating varied alternative constructions superimposed on the operating member to give a iirmer grip for actuation upon said member.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the inventionwill be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a sink base construction illustrating the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing the plug valve in the raised or open position.

Figure 3 is a similar view with the plug valve closed.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a form of operating member shown in its application to the complemental guides which appear in broken lines.

Figure 5 is a similar view of a modified form of operating member.

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 4 but showing a further modification.

Figure '7 is a top plan view of a sink base construction showing a modified form of plug operating member and basket strainer, and

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the plug and its guide feet and ribs.

Referring more particularly to the drawings I5 designates a body member or shell adapted to be fitted in a conventional manner in the drain opening of the sink, indicated generally by the broken lines I6. Such shells or bowls I5 are reduced at their lower ends I1 at which they are customarily provided with Valve seats I8. The reduced section I 'I connects with a drain pipe I9 in the usual way.

The drain plug or valve is indicated generally at 20, the same being shaped to cooperate with the seat I8, as indicated in Figure 3. Such plug 2E! reciprocates vertically between the positions indicated generally in Figures 2 and 3 and it is roughly guided in this vertical movement by a plug stem 2l which rises centrally therefrom and which has a relatively loose slidable fit within a guide sleeve 23 carried by the basket strainer 22 and rigidly aflixed therein as indicated at 24.

The basket strainer 22 is received Within the shell or body I and rotated therein by some such cooperating parts as a flanged rim 25 of the basket fitted into a recess 26 of the body member l5. The rim 25 simply drops into the recess 26. The basket can be removed from the body member for the purpose of removing the crumbs caught therein.

An undercut conical projection 28 on the shank 29 fits into a complementary socket 21 drilled into the end of the stem 2 I, and the upper edge of said stem is forced inwardly so as to embrace the conical projection. Such shank 29 has a sliding fit in a plain opening 33 in the upper end of the guide sleeve 23 which is provided by the perforated head wall or inturned flange 3| of such sleeve 23.

rihe upwardly projecting end of the shank 29 carries the operating member generally indicated at 32. This member comprises side walls 33 and 34 flanking the upper portion of the shank 29 with the outer edges of the walls being curved and connected by a similarly curved bridge wall 35. The structure may be conveniently made from sheet metal with the opposing substantially parallel and approximately vertica1 walls 33 and 34 rotatably secured to the shank 29 as by a pin 36. 'Ihe lower edges 31 of the side walls 33, 34 are so shaped and fashioned with reference to the rotational axis of movement of the operating member 32, which axis is the horizontal axis of the pin 36, that such lower edges 3`| constitute in eifect cams or eccentrios. These cam edges 31 are disposed above the head 3| of the xed guide sleeve 23 whereby the guide sleeve 23 not only functions in cooperation with the stem 2l to guide the vertically reciprocating motion of the plug 20 but also in cooperating with the operating member to assist in thev elevating movement of the plug.

The profile edges 31 are so contoured that the two cams provided by the two parallel side walls 33 and 34 at diametrically opposite sides of the shank 29 have their low points near the rotational axis 36 and their high points or lobes 4B (Figure 4) remote from this axis 36. A cut-away portion 38 in the bridge wall 35 at the proximate end of the operating member enables such member to rotate around the upper end portion of the shank 29. The side walls 33 and 34 are incurved at 39 adjacent the lobes 46 and tail pieces or curved extension Walls 40 extend beyond the incurved portions 39, such tail pieces 4|) being in effect extensions of the side walls which serve two purposes; one as handles for the operating member 32, which handles are a greater distance from the fulcrum point 3B to measurably assist the ease of operation of said member 32, and secondly, the connecting end 4| of the extension serves as a stop in limiting counter-clockwise movement of the member 32 in plug-raised position. The bridge wall may extend in common to the walls 33, 3'4 and their extensions 40, to such an extent that the cross edge 4| of the bridge wall at the distal end of the operating member 32 is so related to the guide sleeve or bushing 23 as to cooperate therewith to form a limit stop in the lowered position ofthe operating member as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

When they are. at rest upon the top of guide sleeve 23 the lobes 46 are designed so that they will lie (Figure 2) slightly beyond the center vertical plane of the stem 29 which passes through the fulcrum pin. 36 opposite from the side to which the edge 4| of the member 32 contacts stem 23 so that. the action of the member 32 is similar EQ 81 toggle action to assure that the latter will remain in plug-open operating position.

In Figure 4 this cross edge 4| is in a right line but in Figure 5 the edge 4| a is concave in relation to the cylindrical guide sleeve 23 to t arcuately thereabout throughout a desired circumferential area.

In that form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive the bridge wall 35 may be knurled over all the desired portions of its upper surface or scorings 42 may be made externally on this bridge wall for enabling the thumb or finger of the operator to take better frictional hold in the rotation of the member.

Or as shown in Figure 5 such scorings 43a mayv be made upon the side walls 33 and 34.

Or as shown in Figure 6, in place of the scorings, the side walls 33 and 34 may have piercings, holes or perforations 43 made therein of a round or other form. These piercingsY may assume various shapes in harmony with the shape of the handle of the member which operates the cam. The openings in the side walls afford an excellent grip upon the handle, especially when ones hands are soapy and slippery.

In Figure 5 the cross edge 4|aL of the handle of the operating member that abuts the hollow guide sleeve 23 carried by the basket is of arcuate concave form so that this end of the handle will conform to the diameter of the hollow sleeve 23 and nest therein when in a down position. This arrangement immeasurably improves the construction and particularly prevents foreign matter from being caught underneath the operating handle and accidentally tripping the same.

The plug valve 28 preferably carries dependent guide legs 44 spaced apart circumferentially to permit the passage of water therebetween; and these guide legs are each of a predetermined arcuate length, as indicated in Figure l. The outer arcuate surfaces of these legs 44 are struck on a smaller circle than that of the reduced neck il ofthe bowl into which they t but ribs 45 outstanding from intermediate portions of the guide legs 44 and of substantially reduced circumferential length as compared with the circumferential lengths of the legs, are positioned to such a -distance as to t freely and slidably within the reduced neck l1. These ribs reduce the area of frictional contact between the movable parts of the plug 20 and the wall but at the same time serve as ample guides in cooperation with such wall Il, at the same time making use of the greater area and the greater strength of the guide legs 44 to reinforce both the smaller ribs 45 and the relatively Wide plug 20.

The 4reinforced ribs 45 and guide legs 44 constitute a guide means below the horizontal plane of the plug 2|]i for ensuring the vertical reciprocating movement of the plug. In like manner the stem 2| and sleeve 23 perform a similar function above the plane of the plug 2D. As shown in Figure 2 when the plug 20 is fully raised the ribs 45 remain in engagement with the internal wall of the reduced neck I1. The basket unit is held against a tilting action by reason of the ribs 45 on legs 44 engaging the reduced wall at al1 times and the fact that the rim 25 of the basket is resting within groove 26.

The legs 44 and ribs 45 subserve a further function in cooperation with the flanged rim 25 of the basket strainer in its relation to the recess 26 of the bowl I6 because, in order to prevent the basket 22 with the attached plug 20 from being improperly seated when assembling the unit into the body or bowl I5, the plug is'provided with the four ory other desired number of depending guide legsv 44 to guide the plug into position. The length of the legs 44 and ribs 45 are such that they still remain within the perimeter of the reduced neck |1 of the body when the plug is lifted to open position as shown in Figure 2. The presence ofthese legs does somewhat restrict. the port area of the valve.

However, in Figures 7 and 8 these legs 44 and ribs 45 have been omitted from the plug 2lia whereby the drainage can flow uniformly under the' plug throughout all circumferential points without requiring diversion between the legs or between the legs and the reduced neck |1. However to solve the problem of centering the unit whereby the basket flange 25 properly seats in the recess 26, the basket 22 itself has been redesigned 'sov as to bring other contact points thereof into engagement with the body or bowl I5. The cylindrical side wall of the basket 22a is formed with a series of inclined oblong drain openings 41. At equally spaced diametrical points the straps between these openings 41 are forced outwardly into rounding projections or bosses 48 constructed and arranged to engage against the inner wall of the body or bowl |5. Thus the basket 22a has two spaced contact zones with the body |5. One zone is provided circumferentially and horizontally by the flanged rim 25 in its cooperation with the bowl recess 26, while the other contact is also in a horizontal plane spaced below that of the flanged rim 25 andprovided at arcuately spaced points by the-bosses 48. These bosses 48 in combination with the flanged rim 25 in their relation to the same member, namely the bowl I5, stabilize the basket 22a in its entering movement into the bowl and in its nal static position within the bowl in which these two elements 48 and 25 contribute to stabilize the sleeve 23 which is a guide mem.- ber for the stem 2| and hence for the plug 2) so that the stability and rigidity of the fixed guide sleeve 23 is an important function of the device from an operational standpoint.

In the operation of lthe device, Figure 2 shows the open and Figure 3 the closed positions of the plug 20. These two positions are achieved by the simple rotation of the operating member 32 about its horizontal axis 36 and the handle member with its rounded bridge wall 3=5 is well adapted to this simple rotational movement. By rotation of the member 32 in a counter-clockwise direction the lobes or high points 46 of the cams are withdrawn from the shoulder or head end 3| of the guide sleeve 23 thus enabling the plug 20 to fall by its weight through the force of gravity and the head of any water lying above same in the bowl or sink. The stem 2| and shank 29 are drawn down with the valve and to the same extent is the operating member 32 sliding on its curved edges 31 to the left of the lobes 46 and entailing the counter-clockwise rotation of the operating member 32 about its pin 36. Thus the operating member both descends and is rotated on the downward closing motion of the plug 20. The cam edges 31 are so defined to the left of the contact point as shown in Figure 3 that these edges retreat upwardly away from the shoulder 3| so as to give free play to the plug 20 in accommodating itself to its seat I8.

In the raising movement of the operating member 32 the cut away portions 39 afford access to' the iingers and thumb of the operator giving greater hold andl device.

purchase in lifting the that very small angle necessary to shift the lobes 45 off the toggle lock position shown in Figure 2. In the raised position of the plug the lobes 46 are beyond dead center and have to be shifted through dead center in dropping the plug into operating position. In this plug-open position the weight of the entrained parts assists automatically'to lock the valve in its upper open position.

In Figure 3 the rounded bridge wall 35 is exposed directly upwards through a great area of arcuate length for receiving the hand or thumb and this is the most appropnate position for` imposing weight downwardly upon the handle which is such bridging wall 35 reinforced by the right angular side wall extensions 46. Thus the weight of4 the lingers and hand and of the arm of the operator can be imposed directly downwardly upon this outstanding bridge wall 35 in the act of clockwise rotating the operating member 32 about its pivot 36 from the position of Figure 3 to that of Figure 2'. The knurlings or stampings 42, 42a'or the piercings 43 afford good grip for the operation of the member 3'2. The handle is simply shoved down as far as possible in the act of opening the plug 20, such operating member y being automatically arrested clockwise rotation when the cross edge 4| or its alternate 4| impinges against the side wall of the sleeve 23. The contacting position of the cross edge and sleeve isso angularly related to the lobes 46 as that the circular movement of the operating device 32 will be arrested just after reaching toggle lock position.

The stem 2| and shank 29 may be considered as one in thatl they are both a movable guide cooperating with the stationary guide 23, 3|.

Although it is not essentialthat it be in that form, the bridge wall 35 advantageously is in a curved surface with its center or generating point somewhat generally in the line passing `between the pin 36 and the cross edge 4|.

The legs 44 and ribs 45 are so constructed that the ribs 45 are always in engagement with the restrictive drain opening of the body member, even when the stopper is in open position. This is in order to prevent the basket or entire unit from tipping at any time.

It is obvious that various changes and modications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spiritthereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a sink drain bowl or the like having a drain outlet, a basket strainer in the bowl, a 4plug below the strainer to close and open the drain outlet, xed and movable cooperating guides for the strainer and plug respectively, an operating member for the plug, said member pivoted to the guide member and comprising a formed shell of U-shape in cross-section providing substantially parallel side walls with a connecting wall of general arcuate form in longitudinal section, the distal edges of said walls forming cam surfaces coacting with the fixed guide for moving the plug relative to the basket strainer, and the edge of said connecting wall removed from the pivot axis of said operating member being of a shape complemental to the shape of the Such force as required to lift the oper-y ating member 32 is only momentary and through in its4 xed guide and adapted to snugly t thereagainst when the operating member is in plug-open position. Y

2. A plug and basket strainer unit for sinks and the like comprising a hollow substantially Vertical guide member xed to the strainer, a reciprocating substantially vertical guide member projecting up from the plug and extending through and above said xed guide member, an operating member pivoted to the upper end portion of the reciprocating guide member above the xed guide member in such relation as to oscillate in a substatially vertical plane, and a handle for said operating member, said operating member and its handle comprising side Walls and a curved bridge all connecting said side walls, said side walls aving cam lower edges slidable upon the upper Fdge `portion of said fixed guide member, said cam edges having high lobes adapted to cross the vertical centerline of the reciprocating guide member in the fully open position of the plug and form a cam lock with the pivot center, said curved bridge wall carried upwardly of the operating member in the down closed position of the plug, said bridge wall having at the free end of the handle a cross edge adapted to encounter as a stop the side wall of the xed guide member in the cam lock position of the operating member.

3. The combination claimed in claim 2 characterized by the fact that side Walls immediately adjacent the cam lobes and between such lobes 'and the free edge of the curved bridge Wall are recessed so as not to strike any part of the hollow xed guide member, with said walls having gripping means thereon.

4. The combination claimed in claim 2 wherein the strainer has an upper edge engaging a body shell and projections spaced below said upper edge for also engaging the body shell to stabilize the strainer against tilting movement incident to the lateral thrust developed when rotating the handle and operating member.

5. The combination according to claim 4 in which the upper edge of the strainer fits into a recess in the body shell, and the projections of the strainer are pressed out of the side wall of the strainer between pairs of diagonally-disposed. slits.

6. A plug and basket strainer for sink drains and the like comprising a hollow guide member fixed to the base of the strainer, a stem xed to said plug and slidably operated in said guide member, the terminal end of said stem extending through and above said guide member, and an operating member pivoted to the upper terminal end of said stem and having a cam face merging into a high point cam lobe and also an extending handle, said cam surface coacting with the free edge portion of said guide member to raise said plug relative to said basket upon tilting action of said operating member, thedesign of said operating member being such that said cam lobe is carried over beyond dead center of said guide member when one end of said handle engages the side Wall of said guide member asa stop and thereby serving to maintain said plug in open position relative to said sink drain.

PATRICK F. DONAHUE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,096,969 Tukey May 19, 1914 1,763,864 Robertson June 17, 1930 2,107,126 Pasman Feb 1, 1938 2,236,884 Zinkil Apr, 1, 1941 2,296,527 Kuhnle Sept. 22, 1942 2,336,132 Siegel Dec. 7, 1943

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