US2515099A - Sink enclosure - Google Patents

Description

July 11, 1950 s. 5. SMITH SINK ENCLOSURE Filed March 24. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mnnmn I l l l I I //2 1 1 I l sfs. SMITH 2,515,099

SINK ENCLOSURE 2 sheets-Shea a July 11, 1950 Filed March 24, 1950 Patented July 11, 1950 unites STATES PATENT omce SINK ENCLOSURE Sidney S. Smith, Dorchester, Mass, assignor to Edward Levy, Newton Center, Mass.

Application March 24, 1950, Serial No. 151,720

4 Claims. (Cl. 312236) This invention relates to sink enclosures and more particularly to enclosures for sinks which have overhanging peripheral aprons, but which are normally entirely open beneath.

Several decades ago it was fashionable to construct sinks for kitchens and the like with open spaces beneath them with ready access for cleaning, etc. Such sinks generally were composed of heavy cast iron with enamel finish and had overhanging peripheral aprons. Various items used in connection with the sink were generally stored beneath on hooks, etc. Recently, however, the emphasis has shifted toward enclosed storage space, with the result that prefabricated cabinet sinks are now installed wherever possible in new construction. when renovating old installations, however, a difi'lcult problem is presented because, while the sinks are unsightly, they still have many years of useful life. If it were possible to en'- close them in an attractive manner, by a durable structure, and at low cost, the remaining useful life of such sinks could be saved. However, until the present invention, the cost of such enclosures has been so near to the cost of new cabinet sink installations that the old sinks have generally been ripped out and junked.

It is an object of my invention to promote the more economical remedy of renovation of old installations by providing a sink enclosure which will be attractive, durable, and of such low cost both in materials and labor that there will be virtually no comparison between the cost of its installation and the cost of a new cabinet sink.

Another object or my invention is to provide a sink enclosure'which will be simple both in construction and installatiomcomprise few parts, and be dimensionally adaptable to fit outmoded sinks of various sizes.

It is a feature oi my invention that it is fabri cated entirely of sheet metal, and comprises only seven basic members. Further features include adjust/abilityv between these basic members both for length and width, and hidden means for firmly securing the basic members both to the sink and to the floor. These, and other features-of my invention to be disclosed hereafter, render the enclosure of my invention attractive, durable and less than one fifth the cost of a comparable prefabricated installation.

Further'objects and features of my invention will best be understco'dand appreciated from a detailed description or preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of an old style sink fitted with the enclosure of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of one of the length extension plates of the enclosure;

Fig. 3 is a view in cross section of an old style sink fitted with the enclosure of my invention;

Fig. 4- is a view in perspective of one of the width extension plates of the enclosure;

Fig. 5 is a sectionalplan view of one end of the enclosure indicating in broken lines suitable locations for the holding wedges; i

Fig. 6 is a sectional view in side elevatllhi the lines 6-6 of Fig. 5, with a portion broken away through the middle; and

Fig, 7 is a view in front elevation of one end of the enclosure likewise with a portion broken away through the middle.

The preferred embodiment of my invention herein shown includes in its general organization a pair of opposed end walls l0, width extension plates I2, length extension plates 14, and a front wall assembly It. As shown in Fig. 1 these mem bers are assembled in the space beneath a pon- I8 which has one or more bowls 2D and an overventional, cast-dron, enamel-flnished sink hanging apron 22.

End walls H] are fabricated from standard gauge sheet metal, and are dimensioned to extend from the floor up into the space between bowl 20 and apron 22 of a sink at standard height. In width, end walls l0 extend from a point near the rear of the sink forward and around the front along corners, being pre-formed to coincide with the rounded corners or the sink itself. End walls at are formed complementarily to eachother at opposite ends of the sink and therefore only one such end wall will be described in detail. As will be I along its entire top. The bottom edge of end wall I I0 is bent over to form a double-thickness margin around the curved front corner and at a point adjacent to the rear, but it is bent onl at right angles along its mid-portion to form a flange 24,

suitably perforated to receive screws for securing the bottom of end wall Hi to the floor. It will be seen that end walls It may be provided with flanges 24 both top and bottom, and therefore may be of identical construction to be used interchangeably on either end. At each end, in the portions of the margins that are bent double, a

narrow slot is provided to receive the width and length cit-tension plates l2 and lflrespectively where appropriate. Wlien installed and in place,

l2 fits into the slots provided by the bent-over margins of the end wall I adjacent to the rear.

, In this Way width extension plates [2 are free to slide in telescoping relation with the end wall 16 and render it adaptable for use with sinks of various widths. I

The front wall assembly is indicated at l6 and is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 7. It comprises a group of spot welded sheet metal elements forming a top panel 32, a bottom panel 34, side panels 36 to which are hinged doors 38, one on each side, and an inset toe space at the bottom defined by end panels 42, a horizontal panel 44, and a back panel 40. Suitable right angle flanges .are provided across the rear of the panels of front wall assembly IS in order to insure structural rigidity.

Length extension plates M are similar in construction to width extension plates l2, being provided with a securing flange 46 and a structural flange 48 extending along their vertical margins. The length extension plates M are bolted at each end to the front wall assembly l6 as maybe seen 'in Figs. 5 and 7, and as with plates l2, fit in sliding and telescoping relation into the slots provided by the bent-over margins of the end wall In, both top and bottom.

, It will be understood that the depth and width 1 extension plates herein shown will accomodate ,a majority of the expected depth and width variations in standard sinks, but that unusual variations may be accommodated by fabrication of a larger extension plate without substantial idifficulty.

The back plate 40- of the lower extremity of the front wall assembly 16 is provided with a rearwardly extending horizontal flange suitably perforated to receive screws for securing the front wall assembly to the floor. The upper extremity of the front wall assembly I6 is held firmly in place by a wedge 26 which is driven-into the space between the bowl 20 and the upper panel 32, compressing itfirmly against the apron 22; The exactlocation of wedges 26 is not critical other than to insure sufficient marginal support adjacent to the aprons 22. However, it will be seen that wedges 26 are substantially horizontal. The reason for positioning wedges 26 horizontally is that the under surface of the cast-iron bowl 20 is substantially-rough and the wooden wedge the end walls ID are flrmly compressed against 26 has no difiiculty adhering to it without slip- I ping, whereas it is important to drive the wedge in as near to perpendicular to the apron 22 as I possible in order to minimize chances of slipping between the smooth sheet metal and the wedge 26.

The assembly of the enclosure of my invention is extremely simple, and merely entails first positioning the end walls I0, next securing the end walls to the floor and fixing their upper margins with wedges 26, then adjusting width extension plates l2 to abutthe wall and securing them to the said wall, then positioning front wall assembly l6, adjusting length extension plates M to abut front wall assembly [6 at each side, bolting the length extension plates [4 to the front wall assembly [6, securing the front wall assembly to the floor, and securing the upper margin of the front wall assembly with wedges 26. It will be understood, of course, that these latter mentioned steps may be done with door 38 in the open position to permit access to the inside of the enclosure. 7

I Since minor variations of this preferred embodiment of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, it is not intended to confine the invention to the precise limits of the enclosure herein shown, but rather to measure the invention in terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described and disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An enclosure for the under part of a sinkof the type which is connected to a supporting wall and which has both a sink bowl and an overhanging peripheral apron, said enclosure comprising an end wall at each end of said sink, said end walls having portions thereof bent to pro vide grooves at each end adjacentthe tops and bottoms thereof, a width extension plate connected to the rear of each of said end walls in sliding relation therewith in'said grooves and se cured at its other end to said sink supporting wall, a forward wall for said enclosure, a length extension plate connected to the front end of each of said end walls in sliding relation therewith in said grooves and secured to each end of said forward wall.

2. An enclosure for the under part of a sink of the type which is connected to a supporting wall and which has both a sink bowl and an overhanging peripheral apron, said enclosure comprising an end wall at each end-oi said sink, said end walls having portions thereof bent to. provide grooves at each end adjacent the tops and bottoms thereof, a width extension plate connected each of said end walls in sliding and telescoping relation therewith in said grooves and secured to said forward wall at each end thereof in the front of the said enclosure, and means for securing said end wall and forward wall both at the base end 7 to the floor and above to the sink.

3. Anenclosure for the under partiof alsink of i the type which is connected to a supporting wall and which has both a sink bowl and an over'-' hanging peripheral apron, said enclosure comprising an end wall at each end of said sink, said end walls having portions thereof bent to provide grooves at each end adjacentthe tops and bottoms thereof, said end wall extending-in width H from a point near the supporting wall to apointaround the forward cornerof said sink, a widthextension plate connected to each of said end walls in sliding and telescoping relation in said grooves and secured to said sink supporting wall in the rear, a forward wall forsaid enclosure, a length extension plate connected to each-of said end walls in sliding and telescoping relation insaid grooves and secured to said forward wall: at

each end thereof in the front of said enclosure,

4. -An enclosure for theunderpart ;of a ink of the type which is connected to a supporting wall and has both a sink bowl and an overhanging peripheral apron, said enclosure comprising an end wall at each end of said sink positioned inside said apron and constructed to extend in height from the floor up to a point between the bowl and the apron and in width from a point near the supporting wall in the rear to a point around the forward corner of said sink, said end walls having portions thereof bent to provide grooves at each end adjacent the tops and bottom thereof, depth extension walls, said end walls each adapted in the rear to receive a depth extension wall in sliding and telescoping relation in said grooves, means for securing said depth extension walls to the supporting wall, means for securing said end walls to the floor, length extension walls, said end walls each adapted in the front to receive a length extension wall in sliding and telescoping relation in said grooves, aviarward wall, means for securing said length extension walls to said forward wall, means for securing said forward wall to the floor, and wooden inserts wedged between the upper parts of the enclosure walls and the underneath side walls of said bowl.

SIDNEY S. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this Patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number ."Name Date 1,116,015 Clifiord Nov. 3, 1914 1,853,989 'Nu'ebel Apr. 12, 1932 2,074,780 Deinack Mar. 23, 1937 2,202,107 Korn May 28, 1940

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