US2651784A

US2651784A - Removable sink dividing paratition

Info

Publication number: US2651784A
Application number: US253632A
Authority: US
Inventors: Leonard G Johnson; Charles S Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1951-10-29
Filing date: 1951-10-29
Publication date: 1953-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 1970-09-15

Description

P 1953 L. G. JOHNSON ETAL 2,551,784

REMOVABLE SINK DIVIDING PARTITION Filed 001;. 29, 1951 INVENTORS Lemar d E vlnhns n11 Charlas 5 ulmhn'a cm.

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 15, 1953 OFFICE REMOVABLE SINK DIVIDING PARTITION Leonard G. Johnson and Charles S. Johnson,

Springfield, Oreg.

Applicationoctober 29, 1951, Serial No. 253,632

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a removable sink dividing partition and has for an object to provide a partition for temporarily dividing or separating a conventional sink into two compartments so that water may be placed in either of the two compartments irrespective of the presence or absence of water in the other of the two compartmerits.

Nowadays, many sinks are provided having two compartments therein so that dishes may be washed in one compartment of the sink and then rinsed in the other compartment. This is a decided advantage, but is only available in homes where the two compartment sink is already installed, and can be provided in other homes only by an expensive lumbing job of discarding the conventional one compartment sink and replacing it with a two compartment sink. With this invention, however, it becomes possible to provide the advantage of the two compartment sink Without any plumbing expense by removably placing the sink dividing partition of this invention in operative position to divide the sink into two compartments and then after the dishwashing operation is finished, to easily remove the partition from the sink and permit the water behind such partition to drain away in the usual manner to the sewer. The size of the compartment provided by this partition is optional with the housewife, and the sink may be divided into two equal compartments or two unequal compartments so as to make the compartments of the size desired by the housewife.

Obviously more than two compartments can be provided if desired by using more than one partition. This is particularly true in the case of a very large sink, but even the conventional size sink is usually large enough to be divided into two compartments by means of the partition of this invention so that one side may be used for soaping and washing the dishes and the other side may be used for rinsing the dishes.

A further object of this invention is to provide a removable sink dividing partition which bythe very act of being put into position provides an impermeable separating wall. between the two compartments and which may be readily installed and removed by the average housewife.

A further object of this invention is to provide a removable sink dividing partition and a removable means for securing the partition in fluid tight contact with the bottom and side walls of the. sink so that water may not pass from one side thereof to the other.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sink dividing partition and means for remov- 2 ably securing such partition in a sink which seecuring means includes a means for clamping over the top corner edges of the partition and securing the same to the sink to hold the partition in position.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a means for securing the partition in position in the sink, the means cooperating either with the sink edges or the sink walls and removably attaching thereto, such securing means being preferably in the form of a clamping hook to attach over the edge of the sink when the sink has such available edges, and which may be in the form of a vacuum cup or a plurality of vacuum cups particularly for use when the edges oi'the sink are concealed or built in a sink counter or when the sink has a high splash board integrally extending therefrom or when the partition is of less depth than the height of the side walls of the sink.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sink dividing partition and means for securing it in a sink wherein the sink is of a conventional type having the usual smooth bottom and side walls and wherein the securing means does not have to be permanently attached to the sink or be a permanent and integral part of the sink.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention comprises the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter r set forth, claimed and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional View transversely of a sink showing the removable sink dividing partition of this invention in position therein.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line 33 of Fig. l on a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through an upper edge corner of the partition and securing means, being on line 4-4 of Fig. 6,.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail fragmentary view on line tfi of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 7 is a. perspective view of a sink edge partition securing clamp.

There is shown at N a conventional one compartment sink having its usual bottom wall H, front side wall I 2 and rear side wall it each provided with a top flanged edge i4 and i5, and having the usual plumbing drain I 5 through the bottom wall H and the usual end walls (not shown) similar to, the side walls. Also shown is the removable. sink dividing partition ll of this invention which when in. position as shown in Fig. 1 divides the usual single compartment in the 3 sink l into two separate compartments, one on each side of the partition I1, and as a result of this invention, either or both compartments may have water therein irrespective of the presence or absence of water in the other of the compartments.

The partition H of this invention consists of a rigid plane member |8 which may be of hard rubber or other suitable non-yielding impermeable plastic material and provided with a bottom boundary portion 29 and front and back boundary portions 2| and 22 made of readily compressible but impermeable sponge rubber or similar material. These

boundary portions

20, 2| and 22 may be secured to the rigid portion l8 by a tongue and groove joint with suitable cement as shown or may be vulcanized thereto as may be convenient, or any other suitable joint may be provided.

The

boundary portions

20, 2| and 22 may be of conventional sponge rubber provided with an impermeable coating 23 formed thereabout, or may be of cellular sponge rubber which is per se nonabsorbent of water and hence impermeable and is provided with an outer impermeable coating at 23.

The upper edges of the side boundary portions 2| and 22 merge into

upper edge corners

24 and 25 made of a less compressible live hard rubber and connected across the top of the panel at 26 by similar material. The rigid plane member |8 plus its boundary portions 2| and 22 at the front and back sides and boundary portion 20 at the bottom side now of a size that is slightly larger than the size of the sink l0 into which it is to be placed so that when placed in position and held in position by the suitable securing means about to be described, the front and back side boundary portions and bottom boundary portions will compress somewhat against the insides and bottom of the sink in so as to provide an impermeable leak proof contact with the sink and prevent water from passing from one side of the partition to the other so long as the partition I! is held in position.

A suitable means for holding the partition IT in position consists of a clamp 21 made of spring steel and having a hook lip 28 of a size to yieldably slip over the sink edge M, a looped end 30 extending over the top of the front or back sink side l2 or |3 so that it will press downwardly in abutting relation against the top of the

corners

24 and 25 of the partition IT. The width of the clamp 21 will be substantially equal to the thickness of the partition H, and a bolt and nut 3| will be placed through the looped clamped end 30 so as to provide depending flanges 32 on opposite ends of the looped end 30 and thus form an inverted U-shaped keeper cooperating with the top and adjacent side edges of the hard live rubber boundary corners 2d and 25 to hold the partition I? in operative position.

In operation, to install the partition H in position in the sink l9, first one clamp 21 is placed over the rear ledge of the sink l0, and the partition l'. is placed down in the sink with the boundary corner 25 abutting under the clamp I"! on the rear ledge l5. Then a second clamp 21 is placed in suitable position over the front sink ledge it while holding the partition IT in position in the sink until its keeper portion 32 snaps into operative position over the front boundary corner 24 thus holding partition H in operative position with the readily compressible boundary portions 4 thereunder from one side to the other. The sink then may be used as a conventional two compartment sink, washing dishes on one side thereof and then rinsing them on the other side.

Obviously, it will be placed to one side or the other of the plumbing drain l8 so that one compartment formed thereby will have no access to the drain l6 while the partition is in position. After the dishwashing operation is finished, the water in the compartment not having a drain may be removed therefrom by merely removing one of the clamps, permitting the partition to be removed and allowing the water to flow toward the drain l6. Obviously, any suitable means may be provided for securing the inverted U-shaped keeper portion 32 in position, and if the rear of the sink has a high splash board, and its edge is not at the suitable height for the rear corner 25', instead of using a hook clamp 28, the clamp 21 may be attached to such high splash board portion by means of a suitable vacuum cup or pair of vacuum cups to which the keeper portion 32 may be attached.

If the entire sink has its edges concealed in a sink counter, a vacuum cup attached keeper may be used at both the front and

rear boundary corners

24 and 25. Likewise vacuum cup mounted keepers may be used if the partition I1 is of a less vertical height than the height of the sink l0.

As a result of this invention, any existing conventional sink may have an extra compartment temporarily provided therein whenever desired by merel adding the partition I to be held in position by means f the keeper portions 32 mounted either on a hook as shown or secured to the sink walls by a vacuum cup or otherwise. N0 permanent alteration is necessary to be made in the construction of the sink, and it may be installed and removed by the housewife as often as needed with no difficulty.

Obviously, the partition I! of this invention may be made in as many different sizes as there are different sizes of conventional one compartment sinks, and any sink may have an extra compartment provided therein by the use of the partition of this invention.

While the device has been shown and the structure described in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered as being limited to the exact form disclosed, and that changes in detail and construction may be made therein within the scope of what is claimed, without cleparting from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A partition for compartmentalizing a sink or the like having fluid impermeable bottom and side and end walls, said partition comprising an impermeable plane member and means for removably securing said impermeable plane member in a vertical plane transversely in the sink with the bottom and side edges of the plane member in impermeable contact with the bottom and side walls of the sink to thereby divide the sink into two compartments, said impermeable plane member comprising a rigid member having readily compressible impermeable bottom and side boundary portions, said readily compressible side boundary portions merging into less compressible upper corner portions, said upper corner portions and a connecting upper boundary portion being of hard live rubber, said side and bottom boundary portions being of impermeable sponge rubber, said rigid member being of hard rubber.

2. A partition for compartmentalizing a sink or the like having fluid impermeable bottom and side and end walls, said partition comprising an impermeable plane member and means for removably securing said impermeable plane member in a vertical plane transversely in the sink with the bottom and side edges of the plane member in impermeable contact with the bottom and side walls of the sink to thereby divide the sink into two compartments, said impermeable plane member comprising a rigid member having readily compressible impermeable bottom and side boundary portions, said readily compressible side boundary portions merging into less compressible upper corner portions, said upper corner portions being of hard live rubber, said side and bottom boundary portions bein of impermeable sponge rubber, said rigid member being of hard rubber, said removable securing means including an inverted U portion arranged to abut over the top and side edges of said upper corner portions of said plane member.

3. A partition for compartmentalizing a boxlike container having fluid impermeable bottom and side and end walls, said partition comprising an impermeable plane member and means for removably securing said impermeable plane member in a vertical plane transversely in the container with the bottom and side edges of the plane member in impermeable contact with the bottom and side walls of the container to thereby divide the container into two compartments, said impermeable plane member comprising a rigid member having readily compressible impermeable bottom and side boundary portions, said readily compressible side boundary portions merging into less compressible upper corner portions, said upper corner portions being of hard 6 live rubber, said side and bottom boundary portions being of impermeable sponge rubber, said rigid member being of hard rubber.

4. A partition for compartmentalizing a boxlike container having fluid impermeable bottom and side and end walls, said partition comprising an impermeable plane member and means for removably securing said impermeable plane member in a vertical plane transversely in the container with the bottom and side edges of the plane member in impermeable contact with the bottom and side walls of the container to thereby divide the container into two compartments, said impermeable plane member comprising a rigid member having readily compressible impermeable bottom and side boundary portions, said readily compressible side boundary portions merging into less compressible upper corner portions, said upper corner portionse being of hard live rubber, said side and bottom boundary portions being of impermeable sponge rubber, said rigid member being of hard rubber, said removable securing means comprisin an inverted U portion arranged to abut over the top and side edges of said upper corner portions of said plane member and means for removably mounting said inverted U portion on the container side wall comprising a yieldable clamp adapted to be hooked on the container side wall edge.

LEONARD G. JOHNSON. CHARLES S. JOHNSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,051,741 Litton Jan. 28, 1913 2,109,089 Moyes Feb. 22, 1938