US2948482A - Splash guard with plug for waste disposal apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Allvg- 9, 1960 H. JORDAN I 2,948,482

SPLASH GUARD wrm PLUG PoR WASTE: DISPOSAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 25, 1957 sheets-sheet 1 ifi/'fly m Aug. :9, 19.60

SPLASH GUARD WITH PLUG FOR WASTE DISPOSAL APPARATUS Filed Nov. 25, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lll/IIIA United States Patent Qiice Patented Aug. 9, 1960 SPLASH GUARD WITH PLUG FOR WASTE DISPOSAL APPARATUS Hans Jordan, Los Angeles, Calif., assigner to Given Machinery Company, Los Angeles,-Calif., a partnership Filed Nov. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 698,566

Claims. (Cl. 241-100.5)

This invention relates generally to the waste disposal art with particular reference to apparatus now commonly employed at the discharge outlets of kitchen sinks and the like to receive culinary waste which is introduced into the apparatus by the human hand or washed into it from the sink, the waste being ground by a motor driven rotary grinder and flushed from the appanatus to a sewer system with water supplied from 4the sink.

More particularly this improvement relates to a splash guard or antisplash diaphragm disposed at the top of a waste grinder and below the sink outlet which will pass waste from the sink into the grinder, together with flush water, such guard or diaphragm being yieldable to pass the waste and positioned to intercept splash of water and materials undergoing grinding, as well as being capable of intercepting much of the grinding noise.

This invention is an improvement on those shown in my prior Patents Nos. 2,670,143 and 2,785,864.

A principal object of this improvement is to protect the grinding device of such disposal apparatus from entrance of foreign materials, which might be damaging, during construction of buildings following installation of the disposal apparatus and prior to completion for occupancy. Garbage disposers are now very commonly installed in new homes as original equipment, and are therefore placed in operative position along with plumbing installations. Subsequent workmen, such as plasterers and carpenters, commonly allow materials to drop into kitchen sinks, which materials frequently pass down through the large sink outlets into the grinder housings. Such materials may include nails and other hardware pieces, and other Waste which can damage a grinder or result in burning out the motor, or the like, at some future time when the apparatus is to be used.

It is therefore another object of this invention to produce a splash guard of the indicated character which includes 'a safety element that will prevent the passage of builders waste materials, or materials unintentionally dropped into a sink under which the disposal apparatus is suspended, down into the grinding chamber of such apparatus.

Since antisplash diaphragms of the indicated nature are commonly produced from rubber or flexible rubber substitutes, one form of this invention includes the provision of an excluding element mounted on such a diaphragm through relatively weak and rupturable attachment means,so that such excluding element will prevent the dropping of small articles or waste builders materials into a disposal apparatus during building operations. Such an element is easily removed preparatory to placing the disposer in normal operation. In a convenient form, a sort of integral knob or finger grip may be provided at the center of the splash guard, very small integral rupturable connections permitting tearing away of the knob to expose a small water passage and free diaphragm segments which are normally yieldable for the passage of culinary waste.

Other objects of the invention and various usable features of construction will become apparent to those skilled in this art upon reference to the accompanying drawings and the following specication wherein certain embodiments are disclosed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section, through the upper end of a garbage grinder shown in suspended position at the under side of a kitchen sink, a form of the improvement of this invention in its original condition being illustrated;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View similar to a corresponding portion of Pig. 1, the excluding element or knob shown on the diaphragm in Fig. l being, however, removed to prepare the diaphragm for normal grinding use;

Fig. 2A is `a fragmentary view similar to that of Fig. 2 but illustrating means for removably mounting `the diaphragrn in the inner wall of the resilient grinder suspending ring;

Fig. 3 is a somewhat similar view but showing the diaphragm removably mounted upon an internal annular bead of the drainage sleeve supporting the grinder and in position above the resilient grinder suspending ring illustrated, Figs. 2, 2A and 3 collectively representing a sort of composite mounting of the three different structures;

Fig. 4 is a view partly in cross plan taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig. l showing a modified arrangement of the present improvement;

Fig. 7 is a view like that of Fig. 6 with the stopper of Fig. 6 removed and the protective element on the diaphragm also removed;

Fig. 8 is a view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view taken approximately on the line 9-9 of Fig. 6; and

Fig. l0 is a fragmentary vertical sectional detail taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

The drawings disclose possible embodiments of this improvement, one of which is illustrated in Figs. l, 2, 4 and 5. Here, a typical kitchen sink 10 provided with the usual drainage opening receives a drainage sleeve 12 which is supported upon the sink by means of an upper annular ange 13. The lower end of the drainage sleeve 12 is provided with an inwardly directed annular bead 14 which serves internally to support a circular stopper 15 which may have an annular sealing lip 16 to rest upon the bead 14 to cut oif water ilo-w, and may also have a series of spaced yieldable lugs 15a which may rest upon the top of the bead 14 kas shown to provide for the flow of water between the stopper 15 and sleeve 12 but would yield under downward pressure to snap past the bead 14 'and permit seating of the annular sealing lip 16. The sleeve 12 may `also have a circumferential series of three or four upstanding inwardly struck spacer detents 12a to center the stopper 15 when elevated as shown, whereby to insure good water iiow. The bottom wall 17 of the bead 14 is relatively dat to provide a base or support for a sn-ap ring 18 for supporting the weight of a garbage grinderor the like from the sleeve 12.

To accomplish this support, in this form of the invention, an annular rubber suspension neck 20 is employed betweenthe sleeve 12 and the mentioned garbage grinder, this neck 2i) having integrally formed with an intermediate portion thereof a rubber splash diaphragm 22. A garbage grinder housing 24 to be suspended is secured to the lower end 20a` of the rubber neck 20 as by vulcanization of such lower end 20a to the top of the housing 24. An auxiliary outer housing 23 which might be of a snap ring construction may also assist in retainingin operative relationship the housing 24 and said lower neck end 20a. I

section and partly in To support the rubber neck 20 from the suspending snap ring 18 an annular support ring 25 is embedded and vulcanized in the upper end of the annular rubber neck 20. This yring 25 is overlain by a flanged mounting ring 216 whose inner edge bears upon the outer edge of the snap ring 18. To provide for proper centering of the mounting ring 26 on the snap ring 18, the mounting ring may be provided with an annular series of spaced upstanding positioning ngers 26a which bear against the outer wall of the sleeve l12. To retain the annular rubber neck 20 and its support ring 25 in supported position with respect to the mounting ring 26, a double anged or channeled ring 28 is mounted within the downturned flange of the mounting ring 26 so that the inner ange of this clamp ring 28 bears under the extending portion of the support ring 25 and holds the latter and the neck 20 in suspended position as shown. To retain this posi` tion of the parts, a plurality of suspension bolts 30 is used, these being threaded at 30a into vertically aligned hub portions of the mounting ring 26 with their lower ends extending through the channeled clamp ring 28 and receiving nuts 31 to maintain the relationship. At their upper ends, reduced portions of the bolts 30 enter small holes in a tensioning ring 32 around the sleeve 12', and nuts or heads 33 carried on upper portions of the bolts 30 place the ring 32 under tension to compress an appropriate washer 34 lying between the ring 32 and the adjacent under portion of the sink 10.

Thus, Figs. l and 2 disclose one desirable means for positioning a rubber diaphragm 22 of this invention. To accomplish the exact purpose of the present improve ment, the yieldable diaphragm 22, which is produced from the indicated rubber or some equivalent yieldable resilient, preferably plastic, material, is provided with a central integral removable closure such as the indicated upstanding closure cap or knob 35 of Fig. 1. This closure cap 35 is largely severed from the adjacent annular p0rtion of the diaphragm 22, being positioned by small integral joint elements 36 best indicated in Figs. 4 and 5 disposed between narrow spacing slits 37 lying between the joint elements 36. These joint elements are small enough to be readily rupturable by pulling the closure cap 35 out of its position at the center of the diaphragm 22, since they occupy only a small proportion of the area around the base 35a of the cap 35, while at the same time being strong enough initially to retain the cap 35 securely mounted upon the central portion of the diaphragm 22 in protecting position.

Thus, when a garbage grinder 24, equipped with a diaphragm 22 of the present invention is installed in a building under construction, plaster droppings, nails, wood shavings and other pieces of wood are caught by the diaphragm and the closure cap 35 and are prevented from falling into the grinder space within the grinder housing 24. This will avoid damage to the grinder upon subsequent operation which might otherwise result by reason of the falling of such dropped waste materials through the diaphragm 22.

When the building has been completed and readied for occupancy, together with cleaning out of all trash from the diaphragm 22, the closure cap 35 is now jerked or pulled out of its seat in the center of the diaphragm 22, thus leaving a circular passage 38 through the diaphragm 22 through which garbage and other waste material, together with the usual ilushing water, will pass. In a preferred form of diaphragm the portion spanning the opening or throat to the garbage grinder is segmented as by slits 40 to provide yieldable fingers or segments 42 radiating outward from the central opening 38. To guard against undue tearing at the ends of the slits 40, small circular openings 44 are provided. With this construction, sizable pieces of waste materials such as bones may be easily forced down through the diaphragm 22 by reason of the yieldability of the segments 42, these resilient portions snapping back into the normal position illustrated upon passage of the waste. The opening 38 in the diaphragm 22, which is now unobstructed except for very small remnants 36a of the ruptured joint elements 36, is small enough so that a normal amount of flushing water owing from the sink above substantially lls such opening and, in conjunction with the segments 42 of the diaphragm, blocks otf all splashing and substantially all grinding noises. Thus, in conjunction with the vibration-absorbing characteristics of the rubber or other resilient neck 20, very little noise from the grinding elements including a typical electrical motor in the dis- -poser housing 24 is transmitted to the sink and to the room in which it is located.

While Figs. l and 2 disclose the diaphragm 22 as being integral with the rubber suspension neck 20, such diaphragm may, however, be removable in a manner such as indicated in Fig. 2A but being provided with an cular-ged integral annular rim portion 45` which is snapped into a corresponding annular groove 45a on the inner wall of the suspension neck 20 immediately above an annular shoulder 46. Preferably the annular rim 45 will have centrally imbedded therein a resilient wire core 47 which provides for positively snapping the rim 45 into position, and at the same time resists undesired dislodgment of the diaphragm 22. Again, the diaphragm 22 may be removably mounted as illustrated in Fig. 3 where it is provided with an integral upstanding rim 48 that seats within and rests upon the previously described inwardly directed annular bead 14 of the drainage sleeve 12, and may permanently replace the stopper 15 of Fi l.

gAnother manner of mounting the resilient diaphragm of this invention is illustrated in Figs. 6 to l0. Here, the sink 50 receives at its drainage opening a drainage sleeve 52 flanged at 53 and having on its lower end an inturned annular seat 54 for a stopper 55 having an annular sealing lip 56. The sleeve 52 is externally threaded at its lower end as indicated at 58 for support of a ygarbage grinder housing 24a mounted in suspended position below the drainage sleeve 52.

At the top of the grinder housing 24a there is located a cushioning ring 60 of rubber or similar elastomeric resilient material as previously indicated by which an anti-splash diaphragm 62 is integrally carried. This diaphragm, like the antisplash diaphragm 22 of Fig. l, is desirably cup-shaped, being directed downward and inward to discharge waste and wash water toward the center of the grinding chamber within the housing 24a. For proper positioning of the annular resilient ring 60 in vibration-absorbing position between the top of the housing 24a and the drainage sleeve 52, the top of such housing is provided with an outwardly directed integral ange 65 `around which the annular body portion of the ring 60 is fitted or molded las illustrated. The top of the ring 60 is clamped against the under side of a mounting ring 66 threaded upon the sleeve 52 by means of the previously indicated threads 58, and a clamp ring 68 is disposed around the topof the grinder housing 24a below the ilange 65 thereof and below the depending outer flange portion 60a of the rubber ring 60. The clamp ring 68, which is angle-shaped in cross section to provide an upstanding outermost flange, is provided with an annular series of outwardly extending ears 68a, which may be slotted as indicated at the right of Fig. 6 and receive suspension bolts 70. These bolts 70 are threaded into the mounting ring 66 and receive on their lower ends nuts 71 bearing against the under side of the clamp ring 68 for the purpose of compressing the outer depending ange portion 60a of the rubber ring 60 as required to provide tight joints and good `vibrationabsorbing suspension. It is desirable to limit compression of the ring portion 60 between the clamp ring 68 and the mounting ring 66, and for this purpose annular portions of the mounting ring above the ears 68a of the clamp ring 68 are provided with depending fingers 66a aligned with corresponding ear portions 68a, so that the portions 66a and 68a will be brought into contact to limit indicated compression of the rubber ring 60 should the nuts 71 be tightened sufficiently to accomplish otherwise such result. In this form the head 73 of each bolt 70 is adjusted, before tightening its nut 71, to bind against a tension ring 72 underlying the sink 50, whereby to properly compress a washer 74 to yield a fluid-tight joint between the sink adjacent its drainage opening and the overhanging flange 53 of the sleeve 52. An intermediate spacer bolt 7 0a is threaded into the mounting ring 66 and its head engages the tension ring 72.

The central portion of the antisplash diaphragm 62 is provided with a temporary closure cap or knob 75 corresponding generally with the temporary closure knob 35 of the form of Fig. 1. With this particular construction, the diaphragm 62 is provided with a large `discharge opening 78 and is not necessarily segmented as is the diaphragm 22 of Fig. 1. With this form small spacing joint elements 76, integral with the diaphragm 62 and a horizontal web portion 77 of the temporary closure 75, annularly located around the opening 78, are used at the under side of the diaphragm 62 so as to position the web portion 77 below the level of the diaphragm 62.

Thus, since the joint elements 76 Iare of limited extent around the opening 78, but are nevertheless sufficiently strong to support Waste plaster, wood scraps and the like, the temporary closure 75, 77 is both adapted to protect the grinding mechanism in the grinder housing 24a during building operations, and to be manually torn away when the home or other building s finished for occupancy so that the garbage grinder is ready for normal use. In this particular form, the opening 78 in the antisplash diaphragm 62 may be relatively large as indicated so as to pass a human hand if desired, or it could be small rand be closed by a temporary closure knob 35 like that of Fig. 1, whereby to yield a small passage like the passage 38, which would be completely lled with water during ushing operations. Such a small passage may amount to only around one tenth of the crosssectional area of the throat spanned by the diaphragm.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, an antisplash diaphragm 22 or 62 may be integrally or removably carried by a cushioning ring 60, or by a free suspension ring or neck 20, and may have a relatively large discharge passage 78, or a relatively small-capacity discharge passage 38. With either form, or kindred form, any of the indicated structures with a temporary closure such as the closure 35 or the closure 75 are readily molded Vand cured so that the small joint elements 36 and 76, which are the only connections attaching these -temporary closures to the respective antisplash diaphragms, `are readily rupturable to clear the spaces 38 and 78 when the buildings are ready for occupancy, and yet are amply strong and durable to prevent undesired materials from falling into the grinding devices during building operations.

It has been indicated above that the resilient suspension neck 20 and the diaphragm 22 and 62 may be produced from natural rubber or from synthetic rubber or other flexible rubber substitutes, all of which are frequently identified by the more recent term elastomers and which we sometimes designate herein as elastomeric materials.

The invention claimed is:

l. In combination in waste disposal apparatus: a sink having a drain opening; a grinder housing suspended under said opening `and having a waste receiving throat; a resilient ring device disposed between said sink and said housing and cushioning the latter to limit transmission of vibrations to said sink; and an antisplash diaphragm carried by said resilient device, said diaphragm having a circular body portion and a temporary closure attached thereto centrally to close a discharge passage therethrough, said diaphragm having readily rupturable joint means connecting said temporary closure to said body portion to retain waste materials thereon, and being rupturable for removal of said closure to open said discharge passage.

2. A combination as n claim 1 wherein said diaphragm, closure and joint means are elastomeric material.

3. An antisplash diaphragm for a water-flushed waste disposal apparatus, including a circular disk member, such member being partially severed around a central area thereof to form a rupturable joint with a central closure member in said area, said joint being manually rupturable to release said closure member from said disk member to leave a central opening in said disk member, said disk member being provided with radial slits eX- tending outwardly from said rupturable joint and eircumferentially spaced around said disk member.

4. A diaphragm as set forth in claim 3, in which said central closure member has -a portion extending upwardly from said rupturable joint and adapted to be grasped manually to release said closure member from said disk member along said joint.

5. An antisplash diaphragm for water-flushed disposal apparatus including a circular disk member formed of elastomeric material capable of returning to its original shape on release of expanding pressures, such member being partially severed adjacent its center to provide a temporary central closure member joined to a surrounding annular body portion of said disk member by plural spaced rupturable joint elements easily ruptured by manual pull upon said closure member to leave a central passage therethrough, the portion of said disk member surrounding said passage being segmented to yield to waste material forced therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,635,509 Stewart July 12, 1927 2,772,017 Rieke Nov. 27, 1956 2,785,864 Jordan Mar. 19, 1957

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