US3263935A - Sink and disposal combination - Google Patents

Description

g- 2, 1966 G. B. LONG 3,263,935

SINK AND DISPOSAL COMBINATION Filed Sept. 13, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheeb 1 g INVENTOR. M

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My ram/m5) Aug. 2, 1966 a. B. LONG SINK AND DISPOSAL COMBINATION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1963 m T N E V m United States Patent 3,263,935 SINK AND DISPOSAL COMBINATION George B. Long, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 308,704 1 Claim. (Cl. 241-1005) This invention relates to plumbing fixtures and more particularly to sink or lavatory fixtures.

One problem with present day plumbing fixtures of the sink or lavatory type is that they are located in work areas of limited size and, accordingly, often do not have as much adjacent work surface area as might :be desired by a typical user.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to improve sink type plumbing fixtures by the provision of a work surface area thereon that does not materially increase the overall dimensions of the fixture.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a sink type plumbing fixture including the provision of means for varying sink capacity in a limited space by deforming a resilient horizontal work surface into a shape forming a substantial sink cavity space from what was previously work surface area.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved sink arrangement including a small capacity sink receptacle or the like in a sheet of resilient material that is selectively deformable to form a substantial work surface area contiguous with the small capacity sink receptacle or a sink cavity of substantial capacity drained through the small capacity sink.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings Wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a portion of a built-in cabinet including the plumbing fixture of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view like FIGURE 1 showing the fixture in another operative position;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view in vertical section taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGURES 1 and 2, a built-in cabinet is illustrated having a top surface 12 with an opening 14 formed therein for receiving a sink or lavatory type plumbing fixture 16 constructed in accordance with certain of the principles of the present invention.

The sink fixture 16 more particularly comprises a sheet 18 of a suitable resilient material, for example, natural or synthetic rubber or a plastic such as Hypalon, a chlorosulfonated polyethylene compound manufactured by Du Pont, having the outer periphery thereof located within a recess 20 in top surface 12 surrounding the opening 14 where it is fastened by suitable means, for example, a fastening strip 21. In the illustrated embodiment, sheet 18 is representatively shown as being substantially elliptical, it being understood that other geometric shapes would be equally suited for use in the present invention. The sheet 18 has an opening 23 formed substantially centrally thereof through which an open end portion 22 of a small capacity sink bowl of receptacle 24 projects with the main body of the receptacle 24 depending from the membrane 18 into an interior space or cavity 26 or machinery compartment 3,263,935 Patented August 2, 1966 ice in the cabinet 10. The bottom of the receptacle 24 connects to the upper end of a garbage disposal unit 27 that has one end thereof connected to an elongated screw element 28 threadably engaging a rotatable drive element 30 rotatably supported by a bearing 32 located in a support element 34 fixed to a support platform 36 within the cabinet. The garbage disposal unit is drained through suitable flexible conduits to a house plumbing drain system or the like located exteriorly of cabinet 10. The drive element 30 has gear teeth formed on the outer periphery thereof located in engagement with a worm 38 operatively connected to the shaft 40 of a reversible electric motor 42 controlled by a switch 44 located on a rear panel 46 of the cabinet 10.

When the switch 44 is in its up position, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, it closes a contact 48 to complete a circuit from a suitable power source 50 through a conductor 52, a limit switch 54, and a conductor 56 to motor 42 and thence through a conductor 58 to cause the motor to rotate in a predetermined direction to drive the worm 38 so as to rotate element 30 to drive the screw element 28 upwardly into the cavity 26 whereby the receptacle 24 has the open end portion 22 located substantially in the plane of the top surface 12 of cabinet 10 as best illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3. When the receptacle 24 reaches its raised position, a plate 59 on the end of screw 28 opens limit switch 54 to de-energize motor 42. In its raised position the sheet 18 of resilient material is substantially fiat and a planar surface 60 secured to the open end portion 22 of the receptacle 24 is located in juxtaposition with the underside thereof to form a solid laminar work surface in surrounding relationship with the bowl 24. In the illustrated embodiment, the small sink 22 is located below the outlet of a spigot 62 so that it can be used as a limited space for carrying out tasks that do not require a substantial sink space, as for example, manicuring, peeling vegetables, or the like.

On the other hand, if it is desired to have a substantial sink space in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the switch 44 is moved to the position illustrated in FIG- URE 2 to close a contact 64 for completing a circuit from source 50 through a conductor 66, a limit switch 69, a conductor 70 to motor 42 and thence through conductor 58 back to source 50. In this case, the motor 42 will rotate in a direction to cause the Worm 38 to rotate element 30 so as to drive the screw 28 exteriorly of the interior cabinet space 26 whereby the sheet 18 is stretched between the fastening strip 21 on the outer periphery thereof and the bowl 24 to form a sink cavity or space 68 as best illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 4 for carrying out tasks requiring greater sink capacity. In this case, the small bowl or sink 24 serves as a drain from the large capacity cavity 68 into the garbage disposal unit 27.

While in the illustrated embodiment of the invention an electromechanical arrangement is illustrated as the means for stretching the sheet 18 into a shape to form a large sink cavity, it will be appreciated that the invention in certain of its aspects contemplates an arrangement wherein a Work surface area is eifectively deformed by other means such as a fluid system or the like to concave shape to convert a horizontal work space into a sink-like cavity with the deformable material being associated with a small capacity receptacle that serves as a limited sink space when the material is in its horizontal disposition.

In view of the aforesaid explanation of the invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is well suited for use in a limited work space where a conventional sink arrangement would not have sufiicient work space area because it enables a user to selectively provide a relatively large work surface area or a sink capacity approaching that of a conventional sink arrangement by merely positioning a switch element or the like into one of a plurality of positions.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

In combination, a fixed member, a layer of elastic material, means for fastening the outer periphery of said layer to said fixed member for locating said layer of elastic material in a horizontal Work surface plane, a receptacle depending from said layer having an open end portion communicating through said layer forming access to a small capacity sink region contiguous with the horizontal Work surface formed by said layer of elastic material, a garbage disposal unit communicating With said receptacle, means including said garbage disposal unit for moving said receptacle relative to said fixed member to stretch said layer of elastic material from its horizontal disposition to form a sink cavity having a larger capacity than the above-mentioned sink region.

References Cited by the Examiner ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

H. F. PEPPER, JR., Assistant Examiner.

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