WO2011034252A1

WO2011034252A1 - Height-controllable sink

Info

Publication number: WO2011034252A1
Application number: PCT/KR2009/007043
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jang-Soo Kim
Original assignee: Up & Down System Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2009-09-15
Filing date: 2009-11-27
Publication date: 2011-03-24
Also published as: KR100956444B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a height-controllable sink (100). The height-controllable sink (100) includes i) a sink main body (10) that has an internal space (105) and a sink bowl (101 ) formed convexly toward the internal space, and ii) a pair of height control members (201) that are disposed in the internal space (105) and fixed to both sides of the sink bowl (101 ) to move the sink main body up/down.

Description

HEIGHT-CONTROLLABLE SINK

The present invention relates to a height-controllable sink. In detail, the present invention relates to a height-controllable sink to allow people with an indisposition including the handicapped to use it.

A sink for cooking food or washing the dishes with water therein is provided in a kitchen. The sink includes a dishpan accommodating water for use. Since sinks have an internal space, they can hold dishes.

Meanwhile, sinks have a height as high as the waist height of a common adult. Therefore, common adults can easily wash dishes. However, the handicapped sitting in a wheelchair or children have a difficulty in using sinks because the height is too high.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a height-controllable sink having advantages of allowing both of common people and the handicapped in a wheelchair to use it.

A height-controllable sink according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes i) a sink main body that has an internal space and a sink bowl formed convexly toward the internal space, and ii) a pair of height control members that are disposed in the internal space and fixed to both sides of the sink bowl to move the sink main body up/down.

The height-controllable sink according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include at least one water-collecting unit that is adjacent to the sink main body. The water-collecting unit may include i) a water guide facing a side of the sink main body, and ii) a gutter that is connected with the water guide across a surface of the water guide. The sink main body may have an opening facing the water guide and the gutter may be disposed in the internal space through the opening. The gutter may have a water collection space, and a side of the water collection unit may be formed by the water guide. The bottom of the water collection space may be inclined with respect to a horizontal surface. The bottom may form an angle of 3˚ to 10˚ with respect to the horizontal surface. The water-collecting unit may further include a drain pipe that is adapted to communicate with the bottom to discharge the water collected in the water collection space.

The height-controllable sink according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include i) a fixing frame that is installed on the floor and disposed in an internal space to support up-down movement of the sink main body, and ii) a closet that is adjacent to the sink main body and connected to the fixing frame through the opening. The fixing frame may include a support that supports the gutter. The fixing frame may include a bottom, and the pair of height control members may be installed on the bottom. The fixing frame may include a side connected with the bottom, a pair of guide brackets extending perpendicular to the floor may be attached at the sides, and the pair of height control members may be adapted to be guided by the pair of guide brackets to move up/down.

The opening may be defined by a side of the sink main body. The sink main body may further include a plurality of doors that are arranged in parallel to open/close the internal space, and one of the plurality of doors may allow the gutter to communicate with the outside of the sink main body. The width of one door may be smaller than the average width of the other doors among the plurality of doors.

The water-collecting unit may be made of artificial stone or natural stone. The at least one water-collecting unit may include a pair of water-collecting units, and the pair of water-collecting units may be disposed at both sides of the sink main body. The sink main body may further include a water-collecting unit at one side, and the water-collecting unit may include i) a water guide and ii) a gutter that is connected with the water guide across a surface of the water guide.

The height-controllable sink according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include a closet that is adjacent to the sink main body, another internal space communicating with the sink main body may be defined in the closet, and the gutter may be disposed in the internal space. The pair of height control members may be actuated by electric power or hydraulic pressure.

Since it is possible to control the height of the sink, both of common people and the handicapped can use it. Further, it is possible to manufacture a sink having a simple structure, thereby the manufacturing cost of the sink is reduced and it is possible to collect overflowing water.

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a height-controllable sink according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial exploded front view of the height-controllable sink of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of a sink body of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water collecting unit, taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a view schematically showing the sink body of FIG. 1, which has moved up.

FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing the sink body of FIG. 1, which has moved down.

FIG. 7 is a schematic partial front view of a height-controllable sink according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded view of a height-controllable sink according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments are provided only for examples of the present invention and may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The same of like parts are designated by reference numbers as the same as possible in the drawings.

All the terminologies including technical terms and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings that those skilled in the art generally understand. Terms defined in dictionaries are construed to have meanings corresponding to related technical documents and the present description and they are not construed as ideal or overly official meanings, if not so defined.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on" another element, it can be directly on another element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, there are no intervening elements therebetween.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, but are not limited thereto. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Terminologies used herein are provided to just mention specific exemplary embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions used herein include plurals unless they have definitely opposite meanings. The meaning of "including" used in this specification gives shape to specific characteristics, region, positive number, step, operation, element, and/or component, and do not except existence or addition of other specific characteristics, region, positive number, step, operation, element, component, and/or group.

Spatially relative terms, such as "below", "above", and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Apparatuses may be otherwise rotated 90 degrees or by other angles and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are to interpreted accordingly.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention described with reference to cross-sectional views represent in detail ideal exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, various modifications of diagrams, for example modifications of manufacturing methods and/or specifications, are expected. Accordingly, exemplary embodiments are not limited to specific shapes of shown regions, and for example, also include modifications of the shape by manufacturing. For example, regions shown or described to be flat generally may have rough or rough and nonlinear characteristics. Further, portions shown to have sharp angles may be rounded. Therefore, the regions shown in the drawings are basically just schematic and the shapes of those are not intended to show the exact shapes of the region and are also not intended to reduce the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that the term "sink" used hereafter implies all the devices supplying water. Therefore, the term "sink" is construed to imply devices including a sink.

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a height-controllable sink 100 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The structure of the height-controllable sink 100 shown in FIG. 1 is provided as an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, it is possible to modify the structure of the height-controllable sink 100 to other shapes.

As shown in FIG. 1, the height-controllable sink 100 includes a sink main body 10 and a pair of height control members 20. In addition, the height-controllable sink 100 may further include other devices, if needed. For example, the height-controllable sink 100 further includes a water-collecting unit 30, a closet 40, and a fixing frame 50.

An internal space 10S is defined in the sink main body 10. Accordingly, it is possible to store a water distributor, a water purifier, a food waste decomposer, a water saving device, a detergent box, etc., in the sink main body 10. That is, a place for disposing the devices can be ensured by the internal space 10S.

Meanwhile, the sink main body 10 includes a sink bowl 101, a water supplier 103, a height control valve 105, and doors 111. Dishes to wash are placed in the sink bowl 101. For this purpose, the sink bowl 101 has a depression that is convex toward the internal space 10S. The water supplier 103 supplies water supplied for the outside into the sink bowl 101. Accordingly, it is possible to wash the dishes in the sink bowl 101.

Though not shown in FIG. 1 for convenience, the height control valve 105 is connected with the height control members 20. Therefore, it is possible to move the height control members 20 up/down by operating the height control valve 105. Since those skilled in the art can easily understand the process of moving the height control members 20 up/down by operating the height control valve 105, a detailed description is not provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of height control members 20 are disposed in the internal space 10S of the sink main body 10 and can move the sink main body 10 upward or downward in the z-axis direction. The pair of height control members 20 are installed on the bottom 503 of the fixing frame 50. Therefore, since the fixing frame 50 is disposed above the floor, the bottom 503 can stably support the pair of height control members 20. The pair of height control members 20 may be actuated by electric power or hydraulic pressure. The pair of height control members 20 include an electric cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, such that they can be smoothly actuated up/down. Since the structure of the pair of height control members 20 can be easily understood by those skilled in the art, a detailed description is not provided.

Though not shown in FIG. 1, the pair of height control members 20 move up/down while being guided by a pair of guide brackets 201. The pair of guide brackets 201 extend in z-axis direction, that is, perpendicular to the floor. The pair of guide brackets 201 are fixed to a side 501 of the fixing frame 50. Therefore, the pair of guide brackets 201 can support the up-down movement of the pair of height control members 20 well. As a result, the sink main body 10 can stably move up/down.

Therefore, people with an indisposition including the handicapped can easily use the height-controllable sink 100 by lowering the sink main body 10. Further, common people can easily use the height-controllable sink 100 by controlling the height of the sink main body 10. Although the pair of height control members 20 are shown in FIG. 1, if needed, the number of height control members 20 can be variously changed.

Meanwhile, since the sink main body 10 is moved up/down by the pair of height control members 20, a gap is defined between the sink main body 10 and the closet 40 adjacent to the sink main body 10. If water overflows the sink main body 10, the water may fall to the floor through the gap. Accordingly, it is possible to completely collect the water falling through the gap while preventing leakage of the water, using the water-collecting unit 30. Although the water-collecting unit 30 is shown to be integrally formed with the upper surface of the closet 40 in FIG. 1, this is just an example for illustrating the present invention and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the water-collecting unit 30 may be formed with other parts than the closet 40.

As shown in FIG. 1, the water-collecting unit 30 includes a water guide 301 and a gutter 303. In addition, the water-collecting unit 30, if needed, may include other parts for collecting water.

The water guide 301 faces a side 107 of the sink main body 10. Accordingly, the water guide 301 can efficiently collect water leaking through the gap defined along the side 107 of the sink main body 10.

Meanwhile, the gutter 303 is connected with the water guide 301 across a surface 3011 of the water guide 301, i.e. in the x-axis direction. Therefore, the gutter 303 can efficiently collect the water leaking along the water guide 301 or the side 107 of the sink main body 10. A water collection space 3031 is defined inside the gutter 303. A side of the water collection space 3031, that is, the left side of FIG. 1, is formed by the water guide 301. Accordingly, collected water can be stored for a short time in the water collection space 3031. Therefore, even if a large amount of water leaks through the gap, the water collection space 3031 can store an appropriate amount of water for a short time; therefore, it is possible to collect the entire amount of water.

Furthermore, a support 505 of the fixing frame 50 supports the gutter 303 thereunder. Accordingly, even if a large amount of water leaks into the water collection space 3031, since the gutter 303 is supported by the support 505, the gutter 303 is not easily damaged. In particular, it is possible to improve the aesthetic appearance of the closet 40 by making the water-collecting unit 30 of artificial stone or natural stone. For example, artificial marble or natural marble can be used. Further, when the above materials are used, the friction force between the water and the water guide 301 is minimized such that the water can smoothly flow down on the water guide 301, thereby collecting the water efficiently.

As shown by an arrow with a dotted line in FIG. 1, the fixing frame 50 is disposed in the internal space 10S and supports the up-down movement of the sink main body 10. Since the fixing frame 50 is disposed on the floor, it can stably support the sink main body 10. The fixing frame 50 is connected with the closet 40 through an opening 109. Therefore, the fixing frame 50 can be stably supported by the closet 40.

FIG. 2 is a partial exploded front view of the height-controllable sink of FIG. 1. The height-controllable sink 100 of FIG. 2 is shown with all the parts of the height-controllable sink 100 of FIG. 1. However, for convenience, the doors 111 of the sink main body 10 of FIG. 1 are not shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of height control members 20 are fixed at both sides of the sink bowl 101. The pair of height control members 20 are disposed in the internal space 10S. Since various parts may be installed under the sink bowl 101, the height control members are unfit for being disposed directly under the sink bowl 101. Accordingly, it is possible to move the sink main body 10 up/down in the z-axis direction while maintaining the left-right balance of the sink main body 10, by fixing the pair of height control members 20 to both sides of the sink bowl 101. Brackets 102 attached to the inner upper surface of the sink main body 10 to firmly fix the pair of height control members 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the opening 109 is defined by the side 107 of the sink main body 10 and faces the water guide 301. Therefore, the gutter 303 can be positioned in the internal space 10S after being inserted through the opening 109. Accordingly, the gutter 303 can efficiently collect the water leaking through the gap defined between the sink main body 10 and the closet 40.

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of a sink main body 10 of FIG. 1. The front view of the sink main body 10 of FIG. 3 is provided as an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, it is possible to change the sink main body 10 into other shapes.

As shown in FIG. 3, the sink main body 10 includes a plurality of doors 111 that are arranged in parallel in the x-axis direction and open/close the internal space 10S (shown in FIG. 2). The plurality of doors 111 includes a first door 1111 and a second door 1113. In FIG. 3, three second doors 1113 are arranged in parallel in the x-axis direction, and first doors 111 are respectively arranged at the left and right sides of the second doors.

The first doors 1111 allow the gutter 303 (shown in FIG. 3) to communicate with the outside of the sink main body 10. Therefore, it is possible to directly determine whether there is food waste etc. other than water in the gutter 303 (shown in FIG. 2) by opening the first doors. The second doors 1113 are attached to the sink main body 10 to store dishes etc. in the internal space 10S (shown in FIG. 2). Accordingly, the average width W1113 of the second doors 1113 is larger than the width W1111 of the first doors 1111. In other words, the width W1111 of the first doors 1111 is smaller than the average width W1113 of the second doors 1113. Since the first doors 1111 are provided for simply checking the gutter 303, it is not necessary for the width W1111 to be large.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a water collecting unit 30, taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 1. For the convenience of description, other parts around the water-collecting unit 30 are not shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the water-collecting unit 30 further includes a drain pipe 305. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the drain pipe 305 may be formed through the support 505 (shown in FIG. 2). The drain pipe 305 communicates with the bottom 3031a of the water collection space 3031. Therefore, the drain pipe 305 can prevent water from overflowing the water collection space 3031 by discharging the water in the water collection space 3031.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom 3031a is inclined with respect to the horizontal surface, i.e., the xy-plane. Accordingly, the bottom 3031a makes an angle θ with respect to the horizontal surface. It can be seen that the angle θ is 3˚ to 10˚. When the angle θ is too small, water cannot be discharged through the drain pipe 305. On the other hand, when the angle θ is too large, the water stored in the water collection space 3031 rapidly concentrates around the drain pipe 305, such that it may overflow the water collection space 3031 to the outside. Therefore, it is preferable to control the angle θ within the above range. Up-down movement of the sink main body 10 (shown in FIG. 2) is schematically described hereafter with reference to FIGs. 5 and 6.

FIG. 5 is a view schematically showing the sink main body 10 of FIG. 1, which has moved up. The moving-up state of the sink main body 10 of FIG. 5 is provided just as an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, it is possible to move up the sink main body in other ways.

By turning the height control valve 105 in the direction shown in FIG. 5, the length of the height control members 20 (shown in FIG. 2) increases and the sink main body 10 moves up in the +z-axis direction. In this operation, the fixing frame 50 disposed in the internal space 10S (shown in FIG. 2) of the sink main body 10 stably supports the sink main body 10. Therefore, the sink main body 10 can move straight up in the +z-direction without swinging left or right.

FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing the sink main body 10 of FIG. 1, which has moved down. The moving-down state of the sink main body 10 of FIG. 6 is provided just as an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, it is possible to move down the sink main body in other ways.

By turning the height control valve 105 in the direction shown in FIG. 6, the length of the height control members 20 (shown in FIG. 1) decreases and the sink main body 10 moves down in the -z-axis direction. In this operation, the fixing frame 50 disposed in the internal space 10S (shown in FIG. 2) of the sink main body 10 stably supports the sink main body 10. Therefore, the sink main body 10 can move straight down in the +z-direction without swinging left or right.

FIG. 7 is a schematic partial front view of a height-controllable sink 200 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Since a height-controllable sink 200 of FIG. 7 is similar to the height-controllable sink 100 of FIGs. 1 and 2, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts and the detailed description thereof is not provided.

As shown in FIG. 7, the height-controllable sink 200 further includes one more water-collecting unit 30 at the right side. Accordingly, the height-controllable sink 200 includes a pair of water-collecting units 30. Further, since a pair of closets 40 equipped with the pair of water-collecting units 30 are disposed at both sides of the sink main body 10, the pair of water-collecting units 30 are also disposed at both sides of the sink main body 10. Water overflowing the sink main body 10 can flow to both sides of the sink main body 10. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent water from flowing to the floor by disposing the pair of water-collecting units 30 at both sides of the sink main body 10.

FIG. 8 is a schematic partial front view of a height-controllable sink 300 according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Since a height-controllable sink 300 of FIG. 8 is similar to the height-controllable sink 100 of FIG.1, like reference numerals refer to like parts and the detailed description is not provided. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, a support structure supports the closet 40 to not fall down.

As shown in FIG. 8, a sink main body 13 includes a water-collecting unit 33 at a side. The water-collecting unit includes a water guide 331 and a gutter 333. The gutter 333 is connected with the water guide 331 across a surface 3331 of the water guide 331, that is, in the x-axis direction. Accordingly, it is possible to collect water falling along the sink main body 13, using the gutter 333.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 8, the closet 40 is arranged adjacent to the sink main body 13 in the x-axis direction. An internal space 40S communicating with the sink main body 13 is defined in the closet 40. Accordingly, it is possible to position the gutter 333 in the internal space 40S by inserting it into the closet 40 in the direction of the arrow. As a result, the space where the gutter 333 is disposed can be ensured by the closet 40.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A height-controllable sink comprising:

a sink main body that has an internal space and a sink bowl formed convexly toward the internal space; and

a pair of height control members that are disposed in the internal space and fixed to both sides of the sink bowl to move the sink main body up/down.
The height-controllable sink of claim 1, further comprising

at least one water-collecting units that is adjacent to the sink main body,

wherein each water-collecting unit comprises:

a water guide facing a side of the sink main body; and

a gutter that is connected with the water guide across a surface of the water guide.
The height-controllable sink of claim 2, wherein the sink main body has an opening facing the water guide, and the gutter is disposed in the internal space through the opening.
The height-controllable sink of claim 3, wherein the gutter has a water collection space, and a side of the water collection space is formed by the water guide.
The height-controllable sink of claim 4, wherein the bottom of the water collection space is inclined with respect to a horizontal surface.
The height-controllable sink of claim 5, wherein the bottom forms an angle of 3 to 10 with respect to the horizontal surface.
The height-controllable sink of claim 6, wherein the water-collecting unit further comprises a drain pipe that is adapted to communicate with the bottom to discharge the water collected in the water collection space.
The height-controllable sink of claim 3, further comprising:

a fixing frame that is installed on the floor and disposed in the internal space to support up-down movement of the sink main body; and

a closet that is adjacent to the sink main body and connected to the fixing frame through the opening.
The height-controllable sink of claim 8, wherein the fixing frame comprises a support that supports the gutter.
The height-controllable sink of claim 8, wherein the fixing frame comprises a bottom, and the pair of height control members is installed on the bottom.
The height-controllable sink of claim 10, wherein the fixing frame comprises a side connected with the bottom, a pair of guide brackets extending perpendicular to the floor are attached at the side, and the pair of height control members are adapted to be guided by the pair of guide brackets to move up/down.
The height-controllable sink of claim 3, wherein the opening is defined by a side of the sink main body.
The height-controllable sink of claim 2, wherein the sink main body further comprises a plurality of doors that are arranged in parallel to open/close the internal space, and one of the plurality of doors allows the gutter to communicate with the outside of the sink main body.
The height-controllable sink of claim 13, wherein the width of one door is smaller than the average width of the other doors among the plurality of doors.
The height-controllable sink of claim 2, wherein the water-collecting unit is made of artificial stone or natural stone.
The height-controllable sink of claim 2, wherein the at least one water-collecting unit comprise a pair of water-collecting units, and the pair of water-collecting units are disposed at both sides of the sink main body.
The height-controllable sink of claim 1, wherein the sink main body further comprises a water-collecting unit at one side, and

the water-collecting unit comprises:

a water guide; and

a gutter that is connected with the water guide across a surface of the water guide.
The height-controllable sink of claim 17, further comprising a closet that is adjacent to the sink main body,

wherein another internal space communicating with the sink main body is defined in the closet and the gutter is disposed in the internal space.
The height-controllable sink of claim 1, wherein the pair of height control members are actuated by electric power or hydraulic pressure.