U.S. patent application number 14/852668 was filed with the patent office on 2016-01-28 for toilet flange.
The applicant listed for this patent is Timothy J. Wood. Invention is credited to Timothy J. Wood.
Application Number | 20160024776 14/852668 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55166291 |
Filed Date | 2016-01-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160024776 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wood; Timothy J. |
January 28, 2016 |
TOILET FLANGE
Abstract
The present disclosure generally provides embodiments for a
toilet flange. In an embodiment, the toilet flange includes a body
having a toilet-facing surface, a drain-facing surface, and a drain
opening therethrough and at least two chambers extending from the
toilet-facing surface only partially into the body, each chamber
having a fastener passageway for receiving a portion of a first
fastener for coupling the body to a toilet base.
Inventors: |
Wood; Timothy J.;
(Wynantskill, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wood; Timothy J. |
Wynantskill |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
55166291 |
Appl. No.: |
14/852668 |
Filed: |
September 14, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14792843 |
Jul 7, 2015 |
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14852668 |
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62029134 |
Jul 25, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
4/252.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E03D 11/16 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E03D 11/16 20060101
E03D011/16 |
Claims
1. A toilet flange comprising: a body having a toilet-facing
surface, a drain-facing surface, and a drain opening therethrough;
and at least two chambers extending from the toilet-facing surface
only partially into the body, each chamber having a fastener
passageway for receiving a portion of a first fastener for coupling
the body to a toilet base.
2. The toilet flange of claim 1, wherein the body has a poly-sided
perimeter shape.
3. The toilet flange of claim 1, wherein the toilet-facing surface
of the body includes a dam feature configured to prevent a fluid
from escaping radially from a periphery of the toilet-facing
surface.
4. The toilet flange of claim 3, wherein the dam feature includes a
raised edge.
5. The toilet flange of claim 1, wherein the toilet-facing surface
includes at least a portion slanted toward the drain opening.
6. The toilet flange of claim 5, wherein a highest point of the
toilet-facing surface is substantially adjacent to a dam feature
configured to prevent a fluid from escaping radially from a
periphery of the toilet-facing surface.
7. The toilet flange of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of
mounting apertures extending through the body and configured to
receive a second fastener for attaching the body to a fixed
surface.
8. The toilet flange of claim 7, further comprising a retaining
wall substantially surrounding a respective mounting aperture in
the plurality of mounting apertures.
9. The toilet flange of claim 1, further comprising a channel
fluidly connecting a respective chamber in the at least two
chambers to the drain opening, the channel extending from the
toilet-facing surface only partially into the body.
10. The toilet flange of claim 1, further comprising a conduit
fluidly connecting a respective chamber in the at least two
chambers to the drain opening.
11. The toilet flange of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of
sealed mounting apertures extending through the body and configured
to receive a fastener for attaching the body to a fixed surface,
the sealing mounting apertures being sealed at the drain-facing
surface via a polymer layer.
12. A toilet flange comprising: a body having a toilet-facing
surface, a drain-facing surface, and a drain opening therethrough;
and a dam feature configured to prevent a fluid from escaping
radially from a periphery of the toilet-facing surface.
13. The toilet flange of claim 12, further comprising at least two
chambers extending from the toilet-facing surface only partially
into the body, each chamber having a fastener passageway for
receiving a portion of a fastener for coupling the body to the
toilet base.
14. The toilet flange of claim 12, wherein the body has a
poly-sided perimeter shape.
15. The toilet flange of claim 12, further comprising a plurality
of mounting apertures extending through the body and configured to
receive a fastener for attaching the body to a fixed surface.
16. The toilet flange of claim 15, further comprising a retaining
wall substantially surrounding a respective mounting aperture in
the plurality of mounting apertures.
17. The toilet flange of claim 12, wherein the toilet-facing
surface includes at least a portion slanted toward the drain
opening.
18. The toilet flange of claim 13, further comprising a channel
fluidly connecting a respective chamber in the at least two
chambers to the drain opening, the channel extending from the
toilet-facing surface only partially into the body.
19. The toilet flange of claim 13, further comprising a conduit
fluidly connecting a respective chamber in the at least two
chambers to the drain opening.
20. The toilet flange of claim 12, further comprising a plurality
of sealed mounting apertures extending through the body and
configured to receive a fastener for attaching the body to a fixed
surface, the sealing mounting apertures being sealed at the
drain-facing surface via a polymer layer.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates generally to toilet installation
hardware and more specifically to toilet flanges configured to
prevent water damage to the sub-floor.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The installation of a toilet requires the use of a toilet
flange to connect the base of the toilet to a drain and the
sub-floor. The toilet flange is generally installed by attaching
the flange to the sub-floor. If a leak developed, any fluid would
escape from the surface of the flange and come into contact with
the sub-floor causing damage.
[0003] Traditionally, an installer would grind or cut the tiles
such that the tiles would be adjacent to the flange. The installer
would then proceed to use adhesives to affix the tile to the
sub-floor and use grout to seal the gaps between the tiles. The
installer would then be forced to rely solely on the combination of
adhesives and grout to prevent water damage to the sub-floor should
a leak occur.
SUMMARY
[0004] A first embodiment of the invention provides a toilet flange
that includes a body having a toilet-facing surface, a drain-facing
surface, and a drain opening therethrough and at least two chambers
extending from the toilet-facing surface only partially into the
body, each chamber having a fastener passageway for receiving a
portion of a first fastener for coupling the body to a toilet
base.
[0005] A second embodiment of the invention provides a toilet
flange that includes a body having a toilet-facing surface, a
drain-facing surface, and a drain opening therethrough and a dam
feature configured to prevent a fluid from escaping radially from a
periphery of the toilet-facing surface.
[0006] A third embodiment of the invention provides a toilet flange
that includes a body having a toilet-facing surface and a
drain-facing surface and a drain opening extending through the
body, wherein at least a portion of the toilet-facing surface is
slanted toward the drain opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] These and other features of this invention will be more
readily understood from the following detailed description of the
various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings that depict various embodiments, in
which:
[0008] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an embodiment of the toilet
flange.
[0009] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the
toilet flange.
[0010] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the
toilet flange.
[0011] FIG. 4 shows a side view of an embodiment of the toilet
flange.
[0012] FIG. 5 shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of the
toilet flange.
[0013] FIG. 6 shows a plan view of another embodiment of the toilet
flange.
[0014] FIG. 7 shows a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of a
portion of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 taken along line A-A
according to an embodiment of the toilet flange.
[0015] FIG. 8. shows a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of an
alternative embodiment to that which is shown in FIG. 7.
[0016] It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not to
scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of
the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting
the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering
represents like elements between the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] In the following description, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings that form a part thereof, and in which is
shown by way of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in
which the present teachings may be practiced. These embodiments are
described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art
to practice the present teachings, and it is to be understood that
other embodiments may be used and that changes may be made without
departing from the scope of the present teachings. The following
description is, therefore, merely illustrative.
[0018] Disclosed herein are various embodiments for a toilet
flange. The current disclosure is directed to the mounting surface
of a toilet flange and improvements thereof. As one of ordinary
skill in the art will appreciate, any standard drain connection
design is easily adapted to the toilet flange disclosed herein.
Therefore, the specifics of the drain connection are omitted herein
for brevity.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 1, a toilet flange 100 includes a body 102
having a toilet-facing surface 104, a drain-facing surface (not
shown), a drain opening 106 therethrough, and a chamber 108
extending from toilet-facing surface 104 only partially into body
102, chamber 108 having a fastener passageway 110 for receiving a
portion of a fastener (not shown) for coupling body 102 to a toilet
base (not shown). In one embodiment, body 102 may have at least two
chambers. However, it is to be understood that toilet flange 100
may have any number of chambers without departing from embodiments
of the invention. Body 102 may be manufactured from a thermoplastic
including, but not limited to, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
(ABS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Alternatively, body 102 may be
manufactured from a metal.
[0020] Still referring to FIG. 1, fastener passageway 110 may
include a receiving end 112 that is wider than the fastener and a
retaining end 114 that is narrower than the portion of the fastener
located within chamber 108. Upon inserting the fastener into
receiving end 112, the toilet base may be moved such that the
fastener is moved from receiving end 112 to retaining end 114. Once
the fastener is positioned at retaining end 114, movement of the
fastener out of fastener passageway 110 may be restrained. That is,
the fastener is restrained by virtue of retaining end 114 being
narrower than the portion of fastener located within chamber 108.
The fastener may include a bolt wherein the head of the bolt is
located within chamber 108, a bolt having a nut positioned on the
portion of the fastener located within chamber 108, or any similar
fastening device where the portion within chamber 108 is wider than
retaining end 114.
[0021] Still referring to FIG. 1, body 102 may include a dam
feature 116 configured to prevent a fluid (not shown) from escaping
radially from the periphery of toilet-facing surface 104. Dam
feature 116 may include a raised edge formed on toilet-facing
surface 104. Alternatively, dam feature 116 may include a gasket or
other object placed or affixed to toilet-facing surface 104 in a
manner that prevents the fluid from escaping radially from the
periphery of toilet facing surface 104. Dam feature 116 may be
positioned on a perimeter of body 102. The perimeter of body 102
may comprise any shape including a poly-sided shape.
[0022] Still referring to FIG. 1, body 102 may include a plurality
of mounting apertures 118 extending through body 102 and configured
to receive a fastener (not shown) for attaching body 102 to a fixed
surface (not shown). Mounting apertures 118 may be countersunk 120.
In an alternative embodiment, mounting apertures 118 are replaced
with sealed mounting apertures 218 as shown in FIG. 2. Sealed
mounting apertures 218 may be closed or sealed at the drain-facing
surface of body 102 (or a surface opposite of toilet-facing surface
104), e.g., with a thin layer of plastic that is integral with the
rest of body 102. The layer may be configured to break via
insertion of the fastener (not shown) to provide a seal around the
fastener. The layer may include, for example, a polymer such as
polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyolefin, polyurethane, ethylene vinyl
acetate (EVA), polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA), polyvinyl acetate
(PVA), and polyvinyl butyral (PVB). Mounting apertures 118, 218 may
be located at the perimeter of body 102. Mounting apertures 118,
218 may be surrounded by retaining walls 122 which may be connected
to dam feature 116 on opposite sides of mounting apertures 118.
Retaining walls 122 may include a raised edge formed on
toilet-facing surface 104. Retaining walls 122 may be configured to
prevent the fluid from entering a respective mounting aperture 118,
218. Retaining walls 122 may be raised from toilet-facing surface
104 at least 75% as high as dam feature 116. In some embodiments,
retaining walls 122 may be raised from toilet-facing surface 104
just as high as dam features 116 such that retaining walls 122 are
substantially flush with dam feature 116. More particularly, in one
embodiment, retaining walls 122 may fully or partially enclose
mounting aperture 118. Dam feature 116 and retaining walls 122 may
be configured to prevent the fluid from radially escaping the
periphery of toilet-facing surface 104 and from entering mounting
aperture 118.
[0023] Referring also to FIG. 3, body 102 may include removable
area 300. For example, removable area 300 may include a groove 302
extending from a first point 304 to a second point 306. Groove 302
being a location of stress concentration in body 102 such that when
a predetermined force is applied, removable area 300 is removed
from body 102. As would be appreciated by one having ordinary skill
in the art, removable area 300 may be configured to be removed
using alternative means, including, not limited to, snap fits or
interference fits. In any case, dam feature 116 may extend from
first point 304 to second point 306, but may not be located on
removable area 300.
[0024] Referring also to FIG. 4, body 102 may include a slanted
toilet-facing surface 400. Slanted toilet-facing surface 400 may
have an angle 402 greater than 0 degrees and less than
approximately 2 degrees. Alternatively, angle 402 may be
approximately 2 degrees. A portion of the slanted toilet-facing
surface 400 may be slanted toward drain opening 106. A highest
portion 304 of slanted toilet-facing surface 400 may be
substantially adjacent to dam feature 116. As such herein,
"substantially" refers to largely, for the most part, entirely
specified or any slight deviation which provides the same technical
benefits of the invention.
[0025] Referring also to FIG. 5, chamber 108 may extend only
partially through body 102. Fastener passageway 110 may be
positioned above a bottom 500 of chamber 108. An embodiment of
fastener passageway 110 may have a passageway width 502 that is
narrower than chamber width 504. The difference in width
facilitates the retaining of the fastener within fastener
passageway 110. By way of non-limiting example, the fastener may
include a bolt 406 having bolt head 508 positioned within chamber
108, bolt head 508 being wider than passageway width 502. In
another embodiment, bottom 500 may be configured to retain the
liquid within chamber 108.
[0026] Referring also to FIGS. 6-7, toilet flange 100 may also
include channels 630 fluidly connecting chamber 108 to drain
opening 106. More particularly, channels 630 may connect receiving
end 112 of fastener passageway 110 with drain opening 106. That is,
channels 530 provide a fluid path from receiving end 112 to drain
opening 106. Body 102 may deteriorate over time, and it may become
difficult to control the flow of fluid as the fluid floods body
102. As such, channels 630 provide a fluid path such that the fluid
that may flood body 102 and fastener passageway 110 can escape and
exit through drain via drain opening 106. Channels 630 may extend
from toilet-facing surface 104 only partially within body 102. For
example, channels 630 may extend from toilet facing surface 104
within body 102 up to 50% of the depth of fastener passageway
110.
[0027] FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of toilet flange 100 alternative
to that which is shown in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, a conduit 730
is provided for fluidly connecting chamber 108 (FIG. 5) and drain
opening 106. As illustrated, conduit 730 couples receiving end 112
and drain opening 106. However, in other embodiments, conduit 730
may extend from anywhere within chamber 108 (FIG. 5), e.g., at
receiving end 112, at retaining end 114 (FIG. 5), or along fastener
passageway 110. Instead of partially extending from toilet facing
surface 104 within body 102 as channel 630 (FIGS. 5-6), conduit 730
is covered or enclosed by toilet-facing surface 104. That is,
conduit 730 extends from chamber 108 to drain opening 106 beneath
toilet-facing surface 104. Accordingly, conduit 730 is less likely
to be clogged by debris, as may occur with channel 630 (FIGS. 5-6),
thereby ensuring that fluid drains from chamber 108.
[0028] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of
the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and
"the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood
that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this
specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Furthermore, illustrations with respect to one or more
implementations, alterations and/or modifications can be made to
the illustrated examples without departing from the spirit and
scope of the appended claims. In addition, while a particular
feature may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several
implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more
other features of the other implementations as may be desired and
advantageous for any given or particular function.
[0029] This written description uses examples to disclose the
invention, including the best mode, and to enable any person
skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and
using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated
methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the
claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled
in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope
of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ
from the literal language of the claims, or if they include
equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from
the literal language of the claims.
* * * * *