Drain With Captive Vandal-proof Stopper

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a vandalproof, pop-up type fluid flow control device which is held captive within the drain passageway.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is in the field of drains with captive pop-up type fluid flow control devices.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Drain stoppers are well known in the prior art, and generally fall into one of two categories. The first is a simple stopper which is inserted in a drain when it is desired to prevent passage of fluid into the drain from a tub, sink, or lavatory or any similar type of emptyable container.

The second type is a valve arrangement built into the drain and has an operating handle which moves a valve between an open and closed position.

The present invention relates primarily to the latter type of drain stopper.

In comparison with prior art devices, the present novel invention offers many unique and substantial improvements over prior art devices in terms of cost, ease of installation, operation and maintenance. Most prior art devices are not held captive with respect to the drain in such a manner as to be vandalproof.

Additionally, pop-up type drain stoppers in the prior art generally involve the use of external and relatively complex and costly operating linkages for controlling the position of the stopper or drain valve. These external operating linkages increase the cost of initial installation and frequently present continuing maintenance problems.

When used in public institutions, schools, air terminals, gasoline stations and the like subject to vandalism, it is extremely important to have a relatively simple low-cost and captive drain stopper which is simple to install, operate and maintain.

It is well known, for example, that such devices, as drain stoppers, when installed in institutions or public places for the convenience of the general public, are likely to be tampered with or in some manner removed and carried away by vandals. Losses so caused represent large sums of money and the replacement of the fixtures often greatly exceeds their monetary value or the goodwill generated by making them available to the public.

In addition, when such devices are installed in prisions or jails, the problems associated with their removal are further compounded. Not only may the plumbing facilities be rendered inoperative or useless with regards to their former function, but when removed, are likely to be used as tools or weapons. Since most durable plumbing fixtures, such as pop-up drain valves or stoppers, are constructed of relatively heavy metals, their potential use as a weapon presents a very real and serious threat to others, and may also be used to produce serious self-inflicted injuries as well.

Consequently, such facilities must be designed so that they are capable of enduring substantial punishment and abuse. Removal by unauthorized persons must be virtually impossible. Yet, in spite of all of these adverse factors, such facilities should be able to endure and continue to function in a trouble-free fashion.

The present invention is directed to the elimination of the hereinbefore mentioned problems which are typically associated with similar devices found in the prior art.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

It is one important amd primary object of the invention to provide a novel, improved drain and stopper combination which does not have the disadvantages of the prior art devices as generally described above.

A related important and primary object of the invention resides in the provision for captivating the stopper within the drain so as to prevent unauthorized removal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means of controlling the drainage of fluids from an emptyable fluid container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rugged, captivated drain stopper for use in public institutions which will withstand substantial physical abuse without rendering it inoperable.

A still further object of the invention is to eliminate complex external linkages for manipulating the position of the stopper within the drain which necessitate additional unnecessary expense and maintainence.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel combination which includes a drain with a vandalproof, captive drain stopper. More particularly, the invention relates to a drain stopper of the pop-up variety which is held captive in relation to the drain by means of a concealed locking pin passed through an aperture near the extreme lower portion of the stopper body which extends into the drain. The locking pin, having a length which is greater than the diameter of the circular aperture in the bottom of the sink or lavatory, in conjunction with the body of the stopper will not permit the stopper to pass through the aperture. Thus, the stopper is held captive in the drain.

Inside the bore of the drain are two or more essentially coplanar and oppositely disposed shoulders shaped as arcs of a circle and formed as part of the wall of the drain passageway.

To open the drain and thereby permit the fluids to flow into the drain, the stopper is rotated coaxially within the drain to position the locking pin beyond the inwardly protruding shoulder segments, lifted above the shoulders, then rotated to once again position the locking pin over the shoulders. When the stopper is released from its uplifted position, the ends of the locking pin come to rest upon the shoulder segments. As a result, the shoulder segments support the stopper and maintain it in an uplifted position thereby opening the drain and allowing the fluids to enter the drain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the stopper and locking pin assembly shown in a raised or drain position with partial sections of the drain matingly engaged with the drain opening of a sink.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 with the stopper shown in a closed position and sealingly engaged with the drain opening of the sink or fluid container.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view on the line 3--3 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 4 is a top view on the line 4--4 of FIG. 2 showing the disposition of the lower portion of the stopper and locking pin assembly within the drain passageway.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the stopper.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the stopper shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view and partial section of another embodiment of the drain and is shown matingly engaged, in section, with the drain opening of the fluid container.

FIG. 8 is a vertical side view of the drain attached to the bottom portion of the fluid container or sink.

FIG. 9 is a vertical backside view of the view shown in FIG. 8 and depicting a portion of the fluid container and an end view of the outlet of the drain attached thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, a drain unit, generally indicated at 10, comprising a body 11 at the upper end of which is provided a flared flange 12 adapted to be positioned in the drain opening 13 of a fluid container or sink, generally indicated at 14, and disclosed only partly, since the balance thereof may be in any form and is well known in the art.

As illustrated in both FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a drain 10 and fluid passageway 15 are shown. Below the flared flange 12 and formed as an integral part of the body 11, are two oppositely disposed, inwardly extending and essentially coplanar support shoulders 16, 17, said shoulders 16, 17 being shaped in conformity with the inner surface 18 of the passageway 15 which is generally circumferential and lying in a plane which is essentially parallel to the plane of the flared flange 12. Located immediately below the shoulders 16, 17 on the outer portion of the body 11, is an offstanding section 19. Said offstanding section 19 is formed as an integral part of said body 11 and has a centrally disposed passageway 20 therethrough. Typically, said passageway 20 is threadably adapted to matingly receive a bolt 21.

To maintain the body 11 in position in the drain opening 13, a male, protruding flange 22 is formed rimming the drain opening 13. The flared flange 12 is adapted to matingly receive the male flange 22 wherein the mating surfaces 23, 24 may be placed into intimate, surrounding contact with each other. Said mating surfaces 23, 24 may be joined by the use of an appropriate adhesive or cohesive bonding substance disposed therebetween, such as epoxy or glue. If the materials used to form siad mating surfaces 23, 24 are metallic in nature they can, of course, be joined by any of the metals-joining processes which are well-known in the art, such as welding, soldering or brazing.

After the surfaces 23, 24 are joined together, a portion of the body 11 is typically attached, by any suitable temporary or permanent joining means, to a support structure 25 which is disposed in fixed relationship to the drain opening 13. In so doing, during the process of attaching the drain end 26 to other plumbing fixtures, the support structure 25 serves to absorb the mechanical forces typically imparted to the fixtures during the mating process, thereby preventing the tendency to cause separation of the surfaces 23, 24 joined together.

In addition, some axial misalignment often exists between the plumbing fixture and the drain end 26 prior to the joining of the plumbing fixture with the drain end 26. If the two are joined while temporarily aligned, after joining a bias force may be imparted to the drain unit 10 which often tends to produce disconnection of the surfaces 23, 24 joined together. By incorporating the use of a support structure 25 attached to the drain unit 10, this bias force is effectively prevented from being applied to the surfaces 23, 24, thereby eliminating the tendency to disconnect the joined surfaces 23, 24.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the stopper 27 comprises a central stem 23 at the upper end of which is a top or head 29. Extending outwardly in a radial manner from said stem 28, are suitable guides 30, 46, 47, and 48. A centrally located, blunted protrusion, such as depicted by the spherical knob 31, rises upwardly from the head 29 and serves as a means for operating the stopper 27, by raising and lowering it within the drain body 11. A section 32 of the stem 28 which lies between the guides 30, 46, 47 and 48 and the head 29, is stepped down to a diameter smaller than the diameter of the circumferential locue established by the radial extremities of the guides 30. An annular seal 33, which may be constructed of an elastomeric and resilient material and illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 6, is disclosed in a surrounding, abutting relationship to the stepped down section 32. The resilient seal 33 is retained in the position shown by the combined cooperative effects of the elastic nature of the material forming the seal 33 which acts to produce a gripping effect when the seal 33 is stretched into position around the section 32, and by the restriction of the guides 30, 46, 47 and 48 which protrude over a portion of the seal 33 when said seal 33 is installed into position as previously described and further shown in FIG. 6. Near the lower end of the guides 30, 46, 47 and 48 portion of the stopper 27 is a passageway 34 which is bored transversely through the stem 28.

In referring again to the seal 33, it is to be understood and noted that while the annular seal 33 is preferably formed of resilient and elastic materials it can be constructed of different materials and still serve to effectively act as a fluid seal. It should also be clearly understood that said seal 33 can be formed as an integral portion of said stopper 27 and is not merely limited to fabrication as a separate and distinct sealing element constructed of resilient and elastic materials.

With continued reference to the drawings, it is clearly shown that the stopper 27 is captively installed within said drain 10 by inserting a locking pin 35 into the transverse passageway 20 in the body 11. The locking pin 35 is aligned with the bore of the passageway 34 and passed through the lower portion of the stem 28. A washer 36 is generally placed over the threaded end of the bolt 21 afterwhich the bolt 21 and washer 36 assembly is threadably mated with the threaded bore of the passageway 20 while simultaneously driving the locking pin 35 further into the passageway 15. By so closing the passageway 20, the washer 36 and bolt 21 is useful in preventing fluid leakage during the draining of fluids or preventing same in the event that the downstream plumbing is blocked causing the fluid to back-up into the fluid container or sink 14. Additionally, since the bolt 21 and washer 36 are not exposed or accessible to other than authorized personnel, removal of the locking pin 35 by vandals or unauthorized personnel is thereby prevented.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the drain 10 is effectively closed to the passage of fluids contained in the sink 14 by the weight of the stopper 27, which is typically constructed of heavy, durable metal, pressing downwardly against the annular seal 33 and thereby urging said seal 33 into an abutting, sealing relationship with the rim 40 of the drain opening 13 of the sink 14.

The drain 10 is opened by grasping the knob 31 and rotating it coaxially within the drain 10 to position the ends 37, 3 8 of the locking pin 35 beyond the oppositely disposed shoulders 16, 17. After said stopper 27 is aligned in this manner, the stopper 27 is lifted vertically in an upward fashion until the bottom surface 39 of the annular seal 33 separates from the rim 40 of the drain opening 13 which is located at the bottom of the lavatory basin. When separation occurs, the fluid seal formed by the seal 33 surrounding said drain opening 13 is destroyed thereby permitting the fluids in the lavatory sink 14 to flow into the drain opening 13 and into the passageway 15 disposed therein.

The stopper 27 can be locked in an open position to thereby allow continuous passage of the fluids from the basin 14 into the drain 10, by lifting the stopper 27 upwardly by its knob 31 until the bottom surface 41 of the locking pin 35 is disposed above the upper surfaces 42, 43 of said oppositely disposed shoulders 16, 17. After the ends 37, 38 of the locking pin 35 are aligned in this fashion, the stopper 27 is again coaxially rotated within the drain 10 until the bottom surface 41 of said locking pin 35 is disposed above the upper surfaces 42, 43 of the oppositely disposed shoulders 16, 17. As the stopper 27 is released from its uplifted position, the bottom surface 41 of the locking pin 35 is placed into an abutting, contacting relationship with the upper surfaces 42, 43 of the shoulders 16, 17. As a result, the shoulders 16, 17 serve to support the locking pin 35, which, in turn supports the stem 28 and maintains it in an uplifted position thereby opening the drain 10 and allowing the fluids to pass continuously thereinto.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, it may be seen that if the ends 37, 38 of the locking pin 35 are disposed so as to place them below the lip 49 of the rim 40, the stopper 27 and locking pin 35 assembly cannot be withdrawn from the drain 10 beyond the lip 49 of the rim 40. The vertical guides 30, 46, 47, and 48 are disposed in contiguous relationship to the shoulders 16, 17 to centrally space the lower portion 50 of the stopper 35 within the passageway 15 whereby the stopper 35 is restricted from being tilted so far from the axis of the passageway 15 so as to dispose the ends 37, 38 of the locking pin 35 beyond the lip 49 of the rim 40. As a result, the stopper 27 and locking pin 35 assembly is held captivated within the drain 10.

It should be clearly understood that access to the bolt 21 and/or the optional bolt 45 is restricted to authorized plumbers only, and, therefore, the captive stopper 27 is rendered vandalproof. The optional bolt 45 and washer 44 may be utilized in a threaded receptacle 51 in a manner similar to that of the offstanding section 19 and the bolt 21 and washer 36 assembly. When the bores of the threaded receptacle 51 and that of the offstanding section 19 are oppositely disposed and aligned, the locking pin may be removed following its installation in the transverse passageway 34, by pushing it through the bore of the threaded receptacle 51 by means of a punch or other appropriate tool.

It should be noted that numerous modifications may be made in the preferred embodiment of the invention described above without exceeding its scope. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, it is obvious that the lip 49 of the rim 40 is functionally equivalent or similar to the rim 50 formed as an integral portion of the body 11 and lying therein. To the extent that these modifications are not expressly disclaimed in the appended claims, they are fully intended to be covered therein.

Furthermore, it will be apparent from the foregoing that the novel drain and captive stopper described herein may be employed in applications other than discussed above. Such additional applications are also fully intended to be covered in the appended claims to the extent that they are not excluded therefrom.

Claims

We claim:

1. A captive, pop-up fluid flow control device, said device being non-removable from the drain opening adjacent to the fluid containment side of the fluid container, which comprises:

a body having a drain passageway therethrough and an inlet end and an outlet end;

a rim formed as an integral part of the body and disposed within the drain passageway near the inlet opening thereto and projecting inwardly towards the center thereof; thereby forming a fluid shut-off seat;

means for connecting the inlet end of the body to the drain opening in said fluid container;

a stopper having a central stem and a top and a lower portion, wherein the top portion is engageable with the seat and the lower portion being operable within the body and having a transverse passageway therethrough;

means for spacing and guiding the lower portion of the stopper within the body and the drain opening in such a manner as to allow fluid communication between the drain opening and the fluid container;

means for raising and lowering the stopper to move the top towards and away from the seat;

a locking means adapted to be disposed within the transverse passageway, whose length is greater than the diameter of the opening in the rim wherein the ends of the locking pin are disposed beneath said rim and maintained therebeneath by the guiding and spacing means whereby the complete withdrawal of the lower portion of the stopper from the drain inlet is prevented; and

means within the body for passing the locking pin therethrough whereby the locking pin may be installed in the transverse passageway; and

means for supporting the ends of the locking pin disposed in the transverse passageway whereby said stopper may be maintained and disengaged from the seat after the top of the stopper is moved away from the seat, thereby placing the drain opening in fluid communication with the drain passageway.

2. A fluid flow control device, said device being nonremovable from the fluid containment side of a fluid container having a drain opening with a surrounding fluid seat, said device comprising:

a body having a drain passageway therethrough, said body being secured to the drain opening of said fluid container;

a stopper having an upper and a lower portion, wherein said upper portion is engageable with the seat and said lower portion is disposed within said body, said lower portion comprising a central stem having a transverse passageway extending therethrough adjacent one end and at least one guide extending radially therefrom;

a locking pin disposed within the transverse passageway, said pin having a length greater than the diameter of the drain opening, whereby said stopper is prevented from being completely removed from said body through the drain opening; and

means disposed within said body for supporting the ends of said pin, whereby said upper portion of said stopper can be supported in spaced relationship to the seat means secured to said body in complementary relationship to said pin, said means adapted to permit and pin to be inserted within the transverse passageway of said stem when said lower portion of said stopper is disposed within said body.

3. A fluid flow control device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said means for supporting the ends of said pin comprises a pair of arcuate members secured to the inner wall of said body in coplanar spaced relationship, said members having an inner diameter greater than the locus of said guide and less than the length of said pin.

4. A fluid flow control device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said upper portion comprises:

a circular head;

a depending portion having a diameter less than the diameter of said head and said guide; and

a washer disposed about said depending portion in sandwiched relationship between said head and said guide, whereby said washer is adapted to sealingly engage the seat of the drain opening when the ends of said pin are disposed below said supporting means.

5. A fluid flow control device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said means comprises:

a boss having an axial bore extending outwardly from the external wall of said body, the bore having a diameter greater than that of the minor axis of said pin, whereby said pin is inserted through the bore into the transverse passageway of said stem within said body, and

means for sealing the bore of said boss to prevent the passage of fluids therethrough.

6. A fluid flow control device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said stopper comprises:

a central stem;

a plurality of spaced guides extending radially from said stem;

a knob secured to one end of said stem; and

a substantially circular head extending radially from said stem intermediate said knob and said guides.