Vessel with recessed soap dish and integrated overflow drain

Abstract

A vessel, such as a bathtub or sink, has a soap dish recessed in the inside wall of the vessel. The recessed soap dish is connected to the overflow drain of the vessel. The soap dish is large enough to receive a bar of soap. The overflow drain holes in the bottom of the soap dish are small enough to prevent the bar of soap from falling into the overflow drain. The recessed soap dish can be placed in the front of the vessel so that the soap dish is hidden from view. The front of the sink is the surface opposing the faucet. The front of the bathtub is the surface that a bather steps over to enter the bathtub.

Claims

1. A vessel for holding liquid, comprising: an internal wall having an opening formed therein and having a drain hole formed therein; a cavity wall connected to said internal wall and enclosing said opening to define a cavity within said internal wall, said cavity being configured to receive a bar of soap; an overflow drain hole formed in said cavity wall for allowing the liquid to egress, said drain hole being narrower in at least one dimension than said opening; a drain being disposed beneath said inner wall, said drain being connected to said drain hole, and said drain being configured to connect to a drain pipe; and an overflow drain interconnecting said overflow drain hole and said drain, said overflow drain being outside said internal wall.

2. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said drain hole is located lower than said overflow drain hole.

3. The vessel according to claim 1, further comprising a top surface, said top surface extending outward from said internal wall, said top surface having a faucet cutout formed therein for receiving a faucet, said faucet cutout opposing said cavity wall.

4. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said cavity is rectangular-prism shaped.

5. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said cavity has a flat bottom.

6. The vessel according to claim 5, wherein said drain hole is formed in said flat bottom.

7. The vessel according to claim 1, further comprising a tray disposed in said cavity and covering said drain hole.

8. The vessel according to claim 7, wherein said tray has a hole formed therein.

9. The vessel according to claim 7, wherein said tray is made of metal.

10. The vessel according to claim 2, wherein said cavity is disposed on said inside wall laterally with respect to said further drain hole.

11. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of drain holes are formed in said cavity wall for allowing the liquid to egress, said drain holes being narrower in at least one dimension than said opening.

12. A vessel for holding liquid, comprising: an internal wall having an opening formed therein and having a drain hole formed therein; a cavity wall connected to said internal wall and enclosing said opening to define a cavity within said internal wall, said cavity being wider than a dimension of a bar of soap; an overflow drain hole formed in said cavity wall for allowing the liquid to egress, said drain hole being narrower than the dimension of the bar of soap; a drain being disposed beneath said inner wall, said drain being connected to said drain hole, and said drain being configured to connect to a drain pipe; and an overflow drain interconnecting said overflow drain hole and said drain, said overflow drain being outside said internal wall.

13. The vessel according to claim 12, wherein said cavity is wider than a widest dimension of the bar of soap.

14. The vessel according to claim 13, wherein said cavity is wider than 8.3 centimeters.

15. The vessel according to claim 12, wherein said cavity is deeper than a widest dimension of the bar of soap.

16. The vessel according to claim 15, wherein said cavity is wider than 8.3 centimeters.

17. The vessel according to claim 12, wherein said drain hole is narrower than a narrowest dimension of the bar of soap.

18. The vessel according to claim 17, wherein said drain hole is narrower than 2.5 centimeters.

19. In a vessel for holding liquid that includes an internal wall with a primary drain hole formed therein, an overflow drain hole formed therein, a drain connected to said primary drain hole, and an overflow drain interconnecting said overflow drain hole and said drain, the improvement comprising: an opening formed in the internal wall; and a cavity wall connected to said internal wall and enclosing said opening to define a cavity within said internal wall, said cavity being wider than a dimension of a bar of soap, and said cavity being configured to receive a bar of soap; said overflow drain hole being formed in said cavity wall, and said overflow drain being narrower than the dimension of a bar of soap.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a sectional top side view of a bathtub according to the invention, taken along line I-I in FIG. 2.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bathtub shown in FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a rear sectional view of the bathtub taken along line III-III in FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 4 is a right side section view of the bathtub shown in FIG. 1 taken along line IV-IV.

(5) FIG. 5 is a partial view of the bathtub shown in FIG. 4.

(6) FIG. 6 is a top sectional view of a sink taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 7.

(7) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the sink shown in FIG. 6.

(8) FIG. 8 is a rear sectional view of the sink shown in FIG. 6 taken along line VIII-VIII.

(9) FIG. 9 is a right side sectional view of the sink shown in FIG. 6 taken along line IX-IX.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(10) FIGS. 1-5 show a first preferred embodiment of the invention: a bathtub with a recessed soap dish and overflow drain. The bathtub is generally marked with reference number 10. The embodiment shown has an inside wall that is a rectangular frustum. Other shapes are possible such as conical frustrums and bowl shapes. The inside wall is formed by a rear wall 11, a left wall 12, a front wall 13, a right wall 14, and a bottom 15. A primary drain hole 16 is formed in the bottom 15. The bottom 15 slopes downward toward the primary drain hole 16.

(11) A soap dish 20 is recessed in the front wall 13. The soap dish 20 is formed behind an opening in the front wall 13. In the preferred embodiment, the opening 20 is rectangular and the cavity is a rectangular prism. A cavity wall is recessed in the front wall 13 to define a cavity of the soap dish 20. The cavity wall is formed by the left-side soap-dish wall 22, the right-side soap-dish wall 24, the soap-dish top 25, and the soap-dish rear 26.

(12) The size of the soap-dish 20 is large enough to receive a typical, 0.1 kg, sized bar of soap. The soap-dish rear 26 is preferably ten centimeters (10 cm) wide. The right side soap-dish wall 24 and the left side soap-dish wall 22 are preferably eight centimeters (8 cm) deep. The soap-dish rear 26, the right side soap-dish wall 24, and the left side soap-dish wall are preferably five centimeters (5 cm) high. An indentation 23 is added along the soap-dish-top 25 for decoration.

(13) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, overflow drains holes 21 are formed in the tray 28. The overflow drain holes 21 are preferably narrower than the smallest dimension of a 0.1 kg bar of soap. The overflow drain holes 21 are narrower than 2.5 cm and more preferably 3 mm wide. A soap-dish basin 27 is beneath the tray 28. An overflow drain 29 connects the soap-dish basin 27 to the primary drain 16.

(14) The tray 28 is preferably a perforated metal plate. The metal plate is removable to allow the overflow drain 49 to be cleared.

(15) The soap dish 20 is preferably recessed within the front wall 13 of the bathtub 10. The front wall 13 is functionally defined as the side over which a user steps to enter the bathtub 10. By placing soap-dish 20 in the front wall 13, the soap dish 20 is not visible from outside the bathtub 10.

(16) FIGS. 6-9 show a second preferred embodiment of the invention: a sink 30 with a recessed soap dish 40 that is connected to an overflow drain 41.

(17) FIG. 7 shows the sink 30. The sink 30 is bowl shaped and includes an inside wall 35. A primary drain hole 36 is formed in the bottom of the inside wall 35. A countertop 50 is placed over the rim of the sink 30. The countertop 50 has a cold water cutout 51 for installing a cold-water valve, a hot water cutout 53 for installing a hot-water valve, and a faucet cutout 52 for installing a faucet.

(18) The soap dish 40 is recessed in the inside wall 35 of the sink 30. The soap dish 40 is formed behind an opening made within the inside wall 35. In the preferred embodiment, the opening of the soap dish 40 is rectangular and the cavity is a rectangular prism. A cavity wall is recessed in the inside wall 35 of the sink 30 to define a cavity of the soap dish 40. The cavity wall is formed by the left-side soap-dish wall 42, the right-side soap-dish wall 44, the soap-dish top 45, and the soap-dish rear 46.

(19) The size of the soap-dish 40 is large enough to receive a typical, 0.1 kg, sized bar of soap. The soap-dish rear 46 is preferably ten centimeters (10 cm) wide. The right side soap-dish wall 44 and the left side soap-dish wall 42 is preferably eight centimeters (8 cm) deep. The soap-dish rear 46, the right side soap-dish wall 44, and the left side soap-dish wall are preferably five centimeters (5 cm) high. An indentation 43 is added along the soap-dish-top for decoration.

(20) The overflow drains holes 41 are formed in the tray 48. The overflow drain holes 41 are preferably narrower than the smallest dimension of a 0.1 kg bar of soap. The overflow drain holes 41 are narrower than 2.5 cm and more preferably 3 mm wide. A soap-dish basin 47 is beneath the tray 48. An overflow drain 49 connects the soap-dish basin 47 to the primary drain 36.

(21) The tray 48 is preferably a perforated metal plate. The metal plate is removable to allow the overflow drain 49 to be cleared.

(22) The soap dish 40 is preferably recessed within the front of the sink 30. The rear of the sink is where the cold-water cutout 51, faucet cutout 52, and hot-water cutout 53 are located. By placing the soap-dish 40 in the front of the sink 30, the soap dish 40 is not visible from the front of the sink 30.

(23) While examples of the invention are shown in the preferred embodiments, the preferred embodiments should not be read as limits to the invention as described in the claims.