Rough-in assembly for free-standing faucet
11377829 · 2022-07-05
Assignee
Inventors
- Chunhung Li (Taichung, TW)
- Chaoyen Hsu (Taichung, TW)
- Kuotung Ni (Taichung, TW)
- Yiping Lin (Taichung, TW)
Cpc classification
E03C1/0401
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E03C1/021
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
E03C1/04
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
International classification
Abstract
A rough-in assembly for free-standing faucets is revealed. The rough-in assembly having at least a part thereof fixed under a floor includes a base, a first water-contact member and a second water-contact member separated from each other and disposed on the base, and a sleeve mounting seat connected to the base and provided with a top plate portion extending across the first and second water-contact members. Two first hollow-out holes are arranged at the top plate portion and corresponding to control valve sets of the water-contact members respectively. The top plate portion is also for installation and positioning of the free-standing faucet. The position and the direction of least one of the water-contact members can be adjusted so that the rough-in assembly is adapted to use in different water supply pipe arrangements. The disposition of the sleeve mounting seat ensures stability and aesthetics of the free-standing faucet.
Claims
1. A rough-in assembly for free-standing faucets having at least a part thereof being fixed under a floor comprising: a base connected under the floor; a first water-contact member which is connected to a top surface of the base and composed of a first water inlet, a first water outlet, a first water passage formed between the first water inlet and the first water outlet, and a first control valve set disposed on the first water passage for control of a water flow passed through the first water passage; a second water-contact member which is connected to the top surface of the base and composed of a second water inlet, a second water outlet, a second water passage formed between the second water inlet and the second water outlet, and a second control valve set disposed on the second water passage for control of a water flow passed through the second water passage; and a sleeve mounting seat connected to the top surface of the base and having a top plate portion which is extending across the first water-contact member and second water-contact member and provided with two first hollow-out holes corresponding to the first control valve set and the second control valve set respectively.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base is fastened on a connecting wall by a plurality of fasteners inserted through the base.
3. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the connecting wall is formed by a support board and the support board is fixed on a basic object.
4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the basic object includes two vertical plates, both of which are disposed on a floor surface, and two ends of the support board are fixed on opposite surfaces of the vertical plates correspondingly.
5. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the floor includes a surface plate and a pad connected to a bottom surface of the surface plate while a bottom surface of the pad is supported by top surfaces of the vertical plates.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rough-in assembly further includes: a first connection pipe which includes a first outlet end and a first inlet end connected to the first water outlet of the first water-contact member for guiding a water flow from the first water-contact member to a first flow pipe of the free-standing faucet through the first outlet end; and a second connection pipe which includes a second outlet end and a second inlet end connected to the second water outlet of the second water-contact member for guiding a water flow from the second water-contact member to a second flow pipe of the free-standing faucet through the second outlet end.
7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the top plate portion of the sleeve mounting seat is further provided with two second hollow-out holes through which the first connection pipe and the second connection pipe are passed respectively.
8. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein a vertical mounting hole through the floor is provided and at least the top plate portion of the sleeve mounting seat is mounted in the mounting hole while the first connection pipe and the second connection pipe are passed through and protruding from the mounting hole.
9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein a plurality of threaded holes are disposed on the top plate portion of the sleeve mounting seat; the free-standing faucet includes a free-standing sleeve, a decorative cover, a fixing baseplate, and a plurality of first bolts; a chamber is formed in the free-standing sleeve for mounting the first flow pipe and the second flow pipe therein while the first connection pipe and the second connection pipe are passed through an opening on the bottom of the free-standing sleeve and mounted into the chamber; the decorative cover is slidably mounted to an outer peripheral wall of the free-standing sleeve for covering the mounting hole of the floor while the fixing baseplate is connected to and fixed on an outer peripheral wall of the bottom of the free-standing sleeve and provided with a plurality of first insertion holes and two valve-set holes; the fixing baseplate is connected to the top plate portion of the sleeve mounting seat by the first bolts being inserted through the first insertion holes and threaded into the first threaded holes.
10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the free-standing faucet further includes a sealing plate and two second bolts; the sealing plate is slidably mounted to the outer peripheral wall of the free-standing sleeve for covering the mounting hole of the floor; the sealing plate is covered with the decorative cover and provided with two second insertion holes while the fixing baseplate is provided with two second threaded holes; the sealing plate is abutting against and sealing the top surface of the floor by the second bolts being inserted through the second insertion holes and threaded into the second threaded holes.
11. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rough-in assembly further includes a protective cover whose bottom is well mounted in the mounting hole of the floor so that the first connection pipe, the second connection pipe, the first control valve set of the first water-contact member and the second control valve set of the second water-contact member arranged relative to the mounting hole are covered with and protected by the protective cover.
12. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the rough-in assembly further includes two air caps used for being plugged into the first outlet end of the first connection pipe and the second outlet end of the second connection pipe respectively.
13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein an angle is formed between the first central axis in the opening direction of the first water inlet of the first water-contact member and the second central axis in the opening direction of the second water inlet of the second water-contact member; the angle is 180 degrees.
14. The device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the sleeve mounting seat is C-shaped and having two side plate portions integrally extended from two opposites sides of the top plate portion and two connecting plate portions integrally extended from the respective side plate portions and used for connection with the top surface of the base; a mounting space is defined by the top plate portion and the side plate portions; an opening is formed on each of two opposite sides of the mounting space so that the first water supply pipe is connected to the first water inlet of the first water-contact member through one of the openings and the second water supply pipe is connected to the second water inlet of the second water-contact member through the other opening.
15. The device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the connecting plate portion of the sleeve mounting seat is connected to and fastened on the base by at least one fastener.
16. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first water-contact member and the second water-contact member include two first lugs and two second lugs respectively; each of the first lugs and each of the second lugs are provided with a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole respectively; the base is provided with four connecting holes which are divided into two sets; the first water-contact member and the second water-contact member are connected to and fixed on the base by two sets of two fasteners being inserted through the first insertion holes on the first lugs and the second insertion holes on the second lugs and fastened in the two sets of the connecting holes respectively.
17. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein an angle is formed between the first central axis in the opening direction of the first water inlet of the first water-contact member and the second central axis in the opening direction of the second water inlet of the second water-contact member; the angle is in the range of 90 degrees to 270 degrees.
18. The device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first water-contact member is fixed on the base and both direction and position of the first water-contact member are unable to be adjusted while the second water-contact member whose direction and position are able to be adjusted is connected to the base so as to adjust and control the angle.
19. The device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the angle is selected from the group consisting of 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees.
20. The device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first water-contact member and the second water-contact member include two first lugs and two second lugs respectively; each of the first lugs and each of the second lugs are provided with a first insertion hole and a second insertion hole respectively; the base is provided with two first connecting holes and at least six second connecting holes while two of the second connecting holes form a set so that the second connecting holes are divided into a first set, a second set, and a third set; the first water-contact member is fixed on the base by two fasteners inserted through the first insertion holes on the first lugs and locked in the first connecting holes; the second water-contact member is connected to the base by two fasteners inserted through the second insertion holes on the second lugs and selectively fastened in one of the three sets of the second connecting holes; the angle is 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees when the fasteners are connected to the first set, the second set and the third set of the second connecting holes respectively.
21. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the sleeve mounting seat is C-shaped and having two side plate portions integrally extended from two opposites sides of the top plate portion and two connecting plate portions integrally extended from the respective side plate portions and used for connection with the top surface of the base; a through hole is disposed on each of the side plate portions of the sleeve mounting seat; a mounting space is defined by the top plate portion and the side plate portions while an opening is formed on each of two opposite sides of the mounting space so that the first water supply pipe is connected to the first water inlet of the first water-contact member through one of the openings and the second water supply pipe is connected to the second water inlet of the second water-contact member through the other opening and one of the through holes; a first hollow-out hole on the top plate portion of the sleeve mounting seat and corresponding to the second control valve set is a curved slot so that the second control valve set is able to be kept within the curved slot when the angle is adjusted in the range of 90 degrees to 270 degrees.
22. The device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the centers of the second connecting holes are arranged at a circumference of an imaginary circle while the center of the imaginary circle is located at the central axis of the second water outlet of the second water-contact member.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(15) The preferred embodiments and figures of the present invention are described in detail as follows.
(16) Refer to
(17) To be more precisely, the free-standing faucet 1 generally includes a valve assembly 2, a spout 3 connected to the valve assembly 2, an inlet tube set 4 connected to the valve assembly 2, and a free-standing sleeve 5 connected to the valve assembly 2. As shown in
(18) Refer to
(19) It should be noted that the above connecting wall b is formed by a support board b1 which is fixed on a basic object c. The basic object c includes two vertical plates c1 while two ends of the support board b1 are fixed on surfaces of the vertical plates c1 opposite to each other. The vertical plates c1 are disposed on a floor surface and the bottom surface of the pad a2 of the floor a is supported by the top surfaces of the vertical plates c1, as show in
(20) Refer to
(21) As shown in
(22) Refer to
(23) The second connection pipe 50 has a second inlet end 51, and a second outlet end 52. The second inlet end 51 is connected to the second water outlet 32 of the second water-contact member 30 for guiding a water flow from the second water-contact member 30 to the second flow pipe 4b of the free-standing faucet 1 through the second outlet end 52.
(24) The sleeve mounting seat 60 is connected to the top surface of the base 10 and a top plate portion 61 which is extending across the first water-contact member 20 and second water-contact member 30 is disposed on the sleeve mounting seat 60. Two first hollow-out holes 611 are arranged at the top plate portion 61 and corresponding to the first control valve set 24 and the second control valve set 34 respectively. The top plate portion 61 further includes two second hollow-out holes 612 through which the first connection pipe 40 and the second connection pipe 50 are passed respectively.
(25) In this embodiment, the first connection pipe 40 and the second connection pipe 50 are provided. In some other embodiments, the first flow pipe 4a and the second flow pipe 4b of the free-standing faucet 1 are passed through the two second hollow-out holes 612 and connected to the first water outlet 22 of the first water-contact member 20 and the second water outlet 32 of the second water-contact member 30 respectively. Thus the first connection pipe 40 and the second connection pipe 50 are no more required and the rough-in assembly 100 has a simpler structure.
(26) Refer to
(27) Refer to
(28) It should be noted that the above sealing plate 6 is only used as a cover and the requirement for sealing effect is not much. Thereby the sealing plate 6 is only need to be abutting against and attached to the floor a slightly in order to ensure that the top surface of the floor a has no damages or deformation.
(29) It should be understood that the sealing plate 6 is not necessary for the free-standing faucet 1 and the decorative cover 7 is directly covering the mounting hole a3 of the floor a. The difference between the free-standing faucets 1 with and without the sealing plate 6 is in that the free-standing faucets 1 with the sealing plate 6 has better stability and sealing effect compared with the free-standing faucet 1 without the decorative cover 7. Yet the decorative cover 7 is only slidably mounted to outer peripheral wall of the free-standing sleeve 5, without being fastened on any component so that the decorative cover 7 applies nearly no clamping force to the top surface of the floor a and the original appearance of the floor is maintained. Moreover, the second bolts 9b and the second threaded holes 8b are no more required under the condition that the sealing plate 6 is not provided.
(30) In this embodiment, there is an angle θ1 formed between the first central axis X1 in the opening direction of the first water inlet 21 of the first water-contact member 20 and the second central axis X2 in the opening direction of the second water inlet 31 of the second water-contact member 30. The angle θ1 is 180 degrees, as shown in
(31) In this embodiment, the sleeve mounting seat 60 is C-shaped, as shown in
(32) Refer to
(33) Still refer to
(34) In this embodiment, the rough-in assembly 100 further includes two air caps 70 used for being plugged into the first outlet end 42 of the first connection pipe 40 and the second outlet end 52 of the second connection pipe 50 correspondingly for sealing.
(35) As shown in
(36) The installation of the rough-in assembly 100 of the present invention has the following steps.
(37) First, the base 10, the first water-contact member 20, the second water-contact member 30, the first connection pipe 40, the second connection pipe 50, and the sleeve mounting seat 60 are assembled with one another. The assembly process can be done either at the site or before packaging of the product.
(38) Then the base 10 is fastened on the support board b1 of the connecting wall b prepared in advance. Meanwhile, the first water supply pipe d1 is connected to the first water-contact member 20 and the second water supply pipe d2 is connected to the second water-contact member 30. Later perform water testing and air testing of the respective pipelines of the rough-in assembly 100 to ensure no leakage.
(39) Next the floor a and the protective cover 80 are placed in turn and other construction work is carried on.
(40) After other construction work being completed, the protective cover 80 and the air cap 70 are removed. The first outlet end 42 of the first connection pipe 40 and the second outlet end 52 of the second connection pipe 50 are mounted and positioned in the first flow pipe 4a and the second flow pipe 4b of the inlet tube set 4 of the free-standing faucet 1 respectively. Then the fixing baseplate 8 is fastened on the top plate portion 61 of the sleeve mounting seat 60 while the sealing plate 6 is abutting against and pressed on the top surface of the floor a around the mounting hole a3 for covering the mounting hole a3 by the second bolts 9b that fasten the sealing plate 6 on the fixing baseplate 8. Later the decorative cover 7 is placed over the sealing plate 6. Thereby the free-standing faucet 1 is installed and fixed on the floor a quickly by the rough-in assembly 100 and the installation of the free-standing faucet 1 is completed.
(41) Refer to
(42) In this embodiment, the first water-contact member 20 whose direction and position are nonadjustable is fixed on the base 10a and the second water-contact member 30 whose direction and position are adjustable is connected to the base 10a so as to adjust and control the angle θ2. A feasible approach is that the angle θ2 can be 90 degrees, 180 degrees or 270 degrees. To go a step further, generally water supply pipes that supply cold and hot water such as the first water supply pipe d1 and the second water supply pipe d2 have already been arranged before installation of the free-standing faucet 1. Thereby the rough-in assembly 100 can be applied to the water supply pipes commonly arranged perpendicular to or in line with each other when the angle θ2 is 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees as mentioned above.
(43) In this embodiment, as shown in
(44) It should be noted that the centers of the second connecting holes 14 are all located at a circumference of an imaginary circle while the center of the imaginary circle is located at the central axis of the second water outlet 32 of the second water-contact member 30. Thereby the position of the second water outlet 32 remains the same no matter how the second water-contact member 30 is adjusted. The relative position of the first connection pipe 40 to the second connection pipe 50 is further ensured. That means the assembly of the second connection pipe 50 with the second flow pipe 4b will not be affected.
(45) It should be understood easily that whether the second water-contact member 30 or the second water supply pipe d2 connected to the second water-contact member 30 can be inserted through the sleeve mounting seat 60a smoothly should be considered in order to avoid interference with the second water-contact member 30 when the position and the direction of the second water-contact member 30 are adjustable. Thus a through hole 621 is disposed on each of the side plate portions 62a of the sleeve mounting seat 60a. Thereby the second water supply pipe d2 is connected to the second water inlet 31 of the second water-contact member 30 through one of the opposite openings 641 or one of the opposite through holes 621. For example, the second water supply pipe d2 is connected to the second water inlet 31 of the second water-contact member 30 through one of the opposite openings 641 while the second water-contact member 30 is disposed on the position where the angle θ2 formed is 180 degrees. The second water supply pipe d2 is connected to the second water inlet 31 of the second water-contact member 30 through one of the opposite through holes 621 when the angle θ2 formed between the first water-contact member 20 and the second water-contact member 30 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees.
(46) It should be noted that the second water inlet 31 of the second water-contact member 30 can be designed to be located at an inner side of the side plate portion 62. At the moment, the second water supply pipe d2 is inserted through the opening 641 or the through hole 621 to be connected to the second water inlet 31. Or the second water inlet 31 can be designed to be protruding from the opening 641 or the through hole 621, located at an outer side of the side plate portion 62. This is beneficial to the assembly of the second water supply pipe d2 with the second water inlet 31.
(47) Moreover, due to limitation caused by the side plate portion 62, the second water inlet 31 or the second water supply pipe d2 may have interference with the corresponding side plate portion 62 while the second water-contact member 30 is arranged at certain positions with specific angle θ2. Thus the present rough-in assembly 100 may be unable to be used at certain specific angles θ2 between 90 degrees and 270 degrees. However, the rough-in assembly 100 can be applied as long as there is no interference. Thereby the rough-in assembly is much more applicable.
(48) Furthermore, one of the first hollow-out holes 611 on the top plate portion 61 of the sleeve mounting seat 60 corresponding to the second control valve set 34 is designed into a curved slot. Thereby the second control valve set 34 is able to be kept within the curved slot or even allowed to be extending out above the curved slot, without affecting operation and control performed by installers during installation when the angle θ2 is adjusted in the range of 90 degrees to 270 degrees.
(49) The installation steps of this embodiment of the rough-in assembly 100 are similar to those of the above embodiment and the only difference between the two embodiments is in that: whether the position and the direction of the second water-contact member 30 being assembled need to be adjusted in advance according to positions and directions of the first water supply pipe d1 and the second water supply pipe d2 is checked firstly. Once it is confirmed that the adjustment is necessary, the installer needs to check whether the sleeve mounting seat 60a needs to be detached, depending on the actual conditions. If the sleeve mounting seat 60a needs to be detached in advance, put it back after the first water-contact member 20 and the second water-contact member 30 being assembled with the first water supply pipe d1 and the second water supply pipe d2 respectively and the base 10 being fastened on the support board b1.
(50) In summary, the rough-in assembly 100 of the present invention has the following features and functions: firstly the rough-in assembly 100 includes two separate water-contact members, the second water-contact member 20 and the second water-contact member 30. The position and the direction of at least one of the water-contact members are adjustable according to actual arrangement of the water supply pipes. For example, the rough-in assembly 100 can be used for installation of the water supply pipes usually arranged in line with each other (at an angle of 180 degrees), perpendicular to each other (at an angle of 90 or 270 degrees), or with a specific angle therebetween (an angle ranging from 90 to 270 degrees). Thereby the rough-in assembly 100 can be widely adapted for use in different water supply pipe arrangements. Therefore not only the cost for mold making and material preparation is reduced, the ease of installation is also enhanced. Secondly the free-standing faucet 1 can be installed and fixed directly by the arrangement of the sleeve mounting seat 60. Compared with the conventional technique by which the free-standing faucet 1 is directly clamped and fastened on the floor, the problem of the floor that is easy to have dents or deformation can be solved. There are no worries about either damages to the floor caused by the dents and deformation or whether the structural strength of the floor made of specific material and thickness is able to bear the clamping force or the total weight of the free-standing faucet 1 and the rough-in assembly 100. Thereby free-standing faucet 1 is securely firmly, without being wobbly while being touched or contacted. The dent and deformation problems of the floor a can be avoided to improve the aesthetic appearance.
(51) While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiments of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.