Abstract
A removable trap for lavatory sinks is provided to enable new technologies to be incorporated into just the water trap portion of the sink trap to maximize the performance of the trap in infection control, while at the same time preserving the trap performance features demanded by major building codes. While a traditional P-trap requires the removal of the entire trap for cleaning or replacement, the removable trap presented in this application allows for easy removal of just the U-bend portion of the trap. The U-bend containing the water is the most vulnerable to attack to cleaning chemicals as well as the most effective locus of innovation in materials and methods employed to reduce infectious bacteria forming biofilms within the lavatory trap.
Claims
1. A removable trap fitting comprising: an assembly of three components sandwiched together by a circumferential flanged nut, the lowermost component being an upper terminal planar flange attached to a U-bend of tube or tube-shaped structure, the middle a horizontal planar seal and the upper a top planar connector adorned with two hubs, an upstream hub connecting to a tailpiece emanating from the bottom of the drain fitting attached to the lavatory drain hole, and a downstream hub accepting a waste arm leading eventually to a drainage system.
2. A removable trap fitting as claimed in claim 1 wherein the top connector is secured to the external thread of the drain fitting attached to the lavatory drain hole.
3. A removable trap fitting as claimed in claim 1 wherein a continuous air gap is maintained between all three pieces of the trap assembly to provide visual evidence of the intactness of the trap weir against upstream transmission of sewer gas.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] In the drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the invention:
[0016] FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of the removable trap system attached to the underside of a lavatory sink fitting;
[0017] FIG. 2 shows an isometric view of a lavatory sink;
[0018] FIG. 3 shows an isometric view of a lavatory sink equipped with a lavatory drain fitting ending in a vertical tubular tailpiece;
[0019] FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of a lavatory sink showing vertical tailpiece and disconnected horizontal waste arm;
[0020] FIG. 5 shows an isometric view of removable trap system showing drain, tailpiece, waste arm, and tubular trap portion;
[0021] FIG. 6 shows an isometric view of the removable U-bend trap cartridge;
[0022] FIG. 7 shows an isometric view of removable trap system showing drain, tailpiece, waste arm, tubular trap, and seals;
[0023] FIG. 8 shows an isometric view of removable trap system showing drain, tailpiece, waste arm, trap, seals, and connecting top;
[0024] FIG. 9 shows an isometric view of connector top.
[0025] FIG. 10 shows an isometric view of removable trap system showing securing nuts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] The Invention described in this Application is a novel drain fitting for a plurality of drained vessels known as lavatory sinks An isometric view of the entire removable trap system is shown in FIG. 1 as attached to a typical lavatory sink that might be secured to a wall or counter by a plurality of means. The removable U-bend trap portion 1 terminates in a disc feature which is captured by a flanged nut 5 to the threaded outer perimeter of a disc shaped connector top 3, said connector top accepting a horizontal tubular waste arm 11 into a hub mount 9. Although not part of this Invention, for reference the deck 27 of a lavatory sink is equipped with a bottommost drain hole 21, one of a plurality of drain protectors or closures 23, an overflow rim 25, and perforations 29 to mount supply taps.
[0027] An isometric view of the same lavatory drain prior to attachment of any fittings is shown in FIG. 2.
[0028] In FIG. 3, an isometric view of the same lavatory drain is shown equipped with one of a plurality of drain protector fittings or closure fittings 23 is shown affixed to the drain hole 21, and a tubular tailpiece 7 attached to the bottom of this fitting 23.
[0029] The isometric drawing in FIG. 4 shows the same lavatory sink 27, as well as a disconnected horizontal waste arm 11 that is as yet not connected to the tubular tailpiece 7 by means of a trap fitting connecting the bottommost end 43 of the tailpiece 7 to the upstream end 42 of the waste arm 11 whose downstream end 41 connects eventually to the vertical drainage stack.
[0030] FIG. 5 shows an isometric view of the same lavatory sink 27 to which is added the tubular U-bend portion 1, said U-bend being the first of the pieces of the connector assembly necessary to maintain a trap between the drain tailpiece 7 and the waste arm 11.
[0031] FIG. 6 shows an isometric view of the tubular U-bend portion 1 showing the opposing walls 61 and 63 of the U-bend that define a gap 62 between the two upward arms of the tube 64 bent 180 degrees. The two arms terminate and are attached to a horizontal disc 65 perforated by a hole 66 and another hole 67 that match the interior tube space to allow unobstructed flow. A slot 69 cut into said disc 65 continues the air gap between the two arms of the U-bend. Two ridged features 68 encircling the perforations ensure for a good seal to the underside of an overlying seal, preventing horizontal egress of water or gases.
[0032] FIG. 7 shows an isometric view of the same lavatory 27 with drain fitting 23 suspending a tailpiece 7. The tailpiece 7 will be sealed by sandwiching a drafted annular pipe seal 4. A disc shaped seal 2 with three perforations aligns with and fits into the U-bend top disc.
[0033] FIG. 8 shows an isometric view of the same lavatory 27 with drain fitting 23 suspending a tailpiece 7 further inserted into a U-bend removable trap cartridge composed of the U-bend 1, the seal 2, and the connector top 3. The tailpiece 7 is sealed using a drafted annular pipe seal 4 that fits into the upstream hub 86 which is externally threaded 4 for tightening. The downstream horizontal hub 9 allows for mounting of the horizontal waste tube by a plurality of attachment methods including thread mate.
[0034] FIG. 9 shows an isometric view of the connector top 3 with an upstream hub chamfered internally 96 to provide a good sealing surface, a threaded external perimeter 86 to allow for the capture and sandwich of a drafted annular seal to the sealing chamfer 96 by any one of a plurality of nuts. The flat surface 94 constitutes a strong flat surface to form the upper layer of a seal sandwich that is constituted by the upper side of the U-bend disc, a circular horizontal seal, and said disc surface 94. Said sandwiched seal assembly will be secured by a flanged nut that threads onto the threaded perimeter wall 93 of the connector top. Three perforations adorn the flat surface of the connector, one a downstream hub 97, one an upstream hub 95, and the third a slot gap 92 matching the slot gaps in the underlying U-bend upper surface and horizontal seal. This also allows for condensation dripping from above to drop to the floor. A vertical pipe stub 91 descends from the downstream hub of the top connector. Said stub 91 serves to protect the underlying planar seal from attack by cleaning chemicals, prevents rotation in the vertical axis of the components relative to one another, and helps to align the three pieces during reassembly.
[0035] FIG. 10 shows the isometric view of the same lavatory 27 to which the full trap sandwich is secured by two nuts. The perimeter flanged nut 5 captures and presses the top disc of the U-bend 1 to the underside of a disc-shaped horizontal seal, to further tighten against the connector top 3 by means of hand-tightening two flats 2. Another nut 101 consists of an internally threaded pipe nut that first is threaded up onto the external threads of the drain fitting, and then back down to tighten onto the externally threaded upstream hub on the upstream hub. This extended nut serves two functions. First, it adds to the robustness of the attachment of the top connector to the lavatory itself, and it also allows for predetermined spacing of the trap 1 and the lavatory 27. It has been demonstrated that this spacing is a critical factor in infection control.
