Patent Application
20250059753
The present invention generally relates to drain assemblies for the drain holes on floors or sump pit covers of the type recessed below floor level in the basement of a home or other building. Particularly the present invention relates to an adjustable drain assembly that can be adjustably used with different sizes of drain holes to provide an air-tight seal. The drain assembly further allows water to drain through the drain hole located on a sealed sump pit cover or a floor drain hole while preventing entry of the radon or other gases at homes.
Sealed sump covers are an important part of any home. A sump pump pit cover prevents radon from entering a home through cracks or seams in the foundation walls or floor joints. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that can be dangerous for our health when left unchecked. Radon gas has been linked to lung cancer when exposed over long periods at high concentrations. By sealing the sump pump cover, one can help prevent radon from seeping into the basement through the sump pump system. Sealed sump covers keep homes safe and dry. Although the sealed sump covers are essential in preventing costly water damage in our home, keeping the moisture out of the home or basement, preventing musty smells from developing in the area and mold growth which can be hazardous to health, and so on, there are instances where the drain holes provided on the sump covers acts as a source for the leakage of radon gas that may enter into the living spaces. This usually happens due to the inefficient drain assemblies installed on the drain holes on the sump cover.
Different kinds of drain devices or drain assemblies are available in the art or marketplaces that are designed to fit onto the drain holes provided on floors, sump pit covers, and/or sump pump systems. The drain devices or assemblies can be installed on the drain holes of the floors or the sump covers to mitigate radon entry into the home, however, most of such available drain devices have limitations, such as, they are either made to fit a specific drain hole size, fails to provide reliable sealing for radon gas (aren't leak proof to radon), do not offer good water flow rate when a water pipe is connected to sump pit through such drain assemblies.
Further, some traditional solutions are available in the form of J traps or U-bend or P-bend that have been widely used to stop bad smells or gases from coming back up the drain and creating unpleasant odours in homes in the absence of continuous flow of water through the drain assemblies installed on the drain holes. They have a limitation, when there is no water flow through the drain holes with J traps then there are high chances of unpleasant odours getting into home.
In the light of foregoing, it is highly desirable to provide a more reliable solution in the form of an adjustable drain assembly that can be adjustably used with different sizes of drain holes to provide an air-tight seal against the leakage of radon or other gases. The drain assembly further allows water to drain through the drain hole of a sealed sump pit cover or a floor drain hole while preventing entry of radon or other gases at homes.
Before the present systems and methods, and embodiments are described, it is to be understood that this application is not limited to the particular systems, and methodologies described, as there can be multiple possible embodiments that are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosures. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Further, it is also to be understood that the terminology if not defined by the present disclosure should be construed as the general or known meaning/definition of the terminology, known to the person skilled in the art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel drain assembly that can be used with sealed sump covers or floor drain holes or with pipes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel drain assembly that allows water to drain through it at a higher rate while a negative pressure is built underside the drain assembly from a radon mitigation system.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel drain assembly that's adjustable in size to fit multiple floor or sump cover drain hole sizes, thereby making the proposed drain assembly a versatile solution.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel drain assembly that acts as an On-The-Go (OTG) device to fit drain holes of sizes such as 1.5″ in diameter, 2″ in diameter, 3″ in diameter, and 4″ in diameter, and provide an air-tight seal around the drain hole where the drain assembly is installed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel drain assembly designed for radon mitigation at home. The proposed drain assembly can be installed on the sump cover over the sump pit specifically on the drain holes located on the sump cover to allow utilities (such as dehumidifiers, condensate lines, and overflow lines) from draining into the sump pit while preventing air leaks or gases from entering the home.
In an embodiment, the drain assembly of the present invention is usable with four different sizes of pipes or holes and contains a ball inside that lifts if water is introduced in the drain assembly, and doesn't lift and settles over a drain opening creating an air-tight seal.
The present invention is directed to a drain assembly having a volcano shaped drain opening that improves the rate of flow of water by directing and maintaining the flow of water toward the outer periphery of the drain assembly.
The present invention ensures no bad smells or gases come back up the drain and create unpleasant odours in homes even when there is no continuous water flow through the drain assembly unlike the traditional J traps or U-bend or P-bend.
Embodiments of the present invention discloses an adjustable drain assembly that includes a recessed drain conduit having an inner surface, and an outer surface. The drain conduit is cylindrical. The drain conduit includes a first portion having a plurality of prong members/flap members configured on the inner surface, and a second portion having a drain opening extending along the length of the second portion to define a fluid flow path that allows water to drain through the drain assembly. The prong members comprise a first pair of opposed prong members, and a second pair of opposed prong members. The prong members extend towards the center of the drain conduit. The prong members configured around the ball allows the ball to move vertically up and down and prevent the ball from moving sidewise, thereby preventing any gas or radon leakage.
In an embodiment, the drain assembly includes a grate with a plurality of perforations removably disposed above and/or in the drain conduit. The perforations can be shaped differently in many different shapes. The perforations are in fluid communication with the fluid flow path of the drain conduit.
In an embodiment, the drain assembly includes a ball retained within the first portion of the drain conduit over the drain opening in between the prong members. The ball is able to lift off from the drain opening to allow the water to drain through the drain opening (when a drain line is connected to the drain assembly) and rest on the opening to create an airtight seal when no water flows through the drain opening.
In an embodiment, the drain assembly includes a first lip disposed at a top peripherally around the drain conduit and extending above the drain conduit, wherein between the top peripherally around the drain conduit and the first lip is a first cut-out ring. The drain assembly further includes a recessed top portion comprising a second cut-out ring, and a third cut-out ring. The first cut-out ring, the second cut-out ring, and the third cut-out ring allow the drain assembly to be adjusted to fit differently sized drain holes located at least on a floor or sump pit pump cover.
In an embodiment, the drain assembly further includes a second lip disposed at a top peripherally around the recessed top portion and extending above the recessed top portion.
In an embodiment, the drain opening extending along the length of the second portion of the drain conduit has a volcano shape. The volcano shaped drain opening extending along the length of the second portion of the drain conduit permits a higher rate of flow of water by directing and maintaining the flow of water toward the outer periphery of the drain assembly.
In an embodiment, the drain assembly is configured to selectively fit around a 4-inch diameter drain hole size, a 1.5-inch diameter drain hole size, a 3-inch diameter drain hole size, and a 2-inch diameter drain hole size.
In an embodiment, the recessed drain conduit, and the recessed top portion allow one or more utilities comprising at least but not limited to drain lines to connect to the drain assembly.
In the drawings:
Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of components or processes, which constitutes an adjustable drain assembly that can fit different sizes of drain holes to provide an air-tight seal and that helps in mitigating the risks associated with of radon gages. The drain assembly is able to allow the flow of water in the normal course of action by connecting a drain line. Accordingly, the components or processes have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with de/tails that will be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific component-level details and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
Some embodiments, illustrating its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open-ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although any methods, and systems similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments, the preferred methods, and systems are now described. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary.
References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “another embodiment”, “one example”, “an example”, “another example” and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. The words “comprising”, “having”, “containing”, and “including”, and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open-ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.
An adjustable drain assembly that can be used with different sizes of drain holes to provide an air-tight seal will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, particularly
Referring to
The drain conduit 108 includes a first portion and a second portion. The length of the first portion is smaller compared to the second portion. The first portion includes a plurality of prong members 109a, and 109b configured on the inner surface 108a in proximity to the top of the first portion. The prong members 109a, and 109b are substantially elongated lengthwise and extend towards the center of the drain conduit 108. The prong members 109a, and 109b configured around a ball 107 allows the ball 107 to move vertically up and down and prevent the ball 107 from moving sidewise. The prong members preferably include a first pair of opposed prong members 109a, and a second pair of opposed prong members 109b. Although two pairs of prongs (four in number) are shown in use in the drain assembly 100, it should be understood that more pairs of prongs may be used.
The second portion of the drain conduit 108 includes a drain opening 110 that extends along the length of the second portion to define a fluid flow path (not seen) that allows water to drain through the drain assembly 100. The drain opening 110 is centrally located in the drain conduit 108. The drain opening 110 is situated just below the point where the first portion of the drain conduit 108 ends. In an embodiment, the drain opening 110 extends along the length of the second portion of the drain conduit 108 and has a volcano shape. This volcano-shaped drain opening 110 permits or provides a higher rate of flow of water by directing and maintaining the flow of water toward the outer periphery of the drain assembly.
Referring to at least
Referring to at least
The adjustable drain assembly 100 further includes a lip 111 disposed at a top peripherally around the drain conduit 108. The lip 111 extends above the drain conduit 108. In between the top peripherally around the drain conduit 108 and the lip 111, there is a first cut-out ring 105. In an example embodiment, the drain assembly 100 is sized to fit a 4-inch diameter drain hole. The cut-out ring 105 facilitates adjusting the size of the drain assembly 100 to cover a reduced size or small-sized drain hole. In an example embodiment, cutting the drain assembly 100 around the cut-out ring 105 using a cutter (or similar tools) makes the drain assembly 100 smaller to fit a 1.5-inch diameter drain hole located on the floor or sump pump pit cover. The adjustable drain assembly 100 further includes a recessed top portion 102. The top portion includes a second cut-out ring 103, and a third cut-out ring 104. The cut-out rings 103,104 help in adjusting the size of the drain assembly 100 to fit a 3-inch diameter drain hole, and a 2-inch diameter drain hole located on the floor or sump pump pit cover respectively. The adjustable drain assembly 100 further includes another lip 101 disposed at a top peripherally around the recessed top portion 102 that extends above the recessed top portion 102.
Although, the embodiment disclosure presented herein discloses a three-in-one drain assembly that can be selectively used with a 1.5″ diameter drain hole, 2″ diameter drain hole, and 3″ diameter drain hole present in floors, pipes, sump pump covers, it should be understood that the presented invention is modifiable to include other options to cover even other differently sized drain holes. For an example, the current invention is modifiable to include possibility to cover 5″ diameter drain hole, 2.5″ diameter drain hole, 1″ diameter drain hole, and so on. It is also possible to customize the presented drain assembly to just cover two differently sizes of drain holes or even four differently sized drain holes with suitable obvious variations.
In an exemplary embodiment, the drain assembly 100 and parts thereof such as the drain conduit 108, the prongs/flaps 109a, 109b, the opening 110, lips 111,101, the top portion 102, the ball 107, the grate 106 and so on may be made from PVC, plastic, acrylic or other metallic or nonmetallic material suitable for the invention. Further, drain assembly 100 and parts thereof may be made in a variety of dimensions and shapes.
It should be understood according to the preceding description of the present invention that the same is susceptible to changes, modifications, and adaptations, and that the said changes, modifications, and adaptations fall within the scope of the appended claims.
