This invention is related to pipe hardware.
Pipes such as those coupled to sinks and other fixtures can be located inside of internal walls of residential and commercial buildings. To be coupled with fixtures located outside of the walls, oftentimes a pipe will extend through a hole in the wall that houses the pipe. The hole in the wall can typically be unsightly so that a conventional escutcheon cover plate is used to cover the hole. The escutcheon cover plate has an opening sized large enough for the pipe to extend through it but small enough so that the hole in the wall is sufficiently covered.
The pipe can be coupled to a compression valve of the fixture by affixing a compression ring, also known as a compression ferrule, to the pipe along with a nut as is conventionally known. The nut is then screwed on to the compression valve of the fixture to couple the pipe to a valve. Other methods of coupling pipes to fixtures involve use of push-on valves that couple with the pipe without need of a compression ring or nut being affixed to the pipe.
A problem can occur when a push-on valve is used to replace a compression valve on a pipe having a nut and compression ring that was used to affix the compression valve to the pipe. Generally the compression ring is small enough that the push-on valves can be constructed to be used even if a compression ring is affixed to the pipe as long as there is sufficient length of pipe remaining on the end of the pipe past the compression ring.
However, regarding the nut, the existing escutcheon plate is typically removed so that the nut can be pushed through the hole in the wall to be hid inside of the wall. Unfortunately, even in cases where the new push-on valve will allow the compression ferrule to remain on the pipe, the compression ferrule is in the way of the conventional escutcheon plate. Consequently, in order to install a replacement escutcheon cover plate, the compression ferrule is removed by cutting the pipe, pulling the ferrule and/or cutting the ferrule, which adds extra installation steps.
An enhanced escutcheon cover plate is described herein that includes a plate body and an opening having a periphery and surrounded by the plate body. The enhanced cover plate further includes a flexible portion extending from the plate body along portions of the periphery of the opening. The flexible portion is elastically moveable between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the flexible portion can define a first passageway for piping to be received through the opening.
In the second position, the flexible portion can define a second passageway for larger diameter piping to be received through the opening. A pipe can be slid through the opening while the flexible portion is in the first position. The second passageway can be larger than the first passageway so that a compression ferrule affixed to the pipe can be slid through the opening while the flexible portion is in the second position.
In implementations the plate body can have a first thickness and the flexible portion can have a second thickness, where the first thickness is greater than the second thickness. The opening can include a center and the flexible portion can extend inward toward the center of the opening. The plate body can have a curvature and the flexible portion can have a flat surface. The cover plate can have a circular outer periphery.
The flexible portion can extend radially and axially inwardly from the periphery of the opening. The flexible portion can have end portions that border a circular portion of the opening. The flexible portion can also include narrowed end portions. The cover plate can have a center and the opening can have a center and the center of the opening can be the center of the cover plate.
In implementations the flexible portion of the enhanced cover plate can have a plurality of members flexibly coupled to the plate body and spaced along portions of the periphery of the opening to allow for elastic movement of the members between the first position and the second position, The members in the first position can extend from the plate body into the opening to define the first passageway, The members in the second position can extend from the plate body into the opening to define the second passageway. The members can be spaced along the periphery of the opening with gaps between adjacent members. The members can extend radially and axially inwardly from the periphery of the opening. Each of the members can have an end and the ends can be positioned to border a circular portion of the opening to define a passageway. The members can each have ends and each have a width that narrows toward the end.
An exemplary enhanced cover plate 100 is depicted in
As shown in
An exemplary installation shown in
The exemplary installation is shown in
Sectional views of the enhanced cover plate 100 are shown in
In alternative implementations, the flexible members 104 can be spaced away from the pipe a relatively small distance while still blocking view of the hole 120 and the nut 126 located behind the wall 122. In other alternative implementations, the flexible members 104 can be flexed to allow for a passageway that is larger than the circular portion 104 of the opening to accommodate a pipe (not shown) with a larger outer diameter than the depicted pipe 118. In other implementations, the flexible members can be differently shaped and spaced to allow for non-circular shaped passageways. In other implementations, the flexible portion 103 can have a flexible portion configured to accommodate flexible non-member portions.
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.