Patent Application
20210404157
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The disclosure relates to sink devices and more particularly pertains to a new sink device for facilitating hand-free use of a sink.
The prior art relates to sink devices including a variety of faucet-less sink basin devices that each has water ports integrated therein for releasing water into the sink basin. In each case of the faucet-less sink basins discloses, a fluid control valve that is manipulated by hand is included for controlling the flow of water. The prior art also discloses a faucet-less sink that has a water tube being attached thereto that surrounds the sink. The prior art discloses a sink basin that has a motion sensor for turning the sink on and off. In no instance is a faucet-less sink disclosed that includes a foot pedal for controlling the flow of water.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a sink bowl that is mounted to a wall of a bathroom. The sink bowl has a plurality of low pressure ports and a high pressure point each being integrated therein. A pumping unit is in fluid communication with each of the low pressure ports and the high pressure port. The pumping unit pumps a fluid into the low pressure ports to facilitate a user to wash their hands and the high pressure port for washing a personal hygiene tool. A temperature control pedal is positioned on a floor beneath the sink bowl for spraying the fluid from the low pressure ports. A high pressure pedal is positioned on the floor beneath the sink bowl for spraying fluid from the high pressure port.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The sink bowl 12 has an inside surface 18 and a top edge 20 defining an opening 22 into the sink bowl 12. Each of the low pressure ports 14 extends through the inside surface 18 and each of the low pressure ports 14 is positioned adjacent to the top edge 20. Moreover, each of the low pressure ports 14 is angled upwardly with respect to the top edge 20 and each of the low pressure ports 14 is directed toward a center point of the sink bowl 12. The sink bowl 12 has a first conduit 24 integrated therein and the first conduit 24 extends around a full circumference of the sink bowl 12. The first conduit 24 is fluidly coupled to each of the low pressure ports 14. As is most clearly shown in
The high pressure port 16 extends through the inside surface 18 of the sink bowl 12. Additionally, the high pressure port 16 is aligned with a respective one of the low pressure ports 14 and the high pressure port 16 is spaced downwardly from the respective low pressure port 14. The sink bowl 12 has a second conduit 26 integrated therein and the second conduit 26 is in fluid communication with the high pressure port 16. Additionally, the first conduit 24 has a cold input 28 and a hot input 30, and the second conduit 26 has an inlet 32. A drain 34 is fluidly coupled to the sink bowl 12 to drain fluid from the sink bowl 12. The drain 34 is positioned at a lower apex of the sink bowl 12.
A pumping unit 36 is positioned adjacent to the sink bowl 12 and the pumping unit 36 is in fluid communication with each of the low pressure ports 14 and the high pressure port 16. The pumping unit 36 pumps a fluid into the low pressure ports 14 when the pumping unit 36 is actuated into a low pressure condition. In this way each of the low pressure ports 14 facilitates a user to wash their hands. As is most clearly shown in
The pumping unit 36 pumps the fluid into the high pressure port 16 when the pumping unit 36 is actuated into a high pressure condition. In this way the high pressure port 16 facilitates the user to wash a personal hygiene tool. The pumping unit 36 is in fluid communication with a fluid source 38 for receiving the fluid. The fluid source 38 may be hot and cold water plumbing in the bathroom and the fluid may be hot water and cold water.
The pumping unit 36 comprises a housing 40 that is positioned beneath the sink bowl 12 and a pump 41 that is positioned within the housing 40. The pump 41 has a cold water inlet 42, a hot water inlet 44, a cold water outlet 46, a hot water outlet 48 and a high pressure outlet 50. The cold water inlet 42 is fluidly coupled to a cold water supply line 52 and the hot water inlet 44 is fluidly coupled to a hot water supply line 54. The pump 41 pumps cold water outwardly through the cold water outlet 46 when the pump 41 is actuated into a cold condition. Additionally, the pump 41 pumps hot water outwardly through the hot water outlet 48 when the pump 41 is actuated into a hot condition. The pump 41 pumps tepid water outwardly through the high pressure outlet 50 when the pump 41 is actuated into a high pressure condition. The pump 41 may be an electric fluid pump or other similar device that pumps water at a sufficient volume and pressure for use in a bathroom sink.
A cold water line 52 is fluidly coupled between the cold water outlet 46 and the cold input 28 of the first conduit 24 to deliver cold water to the first conduit 24. A hot water line 54 is fluidly coupled between the hot water outlet 48 and the hot input 30 of the first conduit 24 to deliver hot water to the first conduit 24. Additionally, a high pressure line 56 is fluidly coupled between the high pressure outlet 50 and the inlet 32 of the second conduit 26 to deliver tepid water to the second conduit 26. As is most clearly shown in
The pumping unit 36 includes a control circuit 58 that is positioned in the housing 40 and the control circuit 58 is electrically coupled to the pump 41. The control circuit 58 receives a high pressure input, a cold input, a low warm input, a high warm input and a hot input. The pump 41 is actuated into the high pressure condition when the control circuit 58 receives the high pressure input and the pump 41 is actuated into the cold condition when the control circuit 58 receives the cold input. The pump 41 is actuated into both the cold condition and the hot condition when the control circuit 58 receives either of the low warm input or the high warm input. Moreover, the pump 41 mixes a greater volume of cold water than hot water when the control circuit 58 receives the low warm input. Conversely, the pump 41 mixes a greater volume of hot water than cold water when the control circuit 58 receives the high warm input. The pump 41 is actuated into the hot condition when the control circuit 58 receives the hot input and the control circuit 58 is electrically coupled to a power source 60 comprising an electrical system of the bathroom.
A temperature control pedal 62 is provided that is positioned on a floor beneath the sink bowl 12 thereby facilitating the user to step on the temperature control pedal 62. The pumping unit 36 is actuated into the low pressure condition when the temperature control pedal 62 is stepped on. In this way the sink bowl 12 sprays the fluid to facilitate the user to wash their hands. The pumping unit 36 is turned off when the temperature control pedal 62 is not stepped on.
The temperature control pedal 62 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 58. The temperature control pedal 62 has a cold portion 64, a low warm portion 66, a high warm portion 68 and a hot portion 70. The control circuit 58 receives the cold input when the cold portion 64 is stepped on and the control circuit 58 receives the low warm input when the low warm portion 66 is stepped on. Additionally, the control circuit 58 receives the high warm input when the high warm portion 68 is stepped on and the control circuit 58 receives the hot input when the hot portion 70 is stepped on.
A high pressure pedal 72 is provided and the high pressure pedal 72 is positioned on the floor beneath the sink bowl 12 such that the user can step on the high pressure pedal 72. The pumping unit 36 is actuated into the high pressure condition when the high pressure pedal 72 is stepped on. Thus, the sink bowl 12 sprays the fluid to facilitate the personal hygiene tool to be washed. The pumping unit 36 is turned off when the high pressure pedal 72 is not stepped on. The high pressure pedal 72 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 58 and the control circuit 58 receives the high pressure input when the high pressure pedal 72 is stepped on.
In use, either the cold portion 64, the low warm portion 66, the high warm portion 68 or the hot portion 70 of the temperature control pedal 62 is stepped upon, based on the user's preference for the temperature of the water sprayed in the sink bowl 12. The water is sprayed outwardly, at the selected temperature, from the low pressure ports 14 in an upward arc thereby facilitating the user to wash their hands. In this way the user is not required to touch, with their hands, any portion of the sink bowl 12 to release the water. The water stops flowing as soon as the user is no longer stepping on the temperature control pedal 62. Additionally, the user can step on the high pressure pedal 72 to spray water from the high pressure nozzle at sufficient pressure to wash a toothbrush or other personal hygiene tool.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
