Not Applicable.
The present invention relates to a sink that facilitates the preparation of food and the efficient and hands-free disposal of food waste and other kitchen waste from a sink work area to a garbage disposal.
Various types of preparation steps are typically performed on food items prior to cooking and/or serving. For example, vegetables and fruit may be peeled and/or have seeds, stems or other portions removed from them. The user will typically push the waste portions of the food off a cutting board into a sink by scraping the board with a knife or by hand. The user may then push the waste into the disposal with a tool or other item, sometimes by also using a manually held sprayer to help drive the food towards the drain.
Moving the waste portions in this manner is time consuming and somewhat messy, and the need to push the waste through the disposer entry can require the use of a separate implement to avoid using a hand for that purpose.
Accordingly, there exists a need for addressing these problems.
In one aspect the invention provides a food preparation sink. The sink has a basin having a lower drain outlet connectable to a garbage disposal, and a bottom surface elevated above the drain outlet. There is also a rim extending around an upper edge of the basin, and a nozzle mounted to the basin below the rim and configured to direct water onto the bottom surface if the nozzle is connected to a water supply. A flange may extend radially outwardly from rim of the basin. If there is food waste in the sink, and if water is directed by the nozzle onto the bottom surface, the sink can be rinsed by the nozzle so as to drive the food waste to an area of the basin above the drain outlet.
The sink provides its own confined, raised work area for cutting/food preparation. The water from the nozzle can rinse the food in this area, and/or carry unneeded waste or scraps to a drain portion of the basin, from which the waste ultimately can go to a garbage disposal. Thus, no separate cutting board is needed (albeit the sink can be used with one), and the food waste can be disposed of more efficiently and, as will be described below, in a hands free/tool free manner.
In a preferred form the bottom surface/work area is an elongated essentially rectangular area that slopes downwardly for a majority of its length. The area may have a concavely sloped entry area (to facilitate smooth flow of entering water and avoiding splashing), and this could transition to a convexly sloped region between the concavely sloped entry area and an area of the basin adjacent the drain outlet (to help food waste move off the work area without getting caught up on it).
In another preferred form the work area terminates at a vertical shoulder that defines in part a sump area over the drain opening. The nozzle is positioned at an end of the work area opposite an end of the work area adjacent the drain opening outlet, and the nozzle directs water essentially along a longitudinal axis of the work area.
In another aspect the food preparation sink may have a basin having a lower drain outlet connectible to a garbage disposal and a work area elevated above the outlet. In this form there are two nozzles mounted to the basin and configured to direct water onto the work area if the nozzles are connected to a water supply. There is a diverter capable of altering (to at least some extent) flow of water between the nozzles if the diverter is linked to a water supply. This altering optimizes the force of the entering water along different portions of the work area, to help optimize the cleaning effect.
This can be implemented with a diverter that has a movable valve member having a first position in which a first flow path is provided between a diverter inlet and a first diverter outlet linked to a first of said nozzles, and a second position in which a second flow path is provided between the diverter inlet and a second diverter outlet linked to a second of said nozzles. For example, in the first position the valve member may also block the second flow path, and wherein in the second position the valve member may also block the first flow path.
In yet another aspect the food preparation sink may have a basin having a lower drain outlet connected to a garbage disposal and a work area elevated above the outlet. In this form there will be a nozzle mounted to the basin and configured to direct water onto the work area if the nozzle is connected to a water supply, and also a conical baffle positioned in the outlet for controlling entry of items into the garbage disposal. If there is food waste in the work area, and if water is directed by the nozzle to the work area, the work area can be rinsed by the nozzle so as to carry the food waste to an area of the basin above the outlet, and weight of the water and food waste can automatically cause the baffle to open to permit the food waste to enter the garbage disposal. This allows the option of completely hands free/tool free operation.
Most preferably, a sump area is provided in the basin above the drain opening that is suitable to develop a head of water and waste above the drain opening so as to facilitate automatic movement of the food waste past the baffle. The sump region is relatively small so that a small amount of water can create an adequate pressure head, and further so that food waste does not get easily hung up on the drain floor remote from the drain.
Other preferred features of the present invention include an electrical controller for controlling the supply of water to the sink and the operation of the garbage disposal. For example, the controller could provide an automatic shut-off of the water and/or garbage disposal after a period of operation.
The sinks of the present invention are particularly useful as food preparation sinks In the most preferred embodiments, they facilitate the efficient and hands-free movement of food waste from the work area to the garbage disposal. This can be achieved without requiring a faucet mounted on top of the sink or elsewhere on top of the counter, or requiring a hand sprayer. Hence, scarce counter space can be used for other purposes.
The foregoing and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description. In that description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration example embodiments of the invention. The example embodiments do not limit the full scope of the invention.
The food preparation sink 10 has a rim extending around an upper edge of the basin. In the construction shown in
The sink is preferably formed from a conventional kitchen sink material such as stainless steel, ceramics, or polymers. In some aspects, and in some constructions, it may be desirable that the material be resistant to nicking or scratching by a cutting knife.
The bottom wall 12 of the food preparation sink 10 slopes downwardly as the bottom wall extends from the first end wall 17 toward the second end wall 22 along the bottom surface of the basin there between. As shown in
A shoulder portion 41 extends vertically downwardly from the convexly sloped region 33 to the drain floor 35. The shoulder portion 41, along with lower portions of the end wall 22 and first and second side walls 14, 15, at least partially define a sump 43 at the bottom of the basin. A drain opening 45 is provided in the drain floor 35 to permit water and waste items to exit the basin. Passage through the drain opening 45 is controlled by a flexible baffle having a conical lower end 47 with vertical slits 48.
The conical lower end 47 covers an entrance passage 49 to a garbage disposal 90 (see the schematic depiction in
In one example, the shoulder portion 41 is about one inch (25.4 millimeters) high creating a one inch deep sump 43. Water may accumulate in this sump 43 to create a body of water that provides a pressure difference and helps move waste down into and through the conical lower end 47 without the need for manual assistance to push the waste through. Compared to conventional kitchen sinks, the surface area of the drain floor 35 within the sump 43 is relatively small in relation to the drain opening. This permits even a relatively small amount of water to build up as a significant head within the sump 43, and provides additional pressure beyond that which would be supplied by the same amount of water in a conventional kitchen sink. Also, initiation of the garbage disposal 90 can, depending on the configuration of the garbage disposal, create a slight vacuum that helps suck and thus facilitate entry of the waste.
It is particularly desirable that the slope of the convexly sloped region 33 continuously increases as the waste approaches the drain opening 45. This helps maintain and/or increase the speed of the water flow and move the waste towards the drain floor 35 with sufficient force to stop the waste from getting hung up near the shoulder portion 41. Also, the shoulder portion 41 allows water flowing down the bottom wall 12 to be launched off the convexly sloped region 33 and carry waste toward the drain opening 45.
Referring next to
Water delivery to the first nozzle 51 and the second nozzle 57 is controlled by a valve system 70 having a manifold 74. The manifold 74 is in fluid communication with a first port 76, a second port 78, and an inlet port 80 and directs fluid flow of the water between these ports 76, 78 and 80. A valve member 82 is positioned in the manifold 74 from controlling water delivery to the first and second nozzles 51, 57 as described below. The valve member 82 preferably has a cylinder driven piston that drives a diverter plate in response to a solenoid. This either turns the water flow on or off to the nozzles 51, 57. Movement of the diverter plate of valve member 82 may be controlled by an actuator 95.
In some aspects and in some constructions, the diverter plate of valve member 82 swings in directions V1 and V2 in the manifold 74 to provide a variable water flow to the nozzles 51, 57. Movement of the diverter plate of the valve member 82 in directions V1 and V2 in the manifold 74 can be controlled by the actuator 95.
The valve system 70 also includes a fitting 86 having a first end 87 that is coupled to the inlet port 80 of the manifold and a second end having a coupler 88. As shown in
A switch 93 can be actuated by the user to provide a signal to an electronic control module 94. The electronic control module 94 controls introduction of water into the inlet port 80 of the valve system 70 via another solenoid 96 (e.g. a conventional solenoid volume valve), controls the actuator 95 of the valve system 70 to direct the flow of the water, and controls operation of the garbage disposal 90.
Turning now to
Regardless of whether the installation follows the principles of
Having described the primary features of the food preparation sink 10, its preferred operation can be explained as follows. A user pushes on switch 93. This signals the electronic control module 94 to begin delivery of water from water line 91 through fitting 86 and into the inlet port 80 of the valve system 70. This can also signal the garbage disposal 90 to begin operation to dispose of the waste, either immediately or with a slight time delay.
Looking next at
When the valve member 82 is in a first position at the end of movement in first direction V1 (as shown in
When the valve member 82 is in a second position at the end of movement in the second direction V2, water generally flows along the first path P1 between the inlet port 80 and the first port 76, and water may be blocked from flowing from the inlet port 80 to the second port 78. Water flowing along the first path P1 through the first port 76 exits the valve system 70 through the first nozzle 51 and enters the basin of the sink 10. Water passing through the first nozzle 51 will generally flow along the first flow path F1 (see
The actuator 95 preferably cycles the valve member 82 in directions V1 and V2 in the manifold 74 so that the water varies between the first flow path F1 and the second flow path F2. The varying water flow paths F1 and F2 serve to more efficiently move waste along the bottom wall 12 to the sump 43. As shown in
In some aspects and in some constructions, the electronic control module 94 is connected to a conventional power outlet box 99 (shown schematically in
The electronic control module 94 may include various settings to control the water flow into the sink 10 and operation of the garbage disposal 90. For example, the electronic control module 94 may receive a signal from the switch 93 to initiate water flow into the sink 10 and then start the garbage disposal 90 after a delay of a set period of time following the water flow. This allows the water to enter the sink 10 and flow down to the sump 43 before the garbage disposal 90 is started. The water flow and the garbage disposal 90 may instead be started simultaneously. In addition, the electronic control module 94 may be set to turn the garbage disposal 90 off after a period of time of operation.
Also, the electronic control module 94 may be configured to sense operation of the garbage disposal 90 to determine when the disposal 90 is finished disposing of the waste. This may be accomplished by sensing output voltage to the garbage disposal 90 (e.g. sensing the RPMs of the garbage disposal 90) or by sensing the turbidity of the water exiting the sink 10, or by other sensing means.
In some embodiments the food preparation sink may have only one nozzle. The pressure of the water from the single nozzle may be spread across the entire bottom wall 21. Instead, a single nozzle may be mounted to oscillate and vary the water flow path along the bottom wall 12. However, by using the pulsing varying flow of a dual nozzle construction shown in
The above description has been that of example embodiments of the present invention. It will occur to those that practice the art, however, that still other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example,
In other embodiments the sink need not be rectangular and the work area/raised bottom wall need not be at a side of the drain area. In this regard, a circular basin could be provided with an outside concentric ring area of the basin being the work area. Hence, the scope of the invention should not be entirely judged by just the example embodiments.
The present invention provides a sink for food preparation or the like that facilitates the efficient and hands-free movement of food waste from the sink basin to the garbage disposal.
This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/414,744, filed Mar. 31, 2009, titled “Food Preparation Sink”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/042,818, filed Apr. 7, 2008, titled “Food Preparation Sink”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120151671 A1 | Jun 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12414744 | Mar 2009 | US |
Child | 13408799 | US |