Patent Application
20210254318
The present invention relates generally to a sink and basin system and method for installation thereof, and more specifically to a specialized, secure, and sound-dampened work-space sink system.
Existing methods for installing under-mount sinks (particularly stainless steel sinks) generally require attaching the sink to the bottom of the countertop through the use of either an adhesive or a mechanical fastener. Mechanical fasteners introduce the risk of damaging or cracking the countertop (usually a natural stone or a stone composite). Adhesives run the risk of failure over time due to the lengthy intended lifespan of a typical sink installation. Existing sinks and basins used in kitchens and work stations lack adequate sound-dampening and are generally difficult to install for customized situations.
Further, stainless steel sinks traditionally suffer from issues of condensation formation on the underside. This can happen when cold items like ice are placed in the sink or, depending on climate, just from running cold tap water into the sink. Stainless sinks will generally either not address this problem at all and have a bare steel underside or have a thin (typically in the neighborhood of 0.1 mm) latex (or similar) spray on coating on the bottom.
This latex spray is also the primary prior art for sound deadening in existing stainless steel sink systems. The other typical sound deadening technique is to use foam or rubber pads. These pads are not intended to contact any installation structure, but only use their own weight as a sound deadening mass. These pads do not cover the entire exterior of the sink, but generally just selected spots.
Heretofore there has not been available a system or method for a sink system with the advantages and features of the present invention.
The present invention generally provides a sink and basin system for installing into a cabinet and counter assembly for use as a work station, and more specifically for stainless-steel sink systems. Some embodiments of the sink may include a plurality of ridge-elements located along the front and rear of the sink basin. These ridges can allow for receiving supports on the lower faces of the ridges, and allow for the placement of temporary or permanent in-sink accessories on the upper faces of the ridges.
During installation, side-mount boards are installed within the cabinet assembly which support the side ends of the sink. Additional spacer elements may be required to create a snug fit for sound dampening purposes. Optional front and rear supports would also be used to increase stability and noise dampening. An optional foil-backed foam wrap or block may be inserted to further increase noise dampening. Preferably the support structure will be such that the foam is snugly fit between the sink exterior and the support elements. The foil-backed foam also improves the cosmetic appearance of the underside of the sink compared to the unfinished steel or latex spray options
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrating various objects and features thereof.
As required, detailed aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural 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 how to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, up, down, front, back, right and left refer to the invention as orientated in the view being referred to. The words, “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the aspect being described and designated parts thereof. Forwardly and rearwardly are generally in reference to the direction of travel, if appropriate. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar meaning.
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The supports 24, 26 would generally be plywood for cost and usability. Hardboard sheets (not shown) can also be used to fill in any remaining gaps between the side supports 26 and the cabinet 30 walls. The hardwood filler, side supports 26, and cabinet 30 walls would likely be glued together. The purpose is to install the side supports 26 against the walls of the cabinet 30 to support the weight of the sink 4 and to provide a large plane of constant physical contact with the sink side walls 16 to create sound deadening performance. The front and rear supports 24 provide additional functionality. The front support 24 would ideally extend to cover the entire front portion of the sink 4.
The foam board 20 would preferably be a 3 mm thick XPE (cross-linked polyethylene) foam with a blue PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and an aluminum film with a laminated covering. It is attached directly to the sink 4 exterior basin 16 using an adhesive. When pressed between the sink basin exterior 16 and the supports 24, 26, it produces superior sound deadening performance.
The use of side mounts to install a stainless steel sink is necessary and an improvement over existing stainless steel sink systems as they require sound deadening that is not necessary for cast iron, granite composite, or fireclay sinks due to their very large mass. A very tight fit for sound deadening purposes improves sound deadening for stainless steel sink systems as described above.
It is ideal to use the foam wrap 120, or alternatively foam boards 20 as shown in the previous embodiment, to ensure tight interface between the support assembly 122 and the sink exterior basin wall 116 for optimal noise suppression. As shown in
It is to be understood that while certain embodiments and/or aspects of the invention have been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects.
