BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to sinks equipped with food disposers and more particularly to protective devices and drain assemblies therefor.
The present inventor was struck by a number of drawbacks to conventional sink disposers. First, dining utensils could fall into the grinding chamber. Also, they were not equipped to prevent a young child from inserting a hand into the disposer. Further, they were not designed to accept a strainer or composting basket at the interface with the sink.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A splash guard is adapted to be removably mounted in a neck portion of a sink disposer or a drain. The splash guard basically comprises: a generally cylindrical sleeve sized to slidably fit into the neck portion of the disposer and defining a central bore, a ledge affixed to a portion of the sleeve and partially obstructing the central bore, and a chute extending from a portion of the sleeve opposite the ledge and terminating below the ledge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a splash guard equipped with a strainer basket;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the splash guard of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an upper portion of a disposer with the splash guard of FIG. 1 inserted therein;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the disposer and splash guard of FIG. 1 and particularly illustrates a protrusion for releasably holding the splash guard in place in the disposer;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the protrusion shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 wherein the disposer collar is modified with inward projections;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged top view of the splash guard of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is an exploded sectional view of a second embodiment of the splash guard;
FIG. 9 is an upper view of a the splash guard of FIG. 7
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the splash guard;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the splash guard;
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of splash guard of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is an upper perspective view of the splash guard of FIG. 11; and
FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the splash guard of FIG. 11 mounted in a seamless sink.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, a first embodiment of the splash guard generally designated 100 is adapted to be removably mounted in a neck portion 140 of a sink disposer 110. The splash guard basically comprises: a generally cylindrical sleeve 101 sized to slidably fit into the neck portion of the disposer and defining a central bore 102, a ledge 103 affixed to a portion of the sleeve and partially obstructing the central bore, and a chute 104 extending from a portion of the sleeve opposite the ledge and terminating below the ledge. The splash guard is designed to prevent debris and water from splashing out of the neck of the disposer and to prevent utensils and other objects 111 from entering the disposer's grinding chamber 139. The utensils are blocked from doing so by an inward, centrally located edge 106 of the ledge 103 and by the chute 104.
As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the splash guard 100 may also include features designed to protect a child's hand. These include a circumferential wedge shaped protrusion 114 on the exterior of the cylindrical sleeve 101. The protrusion 114 slips under an inwardly facing lip 123 on the disposer mounting flange 124 and the lip of the disposer mounting seal 140. Advantageously, a hole 141 is provided in the splash guard ledge 103 for pulling the wedge-shaped protrusion 114 out of its moorings 123, 140 in the disposer neck. The splash guard may be of any design that facilitates a sturdy fit and is preferably molded from an elastomeric material such as rubber or silicone. It may also include a more rigid material, such as plastic, stainless steel or, copper, in combination with an elastomeric material on the outside.
As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, protection of the kitchen utensil 111 can be increased with the use of an indent 128 in a disposer mounting member 119. The indent 128 will increase the verticality of the kitchen utensil 111. This indent can be any size or shape as long as it moves the utensil closer to the lip 106 of the ledge 103, thereby making it more difficult for the utensil to reach the disposer grinding chamber 139. The indent 128 may be used by itself or in conjunction with other, relatively opposing indents 129 in the disposer mounting member 119 to make it more difficult for a child to remove the splash guard. The child safety indent 129 can be any shape or size sufficient to prevent removal of the splash guard by a child, yet can be removed by an adult pulling the ledge 103 in the direction of the arrow 137. Alternatively, the indent 128 may be in the form of a circular insert (not shown) that is mounted in an upper portion of the splash guard 100 and can be made of any material including plastic, rubber, stainless steel, copper etc.
As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, a second embodiment of the splash guard 200 may form one of a two piece drain assembly and is adapted to receive a strainer basket 212. The splash guard 200 forms an upper portion of the assembly. A chute 214 is somewhat attenuated, but still extends below the ledge 213. The lower portion of the drain assembly is a drain fitting cup 226 where the waste water flows through a threaded bottom portion 216 into the drain pipes (not shown). The splash guard 200 is attached to the sink by dropping the cylindrical sleeve 201 through a sink hole (not shown), and screwing the inside facing threads 219 of the drain fitting cup 226 onto the outward facing threads 220 of the splash guard. A seal 217 is provided on the strainer basket and is adapted to engage a lip 221 on the splash guard. The strainer basket 212 can also serve as a strainer if rotated 180 degrees in the splash guard so that a base portion 222 of the strainer rests on the splash guard ledge 213.
As illustrated in FIG. 10, a third embodiment of the splash guard 300 may be adapted for use on a seamless sink 334 such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,214,34 or Canadian Patent 2679883. In this configuration, the splash guard 300 is formed with an upper, outurned lip 331 which is adapted to be seated on an upper lip 335 of the disposer 210. The outer lip 331 of the splash guard snaps into a recessed area 332 in a disposer mounting seal 333 described in the cited references. This arrangement makes removing the splash guard more difficult and creates a feature intended to protect a young child's hand. Pulling the ledge 303 in the direction of the arrow 338 allows removal of the splash guard.
As illustrated in FIGS. 11-14, a fourth embodiment of the splash guard 400 has a relatively large detente 443 provided on an upper portion thereof in generally diagonal opposition to the ledge 403. This detente creates a more upright disposition of a utensil 442 which may fall into the collar 419 of the disposer. It also further restricts finger access increasing the child protection feature. The splash guard 400, with its inwardly projecting detente 443 may also be used on a seamless sink 434 as illustrated in FIG. 14. A rigid ring 444 may be inserted below the end of the downturned lip of the seamless sink to provide a ledge for a child safety barb 414 to engage. A small slot 441 may be formed in the ledge 403 to accept the tip of a screw driver for prying and removing the splash guard 400.
Patent Application
20200325665
