Patent Application
20120117725
Janitorial closets are found in public and private buildings and are used to store cleaning tools such as mops, brushes brooms and the like, cleaning supplies, carts, mop buckets and other equipment. The typical janitorial closet also includes a sink that may be mounted at floor level to facilitate the filling of mop buckets and the cleaning of mops brooms and other tools. The sink may also be mounted at a standard height above the floor. The mops, brushes, brooms and other tools are typically left in the sink after use to drain and dry off making access to the sink difficult and creating disorganization and a hazard due to falling tools.
A sink extender comprises a sink comprising a drain connected to a conduit. An attachment mechanism connects the sink to a support. At least one tool holder supports an elongated handle of a janitorial tool over the sink.
The sink may comprise a base having an opening that extends through the base. The sink may comprise a removable drain pain having a drain opening. The sink may comprise a base having an opening that extends through the base where the drain pan is located below the opening. The sink may comprise a base having an opening that extends through the base where the base defines rails for receiving the drain pan. The drain pan may comprise ledges that ride on the rails such that the drain pain is slidably received in the base. The base may support a drain platform. The drain platform may comprise a grate. The drain opening may connect to a hose where the hose comprises a flexible conduit that is dimensioned to allow fluid to freely drain from the pan. The hose may have a length such that the hose can reach between the sink and a traditional sink. A frame may extend from the sink where the attachment mechanism is on the frame. The frame may comprise at least one tool holder. The at least one tool holder may be disposed relative to the sink such that a tool held by the tool holder is disposed over the sink. The at least one tool holder may comprise a deformable gripper. The attachment mechanism may comprise at least one flange provided with an aperture. The attachment mechanism may comprise a hook, a clamp or a gripper that is configured to engage a horizontal rail.
A sink extender comprises a sink comprising a base supporting a removable drain pan having a drain. A mechanism selectively closes the drain. An attachment mechanism connects the sink to a support. At least one tool holder is provided for supporting an elongated handle over the sink.
A method of using a sink extender comprises mounting the sink extender comprising a sink that drains into a flexible hose and at least one tool holder to a support surface; running the hose to a traditional sink such that water may drain from the sink to the traditional sink by gravity; securing a wet tool to the at least one tool holder such that the tool drains into the sink. The sink may further comprise a drain platform over the sink and the step of securing may comprise resting the tool on the drain platform.
Embodiments of the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. ay be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “front” or “back” or “top” or “bottom” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element, layer or region to another element, layer or region as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
An embodiment of the sink extender 1 of the invention is shown comprising a drain sink 2 defined by a base 4 having a peripheral wall 6 that defines an opening 8 that extends through the base 4. The wall 6 has a front wall 10, a back wall 12 and a pair of side walls 14 connecting the front wall 10 and the back wall 12. While in the illustrated embodiment the base 4 is formed as a rectangular structure, the base may have any suitable shape. The side walls 12 extend below the front wall 10 and include inwardly extending flanges 18 and 20 that create rails or ledges for receiving a drain pan 22. The base 4 may be made of injection molded plastic.
An inwardly facing flange 28 is formed on the inside surface of the wall 6. Flange 28 supports a horizontal drain platform 30 that rests on top of the flange 28 to create a work surface that may support articles in the sink and allows liquids to drain through the platform 30. In the illustrated embodiment a flange 28 is formed on the back wall 12 and the front wall 10 although the flange 28 may be formed along the entire wall 6. In the illustrated embodiment the platform 30 is formed as a grate comprised of crossed wires. The platform 30 may also be formed as a solid surface formed with drain holes or a similar structure.
Drain pan 32 comprises a bottom wall 34 and an upstanding peripheral wall 36 shaped and sized such that the pan 32 is substantially co-extensive with the base 4. The peripheral wall 36 comprises a front wall 38, a back wall 40 and a pair of side walls 42. The side walls 42 include outwardly extending flanges 44 and 46 that create rails or ledges that rest on top of flanges 24 and 26 to support the pan 32 on the base 4. The pan 32 is removably mounted on the base 4 by sliding the rails 44 and 46 of drain pan on the rails 24 and of the base 4. A handle 48 may be provided on the front wall 38 that may be grasped by a user to remove the drain pan 32 from base 4. The bottom wall 34 is formed with a drain opening 50 that connects to a hose 52 at fitting 54. The bottom wall 34 is sloped toward drain opening 50 such that fluid in the drain pan 32 will flow to the drain opening 50 by gravity. The hose 52 is a flexible conduit that is dimensioned to allow fluid to freely drain from the pan 32. The length of the hose 52 is selected such that the hose can reach between the sink extender 1 and a sink.
The hose 52 may be removed from fitting 54 and the drain opening 50 may be selectively closed using a closing mechanism such that the drain pan 32 fills with the fluid. The closing mechanism may comprise a plug 51 that fits into opening 50 to create a liquid tight seal. The closing mechanism may comprise a valve 53 (
A frame 60 extends upward from the base 6 along the back thereof. In the illustrated embodiment the frame 60 comprises a pair of spaced uprights 62 that are connected by a cross member 64 at their upper ends. A splash guard 66 may be provided between the uprights 62 at the back of the base to prevent liquids from spilling out the back of the sink. While the frame 60 is shown as a pair of spaced uprights the frame may comprise a solid member.
The cross member 64 comprises a plurality of tool holders 68 such that the handles of tools such as mops, squeegees, brushes, brooms or the like may be retained vertically with the tool head supported above the sink 2. The tool holders 68 may comprise recesses 69 formed in member 64 dimension to receive the elongated handle of a janitorial tool. Deformable grippers 67 such as rubber extrusions are located in the recesses 69 such that the deformable grippers 67 deform when a handle is located in one of the recesses 69 to create a squeezing force on the handle that securely holds the tool on the frame 60. The bottom of the tools may be supported on the platform 30 such that tool holders do not have to support the weight of the tool and only need to maintain the tools vertically. The tools are securely supported such that the wet tools may drain into the sink 2.
The sink extender may be attached to a wall or other structure using an attachment mechanism 70. In the illustrated embodiment the attachment mechanism 70 comprises mounting flanges 72 that are arranged so as to be substantially flush to a wall or other support surface. Flanges 72 are provided with apertures 76 that receive fasteners such as screws that secure the sink extender 1 to the support surface. In the illustrated embodiment the mounting flanges 72 are disposed along the cross member 64 and may be provided along the sides of the frame 60 or base 4. Referring to
Referring to
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and that the invention has other applications in other environments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention to the specific embodiments described herein.
This application claims benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to the filing date of to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/414,208, as filed on Nov. 16, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61414208 | Nov 2010 | US |
