Patent Application
20240068215
The present disclosure is directed generally to sink systems, and, more specifically, to multi-component sink assemblies and sink systems.
Conventional kitchen and bathroom countertops often are often made of some type of natural stone. These natural stone materials exhibit a variety of colors and patterns, depending upon the particular type of natural stone that is used. Conventional kitchen and bathroom sinks, on the other hand, usually are made of a material that differs from the natural stone material used to make the countertops installed with the sinks. As a result, kitchen and bathroom countertops typically exhibit an appearance with colors and patterns that differ from the appearances exhibited by the sinks installed with the countertops. With current technology, if a conventional sink is to be formed of the same natural stone material as the countertop with which it is used, then a block of that same natural stone must be hollowed out in order to form the sink. Such a process results in the use of a substantial amount of the natural stone material and the production of a significant amount of natural stone waste remnants.
Consequently, there is a need for sink systems that can address one or more of these and other shortcomings.
The present disclosure encompasses a sink system comprising: a sink assembly comprising a front side wall plate, a rear side wall plate opposing the front side wall plate, a left side wall plate, a right side wall plate opposing the left side wall plate, a front left column attached to the front side wall plate and the left side wall plate, a front right column attached to the front side wall plate and the right side wall plate, a rear left column attached to the rear side wall plate and the left side plate, a rear right column attached to the rear side wall plate and the right side wall plate, and a bottom wall connected to the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, and the right side wall plate, wherein the bottom wall comprises a drain lip, wherein the drain lip defines a drain opening, and wherein the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, the right side wall plate, the front left column, the rear left column, the front right column, the rear right column, and the bottom wall cooperate to define a sink basin.
In one aspect, each of the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, the right side wall plate, the front left column, the rear left column, the front right column, and the rear right column comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of a first material. In another aspect, the first material is an engineered stone composition comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of a binder and a filler. In a further aspect, the bottom wall comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of a metal. In yet another aspect, the sink system comprises a countertop body connected to the sink assembly. In one aspect, the countertop and at least one of the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, the right side wall plate, the front left column, the rear left column, the front right column, and the rear right column the countertop body comprise a first material. In a further aspect, the sink bottom wall is connected to the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, and the right side wall plate by a plurality of fasteners. In yet another aspect, the sink assembly comprises a bracket aligned adjacent the sink bottom wall, wherein the bracket is connected to the sink bottom wall, the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, and the right side wall plate by the plurality of fasteners. In another aspect, each of the front left column, the rear left column, the front right column, the rear right column comprises an arcuate sink basin side.
The present disclosure also encompasses a sink system comprising: a countertop body comprising a first material; a sink assembly connected to the countertop body, wherein the sink assembly comprises a plurality of sink side wall plates, a plurality of sink columns, Wherein each sink column of the plurality of sink columns is attached to two sink side wall plates of the plurality of sink side wall plates, a sink bottom wall aligned adjacent to each sink side wall plate of the plurality of sink side wall plates and each sink column of the plurality of sink columns, wherein the sink bottom wall comprises a drain lip, wherein the drain lip defines a drain opening, wherein each sink side wall plate of the plurality of sink side wall plates comprises the first material, and wherein the sink bottom wall comprises a second material.
In one aspect, the first material is an engineered stone composition. In another aspect, the second material is a metal. In a further aspect, each sink column of the plurality of sink columns comprises the first material. In yet another aspect, the plurality of sink side wall plates is connected to the sink bottom wall by a plurality of fasteners. In another aspect, the sink assembly comprises a bracket aligned adjacent to the sink bottom wall. In still a further aspect, the sink assembly is connected to the countertop body by a plurality of fastener assemblies. In another aspect, each sink side wall plate of the plurality of sink side wall plates comprises a recess formed in an outer face of the sink side wall plate, and wherein a portion of a fastener assembly of the plurality of fastener assemblies is disposed in the recess.
The present disclosure also encompasses a sink system comprising: a sink assembly comprising a front side wall plate, a rear side wall plate opposing the front side wall plate, a left side wall plate, a right side wall plate opposing the left side wall plate, a front left column aligned adjacent the front side wall plate and the left side wall plate, a front right column aligned adjacent the front side wall plate and the right side wall plate, a rear left column aligned adjacent the rear side wall plate and the left side plate, a rear right column aligned adjacent the rear side wall plate and the right side wall plate, and a bottom wall aligned adjacent the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, and the right side wall plate, wherein the bottom wall comprises a drain lip, wherein the drain lip defines a drain opening, wherein the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, the right side wall plate, the front left column, the rear left column, the front right column, the rear right column, and the bottom wall cooperate to define a sink basin, and wherein each of the front left column, the rear left column, the front right column, the rear right column comprises an arcuate sink basin side.
In one aspect, the bottom wall is connected to the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, and the right side wall plate by a plurality of fasteners. In another aspect, the sink system comprises a countertop body connected to the sink assembly, wherein each of the countertop body, the front side wall plate, the rear side wall plate, the left side wall plate, the right side wall plate, the front left column, the rear left column, the front right column, and the rear right column comprises an engineered stone composition, and wherein the bottom wall comprises a metal.
These and other aspects of the present disclosure are set forth in greater detail below and in the drawings for which a brief description is provided as follows.
The present disclosure encompasses sink systems and sink assemblies that can be used in kitchen, bathroom, and other installations in which sinks and/or sink-and-countertop combinations are used. The present disclosure refers in detail below to various aspects of the sink systems, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The sink systems encompassed by the present disclosure encompass sink assemblies each with a plurality of sink side wall plates, a plurality of sink columns, and a sink bottom wall, all of which are connected and/or attached to each other and cooperate to form a sink basin. Wherever possible, the present disclosure uses the same reference numbers throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar items.
As used herein, the singular forms of “a,” “an,” and “the” encompass the plural forms thereof unless otherwise indicated. As used herein, the phrase “at least one” includes all numbers of one and greater. As used herein, the term “and/or” refers to one or all of the listed elements or a combination of any two or more of the listed elements. As used herein, the phrase “integrally formed” means formed as a single, unitary body.
The sink systems encompassed by the present disclosure comprise components that can formed of engineered stone compositions, which comprise at least one binder and at least one type of tiller.
The plurality of sink side wall plates 134 comprises a front side wall plate 136, a rear side wall plate 138 aligned opposing the front side wall plate 136, a left side wall plate 140, and a right side wall plate 142 aligned opposing the left side wall plate 140. As shown in
Each of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, and the right side wall plate 142 comprises a first material 180. In one aspect, the first material 180 can be an engineered stone composition, which comprises a binder 182 and a filler 184. The engineered stone composition can be an engineered quartz in which the binder 182 is a polymeric resin and the filler 184 is a quartz aggregate. Alternatively, the engineered stone composition can be an engineered stone in which the binder 182 is a polymeric resin and the filler is a stone aggregate. Additionally, the engineered stone composition can be an engineered marble in which the binder 182 is a polymeric resin and the filler is a marble aggregate. Furthermore, the engineered stone composition can be a concrete in which the binder 182 is a polymer resin and the filler 184 is one or more of a quartz aggregate, a silica aggregate, a granite aggregate, a limestone aggregate, and/or other concrete aggregate. The engineered stone composition can include one or more mineral-coloring pigments. Slabs and plates of comprising various engineered stone compositions that can be used in the production of the countertop bodies, the sink columns and the side wall plates of the sink systems encompassed by the present disclosure are available from various sources, including Vetta, LLC located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
In one aspect, at least one of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, and the right side wall plate 142 comprises the first material 180. In another aspect, each of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, and the right side wall plate 142 comprises the first material 180. In a further aspect, each of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, and the right side wall plate 142 consists essentially of the first material 180. In yet another aspect, each of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, and the right side wall plate 142 consists of the first material 180. Each of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, and the right side wall plate 142 can be integrally formed as a unitary body composed of only the first material 180.
The plurality of sink columns 145 comprises a front left column 144, a front right column 146, a rear left column 148, and a rear right column 150. The front left column 144 is aligned at the front left corner of the sink basin 120 and disposed adjacent to the left side wall plate 140 and the front side wall plate 136. The front right column 146 is aligned at the front right corner of the sink basin 120 and disposed adjacent to the front side wall plate 136 and the right side wall plate 142. The rear left column 148 is aligned at the rear left corner of the sink basin 120 and disposed adjacent to the left side wall plate 140 and the rear side wall plate 138. The rear right column 150 is aligned at the rear right corner of the sink basin 120 and disposed adjacent to the rear side wall plate 138 and the right side wall plate 142. Each of the front left column 144, the front right column 146, the rear left column 148, and the rear right column 150 can be attached to the two adjacent side wall plates with an adhesive and/or a sealant and/or an adhesive/sealant that is suitable for applications exposed to water.
As shown in
In one aspect, at least one of the front left column 144, the front right column 146, the rear left column 148, and the rear right column 150 can comprise the first material 180. In another aspect, each of the front left column 144, the front right column 146, the rear left column 148, and the rear right column 150 comprises the first material 180. In further aspect, each of the front left column 144, the front right column 146, the rear left column 148, and the rear right column 150 consists essentially of the first material 180. In yet another aspect, each of the front left column 144, the front right column 146, the rear left column 148, and the rear right column 150 consists of the first material 180.
As shown in
The sink assembly 130 is connected to the countertop body 102 so that the sink basin 120, which comprises a basin opening 170, defined by the plurality of sink side wall plates 134 and the plurality of sink columns 145, is aligned with the countertop opening 106 to allow access to the sink basin 120 through the countertop opening 106. An adhesive and/or a sealant: and/or an adhesive/sealant can be applied between the countertop lip 104 and the top edges of the plurality of sink side wall plates 134 and the plurality of sink columns 145 so as to seal the countertop body 102 and the sink basin 120.
In one aspect, the countertop body 102 comprises the first material 180. In another aspect, the countertop body 102 consists essentially of the first material 180. In a further aspect, the countertop body 102 consists of the first material 180.
A shown in
As shown in
The sink assembly 130 also comprises a bracket 175 that is aligned adjacent and/or below and connected to the bottom wall 158. The bracket 175 is rectangular and sized to be aligned along the bottom outer edges of the sink assembly 130. The bracket 175 and the bottom wall 158 are connected to the plurality of sink side wall plates 134 by a plurality of fasteners 176. The plurality of fasteners 176 can comprise bracket screws 178. The bracket 175 and the bottom wall 158 can be connected to each of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, and the right side wall plate 142 by one or more of the bracket screws 178. Each of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, the right side wall plate 142, the bottom wall 158 and the bracket 175 can comprise holes formed therein that align with the corresponding holes on the respective side wall plate, the bottom wall 158, and the bracket 175 to allow a fastener to be aligned in all three respective holes. The plurality of fasteners 176 can also comprise nuts and/or washers that cooperate with the bracket screws 178 to secure the bottom wall 158 and the bracket 175 to the plurality of side wall plates 134.
In one aspect, the bottom wall 158 comprises a second material 181. In another aspect, the second material 181 is a metal. The bottom wall 158 can be formed of stainless steel or other suitable material for use in a sink basin. In a further aspect, the bottom wall 158 can be a flat plate of stainless steel.
As shown in
As shown in
Each of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, and the right side wall plate 142 comprises a first material 180. Each of the front left column 244, the front right column 246, the rear left column 248, and the rear right column 250 comprises a second material 280. As a result, the appearance of each of the front side wall plate 136, the rear side wall plate 138, the left side wall plate 140, and the right side wall plate 142 differs from the appearance of each of the front left column 244, the front right column 246, the rear left column 248, and the rear right column 250. Accordingly, the sink basin 320 exhibits yet another overall appearance that differs from the overall appearances of the sink basins 120 and 220. As illustrated, the sink systems encompassed by the present disclosure can exhibit a variety of appearance combinations. The first materials 180 and the second materials 280 can be formed of various engineered stone compositions as described herein.
The sink systems encompassed by the present disclosure can be installed in kitchen, bathroom, restroom and other types of rooms in which sinks and counters are used. Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from their consideration of the specification and practice of the present disclosure disclosed in this document. The applicant intends that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
