Sink with foldable faucet assembly and multiple-purpose support structure

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6611972
  • Patent Number
    6,611,972
  • Date Filed
    Friday, November 9, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 2, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A sink comprising a basin and a faucet assembly foldably mounted relative to the basin. The faucet assembly is rotatable between an upright position wherein the faucet assembly protrudes out from the basin and a folded position wherein the faucet assembly is received within the basin. Another embodiment comprises a sink assembly including a sink housing including a conduit rack and a receptacle for a sink with such a foldable faucet assembly. The sink assembly may further include one or more slidable table portions or a pivotable lid for covering the sink when the faucet assembly is in the folded position. A serving cart, a gardening cart and a barbecue station, each including a sink with a foldable faucet assembly and a slidable table portion or pivotable lid for covering the sink when the faucet assembly is in the folded position.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The invention relates to sinks and portable storage cabinets and, in particular, to a sink with a foldable faucet assembly and a multi-purpose portable support cabinet.




2. Description of the Invention Background




Over the years, outdoor and garden or backyard activities have become increasing popular. However, workplace and family demands in today's busy lifestyles often leave little time to organize and assemble all the necessary gear, such as gardening implements or food preparation and serving utensils prior to commencing such activities and then for cleaning and reorganizing such equipment after the activity is over. Gardening or barbecue accessories, for example, are often stored haphazardly out of sight in garages or basements and in boxes for extended periods of time,.such as during the cold weather months, and then have to be retrieved at a moment's notice for the first warm and sunny afternoon.




In addition to convenient storage, easy access to a sink for cleaning outdoor equipment and utensils of the various outdoor activities is particularly desirable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,708 to Lee discloses a foldable kitchen sink that includes two support members that are hinged to each other such that their upper surfaces may be deployed in a facing folded position or in a coplanar unfolded position. One support member has a dishwasher bucket mounted thereto; the other support member has a grille mounted thereto. The sink can be folded and transported, but does not include a faucet assembly for connection to a water supply.




U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,929 to Haley discloses a portable modular cart and game table that includes a faucet assembly and a sink basin mounted on the upper surface of the cart. A cover is connected to the cart and is movable between a first position that overlies the sink basin and a second position providing access to the sink basin. The faucet assembly is rotatable 360 degrees and collapsible, so that the faucet assembly assumes the upright position when the cover is in the second position and collapses axially when the cover is in the first position. The location of the faucet assembly occupies desirable counter top area which could be used to support utensils and other items.




There remains, therefore, a need for a sink with the faucet assembly that can be installed on outdoor equipment and that includes features that overcome the limitations, shortcomings and disadvantages of other sinks without compromising their advantages.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The invention meets the identified needs, as well as other needs, as will be more fully understood following a review of this specification and drawings.




One embodiment of the invention includes a sink comprising a basin and a foldable faucet assembly mounted on the basin. The faucet assembly is rotatable between an upright position wherein the faucet assembly protrudes out from the basin and a folded position wherein the faucet assembly is received within the basin.




Another embodiment of the invention includes a sink assembly comprising a sink housing including a conduit rack and a receptacle for a sink with a foldable faucet assembly. The sink assembly may further include one or more slidable table portions. One or both table portions may be removable and useable as serving trays, and they may have surface receptacles. Another embodiment of the sink assembly may include a pivotable lid for covering the sink when the faucet assembly is in the folded position.




The invention also includes embodiments of a serving cart, a gardening cart and a barbecue station, each including a sink with a foldable faucet assembly and a slidable table portion or pivotable lid for covering the sink when the faucet assembly is in the folded position. The barbecue station may include a utility receptacle with a corresponding lid and an enclosed storing space with divided compartments, drawers and trays, which are accessible by opening one or more doors.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




In the drawings illustrating embodiments of the present invention:





FIG. 1

is an isometric view of an embodiment of a sink with a faucet assembly in the upright position according to the invention;





FIG. 2

is a top view of the sink of

FIG. 1

;




FIG.


3


(


a


) is a partially exploded sectional view of the sink and faucet assembly of

FIG. 1

with some components shown in cross-section;




FIG.


3


(


b


) is an exploded view of an embodiment of a flow control valve of FIG.


3


(


a


);




FIG.


3


(


c


) is a partial sectional view through the actuator stem shown in FIG.


3


(


a


);




FIG.


3


(


d


) is a front view of an embodiment of a first mounting cover incorporated in the sink assembly of

FIG. 1

;




FIG.


3


(


e


) is a front view of an embodiment of a second mounting cover incorporated in the sink assembly of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is a top view of the sink of

FIG. 1

with the faucet assembly in a folded position;





FIG. 5

is a side view of the sink of

FIG. 1

with the faucet assembly in a folded position;





FIG. 6

is an isometric view of an embodiment of a sink assembly incorporating the sink of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 7

is an isometric view of the sink assembly of

FIG. 6

with the sink covered;




FIG.


7


(


a


) is an exploded view of an embodiment of the sink assembly of

FIG. 6

;




FIG.


8


(


a


) is top view of an embodiment of a connecting manifold shown in

FIG. 7

;




FIG.


8


(


b


) is a sectional view of the manifold of FIG.


8


(


a


) taken along axis VIIIb—VIIIb of FIG.


8


(


a


);





FIG. 9

is an isometric view of another embodiment of the top portion of the sink assembly of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 10

is an isometric view of yet another embodiment of the top portion of the sink assembly of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 11

is an isometric view of an embodiment of a cart incorporating the sink of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 12

is a partial exploded view of an embodiment of the cart of

FIG. 11

;





FIG. 13

is a front isometric view of yet another embodiment of a cart incorporating the sink of

FIG. 1

; and





FIG. 14

is a rear isometric view of the cart of FIG.


13


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring now to the drawings for the purpose of illustrating the invention and not for the purpose of limiting the same, it is to be understood that standard components or features that are within the purview of an artisan of ordinary skill and do not contribute to the understanding of the various embodiments of the invention are omitted from the drawings to enhance clarity, even when such features may otherwise be necessary for the function of a sink embodying the invention. In addition, it will be appreciated that the characterizations of various components described herein as moving, for example, upwardly or downwardly, or being vertical or horizontal, are relative characterizations only based upon the particular position or orientation of a given component for a particular application.





FIGS. 1 and 2

depict an embodiment of a sink


100


according to the invention. The sink


100


includes a basin


102


having a drain


104


. A two-sided drain stopper


106


, shown in more detail in

FIG. 3

, may be used to strain liquid exiting the basin through the drain


104


or to plug the drain


104


. The basin


102


may be produced and assembled from food-grade materials when the sink


100


is to be used for food preparation and serving. It will be appreciated, however, that the basin


102


could be fabricated from a myriad of other suitable materials, such as stainless steel, aluminum, etc., and be provided in a variety of different shapes. The sink


100


may also include a soap tray


110


and other support surfaces, which may be molded in the basin


102


. A faucet assembly


108


is mounted on the basin


102


and includes a discharge neck


112


, a handle


114


or other suitable lever or knob for controlling liquid flow through the faucet assembly


108


.




As indicated above, this embodiment of the sink


100


also employs a unique and novel faucet assembly


108


. In this embodiment, the faucet assembly


108


includes a faucet housing


116


that pivotally supports the discharge neck


112


on the basin


102


. More particularly and with reference to FIGS.


3


(


a


) and (


b


), the faucet housing


116


is generally hollow and may be fabricated in two pieces that are retained together by, for example, screws, adhesive, etc. The skilled artisan will readily appreciate that by employing screws to affix the portions of housing


116


together, the user can quickly disassemble the housing


116


to replace any of the components therein.




The faucet housing


116


supports a flow control valve


120


that includes a valve housing


122


that is supported in the faucet housing


116


by a mounting collar


121


that includes an inlet conduit barb


128


. See FIG.


3


(


b


). An O-ring


123


is fitted between the valve housing


122


and the collar


121


. The inlet conduit barb


128


defines an inlet passage


129


. Likewise, an outlet mounting flanged connector


130


is supported through an O-ring on the valve housing


122


opposite the inlet conduit barb


128


and defines an outlet passage


132


therethrough. The discharge neck


112


may be rotatably received on the outlet mounting flanged connector


130


for rotational travel thereon about an axis “A—A”. See FIG.


3


(


a


). Rotatably supported in the housing


122


between the inlet passage


129


and outlet passage


132


is a flow control member


124


. The flow control member


124


has a flow passage


125


therethrough that, when aligned with the inlet passage


129


and outlet passage


132


, permits a fluid entering through the inlet passage


129


to flow through the valve


120


.




In the embodiment depicted in FIG.


3


(


a


), an actuator stem


136


is attached to a side connector


127


of the valve housing


122


. The actuator stem


136


is rotatably supported in a portion of the faucet housing


116


, as shown in FIG.


3


(


c


), and has a handle


114


attached thereto. The handle


114


permits the user to selectively rotate the flow control member


124


′ about an actuator axis “B—B”. Thus, when the flow control member


124


′ is rotated such that the flow control passage


125


is aligned with the inlet passage


129


and the outlet passage


132


, fluid can flow through the valve


120


. If the flow control passage


125


is oriented at a ninety-degree angle to the inlet passage


129


and the outlet passage


132


, no fluid is permitted to pass through the valve


120


.




A supply conduit


124


, which is coupled to a source of liquid, passes through a hole


142


in the faucet housing


116


. In this embodiment, the supply conduit


124


may comprise a section of flexible hose which is coupled to the inlet conduit barb


128


by, for example, conventional means, such as a hose clamp


139


. A flanged mounting bushing


144


that has a passage therethrough supports the supply conduit


124


where it enters the faucet housing


116


. As can be seen in FIG.


3


(


a


), the mounting bushing


144


also provides a means for pivotally coupling the faucet housing


116


to the basin


102


. Protruding put through a hole


146


in an opposite side of the housing


116


is a mounting peg


148


. The mounting peg


148


is provided with a flanged portion


150


that is larger than the hole


146


to prevent the mounting peg


148


from passing completely through the hole


146


. The flanged portion


150


may include grooves that mate with corresponding protrusions in the faucet housing


116


to retain the mounting peg


148


in position. Alternatively, a biaser cavity


152


may be provided in the housing


116


for supporting a biasing member in the form of a spring to bias the mounting peg


148


in an outward direction away from the faucet housing


116


.




To install the faucet assembly


108


on the sink, the faucet housing


116


is inserted into a cavity


156


in the sink


102


. The cavity


156


may include a first mounting enclosure


158


receiving the mounting bushing


144


and a second mounting enclosure


160


receiving the mounting peg


148


. A first mounting cover


162


may be inserted over the top of the first enclosure


158


. The first mounting cover


162


snaps in over the mounting bushing


144


and secures it in place. Similarly, a second mounting cover


164


may be inserted over the top of the second mounting enclosure


160


, snapping in over the mounting peg


148


. See FIGS.


3


(


a


),


3


(


d


) and


3


(


e


). The first mounting cover


162


and the second mounting cover


164


may also be secured to the basin


102


with hidden fasteners, such as screws that are threaded from the outer surface of the basin through holes located on molded surfaces of the first and second mounting enclosures


158


,


160


.




Other ways of supporting the faucet housing on the basin of the sink are within the purview of one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the mounting bushing


144


and the mounting peg


148


may be received within respective holes in the walls of the basin, in connection with the embodiment described above that includes a spring in the biasing cavity


152


. The spring facilitates retention of the mounting peg


148


in its respective hole to retain the faucet housing


116


in the basin


102


. It will be appreciated, however, that such arrangement would permit the faucet assembly


108


to be detached from the basin


102


, if desired, for storage purposes, repair purposes, etc.




When the mounting bushing


144


is received in the first mounting enclosure


158


and the mounting peg


148


is received in second mounting enclosure


160


, the person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the faucet assembly


108


can pivot about an axis “D—D” defined by the mounting bushing


144


and mounting peg


148


. See FIG.


3


(


a


). In particular, the faucet assembly


108


may be pivoted through an angle of approximately ninety degrees from an upright position shown in

FIG. 1

, wherein at least a portion of the faucet assembly


108


protrudes from the basin to other positions including a folded storage position inside the basin


102


, such that the entire faucet assembly


108


is below a plane “E—E” defined by the top


103


of the basin


102


. See FIG.


5


. The basin


102


may include a retainer


113


that releasably retains the faucet assembly


108


in the folded position. The retainer


113


may be fabricated as an integral part of the basin


102


, by molding, for example. The rear surface of the faucet housing


116


may include two symmetric pivot detents


117


, which may be attached or molded thereon, to facilitate pivoting the faucet assembly


108


against an interior rear surface


111


of the basin


102


and to stabilize the faucet assembly


108


in the upright position.




In one embodiment of the invention, the above-described sink


100


may be employed in a sink assembly, generally indicated as


200


. The sink assembly


200


may include a sink housing


202


that has a top portion


204


with a top surface


203


and a mounting bracket


206


. See FIG.


6


. The top portion


204


includes a top recess


208


in which the sink


100


may be received. The sink assembly


200


may be fabricated from blow molded plastic or other suitable processes and materials that are relatively lightweight and that can withstand the elements, if stored outside. However, the sink assembly


200


could also be fabricated from a myriad of other materials such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum, etc.




The sink assembly


200


may be mounted on a wall or other convenient structure and may include a rack


210


for coiling a garden hose


212


or other conduit therearound. The rack


210


may have a convenient storage compartment


214


formed therein for holding sprinklers, nozzles, sprayers etc. The storage compartment


214


may have a cover


216


with a handle


217


for opening and closing the cover


216


or may be fitted with a drawer (not shown).




The sink assembly


200


may also include a pair of table portions


220


that are slidably affixed to the sink housing


202


for moving between open positions shown in FIG.


6


and closed positions shown in FIG.


7


. Each of the table portions may have, for example, a protrusion


230


that slides into a mating recess


231


formed by guides


232


on the top portion


204


of the sink housing


202


. See FIG.


7


(


a


). The top portion


204


may be provided with stops to prevent the table portions


220


from sliding completely off the sink assembly


200


. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the table portions


220


may slide either together or independently of each other on the top portion


204


of the housing


202


to fully expose, partially cover or completely cover and protect the sink


100


when the faucet assembly


108


is in the folded position, and provide work and preparation surface area.




The sink housing


202


includes an inlet opening


222


for connection with the water supply conduit


124


, and an outlet opening


224


for connection with a draining conduit


138


. See

FIG. 7

, and

FIG. 3

(


a


) for the sink


100


. The supply and draining lines may be conveniently connected through a connecting manifold


170


, shown in FIGS.


8


(


a


) and (


b


), that can be mounted on a side


225


of the sink assembly


200


, either by conventional fasteners, such as screws or by snap-fitting on the side


225


of the sink assembly


200


by means of resilient snap lugs


172


, which are, for example, integrally molded on the connecting manifold


170


, when the connecting manifold is made of plastic material. The connecting manifold


170


includes a manifold outlet


174


and a manifold inlet


176


. A manifold outlet or drain connector


184


may be inserted through the manifold outlet


174


and connect the drain conduit


138


to an extension drain conduit


185


, and a manifold inlet connector


186


may be inserted through the manifold inlet


176


and connect the fluid supply conduit


124


to an extension supply conduit


183


.




An alternative embodiment of a top portion


304


for the sink assembly


200


of

FIG. 7

is shown in FIG.


9


. The top portion


304


has a top surface


303


and includes a top receptacle


308


in which the sink


100


may be received, and a table portion


320


that is slidably attached to the top portion


304


in the manner described above and can be positioned to cover the sink


100


when the faucet assembly


108


is in the folded position. The table portion


320


may be removable and may also be used as a serving tray. The table portion


320


may also have molded depressions or surface receptacles


323


for safely supporting cutlery or dinnerware, cans, bottles, or other items. The top portion


304


may also include a working surface


322


on the other side of the sink


100


.




Yet another embodiment of a top portion


404


for the sink assembly


200


of

FIG. 7

is shown in FIG.


10


. In this embodiment, the top portion


404


has a top surface


403


and includes a first top receptacle


408


in which the sink


100


may be received, and a second top receptacle


409


that may be used for storage of food items, plants, etc., and may receive a basket


432


with divided compartments. In this embodiment, the first receptacle


408


is separated from the second receptacle


409


by a center wall portion


410


. The top portion


404


may include table portions


420


that pivot about sides


422


to fold down, and a first lid


430


and second lid


431


pivotable about the back side


434


of the top portion


404


to either expose or cover the first top receptacle


408


or the second top receptacle


409


, respectively.




The sink


100


of

FIG. 1

may also be mounted on a serving or garden cart


500


or a barbecue station


700


, or on other suitable structures and cabinets, portable and non-portable, as shown in

FIGS. 11-13

. The serving cart


500


may include a frame


501


with a plurality of legs, such as, for example, a pair of support legs


503


and a pair of wheeled legs


505


, on which a top panel


504


is supported. The serving cart


500


may also have two support legs


503


and only one wheeled leg


505


or four support legs or four wheeled legs, etc. The top panel


504


includes a receptacle


508


for receiving the sink


100


and may also have a work surface


522


. The top panel


504


may also include a table portion


520


that can slide over and cover the sink


100


, when the faucet assembly


108


is in the folded position. The table portion


520


may be removable and may also be used as a serving tray. A partial view of one embodiment illustrating the engagement of table portion


520


with the top panel


504


is shown in FIG.


12


. The table portion


520


includes symmetric protrusions


530


that engage corresponding recesses


531


formed in slide guides


532


.




The serving cart


500


may also include a rack


511


mounted on the back of the top panel


504


for supporting, for example, cups, cans or bottles, and a towel rack


513


integrally formed or mounted on the front side of the top panel


504


. The serving cart


500


may also include a bottom panel


516


having one or more storage receptacles


518


for holding separately wet and dry items, such as, for example, drinks or ice and packaged food, respectively. When the table portion


520


is removed or slid over the sink


100


, the serving cart


500


can be easily wheeled by pushing the handle


526


, which is also partially supporting the table portion


520


in its extended position. The large wheels


528


mounted on the pair of the wheeled legs


505


facilitate portability of the serving cart


500


.




The serving cart


500


may also be used for gardening and planting uses. The rack


511


may be used for holding gardening tools.





FIGS. 13 and 14

show a cart


700


that may be well-suited for use as a barbecue preparation station or a garden center. The cart


700


has a frame


701


and a top panel


704


that includes a sink receptacle


708


and a utility receptacle


710


, for preparing or storing items. The cart


700


may also include a pair of extension plates


720


that can fold down by pivoting about respective sides


722


of the top panel


704


. The cart


700


may further include an enclosed storage space


739


below the top panel


704


. The storage space


739


is accessible through one or two doors


732


that are pivotably attached to the frame


701


, and may include a storage drawer


734


, a divided utensil or spice/condiment tray and a compartment


738


for larger items, such as charcoal/grill accessories, and other bulky containers, such as oil and vinegar bottles, marinade bottles, salt containers, etc. The cart may include hooks


740


for barbecue or other serving utensils, a paper towel holder


742


, and a garbage bag holder


760


. The cart


700


may also include a pair of pivotable lids


731


and


730


for covering the food receptacle


710


and the sink receptacle


708


respectively. The lids


731


and


730


may pivot over respective back edges


751


and


750


of the top panel


704


. The extension plates


720


may also pivot to fold over the closed lids


730


and


731


. Additional tool or utensil holders


770


may be provided in the back of the cart for other uses




Whereas particular embodiments of the invention have been described herein for the purpose of illustrating the invention and not for the purpose of limiting the same, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous variations of the details, materials and arrangement of parts may be made within the principle and scope of the invention without departing from the invention as described in the appended claims. The preceding description, therefore, is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined only by the appended claims and their equivalents.



Claims
  • 1. A sink comprising:a basin; and a faucet assembly comprising a discharge neck coupled to a faucet housing, the faucet housing movably supported on the basin and selectively rotatable between an upright position wherein at least a portion of the discharge neck protrudes out from the basin such that in operation the discharge neck discharges a stream of water receivable in the basin, and a folded position wherein the faucet assembly is received within the basin for storage, wherein the faucet assembly comprises: a control valve supported within the faucet housing and coupled to the discharge neck; and a supply conduit coupled to the control valve.
  • 2. The sink of claim 1, wherein the faucet assembly includes a flow control valve.
  • 3. The sink of claim 1, wherein the basin has a top portion which defines a plane and wherein the faucet assembly is located completely below the plane when in the folded position.
  • 4. The sink of claim 1, wherein the faucet housing includes a pivot detent that is in contact engagement with an interior surface of the basin when the faucet assembly is in the upright position.
  • 5. The sink of claim 1, wherein the basin further comprises a retainer that releasably retains the faucet assembly in the folded position.
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4305166 Rose Dec 1981 A
4761839 Ganaway Aug 1988 A
D342212 Lim Dec 1993 S
5301376 Herbert Apr 1994 A
5349708 Lee Sep 1994 A
5381567 Tanner et al. Jan 1995 A
5530972 Tanner Jul 1996 A
5579073 Ben-Yaacov Nov 1996 A
5740569 Gurries et al. Apr 1998 A
6131929 Haley Oct 2000 A
6161228 Wietecha Dec 2000 A
6427259 Cawthon Aug 2002 B1