The present invention related generally to a fluid dispensing system and, more particularly, to a vessel rinsing apparatus for use with fluid vessels or receptacles, such as cups or glasses.
The interior of glasses, cups, and other small vessels or containers are often difficult to clean by removing dirt and debris after use. Conventional bottle brushes, sponges, rags and other disposable materials are often used to clean such small vessels but may not be effective, for example, as being incapable of fitting inside the vessel, and do not provide water for rinsing. In addition, typical faucets lack directional pressurized water flow required to adequately remove dirt and debris from extremities within the interiors of small vessels.
There remains a need for a vessel rinsing apparatus capable of being installed in a standard countertop opening, or integrated as part of a faucet escutcheon, which allows for the cleaning of small vessels, such as glasses and cups.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a vessel rising apparatus includes a mounting base having an upper coupler and a downwardly extending mounting shank defining an opening extending along a longitudinal axis. The upper coupler is configured to be supported above an upper surface of a mounting deck, and the mounting shank is configured to extend through a mounting aperture formed within the mounting deck. A fluid discharge member includes a central body supporting a plurality of nozzles and a trigger extending outwardly from the central body. The central body is received with the opening of the mounting shank and is moveable along the longitudinal axis. A valve shaft is operably coupled to the fluid discharge member and is configured to move with the trigger to control water flow through the central body to the plurality of nozzles. An escutcheon is supported by the upper coupler of the mounting base and includes an upwardly extending wall defining a drain bowl, and a drain channel extending through the upwardly extending wall. The drain channel is configured to provide fluid communication between the drain bowl and a sink basin supported by the mounting deck.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a vessel rinsing apparatus includes a mounting base having a downwardly extending mounting shank defining an opening extending along a longitudinal axis. The mounting shank is configured to extend through a mounting aperture formed within a mounting deck. A fluid discharge member includes a central body supporting a plurality of nozzles and a trigger extending outwardly from the central body. The central body is received within the opening of the mounting shank and is moveable along the longitudinal axis. A valve shaft is operably coupled to the fluid discharge member and is configured to move with the trigger to control water flow through the central body to the plurality of nozzles. A removable plate is supported by the trigger of the fluid discharge member. The removable plate includes one of a strainer having a base and a plurality circumferentially spaced drain openings, and an elastomeric brush having a plurality of upwardly extending cleaning projections and a plurality of drain openings positioned intermediate adjacent ones of the cleaning projections.
According to further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a vessel rinsing apparatus includes a mounting base having an upper plate and a downwardly extending mounting shank defining an opening extending along a longitudinal axis, the upper plate configured to be supported above an upper surface of the mounting deck, and the mounting shank configured to extend through a mounting aperture formed within the mounting deck. A fluid discharge member includes a central body supporting a plurality of nozzles and a trigger extending outwardly from the central body. The central body is received within the opening of the mounting shank and is moveable along the longitudinal axis. A valve shaft is operably coupled to the fluid discharge member and is configured to move with the trigger to control water flow through the central body to the plurality of nozzles. An escutcheon is supported by the mounting base and includes an upwardly extending wall and a drain channel extending through the upwardly extended wall, wherein the upper plate of the mounting face and the upwardly extending wall of the escutcheon define a drain bowl. The drain channel is configured to provide fluid communication between the drain bowl and a sink basin supported by the mounting deck. A removable plate is supported by the trigger of the fluid discharge member.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.
The detailed description of the drawings particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, which are described herein. The embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings. Therefore, no limitation of the scope of the claimed invention is thereby intended. The present invention includes any alterations and further modifications of the illustrated devices and described methods and further applications of principles in the invention which would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
With reference initially to
The diverter valve 36 illustratively controls (e.g., toggles) water flow between the outlet 18 of the delivery spout 20 and the vessel rinsing apparatus 10. An illustrative diverter valve 36 is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,646,476, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by herein by reference. A spout outlet tube 38 fluidly couples the diverter valve 36 to the outlet 18, while a dispenser tube 40 fluidly couples the diverter valve 36 to the vessel rinsing apparatus 10. As such, the mixing valve 22 may be manipulated by the handle 28 to control the temperature and flow rate of water delivered to the active outlet(s) selected by the diverter valve 36 (e.g., the delivery spout outlet 18 and the glass rinsing apparatus 10). The various water tubes 32, 34, 38 and 40 may be formed of a flexible polymer, such as a cross-linked polyethylene (PEX).
An escutcheon 42 may be positioned intermediate the sink deck 12 and the delivery spout 20. A plurality of mounting apertures 44 may extend within the sink deck 12, wherein at least some of the apertures 44a, 44b may be used to couple the faucet 16 to the sink deck 12. In the illustrative embodiment, the glass rinsing apparatus 10 is fixed to the mounting aperture 44c that would conventionally support a kitchen side sprayer (not shown) adjacent the sink basin 14. Such positioning facilitates draining of the vessel rinsing apparatus 10 into the sink basin 14.
With reference to
The mounting base 46 illustratively includes an upper coupler, such as an upper plate 64, and a downwardly extending mounting shank 66 defining an opening 67 extending along a longitudinal axis 68. The upper plate 64 is configured to be supported above an upper surface 69 of the sink deck 12 and illustratively comprises a disk 70 having a circular peripheral edge 71. The mounting shank 66 is configured to extend through one of the mounting apertures 44c formed within the sink deck 12 and below a lower surface 72 of the sink deck 12. The mounting shank 66 illustratively includes a stepped cylindrical tube 73 having upper external threads 74 configured to threadably couple with a mounting nut 75 for securing the mounting base 46 to the sink deck 12 (
With reference to
In one illustrative embodiment, the nozzles 84 may be oriented to direct water in different desired positions within an interior 86 of the vessel 60, as represented by arrows 85 in
The central body 80 of the fluid discharge member 54 is slideably received within the opening 67 of the mounting shank 66 such that it is moveable along the longitudinal axis 68. More particularly, the fluid discharge member 54 is configured to move along the longitudinal axis 68 between a raised (or rest) position (
A trigger 88 extends outwardly from the central body 80, The trigger 88 illustratively includes a plurality of radially outwardly extending arms or posts 90, each having a first end 92 supported by the central body 80 and a freely supported second end 94.
The valve member 56 illustratively comprises a valve pin or shaft 96 operably coupled to the fluid discharge member 54 (e.g., via a threaded coupling 97), and is configured to move with the trigger 88 to control water flow through the central body 80 to the plurality of nozzles 84. More particularly, the valve shaft 96 illustratively includes a hollow body 98 defining a fluid passageway 102 in fluid communication with the fluid passageway 82 of the central body 80 via radial openings 104. Upper and lower o-rings 106 and 108 are positioned above and below openings 104, respectively. The valve member 56 may be a separate component from the fluid discharge member 54, or formed integral therewith.
In the raised position as shown in
The escutcheon 48 is supported by the mounting base 50 and illustratively includes an upwardly extending wall 114 and a drain channel 116 extending through the upwardly extending wall 114. As shown in
The drain channel 116 illustratively includes a lower wall 122 and opposing side walls 124 and 126. A lip 127 and an associated undercut 128 formed in a lower surface of the lower wall 122 prevents wastewater flowing through the drain channel 116 from running back toward the rear wall 129 of the sink basin 14. More particularly, the undercut 128 cooperates with the lip 127 to direct water downward.
In an illustrative embodiment, the trigger plate 58 is removably supported by the trigger 88 of the fluid discharge member 54 above the drain bowl 52. More particularly, the removeable trigger plate 58 is illustratively supported by the arms 90 of the trigger 88. Illustratively, a retaining ring 130 concentrically receives and frictionally engages the body 80 to releasably secure the trigger plate 58 to the fluid discharge member 54. The removable trigger plates 58 can be cleaned, replaced and/or exchanged with other trigger plates 58 that may have different cleaning benefits (e.g., characteristics of a brush or sponge).
Anti-rotation members may be configured to prevent rotation of the removeable trigger plate 58 about the longitudinal axis 68 relative to the fluid discharge member 54. The anti-rotation members may comprise a recess 132 supported by the fluid discharge member, and cooperating tabs 134 supported by the removeable trigger plate 58.
With reference to
As shown in
As shown in
A further illustrative embodiment vessel rinsing apparatus 210 is shown in
Another illustrative embodiment vessel rinsing apparatus 310 is shown in
Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the spirit and scope of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/890,526, filed Aug. 18, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/167,647, filed Feb. 4, 2021 (now U.S. Pat. No. 11,473,277), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/131,035, filed Sep. 14, 2018 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,914,056), the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
708844 | Sweeney | Sep 1902 | A |
737247 | Kammerer | Aug 1903 | A |
784755 | Pein | Mar 1905 | A |
3092120 | Hilger et al. | Jun 1963 | A |
6152381 | Hones | Nov 2000 | A |
6612507 | Meyer et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
8646476 | Thomas et al. | Feb 2014 | B2 |
8684047 | Hotaling | Apr 2014 | B2 |
10914056 | Cipriani et al. | Feb 2021 | B2 |
11473277 | Cipriani et al. | Oct 2022 | B2 |
11725369 | Cipriani et al. | Aug 2023 | B2 |
20040060109 | Hensley | Apr 2004 | A1 |
20040168711 | Dickson, Jr. et al. | Sep 2004 | A1 |
20080142095 | Van Der Linden | Jun 2008 | A1 |
20110061754 | Thomas | Mar 2011 | A1 |
20120204342 | Hotaling | Aug 2012 | A1 |
20140215709 | Nightlinger et al. | Aug 2014 | A1 |
20140283877 | Sonoda | Sep 2014 | A1 |
20160324395 | Cox et al. | Nov 2016 | A1 |
20170162427 | Gleissner et al. | Jun 2017 | A1 |
20170172369 | Gonzalez et al. | Jun 2017 | A1 |
20180092505 | Simon | Apr 2018 | A1 |
20200087899 | Cipriani et al. | Mar 2020 | A1 |
20210052131 | Cipriani et al. | Feb 2021 | A1 |
20210156125 | Cipriani et al. | May 2021 | A1 |
20220389693 | Cipriani et al. | Dec 2022 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
896360 | Aug 1983 | BE |
1025325 | Jan 2019 | BE |
86102485 | Nov 1986 | CN |
2260567 | Aug 1997 | CN |
101035735 | Sep 2007 | CN |
203281567 | Nov 2013 | CN |
203750946 | Aug 2014 | CN |
106572780 | Apr 2017 | CN |
206779097 | Dec 2017 | CN |
108015069 | May 2018 | CN |
3628724 | Feb 1988 | DE |
202007015486 | Mar 2009 | DE |
624156 | Jul 1927 | FR |
2543426 | May 1984 | FR |
2606622 | May 1988 | FR |
2704782 | Nov 1994 | FR |
262372 | Dec 1926 | GB |
264756 | Jan 1927 | GB |
101765550 | Aug 2017 | KR |
1033004 | Jun 2008 | NL |
2012108735 | Aug 2012 | WO |
2015107560 | Jul 2015 | WO |
Entry |
---|
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Petition for Inter Partes Review, U.S. Pat. No. 11,473,277, Wenzhou Xin Xin Sanitary Ware Co., Ltd. V. Delta Faucet Company, filed Aug. 16, 2023, IPR2023-01332, 82 pages. |
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Notice of Filing Date Accorded to Petition and Time for Filing Patent Owner Preliminary Response, U.S. Pat. No. 11,473,277, Wenzhou Xin Xin Sanitary Ware Co., Ltd. V. Delta Faucet Company, filed Aug. 16, 2023, IPR2023-01332, 6 pages. |
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Patent Owner's Mandatory Notices, U.S. Pat. No. 11,473,277, Wenzhou Xin Xin Sanitary Ware Co. v. Delta Faucet Company, Ltd., filed Sep. 6, 2023, IPR2023-01332, 5 pages. |
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Exhibit List, U.S. Pat. No. 11,473,277, Wenzhou Xin Xin Sanitary Ware Co. v. Delta Faucet Company, Ltd., filed Aug. 16, 2023, IPR2023-01332, 2 pages. |
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Declaration of J. Chris Cook, U.S. Pat. No. 11,473,277, Wenzhou Xin Xin Sanitary Ware Co. v. Delta Faucet Company, Ltd., filed Aug. 16, 2023, IPR2023-01332, 102 pages. |
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, U.S. Pat. No. 10,914,056, filed Aug. 16, 2023, IPR2023-01332, 174 pages. |
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, U.S. Pat. No. 11,473,277, filed Aug. 16, IPR2023-01332, 372 pages. |
In the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Original Complaint, Wenzhou Xin Xin Sanitary Ware Co., Ltd. V. Delta Faucet Company, filed Apr. 11, 2023, IPR2023-01332, 9 pages. |
In the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Answer, Affirmative, Defense, and Counterclaims, Jury Trial Demand, Wenzhou Xin Xin Sanitary Ware Co., Ltd. v. Delta Faucet Company, filed Jul. 28, 2023, IPR2023-01332, 48 pages. |
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Decision Denying Institution of Inter Partes Review, U.S. Pat. No. 11,473,277, Wenzhou Xin Xin Sanitary Ware Co., Ltd. v. Delta Faucet Company, Feb. 7, 2024, IPR2023-01332, 41 pages. |
Aluids, The Original Rinser, C4400, retrieved from www.aluids.com/product/the-original-rinser-glass-rinser-for-kitchen-sinks/ on Oct. 17, 2023, 2 pages. |
Aluids, The Original Rinser, C4400-v2, retrieved from www.aluids.com/product/the-original-rinser-glass-rinser-for-kitchen-sinks/ on Oct. 17, 2023, 2 pages. |
Aluids, The Original Rinser—for every corner of your drinkware, retrieved from www.aluids.com/the-original-rinser/ on Nov. 16, 2023, 20 pages. |
In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Defendant's Answer, Delta Faucet Company v. Wenzhou Xin Xin Sanitary Ware Co. Ltd., filed Apr. 11, 2024, Civil Action No. 1:23-cv-01633-MPB-TAB, 15 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20230399828 A1 | Dec 2023 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 17890526 | Aug 2022 | US |
Child | 18233846 | US | |
Parent | 17167647 | Feb 2021 | US |
Child | 17890526 | US | |
Parent | 16131035 | Sep 2018 | US |
Child | 17167647 | US |