WATER CLOSET FLANGE MOUNTING PLATE

Abstract

A water closet flange mounting plate for mounting over a first bore in a floor. The mounting plate including: a sheet body having a surface area greater than an area of a diameter of the first bore; a second bore formed in the sheet body, the second bore having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first bore; and a closet flange connected to the sheet body, the closet flange having one or more of mounting holes or mounting slots for mounting a water closet to the closet flange, the closet flange further having a third bore with a center axis coinciding with a center axis of the second bore.

Description

BACKGROUND

Field

The present disclosure relates generally to water closets (also known as flush toilets), and, in particular, relates a water closet flange mounting plate.

Prior Art

A water closet is a common term for a flush toilet. A water closet works by gravity. When a flush lever is pulled, a plug opens in a storage tank allowing water from the storage tank to flow out to a bowl containing human waste. When the bowl is full enough, gravity causes the liquid in the bowl, along with the human waste, to flow out through a bend in a pipe, called an S trap. The S trap leads to a waste pipe to carry the liquid and human waste to a sewer or other waste management system.

A closet flange (also known as a toilet flange) is a pipe fitting that both mounts the water closet to the floor and connects the water closet to the waste pipe. A wax ring is used to seal a gap between the closet flange and the bottom of the water closet.

In commercial installations, water closets are typically mounted on cement slabs between floors of a building. The waste pipe is provided to the water closet by boring a hole in the cement slab at the approximate location of the water closet. Where there is a misalignment between a position of the bore and a correct positioning of the water closet, the bore must be re-drilled to enlarge the same so that the closet flange aligns with the bore. Such re-drilling requires additional time and labor and the associated expenses with the same.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, a water closet flange mounting plate is provided for mounting over a first bore in a floor. The mounting plate comprising: a sheet body having a surface area greater than an area of a diameter of the first bore; a second bore formed in the sheet body, the second bore having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first bore; and a closet flange connected to the sheet body, the closet flange having one or more of mounting holes or mounting slots for mounting a water closet to the closet flange, the closet flange further having a third bore with a center axis coinciding with a center axis of the second bore.

The sheet body can further comprise a plurality of mounting holes for mounting the sheet body to the floor.

The sheet body can be formed having a peripheral portion formed to sit directly on the floor and a central portion formed to be elevated above the floor when the peripheral portion sits directly on the floor, the central portion including the second bore and closet flange. The sheet body can further comprise a plurality of mounting holes formed in the peripheral portion for mounting the sheet body to the floor. A height between the peripheral portion and the elevated central portion can be in a range of ¼-½ inch. The height between the peripheral portion and the elevated central portion can be approximately ⅜ inch.

The sheet body can be formed in a rectangular shape. The rectangular shape can have four sides each having a length in a range of 10-18 inches. The rectangular shape can be a square shape where the length of the four sides is approximately 14 inches.

The diameter of the second bore can be approximately 5¼ inches.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a water closet flange mounting plate.

FIG. 2a illustrates a side view of the water closet flange mounting plate of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2b illustrates a detailed portion of the water closet flange mounting plate of FIG. 2a.

FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of the water closet flange mounting plate of FIG. 1 as mounted over a bore in a cement slab where the flange is offset from the bore in a first direction from a side wall.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the water closet flange mounting plate of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of the water closet flange mounting plate of FIG. 1 as mounted over a bore in a cement slab where the flange is offset from the bore in a second direction from a back wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2a and 2b, there is shown a water closet flange mounting plate, generally referred to by reference numeral 100. The water closet flange mounting plate mounts over a first bore 102 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) in a floor 104 (see FIG. 4). The first bore 102 is generally drilled in the floor 104, such as a cement slab commonly used in commercial and large building construction. The first bore 104 can be about 8″ in diameter and can be formed using specialized coring machines and cutting tools for forming bores (core holes) in cement slabs. The first bore 102 is typically formed early at a position believed to correspond to a location of a water closet (toilet). However, the first bore 102 is often in misalignment with a final position of the water closet due to any number of reasons, such as possible changes in locations of adjacent walls or incorrect installation of components for use with the water closet.

The mounting plate 100 includes a sheet body 106 having a surface area greater than an area of a diameter of the first bore 102 such that the sheet body 106 can be placed over and completely cover the first bore 102. The sheet body 106 can be formed of any durable material, such as aluminum or stainless steel. For example, if formed of aluminum, the sheet body 106 can be formed of 20 gauge sheet and if formed of stainless steel, the sheet body 106 can be formed of 18 gauge sheet. The sheet body 106 can be formed in any shape to cover the first bore 102, such as a rectangular shape. The rectangular shape can have four sides each having a length in a range of 10-18 inches. The rectangular shape can be a square shape where the length of the four sides is approximately the same, such as each being 14 inches in length.

The sheet body 106 has a second bore 108 formed in the sheet body 106. The second bore 108 has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first bore 102. The diameter of the second bore 108 can be approximately 5¼ inches. The sheet body 106 further has a plurality of mounting holes 110 for mounting the sheet body 106 to the floor 104. Such mounting holes 110 can be placed about a periphery of the sheet body 106, such as at each corner and/or at locations between each corner. Such mounting holes 110 can be, for example, ⅛ inch in diameter and can include a countersink.

The mounting plate 100 also includes a closet flange 112 (toilet flange) connected to the sheet body 106. The closet flange 112, can be mounted at any position on the sheet body 106, such as centrally, and can be connected to the sheet body 106 by any means, such as welding, adhering or with fasteners 115. The closet flange 112 is configured to connect the mounting flange 100 to the water closet, as is known in the art. Therefore, the closet flange 112 can have one or more of mounting holes 114 or mounting slots 116 for mounting the water closet to the closet flange 112. The closet flange 112 further having a third bore 113 with a center axis substantially coinciding with a center axis of the second bore 108 in the sheet body 106.

As shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the sheet body 106 can be formed having a peripheral portion 106a formed to sit directly on the floor 104 when the mounting plate 100 is mounted on the floor 104 and a central portion 106b formed to be elevated above the floor by a height H when the peripheral portion 106a sits directly on the floor 104. The central portion 106b can be circular in shape to follow a contour of the closet flange 112 and includes at least the second bore 108 and the closet flange 112. The peripheral portion 106a includes at least the plurality of mounting holes 110 for mounting the sheet body 106 to the floor 104. The height H between the peripheral portion 106a and the elevated central portion 106b can be in a range of ¼-½ inch, such as approximately ⅜ inch to accommodate a thickness of finished flooring (e.g., ceramic tiles) that are laid on the peripheral portion 106a and on an adjacent surface of the slab floor 104. The difference in height H between the central portion 106b and the peripheral portion 106a of the sheet body 106 can be formed by any methods known in the art, such as hydraulic punching that provides a tapered transition portion 106c between the central portion 106b and the peripheral portion 106a.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, there is illustrated an installation of the mounting flange 100 over the first bore 102 in the floor 104, in this case, a cement slab. The first bore 102 can be drilled at a larger size than it would otherwise be drilled to account for a misalignment between the first bore 102 and the closet flange 112 location. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, even where a central axis of the first bore 102 is offset from a central axis of the third bore 113 of the closet flange 112, the mounting flange 100 can be positioned over the first bore 102 such that the third bore 113 overlaps with the first bore 102, even though misaligned. The extent of the misalignment can be where a portion of the walls of the first and third bores 102, 113 are aligned (position X), as is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. After such positioning of the mounting plate 100, the same is fastened to the floor 104 using appropriate anchors in the mounting holes 110.

Although FIG. 3 shows a misalignment in a direction towards or away from a corresponding side wall 118, as shown in FIG. 5, the misalignment can be in any direction relative to the side wall 118, such as towards or away from a corresponding back wall 119 or diagonally relative to the back 119 or side 118 wall.

Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A water closet flange mounting plate for mounting over a first bore in a floor, the mounting plate comprising: a sheet body having a surface area greater than an area of a diameter of the first bore;a second bore formed in the sheet body, the second bore having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the first bore; anda closet flange connected to the sheet body, the closet flange having one or more of mounting holes or mounting slots for mounting a water closet to the closet flange, the closet flange further having a third bore with a center axis coinciding with a center axis of the second bore;wherein the sheet body is formed having a peripheral portion configured to sit directly on the floor and a central portion formed to be elevated above the floor when the peripheral portion sits directly on the floor, the central portion including the second bore and the closet flange;a height between the peripheral portion and the elevated central portion is in a range of ¼-½ inch; andan entirety of the peripheral portion including an outer peripheral edge of the peripheral portion is planar.

2-3. (canceled)

4. The water closet of claim 1, wherein the sheet body further comprises a plurality of mounting holes formed in the peripheral portion for mounting the sheet body to the floor.

5. (canceled)

6. The water closet of claim 1, wherein the height between the peripheral portion and the elevated central portion is approximately ⅜ inch.

7. The water closet of claim 1, wherein the sheet body is formed in a rectangular shape.

8. The water closet of claim 7, wherein the rectangular shape has four sides each having a length in a range of 10-18 inches.

9. The water closet of claim 8, wherein the rectangular shape is a square shape and the length of the four sides is approximately 14 inches.

10. The water closet of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the second bore is approximately 5¼ inches.