Background Art When a person desires to use water in a washstand, a drain hole is closed to hold water in the washstand. After using the water, the drain hole is opened to drain the water from the washstand. As the water is drained through the drain hole, the water level in the washstand drops.

Generally, it takes about 10 seconds to completely drain water from the washstand. Due to the required time, a user often uses water flowing from the tap while the drain hole is open, rather than using water trapped in the washstand. In this case, water consumption is three to four times as much as when using water trapped in the washstand, thus causing serious waste of water.

Especially in water-stressed regions, it is necessary to make many efforts to save water. As a method of saving water, water waste prevention devices must be installed in washstands, which are used in homes, public offices, schools, dormitories, etc.

First, there is a necessity of reducing a water drainage time, so that a user traps water in the washstand and then uses the water trapped in the washstand. Thereby, there was proposed Korean U. M. Appln. No. 1998-019268, which is entitled"drainage-improved washstand".

FIG. 1 is a sectional view to show the washstand disclosed in Korean U. M. Appln. No. 1998-019268.

The washstand is designed to have double spaces therein so that water is quickly drained from the washstand 1, thus allowing a user to quickly reuse the washstand 1.

The washstand 1 has at an upper portion thereof a water holding space. Further, a drain space 2 is provided between the water holding space and a drain pipe 3. Thus, water contained in the water holding space of the washstand flows to the drain space 2, and subsequently, the water is discharged from the drain space 2 through the drain pipe 3.

An area of a drain hole provided between the water holding space and the drain space 2, and an area of a stopper 4 to close the drain hole are two to three times as large as those of a conventional drain hole and stopper, thus allowing water to quickly flow into the drain space 2.

When the drainage of water into the drain space 2 is completed, a user can immediately use the water holding space of the washstand. The water collected in the drain space 2 is slowly drained through the drain pipe 3.

However, the washstand according to the utility model

is problematic in that it is inconvenient to pull off the stopper so as to drain water from the washstand. Further, this washstand has no novel and improved elements, except that the stopper is enlarged.

Description of Drawings FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a conventional washstand with a drain space ; FIG. 2 is a sectional view to illustrate operation of a washstand, according to the present invention; FIG. 3 is a sectional view to illustrate tilting ranges of an upper basin, according to positions of support units provided on the upper basin of the washstand, according to the present invention; FIG. 4 is a view to show a handle and a hook provided on the upper basin of the washstand, according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a perspective view to show the upper basin installed in the washstand ; FIG. 6 is a side view to show an external appearance of an upper basin, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 7 is a perspective view to show an external appearance of an upper basin, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Disclosure Technical Problem Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a washstand including upper and lower basins. The upper basin is seated in an upper portion of the lower basin to tilt, so that water conveniently drains from the upper basin to the lower basin all at once, thus allowing a user to immediately use the washstand again, without the necessity of waiting until drainage has completed.

Technical Solution In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a washstand which is filled with water for use in washing oneself and has an improved structure to include upper and lower basins. In a detailed description, the washstand includes the lower basin having lower supports and a drain hole, the upper basin supported by upper supports and a handle provided on a front portion of the upper basin so that the upper basin is disposed at an upper position in the lower basin, and a tap positioned in back of the upper basin to supply water to the upper basin.

The lower supports engage with the upper supports so that the upper supports are rotatable relative to the lower

supports.

According to an aspect of the invention, preferably, the upper supports are depressions provided on both sides of an outer surface of the upper basin, and the lower supports are projections provided on both sides of an inner surface of the lower basin to correspond to the upper supports. Thus, the lower supports engage with the upper supports so that the upper supports are rotatable relative to the lower supports.

In another aspect of this embodiment, preferably, the upper supports are projections provided on both sides of the outer surface of the upper basin, and the lower supports are depressions provided on both sides of the inner surface of the lower basin to correspond to the upper supports. Thus, the lower supports engage with the upper supports so that the upper supports are rotatable relative to the lower supports.

The upper supports are preferably placed on a vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the upper basin.

The washstand preferably further includes a drain unit provided on a lower portion of the upper basin to control drainage from the upper basin.

Preferably, an edge of the upper basin has different heights so that the edge of the upper basin is either not horizontal or has stepped portions, when the upper basin is

seated in the upper portion of the lower basin.

Further, the washstand preferably further includes a hook provided at a predetermined position on the handle of the upper basin.

The upper supports are preferably placed in front of a vertical line passing through the center of gravity of water filling the upper basin, and a hook is preferably provided at a predetermined position on the handle of the upper basin.

Advantageous Effects The present invention provides a washstand which is constructed so that water is emptied from an upper basin all at once, thus allowing a user to immediately use the washstand again, without the necessity of waiting until drainage has completed.

Further, the present invention provides a washstand which makes a user use water trapped in an upper basin, thus saving water.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a washstand which is constructed so that an upper basin tilts, thus being convenient to drain water from the upper basin.

Further, the present invention provides a washstand which is constructed so that an upper basin is easily detached from the washstand, thus being easy to clean a

lower basin as well as the upper basin, and allowing the lower basin to be efficiently used.

Best Mode The construction and operation of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view to show the configurations and combination of upper and lower basins.

The upper basin 10 is located above and in the lower basin 20 which is far larger in volume than the upper basin 10. A handle 12 is provided on a front portion of the upper basin 10, so that a user operates the upper basin 10 using the handle 12.

A tap 30 is provided in back of the upper basin 10.

When the upper basin 10 is seated in the lower basin 20, water is supplied to the upper basin 10. Meanwhile, when the upper basin 10 is removed from the lower basin 20, water is supplied to the lower basin 20.

The lower basin 20 has a larger volume than the upper basin 10, with a drain hole 22 provided on a bottom of the lower basin 20 to drain water from the lower basin 20. A stopper closes the drain hole to hold water in the lower basin 20.

The upper basin 10 is separable from the lower basin 20. In case of removing the upper basin 10 from the lower

basin 20, a user can wash a mop, bedclothes, or his/her feet in the lower basin 20 having a larger volume.

Upper supports 14 (see, FIG. 3) are provided on both sides of the upper basin 10 so that the upper basin 10 is supported on both sides of the lower basin 20. Further, lower supports 24 (see, FIG. 6) are provided on the lower basin 20 to correspond to the upper supports 14.

The upper supports 14, provided on both sides of an outer surface of the upper basin 10, are held by the lower supports 24 provided on both sides of an inner surface of the lower basin 20. Each of the upper supports 14 is a circular projection, while each of the lower supports 24 is a depression with a U-shaped profile. It is preferable that the upper supports 14 rotatably engage with the corresponding lower supports 24. Further, the upper supports 14 are easily removed from the lower supports 24.

Conversely, each of the upper supports 14 may be a depression with an inverted U-shape, while each of the lower supports 24 may be a circular projection.

The shape of the upper and lower supports 14 and 24 may be variously changed, without being limited to the above-mentioned shape, as long as the upper an lower supports 14 and 24 rotatably engage with each other.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the handle 12 is raised, the upper basin 10 containing water therein tilts downwards.

When the upper basin 10 tilts, water contained in the upper

basin 10 empties into the lower basin 20 at one time, and thereby, the upper basin 10 is emptied. Thus, a user can immediately use water fed from the tap 30 into the upper basin 10.

FIG. 3 is a view to show tilting ranges of the upper basin, according to positions of the upper supports of the upper basin of this invention.

The tilting range of the upper basin 10 is varied, according to the positions of the upper supports 14 provided on both sides of the upper basin 10. The dotted line A-A'of the drawing shows a vertical line to pass through the center of gravity of water contained in the upper basin 10, exclusive of the mass of the upper basin, when the upper basin 10 is filled with water. The line A-A' is referred to simply as a vertical line of gravity hereinafter. Further, a point indicated as +'designates the position where the vertical line of gravity crosses with a water surface when the upper basin 10 is filled with water.

The tilting range of the upper basin 10 is varied, according to a force tilting the upper basin 10 as well as the position of the upper supports 14 provided on the upper basin 10.

The (a) of FIG. 3 shows the state where the upper supports 14 are placed in front of the vertical line of gravity, that is, the upper supports 14 are placed at a

lower position in front of the point indicated as +'.

When the handle is raised up to reach the position a, all water is discharged to the lower basin 20.

The (b) of FIG. 3 shows the state where the upper supports 14 are placed in front of the vertical line of gravity, that is, the upper supports 14 are placed at a leveled position in front of the point indicated as +'.

When the handle is raised up to reach the position b, all water is discharged to the lower basin. 20.

The (c) of FIG. 3 shows the state where the upper supports 14 are placed on the vertical line of gravity, that is, the upper supports 14 are placed at the point indicated as +'. In this case, the handle must be raised up to reach the position c to discharge all water to the lower basin 20.

The (d) of FIG. 3 shows the state where the upper supports 14 are placed on the vertical line of gravity, that is, the upper supports 14 are placed under the point indicated as +'. When the handle is raised up to reach the position b, all water is discharged to the lower basin 20.

The (e) of FIG. 3 shows the state where the upper supports 14 are placed in back of the vertical gravity central line, that is, the upper supports 14 are placed in back of the point indicated as +'. In this case, the handle must be raised up to reach the position d to

discharge all water to the lower basin 20.

The upper basin 10 is seated in the lower basin by the upper supports 14 and the handle 12 provided on the front portion of the upper basin 10. When the upper supports 14 are positioned in front of the vertical line of gravity to be near to the handle 12, it is advantageous to quickly empty water from the upper basin 10, although the upper basin 10 is not excessively highly raised.

However, in this case, the center of gravity is not located between the handle 12 and the upper supports 14, so that the upper basin may completely tilt downwards by itself. Thereby, even when water is fed to the upper basin, water may not be retained in the upper basin, but may be undesirably discharged from the upper basin.

Therefore, in case of placing the upper supports 14 in front of the vertical line of gravity, the upper supports 14 must not be placed in front of the combined center of gravity of the upper basin 10 and water, assuming that the water fills the upper basin 10.

Meanwhile, in case of placing the upper supports 14 on or in back of the vertical line of gravity of water, a user must raise the upper basin 10 relatively high to drain water from the upper basin 10, but it is advantageous in that the upper basin 10 does not completely tilt downwards by itself to prevent water from being undesirably drained from the upper basin 10.

Thus, it is preferable that the upper supports 14 be placed on the vertical line of gravity, as shown in (c) and (d) of FIG. 3.

Meanwhile, when the handle 12 is provided with a hook 12, the upper basin 10 tilts only when releasing the hook 16 from the washstand. Thus, although the upper supports 14 are placed in front of the vertical line of gravity, the undesirable tilt of the upper basin 10 is prevented due to the hook 16.

Therefore, when the hook 16 is installed on the handle, it is possible to place the upper supports 14 in front of the vertical line of gravity. In this case, when water fills the upper basin 10, a user has only to lightly touch the hook 16 so as to release the hook 16. At this time, the upper basin itself tilts downward, thus allowing water to automatically drain from the upper basin 10.

That is, although a user does not apply force to the upper basin 10 to tilt the upper basin 10, the upper basin itself tilts while emptying.

FIG. 4 is a view to show the hook provided on the handle of the upper basin and a hook seat.

The handle 12 provided on the front portion of the upper basin 10 is supported by the lower basin 20.

Preferably, the hook 16 and the hook seat 19 are provided on the handle 12 and the lower basin 20, respectively, so that the hook 16 is seated in the hook seat 19.

A projection is provided on an inner surface of the hook 16 to be seated in the hook seat 19 of the lower basin 20, thus preventing the upper basin 10 from undesirably tilting. Preferably, the hook 16 is made of an elastic material to be easily released from the hook seat 19, when a predetermined force acts on the hook 16.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view to show the external appearance of the present invention.

The upper basin 10 is seated in the upper portion of the lower basin 20. It is preferable that an upper edge of the upper basin 10 have a non-uniform height. If the upper edge of the upper water basin 10 has a uniform height, water may overflow in all directions when the water basin 10 is filled with water. However, when the upper edge has a non-uniform height, water flows out through a lower portion of the upper edge. That is, water flows out through the lower portion of the upper edge of the upper basin without an additional outlet, thus serving as an overflow prevention device.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which an upper edge of a rear portion of the upper basin 10 has a lower height to define a space B. Thus, when water fills the upper basin 10, the water does not flow out through the front portion adjacent to a user, but flows out through the space B defined at the rear portion of the washstand to be collected in the lower basin 20.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are views to show upper basins with different shapes, according to this invention.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which the upper edge of the upper basin 10 is inclined rearwards and downwards at an angle of a with the horizontal line C-C'. The height of the upper basin 10 is lowered toward the rear portion of the washstand, thus allowing water to be discharged through the rear portion of the upper basin 10.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment in which a water overflow path with a lower height is provided at a predetermined position on the upper basin 10, thus allowing water to be discharged through the path.

In addition to the above-mentioned embodiments, an outlet may be provided at a predetermined position on the upper basin 10.

The upper supports 14 are provided on both sides of the upper basin to be held by the U-shaped lower supports 24 shown by the dotted-line.

Preferably, a drain unit 18 is provided at a predetermined position on the upper basin 10. The drain unit 18 may include a drain hole and a stopper to close the drain hole. Alternatively, the drain unit 18 may comprise a conventional one-touch type drain unit having a spring therein. The one-touch type drain unit is constructed so that a drain hole is opened when pressing the drain unit once, and the drain hole is closed when

pressing the drain unit again. In the present invention, because the upper basin 10 tilts, it is difficult to use a drain unit connected to the exterior. Thus, it is preferable to use a self-controlled drain unit, as described above.

When opening the drain unit 18 of the upper basin 10, a user may use a washstand while allowing water to continuously flow, like a conventional washstand. If desired, the user can use only the lower basin 20 having a larger volume, by removing the upper basin 10 from the lower basin 20.

Further, a washboard may be mounted to the lower basin 20 so that a user may wash a mop or laundry.