Cross-Reference to Related Application

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. non-provisional patent application No. 15/899,742 filed on February 20, 2018, the entire disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

Background

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to hard piped drain systems. In particular, systems for automatically draining fixed cabinetry are described

[0003] Known cabinetry systems are not entirely satisfactory for the range of applications in which they are employed. For example, the interior spaces of existing cabinets, such as sink cabinets, do not drain to hard-piped sewer systems. Water or other fluid that leaks or flows into these interior cabinet spaces flows out onto the floor and/or sits stagnantly in the interior space. Stagnant water in the interior space of the cabinet may go unnoticed for long periods and cause severe damage to the cabinet and/or the floor beneath it.

[0004] Thus, there exists a need for cabinetry drain systems that improve upon and advance the design of known cabinets. Examples of new and useful cabinetry drain systems relevant to the needs existing in the field are discussed below.

Summary

[0005] In one example, a sink cabinet drain system may include a sink cabinet, a faucet, a supply line, a custom-fit drain pan, and a gravity-drained cabinet waste line. The sink cabinet may support a sink basin. The faucet may be configured to direct water into the sink basin. The supply line may be configured to supply pressurized water to the faucet, the supply line being routed through the cabinet. The custom-fit drain pan may be disposed within the cabinet, beneath both the supply line and the sink basin. The upper surface of the drain pan may be sloped to drain to a collection orifice. A gravity-drained cabinet waste line may be configured to collect liquid from the collection orifice and deliver the liquid, via gravity, to a sewer system.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first example of a cabinetry drain system.

[0007] Fig. 2 is a cross-section view of the cabinetry drain system shown in Fig. 1 .

[0008] Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the cabinetry drain system of Figs 1-2.

Detailed Description

[0009] The disclosed cabinetry drain systems will become better understood through review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the figures. The detailed description and figures provide merely examples of the various inventions described herein. Those skilled in the art will understand that the disclosed examples may be varied, modified, and altered without departing from the scope of the inventions described herein. Many variations are contemplated for different applications and design considerations; however, for the sake of brevity, each and every contemplated variation is not individually described in the following detailed description.

[0010] Throughout the following detailed description, examples of various cabinetry drain systems are provided. Related features in the examples may be identical, similar, or dissimilar in different examples. For the sake of brevity, related features will not be redundantly explained in each example. Instead, the use of related feature names will cue the reader that the feature with a related feature name may be similar to the related feature in an example explained previously. Features specific to a given example will be described in that particular example. The reader should understand that a given feature need not be the same or similar to the specific portrayal of a related feature in any given figure or example.

[0011] With reference to Figs. 1-3, a first example of a cabinetry drain system, system 10, will now be described. System 10 functions to automatically drain liquid from the interior space 360 of sink cabinet 300 to a hard-piped sewer system. The reader will appreciate from the figures and description below that system 10 addresses shortcomings of conventional sink cabinets.

[0012] For example, system 10 collects liquid spilled or sprayed in the interior space 360 of cabinet 300 and drains it to the sewer system, thereby preventing damage to the cabinet and/or widespread flooding of the area surrounding the cabinet 300. Further, system 10 prevents backflow of gas and/or liquid from the sewer system into the interior space 360.

[0013] System 10 includes sink cabinet 300, a faucet 310, a drain pan 100, a cabinet waste line

1 14, and a check valve 1 18.

[0014] As can be seen in Fig. 1 , sink cabinet 300 includes sink basin 320, faucet 310, side panels 350, 351 , door 365 and kickplate 330. Faucet 310 may be supplied by hot water supply line 220 and cold water supply line 210. Hot water supply line 220 may supply pressurized hot water to the faucet 310. Cold water supply line 210 may supply pressurized cold water to the faucet. Hot water supply line 220 may include hot shutoff valve 240. Cold water supply line 210 may include cold shut off valve 230. Hot and cold water supply lines 210, 220 may each include a plurality of fittings. As shown, hot and cold water supply lines 210, 220 may be routed through the interior 360 of sink cabinet 300.

[0015] Sink basin 320 may be drained by basin waste line 200. As shown, basin waste line 200 may include a gooseneck and/or plurality of fittings. Basin waste line 200 may be gravity drained.

[0016] As can be seen in Fig. 1 , the bottom of cabinet interior is covered by drain pan 100. In some embodiments, drain pan 100 may be custom-fit to the cabinet 300. In some embodiments, the drain pan 100 may be made to order to dimensions of the interior space 360 of the cabinet 300. As can be seen, drain pan 100 is disposed beneath hot and cold water supply lines 220, 210 as well as basin waste line 200.

[0017] As described above, each of the hot and cold water supply lines 220, 210 and basin waste line 200 have various fittings. Each of these fittings has a potential to leak liquid into the interior space 360 of cabinet 300. In conventional sink cabinets, a leak from one of these fittings into the interior space of the cabinet may cause significant damage. However, drain pan 100 functions to collect any liquid that may leak from the piping above it, thereby preventing it from damaging the cabinet and/or flooding the area surrounding the cabinet.

[0018] As can be seen in Fig. 1 , the drain pan 100 may include a perforated cap 1 10 disposed in a collection orifice 1 12 within drain pan 100. Liquid collected via drain pan 100 may be directed, via gravity, through the perforated cap 1 10 and into the collection orifice 1 12. As described below, the collection orifice may be routed to a sewer system.

[0019] Turning now to Fig. 2, a cross-sectional view of the cabinetry drain system is shown. As can be seen, the upper surface of drain pan 100 slopes to drain to the collection orifice 1 12. Cabinet waste line 1 14 is configured to collect liquid from the collection orifice 1 12 and deliver the liquid, via gravity, to a sewer system (not shown). Cabinet waste line 1 14 may be sloped toward the sewer system to allow the liquid collected via the collection orifice 1 12 to flow via gravity to the sewer.

[0020] As can be seen in Fig. 2, basin waste line 200 may join with cabinet waste line 1 14 via tee 1 16. Basin waste line 200 may penetrate the drain pan 100 at orifice 120. Orifice 120 may include a liquid-tight seal between the drain pan 100 and the outer surface of basin waste line 200 to prevent liquid captured by the drain pan 100 from leaking down between the drain pan 100 and the basin waste line 200. In some embodiments, the liquid tight seal may comprise a bulk head. In some embodiments, the liquid-tight seal may comprise a gasket. In other embodiments, the cabinet waste line may be piped to the sewer system separately from the basin waste line.

[0021] Check valve 1 18 may be disposed in the cabinet waste line 1 14. Check valve 1 18 may function to prevent backflow of liquid and or gas from the sewer system. Check valve 1 18 may be disposed downstream of tee 1 16. Thus, check valve 1 18 may prevent backflow from both cabinet waste line 1 14 and basin waste line 200.

[0022] Turning now to Fig. 3, a schematic illustration of the liquid flow of system 10 is shown.

As can be seen, pressurized water is delivered to faucet 310, where it falls into sink basin 320 and gravity drains from there to the sewer. Liquid that escapes from the system may be collected by collection orifice 1 12 and delivered, through check valve 1 18, to the sewer. Thus, damage to the cabinet and surrounding areas may be prevented.

Industrial Applicability

[0023] The inventions described in this application may be made by a variety of industrial processes, including by various mechanical, electrical, and mold-based assembly techniques. Further, the inventions described herein may be used in residential, commercial, and industrial contexts, including homes, retail establishments, offices, and factories.

[0024] The inventions described above may be alternatively described according to the following non-limiting embodiments:

[0025] In a first embodiment for a sink cabinet drain system, the sink cabinet drain system may include a cabinet supporting a sink basin, a faucet configured to direct water into the sink basin, a supply line configured to supply pressurized water to the faucet, the supply line being routed through the cabinet, a custom-fit drain pan disposed within the cabinet beneath both the supply line and the sink basin, the custom-fit drain pan having an upper surface that is sloped to drain to a collection orifice, and a gravity- drained cabinet waste line configured to collect liquid from the collection orifice and deliver the liquid, via gravity, to a sewer system.

[0026] In some embodiments, the first sink cabinet drain system includes a sink basis waste line configured to transfer, via gravity, liquid waste from the sink basin to the cabinet waste line. In such examples, the first sink cabinet drain system may include a check valve installed in the cabinet waste line to prevent backflow from the sewer system. In examples where the system includes a check valve, the check valve may be installed downstream of both the cabinet waste line and the sink basin waste line.

[0027] In some examples, the first sink cabinet drain system includes a perforated cap disposed in the collection orifice.

[0028] In certain examples, the collection orifice is a first orifice and the sink cabinet drain system includes a second orifice in the drain pan. In examples with a second orifice, the second orifice may be configured to receive the sink basin waste line and to provide a liquid-tight seal between the drain pan and the sink basin waste line. The liquid tight seal may comprise a bulkhead.

[0029] In a second embodiment of a sink cabinet drain system, the sink cabinet drain system may include a sink cabinet supporting a sink basin, a faucet configured to direct water into the sink basin, a supply line configured to supply pressurized water to the faucet, the supply line being routed through the cabinet, a custom-fit drain pan disposed within the cabinet, beneath both the supply line and the sink basin, wherein the drain pan has an upper surface, the upper surface being sloped to drain to a collection orifice, and a gravity-drained cabinet waste line configured to collect liquid from the collection orifice and deliver the liquid, via gravity, to a sewer system, and a sink basin waste line, wherein the sink basin waste line is configured to transfer, via gravity, liquid waste from the sink basin to the cabinet waste line.

[0030] In some examples of the second sink cabinet drain system, the sink cabinet drain system includes a check valve installed in the cabinet waste line to prevent backflow from the sewer system. The check valve may be installed downstream of both the cabinet waste line and the sink basin waste line.

[0031] In certain examples of the second sink cabinet drain system, the sink cabinet drain system includes a perforated cap disposed in the collection orifice.

[0032] In some embodiments of the second sink cabinet drain system, the collection orifice is a first orifice and the sink cabinet drain system includes a second orifice in the drain pan. In these embodiments, the second orifice may be configured to receive the sink basin waste line and to provide a liquid-tight seal between the drain pan and the sink basin waste line. The liquid tight seal may comprise a bulkhead.

[0033] In a third embodiment of a sink cabinet drain system, the sink cabinet drain system may include a sink cabinet supporting a sink basin, a faucet configured to direct water into the sink basin, a supply line configured to supply pressurized water to the faucet, the supply line being routed through the cabinet, a custom-fit drain pan disposed within the cabinet, beneath both the supply line and the sink basin, wherein the drain pan has an upper surface, the upper surface being sloped to drain to a collection orifice, and a gravity-drained cabinet waste line configured to collect liquid from the collection orifice and deliver the liquid, via gravity, to a sewer system, a sink basin waste line, wherein the sink basin waste line is configured to transfer, via gravity, liquid waste from the sink basin to the cabinet waste line, and a check valve installed in the cabinet waste line to prevent backflow from the sewer system, the check valve being installed downstream of both the cabinet waste line and the sink basin waste line.

[0034] In certain examples of the third sink cabinet drain system, the sink cabinet drain system includes a perforated cap disposed in the collection orifice.

[0035] In some embodiments of the third sink cabinet drain system, the collection orifice is a first orifice and the sink cabinet drain system includes a second orifice in the drain pan. In these embodiments, the second orifice may be configured to receive the sink basin waste line and to provide a liquid-tight seal between the drain pan and the sink basin waste line. The liquid tight seal may comprise a bulkhead.

[0036] The disclosure above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility.

While each of these inventions has been disclosed in a particular form, the specific embodiments disclosed and illustrated above are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed above and inherent to those skilled in the art pertaining to such inventions. Where the disclosure or subsequently filed claims recite“a” element, “a first” element, or any such equivalent term, the disclosure or claims should be understood to incorporate one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.

[0037] Applicant(s) reserves the right to submit claims directed to combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed inventions that are believed to be novel and non-obvious. Inventions embodied in other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of those claims or presentation of new claims in the present application or in a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to the same invention or a different invention and whether they are different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are to be considered within the subject matter of the inventions described herein.