US2969549A - Sink mounting - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 31, 1961 I MlLLs 2,969,549

SINK MOUNTING Filed June 10, 1954 INVENTOR.

50x55 TQM/L L United States Patent SINK MOUNTING Ernest R. Mills, 1234 Hiatt St., Indianapolis, Ind.

Filed June 10, 1954, Ser. No. 435,750

1 Claim, (Cl- 4- 187) Thisinvention' relates to means for mounting a sink ingits associated drainboard. It'ha sheretoforebeen proposed to employ for this purpose a sink-encircling of metal formed of T-shaped cross-section to provide afhorizontal flange'which overlies the gap between the sink and the edges of the sink-receiving opening in the drainboard while the vertical web of the rim extends downwardly between the drainboard-opening and the edge of the sink-flange for cooperation with a clamping means which, when tightened, draws one side of the rimfiange'downwardly into firm contact with the drainboard and forces the sink-flange upwardly into firm contact with the other side of the rim-flange. One prior sinkencircling rim has been formed of strip stock folded on longitudinal lines to provide the horizontal flange, the vertical web, and a lip at the 'bottom edge of the web, such lip being engaged by the clamping means. In such an arrangement, it is necessary that the web, which is relatively flexible, lie against the side of the drainboard opening in order to prevent it from being deflected horizontally by the eifort exerted on it by the clamping means. With the web against the side of the drainboard opening, the edge of such opening may engage the flange close to the web; and when the clamping elfort is applied, the upward reaction of such edge may tend to curl the flange upwardly and produce an undesirable gap between its edge and the upper surface of the drainboard. Further, since the web must lie against the side of the drainb oard opening, only one alf the total width of the flange is available to accommodate for diflerences between the dimensions of the opening and the over-all dimensions of the sink-flange.

My invention embodies the general arrangement just described and has for its object to overcome the disadvantages just noted. Another object of the invention is to produce a sink-mounting means which can readily be accommodated to the mounting of sinks having flanges of different thicknesses.

In carrying out the invention in its preferred form, strip stock is folded into a T-shaped cross-section and its web is provided at intervals with downwardly opening sockets for the reception of clam-p screws. Each clamp screw has associated with it an L-shaped clamping member at least one leg of which is provided with an opening for the reception of the clamp screw, the arrangement being such that the leg of the clamping member through which the screw passes extends beneath the drainboard while the end of the other leg bears upwardly against the out-turned peripheral flange on the sink. The screwreceiving sockets in the rim-web are produced by providing the web at intervals with sets of parallel slits the material between which is offset alternately in opposite directions to define a space within which the clamp screw is screw-threadedly received. The oflset material serves the further purpose of holding the web proper away from the side of the drainboard opening and preventing the edge of such opening from engaging the rim at the junc- 2. tion of the web and flange. Desirably, the legs of each clamping member are made of unequal length, and each leg is provided with an opening for the passage of the clamp screw, thus adapting'the device for use with sinkfianges of different thicknesses.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention:

Fig. 1 is aperspective view of a sink and associated drainboard;

Fig. 2 is a fragmental vertical section through the joint between the sink and drainboard;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 4, similar; to Fig. 2 but on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the device as used in the mounting of a sink having a relatively thin peripheral flange.

"in" the arrangement shown in' the drawing, a generally rectangular sink 10' ismounted in an opening'in a drainboard 11. In accordance with common practice, thesink is shown as having an out-turned peripheral" flange 12 theover-alldimensions of which are somewhat smaller than the over-all dimensions of the sink-receiving opening in the drainboard. Surrounding the sink is a metal rim designated in its entirety bythe reference numeral 13. Such rim is T-'shaped in cross-section to provide a flange 14 opposite sides of which respectively overlap the upper surface ofthe drainboard' 1'1 and the upper surface of the sink-flange-IZ, and also to provide a central web'15'which extends downwardly between the edge of the sink-flange 12 and the edge of the sink-receiving opening in the drainboard 11.

The sink-rim 13 is formed of sheet-metal folded along. longitudinal lines, as indicated, to provide the flange 14 and web 15. At intervals along the web 15, groups of parallel slits are provided, and the stock between such slits is oifset alternately in opposite directions to form generally semi-circular tongues 16 which define, in effect, a downwardly opening recess for the reception of a pointed screw 17 and which also serve to insure the presence of a gap 16' between the web proper and the side of the drainboard opening. The screw 17 is desirably of the sheet-metal type having a relatively sharp-edged thread, and the offsetting of the tongues 16 is limited to such an extent that the threads of the screw 17 have to be forced into the space between them.

Associated with each clamp screw 17 is a clamp member 29 having a horizontal leg 21 and a vertical leg 22. In the preferred form of the invention, each of these legs has an opening 23 adapted to receive the screw 17,

and the two legs are of different lengths. For use with sinks having relatively thick flanges 12, the screw 17 is passed through the opening 23 in the longer leg 21 of the clamping member, and is then received in the space between the oppositely offset tongues 16. As the screw is rotated, it progresses upwardly in the space between the tongues 16 until its head 17' engages the leg 21 of the clamping member and forces it upwardly against the lower surface of the drainboard 11. As the screw is tightened, the sink-rim 13 is drawn downwardly to force one side of the flange 14 against the upper surface of the drainboard and to clamp the sink-flange 12 between the other side of the flange 14 and the upper end of the leg 22 of the clam-ping member.

When the device is to be used in the mounting of a sink having a thin peripheral flange, such as is indicated at 12 in Fig. 5, the clamping members are disposed with their shorter legs 20 horizontal and their longer legs vertical, the screw passing through the opening 23 in the horizontal leg, as before. Minor variations in the thickness of the sink flange or in the thickness of the drainboard can be accommodated by tilting of the clamping members, as it is not essential that their legs be respectively absolutely horizontal and vertical. Clamping members having legs of different lengths also accommodate my device to drainboards of different thicknesses. Clamping members having legs of different lengths may of course be used irrespective of the particular type of screw or other tension element which acts between each clamp member and the rim-web.

As shown in the drawing, it is preferred that the double-thickness portion of the flange 14 overlap the drainboard 11, as this arrangement provides a better seal between the flange and the parts it engages. Further, since it is the outer or drainboard-engaging half of the flange which carries the weight of the sink, the doublethickness half is better able to sustain that load without curling upwardly to open a gap between the flange-edge and the drainboard.

I claim as my invention:

In a sink installation wherein a sink having a substantially horizontally disposed rim is seated within an opening in a counter top, means securing said sink to said counter top comprising a trim strip formed of sheet metal which is configurated to provide a cap portion and a flange depending from said cap portion, said trim strip disposed to encircle the sink with the cap portion thereof overlying adjacent edges of the sink rim and the counter top and with the flange depending into the space between the sink rim and the counter top, a plurality of internal thread formations disposed at spaced points on said flange, each thread formation opening downwardly and consisting of a plurality of narrow arcuate bands which protrude alternately from opposite sides of said flange in horizontal planes spaced vertically with respect to one another to receive a coarse pitch, pointed screw, said internal thread formation being slightly undersized with respect to said screw, whereby the screw must expand the thread formation upon being threaded thereinto, means spanning the space between the undersides of the counter top and the sink rim at each thread formation, and a screw of the type set forth traversing the latter named means and being engaged into said internal thread formation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 483,804 Glauber Oct. 4, 1892 1,453,082 Rosenberg Apr. 24, 1923 1,727,159 Coulter Sept. 3, 1929 1,878,055 Wittlifi Sept. 20, 1932 2,038,638 Brey Apr. 28, 1936 2,130,399 Rypinski Sept. 20, 1938 2,158,467 Madsen May 16, 1939 2,502,553 Ball Apr. 4, 1950 2,503,910 Kerby Apr. 11, 1950 2,584,581 Harris Feb. 5, 1952 2,679,051 Walsh May 25, 1954 2,818,764 Switzer Jan. 7, 1958 2,840,829 Hammer July 1, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 652,893 Great Britain May 2, 1951

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