US2246390A - Valved floor drain - Google Patents

Description

June '17, 1941. H, SMITH VALVED moon. DRAIN Filed Sept. 21, 1939 M M m w x w m M W 2 Patented June 17, 1941 UNITED r STATES PATENT OFFICE Application September 2(1(,g N0. 295,874

5 Claims.

each of those of which applicant has knowledge,

some serious obstacle to successful, practical, or economical use is involved. Thus various attempts have been made to incorporate an automatic valve in connection with a drain wherein the valve operates on the check valve principle, being suspended freely below a valve opening and adapted to be raised to closed position by back water pressure in the drain pipe. Since most of the valves of this type operate on theprinciple of a valve float their action is not posi-' tive, and because they work against gravity and are subject to sticking, as through accumulation of rust and the like, they have not proved satisfactory. Various types of positive valves have also been developed for this purpose, but these have generallybeen quite complicated in construction, and hence expensiveto, manufacture and install.

It is therefore the primary object, of this invention to provide a novel and simple valve construction for use with a floor drain.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein the cover for the drain bowl or cup is fixedly-secured to said bowl or cup, whereby the cover may carry pressure applying means associated with a valve member adapted to be applied against the outlet of the bowl or cup.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein a valve member has a rockable connection with an operating or pressure applying member, so that the valve member is free to assume an operative sealing position in relation to the outlet of the drain, which, being generally formed of cast metal, is subject to irregularities.

A further object is to provide a device of this character including a positive action valve wherein all the parts thereof are normally positioned Fig. 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the device taken on line l--l of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a modified construction of the device.

, Referring to the drawing, which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral ll designates a bowl or housing which is adapted to be set in the floor with its upper edge substantially flush with or slightly below the surface of the floor. At its center the bowl has an opening ll defined by a cylindrical projecting portion l2 which is adapted for connection with a drain pipe or sewer pipe ii in any desirable or suitable manner. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, an upwardly projecting annular rib I4 is formed at the margin of the bowl opening H for purposes to be hereinafter set forth.

A cover plate 15 provided with suitable drain apertunes It fits on an interiorly projecting flange ll of bowl Ill adjacent the upper end of the bowl. Cover I5 is adapted to be fixedlysecured to place on flange I1 by means of screws or other securing members l8. Cover l5 has a sleeve is formed integral therewith centrally thereof and depending therefrom. Ribs 20 serve to reinforce said plate and sleeve. An interiorly screw threaded opening 2! is formed centrally in plate I5 and extends through sleeve It), said opening 2| preferably being axially aligned with opening H.

A shaft 22 is screw threaded in opening 2| and i is provided at its lower end with a ball 23. The

upper end of shaft 22 is provided with a socket 24 into which a suitable tool may be inserted for 5 rotating the shaft.

at or below the level of the floor and of the upper surface of the cover plate of the floor drain.

Other objects will be apparent from the description and appended claims.

In the drawing:

A valve head 25 is provided with a socket member 25 at its upper end adapted to fit around ball 23. As illustrated in Fig. 1, valve head 25 terminates in a substantially flat plate portion 21 having a substantially flat lower surface. A comparatively thin sheet of rubber, artificial rubber, such as Duprene or Neoprene", or some other suitable yielding material adapted for sealing purposes, is fixedly secured to the lower flat face of valve head 25. The size of the lower portion 21 of the valve head and of the sealing member 28 is slightly greater than the diameter of the marginal ridge ll of the bowl.

It will be seen from the above that when shaft 22 is rotated to force the same downwardly, valve member 25 will be positively pressed and forced against ridge ll of the bowl Ill. The bowl I0 is usually formed of cast metal and hence is subject to irregularities and inaccuracies of manufacture. This is partly compensated for by the resilient or yielding character of the sealing material 28. However, in the event of inaccuracies or irregularities which are greater than those which the elasticity of material It may readily compensate for, the ball and socket connection between shaft 22 and valve head 25 comes into play. In fact, the combination of the universal joint connection between the shaft and valve head with the elastic character of the sealing face member 28 serves to provide a positive seal for opening I l with minimum deforming or compressing of member 28, thereby serving to increase the effective life of the material 28.

The shaft is preferably of such length that when the valve is urged into sealing position thereby the upper end of the shaft will be positioned at or below the level of the upper end of the plate I, and when the valve has been opened the shaft will not project above the upper surface of plate IE to any material extent. In this way danger that the device may constitute an obstacle over which a person might stumble is entirely avoided, and a substantially fiush surface is provided at all times. At the same time the provision of the tool socket 24 in the upper shaft end provides means whereby the valve may be readily and conveniently actuated.

A slightly modified construction is illustrated in Fig. 3. The modification exists essentially in the shape of the valve head 30, which is of part spherical formation so that the shape of the resilient sealing member 3| thereof is substantially curved or rounded. The construction in all other respects is the same as in the preferred embodiment and the same reference numerals are applied.

The principal advantage of this modified construction is that the ridge ll of the preferred embodiment may be entirely eliminated, thus avoiding the necessity of having some water standing in the bowl III to the level of the ridge H, as occurs in the preferred embodiment; This is achieved by virtue of the curved shape of the valve head on a small radius than the bowl curvature so that the valve head may extend slightly into outlet opening I I of the bowl, while its outer marginal portion projects outwardly of the opening II and above the adjacent portion of the bowl It; thus preventing interference from the bowl to the solid seating of the valve head, which is not possible with a fiat valve. The same ball and socket connection 23, 28 between the shaft 22 and head 3|! are provided to give the ad vantage of self-seating of the valve head for compensation with irregularities and inaccuracies of the bowl I0.

I claim:

1. In a valved floor drain, a perforated cover plate adapted to be fixedly secured to the upper end of a cup-shaped drain bowl, said plate having a downwardly projecting internally screw threaded collar integral therewith, a shaft threaded in said collar with its upper end normally positioned at or below the upper face of said plate, and a valve member having a universal joint connection with-the lower end of said shaft.

2. In combination, a floor drain bowl having an outlet communicating with a drain pipe, an apertured cover fixedly secured to said bowl, a valve member adapted to seal said outlet, and

operating means carried by said cover for pressing said valve in sealing relation to said outlet, said means having a. ball and socket joint connection with said valve,

3. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein said valve has a'rounded sealing surface.

4. The combination with a floor drain having a cup-shaped housing with an outlet at its lower end for communication with a. sewer, of an apertured plate covering the open end of said housing and secured thereto, a shaft threaded in said plate in axial alignment with said outlet, and a valve member carried by said shaft and adapted to seal said outlet, said valve member having a ball and socket connection with said shaft to positively seat at said outlet and to accommodate "itself to irregularities of said outlet.

5.In combination, a floor drain bowl having an outlet adapted to be connected with a drain pipe, a valve member adapted to seal said outlet, operating means carried by a fixed part of said bowl and having a ball and socket connection with said valve for pressing said valve in sealing relation to said outlet.

ZACHARY HARRY SMITH.

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