Sink having A Z edge for flush mounting in a laminated countertop and method of installing same

Abstract

A sink which is designed for flush installation into a laminated kitchen or bathroom countertop, which eliminates the raised sink rim of the prior art thereby allowing water and debris to be wiped into the sink, which overcomes the limitations of and use of cove tile and moldings, which provides a means of preventing water migration under the laminate, which by design permits the countertop laminate to run up to and abut the sink edge providing a smooth and flush transition from laminate to sink deck and thereby providing an aesthetically pleasing and finished appearance.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosures made herein relate generally to original or aftermarket kitchen sinks, and more particularly to molded acrylic resin or formed metallic sinks for use in a residential application such as, but not limited to, application in a kitchen or a bathroom countertop. More particularly, the subject inventive disclosure is to a sink providing features enabling flush mounting into a laminated countertop wherein the laminate extends to and abuts in a flush fashion with and smoothly to the sink top, thereby providing a smooth finished appearance.

BACKGROUND

Sinks for use in kitchen or bathroom counter applications are well known and are commonly available in various designs from various suppliers. Such sinks are available in a variety of materials and colors, as well as various artistic designs. Among the known prior art designs are sinks that are formed into the countertop resulting in a one piece countertop and sink design, while others are manufactured as add in sinks and are designed to be inserted into a properly sized and configured opening cut into a countertop. Particularly kitchen sinks are often available having two or more drain basins formed into a single sink frame body.

Sinks are commonly manufactured for the consumer market in at least two forms, one being a drawn metallic sink produced from a single plate of, for example, stainless steel by use of a deep draw pressing process. Another form having greater popularity is the molded sink produced from a thermally formed or chemically cured acrylic resin. Such molded sinks are available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors and artistic designs, and having one or more drain basins.

Commonly known countertop mounting prior art kitchen and bathroom sinks are usually self-rimming sinks or surface mounting sinks. The self-rimming sink has its own rim which is built into the sink body itself, whereas another variety of surface mounting sink must be attached by a provided separate metal rim affixed to the countertop opening edge by tightening screws and clip hardware. Both types of sinks are easily installed into countertops. Many commonly used varieties of countertops for residential application utilize a colored laminate overlay which is adhesively secured to a countertop core material such as wood to provide an artistically colored and sometimes patterned appearance. In fact, laminate covered countertops are the most common variety in residential applications.

A limitation of known surface mount and self-rimming sink designs is that they have portions of the sink edge boundary or rim raised above the surrounding countertop, which is to say they do not provide a flush, smooth, finished appearance that is often found desirable by homeowners.

Another variety of sink which is available is the under mount sink. This sink installs below the countertop surface, and is often installed into a tile countertop. The under mount sink is rimmed with cove molding or cove tile to provide what is hoped to be a water tight closeout between the countertop tile surface and the lip of the under mount sink. An advantage of the under mount installation with cove molding permits countertop debris and water to be wiped directly into the sink.

A limitation of the earlier discussed self-rimming and surface mount sinks it that they have a raised rim around the periphery which prevents wiping of debris and water into the sink.

A limitation of presently known under mount sink designs is that the sink deck edge is not flush with the countertop, but is instead recessed and does not provide a flush, clean, finished appearance.

Another limitation of presently known under mount sink designs is that the cove molding closeout can not be relied upon to remain water tight. Water which is wiped into the sink may migrate through cracks in the grout of the cove molding tile and attack the wood underlayment of the countertop, resulting in wood rot and deterioration of the wood underlayment.

Another limitation of presently known under mount sink designs is that they are ideally installed into a tiled countertop, and due to the need for cove moldings or tile, are not well suited for installation into laminate covered countertops. Laminate countertops are more widely used than tiled countertops and so require a more appropriate solution.

Therefore, a sink which is designed for flush installation into a laminated kitchen or bathroom countertop, which eliminates the raised sink rim of the prior art thereby allowing water and debris to be wiped into the sink, which overcomes the limitations of and use of cove tile and moldings, which provides a means of preventing water migration under the laminate, which by design permits the countertop laminate to run up to and abut the sink edge providing a smooth and flush transition from laminate to sink deck and thereby providing an aesthetically pleasing and finished appearance, such a sink design would be useful and novel.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Accordingly, embodiments of the inventive disclosures made herein comprise various embodiments of a sink designed for flush mounting into a laminate covered countertop.

Embodiments of the inventive disclosures herein relate generally to molded or formed kitchen sinks having a substantially horizontal deck portion and a periphery flange circumferentially encompassing the deck, the flange portion being recessed slightly below the deck portion. The deck portion having one or more concave drain basins formed there-through, said drain basins secured to or molded in one piece to the deck portion. The top surface of the flange portion is recessed below the top surface of the sink deck by a thickness equivalent to the thickness of the countertop laminate, nominally 1/16th of an inch. The recessed flange is installed into the core material of the countertop such that the top of the flange is level or flush with the top of the countertop core material, usually wood or an adhesively bound wood composite such as particle board. With the sink flange top surface flush with the countertop core material, the laminate may then be applied over the countertop core and sink flange, seamlessly continuing the countertop laminate over the sink flange surface to the edge of the sink deck. With the flange recessed below the sink deck by the thickness of the laminate, as discussed above, the countertop laminate is then flush or level with the sink deck providing a smooth, flush, finished appearance.

In one or more embodiments of the inventive disclosures made herein, the sink body comprises a one piece molded acrylic material, preferably comprising methyl methacrylate.

In one or more embodiments of the inventive disclosures made herein, the sink body comprises one or more formed metallic materials such as but not limited to stainless steel, copper, brass, bronze.

In one or more embodiments of the inventive disclosures made herein, the sink is a kitchen sink comprising one or more concave drain basins. In the case of a kitchen sink, this is usually one to three concave drain basins, but the invention is not limited to this number and can have any number of drain basins.

In one or more embodiments of the inventive disclosures made herein, the sink is a bathroom sink comprising one or more concave drain basins. In the case of a bathroom sink, this is usually one or sometimes two concave drain basins, but the invention is not limited to this number and can have any number of drain basins.

In one or more embodiments of the inventive disclosures made herein, the sink deck includes a region sized and adapted to receive a faucet assembly, providing that the faucet can be mounted to and supported by the sink and therefore not be drilled through and mounted to the countertop.

It is an objective of the inventive disclosure made herein to provide a sink which is designed for flush installation into a laminate kitchen or bathroom countertop.

It is another objective of the inventive disclosure made herein to provide a sink design which eliminates the raised sink rim of the prior art thereby allowing water and debris to be wiped into the sink, providing easy cleanup of the countertop region around the sink.

It is another objective of the inventive disclosure made herein to provide a sink design which overcomes the limitations of and use of cove tile and moldings as are commonly required on under mount sinks, and which provides a means of preventing water migration under the laminate. The wide flange area on the sink provides adequate surface area for the application of a self curing sealant or adhesive to the flange and thereby prevents migration of water to the underside of the countertop laminate abutting the sink edge.

It is another objective of the inventive disclosure made herein to provide a sink design which by design permits the countertop laminate to run up to the sink edge and provide a smooth and flush transition from laminate to sink deck and thereby providing an aesthetically pleasing and finished appearance,

These and other objects of the invention made herein will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and associated drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings show a form of the invention that is presently preferred; however, the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 presents a top view of one embodiment of a flush mount kitchen sink in accordance with the inventive disclosures herein.

FIG. 2 presents a front edge elevation view of one embodiment of a flush mount kitchen sink in accordance with the inventive disclosures herein.

FIG. 3 is a section of the sink rim to countertop interface of a prior art self-rimming sink.

FIG. 4 is a section of the sink rim to countertop interface of a prior art under mount recessed sink.

FIG. 5 is a section of the sink rim to countertop interface of a prior art surface mount sink.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In preparation for explaining the details of the present inventive disclosure, it is to be understood by the reader that the invention is not limited to the presented details of the construction, materials and embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as the invention concepts are clearly capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and realized in various ways by applying the disclosure presented herein.

Turning now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2:

FIG. 1 depicts a top view of one particular embodiment of the flush mount sink for installation in a laminate countertop in accordance with the inventive disclosures presented herein. FIG. 2 is a front side elevation of this same particular embodiment of the flush mount sink for installation in a laminate countertop in accordance with the inventive disclosures presented herein. The depicted sink in this figure is a kitchen sink, although the inventive concepts are equally applicable to other sinks such as bathroom or laundry room sinks installed into laminated countertops. The inventive disclosures herein are not limited to kitchen sinks. The sink comprises a sink frame 1 having a substantially horizontal and planar sink deck 2. The sink deck has a periphery outer edge 3 against which the countertop laminate will abut in a smooth and flush manner.

The sink further comprises a flange 4 molded with or secured to and formed outwards from the edge of the deck 2, the flange 4 having a top surface 4 offset below the sink deck top surface, the flange offset sized to substantially match thickness of the countertop laminate such that when the sink is installed into the countertop base material with the flange top surface substantially flush with base top surface, then the laminate can be smoothly applied to the countertop core material and over the flange 4 to the sink deck edge 3 resulting in a flush fit of the sink deck and the applied laminate;

The sink in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 further comprises a faucet deck region 5 sized and adapted to receive a faucet assembly mounted directly to the sink deck and thereby removing the necessity of drilling and mounting the faucet deck through the laminate countertop.

The depicted specific embodiment of the sink further comprises two concave drain basins 6, although other embodiments of the sink can have any number of concave drain basins without deviating from the inventive disclosures herein.

The sink is installed into the countertop core material prior to adhesively securing the laminate countertop to the core. The sink is installed by removing sufficient countertop core material to produce an opening through the countertop sized to approximate the outside edge of the sink deck. A router or similar tool can then be used to rout a recessed lip into the countertop core material, the recessed lip sized and configured to receive a sink flange, the recessed lip depth selected to match the thickness of the flange such that when the sink is installed in the countertop the flange top surface is flush with the top surface of the countertop core material. An adhesive material is then applied to the routed recessed lip receiving region in the core material. The sink can then be installed into the countertop core from above the countertop such that the flange and recessed lip align and sink flange top surface is flush with the countertop core top surface. The laminate can then be adhesively applied to the top of the countertop core and continuing over the sink flange to abut to the sink deck outer edge in a flush manner, providing a smooth, flush and finished sink installation into the laminated countertop.

Referring now to prior art sinks. FIG. 3 depicts the sink rim to countertop interface area of a prior art self-rimming sink 10, having a raised rim (also as 10) resting on countertop 11.

FIG. 4 depicts the sink rim to countertop interface area of a prior art under mount recessed sink 12 resting on a ledge 15 of countertop 11, and having cove tile 14 or molding applied to bridge between the countertop surface and the recessed sink edge.

FIG. 5 depicts the sink rim to countertop interface area of a prior art surface mount sink 13 having a separate raised metal rim 16 and hardware mounting the sink to the countertop 11.

The discussed construction, illustrations and sequence of operation is for one embodiment of the invention, but is in no way limiting to other embodiments. The operating modes may be changed and enhanced without deviating from the intention of this inventive disclosure.

In the preceding detailed description, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments and certain variants thereof have been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be understood that other suitable embodiments may be utilized and that logical, material, and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid unnecessary detail, the description omits certain information known to those skilled in the art. The preceding detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sink designed for flush mounting in a countertop having core material with a laminate applied thereto, the sink comprising:

a formed sink frame comprising: a deck having a substantially horizontal top surface and a periphery outside edge, said top surface of the deck adapted to be substantially flush with the laminate top surface when sink is installed into a countertop; a flange secured to and formed outwards from the edge of the deck, the flange having a top surface, measuring approximately 1½ in width, offset below sink deck top surface measuring approximately 1/16th, the flange offset sized and adapted to substantially match thickness of the countertop laminate such that when the sink is installed into the countertop core material with the flange top surface substantially flush with core top surface so that the laminate can be applied over the countertop core and sink flange to the sink deck edge resulting in a flush fit of the sink deck and the applied laminate; and one or more concave drain basins formed through the deck and secured to the deck.

2. The sink according to claim 1, wherein the sink material comprises a molded acrylic resin.

3. The sink according to claim 1, wherein the sink material comprises a formed metallic material selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, copper, brass, bronze.

4. The sink according to claim 2 wherein the sink deck further comprises a faucet deck mounting region.

5. The sink according to claim 4 wherein the sink is a kitchen sink.

6. The sink according to claim 4 wherein the sink is a bathroom sink.

7. The sink according to claim 2 wherein the acrylic resin comprises methyl methacrylate.

8. The sink according to claim 7 wherein the concave drain basins comprise a left drain basin and a right drain basin; wherein the left drain basin has dimensions of 14 inches wide by 10 inches high by 15 inches deep; wherein the right drain basin has dimensions of 10 inches wide by 8 inches high by 10 inches deep; and wherein the sink deck dimensions after installation in the laminate would be 28 inches wide by 17 inches deep.

9. A method of installing a sink adapted to flush mounting in a laminate countertop, the method comprising:

removing sufficient countertop core material to produce an opening through the countertop sized to approximate outside edge of sink deck;

routing a recessed lip into the countertop core material, the recessed lip sized and configured to receive a sink flange wherein recessed lip depth selected to match thickness of the flange such that when the sink is installed in the countertop the flange top surface is flush with top surface of adjacent countertop core material;

applying adhesive to the routed recessed lip in the core material;

installing the sink into the countertop core from above the countertop such that flange and recessed lip align and sink flange top surface is flush with countertop core top surface; and

adhesively securing countertop laminate over the countertop core and flange such that the laminate continues from the core over the flange and substantially to outside edge of sink deck.