Sink with tri-mountable sink rim
This invention is a novel sink rim that is readily adaptable to mounting by conventional drop in, under mount and flush mount methods. By incorporating a thicker and wider outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange, a tri-mountable sink rim is created. Having a flat surface on both the upper and lower surfaces of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange, the rim may be mounted as a drop in or an under mount sink assembly. These square exterior edges, as opposed to rolled or beveled edges, create a truly flush mountable rim, overcoming the limitations of prior art sinks. The additional thickness and width of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange provide adequate support for the sink assembly when flush mounted.
This continuation in part application claims the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 11/580,638 filed on Oct. 13, 2006, and such specification is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to sinks, and more particularly to sinks with rims that can be mounted by under mount, drop in and flush mount methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSinks are ubiquitous fixtures in both commercial and residential kitchens and bathrooms. Modern sinks add both functionality and esthetic appeal with designer sinks being manufactured from many materials and in many artistic designs. In the current marketplace, stainless steel sinks are particularly desirable. Most applications utilize fairly standard sized sink fixtures and cabinets to accommodate the limitations of existing spaces and to reduce the cost of pure custom designed furniture and plumbing work.
In recent years, countertops and sinks have developed into an important architectural feature of the kitchen and bathroom. Materials used for countertops have expanded, as well as the artistic fashion in which sinks and countertops are engaged with one another. The variety and flexibility of component parts is increasingly demanded by designers and users.
Residential kitchen and bathroom sinks are often installed in cabinets. Three ways of mounting a residential kitchen sink are known in the industry and are described with reference to the relationship between the sink rim and the cabinet countertop: drop in, under mount and flush mount. As will be explained below, Applicant believes that prior art stainless steel sinks may only be mounted by drop in or under mount methods.
Applicant believes that true flush mount sinks are only available as custom designed pieces and not readily available as “off the shelf” consumable products. This is particularly true with respect to stainless steel sinks. Prior art sinks have a rim or flange that is flat, thin and narrow with rounded edges. These physical features do not allow for true flush mounting.
Drop in sinks are self-rimming sink units where the sink is set through a pre-cut hole in the countertop. The flange or lip around the sink provides a substantial portion of the support. The sink is secondarily held in place with clips that install from below. Under mount sinks are mounted from beneath the counter with no flange or lip showing. The sink is held in place with adhesive as the primary securing means. The adhesive bonds the top surface of the flange to the bottom surface of the countertop. Screws and clips that install from below the countertop add a secondary securing means. Flush mount sinks are designed to mount evenly with the counter top and often comprise a narrower support flange than the self-rimming sink designs. Screws and clips may be used to help secure the sink in place.
Drop in sink designs are easiest to install, but have at least one distinct and well-known disadvantage. At the juncture between the sink flange and the countertop, a silicone or other sealing compound is used to prevent infiltration of water and other liquids below the countertop through the cutout. This sealing compound tends to trap debris and is difficult to clean, creating a sanitary hazard and unsightly appearance. For this reason, in addition to esthetic preferences, under mount and flush mount designs are often preferred.
Prior art sinks are generally mountable in only one of the three methods (drop in, under mount or flush mount). Some “hybrid” prior art sinks may be mounted via two of the three methods, often requiring additional kits to adapt to a second mount style. Applicant believes there are no prior art sinks adaptable to mounting via drop in, under mount and flush mount. Attempts to adapt prior art sinks to multiple mounting methods have proven unsatisfactory. Commonly encountered problems include improper seating of the flange in the pre-cut countertop, gaps between the flange and the countertop and insufficient flange support for the weight of the basin.
In particular, materials and conventional sink manufacturing methods have inherent limitations on the suitability of many sink designs for flush mounting. For example, stainless steel sinks are traditionally stamped from sheet metal or punched from a mould, resulting in rounded or beveled edges. This rounded edge feature creates undesirable gaps between the edges of the sink and the countertop when flush mounted. As such, Applicant believes that stainless steel sinks are only available for drop in or under mounting. With these inherent limitations of the prior art, it is desirable to provide a sink unit, especially one manufactured from stainless steel, with a novel rim that is adapted to be mounted in all three manners.
Manufacturers would benefit from the production of a single tri-mountable design rather than two or three mount-specific designs. Distributors would benefit from a reduced inventory load to meet the needs of its customers, as well as the hassle, delays and financial losses for incorrect prediction of the demand for various mount styles of a particular sink design. Designers and installers would benefit from the ability to make field changes in the mount configuration without having to worry about the need for replacement sinks units with the correct mount configuration. Homeowners would benefit from the ability to remodel a kitchen or bathroom with new countertops, while re-using the sink unit. Dramatically different looks could be achieved with same component part, saving money and making remodeling projects more affordable and practical to implement.
It is an object of this invention to provide a sink rim and sink assembly which are closely matched to the requirements of household use to provide the functions of a sink, additionally, being versatile and readily adaptable to different mounting methods, without change in manufacturing technology, or manufacturing tools; and which is simple to make and of light weight, so that it can be easily manufactured and installed, for example, in a standard sink cabinet.
It is an object of this invention to provide a novel sink rim and sink assembly that are readily adaptable to mounting by conventional drop in, under mount and flush mount methods.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a relatively simple sink assembly and novel sink rim that are economical for mass production from the viewpoint of the manufacturer and consumer, thereby making it economically available to the buying public.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with this invention, there is provided a sink mountable in a countertop according to a selected one of a plurality of mounting styles, comprising a basin having a mouth wherein the basin comprises a first basin wall, a second basin wall and a base member; a mounting flange fixed to and extending outward from the basin mouth, the mounting flange dimensioned to support the sink when mounted and comprising: a top surface dimensioned to cooperate for under mounting style with a bottom surface of the countertop and to lie for flush mounting style in the same plane as the top surface of the countertop; and a bottom surface dimensioned to cooperate for drop in mounting style with the top surface of the countertop and to cooperate for flush mounting style with an upper surface of a sunken mounting ledge in the countertop.
In accordance with this inventor is also provided a sink mountable in a countertop according to a selected one of a plurality of mounting styles, comprising a basin having a mouth; a mounting flange fixed to and extending outward from the basin mouth, the mounting flange dimensioned to support the sink when mounted and comprising, a top surface dimensioned to cooperate for under mounting style with a bottom surface of the countertop and to lie for flush mounting style in the same plane as the top surface of the countertop; and wherein a side surface dimensioned to cooperate for flush mounting style with a side surface of a sunken mounting ledge in the countertop; the top surface of the mounting flange and the side surface of the mounting flange form a substantially square edge, and wherein the bottom surface of the mounting flange and the side surface of the mounting flange form a substantially square edge.
In accordance with this inventor is also provided a sink mountable in a countertop according to a selected one of a plurality of mounting styles, comprising a basin having a mouth and at least one base member wherein the basin further comprises an outflow channel disposed about the at least one base member; a catch pan having a drainage aperture wherein the catch pan is disposed below the at least one base member and wherein the drainage aperture is aligned with the outflow channel; a mounting flange fixed to and extending outward from the basin mouth, the mounting flange dimensioned to support the sink when mounted and comprising, a top surface dimensioned to cooperate for under mounting style with a bottom surface of the countertop and to lie for flush mounting style in the same plane as the top surface of the countertop; and a bottom surface dimensioned to cooperate for drop in mounting style with the top surface of the countertop and to cooperate for flush mounting style with an upper surface of a sunken mounting ledge in the countertop.
Applicant's novel sink rim provides a true flush mount sink assembly that can be manufactured on a mass-scale and sold “off the shelf” to contractors and home owners.
Applicant's novel sink rim provides a stainless steel sink assembly that can be flush mounted in a countertop.
Applicant's novel sink rim provides a sink assembly that can be interchangeably mounted in a countertop by any one of three ways: drop in, under mount and flush mount.
Whereas there may be many embodiments of the present invention, each embodiment may meet one or more of the foregoing recited objects in any combination. It is not intended that each embodiment will necessarily meet each objective.
Thus, having broadly outlined the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated, there are, of course, additional features of the present invention that will be described herein and will form a part of the subject matter of the claims appended to this specification.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The invention will be described by reference to the specification and the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:
The drawings are not to scale, in fact, some aspects have been emphasized for a better illustration and understanding of the written description.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTIONThe novel sink assembly and sink rim of this invention are adaptable to be mounted via three conventional mounting methods: drop in, under mount and flush mount. The features of the sink rim and sink assembly described herein render them more versatile than sink assemblies and sink rims of the prior art.
Referring to
As used in this specification, basin shall mean a basin-like, water impervious container that facilitates the collection of liquids, solids, and the like. It is to be understood and within the scope of this invention that a basin of this invention takes many shapes and sizes in various embodiments including three-dimensional uniform or non-uniform shapes such as a square, rectangular, round, oval, octagonal, triangular, organic or any open volumetric shape. The basin mouth of this invention may be any uniform or non-uniform circumference such as a square, rectangular, round, oval, octagonal, triangular, or any two dimensional closed shape. By way of illustration, but not limitation, a basin of this invention may be a single basin, a double basin, a triple basin and the like.
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In one embodiment, outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange 102 and basins 106, 108 are metallurgically integral at their contiguous points of contact, thereby creating said unitary sink unit. In one aspect of this embodiment, welding is used to fixedly engage said contiguous points of contact.
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In one aspect of the embodiment depicted in
In a preferred embodiment, said downwardly depending basin walls 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 133 and base members 138, 140 comprise type 304 stainless steel having a thickness of from about 12 to about 20 gauge (from about 0.0375 to about 0.1094 inches) as measured on the United States standard scale for plate (iron and steel). In one aspect of such embodiment, said downwardly depending basin walls 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 133 comprise type 304 stainless steel having a thickness of from about 16 to about 18 gauge (from about 0.05 to about 0.0625 inches) as measured on the United States standard scale for plate (iron and steel).
In one aspect of the embodiment depicted in
In a preferred embodiment, said outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange 102 comprises type 304 stainless steel having a thickness of from about 6 to about 6/0 gauge (from about 0.2031 to about 0.4687 inches) as measured on the United States standard scale for plate (iron and steel). In one aspect of such embodiment, said outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange 102 comprises type 304 stainless steel having a thickness of from about 0.23 inches to about 0.26 inches (substantially about 3 gauge) as measured on the United States standard scale for plate (iron and steel). In one aspect, said outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange 102 comprises type 304 stainless steel having a thickness of from about 0.23 inches to about 0.6 inches. In one preferred embodiment, said outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange 102 comprises type 304 stainless steel having a thickness of about one-half inches.
Applicant believes that this novel thickness of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange provides several functional advantages. The thickness permits the sink rim to be flush mounted. Prior art stainless steel sinks with thinner and narrower outwardly extending peripheral mounting flanges cannot adequately support the weight of the sink basin in a flush mounted configuration. The thicker outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange overcomes this limitation of the prior art.
Additionally, whereas most stainless steel sinks are punched during the manufacturing process to form the basin and flange, the entire sink assembly comprises a single steel type and thickness. The rim is generally quite narrow. Additionally, the exterior edges have a beveled, rolled or rounded configuration. In contrast, Applicant's novel sink assembly comprises six separate pieces of steel welded together to form a basin and the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange. By incorporating a thicker and wider outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange, a tri-mountable sink rim is created. Having a flat surface on both the upper and lower surfaces of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange, the sink rim and/or sink assembly may be mounted as a drop in or an under mount sink assembly.
Additionally, Applicant's novel sink rim may be flush mounted. By welding the separate pieces to form the sink assembly, substantially square exterior edges (of from about 85 to about 95 degrees, preferably from about 89 to about 91 degrees) are formed. These square exterior edges, as opposed to rolled or beveled edges, create a truly flush mountable sink rim, overcoming the limitations of prior art sinks. The additional thickness and width of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange provide adequate support for the sink assembly when mounted. The square exterior edges of the tri-mountable sink rim eliminate the gaps created by the beveled/rolled edges of the prior art sink rims.
The unique structural design of Applicant's novel sink rim incorporates three flat surfaces and a square exterior edge of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange. The flat upper surface of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange facilitates under mounting. The flat lower surface, in combination with the width of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange, facilitate drop in mounting. The remaining flat vertical surface, in combination with the square exterior edge, novel thickness, and width of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange, facilitate flush mounting.
In one preferred embodiment, said tri-mountable sink assembly 100 comprises a chromium-nickel stainless steel selected from the AISI/SAE 300 series of stainless steels. In another embodiment, said tri-mountable sink assembly 100 comprises a chromium-nickel-manganese alloy stainless steel selected from the AISI/SAE 200 series of stainless steels. Other standardized steels that are used in the manufacture of tri-mountable sink assembly 100 include, but are not limited to, ASTM/AISI steel types 304L, 304LN, 304, 304H and the like. Other standardized steels that are used in the manufacture of tri-mountable sink assembly 100 include, but are not limited to, EN-standard steel types 1.4307, 1.4306, 1.4311, 1.4301, 1.4948, and the like.
In one embodiment, said tri-mountable sink assembly 100 comprises an alloy containing from about 11 to about 30 weight percent of iron and from about 10.5 to about 30 weight percent of chromium.
In one embodiment, said tri-mountable sink assembly 100 comprises an alloy containing from about 11 to about 30 weight percent of iron; from about 10.5 to about 30 weight percent of chromium; and other alloying elements selected from the group consisting of nickel, molybdenum, copper, titanium, aluminum, silicon, niobium, nitrogen, sulphur, selenium and combinations thereof.
In one embodiment, said tri-mountable sink assembly 100 comprises an austenitic stainless steel alloy containing from about 11 to about 30 weight percent of iron, from about 16 to about 26 weight percent of chromium, and from about 8 to about 22 weight percent of nickel. In a preferred embodiment, said tri-mountable sink assembly 100 comprises an austenitic stainless steel alloy containing from about 11 to about 30 weight percent of iron, about 18 weight percent of chromium, and about 10 weight percent of nickel.
In one preferred embodiment of tri-mountable sink assembly 100, component parts of the sink assembly (e.g. basin walls 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130, 133; base members 138, 140; and outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange 102) are assembled by a welding process. By way of illustration, but not limitation, suitable welding methods known in the art include shield metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding and gas metal arc welding. Filler metal alloys used in the welding process may include, but are not limited to, conventional filler metal alloys Cr—Ni-Austenitic (AISI No. 309, 310, 316, 317, 347) and the like.
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In one aspect of the embodiment depicted in
Similarly, the depth 172 of basin 106 is from about one inch to about eighteen inches. Downwardly depending basin wall 124 extends a distance 170 of from about one inch to about eighteen inches before it junctures with fourth axial base portion 144. Fourth axial base portion 144 extends downwardly toward drain aperture 134 at a slope of from about one to about thirty degrees. In one embodiment, angle 196 is from about one degree to about thirty degrees.
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In one aspect of the embodiments 500, 501 depicted in
In the embodiment 700 depicted in
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Optionally and additionally, tri-mountable sink assembly 700 may be adapted to receive faucet controls (not depicted in this view) substantially the same as those described with reference to faucet controls 110 of embodiments 100, 200, and 400.
In one aspect of the embodiment depicted in
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Optionally and additionally, a noise reducing device or a plurality of noise reducing devices, substantially the same as that described with reference to noise reducing devices 222 and 230 of
Optionally and additionally, tri-mountable sink assembly 800 may be adapted to receive faucet controls (not depicted in this view) substantially the same as those described with reference to faucet controls 110 of embodiments 100, 200, and 400.
The embodiment 600 depicted differs from other embodiments in that the basin 612 comprises three downwardly depending basin walls 640, 616, 618 and base member 604. Base member 604 extends from the outflow channel formed at the base of downwardly depending basin wall 618 to the interior edge of section 610B, forming base angle 650 (see
The embodiment 600 depicted also differs from other embodiments in that the drainage aperture 622 is not disposed along base member 604. In this embodiment, the water flows along base member 604 in the direction from the interior edge of section 610B toward the base of downwardly depending basin wall 618 and through an outflow channel 620 where it collects on a catch pan 627 before flowing through drainage aperture 622. Thus, the water travels through outflow channel 620 where it collects in a cavity 624 defined by the catch pan 627 and, exterior sink wall 626. The flow of water is further facilitated by a downward pitch of from about 0.25 to about 1.0 inch of portions 628 of the catch pan 627 which are perpendicular with exterior sink wall 626. In this embodiment, downwardly depending basin wall 618 forms a basin wall, but does not form the exterior sink wall 626. Exterior sink wall 626 is disposed substantially parallel to downwardly depending basin wall 618 at a distance of from about 1 to about 5 inches therefrom, preferably about 1⅜ inches.
In one embodiment (not depicted), cavity 624 does not protrude downwardly from the basin, rather, is relatively flush with the bottom 604 of the basin and drainage aperture 622 connects directly to a threaded pipe.
In the embodiment depicted, drainage aperture 622 has a diameter 634 of 1⅜ inches. The maximum basin depth 630 is from about 2 inches to about 8 inches, preferably from about 3 to about 6 inches and the distance 632 is from about 2 to about 12 inches.
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At the apex of the curve of base members 906, 908 is disposed an outflow channel 916. In this embodiment, the water flows along one or both base members 906, 908 in the direction from shoulder portions 912, 914 toward the and through an outflow channel 916 where it collects on a catch pan (comprised of lower sink walls 930, 932, 934 and a wall opposing 930 (not visible)) before flowing through drainage aperture 926. Thus, the water travels through outflow channel 916 where it collects in a cavity 924 defined by the catch pan and the underside of base members 906, 908. In the embodiment depicted, lower sink walls 932, 934 taper inwardly and downwardly toward centrally located drainage aperture 926. In one preferred embodiment, cavity 924 has a maximum depth 942 between catch pan (comprised of lower sink walls 932, 934, 930 and a wall opposing 930 (not visible)) and the underside of base members 906, 908 of about 2 inches. Drainage aperture 926 has a depth 944 of about 0.75 inches and a diameter 928 of about 1.5 inches.
In a preferred embodiment, the mouth opening has a distance 918 of about 22 inches and a distance 920 of about 14 inches. In this embodiment, the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange has a width of about 0.5 inches for portions 902A and 902C and a width of about 2 inches for portions 902B and 902D and a uniform depth of about 0.25 inches for all portions.
Outflow channel 916 is essentially a gully formed between the two lips 940 of base members 906, 908. Lips 940 are formed by bending the stainless steel downwardly such that a radius of about ⅛ inch is formed at their union. The lips 940 have a depth 938 of about 0.5 inches and are disposed such that they form an aperture with a width 936 of about 0.25 inches. Beneath the lips 940 outflow channel 916 are flattened joining portions 932, 934 having a width of about 1.5 inches corresponding to the drainage aperture 926.
In a preferred embodiment (not depicted), an approximately 0.5 inch wide and 3 inch deep wood member is disposed beneath and running along the entire outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange, essentially framing it.
In preferred embodiments of 500, 501, 600, 700, 800 and 900, the thickness of the basin walls and base members is one-sixteenth inch and the thickness of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange is one-fourth inch. The basin is formed of 16 galvanized 304 stainless steel and the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange is formed of 3 galvanized 304 stainless steel.
In one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a sink mountable in a countertop according to a selected one of a plurality of mounting styles, comprising: a basin having a mouth and at least one base member wherein the basin further comprises an outflow channel disposed about the at least one base member; a catch pan having a drainage aperture wherein the catch pan is disposed below the at least one base member and wherein the drainage aperture is aligned with the outflow channel; a mounting flange fixed to and extending outward from the basin mouth, the mounting flange dimensioned to support the sink when mounted and comprising: a top surface dimensioned to cooperate for under mounting style with a bottom surface of the countertop and to lie for flush mounting style in the same plane as the top surface of the countertop; and a bottom surface dimensioned to cooperate for drop in mounting style with the top surface of the countertop and to cooperate for flush mounting style with an upper surface of a sunken mounting ledge in the countertop. In one aspect, the at least one base member has a cross section forming the arc of a circle. In one aspect, the circle has a radius of from about 7 to about 20 inches. In one aspect, the at least one base member is disposed at a downward slope from the mounting flange to the outflow channel. In one aspect, the outflow channel is disposed about the apex of the circle.
The novel tri-mountable sink rim is an important feature of each embodiment of the present invention. The shape of the sink basin may take many forms and sizes. Thus, there is provided in accordance with the present invention a sink mountable in a countertop according to a selected one of a plurality of mounting styles, comprising: a basin having a mouth; and a outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange fixed to and extending outward from the basin mouth, the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange dimensioned to support the sink when mounted and comprising: a top surface dimensioned to cooperate for under mounting style with a bottom surface of the countertop and to lie for flush mounting style in the same plane as the top surface of the countertop; and wherein a side surface dimensioned to cooperate for flush mounting style with a side surface of a sunken mounting ledge in the countertop; the top surface of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange and the side surface of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange form a substantially square edge, and wherein the bottom surface of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange and the side surface of the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange form a substantially square edge. It is the substantially square edges at the junctures of the side surface with each the top and bottom surfaces that facilitate the mounting in all three manners.
Thus, in various embodiments, the sink has a basin that is generally oval, generally round, generally a non-geometric shape, generally a geometric polygon shape, and the like. Similarly, in various embodiments, the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange is generally round, generally oval, generally a non-geometric shape, generally a geometric polygon shape, and the like. The basin and outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange may also be pie-shaped, D-shaped, kidney bean shaped, quarter round, five-sided, and combinations thereof. Multi-basin sinks may be even and uneven in various configurations and embodiments.
In some embodiments, while there are substantially square edges at the junctures of the side surface with each the top and bottom surfaces, the radius at intersecting planes of the interior edge and the outwardly extending peripheral mounting flange is from about 1/64 inch to about 1 inch.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the conception regarded as the present invention.
Claims
1. A sink mountable in a countertop according to a selected one of a plurality of mounting styles, comprising:
- a basin having a mouth wherein the basin comprises a first basin wall, a second basin wall and a base member;
- a mounting flange fixed to and extending outward from the basin mouth, the mounting flange dimensioned to support the sink when mounted and comprising: a top surface dimensioned to cooperate for under mounting style with a bottom surface of the countertop and to lie for flush mounting style in the same plane as the top surface of the countertop; and a bottom surface dimensioned to cooperate for drop in mounting style with the top surface of the countertop and to cooperate for flush mounting style with an upper surface of a sunken mounting ledge in the countertop.
2. The sink of claim 1, wherein the base member is concave in relation to the plane of the top surface of the countertop.
3. The sink of claim 2, wherein the mounting flange further comprises a plurality of apertures dimensioned to cooperate for mounting a faucet assembly.
4. The sink of claim 2, wherein the base member is in contacting engagement with and disposed between the first basin wall and the second basin wall.
5. The sink of claim 4, wherein the base member comprises a cross-section forming the arc of a circle.
6. The sink of claim 1, wherein the basin further comprises a third basin wall.
7. The sink of claim 6, wherein the first basin wall comprises a top and a bottom, wherein the basin further comprises an outflow channel, and wherein the outflow channel is disposed about the bottom of the first basin wall.
8. The sink of claim 7, wherein the mounting flange comprises a first transverse portion and a second transverse portion, wherein the top of the first basin wall is in contacting engagement with the first transverse portion of the mounting flange, wherein the base member is in contacting engagement with the second transverse portion of the mounting flange and the outflow channel, and wherein the base member is disposed with a downward slope from the first transverse portion of the mounting flange to the outflow channel.
9. The sink of claim 8, wherein the downward slope is an angle of from about one degree to about sixty degrees.
10. A sink mountable in a countertop according to a selected one of a plurality of mounting styles, comprising:
- a basin having a mouth; and
- a mounting flange fixed to and extending outward from the basin mouth, the mounting flange dimensioned to support the sink when mounted and comprising: a top surface dimensioned to cooperate for under mounting style with a bottom surface of the countertop and to lie for flush mounting style in the same plane as the top surface of the countertop; and wherein a side surface dimensioned to cooperate for flush mounting style with a side surface of a sunken mounting ledge in the countertop; the top surface of the mounting flange and the side surface of the mounting flange form a substantially square edge, and wherein the bottom surface of the mounting flange and the side surface of the mounting flange form a substantially square edge.
11. The sink of claim 10 wherein the basin is generally oval.
12. The sink of claim 10, wherein the basin is generally round.
13. The sink of claim 10, wherein the basin is generally a non-geometric shape.
14. The sink of claim 10, wherein the basin is generally a geometric polygon shape.
15. The sink of claim 10, wherein the mounting flange is generally round.
16. The sink of claim 10, wherein the mounting flange is generally oval.
17. A sink mountable in a countertop according to a selected one of a plurality of mounting styles, comprising:
- a basin having a mouth and at least one base member wherein the basin further comprises an outflow channel disposed about the at least one base member;
- a catch pan having a drainage aperture wherein the catch pan is disposed below the at least one base member and wherein the drainage aperture is aligned with the outflow channel;
- a mounting flange fixed to and extending outward from the basin mouth, the mounting flange dimensioned to support the sink when mounted and comprising: a top surface dimensioned to cooperate for under mounting style with a bottom surface of the countertop and to lie for flush mounting style in the same plane as the top surface of the countertop; and a bottom surface dimensioned to cooperate for drop in mounting style with the top surface of the countertop and to cooperate for flush mounting style with an upper surface of a sunken mounting ledge in the countertop.
18. The sink of claim 17, wherein at the least one base member has a cross section forming the arc of a circle.
19. The sink of claim 18, wherein the circle has a radius of from about 7 to about 20 inches.
20. The sink of claim 17, wherein the at least one base member is disposed at a downward slope from the mounting flange to the outflow channel.
21. The sink of claim 18, wherein the outflow channel is disposed about an apex of the circle.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 19, 2007
Publication Date: Apr 17, 2008
Inventor: Shujen Yu (Edgewater, NJ)
Application Number: 11/879,817