SECUREMENT DEVICE FOR A TAP

Abstract

A securement device for a tap having a tap body with a bottom face and at least one water supply shaft extending from the tap body bottom face to pass through an aperture in a sink or bath, has a support member adapted to be connected to the tap body spaced from the tap body bottom face, the tap body being placed adjacent one side of a sink or bath with the tap shaft or shafts extending through the sink or bath aperture and the support member engaging the tap body on the other side (underside) of the sink or bath to secure the tap body on the sink or bath. The support member has a support plate or body with at least one edge cut-out/slot to receive a tap pillar forming or assembled to a water supply shaft of the tap body.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of PCT International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/GB2011/050037, filed Jan. 12, 2011 and claims priority to Great Britain Patent Application Serial No. GB1112484.9, filed Jul. 20, 2011.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns improvements in and relating to securement devices for taps.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many single or mixer taps have a tap body with one or more water feed pillars with an external thread extending below the tap body bottom face. To secure the tap to a sink or bath, each pillar is inserted through a tap aperture, and a back nut rotated on the pillar so sandwiching the sink or bath surface adjacent the aperture between the tap body bottom face and the back nut, whereby to secure the tap to the sink or bath. Monobloc taps also exist which are pre-plumbed with water feed pipes which pass through a sink or bath aperture. Bolts passing through a back plate are screwed into the monobloc tap so sandwiching the sink or bath surface adjacent the aperture between the tap body and the back plate, whereby to secure the tap to the sink or bath.

Several problems arise with the method of securing such taps to sinks or baths. Firstly, it generally very awkward to screw back nuts onto pillars or plates to monobloc taps as they are often substantially inaccessible and even with appropriate tools can require a great deal of time and effort and discomfort to the installer to fit in place. Secondly, it can be very awkward to connect water feed pipes to the feed shafts as they are often relatively inaccessible. Thirdly, over time the back nut or plate bolts corrode making them very difficult to remove, whereby it can be difficult to remove the taps if a leak occurs or taps need replacing, again as they are often relatively inaccessible. Plumbers can often harm themselves plumbing-in, repairing or removing taps, which has health and safety implications, and considerable time can be spent on these tasks so adding to costs.

The present invention seeks to address these considerable problems that have been poorly addressed in the past. Examples of prior attempts to address the problem are provided in prior patents U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,153, EP0045298, U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,401 and DE 19912324. In these prior art arrangements securement devices are provided having broad annular collars as support members to mount to the tap pillar at the bath or sink underside for a bolt of the device to be screwed up to tighten/secure the tap in place. These are only partially less difficult to install and use than the prior art that preceded them.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a securement device for a tap having a tap body with a bottom face and at least one water supply shaft extending from the tap body bottom face to pass through an aperture in a sink or bath, the device comprising:

a) a support member adapted to be connected to the tap body spaced from the tap body bottom face, and

b) at least one force applicator to force the support member away from the tap body in use the tap body being placed adjacent one side of a sink or bath with the tap shaft or shafts extending through the sink or bath aperture, and said force applicator engaging, directly or indirectly, the other side of the sink or bath remote from the tap body and pushing the support member away from the tap body to secure the tap body on the sink or bath, wherein the support member comprises a support plate or body with at least one edge cut-out/slot to receive a tap pillar of the tap, whereby the support plate or body may be installed to the pillar by moving the support plate or body laterally/radially inwardly towards the pillar to embrace the pillar, with the pillar slotted into the cut-out/slot, and the support plate or body thereby latches against a nut or other element or shoulder on the pillar to secure the tap body on the sink or bath.

Unlike the annular mountings of the prior art, where the support member needs to be threaded as a collar onto the support pillar or its attached pipes, the edge cut-out/slot of the support plate allows a simple lateral slotting motion for installation of the support plate onto the pillar above the coupling nut or other element/shoulder on the pillar where it can then be adjusted by the force applicator to pull down on the pipe coupling nut or other element on the pillar to tightly secure the tap onto the sink/bath. This enables the installation process to be far more flexible and user-friendly than the prior art. The pipe connector can be securely pre-fitted to the tap externally to the bath or sink by coupling nuts and the pipes and tightened coupling nuts lowered down through the aperture of the sink or bath for the tap to then be clamped in place by the device in a simple action where the device support plate is simply slid sideways onto the pillar and the force applicator then operated remotely. This can save the plumber/installer a great deal of time, effort, stress, aggravation and risk of injury.

Particularly preferably the device comprises a platform that supports the support member to allow the support member to slide there-over laterally towards or away from the pillar. The device preferably has a resilient biasing means to bias the support member to move laterally towards or away from the pillar.

In one preferred aspect the device comprises remotely operable linkage means to move the support member inwards towards the pillar to engage above the nut or other element/shoulder on the pillar. Suitably the linkage is flexible (e.g. of wire/cable) or articulated. Preferably the linkage is configured to change direction to pass underneath the sink or bath to facilitate remote operation at the base of the sink or bath or beyond. This is particularly useful where the tap is mounted midway along a bath and hard up against a wall since it can be inaccessible without pulling the bath away from the wall. The remote operation system allows a bath to be installed and sealed or tiled in place and the taps later changed without having to pull the bath out and damage the sealant and tiling. The linkage suitably operates to move the support member into its latching position and suitably can be locked/restrained in that state. Primarily if the linkage is flexible—e.g. of cable, it preferably is countered by resilient biasing means (e.g. coil spring) to move away from its latching position when the linkage/restraint is released. Alternatively the linkage may operate to move the support member away from its latching position and suitably can be locked/restrained in that state and it may be countered by resilient biasing means (e.g. coil spring) to move towards its latching position when the linkage/restraint is released.

As regards the force applicator, this can be removable, or it can remain fixed to the support member when the securement device is in use. Preferably, the force applicator is a threaded shaft passing through a threaded aperture in the support member. Preferably, one first end of the threaded shaft includes a manually-operated handle, or hex head or screw driver slot. Preferably, a second end engages the sink or bath. In one embodiment, the second end of the force applicator, in use, is connected to a sink or tap plate which engages the sink or tap to distribute the load on the sink or bath. The sink or tap plate may slide on guide rods connected to the support member to prevent it from rotating relative to the support member. One face of the plate may be of resilient material to engage the sink or bath. The securement device comprises a single force applicator in one embodiment of the invention. In other embodiments, the securement device may comprise two or more force applicators.

In one variant the support member is a support plate or body with an edge cut-out to receive a threaded tap pillar forming or assembled to a water supply shaft of a single tap. One or a pair of nuts are threaded to the tap pillar and, in use, the nuts can be threaded onto the pillar with the plate loosely located between the nuts to secure the support plate to the pillar in a position spaced from the tap body. In another variant, the support member is a support plate with a pair of spaced cut-outs to receive spaced threaded tap pillars forming water supply shafts of a mixer tap or two or more plate sections each with a cut-out/slot. In use, the support plate can abut nuts on the pillar when the force applicator forces the support plate away from the tap body Where there is a pair of cut-outs in one plate they are preferably both located along one single edge of the support plate. The distance between the cut-outs is equal to the distance between the tap pillars, such that the cut-out can fit over the pillars in situ. In one alternative, the cut-outs can be at opposite edges of the support plate, and the support plate can have a resilient mechanism, such as a spring or cam mechanism, to lock it in place on the tap pillars, or it may simply be of a size that it fits snugly between the tap pillars and is positioned by, for example, tilting it to fit it into place and then moving it into a more horizontal disposition to cause it to fit tightly between the tap pillars with the pillars received in the opposing cut-outs.

In a further embodiment, the support plate has a cut-out to receive an overflow pipe. The overflow cut-out may be located at a different edge to that of the cut-out or cut-outs designed to receive the threaded tap pillars. In yet another embodiment, the support member is a support plate spaced from a tap body bottom face of a monobloc tap by a bolt.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a force applicator for use with a securement device for a tap, the tap having a tap body with a bottom face and at least one water supply shaft extending from the tap body bottom face to pass through an aperture in a sink or bath, the force applicator comprising: a) a threaded shaft, b) a manually operated handle at a first end of the threaded shaft, c) a second end of the threaded shaft, wherein the second end engages the sink or bath, wherein, in use, the force applicator applies a force to force part of the securement device away from the tap body, and so secure the tap body on the sink or bath, the force applicator being adapted to operate on the securement device of the first aspect of the invention.

Other inventive aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the description, claims and drawings hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be more particularly described, solely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section view of a single tap secured to a bath or sink;

FIG. 2a shows a cross-section view of a mixer tap secured to a bath or sink;

FIG. 2b shows a cross-section view of an alternative embodiment of a mixer tap secured to a bath or sink;

FIG. 2c shows an embodiment of a support plate for a mixer tap;

FIG. 2d shows an alternative embodiment of a support plate for a mixer tap;

FIG. 2e shows another alternative embodiment of a support plate for a mixer tap;

FIG. 2f shows yet another alternative embodiment of a support plate for a mixer tap;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section view of a monobloc tap secured to a bath or sink;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view from above of a remote deployment embodiment of the invention that uses a remote operable linkage for moving the support member laterally into latching engagement with the tap pillar—the support members here being in the latched state, latching over the nut on the tap pillar;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view from below corresponding to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic plan view corresponding to FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic plan view of an embodiment of the invention wherein the support plate is integrally assembled to the bath or sink underside;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view from below corresponding to FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a variant of the FIGS. 4 to 7 embodiments where each support plate that latches against a nut/shoulder of a tap pillar is miniaturised and incorporated into a collar or pipe end/coupling;

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a variant of the FIG. 3 embodiment where the tap securement device is in the form of two horse-shoe shaped support plates and a pair of bolts, each with a slotted multi-faceted head/hex head at one end and where the upper support plate has a foam pad with a recess to receive and centre the other end of the bolt (only one of the pair of bolts is shown);

FIG. 11 shows the securement device of FIG. 10 in more detail;

FIG. 12 shows the securement device of FIG. 10 in exploded assembly/pre-assembly;

FIG. 13 shows an elongate slotted head that can be fitted over a nut on a threaded shaft, accommodating the nut in a multi-faceted socket of the head;

FIG. 14 shows an elongate slotted multi-faceted head/hex head with a deep threaded socket that can be fitted like a nut, threaded onto a threaded shaft;

FIG. 15 shows a further embodiment of securing device comprising an upper support plate with a ribbed skirt below and having a lower support plate threadedly held within the skirt;

FIG. 16 shows a variant of the FIG. 15 device, having a through-hole for the tap's threaded pillar; and

FIG. 17 shows a variant of the FIG. 15 device mounting onto a pair of threaded pillars of a monobloc tap rather than just one pillar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a single tap 1. Tap 1 has a tap body 2 with a bottom face 3 and threaded tap pillar 4, forming a water supply shaft, extending from the tap body bottom face to pass through an aperture 5 in a sink or bath rim “A”.

A support member in the form of a support plate 10 is provided with a “U-shaped” cut-out (i.e. recess or slot) 10A at one edge to receive the threaded tap pillar 4, embracing the pillar 4. The support plate 10 is installed to the pillar 4 by moving the support plate 10 laterally (radially inwardly) towards the pillar 4 to embrace the pillar 4, with the pillar 4 slotted into the cut-out/slot 10A, and the support plate or body can thereby latch against a nut 12 on the pillar 4 to secure the tap body 2 on the sink or bath. As can be seen, a pair of nuts 11, 12 are threaded onto the pillar 4, with the plate 10 loosely located between the nuts 11, 12 to secure the support plate 30 to the pillar in a position spaced from the tap body. While the support plate 10 is in its latching/engaged position against the upper face of nut 12 the tap body 2 cannot be pulled back up out of the aperture 5 and is thus substantially secured in place. To tighten the tap further in place force is applied to force the plate 10 away from the tap body 2.

A force applicator is provided in the form of a screw threaded bolt 13 to force the plate 10 away from the tap body 2. Bolt 13 has a first end with a hex head or screw driver slot 14 adapted to engage with a screw driver “X” (or manually operated handle—not shown). Bolt 13 has a second end which engages with one side of a sink or bath plate 15. The other side of plate 15 has a resilient rubber face to engage against the sink or bath rim “A”. Plate 15 is also provided with a cut-out 15B to receive the threaded tap pillar 4. In use the tap body 2 is placed adjacent one side of a sink or bath with the pillar 4 extending through the sink or bath aperture. Plate 10 is placed between nuts 11, 12 with bolt 13 and plate 15 extending above plate 10. Clockwise rotation of shaft 13 by screw driver “X” pushes plate 15 against the other side of the sink or bath remote from the tap body, and pushes the support plate 10 away from the tap body 2 to secure the tap body on the sink or bath. Tap 1 can easily be removed by rotating shaft 13 anti-clockwise whereby plates 10 and 15 can slide off pillar 4 and the tap lifted out of the aperture 5 in the sink or 15 bath rim.

Nut 12 may form part of a tap connector to connect a water piper “Y” to the pillar 4. The tap connector including nut 12 may very conveniently be secured to the tap body before the pillar 4 is passed through the aperture 5 in the sink or bath rim, being of an overall outside diameter small enough relative to the diameter of aperture 5 to allow free passage through the aperture 5. The installation of the tap is thereby made much easier for the plumber.

Referring to FIG. 2 there is shown a mixer tap 21. Tap 21 has a tap body 22 with bottom faces 23A. 23B and threaded tap pillars 24A, 24B, forming a water supply shaft, extending from the tap body bottom faces to pass through apertures 25A, 25B in a sink or bath rim “B”. A support member in the form of a support plate 30 is provided with “U-shaped” cut-outs 30A, 30B to receive the threaded tap pillars 24A, 24B. Nuts 31, 32 are threaded onto the pillars 24A, 24B to secure the support plate 30 to the pillars in a position spaced from the tap body 22. Nuts 31, 32 may form part of a tap connector to connect water pipes “Y” to the pillars 24A, 24B.

A force applicator is provided in the form of a screw threaded bolt 33 to force the plate 30 away from the tap body 22. Bolt 33 has a first end with a manually operated handle 34 (or hex head or screw driver slot adapted to engage with a screw driver). Bolt 33 has a second end which engages with one side of a sink or bath plate 35. The other side of plate 35 has a resilient rubber sheet 36 to engage against the sink or bath rim “B”. Nylon™ stabilising pins 37A, 37B act as guides to help prevent the plate 35 rotating relative to plate 30 when shaft 33 is rotated. These may of course be of other materials.

In use, the tap body 22 is placed adjacent one side of a sink or bath with the pillars 24A, 24B extending through the sink or bath apertures 25A, 25B. Clockwise rotation of the shaft 33 by handle 34 pushes plate 35 against the other side of the sink or bath rim remote from the tap body, and pushes the support plate 30 away from the tap body 22 to secure the tap body on the sink or bath. Tap 21 can easily be removed by rotating shaft 33 anticlockwise whereby plate 30 can slide off pillar 4 and the tap 21 lifted out of the aperture 23A, 23B in the sink or bath rim “B”.

As with the first embodiment, in this second embodiment the tap connectors 31, 32 may very conveniently be secured to the tap body before the pillars 24A, 24B pass through the aperture 23A, 23B in the sink or bath rim.

Referring to FIG. 2b, there is shown an alternative mixer tap 21. A support member 30 is provided with “U-shaped” cut-outs 30A, 30B in its edge to receive the threaded tap pillars 24A, 24B. The support member 30 is also provided with a “U-shaped” cut-out 60 to receive an overflow unit. A force applicator is provided in the form of two screw threaded bolts 61A, 61B to force the plate 30 away from the tap body 22. The bolts have a first end 62A, 62B with a hex head or screw driver slot adopted to engage with a screwdriver, and a second end which engages with one side of the sink or bath plate 35. The two threaded bolts 61A, 61B prevent the plate 35 rotating relative to plate 30 when each bolt 61A, 61B is rotated.

Referring to FIGS. 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, there are shown alternative embodiments of support member 30. FIG. 2c shows a support member 30 with “U-shaped” edge cut-outs 30A, 30B to receive the threaded tap pillars, and on the opposite side of the support member 30, a “U-shaped” cut-out 60 to receive part of an overflow unit. In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 2d, the cut-outs 30A, 30B are provided on the same side of the support member 30 as cut-out 60. FIG. 2e shows a support member 30 with “U-shaped” cut-outs 30C, 30D designed to receive the threaded tap pillars. The cut-outs 30C, 30D are positioned at opposite ends of the support member 30. The support member 30 is of a size that it fits snugly between the tap pillars and is positioned by, for example, tilting it to fit it into place. FIG. 2f shows an embodiment of the support member 30 in which the support member 30 is formed from two separate ends 63A, 63B, and each of these ends 63A, 63B is provided with a “U-shaped” edge cut-out 30C, 30D to receive the threaded tap pillars. A resilient member in the form of a spring 64 forms a connection between the two ends 63A, 63B of the support member 30. The spring 64 tends to force the ends 63A, 63B outwards. The support member 30 is positioned by compressing the spring 64 and fitting the support member 30 between the tap pillars. The spring 64 then relaxes and forces the ends 63A, 63B outwards so that the cut-outs 300, 30D fit snugly against the tap pillars. Alternatively a cam-arrangement, for example a lever-operated cam, in which, as a lever is rotated, a cam surface moves the ends 63A and 63B apart, can be used, or other arrangements for driving the ends away from each other.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a monobloc tap 41. Tap 41 has a tap body 42 with a bottom face 43 and pair of water shafts 44A, 44B, extending from the tap body bottom face 43 to pass through an aperture 45 in a sink or bath rim “C”. A support member in the form of a support plate 50 is provided with a “U-shaped” cut-out 50A in its edge to receive the threaded shaft 46 extending from bottom face 43. The thin threaded shaft 46 is, in this embodiment, the ‘tap pillar’ of the tap body 42 as contrasted to the much thicker tap pillars 4, 24 of the previous two embodiments and in this case runs alongside the water supply shafts 44A, 44B, rather than the previous two embodiments where the water supply shaft(s) ran up through the hollow tap pillars 4, 24. It should also be understood that the term ‘tap pillar of the tap body’ as used herein also embraces a pipe or pipe connector assembled to the water supply shaft of a tap body.

A pair of nuts 51, 52 are threaded onto the shaft 46, with the plate 50 loosely located between the nuts 51, 52 to secure the support plate to the shaft 46 in a position spaced from the tap body. A force applicator is provided in the form of a screw threaded bolt 53 to force the plate 50 away from the tap body 42. Bolt 53 has a first end with a manual handle 54 (or hex head or screw driver slot adapted to engage with a screw driver—not shown). Bolt 53 has a second end which engages with one side of a sink or bath plate 55. The other side of plate 55 has a resilient rubber face 56 to engage against the sink or bath rim “C”. Plate 55 is also provided with a cut-out 55A to receive the threaded shaft 46. In use the tap body 42 is placed adjacent one side of a sink or bath with the shaft 46 and water supply shafts 44A, 44B extending through the sink or bath aperture 45. Clockwise rotation of shaft 53 by handle 54 pushes plate 55 against the other side of the sink or bath remote from the tap body, and pushes the support plate 50 away from the tap 15 body 42 to secure the tap body on the sink or bath. Tap 41 can easily be removed by rotating shaft 53 anti-clockwise whereby plates 50 and 55 can slide off shaft 46 and the tap lifted out of the aperture 45 in the sink or bath rim.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 to 6, these show a remote deployment embodiment of the invention that uses a remotely operable linkage of wires 63A, 63B for pulling on an thereby moving the latching support member laterally into latching engagement with the tap pillar. Here the support member arrangement is doubled up to mount to a pair of threaded pillars 57A, 57B and comprises a pair of support plates 58A, 58B opposing each other either side of the first pillar 57A and each having a “U-shaped” cut-out 59A, 59B in its edge proximate the pillar 57A to receive and embrace the threaded pillar 57A. The second pillar 57B has an equivalent of this arrangement. The four support plates 58A, 58B are all supportively mounted on a single platform 60 and they are constrained by walls or a groove or other guide surfaces (not shown) to be able to move in a recti-linear path towards or away from the respective pillar 57A, 57B. A sink or bath plate 61 to abut the sink or bath rim underside is provided overlying the support plates 58A, 58B and is of similar shape and size to the platform 60 and keyed to it by pair of screw threaded bolts 61A, 61B.

The support plates 58A, 58B are each resiliently biased by a respective coil spring 62, each spring 62 being anchored at one end 62A and in tension, to move in the direction away from latching engagement with the respective tap pillar 57A, 57B. The linkage of wires 63A, 63B connects to each of the four support plates 58A, 58B such that when it is pulled on it will draw the opposing support plates 58A, 58B to close together around the respective threaded pillar 57A, 57B and thereby latch over the nut 64 on the respective pillar 57A, 57B. The linkage 63A, 63B is flexible to be able to change direction to pass underneath the sink or bath to facilitate remote operation at the base of the sink or bath or beyond. This is very helpful for bath installations where the tap is mounted midway along a bath and hard up against a wall since it can otherwise be inaccessible without pulling the bath away from the wall. The remote operation system allows a bath to be installed and sealed or tiled in place and the taps later changed without having to pull the bath out and damage the sealant and tiling. The linkage 63A, 63B can be locked/restrained in the latching state. The resilient biasing means/coil springs 62 will on release of the restraint and pulling force on the linkage 63A, 63B cause the support plates 58A, 58B to move away from their latching position. Thereupon the tap body may be lifted out for replacement without having to pull the bath out.

It will be noted that the sink or bath plate 61 and platform 60 for the support plates are provided with through apertures 65, 66 that are of greater diameter than the pillars 57A, 57B and nuts 64. This facilitates pre-plumbing where the pillars 57A, 57B and nuts 64 comprise pipe connectors for connecting the tap to the water supplies.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, these show an embodiment of the invention wherein the device with support plate is integrally assembled to the bath or sink underside. The support plate 65 is a unitary plate with an edge cut-out 66A, 66B on one side at each end to receive a respective one of a pair of threaded tap pillars 67A, 67B, similar to the FIG. 2a embodiment. However, here the support plate 65 is held captive within end channels 68A, 68B of a mounting bracket 69 that is fastened to the underside of the bath or sink. The support plate 65 can be moved along the channels 68A, 68B enabling the plate to latchingly engage with or disengage from the pillars 67A, 67B and their nuts 64. There is also head space in the channels 68A, 68B to allow the support plate 65 to be moved vertically and backed off from the pillars 67A, 67B far enough to be able to withdraw and demount the tap body with the pillars 67A, 67B from the sink or bath.

Referring now to FIG. 9, this variant of the bath mounted tap securement device has each support plate 70 that latches against a nut/shoulder of a tap pillar being miniaturised and incorporated into/housed in a collar or pipe end/coupling 71 on the tap pillar. The support plates 70 are suitably resiliently biased to latch behind the nut or shoulder on each respective tap pillar and can be pulled radially outwardly from the pillars to disengage and allow detachment by pulling on a cable 72 that links to both support plates 70 by a link bar 73 and which passes around a pulley wheel or curved fixture 74. The cable 72 is here able to be reeled in or out on a lever turned drum with lever handle 75.

FIG. 10 shows a variant of the FIG. 3 embodiment of the tap securement device that comprises upper and lower horse-shoe shaped support plates 79, 80, each horse-shoe shape forming a U-shaped cut out/recess that fits radially onto a threaded stem/pillar 77 of the tap 76 for the lower plate 80 to be able to engage over a nut 77b on the a threaded stem/pillar 77. The lower support plate 80 has a pair of threaded through-holes 80a through each of which the threaded shank of a respective bolt 81 passes threadedly engaged whereby turning of the bolt 81 in the hole 80a causes the plate 80 to travel downwardly, pressing down on the nut 77b to pull the tap 76 down tight against the bath or sink top.

Each of the pair of bolts 81 has a multi-faceted head (here a hexagonal head) 82 at one end, the head 82 having a central slot to allow the bolt 81 to be turned by a screw-driver. The upper support plate 79 comprises a metal plate 79a that has on its upper-side a thin rubber membrane to press against the underside of the bath or sink rim and on its underside a thicker resilient foam pad 79c with a pair of circular recesses 79d each serving as a socket to receive and locate the free end of a respective one of the two bolts 81. The foam loosely resiliently grips the bolt 81 end when the latter is inserted into the recess 79d, allowing the bolt 81 end to press on the metal plate 79a and turn about its axis.

Referring now to FIG. 13, this comprises 3D and long section views of an elongate socket head 83 that can be fitted over a nut on a threaded shaft, accommodating the nut in a multi-faceted socket 83a of the head 83 and accommodating any protruding part of the threaded shaft in a deep circular cylindrical cavity 83b in the base of the socket 83. This head 83 enables the user to more easily turn the nut in a confined space. Head 83 has a slot 83c in its base below cavity 83b, that is adapted to receive the tip of a screwdriver for turning the head 83. The head 83 may be used in a number of ways. It may be used as a means of converting a conventional headed bolt into a slot-headed bolt 81 for use in the same fashion as the slot-headed bolt 81 in the preceding (FIGS. 10 to 12) embodiment, ie for driving the lower support plate down to pull the nut 77b and linked tap down. Alternatively it may be used to directly drive the threaded tightening of the nut(s) 77b of the threaded shaft(s)/pillar 77 of the tap 76 to secure the tap in place. This latter approach enables the tap to be secured in place through turning of a screwdriver pointed upwardly from below rather than much more awkwardly using a spanner that has to be held radially relative to the pillar 77 much higher up under the basin/bath rim.

Referring now to FIG. 14, this comprises 3D and long section views of an elongate socket head 84 that can be fitted, threaded over the end of a threaded shaft. The socket head 84 is externally a multi-faceted head/hex head with a deep threaded socket 84b that can be fitted like a nut, threaded onto a threaded shaft. The head 84 has a slot 84c in its base below cavity 84b, that is adapted to receive the tip of a screwdriver for turning the head 84. This could be used as a means of converting a conventional non-headed bolt into a slot-headed bolt 81 for use in substantially the same fashion as the slot-headed bolt 81 in the FIGS. 10 to 12 embodiment. Alternatively it may be used in place of the threaded tightening nut(s) 77b of the threaded shaft(s)/pillar 77 of the tap 76 to secure the tap in place. This latter approach again enables the tap to be secured in place through turning of a screwdriver pointed upwardly from below rather than much more awkwardly using a spanner that has to be held radially relative to the pillar 77 much higher up under the basin/bath rim. It may also be used in a further variant of securing device configuration such as shown in FIGS. 15 to 17.

Referring now to FIG. 15, this shows a further embodiment of securing device 85. This embodiment comprises an upper support plate 85a with a long, broad diameter externally ribbed skirt/collar 85b extending downwardly below the upper support plate 85a and able to revolve while pressed against the underside of the plate 85a. A lower support plate is held within the skirt/collar 85b threadedly engaged with a thread on the internal diameter of the skirt/collar 85b. This lower support plate 85 has a semi-circular opening through which the tap water supply pipes can pass and a U-shaped cut-out/recess 85d on the lower support plate to facilitate mounting of the device to the tap pillar even with the nut 77b already in place on the pillar 77. The device is configured so that gripping the external ribbed cylindrical surface of the skirt/collar 85b and turning it while holding the lower support plate 85c to not turn will advance the lower support plate 85c down to press down on the upper face of the nut on the tap's threaded pillar 77. The nut here may be elongate and may suitably be the nut 84 of FIG. 14, and thus able to be tightened upwardly by a screw driver before or after the skirt/collar 85b has been screwed downwardly. In other embodiments the skirt/collar 85b might be static and only the nut, 77b or 84, turned to secure the tap in place.

FIG. 16 shows a variant of the FIG. 15 device, having a through-hole for the tap's threaded pillar rather than the U-shaped cut-out/recess 85d on the lower support plate (this nevertheless is superior to the prior art because the lower support plate is a considerable distance below the upper support plate and the rotary action to tighten the tap in place is by turning of the collar and not needing to involve use of spanners or the like for any substantial threading distance). The FIG. 17 image simply shows a variant of the FIG. 15 device for mounting onto a pair of threaded pillars of a monobloc tap. All of the embodiments shown may be adapted for mounting to single or multiple pillars and for use with monobloc taps or other single, pair or mixer taps.

The invention may take a form different from those specifically described above. Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A securement device for a tap having a tap body with a bottom face and at least one water supply shaft extending from the tap body bottom face to pass through an aperture in a sink or bath, the device comprising a support member adapted to be connected to the tap body spaced from the tap body bottom face, the tap body being placed adjacent one side of a sink or bath with the tap shaft or shafts extending through the sink or bath aperture and the support member engaging the tap body on the other side (underside) of the sink or bath to secure the tap body on the sink or bath, wherein the support member comprises a support plate or body with at least one edge cut-out/slot to receive a tap pillar of the tap body, whereby the support plate or body may be installed to the pillar by moving the support plate or body laterally (e.g. radially inwardly) towards the pillar to embrace the pillar, with the pillar slotted into the cut-out/slot of the support plate or body, and the support plate or body is thereby able to latch against a nut or other element or shoulder on the pillar to secure the tap body on the sink or bath.

2. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the edge cut-out/slot is U-shaped to fit closely around a rounded tap pillar.

3. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein a pair of support plates is provided, one plate on each of two opposing sides of the pillar.

4. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises at least one force applicator to force the support member away from the tap body in use, said force applicator engaging, directly or indirectly, the other side (underside) of the sink or bath remote from the tap body and pushing the support member away from the tap body to secure the tap body on the sink or bath.

5. A securement device according to claim 4, wherein the force applicator is a threaded shaft passing through a threaded aperture in the support member.

6. A securement device according to claim 5, wherein a first end of the threaded shaft includes a manually-operated handle, or hex head or screw driver slot.

7. A securement device according to claim 6, wherein a second end engages the sink or bath.

8. A securement device according to claim 7, wherein the second end, in use, is connected to a sink or tap plate which engages the sink or tap to distribute the load on the sink or bath.

9. A securement device according to claim 8, wherein the plate slides on guide rods connected to the support member to prevent it from rotating relative to the support member.

10. A securement device according to claim 8, wherein one face of the plate is of resilient material to engage the sink or bath.

11. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein there is a pair of nuts threaded onto the tap pillar with the plate loosely located between the nuts to secure the support plate to the pillar in a position spaced from the tap body.

12. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the support member is a support plate with a pair of spaced said cut-outs/slots to receive spaced threaded tap pillars forming water supply shafts of a mixer tap.

13. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the support member is a support plate spaced from a tap body bottom face of a monobloc tap by a bolt.

14. A securement device according to claim 1, in combination with a force applicator, the force applicator comprising:

a) a threaded shaft,

b) a manually operated handle at a first end of the threaded shaft,

c) a second end of the threaded shaft, wherein the second end engages the sink or bath, where, in use, the force applicator applies a force to force part of the securement device away from the tap body, and secure the tap body on the sink or bath.

15. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the device has a platform that supports the support member allowing the support member to slide there-over laterally towards or away from the pillar.

16. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the device has a resilient biasing member to bias the support member to move laterally towards or away from the pillar.

17. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the device has a linkage that allows the support member to be moved laterally towards or away from the pillar by a remote operation.

18. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the linkage is flexible (e.g. of wire/cable) or articulated.

19. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the linkage is configured to change direction to pass underneath the sink or bath to facilitate remote operation at the base of the sink or bath or beyond.

20. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the linkage is countered by the resilient biasing means.

21. A tap arrangement including a tap body in combination with a securement device as claimed in claim 1.

22. A tap arrangement according to claim 21, wherein the support member is latched in use above a nut.

23. A tap arrangement according to claim 22, wherein the nut is a nut threaded on the pillar.

24. A tap arrangement according to claim 22, wherein the nut is a nut that couples a pipe connector to the pillar.

25. A tap arrangement according to claim 21 as fitted in use to a sink or bath, wherein the nut or other element or shoulder on the pillar is of a size that passes through the sink or bath aperture.

26. A tap arrangement according to claim 21 as fitted in use to a sink or bath, wherein a pipe connector is pre-plumbed on the pillar, the pipe connector being of a size (outside diameter) that passes through the sink or bath aperture.

27. A tap arrangement according to claim 21 as fitted in use to a sink or bath, wherein a pipe connector is pre-plumbed on the pillar, the pipe connector being of a size (outside diameter) that passes through the sink or bath aperture and wherein the device has a platform that supports the support member allowing the support member to slide there-over laterally towards or away from the pillar, the platform having an aperture through which the pipe connector may pass.

28. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein the support member is integrally assembled to the bath or sink underside.

29. A securement device according to claim 28, wherein the support member is held captive within end channels of a mounting bracket on the bath or sink and can be moved along the channels enabling the member to latchingly engage with or disengage from the pillar.

30. A securement device according to claim 29, wherein there is head space in the channels to allow the support member to be moved vertically and backed off from the pillar far enough to be able to withdraw and demount the tap body.

31. A securement device according to claim 3, where an upper, in use one of the two support members has a resilient foam pad with at least one recess to receive and locate a free end of a bolt.

32. A securement device according to claim 1, wherein a bolt is provided to adjust vertical separation between the two support members in use and the bolt has a slotted head to be turned by a screwdriver.

33. A securement device for a tap having a tap body with a bottom face and at least one water supply shaft extending from the tap body bottom face to pass down through an aperture in a sink or bath, the device comprising a support member adapted to be connected to the tap body spaced from the tap body bottom face, the tap body being placed adjacent one side of a sink or bath with the tap shaft or shafts extending through the sink or bath aperture and the support member engaging the tap body on the other side (underside) of the sink or bath to secure the tap body on the sink or bath, wherein the device comprises at least one of: i) an elongate socket head that can be fitted over a nut on a threaded shaft, accommodating the nut in a multi-faceted socket of the head, the nut having a slot for a screwdriver tip at one end; ii) an elongate multi-faceted socket head/hex head with a deep threaded socket that can be fitted like a nut, threaded onto a threaded shaft; and iii) an elongate socket head that can be fitted over a nut on a threaded shaft, accommodating the nut in a multi-faceted socket of the head, the nut having a cavity extending down from the base of the socket to receive a part of the threaded shaft that protrudes down through the nut.

34. A securement device according to claim 1, comprising an upper support member with a rotatable skirt or collar extending down below it and having a lower support member threadedly held within the skirt so that rotation of the skirt or collar can adjust the separation between the upper support member and lower support member.

35. A securement device for a tap having a tap body with a bottom face and at least one water supply shaft extending from the tap body bottom face to pass down through an aperture in a sink or bath, the device comprising a support member adapted to be connected to the tap body spaced from the tap body bottom face, the tap body being placed adjacent one side of a sink or bath with the tap shaft or shafts extending through the sink or bath aperture and the support member engaging the tap body on the other side (underside) of the sink or bath to secure the tap body on the sink or bath, wherein the device comprises an upper support member with a rotatable skirt or collar extending down below it and having a lower support member threadedly held within the skirt so that rotation of the skirt or collar can adjust the separation between the upper support member and lower support member.