Adjustable floor drain and method of installation

• US 10,711,447 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2017
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZURN Water LLC (Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Zurn Industries LLC (Zilco Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Say, Christopher J., Wagner, Adam F., Brooks, Seth A., Morris, Jason E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Pranav N
• Application Number:
  US15/698,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20180073237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 2005/0412 with means for adjusting their position with respect to the surrounding surface
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 2005/0413 for height adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 2005/0414 for inclination adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 2005/0415 for horizontal position adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 5/0407 Floor drains for indoor use
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 5/041 Accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 5/0411 Devices for temporarily blocking inflow into a gully
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 17/00 Vertical ducts; Channels, e.g. for drainage pipes in general F16L; pipe-line systems F17D ; drainage devices in floors E03F5/04; roof drainage E04D13/04

Abstract

A drain assembly comprises a shroud, a shank, and a frame. The drain assembly may further comprise a shim with an angled top surface. The frame may have an angled bottom surface. A rotational orientation of the angled top surface of the shim relative to the shank and a rotational orientation of the angled bottom surface of the frame relative to the shank may be independently adjustable, thereby allowing for the top surface of the frame to be both angularly and rotationally adjusted relative to a central axis of the drain assembly independent of the positional height of the shank. The drain assembly may further comprise a cover having bendable tabs. The bendable tabs may be disposed around a periphery of the cover and may be configured to contact an angled inner surface of an upper bowl of the shroud, such that the bendable tabs bend around the frame, thereby locking the cover onto the frame.

Claims

1. A drain assembly comprising:

a shroud having a threaded radially inward facing surface;

a shank having a lip on an upper edge, a cylindrical radially inward facing surface defining a central axis, and a threaded radially outward facing surface configured to threadably engage the threaded radially inward facing surface of the shroud;

a frame having a top surface and an angled bottom surface in which the angled bottom surface is angled relative to the central axis;

a shim having an angled top surface angled relative to the central axis;

a clamp configured to clamp the shim between the lip of the shank and the angled bottom surface of the frame; and

wherein a rotational orientation of the angled top surface of the shim relative to the shank and a rotational orientation of the angled bottom surface of the frame relative to the shank are independently adjustable, thereby allowing for the top surface of the frame to be both angularly and rotationally adjusted relative to the central axis.

2. The drain assembly of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the frame can be both angularly and rotationally adjusted relative to the central axis independent of the axial height of the top surface of the frame.

3. The drain assembly of claim 1, wherein the angled bottom surface of the frame and the angled top surface of the shim bear on one another.

4. The drain assembly of claim 1, further comprising a cover having bendable tabs disposed around a periphery of the cover.

5. The drain assembly of claim 4, wherein the bendable tabs are configured to contact an angled inner surface of an upper bowl of the shroud when the threaded radially outward facing surface of the shank is threadably engaged with the threaded radially inward facing surface of the shroud such that the bendable tabs bend around the frame, thereby locking the cover onto the frame.

6. The drain assembly of claim 1, wherein a bottom surface of the shim bears against the lip of the shank.

7. The drain assembly of claim 1, wherein a radially inward facing surface of the shim includes a tab extending radially inward from the radially inward facing surface toward the central axis, the tab accommodating rotational adjustment of the shim about the central axis.

8. The drain assembly of claim 7, wherein a radially inward facing surface of the shank includes a tab extending radially inward from the radially inward facing surface toward the central axis, the tab of the shank providing a reference point for use with the tab of the shim to allow for precise rotational adjustment of the shim about the central axis.

9. The drain assembly of claim 1, wherein the frame, shim, and clamp each have an annular shape.

10. The drain assembly of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the frame has a rectangular shape.

11. The drain assembly of claim 1, further comprising a grate coupled to the top surface of the frame and a grate cover removably coupled to a top surface of the grate.

12. A drain assembly comprising:

a shroud including a threaded radially inward facing surface and an upper bowl having an angled inner surface;

a shank having a lip on an upper edge, a cylindrical radially inward facing surface defining a central axis, and a threaded radially outward facing surface configured to threadably engage the threaded radially inward facing surface of the shroud;

a frame coupled to the lip of the shank;

a cover having bendable tabs and a plurality of hollow protrusions disposed around a periphery of the cover; and

wherein the bendable tabs are configured to contact the angled inner surface of the upper bowl of the shroud when the threaded radially outward facing surface of the shank is threadably engaged with the threaded radially inward facing surface of the shroud such that the bendable tabs bend around the frame, thereby locking the cover onto the frame, and

wherein the frame includes slots configured to receive the bendable tabs when the bendable tabs bend around the frame, such that when the bendable tabs are within the slots, the cover is rotationally coupled to the frame.

13. The drain assembly of claim 12, further comprising:

a shim having an angled top surface angled relative to the central axis;

a clamp configured to clamp the shim between the lip of the shank and the frame; and

wherein the frame includes a top surface and an angled bottom surface angled relative to the central axis.

14. The drain assembly of claim 13, wherein a rotational orientation of the angled top surface of the shim relative to the shank and a rotational orientation of the angled bottom surface of the frame relative to the shank are independently adjustable, thereby allowing for the top surface of the frame to be both angularly and rotationally adjusted relative to the central axis.

15. The drain assembly of claim 14, wherein the top surface of the frame can be both angularly and rotationally adjusted relative to the central axis independent of the axial height of the top surface of the frame.

16. The drain assembly of claim 14, wherein the angled bottom surface of the frame and the angled top surface of the shim bear on one another.

17. The drain assembly of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of hollow protrusions are configured for engagement with a tool, such that the cover, the frame, and the shank are rotatable with the tool when the tool is engaged with at least one of the plurality of hollow protrusions, allowing for removal of the shank from the shroud after installation.

18. The drain assembly of claim 17, wherein when the cover, the frame, and the shank are rotated to remove the shank from the shroud, the bendable tabs of the cover are configured to bend away from the frame, allowing for removal of the cover after installation.

19. The drain assembly of claim 12, further comprising a grate coupled to the top surface of the frame and wherein the cover is removably coupled to a top surface of the grate.

20. A drain assembly comprising:

a shroud having a threaded radially inward facing surface;

a shank having a lip on an upper edge, a cylindrical radially inward facing surface defining a central axis, and a threaded radially outward facing surface configured to threadably engage the threaded radially inward facing surface of the shroud;

a frame having a top surface and an angled bottom surface in which the angled bottom surface is angled relative to the central axis;

a shim having an angled top surface angled relative to the central axis; and

wherein a rotational orientation of the angled top surface of the shim relative to the shank and a rotational orientation of the angled bottom surface of the frame relative to the shank are independently adjustable, thereby allowing for the top surface of the frame to be both angularly and rotationally adjusted relative to the central axis.