Mounting bracket for electronic kitchen faucet

• US 9,074,357 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Faucet Company (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Delta Faucet Company (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: Meehan, Steven Kyle, Huang, Zhichuang, Lin, Jia
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US13/093,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20120267493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• Field of Search: 469/5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/0401 Fixing a tap to the sanitary appliance or to an associated mounting surface, e.g. a countertop
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An electrically non-conductive mounting assembly is disclosed for coupling an electronic faucet to a sink deck. The mounting assembly includes a spout insulator configurable to attach to a delivery spout and a mounting bracket configured to attach to an underside of the sink deck.

Claims

1. A mounting assembly for coupling an electronic faucet to a sink deck having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a wall defining a sink deck aperture extending between the top surface and the bottom surface of the sink deck, the mounting assembly comprising:

a delivery spout;

a spout insulator having a top surface, a bottom surface, and internal walls defining a top shank aperture, said top surface configured to attach to said delivery spout, said bottom surface configured to abut the sink deck, and said top shank aperture configured to be disposed over the sink deck aperture;

a mounting bracket configured to attach to said bottom surface of the sink deck below the sink deck aperture, said mounting bracket including a boss defining a bottom shank aperture, said boss including a projecting lip sufficient in height to extend into the sink deck aperture and project above the bottom surface of the sink deck, said projecting lip of said boss of said mounting bracket being spaced from internal walls of said spout insulator via a radial clearance, when said mounting bracket is attached to the bottom surface of the sink deck, the mounting bracket formed of an electrically non-conductive material; and

a metal shank connected to said delivery spout and extending through said top shank aperture of said spout insulator, the sink deck aperture, and said bottom shank aperture of said mounting bracket, whereby when said mounting bracket is attached to the bottom surface of the sink deck, said shank is spaced from the sink deck.

2. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein, when said mounting bracket is attached to the bottom surface of the sink deck, said projecting lip of said boss of said mounting bracket is horizontally spaced from internal walls of said spout insulator defining a bottom aperture via a horizontal radial clearance, said bottom aperture of said spout insulator disposed below and in open communication with said top shank aperture of said spout insulator.

3. The mounting assembly of claim 1, further comprising a fastening device sized for receipt on said shank, whereby said fastening device attaches said mounting bracket to the sink deck.

4. The mounting assembly of claim 3, wherein the fastening device is a nut sized for receipt on said metal shank, said nut configured to threadably engage the shank to secure the mounting bracket to the sink deck such said shank is spaced from the sink deck.

5. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein said internal walls of said spout insulator further comprise a top tube aperture in adjacent open relation with said top shank aperture such that at least a portion of said top tube aperture and said top shank aperture are in open engagement, said mounting bracket further comprising internal walls defining a bottom tube aperture in adjacent closed relation with said bottom shank aperture such that said bottom tube aperture and said bottom shank aperture are separated by said boss, said top tube aperture configured to be aligned with said bottom tube aperture when said respective spout insulator and said mounting bracket are attached to the sink deck, said aligned top tube and bottom tube apertures configured to receive water supply tubes.

6. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein said sink deck is formed of a metal.

7. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein said spout insulator is formed of a polymeric material.

8. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein said mounting bracket is formed of a polymeric material.

9. The mounting assembly of claim 8, wherein said mounting bracket is formed of a thermoplastic.

10. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the projecting lip is sufficient in height to project above a top surface of the sink deck when said mounting bracket is attached to the bottom surface of the sink deck.

11. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein said mounting bracket further comprises a pair of horizontally projecting wire clips spaced from said underside of said sink when said mounting bracket is attached to the bottom surface of the sink deck, said wire clips being configured to receive one or more wires.

12. A mounting assembly for use with an electronic faucet to attach the faucet to a sink deck having a bottom surface and a sink deck aperture, the mounting assembly comprising:

an electrically non-conductive mounting bracket configured to attach to the bottom surface of the sink deck, said mounting bracket including a boss defining a bottom shank aperture, said boss including a projecting lip, said projecting lip sufficient in height to extend into the sink deck aperture and project above a bottom surface of the sink deck when said mounting bracket is attached to the bottom surface of the sink deck; and

an electrically conductive shank extending downwardly from above the sink deck, through the sink deck aperture and said bottom shank aperture of said mounting bracket;

wherein said mounting bracket further comprises internal walls defining a bottom tube aperture in adjacent closed relation with said bottom shank aperture such that said bottom tube aperture and said bottom shank aperture are separated by said boss, said bottom tube aperture configured to receive water supply tubes.

13. The mounting assembly of claim 12, further comprising a fastening device sized for receipt on said shank, said fastening device configured to attach said mounting bracket to the sink deck such that, upon attachment, said shank is spaced from the sink deck.

14. The mounting assembly of claim 12, wherein said mounting bracket comprises a polymeric material.

15. The mounting assembly of claim 14, wherein said mounting bracket is plastic.

16. The mounting assembly of claim 12, wherein said mounting bracket further comprises a pair of horizontally projecting wire clips spaced from said underside of said sink, said wire clips are configured to receive one or more wires.

17. A method for attaching a mounting assembly to a sink deck, the method comprising the steps of:

attaching a delivery spout including a metal shank to a spout insulator having a top shank aperture;

extending the shank through the top shank aperture of the spout insulator;

disposing the spout insulator over a sink deck aperture;

disposing a mounting bracket under the sink deck aperture such that a projecting lip of a boss of the mounting bracket extends upwardly into the sink deck aperture and is spaced from the spout insulator;

extending the shank through the boss of the mounting bracket; and

fastening the mounting bracket and the spout insulator to the sink deck wherein said fastening includes coupling a nut about the shank to secure the mounting bracket to the sink deck by threadably engaging the shank until the nut abuts and is tightened against the mounting bracket to secure the mounting bracket to the sink deck, such tightening allowing for the spout insulator to be firmly secured to an opposite side of the sink deck, whereby the shank is spaced from the sink deck.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said disposing a mounting bracket under the sink deck aperture comprises the projecting lip of the boss of the mounting bracket being spaced from internal walls of the spout insulator via a radial clearance.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said disposing a mounting bracket under the sink deck aperture comprises the projecting lip of the boss of the mounting bracket being horizontally spaced from internal walls of the spout insulator via a horizontal radial clearance, said bottom aperture of said spout insulator being disposed below and in open communication with said top shank aperture of said spout insulator.

20. A mounting assembly for attaching a delivery spout to a sink deck having an aperture therethrough, the assembly comprising:

a spout insulator having a top shank aperture;

a mounting bracket configured to be positioned under the sink deck aperture such that a projecting lip of a boss of the mounting bracket extends upwardly into the sink deck aperture and is spaced from the spout insulator;

the delivery spout including a metal shank configured to extend through the top shank aperture of the spout insulator, the sink deck aperture, and the boss of the mounting bracket, and;

a nut configured to threadably engage and couple about the metal shank to secure the mounting bracket and spout insulator to the sink deck such that the shank is spaced from the sink deck.