Garbage disposal assembly with decorative sink flange mask

• US 5,560,052 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 10/01/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Opella Limited (Fluidmaster Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delta Engineering Holdings Limited (Broen Valves)
• Inventors: Taylor, Peter J., Ferguson, Lloyd G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fetsuga, Robert M.
• Application Number:
  US08/475,792
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 4/286, 4/287, 4/295, 4/629, 4/650, 4/654, 4/DIG. 4, 241/46.013, 241/46.016, 285/46
• US Class Current: 4/650
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/2665 Disintegrating apparatus specially adapted for installation in waste pipes or outlets disintegrating apparatus per se B02C

Abstract

An improved garbage disposal assembly with an apparatus and related method for selectively varying the sink-side appearance of the garbage disposal assembly. In its preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention includes a decorative flange mask for covering a sink flange of a garbage disposal. A sink flange includes an open cylindrical body portion for insertion through a drainage hole of a sink bottom and an annular lip portion extending radially outward from one end of the cylindrical body portion for location above the sink bottom. The decorative flange mask, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, includes an open cylindrical mask body for insertion into the cylindrical body portion of the sink flange and an annular mask lip connected to and extending radially outward from one end of the cylindrical mask body for covering the annular lip portion of the sink flange.

Claims

1. Method of selectively varying the sink-side appearance of a garbage disposal, which garbage disposal includes at least a sink flange having an open cylindrical body portion and an annular lip portion connected to and extending radially outward from one end of the cylindrical body portion for being located above a sink bottom, said method comprising the steps of:

coaxially orienting above the sink flange installed in the sink bottom a flange mask including a cylindrical body portion and an annular lip portion connected to and extending radially outward from one end of the cylindrical body portion; and

pushing the flange mask downward into the sink flange until the cylindrical body portion of the flange mask extends substantially down into the cylindrical body portion of the sink flange, the lip portion of the flange mask is adjacent the lip portion of the sink flange, and the flange mask is secured, through said pushing alone, within the sink flange.

2. Method of claim 1, wherein the step of pushing the flange mask into the sink flange includes creating securing interaction between the open cylindrical body portion of the sink flange and the cylindrical body portion of the flange mask.

3. Method of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical body portion of the flange mask defines an annular groove, and wherein the step of pushing the flange mask into the sink flange includes mounting the annular groove around an inner annular ridge defined by the open cylindrical body portion of the sink flange.

4. Method of claim 1, wherein the pushing step includes securely connecting the flange mask body portion to the sink flange body portion with an interconnecting member extending from one toward the other of the mask body portion and the flange body portion.

5. Method of claim 1, wherein the pushing step includes securely connecting the flange mask body portion to the sink flange body portion with an interconnecting member extending from the flange body portion toward the mask body portion.

6. Method of claim 1,

wherein the cylindrical flange body portion includes a bottom end defining a bottom horizontal plane, and the annular flange lip portion includes an upper surface defining an upper horizontal plane, and

wherein the pushing step further includes pushing the flange mask downward into the sink flange until the cylindrical mask body portion extends down into the flange body portion a distance equal to at least 30% of a vertical distance between the upper horizontal plane and the bottom horizontal plane.

7. Method of claim 1,

wherein the cylindrical flange body portion includes a bottom end defining a bottom horizontal plane ,and the annular flange lip portion includes an upper surface defining an upper horizontal plane, and

wherein the pushing step further includes pushing the flange mask downward into the sink flange until the cylindrical mask body portion extends down into the flange body portion a distance equal to at least 50% of a vertical distance between the upper horizontal plane and the bottom horizontal plane.

8. Method of claim 1,

wherein the annular mask lip portion consists only of an annular planar member,

wherein the annular flange lip portion of the sink flange includes a peripheral outer surface and a bottom surface, and

wherein the peripheral outer surface and the bottom surface of the annular flange lip portion are completely absent contact with the flange mask after the pushing step.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the cylindrical mask body portion includes a cylindrical outer surface,

wherein the annular mask lip portion of the flange mask is planar,

wherein the planar annular mask lip portion is the only portion of the flange mask located outside of the cylindrical outer surface of the cylindrical mask body portion, and

wherein the only portion of the sink flange mask contacting the annular flange lip portion is the planar annular mask lip portion.

10. A sink flange assembly comprising:

a sink flange including,

a cylindrical flange body portion, and

an annular flange lip portion flaring outward from said flange body portion, wherein said annular flange lip includes an upper surface, a peripheral outer edge surface, and a bottom surface; and

a sink flange mask contacting said sink flange including

a cylindrical mask body portion extending substantially down into said flange body portion and contacting said flange body portion, and

an annular mask lip portion flaring outward from said mask body portion, said lip portion contacting only said upper surface of said flange lip portion.

11. The assembly of claim 10, further comprising an interconnecting member extending between said mask body portion and said flange body portion.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said interconnecting member extends from one toward the other of said mask body portion and said flange body portion.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said interconnecting member extends from said flange body portion toward said mask body portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said interconnecting member extends from said flange body portion as an annular ridge, and wherein said mask body portion defines an annular groove complementary to said annular ridge.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said sink flange mask and said sink flange are substantially similar in three-dimensional shape.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said peripheral outer edge surface and said bottom surface of said annular flange lip portion are completely absent contact by any portion of said sink flange mask.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said annular mask lip portion consists only of an annular, planar member.

18. The apparatus of claim 10,

wherein said cylindrical flange body portion includes a vertical cylindrical inner surface,

wherein said flange mask body portion includes a vertical cylindrical outer surface,

wherein said vertical cylindrical outer surface of said flange mask body portion contacts and extends substantially down along said vertical cylindrical inner surface of said cylindrical flange body portion.

19. The assembly of claim 10,

wherein said cylindrical flange body portion includes a bottom end defining a bottom horizontal plane, and said annular flange lip portion upper surface defines an upper horizontal plane, and

wherein said cylindrical mask body portion extends down into said flange body portion a distance equal to at least 30% of a vertical distance between said upper horizontal plane and said bottom horizontal plane.

20. The assembly of claim 10,

wherein said cylindrical flange body portion includes a bottom end defining a bottom horizontal plane and said annular flange lip portion upper surface defines an upper horizontal plane, and

wherein said cylindrical mask body portion extends down into said flange body portion a distance equal to at least 50% of a vertical distance between said upper horizontal plane and said bottom horizontal plane.

21. The assembly of claim 10, further comprising means for retaining said flange mask securely within said sink flange.

22. The assembly of claim 21, wherein said retaining means includes an annular retaining member extending between said flange mask body portion and said sink flange body portion.

23. The assembly of claim 22, wherein said annular retaining member extends from said sink flange body portion towards said mask body portion.

24. The assembly of claim 10,

wherein said cylindrical mask body portion includes a cylindrical outer surface,

wherein said annular mask lip portion of said flange mask is planar, and

wherein said planar annular mask lip portion is the only portion of said sink flange mask located outside of said cylindrical outer surface of said cylindrical mask body portion.

25. The assembly of claim 24, wherein the only portion of said sink flange mask contacting said annular flange lip portion is said planar annular mask lip portion.

26. Method of masking a sink flange installed in a sink, said sink flange including a cylindrical flange body portion and an annular flange lip portion connected to and extending radially outward from a top end of the cylindrical flange body portion, said method comprising the steps of:

coaxially orienting above the sink flange installed in the sink a sink flange mask having a cylindrical mask body portion and an annular mask lip portion connected to and extending radially outward from a top end of the cylindrical mask body portion; and

pushing the flange mask downward into the sink flange until the cylindrical body portion of the flange mask extends substantially down into the cylindrical body portion of the sink flange, the annular mask lip portion is located adjacent the annular flange lip portion, and the flange mask is completely secured, through said pushing alone, within the sink flange.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the sink flange mask and the sink flange are substantially similar in three-dimensional shape.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the pushing step includes masking the annular flange lip portion with the annular mask lip portion.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the annular flange lip portion includes an upper surface, a peripheral outer edge surface, and a bottom surface, and wherein the pushing step includes contacting none of the bottom surface and the peripheral outer edge surface by the annular mask lip portion.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the annular mask lip portion consists only of an annular planar member.

31. Method of claim 26, wherein the step of pushing the flange mask into the sink flange includes creating securing interaction between the open cylindrical body portion of the sink flange and the cylindrical body portion of the flange mask.

32. Method of claim 26, wherein the cylindrical body portion of the flange mask defines an annular groove, and wherein the step of pushing the flange mask into the sink flange includes mounting the annular groove around an inner annular ridge defined by the open cylindrical body portion of the sink flange.

33. Method of claim 26, wherein the pushing step further includes securely connecting the flange mask body portion to the sink flange body portion with an interconnecting member extending from one toward the other of the mask body portion and the flange body portion.

34. Method of claim 26, wherein the pushing step further includes securely connecting the flange mask body portion to the sink flange body portion with an interconnecting member extending from the flange body portion toward the mask body portion.

35. Method of claim 26,

wherein the cylindrical flange body portion includes a bottom end defining a bottom horizontal plane, and the annular flange lip portion includes an upper surface defining an upper horizontal plane, and

wherein the pushing step further includes pushing the flange mask downward into the sink flange until the cylindrical mask body portion extends down into the flange body portion a distance equal to at least 30% of a vertical distance between the upper horizontal plane and the bottom horizontal plane.

36. Method of claim 26,

wherein the cylindrical flange body portion includes a bottom end defining a bottom horizontal plane ,and the annular flange lip portion includes an upper surface defining an upper horizontal plane, and

wherein the pushing step further includes pushing the flange mask downward into the sink flange until the cylindrical mask body portion extends down into the flange body portion a distance equal to at least 50% of a vertical distance between the upper horizontal plane and the bottom horizontal plane.

37. Method of claim 26,

wherein the annular mask lip portion consists only of an annular planar member,

wherein the annular flange lip portion of the sink flange includes a peripheral outer edge surface and a bottom surface, and

wherein the peripheral outer edge surface and the bottom surface of the annular flange lip portion are completely absent contact by the sink flange mask after the pushing step.

38. The method of claim 26, wherein the pushing step includes completely masking from view the annular flange lip portion and the cylindrical flange body portion with the sink flange mask.

39. The method of claim 26,

wherein the cylindrical mask body portion includes a cylindrical outer surface,

wherein the annular mask lip portion of the flange mask is planar,

wherein the planar annular mask lip portion is the only portion of the flange mask located outside of the cylindrical outer surface of the cylindrical mask body portion, and

wherein the only portion of the sink flange mask contacting the annular flange lip portion is the planar annular mask lip portion.

40. A sink flange assembly comprising:

a sink flange including,

a vertical cylindrical flange body portion including a top end and a bottom end defining a bottom horizontal plane, and

an annular flange lip portion flaring outward from said top end of said flange body portion, wherein said annular flange lip includes

an upper surface defining an upper horizontal plane,

a peripheral outer surface, and

a bottom surface; and

a sink flange mask contacting said sink flange and consisting only of a vertical cylindrical mask body portion extending substantially down into said flange body portion and contacting said flange body portion, and

a planar mask lip portion extending radially outward from said cylindrical mask body portion.

41. The assembly of claim 40, wherein said cylindrical mask body portion extends down into said flange body portion a distance equal to at least 30% of the vertical distance between said upper horizontal plane and said bottom horizontal plane.

42. The assembly of claim 40, wherein said cylindrical mask body portion extends down into said flange body portion a distance equal to at least 50% of the vertical distance between said upper horizontal plane and said bottom horizontal plane.

43. The assembly of claim 40, further comprising an interconnecting member extending between said mask body portion and said flange body portion.

44. The assembly of claim 43, wherein said interconnecting member extends from one toward the other of said mask body portion and said flange body portion.

45. The assembly of claim 43, wherein said interconnecting member extends from said flange body portion toward said mask body portion.

46. The assembly of claim 45, wherein said interconnecting member extends from said flange body portion as an annular ridge, and wherein said mask body portion defines an annular groove complementary to said annular ridge.

47. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said sink flange mask and said sink flange are

substantially similar in three-dimensional shape.

48. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said planar mask lip portion contacts said upper

surface of said annular flange lip portion only.