AU714830B3 - A water trap - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A PETTY PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: Duncan Paul WINZAR As above CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, QId. 4000, Australia.

A WATER TRAP Details of Associated Provisional Application: No. PP7766 filed on 17 December 1998 The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me: A WATER TRAP BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Water traps are used to connect water receptacles with drains and sewers.

BACKGROUND ART The most common type of trap is what is known as a S-bend trap.

Where there is adequate room S-bend traps are readily installed and dismantled for maintenance purposes but where there is limited room, for example where the trap is required to be installed in a pedestal or other form of shroud installation becomes a difficult exercise.

In-line or so called "bottle traps" have been proposed in the past in an effort to facilitate ease of installation and maintenance.

US Patent No. 3725964 describes an in-line trap having an inlet, and outlet and an open top water seal container in a substantially concentric arrangement. The main objective of the inventor was not to minimise size but to provide a structure which it is said can be readily dismantled for maintenance purposes. The trap described appears to be designed exclusively for a kitchen sink and would not be suitable for fitment to smaller diameter basin wastes nor would it be readily adapted to re-tro fitment to existing installations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a water trap which is compact and can be produced to suit numerous installation requirements, particularly those where space is at a premium.

An orderly flow of water through water traps is highly desirable.

Any structure and arrangement of a trap which creates excessive syphoning as water passes through the trap is likely to drain out to below a satisfactory or prescribed minimum volume of entrapped water.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a water trap which promotes an orderly flow pattern of fluids passing through the trap and a controlled level of syphoning from the trap.

2Z \Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the ensuing description.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water trap comprising a waterproof outer casing, an inlet into the casing and an outlet from the casing, and an open topped water seal chamber within the casing into which the inlet extends, characterised in that the axis of the inlet and outlet are offset and co-linear.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water trap where the cross sectional areas of the inlet, water seal chamber and the casing increase in the direction of the intended water flow.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water trap wherein the casing includes a lower portion having a frusto-conical shape.

The water seal chamber can be a substantially semi-circular cross-section.

The outlet can be off set from the axis of the casing.

The inlet can be fitted with a standard sink connecting nut.

The outlet can be provided with an o-ring seal.

Elements of the trap can have the following cross-sectional areas ELEMENT C.S.A.

A. Inlet Approx. 880 mm 2 B. Space directly below inlet Approx. 936 mm 2 C. Water seal chamber (less region A) Approx. 1065 mm 2 D. Water passage Approx. 1240 mm 2 E. Trap casing (less region C) Approx. 1650 mm 2 The body can have a frusto conical portion proceeding the outlet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Aspects of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 is a side view of a water trap in accordance with one possible embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a sectional view of the trap of figure 1 taken at 11:11, and Figures 3 and 4 show water traps according to the present invention installed in a pedestal basin and bidet respectively.

A trap in accordance with the illustrated embodiment can comprise an inlet, and outlet and a water seal container generally illustrated by arrows 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

A trap body 4 supports the water seal container 3 and provide the outlet 2 and the inlet 1 extends into the water seal container via a removable top wall 4a of the body 4.

The inlet 1 can be fitted with a threaded collar 5 and the outlet with a O-ring seal 6.

The longitudinal axis X and Y respectively of the inlet 1 and water seal chamber 3 are off-set with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body 4.

To assist water flow and to prevent undesirable siphoning the inlet 1, water seal 3 and body 4 are of increasing cross-sectional area in the direction of water flow indicated by the path arrows of figure 1.

This along with a frusto-conical mouth 4b of the body 4 prior to the outlet 2 encourages vortexing at the outlet and the entry of air into upper portions of the body 4 of the trap breaking the syphoning affect which would otherwise occur when a large volume of water is released into the trap. If a "siphon" action occurs the quantity of trapped water can be diminished to the extent that the trap does not meet desirable or regulatory requirements.

Elements of the trap can have the following cross-sectional areas in the regions A to E indicated on the drawings.

ELEMENT C.S.A.

A. Inlet Approx. 880 mm 2 B. Space directly below inlet Approx. 936 mm 2 C. Water seal chamber (less region A) Approx. 1065 mm 2 D. Water passage Approx. 1240 mm 2 7R4 4a E. Trap casing (less region C) Approx. 1650 mm 2 The inlet 1 and outlet 2 can be of varying diameter to suit situations where the installation space is minimal.

The offset inlet allows the trap to be fitted to a basin whose pedestal is as close as 20mm from the front edge of the waste outlet.

Overall width of the outer case can be as small as 76mm making it small enough to be concealed in most pedestals.

The water seal container can be spaced from the base and sides of the body 4 by spacers (not shown), be fixed to or part of the body.

In the illustrated instance the water seal container 3 is of a semicircular cross-section and be secured in its current position by ribs 7. The water seal container 3 can be a unitary member as illustrated or be formed by the placement of a central wall and base member. The lower internal surfaces at the corners of the water seal container can be provided with curved surfaces indicated by the shading on figure 2 to assist water flow.

The provision of a push fit "O-ring seal" 6 means that the trap can be connected to a basin first then both can be lowered onto the basin pedestal and waste outlet simultaneously to complete the fitting to waste without needing to fit nuts or flanges or the like inside the pedestal where the access for tools is minimal and where there is only slightly more room for an installer's hands.

Because the cross sectional area in each trap element increases in the direction of water flow to the outlet, the likelihood of residual build up or blockage is also minimised. The trap resists blockage and build up.

The position of the bottom of the inlet 1 above the base of the water seal chamber in region B is predetermined to maximise the efficiency of the trap and should be between 10 and 11 mm.

Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings illustrate the trap installed in a pedestal basin and bidet respectively.

In figure 3 the trap is shown positioned within the pedestal 8 of a hand basin 9 with the outlet 3 feeding directly to a waste pipe.

In figure 4 of the drawings the trap is shown positioned beneath a bidet 11 with the outlet 3 connected to a pipe reducer 12 housed within 6 waste pipe 13.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as Sdefined in the appended claims.

Claims (3)

1. A water trap comprising a waterproof outer casing, an inlet into the casing and an outlet from the casing, and an open topped water seal chamber within the casing into which the inlet extends, characterised in that the axis of the inlet and outlet are offset and co-linear.

2. A water trap as claimed in claim 1 where the cross sectional areas of the inlet, water seal chamber and the casing increase in the direction of the intended water flow.

3. A water trap as claimed in either claims 1 or 2 wherein the lO casing includes a lower portion having a frusto-conical shape. DATED this 19th day of November 1999 Duncan Paul WINZAR By his Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.