Faucet housing assembly

Details Faucet housing assembly Faucet housing assembly

1999-07-13

2001-02-20

Michalsky, Gerald A. (Department: 3753)

Fluid handling

Faucets and spouts

C137S359000, C004S677000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06189569

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF ART
This invention relates to a unique faucet housing assembly, and more particularly, to the escutcheon and an undercover plate of the faucet housing assembly and the engagement therebetween.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Faucet housing assemblies having an undercover plate secured to the undersurface of an escutcheon are used in a variety of configurations, as shown in the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,607 (Fagert et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,121 (McTargett et al.) each disclose a faucet assembly that includes a first undercover plate adapted to fit the undersurface of the spout portion of the escutcheon and a second undercover plate designed to fit the undersurface of the base portion of the escutcheon. A plurality of bosses ensures secure retention therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,071 (Hsieh) discloses a washbasin faucet assembly comprising a valve housing, a ceramic valve, a casing, a base frame, and an operating handle. The base frame is positioned beneath the valve housing, and the area connecting the base frame to the casing is sealed when mounted.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,755 (Mark et al.) discloses a faucet assembly that includes a throat plate mounted on the undersurface of the throat and escutcheon. The portion of the throat plate that engages the undersurface of the throat includes a pair of bosses for cooperative engagement with a pair of bosses in the throat for secure retention therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,151 (Ko) discloses a plurality of embodiments of various faucet assemblies, each comprising a housing, a discharge pipe, a filter cap, a knob, a tap body, a base plate and means to secure the discharge pipe to the tap body. The unit is assembled at the time of installation and is then mounted onto the sink.
However, these designs either require no assembly prior to shipping or require additional fasteners to secure the undercover plate to the escutcheon prior to shipping.
What is needed is a simplified construction for a faucet housing assembly that includes an escutcheon and a one-piece undercover plate, the undercover plate replacing much of the underbody of the escutcheon and enabling secure retention beneath the undersurface of the escutcheon.
What is needed is a simplified construction for a faucet housing assembly that includes an escutcheon and undercover plate, that enables secure retention between the escutcheon and the undercover plate without the need for any fasteners therebetween during assembly, prior to shipping, or prior to installation of the faucet housing assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
All of the above needs are met by the faucet housing assembly of the present invention. The faucet housing assembly includes an escutcheon, an undercover plate, and cooperative engagement means between the escutcheon and the undercover plate.
The base section of the undercover plate has the same general shape as the undersurface of the escutcheon. The base section of the undercover plate has a pair of openings disposed therein, one on each side of the base section. A strut abuts the outside edge of each opening. An edge of each strut enables a snap-fit engagement between the base section and a pair of mounting posts extending from the undersurface of the escutcheon.
The arched center section of the undercover plate includes an arcuate lip extending upward therefrom. The arched center section has a shape generally the same as the undersurface of the fluid discharge section of the escutcheon. The base section of the undercover plate has a snap-fit engagement with the undersurface of the mounting section of the escutcheon.
The cooperative engagement means between the escutcheon and the undercover plate is preferably a snap-fit engagement. This snap-fit engagement is preferably achieved by cooperative engagement between (1) the base section of the undercover plate and the undersurface of the mounting section of the escutcheon, and (2) the arched center section of the undercover plate and the fluid discharge section undersurface of the escutcheon. This dual engagement makes fasteners between the undercover plate and the escutcheon unnecessary (a) during shipping and (b) during and after installation.
When the undercover plate is secured to the escutcheon, the arcuate lip of the undercover plate abuts the two rib members of the escutcheon compressing the arcuate lip against the two rib members.
For a more complete understanding of the faucet housing assembly of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which the presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example. As the invention may be embodied in many forms without departing from the spirit of essential characteristics thereof, it is expressly understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and description only, and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4290445 (1981-09-01), Turner
patent: 4513769 (1985-04-01), Purcell
patent: 5073991 (1991-12-01), Marty
patent: 5165121 (1992-11-01), McTargett et al.
patent: 5368071 (1994-11-01), Hsieh
patent: 5746244 (1998-05-01), Woolley et al.
patent: 5960490 (1999-10-01), Pitsch

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Faucet housing assembly does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Faucet housing assembly, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Faucet housing assembly will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2593036