Solid material comminution or disintegration – Apparatus – Including means applying fluid to material
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-08
2001-07-24
Rosenbaum, Mark (Department: 3725)
Solid material comminution or disintegration
Apparatus
Including means applying fluid to material
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264123
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to waste disposer devices, and more particularly, to an improved waste disposer having a food chamber and motor housing that are rotatably coupled together.
2. Description of Related Art
Garbage or waste disposers are well known in the prior art and are common in both commercial and household applications. Waste disposers are interposed between a drain of a sink and an outlet conduit connected to a sewer system. Waste disposers are used to grind food waste matter and similar debris into small particles, to prevent the food matter from clogging the outlet conduit of the sewer system.
A waste disposer is coupled to a drain opening of a sink and to outlet conduit connected to the sewer system. The waste disposer comprises a food chamber fastened to a motor housing. Within the motor housing is an electric motor that is connected to a power source and a grind assembly positioned above the motor and coupled thereto. The grind assembly includes a grind plate coupled to the motor. The grind assembly also includes grind blades rotatably secured to the grind plate and an outlet aperture in a sidewall of the housing. The outlet aperture is interposed between a bottom surface of the grind plate and the motor. Ground food particles are flushed through small openings in the grind plate and into the outlet aperture. An outlet pipe is coupled to the outlet aperture for coupling the waste disposer to outlet conduit, to allow the ground food particles to be flushed into the sewer system.
The food chamber is fastened to the open end of the motor housing to prevent leaks from forming between the chamber and housing. A plurality of spatially positioned channels extend from a bottom plate of the motor housing toward the open end thereof and adjacent to the sidewall. Elongated bolts are disposed in the channels and extend through the channels and along the sidewall of the grind assembly portion of the housing.
The food chamber is configured with a flange that extends about a bottom edge thereof. Holes that mate with the channels are provided in the flange. The food chamber's flange is positioned over the open end of the motor housing and ends of the bolts are disposed through each of the holes in the flange. A nut is then threaded onto the end of each bolt and tightened, until the food chamber is securely fastened to the motor housing.
The food chamber also has an inlet opening that mates with the drain opening of the sink. A flange mechanism is coupled to the food chamber's inlet opening for securing the waste disposer to the sink. The food chamber also includes a dishwasher inflow tube that provides a drain path to the sewer system for waste water from an automatic dishwasher. Waste water from the dishwasher flows through the inflow tube, into the food chamber, and out through the outlet aperture into the outlet conduit connected thereto. The inflow tube is aligned with the outlet aperture in the motor housing.
The waste disposer is installed by first positioning the inlet opening of the food chamber adjacent to the drain opening of the sink. The flange mechanism is used to secure the inlet opening of the food chamber, and thus secure the disposer to the sink. Prior to fully tightening the waste disposer against the sink, the disposer may be rotated to align the outlet aperture with outlet conduit of the sewer system. Once the desired position is achieved, the inlet opening of the food chamber is tightened against the sink to prevent the disposer from moving about beneath the sink and to prevent leaks. The outlet conduit is then coupled to the outlet aperture.
Outflow tubing from the dishwasher is then coupled to the inflow tube of the food chamber. However, since the inflow tube is aligned with the outlet aperture in the motor housing, outlet conduit coupled to the outlet aperture usually obstructs access to the inflow tube, making it difficult to couple the dishwasher's outflow tubing to the inflow tube. Further, there may be additional outlet conduit, such as outlet conduit coupled to a drain of a partitioned sink for example, and other obstructions beneath the sink that render coupling of the dishwasher's outflow tubing to the inflow tube somewhat difficult.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved waste disposer that is easier and faster to install than prior designs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises an improved food waste disposer comprising a food chamber and a motor housing that are rotatably coupled together in facilitate installation. In a preferred embodiment, a clamp is used to couple the food chamber to the motor housing. When the clamp is in a closed position, the clamp causes an open end of the housing to exert sufficient pressure on a flange of the food chamber to prevent leaks from forming therebetween and to limit inadvertent relative movement between the housing and food chamber. Therefore, the clamp of the present invention obviates the need for fastening the housing to the food chamber by other means, such as with bolts, as was common to the prior art.
In an open position, the clamp allows the food chamber and motor housing to be rotated relative to one another to facilitate installation of the waste disposer. When the clamp is open, the pressure that the housing's open end exerts on the food chamber's flange is reduced sufficiently to allow rotation. However, the clamp is configured to retain the flange in contact with the open end, to inhibit food particles and other matter from lodging between the flange and open end, which may result in leaks. Additionally, the clamp prevents the motor housing from completely detaching from the food chamber, which could cause damage to the housing, chamber, or both.
By way of example, prior to installation, the compression clamp is placed in the open position to enable rotation of the food chamber relative to the housing. An inlet opening of the food chamber is first coupled to a drain opening of a sink. The motor housing may then be rotated to align an outlet aperture in the housing with outlet conduit of a sewer system located beneath the sink, for connecting the disposer to the outlet conduit. The food chamber may then be rotated to align the inflow tube thereof with outflow tubing that is connected to an automatic dishwasher, for example. The outlet conduit is then connected to the outlet aperture and the outflow tubing is connected to the inflow tube. The inlet opening of the food chamber is then secured to the drain opening, to secure the disposer to the sink. The clamp is placed in the closed position to prevent the disposer from leaking and to limit any further movement between the housing and food chamber.
Alternatively, once the food chamber is coupled to the drain opening of the sink, the chamber can be rotated to align the inflow tube with the outflow tubing, prior to aligning the housing with the outlet conduit located beneath the sink. Once a desired position of the food chamber is achieved, the housing may be rotated to align the outlet aperture of the housing with the outlet conduit. Similarly, both the housing and food chamber can be rotated simultaneously during installation.
Therefore, the waste disposer of the present invention facilitates installation thereof. Rotation of the food chamber and motor housing relative to one another aids in aligning the housing's outlet aperture with the outlet conduit of the sewer system and in aligning the chamber's the inflow tube with the outflow tubing of the dishwasher. Further, rotation of the chamber and housing relative to one another may allow unobstructed access thereto during connection of conduit to either the chamber or housing. This may reduce the time required to install the disposer.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3862720 (1975-01-01), Guth
patent: 3873036 (1975-03-01), Smith
patent: 4082229 (1978-04-01), Boosman
patent: 4135258 (1979-01-01), Braga et al.
patent: 5308000 (1994-05-01), Riley
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