Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Drain – overflow or trap for a sink or bath – Drain valve
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-17
2002-02-19
Huson, Gregory L. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Drain, overflow or trap for a sink or bath
Drain valve
C004S693000, C004S679000, C004S287000, C004S295000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06347417
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a drain plug device used in a bath tub and a basin and the like for opening or closing a drain port every time an operating part is pushed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art drain plug device, there has been provided a technology which is disclosed in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 9-324451.
As shown in
FIG. 14
, this related art technology is constituted such that a hollow mechanical box
55
suspended from a plug lid
4
is fitted into a cylindrical guiding part
3
having a bottom part therein arranged at a central part in a drain port
11
in such a way that it can be pulled out or inserted into it, a supporting shaft
14
is inserted into the mechanical box
55
from the lower end of the mechanical box
55
, an operating part
6
is arranged in a bath tub
1
, a releasing section S having one end connected to the operating part
6
is wired along the inner surface of the bath tub
1
in such a way that the releasing section may not become a hindrance, the other end of an outer tube s
3
is connected to the side part of the plug lid
4
and then an inner wire s
4
is positioned in the mechanical box
55
while being passed through the plug lid
4
.
In this related art, when the operating part
6
is pushed, its extremity end strikes against the upper end of the supporting shaft
14
upon forwarding motion of the inner wire s
4
, and its further forwarding motion of the inner wire s
4
pushes up the plug lid
4
together with the mechanical box
55
to open a drain port
11
(the plug is opened), a thrust lock mechanism
7
installed in the mechanical box
55
is locked and then a subsequent pushing operation for the operating part
6
causes the lock of the thrust lock mechanism
7
to be released to close the drain port
11
(the plug is closed).
Since this related art enables the drain port
11
to be opened or closed by the pushing operation for the releasing member S wired in the bath tub
1
, it is possible to eliminate a troublesome state for a wiring work as found in a remote-operated drain plug device wired outside the bath tub or the basin and the like and to prevent a high cost caused by an increased number of component parts in reference to a prevention in leakage accompanied by its outside wiring and the like.
However, there was a possibility that the main bodies of the device comprised of the plug lid
4
and the mechanical box
55
are floated up under the instantaneous pushing-down force when the supporting shaft
14
strikes against the bottom part of the guiding part
3
upon reception of the pushing power of the operating part
6
, resulting in that they are flown out of the guiding part
3
.
In addition, the releasing member S was constituted such that its outer tube s
3
was connected to the side part of the plug lid
4
and only an inner wire s
4
was passed through the plug lid
4
with the inner wire being resiliently bent in a feeding hole
44
having a bent part
44
a
opened at the plug lid
4
and further drawn into the mechanical box
55
, so that it showed a problem that a contact frictional resistance between the plug lid
4
made of synthetic resin and the feeding hole
44
for the inner wire s
4
, in particular at its bent part
44
a
became remarkably high to require a high force for pushing the operating part
6
, resulting in that a poor convenience in use occurred.
In addition, in recent years, there has been present a request from a user using a bath tub and a basin having a rubber plug to open or close a drain port by pulling up a chain for changing this rubber plug into the aforesaid remote-operated drain plug device.
In view of the foregoing, since the aforesaid related art is of a type of inner bath tub wiring system, but is not of a type of outer bath tub wiring system, so that if the system is to be changed, it can be changed in a less-expensive manner without requiring any large-scaled work.
However, it is necessary that an exclusive drain port fixing member (a drain port fitting) having at the central part of the drain port the guiding part for use in guiding the aforesaid mechanical box in such a way that the box can be moved up and down is newly manufactured to be replaced with a drain port fixing member (a drain port fitting) for a rubber plug accommodation type, resulting in that a high cost of the member can not be avoided and its replacing work also requires a certain professional skill.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been invented in view of the aforesaid circumstances described above and it is an object of the present invention to provide a stable drain plug device in which the main bodies (the plug lid and the ascending or descending member) of the device are not floated under the pushing operation of the operating part.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a drain plug device in which its operability is improved.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a remote-operated drain plug device in which the device can be easily fixed afterwards to the existing drain port.
The technical means applied for solving the aforesaid objects consists in providing a drain plug device in which a hollow ascending or descending member suspended from the plug lid is supported in such a way that the member can be moved up and down at a guiding part arranged at a central part in the drain port, a supporting shaft is inserted from the lower end of the ascending or descending member into the ascending or descending member, one end of a releasing member is connected to the operating part arranged in the bath tub and the other end of the releasing member is connected to the plug lid, a forwarding motion of the inner wire operated by the pushing operation of the operating part causes the extremity end of the inner wire to be abutted against the supporting shaft, causes the plug lid to be lifted up together with the ascending or descending member to open the drain port, wherein its gist consists in an arrangement in which an engaging means for engaging with the lower end of the supporting shaft is constituted between said guiding part and the lower end of the supporting shaft.
An engaging strength of said engaging means can be freely designed by a practical constitution employed in which the supporting shaft is engaged by such a force as one in which it can be manually replaced with another one or its engaged state is released only when its load of about several tens kilograms is acted on it.
In accordance with this constitution, the floating state of the main bodies (the plug lid and the ascending or descending member) accompanied with the instantaneous pushing-down force of the supporting shaft with the inner wire under a pushing action of the operating part are prevented by the engaging action of the engaging means constituted between the lower end of the supporting shaft and the guiding part.
In addition, the releasing member is constituted by the coil-like inner wire made of metallic material and the outer tube made of tetrafluoloetylene resin (fluoro resin) slidably guiding the inner wire, the releasing member is further preferable if it feeds the outer tube from the side part into the plug lid, bends it within the plug lid in a downward curved state, connects the other end of the tube to the bottom of the plug lid and guides the inner wire into the ascending or descending member.
In accordance with this configuration, since the inner wire in which the metallic material is formed into a coil shape has a sufficient durability against a pushing operation of the operating part and has a predetermined resiliency as compared with the linear wire, it has a flexibility which can be accommodated for its bending action. In addition, the outer tube formed of tetrafluoroethylene resin (fluoro resin) has a high durability against a tensile strength, an elongation of the inner wire caused by the sliding motion is scarcely produced and there is no possibility that a sliding
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Huson Gregory L.
Huynh Khou
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