Abstract:
A drain assembly comprises a rigid body having an intake chamber connected to a discharge chamber via a passageway disposed in a lower portion of the rigid body, an intake opening disposed in an upper portion of the rigid body adapted to receive a fluid into the intake chamber of the rigid body, the intake opening adapted to be coupled to a drain via a flexible hose, a discharge opening also disposed in the upper portion of the rigid body but spaced from the intake opening, adapted to conduct the fluid out from the discharge chamber of the rigid body, the discharge opening adapted to be coupled to a drainage pipe, a clean-out opening disposed in the lower portion of the rigid body in fluid communication with the passageway, and a removable cap adapted to close off the clean-out opening.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present disclosure is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/541,058, filed on Jul. 3, 2012, which claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/512,381, entitled “u-trap or 123 u-trap,” and filed on Jul. 27, 2011. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to the field of plumbing assemblies, and more particularly to a drain assembly. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In 1775 Alexander Cummings invented the S-bend trap. In 1880 Thomas Crapper introduced the U-shaped trap. These bends in the drain pipe are used to prevent sewer gases from entering the interior of buildings. Today the bottle trap is still used in Europe and many parts of the world, but the most commonly used trap in houses, is referred to as the P-trap. It is the addition of a 90 degree fitting and the extension on the outlet side of a U-bend that creates a P-like shape. 
         [0004]    Generally the conventional drain assembly connects many pieces of tubing or pipe to complete the assembly. The long and short pieces of rigid tubing have tremendous leverage against the very small contact points between the pipe segments. Very small movement of the tubing or pipe could easily cause the pieces to become misaligned and loose at the joints, and cause leakage. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of an exemplary embodiment of a drain assembly  10 ; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a drain assembly  10 ; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional views of another exemplary embodiment of a drain assembly  40 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a frontal view of an exemplary embodiment of the divider plate  42  in the drain assembly  40  shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is an elevational view of yet another exemplary embodiment of a drain assembly  50 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is an unassembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a drainage pipe; 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a drainage pipe; 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a single sink; 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a single sink and a dishwasher; 
           [0014]      FIG. 10  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a single sink, a dishwasher, and a waste disposal; 
           [0015]      FIG. 11  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a double sink; 
           [0016]      FIG. 12  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a double sink and a dishwasher; 
           [0017]      FIG. 13  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a double sink, a dishwasher, and a waste disposal; 
           [0018]      FIG. 14  is an elevational view of exemplary drain assembly  50  shown in  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0019]      FIGS. 15 and 16  are two cross-sectional close-up views of the novel slip-nut configuration  78 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional close-up view of a novel clean-out cap  17 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 18  is an unassembled view of an exemplary drain assembly generally for a remodel or retrofit application; 
           [0022]      FIG. 19  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly generally for a remodel or retrofit application; 
           [0023]      FIG. 20  is an unassembled view of an exemplary drain assembly generally for a new installation application; 
           [0024]      FIG. 21  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly generally for a new installation application; 
           [0025]      FIG. 22  is an unassembled view of an exemplary drain assembly generally for a kitchen island application; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 23  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly generally for a kitchen island application. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of an exemplary embodiment of a drain assembly  10 . The drain assembly  10  includes an inlet or intake opening  12  in fluid communication with an outlet or discharge opening  14 . It may be seen that the intake opening  12  is generally oriented at an acute angle, α, from the longitudinal axis  15  of the drain assembly, whereas the discharge opening  14  is generally oriented perpendicularly from the longitudinal axis  15 . At the inlet  12 , a fastener such as a slip-nut may be used as a quick connect to detachably engage with the tailpiece of a flexible hose, for example, as a conduit to couple with a discharge drain from a sink. The flexible hose includes a first end equipped with a male pipe thread fitting adapted to couple to the tailpiece of a sink drain, and a second end equipped with a tailpiece adapted to couple to the intake opening of the drain assembly. More than one flexible hose may be employed as needed. The outlet  14  may be configured as a tailpiece or particular male or female pipe threading to be securely coupled with the house drain pipe by an adapter or coupling. Preferably for remodel and retrofit applications, the discharge outlet  14  is configured as a tailpiece for coupling with a male adaptor secured to a sanitary tee. More details in which the drain assembly may be secured to existing plumbing are set forth below with reference to  FIGS. 18-23 . 
         [0028]    In one embodiment, the intake opening  12  incorporates a male pipe thread (MPT) fitting that may be easily connected to a tailpiece at one end of a flexible hose using a slip-nut connection. The flexible hose may include a male pipe thread at the second end for coupling with the sink tailpiece using a second slip-nut. 
         [0029]    Also in fluid communication with the inlet  12  and outlet  14  is a clean-out opening  16  and a screw cap  17 . The clean-out opening  16  may incorporate a male pipe thread that is adapted to interface with the female pipe thread of the screw cap  17 . The clean-out opening  16  is disposed at the very bottom end of the drain assembly. The screw cap  17  creates a leak-free seal with the clean-out opening and obviates the need for any gasket or seal. The clean-out opening  16 , when the drain assembly  10  is installed, is generally disposed directly below the intake opening  12 , and is oriented at a perpendicular angle from the longitudinal axis  15 . Further, the clean-out opening  16 , when the drain assembly  10  is installed, is typically located at a convenient and easy-to-reach position facing outwardly from the wall or some other structure of the building. The clean-out opening  16  can be used to easily clean out debris and sediments, and retrieve other foreign objects. It also can be used as a snake router entry point. The drain assembly  10  includes a shelf  18  that is better seen in  FIG. 2  and described below. 
         [0030]    Referring also to  FIG. 2 , a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a drain assembly  10  is shown. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the drain assembly  10  preferably comprises an intake portion  20  and an discharge portion  22  securely assembled together. The two portions may be constructed of a synthetic or semi-synthetic organic polymer, including thermoplastic (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)), thermosetting polymers, or another suitable material and may be bonded, welded, fastened or otherwise coupled together by a variety of methods. The intake portion  20  is preferably constructed of a transparent or semi-transparent (opaque) material that enables easy viewing into the intake portion. Any foreign object, such as a ring that is inadvertently dropped down the sink drain, may be easily observed and retrieved. The two portions  20  and  22  may be welded together by any suitable method, such as ultrasonic bond, glue, adhesives, epoxy, heat, etc. Alternatively, a number of fasteners  24  such as screws or bolts may be used to securely fasten the intake and discharge portions  20  and  22 . An optional sealing member  23  such as an O-ring may be embedded at the interface of the two portions  20  and  22 . 
         [0031]    The assembly further includes a divider plate  26 . The divider plate  26  is disposed at an interface of the shelf  18  and forms a fluid-conducting path  27  from inlet  12  to outlet  14 . The shelf  18  provides a cradling seat onto which the divider plate  26  can be securely adhered. Ultrasonic welding or other suitable methods may be used to form a strong bond between the shelf  18  and the divider plate  26 . The divider plate  26  effectively divides the two portions of the drain assembly  10  into an intake chamber and a discharge chamber, and provides further reinforcement and integrity for the structure. The divider plate  26  also in effect forms an integral street elbow in the drain assembly between the inlet and the outlet. The divider plate  26  further helps to form a water seal to keep sewer gases in the plumbing system from entering the sink and the interior of the room. 
         [0032]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the clean-out opening  16  includes a screw-on cap  17 , which incorporates a hair trap  30 . The hair trap  30  may be in the form of an elongated member  32  coupled at one end to the cap  17  and at the other end to a plurality of bristles  34  organized in spiral fashion, for example, and extending into the fluid-conducting path  27 . As the divider plate  26  creates turbulent water flow in the path  27 , strands of hair are easily trapped by the hair trap  30 . The hair trap  30  may alternately include hooks or barbs that aide in capturing hair and other debris in the water flow. Other configurations of the hair trap  30  are contemplated and the invention is not limited to the embodiment explicitly shown herein. The hair trap  30  is adapted to snag or otherwise trap debris such as strands of hair that may obstruct the water flow. The hair trap  30  may be easily detached from the screw cap and replaced when worn. Because of the transparency or semi-transparency of the intake portion  20 , obstructions and debris that are trapped by the hair trap  30  can be easily seen and removed by unscrewing the cap  17 . As the drain assembly can be easily maintained by the homeowner by using the clean-out opening, dramatic reduction in backed-up sinks and emergency calls to the plumber can be realized. 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of a drain assembly  40 . Like numerals are used in  FIG. 3  to refer to like elements shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  with the same or similar configuration and functionality. The drain assembly  40  includes a divider plate  42  with a contoured or domed-shaped surface  44  that is adapted to guide, deflect, and focus water flow toward the outlet  14 . The divider plate  42  and its domed surface  44  further helps to guide a snake router inserted through the clean-out opening  16  toward the discharge opening  14 . The surface  44  may have other suitable shapes such as a funnel-shape, for example. The divider plate  42  further includes a ridge  46  disposed near the U-turn from the inlet to the outlet in the drain assembly  40 . The ridge  46  is adapted to function as a check-point to prevent larger diameter snake routers or other objects inserted through the clean-out opening  16  to enter further into the assembly and possibly cause damage to the assembly. The ridge  46  further provides structural rigidity and reinforcement to the divider plate  42 .  FIG. 4  provides an alternate view of the domed-shape surface  44  that is adapted to guide water and a snake router toward the discharge opening  14 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of yet another exemplary embodiment of a drain assembly  50 . The drain assembly  50  comprises a top and bottom portions  52  and  53  bonded, welded, secured, or otherwise fastened together as described above. The materials from which the two portions are constructed may be any suitable plastic as described above. The top portion  52  includes an intake opening  54  and a discharge opening  56 . The intake opening  54  is adapted to be coupled to a sink drain, directly or indirectly, and the discharge opening  56  is adapted to be coupled to a drain pipe leading to the sewer or septic system. Preferably, a flexible hose is used to connect the sink drain to the drain assembly. The flexible hose includes a first end equipped with a male pipe thread fitting adapted to couple to the tailpiece of a sink drain, and a second end equipped with a tailpiece adapted to couple to the intake opening of the drain assembly. More than one flexible hose may be employed as needed. The discharge opening  56  is shown in  FIG. 5  as having male pipe thread fitting, or alternatively, be configured with a tailpiece or spigot fitting. The bottom portion  53  includes a clean-out opening  58  that is fitted with a cap (not shown in  FIG. 5 ). Preferably, the bottom portion  53  is constructed of a transparent or translucent material to enable a visual inspection of its contents to facilitate easy retrieval of lost objects. The two portions  52  and  53  form a fluid-conducting passageway from the intake opening  54  to the outlet opening  56 . Unlike the embodiments of the drain assemblies  10  and  40  described above, the drain assembly  50  does not require a divider plate. Although the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5  is structurally different from the other embodiments described herein, the general orientation of the inlet, outlet, and clean-out opening is the same or very similar. 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  is an unassembled view of an exemplary drain assembly  60  coupled to a drainage pipe  62  in the wall  64  of a building, and  FIG. 7  shows the assembly  60  after installation. The drain pipe  62  may include a typical plumbing fixture such as a sanitary tee  70  that may be fitted with a male and/or female adapter  72  in order to be securely welded, fastened, glued, bonded, or otherwise coupled to the outlet  74  of the drain assembly  60 . The outlet  74  may include a street (spigot) fitting (not shown). The plumbing segments may be solvent welded together to form a secure bond. The assembly  60  is installed and attached to the sanitary tee  70  so that the clean-out opening  76  and the inlet  66  are generally aligned on a vertical axis, with the clean-out opening  76  disposed directly below the inlet  66 . 
         [0036]    As shown, the inlet  66  of the drain assembly  60  is adapted to securely couple to a flexible hose  68  leading to and coupled to the drain of a sink (not shown). At the inlet  66  of the assembly  60  is a slip-nut  78  that is used to easily secure the assembly  60  to the flexible hose  68 . The tailpiece of the flexible hose  68  is inserted into the slip-nut  78  and tightened with an one and a half turn, until tightly secured. Details of the slip-nut construction is set forth below while referencing  FIGS. 15 and 16 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 8  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly  60  coupled to a single sink  80 . As described above, the assembly  60  may be coupled to a tailpiece of a flexible hose  68  using a slip-nut coupling  78 . A second slip-nut  82  at the second end of the flexible hose  68  may be used to join a male pipe thread at the second end of the flexible hose  68  to the drain tailpiece  84  of the sink. More than one flexible hose may be used. The use of a flexible hose to connect the sink drain to the drain assembly significantly facilitates installation because it obviates precise alignment, lengths, and angles required when connecting rigid segments of pipe. Further, no tools are required to install the drain assembly. 
         [0038]      FIG. 9  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a single sink  80  and a dishwasher  90  using a flexible hose  68  and slip-nuts  78  and  82 . Between the dishwasher  90  and a sink branch tailpiece  91  is an air gap  92  coupled between the dishwasher discharge hose  94  and a hose  96  to prevent a plugged drain pipe from regurgitating the waste water back to the dishwasher. As stated above, the use of a flexible hose to connect the sink drain tailpiece to the drain assembly  60  significantly facilitates installation by making it unnecessary to achieve precise alignment, lengths, and angles to connect segments of rigid pipes. 
         [0039]      FIG. 10  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a single sink  80 , a dishwasher  90 , and a waste disposal  100 . In this embodiment, a waste disposal  100  is coupled to the drain of the sink  80 . A discharge tailpiece  102  from the waste disposal  100  is coupled to the flexible hose  68  using a slip-nut arrangement as described above. The second end of the flexible hose  68  is coupled to the drain assembly  60  and secured with a slip-nut  78 . As stated above, the use of a flexible hose to connect the sink drain tailpiece to the drain assembly  60  significantly facilitates installation by making it unnecessary to achieve precise alignment, lengths, and angles to connect segments of rigid pipes. 
         [0040]      FIG. 11  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a double sink  110 . The tailpieces  84  and  84 ′ of the double sink  110  are connected to flexible hoses  68  and  68 ′ using slip-nuts  82  and  82 ′ as described above. A Y-pipe fitting  112  is used to tie the flexible hoses  68  and  68 ′ coupled to the discharge of both sinks to the inlet of the drain assembly  60 . Preferably, slip-nuts  78  and  78 ′ are used to secure the flexible hoses  68  and  68 ′ to the Y-pipe fitting  112 . As stated above, the use of a flexible hose to connect the sink drain tailpiece to the drain assembly  60  significantly facilitates its installation. 
         [0041]      FIG. 12  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a double sink  110  and a dishwasher  90 . As described above, the tailpieces  84  and  84 ′ of the double sink  110  are connected to flexible hoses  68  and  68 ′ using slip-nuts  82  and  82 ′ as described above. In this scenario, a Y-pipe fitting  112  is used to tie the flexible hoses  68  and  68 ′ coupled to the discharge of both sinks to the inlet of the assembly  60 . Preferably, slip-nuts  78  and  78 ′ are used to secure the flexible hoses to the Y-pipe fitting  112 . Between the dishwasher  90  and a sink branch tailpiece  91  is an air gap  92  coupled between the dishwasher discharge hose  94  and a hose  96  to prevent a plugged drain pipe from regurgitating the waste water back to the dishwasher. As stated above, the use of a flexible hose to connect the sink drain tailpiece to the drain assembly  60  significantly facilitates installation by making it unnecessary to achieve precise alignment, lengths, and angles to connect segments of rigid pipes. 
         [0042]      FIG. 13  is an assembled view of an exemplary drain assembly coupled to a double sink  110 , a dishwasher  90 , and a waste disposal  100 . In this embodiment, the waste disposal  100  is coupled to the drain of the sink also coupled to the air gap  92  and then the dishwasher  90 . A discharge tailpiece  102  from the waste disposal  100  is coupled to the drain assembly  60  by a flexible hose  68 ′ using a slip-nut arrangement  78 ′ and  82 ′ as described above. The sink drain tailpiece  84  is coupled to the Y-pipe fitting  112  secured to the drain assembly  60  by a flexible hose  68  using the slip-nuts  78  and  82 . As stated above, the use of a flexible hose to connect the sink drain and the waste disposal to the drain assembly  60  significantly facilitates installation by making it unnecessary to achieve precise alignment, lengths, and angles to connect rigid pipes. 
         [0043]      FIG. 14  is an elevational view of an exemplary drain assembly  50  shown in  FIG. 5  and described above. As described above, the assembly  50  includes the portion  52  that includes an intake opening  54  and a discharge opening  56 . The intake opening  54  is adapted to be coupled to a sink drain, directly or indirectly, and the discharge opening  56  is adapted to be coupled to a drain pipe leading to the sewer or septic system. The portion  53  includes a clean-out opening  58  that is fitted with a cap  76 . The intake opening  54  of the drain assembly  50  may be coupled to a sink drain by a flexible hose  68  using a slip-nut coupling  78 . As stated above, the use of a flexible hose to connect the sink drain to the drain assembly  50  significantly facilitates installation. 
         [0044]      FIGS. 15 and 16  are two cross-sectional close-up views of the novel slip-nut configuration  78 , with  FIG. 16  showing the slip-nut  78  fully engaging an inlet or intake opening  130  of a drain assembly and a tailpiece  132  of a flexible hose. The slip-nut  78  includes a built-in wedged seal  134 . The built-in seal  134  includes a circular inner flange  136  with an integrated ridge  138 . The slip-nut is further constructed with female pipe thread (FPT) fitting configured to engage the male pipe thread (MPT) fitting  140  of the drain assembly intake opening  130 . A slot  144  is formed in the MPT fitting  140  of the drain assembly inlet  130  to accommodate the flange  136  of the built-in seal  134  as the slip-nut  78  is tightened around the intake opening  130  and MPT fitting  140 . As the tailpiece  132  is inserted into the slip-nut  78  and the MPT fitting  140  of the intake  130 , and the slip-nut  78  is rotated about the MPT fitting  140  and the tailpiece  132 , the seal  134  of the slip-nut  78  is wedged against the tailpiece  132  by the MPT fitting  140 . More specifically, the MPT fitting  140  exerts pressure against the base  142  of the flange  136  and forces the ridge  138  against the tailpiece  132  to form a water-tight seal. 
         [0045]      FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional close-up view of a novel clean-out cap  17 . The clean-out cap  17  is equipped with a MPT fitting  150  and a circular slot  152  formed by a integral circular wedge  154  of the cap  17 . The circular wedge  154  has a wider base than at its top to form a wedge. The MPT fitting  150  is configured to engage the FPT fitting  156  of the clean-out opening  16 . The circular wedge  154  acts as a wedge to press the MPT fitting  150  of the cap  17  at point A against the FPT fitting  156  of the clean-out opening  16  of the cap  17 . This wedge configuration enables a wedge action that provides a substantially water-tight seal over the clean-out opening  16 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 18  is an unassembled view of an exemplary drain assembly  160  generally advisable for a remodel or retrofit application. The exemplary drain assembly  160  comprises top and bottom portions  162  and  163  bonded, welded, secured, or otherwise fastened together as described above. The materials from which the two portions are constructed may be any suitable plastic as described above. The top portion  162  includes an intake opening  164  and a discharge opening  166 . The intake opening  164  is adapted to be coupled to a sink drain, directly or indirectly, and the discharge opening  166  is adapted to be coupled to a drain pipe, such as a sanitary tee  168  in a wall, leading to the sewer or septic system. The discharge opening  166  is configured with a tailpiece. The bottom portion  163  includes a clean-out opening  170  that is fitted with a cap  172 . The two portions  162  and  163  form a fluid-conducting passageway from the intake opening  164  to the outlet opening  166 . 
         [0047]    The tailpiece of the discharge opening  166  can be coupled to the sanitary tee  168  by using a male adaptor  174  (adaptor with male pipe thread or MPT) and a slip-nut  176 . The male adaptor  174  is typically engaged or bonded to the sanitary tee  168 . The tailpiece of the discharge opening  166  is sized and configured so that it readily engages the male adaptor  174  to form a water-tight seal using the slip-nut  176 . A wooden block  178  can be secured to the sanitary tee  168  to further stabilize the connection. The detailed construction of the slip-nut  176  is shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16  and described above. The intake opening  164  of the drain assembly  160  can be directly coupled to a flexible hose  180  leading to a sink drain using a slip-nut coupling  182 .  FIG. 19  is an assembled view of the exemplary drain assembly  160 . 
         [0048]      FIG. 20  is an unassembled view of an exemplary drain assembly  190  generally advisable for a new installation application. The drain assembly  190  includes an intake opening  192  coupled to a sink drain via a flexible hose  194  and slip-nut  196 , and a discharge opening  198  having a MPT fitting  200 . The MPT fitting  200  of the discharge opening  198  is configured to engage the FPT fitting  202  of a female adaptor  204 . The female adaptor  204  further includes a spigot fitting that is sized and configured to be secured or chemically bonded to a sanitation tee  206  disposed in a wall  208 . Preferably a wooden block  210  is secured to the sanitation tee  206  to provide more stability. As shown, a metal strap  212  is used to tie the wooden block  210  to the sanitation tee  206 . The drain assembly  190  is installed and attached to the sanitary tee  206  so that the clean-out opening  214  and the intake opening  192  are generally aligned on a vertical axis, with the clean-out opening  214  disposed directly below the intake opening  192 . The clean-out opening  214  is closed with a cap  216 .  FIG. 21  is an assembled view of the exemplary drain assembly  190 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 22  is an unassembled view of an exemplary drain assembly  220  generally advisable for a kitchen island application. The drain assembly  220  includes an intake opening  222  coupled to a sink drain via a flexible hose  224  and slip-nut  226 , and a discharge opening  228  configured with a spigot fitting (also called a street fitting)  230 . The spigot fitting  230  of the discharge opening  228  is sized and configured to directly engage and couple to a sanitation tee  232  disposed in a kitchen island. The spigot fitting  230  has an outside diameter of 1½ inches. The drain assembly  220  is installed and attached to the sanitary tee  232  so that the clean-out opening  234  and the intake opening  222  are generally aligned on a vertical axis, with the clean-out opening  234  disposed directly below the intake opening  222 . The clean-out opening  234  is closed with a cap  236 .  FIG. 23  is an assembled view of the exemplary drain assembly  220 . 
         [0050]    It should be noted that because flexible hoses rather than rigid tubing or pipe are used to couple the drain assembly described herein to the sink drain tailpiece, movement or shifting would not cause misalignment and leakage. Further, the use of the slip-nut to connect the drain assembly to the sink tailpiece does not lead to leakage because even in the event of failure or misalignment of the slip-nut connection, the connection is located above the water level. 
         [0051]    The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth below with particularity in the appended claims. However, modifications, variations, and changes to the exemplary embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the drain assembly described herein thus encompass such modifications, variations, and changes and are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein.