Abstract:
An aesthetically designed sink ( 100 ) comprises a plurality of orifices ( 110, 115, 120, 125 ) that deliver different water flow profiles for washing, rinsing, and drinking. Hot and cold water supplies ( 1110, 1115 ) supply water to the sink. A series of touch and sliding-touch controls ( 130 - 180 ) regulate the temperature and flow of water from the orifices. A logic circuit ( 1105 ) controls all operations, i.e., orifice selection, flow rate, and temperature. In one aspect water flowing from an orifice forms a sheet-shaped stream that arcs over the bowl for ease of washing and drinking. The stream can be illuminated by bi-color light-emitting diodes ( 121 ) in colors indicative of the selected temperature of the water flowing through that orifice. Alternatively an orifice is replaced by a removable fixture ( 900 ) in a cavity ( 905 ) in the sink, which is connected to the water supply ( 910 ).

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a division of application Ser. No. 13/441,857, filed 2012 Apr. 7, which is a division of application Ser. No. 12/716,954, filed 2010 Mar. 3. The &#39;954 application claims priority of my provisional patent application, Ser. No. 61/157,489, filed 2009 Mar. 4. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Prior Art 
     The following is a list of some prior art of which I am presently aware: 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 Pat. or Pub. Nr. 
                 Kind Code 
                 Issue or Pub. Date 
                 Patentee or Applicant 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 3,451,068 
                 B1 
                 1969 Jun. 24 
                 Phillips 
               
               
                 3,508,282 
                 B1 
                 1970 Apr. 28 
                 Phillips 
               
               
                 4,158,243 
                 B1 
                 1979 Jun. 19 
                 McCann 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     In his &#39;068 and &#39;282 patents, Phillips shows sinks comprising sumps, counters, and consoles. The consoles reside above the sinks and house compartments and concealed lavatory accessories, such as soap dispensers. 
     McCann shows a sink comprising a bowl, ledge, and handles for water valves and a drain designed to prevent water drips from falling onto either the ledge surface or the handles. The levers for operating the water valves and pop-up drain are in a substantially horizontal plane defined by the rim of the sink bowl. The water valve operating levers are a part of the rim of the bowl and the pop-up drain control valve is located inside the rim of the lavatory, next to the operator. He also shows a removable soap dish and a combination water spout and spray that is movable or detachable for use as a hand spray. 
     While these prior lavatories function as intended, they provide water flow from above, requiring users to inconveniently cup their hands to drink water and rinse their face after washing. Also they lack versatility and have other disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY 
     In a first embodiment, a sink design has several advantages, including allowing users to drink water and rinse their face after washing without first filling their cupped hands with downward-flowing water from a spigot. In addition, my design provides an arching sheet-shaped stream that can be directed onto one&#39;s hands, either from above or below. Additional embodiments show features that further improve on prior-art sink designs, including electronic touch controls, a spigot for drinking, a water temperature indicator, and more. 
    
    
     
       DRAWING FIGURES 
         FIGS. 1 through 3  are a top, front, and side perspective views, respectively, of a sink according to a first embodiment. 
         FIGS. 4 through 6  are top, front (elevation), and side perspective views, respectively, that show water flow emanating from the side walls of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a side perspective view showing water flow emanating from the rear wall of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a side perspective view showing a water spout for drinking that emanates from one side of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  show front perspective views of a first alternative embodiment. 
         FIG. 11  shows a block diagram of circuit and plumbing used in all embodiments. 
         FIG. 12  shows a flow chart of the steps involved in operating the various embodiments. 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
           100  Bowl 
           101  Wall 
           102  Wall 
           103  Lip 
           104  Overflow drain 
           105  Drain 
           110 - 120  and  125  Orifices 
           121  Indicator 
           130 - 180  Controls and Indicators 
           900  Head 
           905  Cavity 
           910  Hose 
           1100  Electrical source 
           1105  Logic circuit 
           1110  Water supply 
           1115  Water supply 
           1120  Valve 
           1125  Valve 
           1130  Manifold 
           1135 - 1145  Valve 
           1150  Drain valve 
           1200 - 1250  Steps 
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     First Embodiment 
     Sink Apparatus—FIGS.  1 - 3   
       FIGS. 1 through 3  are top, front perspective, and side perspective views of a sink according to one aspect of a first embodiment. The sink comprises a bowl  100  with an exterior wall  102 , an interior wall  101 , an upper lip  103 , an overflow drain  104 , a drain  105 , a plurality of generally upwardly directed orifices  110 ,  115 ,  120 , and  125 , and a plurality of controls and indicators  121  and  130 - 180 . Orifice  110  is circular and is on the upper, left side of wall  101  of bowl  100 ; orifice  115  is an elongated slit on the left side under orifice  110 , orifice  120  is an elongated slit located near the top, rear of wall  101 , and orifice  125  is an elongated slit on the upper, right side of wall  101 . 
     Walls  101  and  102  are separated by an interior space (not shown) that houses concealed plumbing and electrical connections (described below). 
     Controls and indicators  130 - 180  control the flow and temperature of water in the sink. These controls perform the following functions: controls  130 - 140  select the type of flow, specifically control  130  starts and stops the flow of water from slots  115  and  125 , and controls  135  and  140  control the flow from orifices  120  and  110 , respectively. Control  145  closes and opens drain  105  and controls  150  and  155  are ON and OFF controls respectively. Control  160  ( FIG. 2 ) controls the volume of the flow control and control  165  is a temperature control. Controls  170 ,  175 , and  180  are preset temperature selector controls; e.g., pressing control  170  sets the water temperature to a cold temperature of about 10° C., control  175  sets it to a warm temperature, about 40° C., and control  180  sets it to a hot temperature, about 60° C. One or more additional indicator lights  121  ( FIG. 1 ) are included in one aspect of an alternative embodiment, described below. The use of these controls is described in greater detail below. 
     The sink can be made of plastic, ceramic, metal, glass, wood, or a combination of these materials. The sink can be coated with various substances, including varnish, paint, top-coat, or lacquer. Controls and indicators  130 - 180  are preferably well-known capacitive touch controls of the type supplied by many printed circuit vendors and controlled by an integrated circuit. Such an integrated circuit may be a type CY3280 Universal controller, manufactured by Cypress Semiconductor Co., of San Jose, Calif., and sold under the trademark CapSense. Controls  130 - 180  can be located on exterior wall  102 , on lip  103 , or on both surfaces as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . The electrically conducting parts of these controls are typically insulated from user contact by a thin layer of insulating material, usually plastic. Controls  130 - 155  and  170 - 180  can also be well-known tactile dome membrane switches or mechanical pushbuttons, all of which are arranged to provide a signal to a controller. 
     Operation—FIGS.  4  through  8   
       FIGS. 4 through 6  show operation of one aspect of the present embodiment, namely the activation of water flow for use in washing one&#39;s face. To provide a suitable flow pattern, the user first presses or touches ON control  150  to energize or turn on the circuit within the sink. Then the user touches control  130 , thereby starting flow of water  400  through slots  115  and  125 . Next, sliding control  160  is adjusted for the proper flow rate of water  400  so that the streams from slots  115  and  125  are directed between the horizontal and the vertical as shown, at a slight angle upward from the horizontal and meet gently near the center of the sink where they collide and fall downward toward drain  105  ( FIG. 6 ) and finally exit the sink. Since orifices  115  and  125  are elongated slits or slots (narrow in one direction and long in a perpendicular direction), streams  400  from these slots will each have a cross-section which is narrow or flat in one direction perpendicular to the direction of flow and long or wide in a direction perpendicular to the one direction and to the direction of flow, as shown. I.e., streams  400  will be sheet or wall shaped. Orifices  115  and  125 , as well as orifices  120  in  FIG. 7 , thus constitute orifice means that, when supplied with water under pressure, emit a sheet-shaped stream of water having a rectangular cross-section which is relatively wide horizontally and relatively narrow vertically, where the stream is directed at an upward angle between the horizontal and the vertical and then curves downward to form a curved arc over the bowl. Orifice  110  in  FIG. 8  has a similar function, except that its stream is circular. 
     A single stream from slot  115  or slot  125  that hits the opposite wall from the slot can alternatively be used. When the flow rate is satisfactory, control  175  is pressed to select a predetermined “warm” temperature. Alternatively, the temperature is set by moving sliding control  165 . The sink is now ready for use. 
     The user inserts his or her face into the flowing water. Water rises upward from the sink to meet the user&#39;s face. Instead of cupping hands together and lifting water to splash on his or her face, the user&#39;s hands can wash the face directly with plenty of water for washing and rinsing. The user can also just dip his or her hands into the stream, sheet, or wall of water to rinse. When the sink is no longer needed, the user presses control  155 , de-energizing the sink&#39;s controls and stopping the flow of water. Optionally, the user can select another flow option by pressing or touching one of controls  130 ,  140 , or  145 . 
       FIG. 7  shows operation according to another aspect of the present embodiment, flow for washing hands. With the circuit in the sink energized, the user presses control  135  to start flow from orifice  120 . This flow is sheet- or wall-shaped and arches upward and then curves down as shown from orifice  120  and splashes against the inside front surface of the sink then exits through drain  105 . As shown in this aspect and in  FIG. 5 , the top or crest of the curve, arch, or arc of the sheet of water is over the center of the sink and drain. When finished, the user presses OFF control  155  or selects another flow option. 
       FIG. 8  shows operation according to yet another aspect of the present embodiment, flow for drinking. With the circuit in the sink energized, the user presses control  140  to start flow from orifice  110 . When finished, the user presses OFF control  155  or selects another flow option. 
     Preferably, only one flow option is activated when one of selector controls  130 - 145  is pressed. However, by pressing two or more controls simultaneously, the user can activate the flows associated with those controls, if desired. 
     ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENT 
     Description and Operation—FIGS.  9 - 10   
       FIGS. 9 and 10  are perspective front views of an alternative embodiment. This embodiment is useful when washing one&#39;s hair, or an object that is held in the sink. Orifice  120  ( FIG. 1 ) is replaced with a removable faucet head  900 . A cavity  905  in the rear wall of the sink is shaped to hold head  900 . In one aspect, head  900  remains in place in cavity  905  during use. In another aspect, head  900  is removed from cavity  905  during use ( FIG. 10 ). In order to provide flow through head  900  when it is removed from cavity  905 , a hose  910  connects head  900  to water valve  1145  ( FIG. 11 ). Hose  910  is preferably flexible; however it can also be rigid in order to simply elevate the flow delivered by head  900 . 
     In an alternative aspect of this embodiment, head  900  provide a simple direct flow type or bubbled flow. It can also be a shower-type head or a combination of types. Alternatively, head  900  can be interchangeable with a variety of types of heads. 
     Selection and operation of the various flow options in this embodiment of the sink is the same as described above for the preferred embodiment. 
     All Embodiments 
     Controls—Description and Operation—FIGS.  11  and  12   
       FIG. 11  is a block diagram showing connections between controls  130 - 180 , logic circuit, and valves according to the preferred embodiment. Plumbing connections are shown in heavy lines; electrical connections are shown in lighter lines. 
     An electrical source  1100  is connected to power mains (not shown), or to batteries or a combination thereof. Source  1100  is preferably electrically isolated from the mains and has at least one output terminal grounded to earth in order to prevent the possibility of electrical shock to the user while operating the sink. Logic circuit  1105  is powered by source  1100  and controls all functions of the sink by receiving commands from a user through controls  130 - 180  and issuing commands to valves  1120 ,  1125 ,  1135 - 1145 , and controls and indicators  130 - 180 . Circuit  1105  is preferably a microprocessor, but can be combinatorial logic, or a field-programmable logic array. Circuit  1105  includes well-known drivers for valves and lights. 
     When selectively operated, controls  130 - 180  and indicator lights  121  ( FIG. 1 ) cause circuit  1105  to perform various predetermined functions. 
     The sink is connected to cold and hot water supplies  1110  and  1115 , respectively, via plumbing conduit as shown in heavy lines, valves  1120  and  1125 , a manifold  1130 , and valves  1135 ,  1140 , and  1145 . Drain  105  is connected to a sanitary sewer (not shown) via a valve  1150 . The plumbing conduit, valves  1120  and  1125 , manifold  1130 , and valves  1135 ,  1140 , and  1145 , and all electrical connections can be concealed either between walls  101  and  102 , or at another location, i.e., outside of walls  101  and  102  within a wall (not shown) near the sink, or a combination thereof. 
     All valves with the exception of drain valve  1150  are preferably solenoid valves that are normally-closed, i.e., their mechanisms are spring-loaded so that when power is disconnected, they revert to a closed position and remain there. This prevents water wastage. Valve  1150  is normally open so that water will drain from the sink when power is disconnected. A manually inserted stopper is used when the user wishes to fill the sink and retain the water therein while turning the sink controls OFF. 
     Valves  1120  and  1125  are suitable to be operated proportionally, i.e., they can be open, closed, or partially open. Such valves are type PSV, manufactured by Aalborg Instruments and Controls, Inc., of Orangeburg, N.Y. Suitable electronic drivers for these valves are the model PC10, sold by Miratron, Inc., of Portland, Oreg. The driver circuit is included within logic circuit  1105 . The proportional feature permits the user to select the temperature of the water entering manifold  1130 . Thus logic circuit  1105  and valves  1120  and  1125  constitute means for controlling the temperature of the water flowing to the orifice(s). 
     Valves  1135 - 1145  are selectively opened, depending on which of controls  130 - 180  are activated. Activating control  130  causes circuit  1105  to open valve  1135 , enabling water flow through orifices  115  and  125 , for example. Sliding controls  160  and  165  cause logic circuit  1105  to operate valves  1120  and  1125  in concert. Sliding control  160  regulates flow so that moving valve  160  causes valves  1120  and  1125  to be opened or closed either individually or at the same time. Sliding control  165  and controls  170 - 180  adjust the temperature of the water delivered to manifold  1130  by adjustably opening valve  1120  while adjustably closing valve  1125 , or vice versa. 
     Controls  130 - 180  are optionally lighted when their function is activated. Controls  160  and  165  are optionally lit with one or more light sources, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (not shown). For example, a red LED can be positioned at the top of control  165  to indicate the flow of hot water; and a blue LED can be positioned at the bottom of control  165  to indicate the flow of cold water. As the slider moves toward one or the other ends of the control, the brightness of the LED at that end grows brighter, while the brightness of the LED at the other end of the control grows dimmer. Similarly control  170  (hot) can be illuminated red when activated, with controls  175  and  180  not illuminated. Control  180  (cold) can be illuminated blue when activated, with controls  170  and  175  not illuminated and control  175  (warm) can be an intermediate color when activated, with controls  170  and  180  not illuminated. Controls  130 - 155  are optionally illuminated when activated. 
     In an alternative aspect of the preferred embodiment, LEDs  121  ( FIG. 1 ) are arranged to shine through the water flow emanating from orifice  120 . These are bi-color LEDs whose color is determined by activation from logic circuit  1105  in well-known fashion. The color of LEDs  121  mirrors the setting of sliding control  165  so that when hot water is selected, red light shines through the water flowing from orifice  120  and when cold water is selected, blue light shines through the water flowing from orifice  120 . 
       FIG. 12  is a flow chart showing operation of circuit  1105  and the various other components comprising the sink. At the start, step  1200 , the sink&#39;s electronics are energized, i.e., the user turns the sink ON by pressing control  150  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     Next, the user selects whether to open or close drain  105  by pressing control  145 , step  1205 . Repeated pressings of control  145  cause circuit  1105  to alternately open and close drain  105 . 
     Next, the user selects the desired temperature by operating sliding control  165  or pressing one of controls  170 - 180 , step  1210 . In response to step  1210 , circuit  1105  determines the relative openings of valves  1120  and  1125  required to deliver water at the selected temperature to the sink, step  1215 . 
     The user then selects which of one or more orifices are to deliver water flow by pressing one or more of controls  130 - 40 , step  1220 . In response, circuit  1105  causes one or more of valves  1135 - 1145  associated with controls  130 - 140  to open, step  1225 . 
     The user can then adjust water flow through the selected orifice by moving sliding control  160 , step  1230 . Similarly, the user can adjust the flowing water temperature by adjusting sliding control  165  or by pressing or touching one of controls  170 - 180 , step  1235 . The user then uses the sink as desired. 
     When the user has finished using the sink, step  1240 , he or she opens or closes the drain as required, step  1245 , and de-energizes the sink&#39;s electronics, stopping all functions of the sink and turning it OFF, step  1250 . 
     CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE 
     Accordingly the reader will see that, according to one or more aspects, I have provided an improved and far more versatile and ergonomic sink. The sink&#39;s user can select among orifices that deliver various kinds of water flow. The flow is generally upward, permitting the user to wash and drink from the sink without having to cup his or her hands in order to catch some water for delivery to their face. Water can be directed onto a user&#39;s hands either from above or below, facilitating easy washing and rinsing. The sink controls are electronic and operate with a touch or a sliding motion. 
     While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope, but as exemplifications of some presently preferred embodiments. 
     Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings. For example, all aspects of the preferred embodiment are scalable to any size and to handle any volume of flow and retained water. The sink can be offered in any color and variations in shape are possible. Individual, springably openable covers can be provided to prevent debris from entering the orifices when they are not in use. The sink can be mounted on a pedestal or a table, or hung from a wall. Instead of the controls being located on the front and top, they can be located elsewhere on the sink. The shape of the sink or bowl can vary, e.g., it can be made rectangular, circular, triangular with rounded corners, etc. The controls can be relocated and even combined together. In lieu of individual controls for the respective functions, a single touch screen can be provided with all the controls and functions realized by respective touch points on the screen. 
     Thus the scope should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not only by the examples given.