Abstract:
A plumbing trap having flexible and extensible arms that allow installation of the trap between drain tail pieces and drain outlets of various spacings and orientations while reducing the need for cutting trap elements during installation or assembly of a trap from multiple components.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to plumbing fixtures and, in particular, to a plumbing trap device with portions that provide sufficient flexibility and axial extension and retraction to allow the trap to be installed between plumbing fixtures, such as drains and drain outlets, of various spacings. The present invention also relates to a plumbing trap device having flexible and extensible inlet arm and outlet arm sections for facilitating installation of the trap between drain and outlet fixtures of various spacings without the need for assembling the trap from multiple components, or cutting the components, to fit a particular spacing arrangement.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     When installing a common plumbing trap, a plumber must be able to align the inlet of the trap with the tail piece of the plumbing fixture so that they are in straight vertical alignment, often incorporating an intermediate extension tube also referred to as a tail extension piece. Because the outlet of the trap is connected to a horizontal connector arm that attaches to a drain outlet, the vertical axis of the tail piece and the horizontal axis of the drain outlet and connector arm should be in perpendicular alignment. In addition, the space provided between the tail piece and drain outlet should be large enough to accommodate the trap structure. Unfortunately, the axes are often not in perpendicular alignment and often the space provided between the tail piece and drain outlet is not large enough to readily accommodate plumbing traps in the prior art.  
         [0003]     Therefore, there is a need for a plumbing trap device whereby both the inlet portion of the trap and the outlet portion of the trap may each be both flexed and adjusted in length to allow the trap to be positioned outside of the vertical axis of the tail piece and the horizontal axis of the drain outlet, and yet function as required. This need is evidenced by the numerous patents that have been obtained purporting to solve this problem. In addition, it would be advantageous for such a trap to be of unitary construction thereby minimizing the need for on-site assembly of the trap from sub-elements selected to meet the particular spacing arrangement presented by the drain and outlet. None of these references, however, presents the novel combination of features presented by the present invention.  
         [0004]     Several prior art patents disclose devices that attempt to solve the problem by providing a flexible trap element. These references are exemplified by the patents to Lamond, U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,278 and Bresnahan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,616. Both patents disclose various traps formed of soft, flexible material that allows the trap to be manually manipulated to dislodge obstructions. The traps also provide flexion that allows the tail extension and arm connector pieces to be slightly altered in orientation to adapt to a particular drain and drain outlet spacing arrangement. These traps present structures similar to curved lengths of rubber or soft plastic tubing and therefore, while providing flexibility, also present some disadvantages. For example, both patents disclose attaching the flexible trap to further plumbing components to complete the trap assembly. Attachment is disclosed in both patents as utilizing common hose clamps for providing radial compression upon the end of the trap structure since the flexible structure is not amenable to more common plumbing connectors, such as threaded nuts and gaskets. Apart from being the less desired method of attaching household drain fixtures, hose clamps are typically formed of metal components which are liable to rust under the damp conditions usually associated with plumbing drains. A further problem presented by flexible traps, such as those disclosed in Lamond and Bresnahan, is that the soft material does not lend itself to the inclusion of a clean out aperture in the lower portion of the trap. Both the lack of a clean out aperture, and the flexibility of the trap itself, often render such devices unusable as they do not pass common plumbing code enacted by most local governments.  
         [0005]     The patents to Danks, patent No. Des. 231,930; Wirth, U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,978 and Doyle, patent No. Des. 346,646 offer a somewhat different solution by providing flexible plumbing traps comprised of accordion pleats. While providing flexibility, such arrangements also present disadvantages in that the flexible trap portion will not meet most plumbing code restrictions, is not amenable to the provision of a clean out plug, and due to the physical structure of the pleats, tends to collect debris within the trap itself necessitating dismantling the trap.  
         [0006]     The patents to Itzler, U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,190 and Mikol, U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,510 disclose highly similar devices that also propose to alleviate the problem presented by varying spatial relationships between drains and drain outlets. Both of these patents disclose a flexible tail extension piece that may be used to connect the tail piece of a plumbing fixture, such as a drain, to the inlet of a plumbing trap. While presumably solving a portion of the problem presented, such structures still present deficiencies in that they require assembly of multiple components on-site and specifically disclose the need to cut portions of the tail extension to accommodate alignment in various situations.  
         [0007]     The patent to Olive, U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,324, discloses a plumbing trap having a connector arm that has a flexible, corrugated section. As disclosed, the trap may be bent away from the longitudinal axis of the arm element, due to the flexibility provided by the corrugated section. The patent, however, does not disclose a section that also provides extension and compression of the flexible section, nor does it disclose a unitary body having flexible and extensible sections incorporated into both the inlet arm and the outlet arm.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention provides an improved plumbing trap device. In particular, the invention provides a plumbing trap device having a unitary, tubular body which may be flexed, compressed or expanded to fit a range of installation requirements.  
         [0009]     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a plumbing trap device is provided which includes a unitary, tubular body for conveying waste water from a sink, tub or other source to a drain outlet. The body of the plumbing trap device includes a generally U-shaped trap section having a fluid-receiving inlet and a discharge outlet. Typically the U-shaped trap section presents a bent or molded portion of tubing having upwardly extending legs and a curved, relatively horizontal mid-section.  
         [0010]     The U-shaped trap section could, however, be formed from a vessel having two transversely opposed openings in communication with the upper portion of the vessel, the openings being separated by a structure such as a wall or septum dividing the upper interior portion of the vessel into partially separated chambers connected by a gap in the wall in the lower portion of the vessel.  
         [0011]     A tubular outlet arm extends from the discharge outlet and includes a flexible and extensible section. The end of the arm may have a nut and gasket or other means for connection to a drain outlet pipe or other fixture for receiving waste water. A tubular inlet arm extends from the inlet and also includes a flexible and extensible section. The end of the inlet arm may also have a nut and gasket, or other means for connection to the drain tail piece that delivers waste water from a sink, tub or other source to the plumbing trap.  
         [0012]     The flexible sections are formed from a portion of the tubing that has been shaped to form pleats or corrugations. The flexible sections therefore present a length of tubing having a structure that may be described as an accordion or bellows. The flexible sections provide the inlet and outlet arms with sufficient flexibility, and axial extension and retraction, to facilitate installation of the plumbing trap device between plumbing fixtures, such as drains and drain outlets, of various spacings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a side view of components comprising a plumbing trap in the prior art.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a reduced side view of a plumbing trap in the prior art illustrating spatial relationships between the trap and an associated fixture and drain outlet.  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of a plumbing trap according to the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a front elevational view thereof.  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a rear elevational view thereof.  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a top view thereof.  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  is a bottom view thereof.  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view thereof.  
         [0021]      FIG. 9  is a side elevational view thereof with pleated sections shown in compressed positions.  
         [0022]      FIG. 10  is a side elevational view thereof with pleated sections shown in expanded positions.  
         [0023]      FIG. 11  is a side elevational view thereof with pleated sections shown in flexed positions.  
         [0024]      FIG. 12  is a side elevational view of the plumbing trap of  FIG. 3  illustrating an alternative tail extension.  
         [0025]      FIG. 13  is a side elevational view of a plumbing trap according to the present invention wherein the arm is bent downward to form an S-trap.  
         [0026]      FIG. 14  is a longitudinal central section view of a plumbing trap of the present invention.  
         [0027]      FIG. 15  is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of a plumbing trap.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0028]     Referring more particularly to the drawings, and initially to  FIGS. 3-8 , there is shown a unitary, flexible and extendable plumbing trap device  100  including a generally U-shaped trap section  110  having inlet  112  and outlet  114  portions, a tubular inlet arm  120  communicating with the inlet  112  and a tubular outlet arm  130  communicating with the outlet  114 , the device thereby providing a plumbing trap device  100  for receiving waste water or other fluid from the tail piece of a drain into the inlet arm  120  and delivering the fluid through the trap section  110  and outlet arm  130  to a drain outlet. To aid in the alignment of the plumbing trap device  100 , when connected to the drain tail piece and drain outlet, both the inlet arm  120  and outlet arm  130  include flexible and extendable sections,  140  and  150  respectively, including a plurality of corrugations throughout the length of each section to allow the inlet arm and outlet arm  130  to flex, extend, and retract or compress to adapt the plumbing trap device for installation between plumbing fixtures of various spacings.  
         [0029]     In order to illustrate the advantages of the present invention, a common plumbing trap of the prior art, often referred to as a P-trap  10 , is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The P-trap  10  typically comprises three or more major components including a tail piece extension tube  12 , a U-shaped trap  14  and an elongated connecting arm  16  having a downwardly curving portion  18  at one end for communicating with the outlet portion of the trap  14 . The components for the P-trap  10  are typically assembled using threaded nuts  30 A,  30 B,  30 C and  30 D. Compressible gaskets  32 A and  32 B, or flanges  34  integral with the terminal ends of the arms, are typically used to connect the components to each other and the associated plumbing fixtures. Apart from the need to assemble these components to form the required P-trap  10 , considerable difficulty often occurs due to the varied distances that may occur between the fixtures to be joined by the P-trap  10 . The tail piece extension  12  and the connecting arm  16  need to be sized correctly to fit the space available. For the installer, this presents the necessity of bringing connecting arms  16  and tail piece extensions  12  of multiple lengths to a job site in order to assure having components of the required length. Even if tail piece extensions  12  and connecting arms  16  of multiple lengths are available, modifications are often required in order to achieve a fit. This is often addressed in the prior art by cutting a portion of either the connecting arm  16  or tail piece extension  12  with a saw to shorten the arm  16  or by joining additional lengths of tubing as required to extend the length of the arm  16 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  illustrates the above-referenced spatial variations that occur in different plumbing situations. Dashed line  1 A, for example, illustrates the longitudinal axis of the drain outlet which typically projects from the wall of the room containing the lavatory or other plumbed fixture. Dashed line  2 B indicates the vertical longitudinal axis corresponding to the tail piece  40  projecting from a sink or other fixture. Arrow  1 B illustrates the critical horizontal distance between the drain outlet and the vertical axis  2 A. Arrow  2 B indicates the critical vertical distance between the tail piece  40  and the horizontal axis  1 A.  
         [0031]     The U-shaped trap  14  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  also typically incorporates a clean out aperture  22  which is used to extricate material lodged in the lower interior portion of the trap  14 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the device  100  illustrated in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 5  is a rear elevational view of the same device  100 .  FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate top and bottom view of the device  100 , respectively.  FIGS. 3-7  illustrate a nut  30  positioned in proximity to the inlet  122  of the device  100 . The nut  30  may be threaded onto the device  100  by slipping it over the outlet  132  and threading it along the tubular structure of the device  100  until it meets flange  124 . In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , flange  124  forms the terminus of the inlet arm  120 . Preferably, the device is formed of a rigid yet slightly yielding material such as plastic. Preferred plastic materials include polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, and polypropylene, or combinations thereof. Due to the slight yielding nature of the preferred material, the nut  30  may be slipped over the end of the inlet arm  120  of the device despite the fact that the flange  124  is of greater diameter than the aperture (not shown) in the nut  30 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 12  illustrates an alternative embodiment wherein the inlet  122 A of the device  100 A comprises a slip extension fitting  160  for receiving the unthreaded end of a drain tail piece. In order to accommodate the diameter of the drain tail piece, the walls of the inlet arm  120  are flared slightly outward for receiving the tail piece.  
         [0034]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the device of  FIGS. 3-7 .  FIG. 9  illustrates the device of  FIGS. 3-8  wherein the flexible and extendable sections  140  and  150  are axially compressed, thereby reducing the length of the inlet  120  and outlet  130  arms.  FIG. 10  is an illustration of the device in  FIGS. 3-9  wherein the flexible and extendable sections  140  and  150  are axially extended, thereby lengthening the inlet arm  120  and outlet arm  130 .  FIG. 11  is an illustration of the device in  FIGS. 3-10  wherein the flexible and extendable sections  140  and  150  are flexed, thereby extending and flexing portions of certain corrugations, allowing the ends  122  and  132  of the inlet arm  120  and outlet arm  130  to deviate from their respective longitudinal axes.  
         [0035]      FIG. 13  illustrates the device  100  of the present invention wherein the outlet arm  130  is flexed downward to meet a drain outlet (not shown) projecting from the floor of a lavatory or other facility, thereby creating an S-trap configuration.  
         [0036]      FIGS. 3-13  illustrate the adaptability and ease through which a unitary, flexible and extensible plumbing trap device  100  can be employed to meet a variety of spatial arrangements.  FIG. 14  is a longitudinal, central sectional view of the plumbing trap device  100  of  FIG. 3 , showing a hollow bore throughout the device as well as an approximation of the wall thickness of the device.  
         [0037]      FIG. 15  is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of a plumbing trap  200  wherein the trap section comprises a vessel  210  having two transversely opposed openings  212  and  214  in communication with an upper portion of vessel  210 . The openings  212  and  214  are separated from one another by a wall or septum structure  216  dividing the upper portion of the vessel  210  into chambers connected to one another through a gap  218  in a lower portion of the vessel  210 . As shown, an inlet arm  220  projects upward from opening  212  and an outlet arm  210  projects horizontally from opening  214 .  
         [0038]     In use, the inlet arm  120  of the plumbing trap device  100  is attached to the tail piece of a drain (not shown) in one of two manners. In the case of a drain tail piece comprising a smoothed side tube with no specialized attachment means at the terminus such as threads or flanges, a plumbing trap device  100  of the present invention should be provided with a slip extension  160  for receiving a portion of the end of the tail piece. The slip extension  160  is secured to the tail piece using a gasket and nut (see  30 B and  32 A in  FIG. 1 ) common in the prior art. First, the nut  30 B is slipped onto the tail piece with the open end pointing downward, then a gasket  32 A is slipped onto the tail piece with the narrow end pointing downward. Then, the slip extension portion  160  of the inlet arm  120  is raised to enclose the end portion of the tail piece. The gasket  32 A is then pushed downward to meet the end of the slip extension  160  and the nut  30 B is slid downward along the exterior of the tail piece and turned so the interior threads (not shown) of the nut  30 B engage the exterior threads  162  of the slip extension  160 . The nut  30 B is then tightened squeezing the gasket  32 A against the end of the slip extension  160  and compressing the gasket  32 A to form a seal.  
         [0039]     If the trap portion  110  of the device  110  is provided with a clean out plug  22 , the nut covering the plugged hole should be engaged, thereby closing the hole.  
         [0040]     Typically, the outlet arm  130  comprises a straight sided tube at the terminus which may be pushed into the drain outlet. Prior to pushing the end of the outlet arm  130  into the drain outlet, a nut is slipped onto the outlet arm  130  followed by a gasket. The outlet arm  130  is then slid into the drain outlet. The gasket pushed against the end of the drain outlet and the nut engaged with the threads on the outside of drain outlet. As with the connection described above between the tail piece and the inlet tube  120  comprising a slip extension  160 , upon tightening the nut the gasket is compressed against the sides of the outlet arm  130  and against the end of the drain outlet thereby creating a friction seal to fix the outlet arm  130  in engagement with the drain outlet.  
         [0041]     Because of the flexible and extensible sections  140  and  150  provided with the inlet arm  120  and outlet arm  130  the device  100  may be readily positioned with minimal stress placed upon the aforementioned connections.  
         [0042]     It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable equivalents thereof.