Patent Publication Number: US-2004049844-A1

Title: Two-piece vanity top

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] This invention relates to bathroom or kitchen vanities and more particularly to a two-piece top for a vanity, including a granite top piece.  
       [0002] A bathroom or kitchen vanity usually includes a cabinet and a vanity top. Some vanity tops, known as two-piece vanity tops, include a countertop or top piece with a separate wash bowl or sink. The vanity top piece can be formed of plastic or other known waterproof or water resistant material, or a combination of non-waterproof and waterproof material such as wood having an outside layer of plastic material.  
       [0003] The vanity cabinet often has an interior storage space that is accessible by one or more door members. The cabinet can also include one or more drawers above, below, beside or inside the door members. The vanity cabinet in comparison with the two-piece vanity top can be formed of numerous different materials that need not be waterproof or water resistant. Because vanity cabinets can be formed of materials that need not be waterproof or water resistant they can generally have a more versatile appearance than the two-piece vanity top, and are constructed with more detailed and varied designs than the vanity top.  
       [0004] The present invention is intended to provide added design and appearance versatility to a two-piece vanity top by combining a separately formed wash bowl or sink with a top piece that is made of a stone material such as granite.  
       [0005] A granite top piece with a finished top surface is known to have an elegant, attractive appearance. A sink that is overmounted or supported on the finished granite surface can diminish the attractiveness of the granite top piece. Thus it would be beneficial to undermount the sink, or support the sink on an undersurface of the granite top piece, to enhance the elegant appearance of the finished granite top surface.  
       [0006] However, it is also well known that granite, while very durable and attractive, is also a very hard material. It is thus difficult to use threaded fasteners with granite because such fasteners do not thread easily or securely into granite. If threaded fasteners are provided in drilled holes in the granite there is a risk of fracturing the granite. Since fasteners threaded into the undersurface of a granite top piece can fracture the granite if overtightened and cannot provide adequate securement if insufficiently tightened there is very little margin for tightening error.  
       [0007] Also, if a plural number of fasteners are inserted in the undersurface of a granite top piece to secure an undermounted sink such fasteners must support the weight of the sink plus the weight of any water in the sink, a risky proposition. While screw-in attachment systems for undermounted sinks may be acceptable with a wooden countertop, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,276,719 to Campbell and U.S. Pat. No. 2,080,573 to Madsen such screw-in systems for undermounted sinks in granite are not always steadfast.  
       [0008] It is thus desirable to provide a relatively risk free securement system for a two-piece vanity top including a granite top piece wherein a sink can be undermounted with firmness and stability to the undersurface of the granite top. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009] In the accompanying drawings,  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a granite top piece for a two-piece vanity top, prior to the installation of a sink and any plumbing attachments;  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view, in schematic form, of the granite top-piece, after a sink has been installed to the bottom surface or undersurface of the granite top piece to form the two-piece vanity top;  
     [0012]FIG. 3 is an elevational upside down exploded view thereof, partly shown in section, before securement of the sink to the undersurface of the granite top piece; and,  
     [0013]FIG. 4 is an elevational view thereof, right side up, after the sink has been secured to the undersurface of the granite top piece. 
    
    
     [0014] Corresponding reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0015] Referring to the drawings, a two-piece vanity top incorporating one embodiment of the invention is generally indicated by the reference number  10  in FIGS.  2 - 4 . The two-piece vanity top  10  includes a washbowl or sink member  12 , and a granite top piece  14 . As used herein the term “two-piece vanity top” will refer to the combined sink member  12  and the granite top piece  14 , without any plumbing. The sink member  12  is formed separately from the granite top piece  14  and is made of a suitable known material such as porcelain, plastic or any other suitable vitreous waterproof material, and is joined to the bottom surface or undersurface  16  of the granite top piece  14 .  
     [0016] The granite top piece  14  also includes a top surface  18  (FIGS. 3 and 4) and a sink opening  20  with a peripheral edge  26 . The granite top surface  18  has a fine, smooth finish, which emphasizes the attractive color and grain characteristics of the granite material. The granite undersurface  16  need not be polished or finished.  
     [0017] The sink member  12  has a water-receiving bowl  28  (FIGS. 3 and 4) with a top portion  30  and a sink flange  32  that extends outwardly from the top portion  30  and away from the water-receiving bowl  28 . As most clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the water-receiving bowl  28  is aligned with the sink opening  20  when the sink member  12  is joined to the granite top piece  14 .  
     [0018] In assembling the sink member  12  to the granite top piece  14 , use of a worktable  34  (FIG. 3) with a soft surface, such as provided by a piece of carpet material or corrugated cardboard  36 , can facilitate such assembly. The top piece  14  is positioned on the soft surface  36  with the granite undersurface  16  facing upwards.  
     [0019] The sink member  14  is placed in an upside-down position, as shown in FIG. 3, onto the undersurface  16  of the granite top piece  14  such that the water receiving bowl  28  and the sink opening  20  are aligned. The sink flange  32  of the sink member  12  will thus extend beyond the peripheral edge  26  of the sink opening  20  as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.  
     [0020] When the sink member  12  is aligned with the sink opening  20 , as shown in FIG. 3, a guideline  42  (FIG. 1) is drawn around the periphery of the sink flange  32  on the undersurface  16  of the granite top piece  14 , using a crayon (not shown) or any other suitable marking implement. The guideline  42  serves as a border for the application of a bead  44  (FIGS. 1 and 3) of a suitable known sink flange sealer such as silicone. After the guideline  42  (FIG. 1) is drawn on the undersurface  16  of the granite top piece  14  the sink member  12  is temporarily removed from the granite top piece  14 , as shown in FIG. 1.  
     [0021] The bead  44  (FIG. 1) of silicone sealer is applied to the undersurface  16  of the top piece  14  partway between the guideline  42  and the peripheral edge  26  of the sink opening  20  in the manner shown in FIG. 1. The sink member  12  is then relocated in upside down position, as shown in FIG. 3, onto the undersurface  16  of the top piece  14  in the same relative orientation of the sink member  12  to the sink opening  20  that existed when the guideline  42  was drawn.  
     [0022] The sink flange  32  of the sink member  12  thus overlays the silicone bead  44 . Pressure of the sink flange  32  against the bead  44  spreads the bead  44  (FIG. 4) between the sink flange  32  and the undersurface  16  to establish a leak tight seal between the undersurface  16  of the granite top piece  14  and the sink flange  32  of the sink member  12 .  
     [0023] While the silicone bead  44  is curing, or after it has cured the sink member  12  is secured to the undersurface  16  of the top piece  14  using a clamping assembly  46  as shown in FIGS.  2 - 4 .  
     [0024] Preferably four of the clamping assemblies  46  are provided at “corner” locations of the sink member  12 , at positions such as  48 ,  50 ,  52  and  54  as shown in FIG. 1. The clamping assembly positions  48 ,  50 ,  52  and  54  are slightly outside the outer edge  62  of the sink flange  32  and approximately align with diagonals (not shown) of the granite top piece  14 .  
     [0025] Each clamping assembly  46  (FIG. 3) includes a threaded stud or stem portion  64  having one end that is welded or otherwise joined to a base plate or base section  66 . The base section  66  is preferably a perforated metal plate approximately one inch round or square. The clamping assembly  46  further includes a metal clip member or clamping member  68  with a slotted portion  70  (FIG. 2) to accommodate the stem portion  64 . The slot  70  permits positional adjustability of the clip member  68  on the stem portion  64 . The clip member  68  is formed with a stepped offset portion  72  (FIG. 3) for overlying the sink flange  32 . A wing nut  74  is threaded onto a free end  82  of the stem portion  64 .  
     [0026] The base section  66  of each clamping assembly  46  is adhered to the undersurface  16  of the top piece  14  with any suitable known high strength epoxy adhesive  84  at the clamping positions  48 ,  50 ,  52  and  54 .  
     [0027] When the epoxy adhesive  84  between the base sections  66  and the undersurface  16  at the positions  48 ,  50 ,  52  and  54  has cured, wing nuts  74  can be threaded against the slotted portions  70  of the clip members  68  to force the stepped offset portion  72  against the sink flange  32  in the manner shown in FIG. 3.  
     [0028] It will be noted that the offset height of the stepped portion  72  is approximately one half the height or thickness of the sink flange  32 . This height difference ensures that the clip member  68  does not fully bottom against the base section  66  when the wing nut  74  forces the clip member  68  against the sink flange  32 . Under this arrangement the clip member  68 , in a tightened condition against the sink flange  32 , makes a slight angle  86  (FIG. 3) with respect to the base section  66 . The angle  86  exists even when the clip member  68  is in a fully tightened condition.  
     [0029] Thus any movement of the wig nut  74  on the stem portion  64  against the clip member  68  will increase the force of the clip member  68  against the sink flange  32 . Accurate torquing of the wing nut  74  can thus be accomplished to provide a predetermined force of the clip member  68  against the sink flange  32 .  
     [0030] After the wing nuts  74  of each clamping assembly  46  have been tightened against the respective clip members  68  to secure the sink member  12  to the top piece  14  at the positions  48 ,  50 ,  52  and  54  the two-piece vanity top  10  can be turned right side up, as shown in FIG. 4 and joined to an appropriate vanity cabinet  88  (FIG. 4) in any suitable known manner.  
     [0031] Assembly of the granite top piece  14  and sink member  12  can be accomplished at a factory to enable the consumer to buy an assembled two-piece vanity top, or assembly of the two-piece vanity top can be performed by the consumer.  
     [0032] Although not shown, a backsplash and side splashes can be joined, if desired, to the top surface  18  of the top piece  14  in any suitable known manner. The backsplash and side splashes are preferably formed of the same granite material as the top piece  14 .  
     [0033] Plumbing accessories including a faucet and drain pipe (not shown) are then installed on the two-piece vanity top in any suitable known manner.  
     [0034] The invention thus provides a novel securement system for a two-piece vanity top wherein a sink is undermounted to a granite top-piece, without threading fasteners into the granite undersurface. Such securement system makes it feasible to undermount the sink to the granite top piece and thereby enhance the attractive elegant appearance of the vanity top.  
     [0035] In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.  
     [0036] As various changes can be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.