Patent Publication Number: US-9422704-B2

Title: Replacement closet flange

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/238,956, filed on Sep. 21, 2011, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to devices for use in pipe systems, and more particularly to a replacement flange for connecting a toilet to a drain pipe or fitting hub. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In residential and commercial building construction it is often necessary to connect the base of a toilet to a drain pipe in a secure and watertight manner that meets all plumbing codes applicable in the local jurisdiction. The most common way of achieving this connection is to utilize a so-called closet flange. A typical closet flange is flat and round and includes a pair of semi-circular diametrically opposed key-shaped slots, which allow for the insertion of bolts that are used to tighten the base of the toilet to the flange. Early closet flanges were made of cast iron and were connected to cast iron drain pipes. Modern closet flanges are typically made of ABS or PVC plastic and include a cylindrical body portion that is attached to a drain pipe made of a similar plastic and an attachment flange portion that extends radially from the upper end of the main cylindrical body portion and is bolted to the base of the toilet. 
     In many instances, such as during repair or remodeling activities, it may become desirable to repair or replace a toilet assembly, which often also requires replacing the associated closet flange. As part of this process, an old or damaged closet flange may be removed from the end of the drain pipe and a new replacement closet flange may be installed. Due to residual components remaining in the end of the drain pipe and/or various other factors, however, the replacement closet flange may resist installation and/or may tend to back out of the drain pipe or otherwise not stay installed in the end of the drain pipe. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a replacement closet flange that facilitates installation in the end of a drain pipe. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention addresses the above needs and achieves other advantages by providing a replacement closet flange for installing into an end of a drain pipe having an inner surface. In general, the replacement closet flange includes a main body comprising a substantially cylindrical section and a flange section extending radially outward from and approximately perpendicular to an upper end of the cylindrical section, a flexible seal attached to at least a portion of the cylindrical section proximate a lower end thereof and configured, when the replacement closet flange is installed, to sealingly engage with the inner surface of the drain pipe, and at least one retaining clip attached to a location about an outer periphery of the cylindrical section, wherein the retaining clip includes a retaining tab proximate an end thereof configured, when the replacement closet flange is installed, to fixedly engage with an inner surface of the drain pipe, thus locking the replacement closet flange in position. 
     In some embodiments, the retaining tab may extend outward and upward from the retaining clip. In some embodiments, the retaining tab may include at least one pointed end configured to facilitate engagement with the inner surface of the drain pipe. In some embodiments, the retaining tab may include two pointed ends configured to facilitate engagement with the inner surface of the drain pipe. In some embodiments, the replacement closet flange may include a plurality of retaining clips approximately equally spaced about an outer periphery of the cylindrical section. In some embodiments, the main body comprising the flange section and the cylindrical section may be a single part. In some embodiments, the flange and cylindrical sections may be constructed of a rigid plastic material, the flexible seal may be constructed of an elastomeric material, and the retaining clip may be constructed of a rust inhibitive material. In some embodiments, the rust inhibitive material may be stainless steel. 
     In some embodiments, the flange section may include a groove extending into a portion thereof proximate the upper end of the cylindrical section, and the retaining clip may include an installation tab located proximate a second end thereof configured to engage with a surface within the groove, thus securing the retaining clip to the main body. In some embodiments, the portion of the cylindrical section proximate the lower end thereof may have a decreased outer diameter and may be configured to position the flexible seal. In some embodiments, the flexible seal may be attached to the portion of the cylindrical section via a stretch fit. In some embodiments, the flexible seal may further comprise at least one outwardly extending tapered ring configured, when the replacement closet flange is installed, to sealingly engage with the inner surface of the drain pipe. In some embodiments, the flexible seal may include a plurality of outwardly extending tapered rings configured, when the replacement closet flange is installed, to sealingly engage the inner surface of the drain pipe. 
     The present invention also provides a method of assembling a replacement closet flange. In general, the method includes receiving a main body comprising a substantially cylindrical section and a flange section extending outward from and approximately perpendicular to an upper end of the cylindrical section, receiving a flexible seal, receiving at least one retaining clip, wherein the retaining clip includes an outwardly extending retaining tab located proximate an end thereof, attaching the flexible seal around at least a portion of the cylindrical section proximate a lower end thereof, and attaching the retaining clip to a location about an outer periphery of the cylindrical section of the main body. 
     In some embodiments, the flange section may include a groove extending into a portion thereof proximate the upper end of the cylindrical section, and the retaining clip may include an installation tab located proximate a second end thereof, and wherein the step of attaching the retaining clip to a location about an outer periphery of the cylindrical section of the main body may comprise inserting the second end of the retaining clip into the groove such that the installation tab engages with a surface within the groove, thus securing the retaining clip to the main body. In some embodiments, the step of receiving at least one retaining clip may comprise receiving a plurality of retaining clips, each retaining clip including an outwardly extending retaining tab located proximate an end thereof. In some embodiments, the flange section may include a groove extending into a portion thereof proximate the upper end of the cylindrical section, and each of the plurality of retaining clips may include an installation tab located proximate a second end thereof, and wherein the step of attaching the retaining clip to a location about an outer periphery of the cylindrical section of the main body may comprise inserting one end of each of the plurality of retaining clips into the groove of the flange section at approximately equal spacing about the outer periphery of the cylindrical section. In some embodiments, attaching the flexible seal around at least a portion of the cylindrical section proximate a lower end thereof may comprise stretching the flexible seal around the portion of the cylindrical section proximate the lower end thereof to create a stretch fit. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a replacement closet flange in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of a replacement closet flange in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-section view of the replacement closet flange of  FIG. 2  in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 4  is a partial cross-section view in close-up of a portion of the replacement closet flange of  FIG. 3  in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a replacement closet flange in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the invention. The replacement closet flange  100  of the depicted embodiment includes a main body  102  that generally comprises a substantially cylindrical section  104  and a flange section  106 . The flange section  106  extends radially outward from an upper end of the cylindrical section  104  such that the flange section  106  is substantially perpendicular to the upper end of the cylindrical section  104 . A flexible seal  108  is located proximate a lower end of the cylindrical section  104 . The replacement closet flange  100  of the depicted embodiment also includes a plurality of retaining clips  110 . As will be described in more detail below, when the replacement closet flange  100  is installed into the end of a drain pipe, the flexible seal  108  sealingly engages with an inner surface of the drain pipe and the retaining clips  110  lock the replacement closet flange  100  in position. 
     In the depicted embodiment, the main body  102  is a single part comprising the cylindrical section  104  and the flange section  106 , however in other embodiments the cylindrical section  104  and the flange section  106  could be separate parts that are attached together to create the main body  102 . Although in other embodiments different materials may be used, in the depicted embodiment the main body  102  is constructed of a rigid plastic material (such as, but not limited to, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)), the flexible seal is constructed of an elastomeric material (such as, but not limited to, a rubber material), and the retaining clips are constructed of a rust inhibitive material (such as, but not limited to, stainless steel). 
       FIG. 2  is a top view of a replacement closet flange in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the depicted embodiment, the replacement closet flange  100  includes edge recesses  116  and a pair of semi-circular opposed key-shaped slots  112  for receiving bolts that are used to secure the flat underside of the base of a toilet to the flange section  106  of the replacement closet flange  100 . In a typical installation, the cylindrical section  104  of the replacement closet flange  100  extends through a hole in the floor through which the top end of a drain pipe is accessible such that the flange section  106  of the replacement closet flange  100  overlaps the floor. Counter-sunk holes  114  are also formed in the flange section  106  to facilitate other forms of connection between the replacement closet flange  100  and the floor. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-section view of the replacement closet flange of  FIG. 2  taken along line A-A, in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, each of the retaining clips  110  includes a retaining tab  118  proximate a lower end thereof. In various embodiments, when the replacement closet flange  100  is installed into the drain pipe the retaining tab  118  is configured to fixedly engage with the drain pipe inner surface, thus locking the replacement closet flange  100  in position. In the depicted embodiment, the retaining tab  118  is a portion of the retaining clip  110  that extends upward and outward from the remaining portion of the retaining clip  110  and that includes two pointed ends  120  (see  FIG. 1 ). In such a manner, while the retaining tab  118  is configured to allow insertion of the replacement closet flange  100  into the end of the drain pipe (i.e, by deflecting inward), the pointed ends  120  of the retaining tab  118  are configured to dig into the inner surface of the drain pipe. 
     The depicted embodiment of the replacement closet flange  100  includes four retaining clips  110  approximately equally spaced about an outer periphery of the cylindrical section  104  of the main body  100 . It should be noted that in other embodiments, however, the replacement closet flange may include more or less retaining clips (including as few as one retaining clip) and the retaining clips may or may not be approximately equally spaced about the outer periphery of the cylindrical section  104 . It should also be noted that although in the depicted embodiment the retaining tab  118  includes two pointed ends  120 , in other embodiments the retaining tab may include one pointed end or three or more pointed ends. In still other embodiments the retaining tab may not include a pointed end, but may otherwise be configured to allow insertion of the replacement closet flange into the end of the drain pipe while still fixedly engaging with the inner surface of the drain pipe such that when installed, the replacement closet flange is locked in position. 
     The flexible seal  108  of the depicted embodiment includes four rings  122  each configured to contact the inner surface of the drain pipe. In such a manner, when the replacement closet flange  100  is installed in the end of the drain pipe, the flexible seal  108  is configured to sealingly engage with the inner surface of the drain pipe. In the depicted embodiment, the edge of each ring  122  of the flexible seal  108  has a substantially symmetrical v-shaped profile. It should be noted, however, that in other embodiments the flexible seal may have more or less rings than shown in the depicted embodiment (including as few as one ring), and the shape(s) of the ring(s) may differ from those shown in the depicted embodiment. For example, in some embodiments that have a plurality of rings, each ring may have a different shape and/or edge profile, and in some embodiments, each ring may have a different outer diameter. 
     The flexible seal  108  of the depicted embodiment is attached to the cylindrical section  104  of the main body  102  via a stretch fit. In other embodiments, however, the flexible seal  108  may be attached in a variety of other ways, including, but not limited to, welding, gluing, or insert molding. In the depicted embodiment, the cylindrical section  104  of the main body  102  also includes a portion  124  having a decreased outer diameter as compared to outer diameter of the remaining portion of the cylindrical section  104 . As such, the decreased outer diameter portion  124  of the cylindrical section  102  may serve as a locating feature when positioning the flexible seal  108  during assembly of the replacement closet flange  100 . 
       FIG. 4  is a partial cross-section view in close-up of a portion of the replacement closet flange of  FIG. 3  in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Dashed lines indicate the approximate location of the floor  126  and an inner surface  128  of the drain pipe when the replacement closet flange  100  is installed. Although in the figure the flexible seal  108  and the retaining tab  118  are shown in an undeflected state, as demonstrated schematically by their respective overlapping positions, it is clear that when the replacement closet flange  100  is installed into the end of a drain pipe, the rings  122  of flexible seal  108  deflect and sealingly engage with the inner surface  128  of the drain pipe and the retaining clips  110  deflect and fixedly engage with the inner surface  128  of the drain pipe. 
     The main body  102  includes a groove  130  extending into a portion of the flange section  106  proximate the upper end of the cylindrical section  104 . In such a manner, the upper ends of the retaining clips  110  may be inserted into the groove  130 . In the depicted embodiment, each retaining clip  110  also includes an installation tab  132  that is configured to fixedly engage with a surface within the groove  130 . In such a manner, when the upper end of the retaining clip  110  is inserted into the groove  130 , the retaining clip  110  is locked in position against the cylindrical section  104  of the main body  102 . In the depicted embodiment, the installation tab  132  is a portion of the retaining clip  110  that extends downward and outward from the remaining portion of the retaining clip  110  and that includes two pointed ends  134 . In such a manner, while the installation tab  132  is configured to allow insertion of the retaining clip  110  into the groove  130  of the main body  102  (i.e., by deflecting inward), the pointed ends  134  of the installation tab  132  are configured to dig into a surface of the groove  130 . 
     It should be noted that although in the depicted embodiment the installation tab  132  includes two pointed ends  134 , in other embodiments the installation tab may include one pointed end or three or more pointed ends. In still other embodiments, the installation tab may not include a pointed end, but may otherwise be configured to allow insertion of the retaining clip into the groove while still fixedly engaging with a surface of the groove such that when installed, the retaining clip is locked in position. It should further be noted that although in the depicted embodiment the retaining clips  110  are attached to the main body  102  using a groove, in other embodiments individual slots may be provided at each retaining clip position instead of a single groove. In still other embodiments, the retaining clips may be attached to the main body in a variety of other ways, including, but not limited to, welding, gluing, or insert molding. 
     Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. For example, although the description above describes using the replacement closet flange with respect to a drain pipe, it is understood that the replacement closet flange described herein can be used with respect to any similar apparatus, such as, for example, a fitting hub. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.