Patent Publication Number: US-2023160189-A1

Title: Unitary Ball Rod Assembly for a Pop-Up Drain Assembly

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/282,968 filed Nov. 24, 2021, which is incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This present invention pertains to a pop-up drain assembly that attaches to a sink at a drain opening for draining water from the sink and more particularly to a ball rod assembly for the pop-up drain assembly. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
       FIG.  1    is a side elevation in cross-section of a prior art pop-up drain assembly for a bathroom sink. The pop-up drain assembly includes a drain pipe, a drain stopper in the drain pipe, a port in the drain pipe surrounded by a tubular stub, and a ball rod received in the stub and port, which is engaged with the drain stopper for opening and closing the stopper. The prior art assembly required a person to assemble the ball rod, a seal and a cap and then attach this assembly of components to the tubular stub while working beneath the sink. Assembling and installing these components has been cumbersome and time consuming as there has been several components to hold and assemble and often one of the parts has been dropped or lost. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a unitary ball rod assembly for a pop-up drain assembly. The unitary ball rod assembly comprises a stub adapter having the general shape of a hollow cylinder, outer and inner ends and an interior shoulder; a first gasket received in the stub adapter between the interior shoulder and the interior end; a ball rod comprising a rod and a ball on the rod, wherein the ball rod is received in and passed through the stub adapter, and wherein the ball abuts the first gasket; an adapter cap having an open end and an opposing partially closed end, wherein the partially closed end has a ball rod hole; and a second gasket received in the adapter cap, where the adapter cap is engaged with the stub adapter, where the second gasket abuts the ball, and where the stub adapter, the ball rod, the first and second gaskets and the adapter cap form a standalone unitary assembly. The standalone unitary assembly is preferably designed, sized and configured for engagement with a drain body and for opening and closing a drain stopper within the drain body. The outer end of the stub adapter is preferably designed, sized and configured for engagement with a tubular stub that projects from a drain body. The inner end of the stub adapter preferably has exterior threads, and the open end of the adapter cap preferably has interior threads for threadedly engaging with the stub adapter. The outer end of the stub adapter preferably has interior threads for engagement with a threaded tubular stub on a drain body. 
     The present invention also provides a pop-up drain assembly that comprises a drain body for connection to the sink or basis at the drain opening for providing a fluid flow pathway for draining water from the sink or basin through the drain opening, where the drain body has a ball rod port; a stopper received in the drain body for retaining water in the sink or basin; and a unitary ball rod assembly received in the ball rod port and engaged with the stopper for moving the stopper between open and closed positions. The unitary ball rod assembly preferably comprises a rod; a ball received on the rod, thereby forming a ball rod; a hollow nut having an open end and an opposing closed end, where the closed end has a ball rod hole; a first gasket having a first opening received in the hollow nut adjacent to the closed end; a hollow cylinder; a second gasket having a second opening received in the hollow cylinder, where the rod extends through the hollow cylinder, the first and second openings and through the hollow nut, where the ball is between the first and second gaskets, and where the hollow nut is engaged with the hollow cylinder. The hollow nut preferably has interior threads, and the hollow cylinder preferably has the exterior threads, where the interior threads in the hollow nut are engaged with the exterior threads on the hollow cylinder. The hollow cylinder preferably also has interior threads, and the hollow cylinder is preferably designed, sized and configured to be threaded onto a stub on a drain body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A better understanding of the invention can be obtained when the detailed description of exemplary embodiments set forth below is considered in conjunction with the attached drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a cross-section of a side elevation of a sink with a pop-up drain assembly, according to the prior art; 
         FIG.  2    is an exploded view of a unitary ball rod assembly, according to the present invention; 
         FIG.  3    is a side elevation in cross-section of a stub adapter, according to the present invention; 
         FIG.  4    is a side elevation in cross-section of a gasket, according to the present invention; and 
         FIG.  5    is a side elevation in cross-section of an adapter cap, according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     A discussion of the prior art will be helpful in understanding the present invention.  FIG.  1    is a side elevation in cross-section of a prior art pop-up drain assembly  10  in a sink or basin  12 . The pop-up drain assembly  10  is received in the sink or basin  12 , which is typical for a bathroom, restroom or lavatory. Sink  12  has a lower surface  12   a  that drains into a drain opening  12   b . Sink  12  has an overflow port  12   c  in a side wall  12   d . An outer wall  12   e  and side wall  12   d  define an overflow conduit or channel  12   f , and side wall  12   d  has an overflow drain port  12   g  for draining overflow fluid into a port in drain assembly  10 . A faucet  14  is mounted on a top deck  12   h  of sink  12  for supplying water or other fluid to sink  12 . Pop-up drain assembly  10  comprises a drain flange  16  that fits down through drain opening  12   b  in sink  12 . Drain flange  16  has a threaded tubular portion extending essentially throughout its full length, and a flange  16   b  extends radially outwardly on a top end. Flange  16   b  is shown in  FIG.  1    as formed integral with the tubular body of drain flange  16 , but  FIG.  2    in the present inventors&#39; U.S. application Ser. No. 15/584,030 (Pub. No. 2017/0314244 A1) shows a more typical arrangement in which the flange portion is in threaded engagement with the tubular portion.  FIG.  2    in the present inventors&#39; U.S. application Ser. No. 15/584,030 shows a drain pipe that comprises a drain flange and a separate drain tube, which is in a threaded engagement with the drain flange. A gasket or plumber&#39;s putty  18  provides a seal between the lower surface  12   a  of the sink  12  and the flange  16   b  of drain flange  16 . A flexible gasket  20  and a washer  20   a  are placed around a bottom portion of drain flange  16  and then pressed tightly against a bottom surface of sink  12  with a threaded nut  20   b . A drain body  22  is threaded onto a lower end of drain flange  16 . Drain body  22  has a wrench flange  22   a  for receiving a wrench for tightening and loosening drain body  22  with respect to drain flange  16 . Drain body  22  has a pivot rod port  22   b , and a threaded tubular stub  22   c  projects radially outwardly from drain body  22 . A pivot rod seal  24  is received in stub  22   c.    
     A pivot rod or ball rod  26  has a stopper end  26   a  and an outer end  26   b . A pivot ball  28  is sealingly received on pivot rod  26  closer to stopper end  26   a  than outer end  26   b . Pivot or ball rod  26  is received in stub  22   c  such that stopper end  26   a  is inside the drain body  22 , and the stopper ball  28  rests against pivot rod seal  24 . A ball rod cap  30  is threaded onto stub  22   c  sufficiently tightly to seal pivot ball  28  against pivot rod seal  24 , but loose enough to allow pivot ball  28  and pivot/ball rod  26  to pivot. An extension rod  32  having a plurality of holes, which are not shown, is received on outer end  26   b  of pivot/ball rod  26  and held in place by a clip  32   a . Extension rod  32  is bent so as to have two parallel portions  32   b  and  32   c  that are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the extension rod  32 , and each of the two parallel portions has a hole through which a control rod  34  is received. Control rod  34  passes through a faucet port  14   a  and a sink control rod port  12   h . Control rod  34  has a knob  34   a  at an upper end, and control rod  34  is fastened to extension rod  32  by a set screw  32   d.    
     A stopper  40  is received in drain flange  16  and drain body  22 . Stopper  40  has an elongate shaft  40   a  running its length, which has a longitudinal axis through the center of stopper  40 . A cap  40   b  is located on an upper end while the drain assembly  10  is installed and operational, and a pivot/ball rod receiving member  40   c  is located on an opposing lower end. The pivot rod receiving member  40   c  defines an opening through which stopper end  26   a  of pivot/ball rod  26  protrudes for engaging and moving stopper  40 , and pivot rod receiving member  40   c  may be referred to as open member  40   c . Four flanges or fins, referred to collectively as fins  40   d , extend longitudinally along shaft  40   a  and project radially, and fins  40   d  lie in two perpendicular and intersecting planes. The fins provide structural support for the shaft and center the stopper in the drain pipe. 
       FIG.  2    is an exploded view of a unitary ball rod assembly  50 , according to the present invention, which can be attached to the threaded tubular stub  22   c  on the drain body  22  of  FIG.  1   . The unitary ball rod assembly  50  replaces the ball rod  26 , the seal  24 , the ball  28  and the ball rod cap  30 . The prior art assembly in  FIG.  1    required a person to assemble the ball rod  26 , the seal  24  and the ball rod cap  30  and then attach this assembly of components to the stub  22   c  while working beneath a sink. The person may alternatively insert the seal  24  into the stub  22   c  and then insert the ball rod into the stub  22   c  and then thread the ball rod cap  30  to the stub  22   c . The end  26   a  of the rod  26  also needed to be placed inside an opening at the bottom of stopper  40  so that the rod can be used to open and close the stopper, which often meant that a person needed one arm to hold the stopper and another arm to insert the rod  26  into the stub  22   c . This required one arm above the sink and one arm below the sink. In any case, there are several parts or components to hold and assemble and often one of the parts can be dropped or lost. 
     The unitary ball rod assembly  50  of the present invention comprises: a ball rod  52 , which comprises a rod  52   a  and a ball  52   b  received on and fixed to the rod  52   a ; a stub adapter  54 ; a first gasket or seal  56   a  between the stub adapter  54  and the ball  52   b ; a second gasket or seal  56   b  on the other side of the ball  52   b  such that the ball  52   b  is between the first gasket  56   a  and the second gasket  56   b , and an adapter cap  58 . The unitary ball rod assembly  50  can be and preferably is assembled at a factory and sold as a single unitary part. The prior art required assembly of the ball rod  26 , the seal  24  and the ball rod cap  30  at the time of installation. The unitary ball rod assembly  50  of the present invention does not require one to assemble parts during installation of the ball rod  52 . The ball rod  52 , gaskets  56   a  and  56   b  and the adapter cap  58  are assembled with and connected to the stub adapter  54  in a factory setting. The unitary ball rod assembly  50  is a single part that an installer holds while putting an end of the ball rod  52  in a prior art stopper in a prior art drain body  22 , and then the installer merely threads the stub adapter  54  onto the drain body stub  22   c . A seal needs to be made between the stub adapter  54  and the stub  22   c , which can be done by putting a sealant such as a pipe thread tape such as Teflon® tape or a sealant that has the texture of a thick paste, pipe dope, on the threads that are on the stub  22   c . Alternatively or in addition, one may want to place a gasket or a seal in the stub adapter  54  to seal against the end of the stub  22   c.    
       FIG.  3    is a side elevation of the stub adapter  54  in cross-section. Stub adapter  54  has the general shape of a hollow cylinder and has a bore  54   a  throughout its length. Stub adapter  54  has an outer end  54   b  and interior threads  54   c  at and proximal to an outer edge of the outer end  54   b . Stub adapter  54  is designed, sized and configured for the interior threads  54   c  to threadedly engage exterior threads on the threaded tubular stub  22   c  on the drain body  22 . Stub adapter  54  has an inner end  54   d  and exterior threads  54   e  at and proximal to an outer edge of the inner end  54   d . The inner end  54   d  has a first inside diameter at and proximal to the outer edge of the inner end  54   d  and a smaller second inside diameter spaced away from the outer edge of the inner end  54   d . There is an abrupt transition from the first inside diameter to the second inside diameter, thereby forming a shoulder  54   f  at the transition. Stub adapter  54  is designed, sized and configured for the exterior threads  54   e  to threadedly receive the adapter cap  58 . A cavity  54   g  is defined in the stub adapter  54  by an inside wall of the inner end  54   d  and the shoulder  54   f . The cavity  54   g  is designed, sized and configured to receive the first gasket  56   a . Shoulder  54   f  has an inner face toward the inner end against which a flat face on the first gasket abuts. Shoulder  54   f  has an outer face toward the outer end of the stub adapter  54 , which together with the interior threads  54   c  define an outer cavity that is suitable for receiving a third gasket that is suitable for sealing against an end of the threaded tubular stub  22   c  on the drain body. The third gasket is not shown in the drawings, but would be like the gasket  56 , except having another flat face rather than a concave face. In one embodiment, the unitary ball rod assembly  50  includes the third gasket. The outer end of the stub adapter preferably has a greater outside diameter than the inner end. The interior shoulder  54   f  has an inner face toward the inner end  54   d  against which the first gasket abuts, and the interior shoulder  54   f  has an outer face toward the outer end  54   b  of the stub adapter  54 . The stub adapter  54  has an outer length between the outer end  54   b  and the interior shoulder  54   f  and an inner length between the inner end  54   d  and the interior shoulder  54   f , and the outer length is preferably greater than the interior length. 
       FIG.  4    is a side elevation in cross-section of the gasket or seal  56 . Gaskets or seals  56   a  and  56   b  are identical and interchangeable and are identified herein as gasket or seal  56 . Gasket  56  has the general shape of a thick washer or a circular ring. Gasket  56  has a concave face  56   c  for contact with and for sealing against the ball  52   b  and a flat face  56   d . The ball  52   b  needs to rotate or pivot within a pair of concave faces  56   c  of the gaskets  56 , and the gaskets should provide a seal so that water cannot leak from the unitary ball rod assembly  50 . Gasket  56  is preferably made of a plastic material that is somewhat rigid and slippery. Nylon may be a suitable material for making the gaskets  56 . The concave face  56   c  preferably has a spherical contour that matches closely with the spherical contour of the ball  52   b . Gasket  56  can be described as a ring that has a concave face  56   c  that matches with the ball  52   b  and an opposing flat face  56   d , where the flat face  56   d  is either received in and in contact with the stub adapter  54  or the adapter cap  58 . 
       FIG.  5    is a side elevation in cross-section of the adapter cap  58 . Adapter cap  58  has the shape of a hollow nut that has a side wall  58   a , an open end  58   b , an opposing closed end  58   c , where the closed end  58   c  is not entirely closed. The closed end  58   c  has a ball rod hole  58   d . Adapter cap  58  has a longitudinal bore throughout its length. The partially closed end  58   b  provides an interior shoulder  58   e . The interior shoulder  58   e  and an inside surface of the side wall  58   a  define a cavity  58   f . The inside surface of the side wall  58   a  has interior threads  58   g  between the open end  58   b  and the interior shoulder  58   e . Gasket  56   b  is received in the cavity  58   f , and the flat face  56   d  of the gasket  56   b  is in contact with and abuts the interior shoulder  58   e.    
     The unitary ball rod assembly  50  of the present invention can be assembled by placing gasket  56   a  in the cavity  54   g  of the stub adapter  54  such that the flat face  56   d  of the gasket  56   a  abuts the shoulder  54   f . The ball rod  52  is either available with the ball  52   b  on the rod  52   a , or the ball  52   b  should be placed on and fixed and sealed to the rod  52   a . The rod  52   a  has a shorter section on one side of the ball  52   b  and a longer section on the other side of the ball  52   b . The shorter and longer sections of the rod  52   a  should have appropriate lengths to allow the shorter section to engage the drain stopper and for the prior art control rod  32  to engage with the longer section and for the drain stopper to be opened and closed. The shorter section of the ball rod  52  is passed through the gasket  56   a  and the bore  54   a  of the stub adapter  54  until the ball  52   b  abuts the concave face  56   c  of the gasket  56   a . The gasket  56   b  is placed in the cavity  58   f  of the adapter cap  58  such that the flat face  56   d  of the gasket  56   b  abuts the interior shoulder  58   e  of the adapter cap  58 . The adapter cap  58  is then placed on the longer section of the ball rod  52  such that the concave face  56   c  of the gasket  56   b  will abut the ball  52   b . The interior threads  58   g  in the adapter cap  58  are brought into engagement with the exterior threads  54   e  on the stub adapter  54 , and the adapter cap  58  is rotated with respect to the stub adapter  54  to thread the adapter cap onto the stub adapter  54 . The unitary ball rod assembly  50  should be designed, sized and configured such that the interior threads  54   c  in the stub adapter  54  can be threaded onto exterior threads on the prior art drain body stub  22   c  with the ball rod  52  engaged with and capable of opening and closing the prior art drain stopper  40  without any leakage of water from the drain body  22 . 
     The unitary ball rod assembly  50  is preferably designed and configured for a threaded engagement with a prior art pop-up drain assembly. However, the adapter cap  58  can have snap-fit dogs or arms or levers that have a tooth that engages a hole or a slot in a tubular stub on a drain body that is different from the drain body  22  of  FIG.  1   . The unitary ball rod assembly  50  can be packaged and sold with a pop-up drain assembly that includes a drain body with a port for receiving a ball rod, which allows a designer and/or a manufacturer a variety of connections means for connecting the stub adapter  54  to the drain body. One means of engaging the stub adapter with a drain body stub is a ratchet-type of fit. Rather than spiral interior and exterior threads, separate and individual rings of interior and exterior angled teeth can be used as a means for engagement. The unitary ball rod assembly  50  would be pushed into engagement with the drain body rather than rotated into engagement with the drain body. The angled rings would be designed to allow one to push the he unitary ball rod assembly  50  into engagement with the drain body stub without a great deal of force, but much more force would be required to pull the unitary ball rod assembly  50  out of engagement with the drain body stub. This type of ratchet mechanism is described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,040,822, issued to Lopez Nieto, which is incorporated by reference. 
     The present invention provides a unitary ball rod assembly for a pop-up drain assembly that comprises a stub adapter shaped as a hollow cylinder with an interior shoulder; a first gasket received in the stub adapter between the interior shoulder and the interior end; a ball rod received in the stub adapter, and wherein the ball abuts the first gasket; an adapter cap; a second gasket in the adapter cap, where the adapter cap is engaged with the stub adapter, where the ball is movably sealed between the first and second gaskets. 
     The present invention provides a ball rod assembly for a pop-up drain assembly that comprises a ball rod having a ball, a hollow stub adapter and a first gasket received on the rod on one side of the ball and a second gasket and a hollow nut received on the rod on the other side of the ball and engaged with the stub adapter to provide a single-piece, unitary ball rod assembly that can be installed in a pop-up drain assembly by engaging the stub adapter with a stub on a drain pipe with one end of the ball rod engaged with a drain stopper. 
     Having described the invention above, various modifications of the techniques, procedures, materials, and equipment will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended that all such variations within the scope and spirit of the invention be included within the scope of the appended claims.