CA2839586C - Seamless undermount stainless steel sink system - Google Patents
Seamless undermount stainless steel sink system Download PDFInfo
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- CA2839586C CA2839586C CA2839586A CA2839586A CA2839586C CA 2839586 C CA2839586 C CA 2839586C CA 2839586 A CA2839586 A CA 2839586A CA 2839586 A CA2839586 A CA 2839586A CA 2839586 C CA2839586 C CA 2839586C
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- stainless steel
- countertop
- sink
- steel sink
- mounting
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Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03C—DOMESTIC PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS FOR FRESH WATER OR WASTE WATER; SINKS
- E03C1/00—Domestic plumbing installations for fresh water or waste water; Sinks
- E03C1/12—Plumbing installations for waste water; Basins or fountains connected thereto; Sinks
- E03C1/32—Holders or supports for basins
- E03C1/33—Fastening sinks or basins in an apertured support
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03C—DOMESTIC PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS FOR FRESH WATER OR WASTE WATER; SINKS
- E03C1/00—Domestic plumbing installations for fresh water or waste water; Sinks
- E03C1/12—Plumbing installations for waste water; Basins or fountains connected thereto; Sinks
- E03C1/18—Sinks, whether or not connected to the waste-pipe
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03C—DOMESTIC PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS FOR FRESH WATER OR WASTE WATER; SINKS
- E03C1/00—Domestic plumbing installations for fresh water or waste water; Sinks
- E03C1/12—Plumbing installations for waste water; Basins or fountains connected thereto; Sinks
- E03C1/32—Holders or supports for basins
- E03C1/33—Fastening sinks or basins in an apertured support
- E03C1/335—Fastening sinks or basins in an apertured support the fastening means comprising a screw
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49428—Gas and water specific plumbing component making
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
- Sink And Installation For Waste Water (AREA)
Abstract
A seamless undermount stainless steel sink system includes a solid countertop, such as granite or marble, having a sink mounting aperture defining an inner periphery disposed therethrough. The system also includes a stainless steel sink having a sidewall with a rimless upper edge defining an outer periphery therearound. A mounting assembly comprising one or more mounting brackets is attached to a portion of the stainless steel sink at a predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the sink. An upper interface is formed between the outer periphery of the stainless steel sink and the inner periphery of the solid countertop, and an upper seal is disposed in the upper interface between the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the top surface of the solid countertop to prevent water, food, or other debris from getting in between the stainless steel sink and the solid countertop.
Description
2
3 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
4 Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to a system comprising a 6 rimless stainless steel sink structured and disposed to be 7 undermounted to a solid countertop, such as granite or marble, 8 wherein an upper interface between the stainless steel sink and the 9 solid countertop comprises an upper seal which prevents water, bacteria, or debris from entering between the rimless upper edge of 11 the stainless steel sink and the top surface of the solid 12 countertop. The present invention is further directed to a method 13 for seamless undermount installation of a stainless steel sink to a 14 solid countertop including but not limited to granite or marble.
17 Stainless steel is the most popular sink style on the market 18 today. and provides a complementary match to many kitchen 19 appliances, such as, refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, water coolers, etc., which are also available in stainless steel or 21 stainless steel finish. Sinks made of stainless steel offer 22 numerous benefits including resistance to chipping, cracking or 23 peeling. Furthermore, stainless steel sinks will not rust or fade, 24 and they are easy to clean and maintain for a long periods of time relative to other materials of construction.
1 There are different types and corresponding methods for 2 mounting stainless steel sinks to countertops. The most common and 3 traditional type is a topmount sink, such as is shown in Figure 1 -4 PRIOR ART Topmount Sink. As is readily seen from Figure 1, a wide flange extends completely around the topmount sink such that when 6 the topmount sink is positioned through a cut-out in a solid 7 material countertop, the flange rests on the top surface of the 8 countertop and is secured thereto via adhesives and/or mechanical 9 fasteners. As will be appreciated, however, the interface between the flange and the top surface of the countertop provides a place 11 for water, moisture, bacteria, food, and other debris to accumulate 12 thereby creating a visually unappealing and potentially unsanitary 13 condition around the stainless steel sink.
14 Another common type of stainless steel sink for mounting to a countertop is an undermount sink. An example of a PRIOR ART
16 Undermount Sink is illustrated in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, 17 the undermount sink comprises a much narrower flange which is 18 structured and disposed to enable the sink to be attached to the 19 bottom surface of a solid countertop below a sink cut-out therethrough. More in particular, undermount sinks have flat rims 21 or flanges around the edges which may be glued and/or mechanically 22 mounted to the bottom surface of the countertop using mounting 23 clips and screws. The lip or sidewall of the sink cut out through 24 the solid countertop must be finished to match the top surface, as it remains readily visible. Once again, however, and interface 1 exists at the bottom of the sink cut out and the top of the 2 undermount sink thereby allowing water, moisture, bacteria, food, 3 and other debris to accumulate, once again, creating a visually 4 unappealing and potentially unsanitary condition around the stainless steel sink.
6 More recently, a so-called "Flush-Mount" sink has been 7 introduced to the market which has a much narrower and flatter rim 8 or flange around the top. These flush mount sinks are structured to 9 be mounted to a solid countertop through the top, wherein the narrow flat rim or flange rests in an equally narrow and thin 11 recess cut into the solid countertop around the sink cut-out. As 12 such, the combination of the narrow flat flange and the recess cut 13 into the countertop serves to approximate a "flush-mount"
14 appearance. As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, however, considerable time, expense, expertise, and special 16 equipment are required in order to cut a recess into granite or 17 marble with the precision required to receive such a "flush-mount"
18 stainless steel sink and approximate a "flush-mount" appearance.
19 As such, it would be beneficial to provide a seamless stainless steel sink system for installation to a solid material 21 countertop including, but not limited to, granite or marble, which 22 eliminates an interface where water, moisture, bacteria, food, 23 and/or other debris can accumulate and create unsightly and 24 unsanitary conditions. It would be further advantageous for such a seamless stainless steel sink system to utilize standard 1 fabrication materials and techniques in order to provide an 2 economical alternative to the aforementioned "flush-mount"
3 stainless steel sinks systems. It would further be helpful for such 4 a seamless stainless steel sink system to accommodate a variety of popular sink configurations including, but not limited to, 6 rectangular, oval, kidney shaped, etc. Another benefit may be 7 obtained by providing a stainless steel sink having a recessed 8 divider between bowls to allow for seamless undermount installation 9 of a stainless steel sink having more than one bowl.
12 The present invention is directed to a seamless undermount 13 stainless steel sink system. A seamless undermount stainless steel 14 sink system in accordance with the present invention comprises a stainless steel sink and a solid countertop.
16 In at least one embodiment, the solid countertop comprises a 17 stone material of construction such as, but not limited to granite 18 or marble. The solid countertop has a top surface and a bottom 19 surface, wherein the top surface and the bottom surface at least partially define a thickness therebetween, and in at least one 21 embodiment, the thickness of the solid countertop remains 22 substantially the same between the top surface and the bottom 23 surface. A sink mounting aperture is disposed through the solid 24 countertop, and the sink mounting aperture comprises an inner periphery.
1 As previously stated, the present system further comprises a 2 stainless steel sink, and the stainless steel sink includes a 3 sidewall which partially forms at least one bowl. In at least eon 4 embodiment, the stainless steel sink comprises a plurality of bowls separated from one another by a corresponding recessed divider, as 6 discussed in further detail below. A stainless steel sink in 7 accordance with the present invention further comprises a rimless 8 upper edge along and around the sidewall, and an outer periphery is 9 defined around the rimless upper edge.
The present seamless undermount stainless steel sink system 11 also includes a mounting assembly which is structured to securely 12 mount the stainless steel sink to the solid countertop. In one 13 embodiment, the mounting assembly comprises at least one mounting 14 bracket attached to a portion of the stainless steel sink at a predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper end of the 16 stainless steel sink, and in one further embodiment, the mounting 17 assembly comprises a plurality of mounting brackets each being 18 attached to a portion of the stainless steel sink, and each being 19 positioned at a predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink.
21 A mounting bracket in accordance with one embodiment of the 22 present invention includes a sink flange, which is utilized to 23 attach the mounting flange to a portion of the stainless steel 24 sink, and a countertop flange to secure the stainless steel sing to the solid countertop. In one embodiment, the countertop flange
17 Stainless steel is the most popular sink style on the market 18 today. and provides a complementary match to many kitchen 19 appliances, such as, refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, water coolers, etc., which are also available in stainless steel or 21 stainless steel finish. Sinks made of stainless steel offer 22 numerous benefits including resistance to chipping, cracking or 23 peeling. Furthermore, stainless steel sinks will not rust or fade, 24 and they are easy to clean and maintain for a long periods of time relative to other materials of construction.
1 There are different types and corresponding methods for 2 mounting stainless steel sinks to countertops. The most common and 3 traditional type is a topmount sink, such as is shown in Figure 1 -4 PRIOR ART Topmount Sink. As is readily seen from Figure 1, a wide flange extends completely around the topmount sink such that when 6 the topmount sink is positioned through a cut-out in a solid 7 material countertop, the flange rests on the top surface of the 8 countertop and is secured thereto via adhesives and/or mechanical 9 fasteners. As will be appreciated, however, the interface between the flange and the top surface of the countertop provides a place 11 for water, moisture, bacteria, food, and other debris to accumulate 12 thereby creating a visually unappealing and potentially unsanitary 13 condition around the stainless steel sink.
14 Another common type of stainless steel sink for mounting to a countertop is an undermount sink. An example of a PRIOR ART
16 Undermount Sink is illustrated in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, 17 the undermount sink comprises a much narrower flange which is 18 structured and disposed to enable the sink to be attached to the 19 bottom surface of a solid countertop below a sink cut-out therethrough. More in particular, undermount sinks have flat rims 21 or flanges around the edges which may be glued and/or mechanically 22 mounted to the bottom surface of the countertop using mounting 23 clips and screws. The lip or sidewall of the sink cut out through 24 the solid countertop must be finished to match the top surface, as it remains readily visible. Once again, however, and interface 1 exists at the bottom of the sink cut out and the top of the 2 undermount sink thereby allowing water, moisture, bacteria, food, 3 and other debris to accumulate, once again, creating a visually 4 unappealing and potentially unsanitary condition around the stainless steel sink.
6 More recently, a so-called "Flush-Mount" sink has been 7 introduced to the market which has a much narrower and flatter rim 8 or flange around the top. These flush mount sinks are structured to 9 be mounted to a solid countertop through the top, wherein the narrow flat rim or flange rests in an equally narrow and thin 11 recess cut into the solid countertop around the sink cut-out. As 12 such, the combination of the narrow flat flange and the recess cut 13 into the countertop serves to approximate a "flush-mount"
14 appearance. As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, however, considerable time, expense, expertise, and special 16 equipment are required in order to cut a recess into granite or 17 marble with the precision required to receive such a "flush-mount"
18 stainless steel sink and approximate a "flush-mount" appearance.
19 As such, it would be beneficial to provide a seamless stainless steel sink system for installation to a solid material 21 countertop including, but not limited to, granite or marble, which 22 eliminates an interface where water, moisture, bacteria, food, 23 and/or other debris can accumulate and create unsightly and 24 unsanitary conditions. It would be further advantageous for such a seamless stainless steel sink system to utilize standard 1 fabrication materials and techniques in order to provide an 2 economical alternative to the aforementioned "flush-mount"
3 stainless steel sinks systems. It would further be helpful for such 4 a seamless stainless steel sink system to accommodate a variety of popular sink configurations including, but not limited to, 6 rectangular, oval, kidney shaped, etc. Another benefit may be 7 obtained by providing a stainless steel sink having a recessed 8 divider between bowls to allow for seamless undermount installation 9 of a stainless steel sink having more than one bowl.
12 The present invention is directed to a seamless undermount 13 stainless steel sink system. A seamless undermount stainless steel 14 sink system in accordance with the present invention comprises a stainless steel sink and a solid countertop.
16 In at least one embodiment, the solid countertop comprises a 17 stone material of construction such as, but not limited to granite 18 or marble. The solid countertop has a top surface and a bottom 19 surface, wherein the top surface and the bottom surface at least partially define a thickness therebetween, and in at least one 21 embodiment, the thickness of the solid countertop remains 22 substantially the same between the top surface and the bottom 23 surface. A sink mounting aperture is disposed through the solid 24 countertop, and the sink mounting aperture comprises an inner periphery.
1 As previously stated, the present system further comprises a 2 stainless steel sink, and the stainless steel sink includes a 3 sidewall which partially forms at least one bowl. In at least eon 4 embodiment, the stainless steel sink comprises a plurality of bowls separated from one another by a corresponding recessed divider, as 6 discussed in further detail below. A stainless steel sink in 7 accordance with the present invention further comprises a rimless 8 upper edge along and around the sidewall, and an outer periphery is 9 defined around the rimless upper edge.
The present seamless undermount stainless steel sink system 11 also includes a mounting assembly which is structured to securely 12 mount the stainless steel sink to the solid countertop. In one 13 embodiment, the mounting assembly comprises at least one mounting 14 bracket attached to a portion of the stainless steel sink at a predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper end of the 16 stainless steel sink, and in one further embodiment, the mounting 17 assembly comprises a plurality of mounting brackets each being 18 attached to a portion of the stainless steel sink, and each being 19 positioned at a predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink.
21 A mounting bracket in accordance with one embodiment of the 22 present invention includes a sink flange, which is utilized to 23 attach the mounting flange to a portion of the stainless steel 24 sink, and a countertop flange to secure the stainless steel sing to the solid countertop. In one embodiment, the countertop flange
5 1 includes a countertop flange surface which, in at least one 2 embodiment, is operatively disposed in a substantially 3 perpendicular orientation relative to the sidewall of the stainless 4 steel sink and is positioned at the predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink.
6 An upper interface is formed between the outer periphery of
7 the stainless steel sink and the inner periphery of the solid
8 countertop and, in accordance with the present invention, an upper
9 seal is disposed in the upper interface between the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the top surface of the solid 11 countertop. More importantly, the upper seal prevents water, 12 moisture, bacteria, food, or debris from entering between the 13 rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the top surface 14 of the solid countertop.
The present invention is further directed to a method for 16 seamless undermount installation of a stainless steel sink to a 17 solid countertop, once again, including but not limited to granite 18 or marble.
19 In at least embodiment, the present method includes fabricating a stainless steel sink with a rimless upper edge 21 defining an outer periphery therearound, such as may be 22 accomplished by hand fabrication. Of course, as most stainless 23 steel sinks manufactured today are drawn and comprise an upper 24 flange or lip. As such, in one embodiment, the present method includes removing the mounting flange or lip from the stainless 1 steel sink in order to obtain a rimless upper edge.
2 The present method further includes preparing a mounting 3 template based on the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of 4 the stainless steel sink, and creating a sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop between a top surface and a bottom 6 surface based on the mounting template, wherein the sink mounting 7 aperture comprises an inner periphery configured to receive the 8 outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 9 sink therethrough.
Next, one or more mounting brackets are positioned at a 11 predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the 12 stainless steel sink, wherein each mounting bracket has a sink 13 flange and a countertop flange. In at least one embodiment, the 14 countertop flange comprises a countertop flange surface which is positioned at the predetermined mounting depth below the rimless 16 upper edge of the stainless steel sink, and the present method 17 further includes attaching one mounting bracket to the stainless 18 steel sink.
19 Once the mounting bracket or plurality of mounting brackets are positioned, and in at least one embodiment, attached to the 21 stainless steel sink, the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 22 sink is positioned through the sink mounting aperture of the solid 23 countertop such that each countertop flange surface is adjacent to 24 the bottom surface of the solid countertop, and the stainless steel sink is secured to the bottom surface of the solid countertop via 1 the at least one mounting bracket.
2 Finally, the present method includes applying an upper seal 3 along an upper interface between the outer periphery of the 4 rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the inner periphery of the sink mounting aperture through the solid 6 countertop, wherein the upper seal prevents water, moisture, 7 bacteria, and debris from entering between the rimless upper edge 8 of the stainless steel sink and the top surface of the solid 9 countertop.
In at least one embodiment, there is provided a seamless 11 undermount stainless steel sink system comprising: a solid 12 countertop having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top 13 surface and said bottom surface at least partially defining a 14 thickness therebetween, a sink mounting aperture disposed through said solid countertop, said sink mounting aperture having an 16 inner periphery, a stainless steel sink comprising a sidewall 17 which partially forms at least one bowl, a rimless upper edge 18 along and around said sidewall of said stainless steel sink, 19 wherein an outer periphery is defined around said rimless upper edge, said inner periphery of said sink mounting aperture 21 dimensioned to receive said outer periphery of said rimless upper 22 edge of said stainless steel sink therein such that said rimless 23 upper edge of said stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and 24 substantially coplanar with said top surface of said solid countertop when said stainless steel sink is mounted through said 1 bottom surface of said solid countertop, a mounting assembly 2 comprising at least one mounting bracket attached to a portion of 3 said stainless steel sink, said mounting bracket including a 4 countertop flange having a countertop flange surface, said mounting bracket positioned a predetermined mounting depth below 6 said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink, an upper 7 interface formed between said outer periphery of said stainless 8 steel sink and said inner periphery of said solid countertop, and 9 an upper seal disposed in said upper interface between said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink and said top 11 surface of said solid countertop.
12 In at least one embodiment, there is provided a method for 13 seamless undermount installation of a stainless steel sink to a 14 solid countertop, the method comprising: fabricating the stainless steel sink with a rimless upper edge defining an outer 16 periphery therearound, preparing a mounting template based on the 17 outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 18 sink, creating a sink mounting aperture through the solid 19 countertop between a top surface and a bottom surface based on the mounting template, wherein the sink mounting aperture 21 comprises an inner periphery dimensioned to receive the outer 22 periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink 23 therein such that the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 24 sink is disposed adjacent and substantially coplanar with the top surface of the solid countertop when the stainless steel sink is 8a 1 mounted through the bottom surface of the solid countertop, 2 positioning at least one mounting bracket at a predetermined 3 mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless 4 steel sink, wherein the mounting bracket has a sink flange and a countertop flange, the countertop flange comprising a countertop 6 flange surface which is positioned at the predetermined mounting 7 depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink, 8 attaching the at least one mounting bracket to the stainless 9 steel sink, positioning the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink through the sink mounting aperture of the solid 11 countertop such that the countertop flange surface is adjacent to 12 the bottom surface of the solid countertop, and the rimless upper 13 edge of the stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and 14 substantially coplanar with the top surface of the solid countertop when the stainless steel sink is mounted through the 16 bottom surface of the solid countertop, securing the stainless 17 steel sink to the bottom surface of the solid countertop via the 18 at least one mounting bracket, and applying an upper seal along 19 an upper interface between the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the inner periphery of 21 the sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop, wherein 22 the upper seal prevents water, moisture, bacteria, and debris 23 from entering between the rimless upper edge of the stainless 24 steel sink and the top surface of the solid countertop.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the 8b 1 present invention will become clearer when the drawings as well 2 as the detailed description are taken into consideration.
4 For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed 6 description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in 7 which:
8 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional PRIOR ART
9 topmount sink.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a conventional PRIOR ART
11 undermount sink.
12 Figure 3 is a perspective view of one illustrative 13 embodiment of a stainless steel sink and mounting assembly in 14 accordance with the present invention for seamless undermount installation to a solid countertop.
8c 1 Figure 4 is an exploded view of one illustrative embodiment of 2 a stainless steel sink, mounting assembly, and solid countertop in 3 accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.
4 Figure 5 is a perspective view of one illustrative embodiment of a stainless steel sink mounted to a solid countertop in 6 accordance with the present invention.
7 Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of one illustrative 8 embodiment of a stainless steel sink mounted to a solid countertop 9 in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 6A is a perspective view of one illustrative embodiment 11 of a mounting bracket in accordance with the present invention.
12 Figure 7 is a side elevation view of one illustrative 13 embodiment of a stainless steel sink in accordance with the present 14 invention prior to removal of a countertop flange.
Figure 7A is a side elevation view of the stainless steel sink 16 of Figure 5 after removal of the countertop flange.
17 Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrative of one method for 18 seamless undermount installation of a stainless steel sink to a 19 solid countertop in accordance with the present invention.
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the 21 several views of the drawings.
24 As stated above, the present invention is directed to a seamless undermount stainless steel sink system which is generally 1 shown as 10 throughout the figures. More in particular, and with 2 reference to Figure 5, the present system 10 comprises a solid 3 countertop 20 and a stainless steel sink 30. As is apparent from 4 Figure 5, an upper seal 54 between the solid countertop 20 and the upper edge of the stainless steel sink 30 provides a virtually 6 seamless interface between the solid countertop 20 and the 7 stainless steel sink 30.
8 In at least one embodiment of the present system 10, a solid 9 countertop 20 is constructed from a solid material including, but not limited to, granite, marble, limestone, quartz stone, 11 engineered stone, for example, acrylic and polyester composite 12 engineered stone, recycled glass, and hardwood.
13 As shown best in Figure 4, the solid countertop 20 in 14 accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises a top surface 22 and a bottom surface 24. As Figure 4 16 further illustrates, the top surface 22 and bottom surface 24 at 17 least partially define a thickness 25 therebetween, which is 18 discussed in greater detail below with regard to the seamless 19 interface between the solid countertop 20 and the stainless steel sink 30. Looking again to the illustrative embodiment of Figure 4, 21 the solid countertop 20 includes a sink mounting aperture 26 22 disposed therethrough. As will be appreciated by those skilled in 23 the art, the sink mounting aperture 26 may be created by cutting 24 through the solid countertop 20 in accordance with a template or guide which is drawn, etched, or temporarily attached thereto. It 1 will be further appreciated that the sink mounting aperture 26 may 2 be formed via drilling and or sawing utilizing bits and/or blades 3 which are specifically designed for cutting through stone 4 materials, such as, once again, granite, marble, etc. Figure 4 further illustrates a solid countertop 20 in accordance with the 6 present invention wherein the sink mounting aperture 26 at least 7 partially defines an inner periphery 27 which extends along and 8 around the entire inner edge of the sink mounting aperture 26.
9 As previously stated above, a seamless undermount stainless steel sink system 10 in accordance with the present invention 11 further comprises a stainless steel sink 30. It is understood to be 12 within the scope and intent of the present invention for a 13 stainless steel sink 30 to be constructed of any of a variety of 14 grades of stainless steel which are presently utilized for the formation of sinks including, but not limited to, Type 304 16 stainless steel, Type 302 stainless steel, and Type 316 stainless 17 steel, as well as 200 series stainless steels, just to name a few.
18 It is further understood to be within the scope and intent of the 19 present invention to form a sink from other metals and metal alloys besides stainless steel including, but once again, not limited to, 21 aluminum, brass, bronze, cast iron, copper, nickel, as well as from 22 non-metal materials such as terrazzo, glass, plastic, engineered 23 plastic and/or ceramic.
24 It will be further appreciated by those skilled in the art, that the present seamless undermount stainless steel sink system 10 1 and installation methodology, which is discussed in greater detail 2 below, may also be utilized to install sinks formed of other metal 3 or metal alloy materials, and/or for undermount installation of a 4 sink to a solid countertop 20 wherein the solid countertop 20 comprises a stone material of construction including, but not 6 limited to, granite, marble, etc.
7 Figure 3 Is illustrative of one embodiment of a stainless 8 steel sink 30 in accordance with the present system 10. The 9 stainless steel sink 30 shown in the embodiment of Figure 3 comprises a plurality of bowls 32 which are separated by a recessed 11 divider 33. Figure 3 further illustrates that each bowl 32 12 comprises a drain 34 disposed through a bottom portion thereof.
13 Figure 4 is illustrative of another embodiment of a stainless steel 14 sink 30 in accordance with the present invention comprising a single bowl 32 having a single drain 34 disposed therein.
16 Looking again to Figures 3 and 4, a stainless steel sink 30 in 17 accordance with the system 10 in accordance with present invention 18 comprises a sidewall 36 which at least partially defines the bowl 19 or bowls 32. As further illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the sidewall 36 comprises an inner wall 36' and an outer wall 36". As 21 may be seen best in Figures 3 and 4, a stainless steel sink 30 in 22 accordance with the present system 10 further comprises a rimless 23 upper edge 38 which extends around the entirety of the sidewall 36.
24 Similar to the inner periphery 27 along sink mounting aperture 26 of the solid countertop 20, a stainless steel sink 30 in accordance 1 with the present invention comprises an outer periphery 39 which 2 extends along and around the entirety of the sidewall 36 of the 3 stainless steel sink 30 proximate the rimless upper edge 38 4 thereof. As will be appreciated from the disclosure below, the rimless upper edge 38 of the stainless steel sink 30 is required in 6 order to achieve the seamless undermount of the stainless steel 7 sink 30 to the solid countertop 20 in accordance with the present 8 system 10.
9 It will be understood and appreciated by those of skill in the art that a stainless steel sink 30 may be fabricated by hand with a 11 rimless upper edge 38, however, mass production of stainless steel 12 sinks 30 commonly employs a process wherein a single piece of 13 stainless steel is drawn and formed into a sink 30 which includes a 14 mounting flange 35 extending around and along the upper portion of a sidewall 36õ such as is shown in Figure 7. As such, and with 16 reference to Figures 7 and 7A, a seamless undermount stainless 17 steel sink system 10 in accordance with the present invention may 18 require removal of a mounting flange 35 from the sidewall 36 of 19 stainless steel sink 30 in order to obtain a rimless upper edge 38, such as is shown in Figure 7A.
21 As will be appreciated from Figures 7 and 7A, and with 22 reference, by way of example, to the PRIOR ART sinks shown in 23 Figures 1 and 2, removal of the mounting flange 35 as shown in 24 Figures 7 and 7A from either of the PRIOR ART sinks shown in Figure 1 and 2 would result in the detachment of the separate bowls of the 1 PRIOR ART sinks from one another. As such, and as previously 2 disclosed with reference to Figure 3, a seamless undermount 3 stainless steel sink system 10 in accordance with at least one 4 embodiment of the present invention comprises a stainless steel sink 30 having a recessed divider 33, specifically to permit a 6 mounting flange 35 from being removed such as is shown in Figures 7 7 and 7A, while maintaining a plurality of bowls 32 attached to one 8 another, once again, as shown in Figure 3.
9 As shown throughout the figures, a seamless undermount stainless steel sink system 10 in accordance with the present 11 invention further comprises a mounting assembly generally shown as 12 40. A mounting assembly 40 comprises at least one mounting bracket 13 42, however, in at least one embodiment, a mounting assembly 40 in 14 accordance with the present system 10 comprises a plurality of mounting brackets 42, such as is shown in the illustrative 16 embodiments of Figures 3 and 4. In at least one embodiment (not 17 shown), a single mounting bracket may be disposed around the 18 entirety of the sidewall 36 of the stainless steel sink 30 in 19 accordance with the present invention. By way of example, after removal of a mounting flange 35 from a stainless steel sink 30, the 21 sink 30 is positioned through the top of the mounting flange 35 and 22 the mounting flange 35 is secured to the sidewalls 36, thus 23 providing a single mounting bracket 42 which extends along and 24 around the entire sidewall 36 of the stainless steel sink 30.
Alternatively, and again as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a 1 mounting assembly 40 comprises a plurality of mounting brackets 42 2 which are attached to an outer wall 36" of a sidewall 36 of a 3 stainless steel sink 30. More in particular, the plurality of 4 mounting brackets 42 are positioned in a spaced apart arrangement around the sidewall 36 of the stainless steel sink 30, and are 6 attached thereto in order to provide a plurality of points for 7 securing the stainless steel sink 30 to the underside of a solid 8 countertop 20 along a bottom surface 24 thereof.
9 Figure 6A is illustrative of just one embodiment of a mounting bracket 42 in accordance with the present invention. As shown in 11 the embodiment of Figure 6A, the mounting bracket 42 includes a 12 sink flange 43 which is disposed at a substantially right angle to 13 a countertop flange 44. Figure 6A further illustrates that a 14 countertop flange 44 comprises a countertop flange surface 45 which, as discussed in greater detail below, is positioned adjacent 16 to bottom surface 24 of the solid countertop 20 in order to secure 17 the stainless steel sink 30 to the solid countertop 20. In 18 addition, countertop flange 44, in at least one embodiment, 19 includes one or more countertop flange apertures 46 such as shown again in Figure 6A. The countertop flange aperture(s) 46 facilitate 21 securing the mounting bracket 42 to the bottom surface 24 of the 22 solid countertop 20, as discussed in further detail below.
23 Figure 6 presents a partial cross-section view of one 24 illustrative embodiment of a stainless steel sink 30 seamlessly mounted to a solid countertop 20 in accordance with the present 1 invention. As may be seen from Figure 6, a mounting bracket 42 2 comprises a sink flange 43 and a countertop flange 44 as previously 3 disclosed, wherein the sink flange 43 is attached to an outer wall 4 36" of the sidewall 36 via a sink interconnect 43'. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that a sink interconnect 6 43' may comprise any of a variety of means for securely attaching a 7 sink flange 43 to the outer wall 36" of a stainless steel sink 30.
8 As one example, the sink interconnect 43' comprises a weld between 9 the sink flange 43 and the outer wall 36" of the sidewall 36. As another example, an appropriate adhesive, such as, by way of 11 example only, an epoxy or a polyester resin, is utilized as sink 12 interconnect 43' in order to securely attach a sink flange 43 to 13 the outer wall 36" of the sidewall 36. In yet another embodiment, 14 the sink interconnect 43' comprises a mechanical fastener such as a screw, a bolt, a rivet, etc., in order to securely attach the sink 16 flange 43 to the outer wall 36" of the stainless steel sink 30. It 17 will further be appreciated that a combination of one or more sink 18 interconnects 43' may be employed in order to further assure that 19 the sink flange 43 is securely attached to the stainless steel sink 30.
21 Similarly, a countertop interconnect 44' is utilized to 22 securely attach a countertop flange 44 to a portion of the bottom 23 surface 24 of the solid countertop 20. As before, with regard to 24 sink interconnect 43', the countertop interconnect 44' may comprise any of a variety of appropriate attachment means. In at least one 1 embodiment, a countertop interconnect 44' comprises an epoxy resin 2 in order to securely attach the countertop flange 44 to the bottom 3 surface 24 the solid countertop 20, an in one further embodiment, a 4 two-part epoxy resin is utilized as a countertop interconnect 44'.
In such an embodiment, the epoxy resin is permitted to flow through 6 countertop flange aperture(s) 46 and onto the underside of the 7 countertop flange 44 to further facilitate securely attaching the 8 countertop flange 44 to the bottom surface 24 of the solid 9 countertop 20. In another embodiment, a mechanical fastener such as a masonry screw may be utilized as a countertop interconnect 44' in 11 order to securely attach countertop flange 44 to the bottom surface 12 24 of the solid countertop 20. As will be appreciated by those 13 skilled in the art, a combination of an adhesive and a mechanical 14 fastener may be utilized as a countertop interconnect 44' in order to further assure that the countertop flange 44 is securely 16 attached to the bottom surface 24 of the solid countertop 20.
17 In at least one alternate embodiment, mounting assembly 40 may 18 comprise a mounting clip 49 which is secured into the bottom 19 surface 24 of the solid countertop 20 via fastener 49'. As shown in Figure 6, a portion of the mounting clip 49 extends over a portion 21 of the countertop flange 44 in order to further assure that the 22 countertop flange 44 remains securely attached to the bottom 23 surface 24 of the solid countertop 20.
24 With reference once again to Figure 4, each mounting bracket 42 is securely attached to the outer wall 36" of the stainless 1 steel sink 30 at a predetermined mounting depth 48. More in 2 particular, and again as shown in Figure 4, the countertop flange 3 surface 45 of each mounting bracket 42 is disposed at a 4 predetermined mounting depth 48 from the rimless upper edge 38 of the stainless steel sink 30. More in particular, a predetermined 6 mounting depth 48 corresponds to the thickness 25 of the solid 7 countertop 20. Present industry standards dictate that slid granite 8 or marble countertops are provided with a thickness of either two 9 centimeters or three centimeters. In one embodiment, the countertop flange surface 45 of the mounting bracket 42 is positioned at a 11 predetermined depth 48 of eighteen millimeters below the rimless 12 upper edge 38 of the stainless steel sink 30, for installation to a 13 standard two centimeter thick solid countertop 20. In an embodiment 14 of the present system 10 comprising a three centimeter thick solid countertop 20, the countertop flange surface 45 of the mounting 16 bracket 42 is positioned at a predetermined depth 48 of twenty-17 eight millimeters below the rimless upper edge 38 of the stainless 18 steel sink 30.
19 In at least one further embodiment, the predetermined mounting depth 48 comprises a tolerance of plus or minus one millimeter 21 relative to the thickness 25 of the solid countertop 20. That is to 22 say, the predetermined mounting depth 48 at which the countertop 23 flange surface 45 is positioned below the rimless upper edge 38 of 24 the stainless steel sink 30 when the mounting flange is securely attached to the outer wall 36" of the stainless steel sink 30 must 1 be no more nor no less than one millimeter of the thickness 25 of 2 the solid countertop 20. As such, when the stainless steel sink 30 3 is mounted to the solid countertop 20 from below, the rimless upper 4 edge 38 will be within one millimeter of the top surface 22 of the solid countertop 20 which, as will be appreciated, permits the 6 seamless installation of stainless steel sink 30 in accordance with 7 the present system 10.
8 Furthermore, when the rimless upper edge 38 of a stainless 9 steel sink 30 is positioned through a sink mounting aperture 26 of the solid countertop 20, an upper interface 52 is formed between 11 the inner periphery 27 of a sink mounting aperture 26 and the outer 12 periphery 39 along the rimless upper edge 38. In at least one 13 embodiment of the present invention, an upper interface tolerance 14 52' must be one millimeter or less. Stated otherwise, the distance between the inner periphery 27 of a sink mounting aperture 26 and 16 outer periphery 39 along the rimless upper edge 38 is one 17 millimeter or less when a stainless steel sink 30 is mounted 18 through a sink mounting aperture 26 of a solid countertop 20 in 19 accordance with the present system 10.
Looking again to Figure 6, the seamless undermount stainless 21 steel sink system 10 in accordance with the present invention 22 further comprises a sealing assembly 50. The sealing assembly 50 23 includes an upper seal 54 which is applied along and around the 24 upper interface 52 between the inner periphery 27 of sink mounting aperture 26 and the outer periphery 39 of the outer wall 36" of 1 the stainless steel sink 30. In one embodiment, the upper seal 54 2 comprises an epoxy glue or an epoxy resin which will securely bond 3 to both the solid countertop 20 and the stainless steel sink 30, 4 thereby providing an essential impervious seal over and along the upper interface 52. In an alternate embodiment, the upper seal 54 6 comprises a polyester resin to securely bond to both the solid 7 countertop 20 and the stainless steel sink 30, once again, 8 providing an essential impervious seal over and along the upper 9 interface 52. In further embodiments, the upper seal 54 comprises a polyester resin, a polyurethane resin, an epoxy resin, an acrylic 11 casting resin, or combinations thereof.
12 As will be appreciated, the upper seal 54 will serve to 13 prevent water, moisture, bacteria, food, and/or other debris such 14 as may be encountered in a sink environment from entering into the area between the solid countertop 20 and the stainless steel sink 16 30, in particular, into and through the upper interface 52 17 therebetween. In at least one further embodiment, a top coat 55 is 18 applied to the upper seal 54 wherein the top coat 55 is selected 19 based on the color of the top surface 22 of the solid countertop 20 so as to camouflage the presence of the upper seal 54. The top coat 21 55, in at least one embodiment, comprises a color matching epoxy or 22 polyester resin selected to simulate the color of the solid 23 countertop. In yet one further embodiment, the upper seal 54 and/or 24 top coat 55 may be further finished by sanding, buffing, etc., so as to further camouflage the presence of the upper seal 54, thereby 1 enhancing the overall seamless appearance between stainless steel 2 sink 30 and the solid countertop 20 along the upper seal 54, such 3 as is shown best in Figure 5.
4 In at least one embodiment, a sealing assembly 50 in accordance with the present invention further comprises a lower 6 seal 58, such as is shown in Figure 6. A lower seal 58 may comprise 7 a waterproof silicone adhesive material which is utilized to seal a 8 lower interface 56 between the outer wall 36" of the stainless 9 steel sink 30 and the bottom surface 24 of the solid countertop 20.
As previously indicated, the present invention further 11 comprises a method for seamless undermount installation of a 12 stainless steel sink to a solid countertop, which is shown as 100 13 in Figure 8. As shown in Figure 8, the present method 100 includes 14 fabricating a stainless steel sink with a rimless upper edge 110, wherein the rimless upper edge at least partially defines an outer 16 periphery therearound. As previously stated, this may be 17 accomplished via hand fabrication techniques, wherein the sink as 18 fabricated is rimless. Alternatively, when a stainless steel sink 19 is fabricated by drawing and/or forming via mass production techniques, a mounting flange must be removed from the top of the 21 sink, such as via cutting via mechanical of laser cutter equipment.
22 In at least one embodiment, fabricating a stainless steel sink 23 with a rimless upper edge 100 requires that the front and rear 24 sidewalls of the sink be essentially straight, with deviations long the sidewalls of less than one-half millimeter inward or outward.
1 In addition, the rimless upper edge must not have deviations of 2 more than one millimeter along and around its entire length. That 3 is to say, if the sink is placed upside down on a completely flat 4 surface, there must not be more than a one millimeter gap between the rimless upper edge of the sink and the flat surface at any 6 point between the upper edge and the surface.
7 The present method 100 further comprises preparing a mounting 8 template 120 based on the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge 9 of the stainless steel sink. The mounting template may be prepared 120 by turning the sink upside down on a template medium, such as 11 tracing paper, cardboard, etc. In at least one embodiment, the sink 12 may be placed upside down directly on the solid countertop itself, 13 and its outline traced directly thereon.
14 Once a mounting template has been applied to a surface of the solid countertop, the present invention further provides for 16 creating a sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop 130, 17 wherein the mounting aperture extends between a top surface and a 18 bottom surface of the solid countertop based on the mounting 19 template. As previously noted above, in at least one embodiment the sink mounting aperture comprises an inner periphery configured to 21 receive the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the 22 stainless steel sink therethrough.
23 After the sink mounting aperture is created through the solid 24 countertop, the present method includes positioning at least one mounting bracket at a predetermined mounting depth 140 below the 1 rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink. In at least one 2 embodiment, the mounting bracket has a sink flange and a countertop 3 flange, wherein the countertop flange comprises a countertop flange 4 surface which is positioned at the predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink.
6 In at least one embodiment, the present method 100 comprises 7 attaching at least one mounting bracket to the stainless steel sink 8 150, and in one further embodiment, the present method comprises 9 attaching a plurality of mounting brackets to the stainless steel sink 150, wherein each mounting bracket is positioned and attached 11 to the stainless steel sink at the predetermined mounting depth 12 below the rimless upper edge. A sink interconnect 43', such as 13 disclosed above, is utilized to securely attach the mounting 14 bracket(s) to the stainless steel sink, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
16 Once the mounting bracket(s) are securely attached to the 17 stainless steel sink at the predetermined mounting depth, the 18 method 100 of the present invention further comprises positioning 19 the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink through the sink mounting aperture of the solid countertop 160, such that the 21 countertop flange surface is adjacent to the bottom surface of the 22 solid countertop. The present method 100 further provides for 23 securing the stainless steel sink to the bottom surface of the 24 solid countertop via at least one mounting bracket 170. Of course, in one further embodiment of the present invention, the method 100 1 provides for securing the stainless steel sink to the bottom 2 surface of the solid countertop via a plurality of mounting 3 brackets 170. As before, a countertop interconnect 44', such as 4 disclosed above, is utilized to secure the stainless steel sink to the solid countertop in accordance with at least one embodiment of 6 the present invention.
7 The present method for seamless undermount installation of a 8 stainless steel sink to a solid countertop 100 further comprises 9 applying an upper seal along an upper interface 180 between the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 11 sink and the inner periphery of the sink mounting aperture through 12 the solid countertop. As noted above, in at least one embodiment, 13 the upper seal may comprise a polyester resin, and in one further 14 embodiment, the upper seal may comprise a color matched polyester resin. In at least one embodiment, the upper seal prevents water, 16 moisture, bacteria, and debris from entering between the rimless 17 upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the top surface of the 18 solid countertop.
19 The top surface of the solid countertop may be masked around the inner periphery of the sink mounting aperture prior to applying 21 the upper seal, so as to avoid unwanted application of the resin to 22 the countertop itself. In one further embodiment, a top coat is 23 applied to the upper seal in order to camouflage its presence, and 24 in one further embodiment, the upper seal may be finished, such as via sanding, buffing, and/or polishing, so as to even further 1 conceal the presence of the upper seal at the seamless interface 2 between the stainless steel sink and the solid countertop.
3 In at least one further embodiment, the present method 100 4 includes applying a lower seal along a lower interface 180, wherein the lower seal comprises a substantially waterproof material, such 6 as silicone, to prevent water or moisture from entering a lower 7 interface between the outer wall of the stainless steel sink and 8 the bottom surface of the solid countertop, as previously disclosed 9 hereinabove.
As will be appreciated from the foregoing, the present method 11 100 comprises steps which may be performed by different parties at 12 different locations. Specifically, steps 110 through 150 may be 13 performed at a factory which manufactures stainless steel sinks in 14 accordance with the present invention, while steps 160 through 180 may be performed by an individual or contractor who physically 16 installs a stainless sink manufactured in accordance with the 17 present invention in an end user's home or business.
18 Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can 19 be made to the described embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in 21 the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in 22 a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be 23 determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
24 Now that the invention has been described,
The present invention is further directed to a method for 16 seamless undermount installation of a stainless steel sink to a 17 solid countertop, once again, including but not limited to granite 18 or marble.
19 In at least embodiment, the present method includes fabricating a stainless steel sink with a rimless upper edge 21 defining an outer periphery therearound, such as may be 22 accomplished by hand fabrication. Of course, as most stainless 23 steel sinks manufactured today are drawn and comprise an upper 24 flange or lip. As such, in one embodiment, the present method includes removing the mounting flange or lip from the stainless 1 steel sink in order to obtain a rimless upper edge.
2 The present method further includes preparing a mounting 3 template based on the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of 4 the stainless steel sink, and creating a sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop between a top surface and a bottom 6 surface based on the mounting template, wherein the sink mounting 7 aperture comprises an inner periphery configured to receive the 8 outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 9 sink therethrough.
Next, one or more mounting brackets are positioned at a 11 predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the 12 stainless steel sink, wherein each mounting bracket has a sink 13 flange and a countertop flange. In at least one embodiment, the 14 countertop flange comprises a countertop flange surface which is positioned at the predetermined mounting depth below the rimless 16 upper edge of the stainless steel sink, and the present method 17 further includes attaching one mounting bracket to the stainless 18 steel sink.
19 Once the mounting bracket or plurality of mounting brackets are positioned, and in at least one embodiment, attached to the 21 stainless steel sink, the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 22 sink is positioned through the sink mounting aperture of the solid 23 countertop such that each countertop flange surface is adjacent to 24 the bottom surface of the solid countertop, and the stainless steel sink is secured to the bottom surface of the solid countertop via 1 the at least one mounting bracket.
2 Finally, the present method includes applying an upper seal 3 along an upper interface between the outer periphery of the 4 rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the inner periphery of the sink mounting aperture through the solid 6 countertop, wherein the upper seal prevents water, moisture, 7 bacteria, and debris from entering between the rimless upper edge 8 of the stainless steel sink and the top surface of the solid 9 countertop.
In at least one embodiment, there is provided a seamless 11 undermount stainless steel sink system comprising: a solid 12 countertop having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top 13 surface and said bottom surface at least partially defining a 14 thickness therebetween, a sink mounting aperture disposed through said solid countertop, said sink mounting aperture having an 16 inner periphery, a stainless steel sink comprising a sidewall 17 which partially forms at least one bowl, a rimless upper edge 18 along and around said sidewall of said stainless steel sink, 19 wherein an outer periphery is defined around said rimless upper edge, said inner periphery of said sink mounting aperture 21 dimensioned to receive said outer periphery of said rimless upper 22 edge of said stainless steel sink therein such that said rimless 23 upper edge of said stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and 24 substantially coplanar with said top surface of said solid countertop when said stainless steel sink is mounted through said 1 bottom surface of said solid countertop, a mounting assembly 2 comprising at least one mounting bracket attached to a portion of 3 said stainless steel sink, said mounting bracket including a 4 countertop flange having a countertop flange surface, said mounting bracket positioned a predetermined mounting depth below 6 said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink, an upper 7 interface formed between said outer periphery of said stainless 8 steel sink and said inner periphery of said solid countertop, and 9 an upper seal disposed in said upper interface between said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink and said top 11 surface of said solid countertop.
12 In at least one embodiment, there is provided a method for 13 seamless undermount installation of a stainless steel sink to a 14 solid countertop, the method comprising: fabricating the stainless steel sink with a rimless upper edge defining an outer 16 periphery therearound, preparing a mounting template based on the 17 outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 18 sink, creating a sink mounting aperture through the solid 19 countertop between a top surface and a bottom surface based on the mounting template, wherein the sink mounting aperture 21 comprises an inner periphery dimensioned to receive the outer 22 periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink 23 therein such that the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 24 sink is disposed adjacent and substantially coplanar with the top surface of the solid countertop when the stainless steel sink is 8a 1 mounted through the bottom surface of the solid countertop, 2 positioning at least one mounting bracket at a predetermined 3 mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless 4 steel sink, wherein the mounting bracket has a sink flange and a countertop flange, the countertop flange comprising a countertop 6 flange surface which is positioned at the predetermined mounting 7 depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink, 8 attaching the at least one mounting bracket to the stainless 9 steel sink, positioning the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink through the sink mounting aperture of the solid 11 countertop such that the countertop flange surface is adjacent to 12 the bottom surface of the solid countertop, and the rimless upper 13 edge of the stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and 14 substantially coplanar with the top surface of the solid countertop when the stainless steel sink is mounted through the 16 bottom surface of the solid countertop, securing the stainless 17 steel sink to the bottom surface of the solid countertop via the 18 at least one mounting bracket, and applying an upper seal along 19 an upper interface between the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the inner periphery of 21 the sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop, wherein 22 the upper seal prevents water, moisture, bacteria, and debris 23 from entering between the rimless upper edge of the stainless 24 steel sink and the top surface of the solid countertop.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the 8b 1 present invention will become clearer when the drawings as well 2 as the detailed description are taken into consideration.
4 For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed 6 description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in 7 which:
8 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional PRIOR ART
9 topmount sink.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a conventional PRIOR ART
11 undermount sink.
12 Figure 3 is a perspective view of one illustrative 13 embodiment of a stainless steel sink and mounting assembly in 14 accordance with the present invention for seamless undermount installation to a solid countertop.
8c 1 Figure 4 is an exploded view of one illustrative embodiment of 2 a stainless steel sink, mounting assembly, and solid countertop in 3 accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.
4 Figure 5 is a perspective view of one illustrative embodiment of a stainless steel sink mounted to a solid countertop in 6 accordance with the present invention.
7 Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of one illustrative 8 embodiment of a stainless steel sink mounted to a solid countertop 9 in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 6A is a perspective view of one illustrative embodiment 11 of a mounting bracket in accordance with the present invention.
12 Figure 7 is a side elevation view of one illustrative 13 embodiment of a stainless steel sink in accordance with the present 14 invention prior to removal of a countertop flange.
Figure 7A is a side elevation view of the stainless steel sink 16 of Figure 5 after removal of the countertop flange.
17 Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrative of one method for 18 seamless undermount installation of a stainless steel sink to a 19 solid countertop in accordance with the present invention.
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the 21 several views of the drawings.
24 As stated above, the present invention is directed to a seamless undermount stainless steel sink system which is generally 1 shown as 10 throughout the figures. More in particular, and with 2 reference to Figure 5, the present system 10 comprises a solid 3 countertop 20 and a stainless steel sink 30. As is apparent from 4 Figure 5, an upper seal 54 between the solid countertop 20 and the upper edge of the stainless steel sink 30 provides a virtually 6 seamless interface between the solid countertop 20 and the 7 stainless steel sink 30.
8 In at least one embodiment of the present system 10, a solid 9 countertop 20 is constructed from a solid material including, but not limited to, granite, marble, limestone, quartz stone, 11 engineered stone, for example, acrylic and polyester composite 12 engineered stone, recycled glass, and hardwood.
13 As shown best in Figure 4, the solid countertop 20 in 14 accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention comprises a top surface 22 and a bottom surface 24. As Figure 4 16 further illustrates, the top surface 22 and bottom surface 24 at 17 least partially define a thickness 25 therebetween, which is 18 discussed in greater detail below with regard to the seamless 19 interface between the solid countertop 20 and the stainless steel sink 30. Looking again to the illustrative embodiment of Figure 4, 21 the solid countertop 20 includes a sink mounting aperture 26 22 disposed therethrough. As will be appreciated by those skilled in 23 the art, the sink mounting aperture 26 may be created by cutting 24 through the solid countertop 20 in accordance with a template or guide which is drawn, etched, or temporarily attached thereto. It 1 will be further appreciated that the sink mounting aperture 26 may 2 be formed via drilling and or sawing utilizing bits and/or blades 3 which are specifically designed for cutting through stone 4 materials, such as, once again, granite, marble, etc. Figure 4 further illustrates a solid countertop 20 in accordance with the 6 present invention wherein the sink mounting aperture 26 at least 7 partially defines an inner periphery 27 which extends along and 8 around the entire inner edge of the sink mounting aperture 26.
9 As previously stated above, a seamless undermount stainless steel sink system 10 in accordance with the present invention 11 further comprises a stainless steel sink 30. It is understood to be 12 within the scope and intent of the present invention for a 13 stainless steel sink 30 to be constructed of any of a variety of 14 grades of stainless steel which are presently utilized for the formation of sinks including, but not limited to, Type 304 16 stainless steel, Type 302 stainless steel, and Type 316 stainless 17 steel, as well as 200 series stainless steels, just to name a few.
18 It is further understood to be within the scope and intent of the 19 present invention to form a sink from other metals and metal alloys besides stainless steel including, but once again, not limited to, 21 aluminum, brass, bronze, cast iron, copper, nickel, as well as from 22 non-metal materials such as terrazzo, glass, plastic, engineered 23 plastic and/or ceramic.
24 It will be further appreciated by those skilled in the art, that the present seamless undermount stainless steel sink system 10 1 and installation methodology, which is discussed in greater detail 2 below, may also be utilized to install sinks formed of other metal 3 or metal alloy materials, and/or for undermount installation of a 4 sink to a solid countertop 20 wherein the solid countertop 20 comprises a stone material of construction including, but not 6 limited to, granite, marble, etc.
7 Figure 3 Is illustrative of one embodiment of a stainless 8 steel sink 30 in accordance with the present system 10. The 9 stainless steel sink 30 shown in the embodiment of Figure 3 comprises a plurality of bowls 32 which are separated by a recessed 11 divider 33. Figure 3 further illustrates that each bowl 32 12 comprises a drain 34 disposed through a bottom portion thereof.
13 Figure 4 is illustrative of another embodiment of a stainless steel 14 sink 30 in accordance with the present invention comprising a single bowl 32 having a single drain 34 disposed therein.
16 Looking again to Figures 3 and 4, a stainless steel sink 30 in 17 accordance with the system 10 in accordance with present invention 18 comprises a sidewall 36 which at least partially defines the bowl 19 or bowls 32. As further illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the sidewall 36 comprises an inner wall 36' and an outer wall 36". As 21 may be seen best in Figures 3 and 4, a stainless steel sink 30 in 22 accordance with the present system 10 further comprises a rimless 23 upper edge 38 which extends around the entirety of the sidewall 36.
24 Similar to the inner periphery 27 along sink mounting aperture 26 of the solid countertop 20, a stainless steel sink 30 in accordance 1 with the present invention comprises an outer periphery 39 which 2 extends along and around the entirety of the sidewall 36 of the 3 stainless steel sink 30 proximate the rimless upper edge 38 4 thereof. As will be appreciated from the disclosure below, the rimless upper edge 38 of the stainless steel sink 30 is required in 6 order to achieve the seamless undermount of the stainless steel 7 sink 30 to the solid countertop 20 in accordance with the present 8 system 10.
9 It will be understood and appreciated by those of skill in the art that a stainless steel sink 30 may be fabricated by hand with a 11 rimless upper edge 38, however, mass production of stainless steel 12 sinks 30 commonly employs a process wherein a single piece of 13 stainless steel is drawn and formed into a sink 30 which includes a 14 mounting flange 35 extending around and along the upper portion of a sidewall 36õ such as is shown in Figure 7. As such, and with 16 reference to Figures 7 and 7A, a seamless undermount stainless 17 steel sink system 10 in accordance with the present invention may 18 require removal of a mounting flange 35 from the sidewall 36 of 19 stainless steel sink 30 in order to obtain a rimless upper edge 38, such as is shown in Figure 7A.
21 As will be appreciated from Figures 7 and 7A, and with 22 reference, by way of example, to the PRIOR ART sinks shown in 23 Figures 1 and 2, removal of the mounting flange 35 as shown in 24 Figures 7 and 7A from either of the PRIOR ART sinks shown in Figure 1 and 2 would result in the detachment of the separate bowls of the 1 PRIOR ART sinks from one another. As such, and as previously 2 disclosed with reference to Figure 3, a seamless undermount 3 stainless steel sink system 10 in accordance with at least one 4 embodiment of the present invention comprises a stainless steel sink 30 having a recessed divider 33, specifically to permit a 6 mounting flange 35 from being removed such as is shown in Figures 7 7 and 7A, while maintaining a plurality of bowls 32 attached to one 8 another, once again, as shown in Figure 3.
9 As shown throughout the figures, a seamless undermount stainless steel sink system 10 in accordance with the present 11 invention further comprises a mounting assembly generally shown as 12 40. A mounting assembly 40 comprises at least one mounting bracket 13 42, however, in at least one embodiment, a mounting assembly 40 in 14 accordance with the present system 10 comprises a plurality of mounting brackets 42, such as is shown in the illustrative 16 embodiments of Figures 3 and 4. In at least one embodiment (not 17 shown), a single mounting bracket may be disposed around the 18 entirety of the sidewall 36 of the stainless steel sink 30 in 19 accordance with the present invention. By way of example, after removal of a mounting flange 35 from a stainless steel sink 30, the 21 sink 30 is positioned through the top of the mounting flange 35 and 22 the mounting flange 35 is secured to the sidewalls 36, thus 23 providing a single mounting bracket 42 which extends along and 24 around the entire sidewall 36 of the stainless steel sink 30.
Alternatively, and again as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a 1 mounting assembly 40 comprises a plurality of mounting brackets 42 2 which are attached to an outer wall 36" of a sidewall 36 of a 3 stainless steel sink 30. More in particular, the plurality of 4 mounting brackets 42 are positioned in a spaced apart arrangement around the sidewall 36 of the stainless steel sink 30, and are 6 attached thereto in order to provide a plurality of points for 7 securing the stainless steel sink 30 to the underside of a solid 8 countertop 20 along a bottom surface 24 thereof.
9 Figure 6A is illustrative of just one embodiment of a mounting bracket 42 in accordance with the present invention. As shown in 11 the embodiment of Figure 6A, the mounting bracket 42 includes a 12 sink flange 43 which is disposed at a substantially right angle to 13 a countertop flange 44. Figure 6A further illustrates that a 14 countertop flange 44 comprises a countertop flange surface 45 which, as discussed in greater detail below, is positioned adjacent 16 to bottom surface 24 of the solid countertop 20 in order to secure 17 the stainless steel sink 30 to the solid countertop 20. In 18 addition, countertop flange 44, in at least one embodiment, 19 includes one or more countertop flange apertures 46 such as shown again in Figure 6A. The countertop flange aperture(s) 46 facilitate 21 securing the mounting bracket 42 to the bottom surface 24 of the 22 solid countertop 20, as discussed in further detail below.
23 Figure 6 presents a partial cross-section view of one 24 illustrative embodiment of a stainless steel sink 30 seamlessly mounted to a solid countertop 20 in accordance with the present 1 invention. As may be seen from Figure 6, a mounting bracket 42 2 comprises a sink flange 43 and a countertop flange 44 as previously 3 disclosed, wherein the sink flange 43 is attached to an outer wall 4 36" of the sidewall 36 via a sink interconnect 43'. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that a sink interconnect 6 43' may comprise any of a variety of means for securely attaching a 7 sink flange 43 to the outer wall 36" of a stainless steel sink 30.
8 As one example, the sink interconnect 43' comprises a weld between 9 the sink flange 43 and the outer wall 36" of the sidewall 36. As another example, an appropriate adhesive, such as, by way of 11 example only, an epoxy or a polyester resin, is utilized as sink 12 interconnect 43' in order to securely attach a sink flange 43 to 13 the outer wall 36" of the sidewall 36. In yet another embodiment, 14 the sink interconnect 43' comprises a mechanical fastener such as a screw, a bolt, a rivet, etc., in order to securely attach the sink 16 flange 43 to the outer wall 36" of the stainless steel sink 30. It 17 will further be appreciated that a combination of one or more sink 18 interconnects 43' may be employed in order to further assure that 19 the sink flange 43 is securely attached to the stainless steel sink 30.
21 Similarly, a countertop interconnect 44' is utilized to 22 securely attach a countertop flange 44 to a portion of the bottom 23 surface 24 of the solid countertop 20. As before, with regard to 24 sink interconnect 43', the countertop interconnect 44' may comprise any of a variety of appropriate attachment means. In at least one 1 embodiment, a countertop interconnect 44' comprises an epoxy resin 2 in order to securely attach the countertop flange 44 to the bottom 3 surface 24 the solid countertop 20, an in one further embodiment, a 4 two-part epoxy resin is utilized as a countertop interconnect 44'.
In such an embodiment, the epoxy resin is permitted to flow through 6 countertop flange aperture(s) 46 and onto the underside of the 7 countertop flange 44 to further facilitate securely attaching the 8 countertop flange 44 to the bottom surface 24 of the solid 9 countertop 20. In another embodiment, a mechanical fastener such as a masonry screw may be utilized as a countertop interconnect 44' in 11 order to securely attach countertop flange 44 to the bottom surface 12 24 of the solid countertop 20. As will be appreciated by those 13 skilled in the art, a combination of an adhesive and a mechanical 14 fastener may be utilized as a countertop interconnect 44' in order to further assure that the countertop flange 44 is securely 16 attached to the bottom surface 24 of the solid countertop 20.
17 In at least one alternate embodiment, mounting assembly 40 may 18 comprise a mounting clip 49 which is secured into the bottom 19 surface 24 of the solid countertop 20 via fastener 49'. As shown in Figure 6, a portion of the mounting clip 49 extends over a portion 21 of the countertop flange 44 in order to further assure that the 22 countertop flange 44 remains securely attached to the bottom 23 surface 24 of the solid countertop 20.
24 With reference once again to Figure 4, each mounting bracket 42 is securely attached to the outer wall 36" of the stainless 1 steel sink 30 at a predetermined mounting depth 48. More in 2 particular, and again as shown in Figure 4, the countertop flange 3 surface 45 of each mounting bracket 42 is disposed at a 4 predetermined mounting depth 48 from the rimless upper edge 38 of the stainless steel sink 30. More in particular, a predetermined 6 mounting depth 48 corresponds to the thickness 25 of the solid 7 countertop 20. Present industry standards dictate that slid granite 8 or marble countertops are provided with a thickness of either two 9 centimeters or three centimeters. In one embodiment, the countertop flange surface 45 of the mounting bracket 42 is positioned at a 11 predetermined depth 48 of eighteen millimeters below the rimless 12 upper edge 38 of the stainless steel sink 30, for installation to a 13 standard two centimeter thick solid countertop 20. In an embodiment 14 of the present system 10 comprising a three centimeter thick solid countertop 20, the countertop flange surface 45 of the mounting 16 bracket 42 is positioned at a predetermined depth 48 of twenty-17 eight millimeters below the rimless upper edge 38 of the stainless 18 steel sink 30.
19 In at least one further embodiment, the predetermined mounting depth 48 comprises a tolerance of plus or minus one millimeter 21 relative to the thickness 25 of the solid countertop 20. That is to 22 say, the predetermined mounting depth 48 at which the countertop 23 flange surface 45 is positioned below the rimless upper edge 38 of 24 the stainless steel sink 30 when the mounting flange is securely attached to the outer wall 36" of the stainless steel sink 30 must 1 be no more nor no less than one millimeter of the thickness 25 of 2 the solid countertop 20. As such, when the stainless steel sink 30 3 is mounted to the solid countertop 20 from below, the rimless upper 4 edge 38 will be within one millimeter of the top surface 22 of the solid countertop 20 which, as will be appreciated, permits the 6 seamless installation of stainless steel sink 30 in accordance with 7 the present system 10.
8 Furthermore, when the rimless upper edge 38 of a stainless 9 steel sink 30 is positioned through a sink mounting aperture 26 of the solid countertop 20, an upper interface 52 is formed between 11 the inner periphery 27 of a sink mounting aperture 26 and the outer 12 periphery 39 along the rimless upper edge 38. In at least one 13 embodiment of the present invention, an upper interface tolerance 14 52' must be one millimeter or less. Stated otherwise, the distance between the inner periphery 27 of a sink mounting aperture 26 and 16 outer periphery 39 along the rimless upper edge 38 is one 17 millimeter or less when a stainless steel sink 30 is mounted 18 through a sink mounting aperture 26 of a solid countertop 20 in 19 accordance with the present system 10.
Looking again to Figure 6, the seamless undermount stainless 21 steel sink system 10 in accordance with the present invention 22 further comprises a sealing assembly 50. The sealing assembly 50 23 includes an upper seal 54 which is applied along and around the 24 upper interface 52 between the inner periphery 27 of sink mounting aperture 26 and the outer periphery 39 of the outer wall 36" of 1 the stainless steel sink 30. In one embodiment, the upper seal 54 2 comprises an epoxy glue or an epoxy resin which will securely bond 3 to both the solid countertop 20 and the stainless steel sink 30, 4 thereby providing an essential impervious seal over and along the upper interface 52. In an alternate embodiment, the upper seal 54 6 comprises a polyester resin to securely bond to both the solid 7 countertop 20 and the stainless steel sink 30, once again, 8 providing an essential impervious seal over and along the upper 9 interface 52. In further embodiments, the upper seal 54 comprises a polyester resin, a polyurethane resin, an epoxy resin, an acrylic 11 casting resin, or combinations thereof.
12 As will be appreciated, the upper seal 54 will serve to 13 prevent water, moisture, bacteria, food, and/or other debris such 14 as may be encountered in a sink environment from entering into the area between the solid countertop 20 and the stainless steel sink 16 30, in particular, into and through the upper interface 52 17 therebetween. In at least one further embodiment, a top coat 55 is 18 applied to the upper seal 54 wherein the top coat 55 is selected 19 based on the color of the top surface 22 of the solid countertop 20 so as to camouflage the presence of the upper seal 54. The top coat 21 55, in at least one embodiment, comprises a color matching epoxy or 22 polyester resin selected to simulate the color of the solid 23 countertop. In yet one further embodiment, the upper seal 54 and/or 24 top coat 55 may be further finished by sanding, buffing, etc., so as to further camouflage the presence of the upper seal 54, thereby 1 enhancing the overall seamless appearance between stainless steel 2 sink 30 and the solid countertop 20 along the upper seal 54, such 3 as is shown best in Figure 5.
4 In at least one embodiment, a sealing assembly 50 in accordance with the present invention further comprises a lower 6 seal 58, such as is shown in Figure 6. A lower seal 58 may comprise 7 a waterproof silicone adhesive material which is utilized to seal a 8 lower interface 56 between the outer wall 36" of the stainless 9 steel sink 30 and the bottom surface 24 of the solid countertop 20.
As previously indicated, the present invention further 11 comprises a method for seamless undermount installation of a 12 stainless steel sink to a solid countertop, which is shown as 100 13 in Figure 8. As shown in Figure 8, the present method 100 includes 14 fabricating a stainless steel sink with a rimless upper edge 110, wherein the rimless upper edge at least partially defines an outer 16 periphery therearound. As previously stated, this may be 17 accomplished via hand fabrication techniques, wherein the sink as 18 fabricated is rimless. Alternatively, when a stainless steel sink 19 is fabricated by drawing and/or forming via mass production techniques, a mounting flange must be removed from the top of the 21 sink, such as via cutting via mechanical of laser cutter equipment.
22 In at least one embodiment, fabricating a stainless steel sink 23 with a rimless upper edge 100 requires that the front and rear 24 sidewalls of the sink be essentially straight, with deviations long the sidewalls of less than one-half millimeter inward or outward.
1 In addition, the rimless upper edge must not have deviations of 2 more than one millimeter along and around its entire length. That 3 is to say, if the sink is placed upside down on a completely flat 4 surface, there must not be more than a one millimeter gap between the rimless upper edge of the sink and the flat surface at any 6 point between the upper edge and the surface.
7 The present method 100 further comprises preparing a mounting 8 template 120 based on the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge 9 of the stainless steel sink. The mounting template may be prepared 120 by turning the sink upside down on a template medium, such as 11 tracing paper, cardboard, etc. In at least one embodiment, the sink 12 may be placed upside down directly on the solid countertop itself, 13 and its outline traced directly thereon.
14 Once a mounting template has been applied to a surface of the solid countertop, the present invention further provides for 16 creating a sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop 130, 17 wherein the mounting aperture extends between a top surface and a 18 bottom surface of the solid countertop based on the mounting 19 template. As previously noted above, in at least one embodiment the sink mounting aperture comprises an inner periphery configured to 21 receive the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the 22 stainless steel sink therethrough.
23 After the sink mounting aperture is created through the solid 24 countertop, the present method includes positioning at least one mounting bracket at a predetermined mounting depth 140 below the 1 rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink. In at least one 2 embodiment, the mounting bracket has a sink flange and a countertop 3 flange, wherein the countertop flange comprises a countertop flange 4 surface which is positioned at the predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink.
6 In at least one embodiment, the present method 100 comprises 7 attaching at least one mounting bracket to the stainless steel sink 8 150, and in one further embodiment, the present method comprises 9 attaching a plurality of mounting brackets to the stainless steel sink 150, wherein each mounting bracket is positioned and attached 11 to the stainless steel sink at the predetermined mounting depth 12 below the rimless upper edge. A sink interconnect 43', such as 13 disclosed above, is utilized to securely attach the mounting 14 bracket(s) to the stainless steel sink, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
16 Once the mounting bracket(s) are securely attached to the 17 stainless steel sink at the predetermined mounting depth, the 18 method 100 of the present invention further comprises positioning 19 the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink through the sink mounting aperture of the solid countertop 160, such that the 21 countertop flange surface is adjacent to the bottom surface of the 22 solid countertop. The present method 100 further provides for 23 securing the stainless steel sink to the bottom surface of the 24 solid countertop via at least one mounting bracket 170. Of course, in one further embodiment of the present invention, the method 100 1 provides for securing the stainless steel sink to the bottom 2 surface of the solid countertop via a plurality of mounting 3 brackets 170. As before, a countertop interconnect 44', such as 4 disclosed above, is utilized to secure the stainless steel sink to the solid countertop in accordance with at least one embodiment of 6 the present invention.
7 The present method for seamless undermount installation of a 8 stainless steel sink to a solid countertop 100 further comprises 9 applying an upper seal along an upper interface 180 between the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel 11 sink and the inner periphery of the sink mounting aperture through 12 the solid countertop. As noted above, in at least one embodiment, 13 the upper seal may comprise a polyester resin, and in one further 14 embodiment, the upper seal may comprise a color matched polyester resin. In at least one embodiment, the upper seal prevents water, 16 moisture, bacteria, and debris from entering between the rimless 17 upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the top surface of the 18 solid countertop.
19 The top surface of the solid countertop may be masked around the inner periphery of the sink mounting aperture prior to applying 21 the upper seal, so as to avoid unwanted application of the resin to 22 the countertop itself. In one further embodiment, a top coat is 23 applied to the upper seal in order to camouflage its presence, and 24 in one further embodiment, the upper seal may be finished, such as via sanding, buffing, and/or polishing, so as to even further 1 conceal the presence of the upper seal at the seamless interface 2 between the stainless steel sink and the solid countertop.
3 In at least one further embodiment, the present method 100 4 includes applying a lower seal along a lower interface 180, wherein the lower seal comprises a substantially waterproof material, such 6 as silicone, to prevent water or moisture from entering a lower 7 interface between the outer wall of the stainless steel sink and 8 the bottom surface of the solid countertop, as previously disclosed 9 hereinabove.
As will be appreciated from the foregoing, the present method 11 100 comprises steps which may be performed by different parties at 12 different locations. Specifically, steps 110 through 150 may be 13 performed at a factory which manufactures stainless steel sinks in 14 accordance with the present invention, while steps 160 through 180 may be performed by an individual or contractor who physically 16 installs a stainless sink manufactured in accordance with the 17 present invention in an end user's home or business.
18 Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail can 19 be made to the described embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in 21 the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in 22 a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be 23 determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
24 Now that the invention has been described,
Claims (20)
1. A seamless undermount stainless steel sink system comprising:
a solid countertop having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface and said bottom surface at least partially defining a thickness therebetween, a sink mounting aperture disposed through said solid countertop, said sink mounting aperture having an inner periphery, a stainless steel sink comprising a sidewall which partially forms at least one bowl, a rimless upper edge along and around said sidewall of said stainless steel sink, wherein an outer periphery is defined around said rimless upper edge, said inner periphery of said sink mounting aperture dimensioned to receive said outer periphery of said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink therein such that said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and substantially coplanar with said top surface of said solid countertop when said stainless steel sink is mounted through said bottom surface of said solid countertop, a mounting assembly comprising at least one mounting bracket attached to a portion of said stainless steel sink, said mounting bracket including a countertop flange having a countertop flange surface, said mounting bracket positioned a predetermined mounting depth below said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink, an upper interface formed between said outer periphery of said stainless steel sink and said inner periphery of said solid countertop, and an upper seal disposed in said upper interface between said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink and said top surface of said solid countertop.
a solid countertop having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface and said bottom surface at least partially defining a thickness therebetween, a sink mounting aperture disposed through said solid countertop, said sink mounting aperture having an inner periphery, a stainless steel sink comprising a sidewall which partially forms at least one bowl, a rimless upper edge along and around said sidewall of said stainless steel sink, wherein an outer periphery is defined around said rimless upper edge, said inner periphery of said sink mounting aperture dimensioned to receive said outer periphery of said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink therein such that said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and substantially coplanar with said top surface of said solid countertop when said stainless steel sink is mounted through said bottom surface of said solid countertop, a mounting assembly comprising at least one mounting bracket attached to a portion of said stainless steel sink, said mounting bracket including a countertop flange having a countertop flange surface, said mounting bracket positioned a predetermined mounting depth below said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink, an upper interface formed between said outer periphery of said stainless steel sink and said inner periphery of said solid countertop, and an upper seal disposed in said upper interface between said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink and said top surface of said solid countertop.
2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said upper seal forms a moisture resistant barrier along said upper interface.
3. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein said upper seal prevents water, bacteria, or debris from entering between said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink and said top surface of said solid countertop.
4. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein said upper seal comprises an epoxy resin.
5. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein said upper seal further comprises a top coat, said top coat selected to correspond to a color of said top surface of said solid countertop in order to camouflage its presence.
6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said countertop flange is secured to said bottom surface of said solid countertop via a countertop interconnect.
7. The system as recited in claim 6 wherein said countertop interconnect comprises at an epoxy glue.
8. The system as recited in claim I wherein said solid countertop is comprises granite.
9. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said solid countertop comprises marble.
10. The system as recited in claim I wherein said predetermined mounting depth has a tolerance of plus or minus one millimeter relative to said thickness of said solid countertop.
11. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said mounting assembly comprising a plurality of mounting brackets interconnected to a portion of said stainless steel sink, wherein each of said plurality of mounting brackets includes a countertop flange having a countertop flange surface, each said countertop flange surface positioned at said predetermined mounting depth below said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink.
12. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein each said countertop flange surface is substantially perpendicular to said sidewall of said stainless steel sink.
13. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said upper interface measures less than one millimeter between said outer periphery of said rimless upper edge of said stainless steel sink and said inner periphery of said sink mounting aperture through said solid countertop.
14. A method for seamless undermount installation of a stainless steel sink to a solid countertop, the method comprising:
fabricating the stainless steel sink with a rimless upper edge defining an outer periphery therearound, preparing a mounting template based on the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink, creating a sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop between a top surface and a bottom surface based on the mounting template, wherein the sink mounting aperture comprises an inner periphery dimensioned to receive the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink therein such that the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and substantially coplanar with the top surface of the solid countertop when the stainless steel sink is mounted through the bottom surface of the solid countertop, positioning at least one mounting bracket at a predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink, wherein the mounting bracket has a sink flange and a countertop flange, the countertop flange comprising a countertop flange surface which is positioned at the predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink, attaching the at least one mounting bracket to the stainless steel sink, positioning the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink through the sink mounting aperture of the solid countertop such that the countertop flange surface is adjacent to the bottom surface of the solid countertop, and the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and substantially coplanar with the top surface of the solid countertop when the stainless steel sink is mounted through the bottom surface of the solid countertop, securing the stainless steel sink to the bottom surface of the solid countertop via the at least one mounting bracket, and applying an upper seal along an upper interface between the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the inner periphery of the sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop, wherein the upper seal prevents water, moisture, bacteria, and debris from entering between the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the top surface of the solid countertop.
fabricating the stainless steel sink with a rimless upper edge defining an outer periphery therearound, preparing a mounting template based on the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink, creating a sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop between a top surface and a bottom surface based on the mounting template, wherein the sink mounting aperture comprises an inner periphery dimensioned to receive the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink therein such that the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and substantially coplanar with the top surface of the solid countertop when the stainless steel sink is mounted through the bottom surface of the solid countertop, positioning at least one mounting bracket at a predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink, wherein the mounting bracket has a sink flange and a countertop flange, the countertop flange comprising a countertop flange surface which is positioned at the predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink, attaching the at least one mounting bracket to the stainless steel sink, positioning the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink through the sink mounting aperture of the solid countertop such that the countertop flange surface is adjacent to the bottom surface of the solid countertop, and the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink is disposed adjacent and substantially coplanar with the top surface of the solid countertop when the stainless steel sink is mounted through the bottom surface of the solid countertop, securing the stainless steel sink to the bottom surface of the solid countertop via the at least one mounting bracket, and applying an upper seal along an upper interface between the outer periphery of the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the inner periphery of the sink mounting aperture through the solid countertop, wherein the upper seal prevents water, moisture, bacteria, and debris from entering between the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink and the top surface of the solid countertop.
15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein fabricating the stainless steel sink further comprises removing a mounting flange from the stainless steel sink to form the rimless upper edge.
16. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the mounting assembly comprises a plurality of mounting brackets each having a sink flange and a countertop flange comprising a countertop flange surface, and wherein each countertop flange surface is positioned at the predetermined mounting depth below the rimless upper edge of the stainless steel sink.
17. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the stainless steel sink is secured to the bottom surface of the solid countertop via a countertop interconnect comprising an epoxy glue.
18. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the upper seal comprises an epoxy resin.
19. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the predetermined mounting depth has a tolerance of plus or minus one millimeter relative to a thickness of the solid countertop.
20. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the upper interface between the outer periphery of the stainless steel sink and the inner periphery of the solid countertop measures less than one millimeter.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US14/101,939 | 2013-12-10 | ||
| US14/101,939 US20150059083A1 (en) | 2013-08-29 | 2013-12-10 | Seamless undermount stainless steel sink system |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2839586A1 CA2839586A1 (en) | 2015-06-10 |
| CA2839586C true CA2839586C (en) | 2020-02-25 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| CA2839586A Active CA2839586C (en) | 2013-12-10 | 2014-01-16 | Seamless undermount stainless steel sink system |
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| US (2) | US20150059083A1 (en) |
| EP (1) | EP2884013B1 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2839586C (en) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| US9689152B2 (en) | 2013-08-29 | 2017-06-27 | Mehmet Hocaoglu | Seamless undermount stainless steel sink system |
| US10221552B2 (en) | 2013-08-29 | 2019-03-05 | Ukinoxusa Kitchen System, Inc. | Seamless undermount sink system and installation method |
| US9290919B2 (en) * | 2013-10-23 | 2016-03-22 | Dow Blaine | Mounting driver for undermounted sinks |
| US10063428B1 (en) * | 2015-06-30 | 2018-08-28 | Apstra, Inc. | Selectable declarative requirement levels |
| DE102015217740A1 (en) * | 2015-09-16 | 2017-03-16 | Jens Naumann & Co. oHG | Kitchen worktop, base element and assembly |
| EP3276093A1 (en) * | 2016-07-28 | 2018-01-31 | Franke Technology and Trademark Ltd | Sink and method of installing same |
| WO2019101293A1 (en) * | 2017-11-21 | 2019-05-31 | Franke Technology And Trademark Ltd | Sink and method of installing same |
| US11313115B2 (en) | 2018-01-09 | 2022-04-26 | Mehmet Hocaoglu | Farmhouse sink system with a rimless metallic sink and method of forming the same |
| US10844582B1 (en) | 2018-01-09 | 2020-11-24 | Mehmet Hocaoglu | Farmhouse sink system with a rimless stainless steel sink |
Family Cites Families (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2080573A (en) * | 1935-11-16 | 1937-05-18 | George L Curtis | Sink and counter top construction |
| FR2757031B1 (en) * | 1996-12-17 | 1999-01-29 | Gente Sa | METHOD FOR INTEGRATING A BASIN WITH A HEALTHCARE PLAN |
| FR2792345B1 (en) * | 1999-04-16 | 2001-06-22 | Fournier Freres Ets | TOILET OR WORKTOP WITH INTEGRATED BASIN OR SINK |
| DE10254052B3 (en) * | 2002-11-19 | 2004-07-29 | Schott Glas | Basins, in particular glass wash basins |
| US7007317B1 (en) * | 2005-04-29 | 2006-03-07 | Niro-Plan Ag | Sink/faucet flush mounting system |
| US20080178381A1 (en) * | 2007-01-29 | 2008-07-31 | Living Elements | Natural stone basin |
| US8661577B2 (en) * | 2007-12-08 | 2014-03-04 | Chad Michael Cusimano | Undermount sink, mounting structure, and method of attachment |
| TWM346616U (en) * | 2008-07-23 | 2008-12-11 | Yu-Shu Chen | Embedded sink |
| US8418281B2 (en) * | 2011-06-03 | 2013-04-16 | Undermount LLC | Undermount sink seal and method of making |
| US9162377B2 (en) * | 2013-03-08 | 2015-10-20 | Bradley Fixtures Corporation | Sink assembly |
-
2013
- 2013-12-10 US US14/101,939 patent/US20150059083A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2014
- 2014-01-16 CA CA2839586A patent/CA2839586C/en active Active
- 2014-03-05 EP EP14020023.9A patent/EP2884013B1/en active Active
- 2014-03-05 ES ES14020023T patent/ES2819227T3/en active Active
- 2014-04-28 US US14/263,353 patent/US20150059082A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
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| US20150059082A1 (en) | 2015-03-05 |
| US20150059083A1 (en) | 2015-03-05 |
| EP2884013A1 (en) | 2015-06-17 |
| EP2884013B1 (en) | 2020-07-01 |
| CA2839586A1 (en) | 2015-06-10 |
| ES2819227T3 (en) | 2021-04-15 |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request |
Effective date: 20170929 |