US3287742A

US3287742A - Shower pan drain

Info

Publication number: US3287742A
Application number: US359302A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ray R Gaddis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-04-13
Filing date: 1964-04-13
Publication date: 1966-11-29
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-29

Description

Nov. 29, 1966 R. R. GADDls 3,287,742

SHOWER PAN DRAIN Filed April 13, 1964 I NVENTOR.

RA Y R. 61440271 5 TTOR, EV

United States jatent 'a 3,287,742 SHOWER PAN DRAHN Ray R. Gaddis, 2646 Miriam Lane, Decatnr, Ga. Filed Apr. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 359,302 4 Clarns. (Cl. 4-191) This invention relates to a shower pan drain and particularly to drain arrangement adapted to be attached to a conventional P-trap and also to the drain in the bottom of a shower to prevent the common occurence of seeping or leaking which normally occurs.

Showers that are installed in upstairs rooms present problems with respect to seepage or leaking suficiently to discolor the ceiling of rooms below or at times so great as to cause actual water damage to furniture and fixtures in the rooms. Although a shower is usually constructed with a lead shower pan in the bottom covered by a suitable covering such as tile or any other preferred covering, a problem has existed for some time with respect to the water drain in the bottom of the shower pan which necessarily must be there to conduct the water into the drain trap. Insuiicient sealing has existed for some time with respect to these drains and this has resulted in the water problem mentioned above. The present invention is particularly suitable for modifying the existing drains and to correct the water problem once it has presented itself. However, it is to be understood that the present arrangement may be used from the very beginning in new installations.

Generally described, without restriction on the scope of my invention, it is so arrangedias to be used in conjunction with an ordinary shower pan sometimes constructed from soft lead in which there is located a drain opening normally having positioned therein a tapered drain fixture leading to a pipe attached thereto. The present invention comprises a cylindrical drain housing which may be constructed large cylindrical, copper tubing or the like of such diameter as to be larger than the outside diameter of both the drain Outlet and the external diameter of the drain opening in the bottom of the shower pan. The bottom of the cylindrical housing is provided with a closed taped, tapered Cap portion that tapers to conventional drain outlet size which is usually a two inch copper pipe. The bottom of the housing is a closed pipe outlet slightly larger than the usual trap fitting and the trap fitting is received into this outlet or vice versa. Brazed, or otherwise attached to the inside of the cylindrical housing and transversely and diametrically thereacross is a shower fitting bridge or bracket member having a small opening in the center thereof which is approxirnately in the longitudinal center of the cylindrical housing and receiving therein an elongated metal dowel rod which in installation is extended up through the bottom of the shower drain. The shower bridge or bracket has a threaded member in the center thereof receiving said dowel and retaining same in place and the upper end of the dowel rod receives a smaller bracket which fits across the inside of the shower drain and is held in place by a nut or other threaded fitting. The top periphery of the cylindrical housing is flared or otherwise provided with a ledge on which is fitted a wide, soft gasket member of fabric, fiber or plastic and the like which contacts the underside of the. shower pan. With the present device installed, the dowel rod is tightened through threaded fittings to pull the entire cylindrical housing tightly against the bottom of the pan and against the gasket thereby providing a housing inclosing all of the bottom of the shower drain and collecting any seepage or water which can leak therefrom.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a shower drain arrangement which incloses the drain and collects water therebelow.

3287342 Patented Nov. 29, 1966 ICC A further object of this invention resides in the construction of a shower drain housing which covers all of the underside of the drain thereby collecting all Water which eXists therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tight closure arrangernent for a shower drain fitting to collect all water which eXists from the drain and prevents unwanted accumulation, leakage or seepage.

Another object of this invention is to seal the underside of a shower drain with a closed fitting that leads to the drain outlet.

Another object of this invention resides in the construction of the present shower drain fitting whereby it may be attached to the existing shower drain pan fitting and pressure installed inthis manner.

Other and further objects andl advantages of my invention will appear from reading the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying` drawings, in which:

PIG. l is a top plan view of the present shower drain attachment removed from the shower pan and prior to installation.

PIG. 2 is a side elevation view with a portion broken away showing the present invention of PIG. 1 installed and placed on a conventional shower pan and' drain arrangement.

It is to be undcrstood that while I show a typical sort of shower pan and drain arrangernent, this is for purpose of iilustrating a common problem and does not constitute any sort of limitation on the present invention because there are many other types of installations where the present invention can be used-both new installations and old installations.

Referring initially to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 in which is represented overall by reference nurneral 1%, a cylindrical housing 12 is constructed from copper or other durable material and is provided at the top with a ledge 13 in the form of a channel member in which will be positioned. a gasket member 16 constructed from plastic, treatedfabric or other lasting and compressible material. Cylindrical housing 14 is constructed of a diameter larger' than the entire drain opening and fitting 18 normally found in a typical shower installation in' the bottom of a lead shower pan 20 or other bottom member. The bottom of cylindrical housing .M tapers in a frustroconical manner at 22, inclosed and sealed construction throughout, to an Outletv pipe 24 which in the present invention is siightly 'larger in internal diameter than the pipe 26 of a conventional P-trap 28 and a pressure fitting 30.

The inside 32 of cylindrical housing 14* is provided with a diametrical bracket member 34" which is a fiat piece of narrow metal such as copper or the like having its ends welded or brazed at 36 to the inside surface of the housing 14. The center 38 of bracket 34 has an opening therein which may be th'readed to receive the threaded end' of a thread'ed stud or'th'readed dowel rod 40 and a pair of fastening nuts 42 located on opposite sides of bracket 34 which allows a selec'tive' attachment. The upper end of rod 4B extends through the outlet pipe 46 of the usual drain fitting 48 which has a tapered interior 50 and which is usually constructed from coated or plated metal with some sort of grill outlet portion or the like.

An upper bracket or attachment member 52 which is a flat strip of metal has the ends thereof in abutment with the tapered interior 54- of outlet fitting 48 and has a center opening 56 therein which may be threaded to receive the upper end of rod 40 on which on opposite sides of bracket 52 there is positioned a pair of nuts 58.

It is obvious that various arrangements may be reversed from the present one shown, for example,vpipe 24 can be smaller than pipe 26 and fit therein instead of thereover.

The present device is of such length that normally it can be inserted between the already installed shower pan 20 and the already installed P-trap 28 by shortening as necessary the piece of connecting pipe 26. With the

nuts

42 and 58 loosened, the housing 14 is pushed into place by hand with the gasket 16 tight against the bottom of the pan to bring the upper end of the threaded rod 40 through the bracket 52 which has been inserted from the top into the inside 51tof fittting 48 and to bring the rod 40 through the opening 56 at which time the nut 58 is screwed into place. Then, suitable tension may be made on the housing 14 by adjusting

nuts

58 and 42 until a tight fit has been obtained pulling the

brackets

52, 34 closer together under pressure by the adjustment of the

respective nuts

42 and 58 at the same time pulling the gasket 16 tightly into engagement with the underside of pan 20.

In the installed position of FIG. 2 it is apparent that all water which seeps or leaks from the pan 20 down around, through or in any other manner in association with drain 18 will be collected into the interior 32 of the housing 14 and necessarily will stay in the inside until it eXits through the trap 28. Thus, water seepage and leakage which previously has managed to exit around, through and by the drain outlet 46 are now prohibited from getting outside of the housing 14 thereby preventing the buildup which previously had injured ceilings or damaged furniture or fixtures.

While I have shown and described a particular ernbodiment of my invention together with a suggested application thereof in a particular instance for a certain type of installation, this is by way of illustration only and does not constitute any sort of limitation on the scope of my invention since various alterations, changes, d'eviations, eliminations, ramifications and variations may be made in the embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope of my invention as shown in the -appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a shower drain outlet which includes a conventional shower bottom pan and drain opening in which is mounted a drain fitting:

(a) a large cylindrical housing of such diameter as to be larger than the shower drain opening and any fittings positioned therein,

(b) a gasketon the upper end of said housing fitting accurately around the upper end of said housing and being fitted to the underside of the shower bottom,

(c) an outlet on said housing fitted to an outlet pipe,

(d) means on said housing for attaching a pressure adjustment member thereto,

(e) means on said shower pan for attaching the pressure adjustment thereto,

(f) and a pressure adjustment member mounted between said pressure adjustment attachment means on said shower pan and being adjustable to force said cylindrical housing upper and gasket against the underside of said shower bottom.

2. In a shower drain outlet which includes a conventional shower bottom pan and drain opening in which is mounted a drain fitting:

(a) a closed housing having an open top upper end being larger than the bottom of shower drain open ing and any fittings positioned therewith,

(b) a sealing means on the upper end of said housing being fitted to the underside of the shower bottom about said drain opening,

(c) an Outlet on said housing fitted to an outlet pipe,

(d) said sealing means being adjustable by pressure to conform to the underside of the shower bottom pan to seal same tightly against Water leaks,

(e) and a pressure adjustment means mounted between said housing and said shower pan and being adjustable' to force said housing upper end and sealing means against the underside of said shower bottom.

3. In a shower drain outlet which includes a conventional shower bottom pan and drain opening leading to the drain system,

(a) a housing having an open top upper end of such size as to be larger than the bottom shower drain opening and any fittings positioned therein,

(b) a means on the upper end of said housing adjustable by pressure to fit accurately with the upper end of said housing and being fitted to the underside of the shower bottom to seal same,

(c) an outlet on said housing fitted to an outlet pipe,

(d) means on said housing for attaching a pressure adjustment member thereto,

(e) means on said shower pan for attaching the pressure adjustment thereto,

(f) and an adjustable means between said pressure adjustment attachment means on said housing and said pressure adjustment attachment means on said shower pan and being adjustable to force said housing upper end gasket against the underside of said shower bottom.

4. In a shower drain outlet which includes a conventional shower bottom pan drain opening in which is mounted a drain fitting:

(a) a closed drain housing of such size as to be larger than the shower drain opening and any fittings positioned therein, and having an open top upper end and an Outlet in the bottom,

(b) a gasket means on the upper end of said housing fitting accurately around the upper end of said housing and being fitted to the underside of the shower bottom,

(c) the outlet on said housing being fitted to an outlet pipe,

(d) means on said housing for attaching adjustment member thereto,

(e) means on said shower pan for attaching the pressure adjustment thereto,

(f) and a pressure adjustment member mounted between said pressure adjustment attachment means on said housing and said pressure adjustment attachment means on said shower pan and gasket against the underside of said shower bottom.

a pI'CSSllfC References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,278,566 4/ 1942 Schaible. 2,739,3 17 3/1956 Abresch 4 l91 F OREIGN PATENTS 247,320 9/ 1966 Australia.

J 'LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. GROSS, Examner.

Claims

1. IN A SHOWER DRAIN OUTLET WHICH INCLUDES CONVENTIONAL SHOWER BOTTOM PAN AND DRAIN OPENING IN WHICH IS MOUNTED A DRAIN FITTING: (A) A LARGE CYLINDRICAL HOUSING OF SUCH DIAMETER AS TO BE LARGER THAN THE SHOWER DRAIN OPENING AND ANY FITTINGS POSITIONED THEREIN, (B) A GASKET ON THE UPPER END OF SAID HOUSING FITTING ACCURATELY AROUND THE UPPER END OF SAID HOUSING AND BEING FITTED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE SHOWER BOTTOM, (C) AN OUTLET ON SAID HOUSING FITTED TO AN OUTLET PIPE, (D) MEANS ON SAID HOUSING FOR ATTACHING A PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT MEMBER THERETO, (E) MEANS ON SAID SHOWER PAN FOR ATTACHING THE PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT THERETO,