Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Regulations in place in many municipalities re~uire that
the so-called "P-trap" assembly (i.e., the waste water piping
under sinks and the like) be insulated so as to prevent injury
from contact with hot metal surfaces. Wheelchair bound indivi-
duals are at particular risk.
The required thermal insulation may be supplied by wrap-
ping or otherwise applying lengths of insulation (such as of
foam rubber and the like) about the pipes. Such practices are
however undesirable for a number of reasons: application is
often difficult and time-consuming; the applied insulating
material tends to become disoriented and displaced; the
finished installation is typically unaesthetic; and often the
result is simply ineffective.
The prior art suggest a wide variety of pipe covering
techniques and structures. For example, Farr et al United
States patent No. 3,598,157, issued August 10, 1971, discloses
preformed covering pieces made of foamed plastics and con-
figured for various pipe fittings. Blundell United States
patent No. 4,205,105, issued May 27, 1980, shows an elongated
pipe-insulating structure that is axially slit along one side,
and Martin United States patent No. 3,402,731, issued September
24, 1968, provides foamed insulating sleeves for pipe elements.
United States patents Nos. 2,650,180, issued August 25,
1953, 2,937,662, issued May 24, 1960, 3,153,546, issued October
20, 1964, 3,559,694, issued February 2, 1971, 4,441,743, issued
April 10, 1984, and 4,840,201, issued June 20, 1989, to Walker,
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Green, Dunn, Volberg, Steenbergen and Botsolas, respectively,
all show encased insulating structures applied to pipes and
fittings; United States patents Nos. 3,960,181, issued June 1,
1976, 4,463,780, issued August 7, 1984, and 4,669,509, issued
June 2, 1987, to Baur et al, Schultz et al and Botsolas, re-
spectively, provide one-piece covering wrappings fabricated
from flexible plastic materials; and United States patents
Nos. 3,177,528, issued April 13, 1965, and 3,719,209, issued
March 6, 1973, to Flower et al and Rush et al, respectively,
are directed to electrically insulated coatings for pipe fit-
tings and to extruded plastic plumbing traps.
Despite the activity in the art indicated by the fore-
going, there has been a need for means by which under-sink
piping can quickly, easily, and inexpensively be thermally
insulated. Although Applicants' copending application Serisl
No. 07/569,995, now issued as U.S. patent No. 5,054,513, pro-
vides a thermal insulation system and installation by and in
which the foregoing needs are satisfied, advantage is seen in
simplifying manufacture, handling and packaging of system com-
ponents of the kind described therein.
Accordingly, the broad objects of the present invention
are to provide a novel article from which such an insulation
system is readily produced, and to provide a novel method for
thermally insulating a piping assembly utilizing the same.
More specific objects of the invention are to provide such
an article which is, in addition to the foregoing, of rela-
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tively simple and inexpensive construction, is facile to handle
and package, and is quick and easy to employ.
It has now been found that certain of the foregoing and
related objects of the invention are attained by the provision
of a unitary article comprising a first, substantially J-shaped
tubular section, a second, substantially straight tubular sec-
tion, and a third, substantially L-shaped tubular section.
The article is fabricated as a single piece from a resiliently
yieldable material having thermal insulating properties, and
the sections thereof are disposed in end-to-end relationship to
one another, with the "first" section interposed between the
"second" and "third."
The sections of the article will usually be of substan-
tially the same cross-sectional dimensions along their
lengths, and so constructed as to enable emplacement over a
corresponding part of an installed P-trap piping assembly with
overlapping end portions of the "second" and "third" sections
disposed in overlapped relationship with portions at the op-
posite ends of the "first" section; for that purpose! the
overlapping end portions will normally be of enlarged cross-
sectional dimensions, relative to the "same" dimensions.
In preferred embodiments, the overlapping end portions
will be at opposite ends of the unitary article, and the
"second" and "third" sections will extend substantially
parallel to one another from the "first" section, with the
overlapping end portion of the "third" section extending beyond
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and lying substantially over the overlapping end portion of the
"second" section. The sections of the article will normally
be longitudinally slit, to permit spreading of the marginal
portions that extend therealong, and they will preferably be
demarcated by indicia thereon, designating locations for
severance.
Other objects of the invention are attained by the pro-
vision of a method for thermally insulating a P-trap piping
assembly, using an article having the construction herein
described. In accordance with the method, the article is
initially severed to separate the sections thereof from one
another; the sections are then placed over corresponding parts
of an installed P-trap piping assembly, and secured in position
with end portions thereof overlapped, as described.
Figure 1 is an elevational view of an article embodying
the present invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the article
of Figure 1, cut into three pieces; and
Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the pieces of which
the article of Figure 1 is comprised, installed upon P-trap
under-sink plumbing.
Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates a unitary article
embodying the invention, fabricated from a resiliently yield-
able, rubbery, thermally insulating material. The article
consists of a substantially J-shaped tubular section, a sub-
stantially straight tubular section, and a substantially L-
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shaped tubular section, generally designated respectively by
the numerals 10, 12 and 14. In Figure 2, the same sections are
shown as separate pieces, having been produced therefrom by
severance along the lines a-a and b-b, bearing "-CUT-" indicia.
The J-shaped section or piece 10 includes a toric portion
16 and a straight portion 18, and is slit at 22, along its
entire length. The toric portion 16 has a clean-out aperture-
forming element 20 projecting from a radially outer wall por-
tion thereof, in a medial plane and in an arcuately centralized
location.
The straight piece 12 consists of an elongate cylindrical
portion 28 and a short collar portion 30 at one end; slit 34
extends longitudinally therealong. A circumferential groove
32 surrounds the collar portion 30 adjacent its open end, and a
series of similar grooves 38 are provided at equidistantly
spaced locations on the cylindrical portion 28.
L-shaped piece 14 consists of a straight portion 40 and a
collar portion 42, with a 90 arcuate portion 44 therebetween.
The collar portion 42 has a circumferential groove 46 extending
thereabout adjacent its open end, and a series of like grooves
48 surround the straight portion 40 at equidistantly spaced
locations. The piece 14 is longitudinally slit at 50, thereby
defining relatively displaceable marginal portions 40' along
the length thereof. It will be appreciated that the slits 22,
34, 50 are elements of a continuous slit made in the unitary
article, and that like displaceable portions are also defined
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on the pieces 10 and 12.
With particular reference now to Figure 3, the drain
plumbing for a sink "S" (shown in phantom line) is depicted,
and includes a tailpiece member consisting of two, telescop-
ically interengaged parts 52, 54, a J-bend 56, and a waste arm
58 extending from wall "W." The plumbing components have
standard flanged and threaded end portions (not shown), which
enable them to be joined by the nuts 60, 62 in end-to-end
relationship. A clean-out access port is formed through the
outer wall of the toric section of the J-bend 56, and is sur-
rounded by a short neck portion 63, normally closed by the
"nut" or cap 64. The upper part 52 of the tailpiece assembly
is threadably engaged with the bottom of the sink S, and is
formed with an access port surrounded by a short neck portion
65, partially closed by an annular cap 66, through which ex-
tends the operating arm 68 for a "pop-up" drain plug mechanism
(not illustrated). In conventional manner, the linkage 70
connects the arm 68 to an operating handle, and is secured on
the arm 68 by a spring clip 71; the neck portion 65 is accom-
modated by cutting a hole 36 of appropriate diameter through
the portion 28 of the straight piece 12, which would usually be
done at the time of installation.
The J-shaped piece 10 of the insulation system is instal-
led over the J-bend 56 of the piping assembly with the neck
portion 63 and nut 64 of the clean-out structure protruding
into the element 20. Emplacement is achieved of course simply
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by spreading the marginal portions along the slit 22, which
portions thereafter resume their original shape due to the
inherent resiliency, or elastic memory, of the material from
which the piece is fabricated. Although not shown, it will be
appreciated that access to the nut 64 is afforded simply by
cutting away the projecting element 20.
The nut 60 and associated parts, as well as the corrugated
end portion 24 of the J-piece 10, are accommodated within the
recess 42' defined by collar portion 42 on the L-shaped piece
14, the latter being applied to the waste arm 58 in the manner
previously described. Plastic bands 72, seated within the
circumferential grooves 46 and 48 at the opposite ends of the
piece 14, secure it to the piece 10 and to the P-trap compo-
nents 56, 58; it will be appreciated that the bands 72 will
conveniently incorporate an automatic locking ratchet mechanism
(not shown), the structure of which is conventional.
The straight tubular piece 12 is similarly applied to
encase the tailpiece assembly 52, 54; the nut 62 and associated
parts, together with the corrugated opposite end portion 26 of
the J-shaped piece 10, are seated within the enlarged recess
30' formed by the collar portion 30 thereof. The straight
piece 12 is secured to the J-shaped piece 10 and the drain
components 52, 56 by use of banding elements
72 received in the circumferential grooves 32 and 38, with the
plug-mounting structure 65, 66 protruding laterally through the
hole 36 therein.
-7
207532~
Although the drawings and the corresponding portions of
the specification describe the best mode contemplated for
carrying out the invention, and the configuration shown and
described is particularly advantageous from manufacturing,
packaging and handling standpoints, it will be understood that
variations can be made without departing from the novel con-
cepts hereof. Thus, while the unitary construction, in and of
itself, affords substantial benefits, changes may be made for
example in the shapes, features and relationships among the
several sections of the article to best accommodate peculiar-
ities of particular installations or styles of piping. The
circumferential grooves and cooperating plastic bands shown in
the drawings provide a highly effective means for securing the
parts in assembly, but suitable alternatives may occur to those
skilled in the art and may be employed. It might be mentioned
that the series of grooves 38 and 48 on the straight and L-
shaped pieces 12, 14, respectively, serve not only to receive
the bands 72 in a very neat and functionally desirable manner,
but also to designate locations for cutting; as a practical
matter, these sections may be made to lengths that will normal-
ly be excessive, intending that they be cut to size at the time
of installation.
As has been mentioned, the preferred material for fabri-
cation of the insulating pieces will usually be a synthetic
elastomeric material, such as a polyurethane, a polyvinyl
chloride, or a silicon rubber, so as to provide the desired
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resiliency for facile installation; the material may or may
not be of a foamed structure, and may of course be of any de-
sired coloration. In most cases the article will be produced
by molding using any technique that is appropriate under the
circumstances, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
It might also be mentioned that the article will normally
have a nominal wall thickness ranging from 1/8 inch to 1/2
inch, with 1/4 inch often providing a most desirable balance of
functional properties and cost factors; its overall length,
width and depth will typically be somewhat less than about 16,
6 and 3 inches, respectively. Finally, it will be appreciated
that the system described can be used to insulate piping of
plastic as well as of metal, and that the components will nor-
mally afford protection against impact injury as well as
against burns.
Thus, it can be seen that the present invention provides
a novel article from which is readily produced a system for
quickly, easily and inexpensively insulating under-sink
piping, so as to provide highly effective protection against
burn injury from hot metal surfaces. The invention addi-
tionally provides a novel method for insulating a piping
assembly, utilizing the article described.
