Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BRACE FOR WALL HUNG SINKS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a brace for reliably
supporting wall hung sinks.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wall hung sinks that are supported on a centrally
located wall bracket at the rear of the sink are common
in public restrooms as they are relatively inexpensive
and easy to install. Because sinks mounted in this
manner are supported primarily at their rear edge
immediately adjacent the wall, they are prone to sagging
or even breaking away from the wall if a force is applied
to the front edge of the sink. To some extent, the drain
pipe extending between the sink and the wall provides
some additional support for the weight of the sink, but
the pipe is not designed for bearing a load. Modern
drain pipes manufactured from plastic are particularly
unsuited to bearing any loads.
Prior art sink mounting arrangements have relied on
upstanding posts extending between the floor and the
front edge of the sink to better support the sink. The
posts represent additional cost and tend to render the
sink inaccessible to wheelchairs by blocking the space
below the sink.
Applicant is aware of the following patents directed
to wall mounted brackets for sinks or other bathroom
fixtures:
United States Patent No. 953,924 to Reynolds
United States Patent No. 1,006,361 to Daly
United States Patent No. 1,253,924 to Barnett
United States Patent No. 1,722,614 to Watrous
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United States Patent No. 1,740,553 to Schmiedeknecht
United States Patent No. 2,583,922 to Zummach
United States Patent No. 2,766,461 to Zinkil et al.
United States Patent No. 3,012,250 to Morris
United States Patent No. 3,428,968 to Ory, Jr. et al
United States Patent No. 3,440,670 to Van Hoof
These patents disclose brackets intended to reliably
attach a fixture, such as a sink, to the wall. Any of
the designs for sinks that use bracing arms extending
from the wall to the sink rely on fixed arms for
strength. Depending on the size and/or design of the
sink, a fixed bracing arm may not adequately support the
front edge of the sink.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Applicant has developed a bracing system for wall
mounted sinks that employs adjustable brace members or
arms extending from the wall to the underside of the sink
to reliably support all manner of sinks. The length and
wall anchoring location of the brace members are
adjustable to permit the brace members to extend to the
front edge of the sink for proper support. In
particular, many sinks are formed with cavities at the
front edge to receive a bracing support, and the design
of the bracing system of the present invention is
intended to ensure that the brace member extends from the
wall to be securely received in the cavities no matter
the dimensions of the sink being supported.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a
bracing system for a wall hung sink mountable to a wall
by fasteners, the bracing system comprising:
at least one bracket mountable to the wall;
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a brace member extendable between the at least one
bracket and the underside of the sink, the brace member
having a first end engagable with the sink and a second
end removably retained in the at least one bracket by an
adjustable support to accommodate sinks of different
dimensions.
The bracing system of the present invention is
preferably used in conjunction with conventional sink
hanging brackets to ensure that the sink is reliably
supported and able to withstand a significant force
applied to the front edge of the sink.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Aspects of the present invention are illustrated,
merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in
which:
Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the
components of the bracing system of the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the bracing
system of the present invention in place supporting a
sink;
Figure 3 is a detail plan view of the outer portion
of the wall mounted bracket member used with the bracing
system of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a detail side view of the outer portion
of the wall mounted bracket member of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a detail view of the inner portion or
backing plate of the bracket member; and
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Figure 6 is a detail view of the end of the brace
member for insertion into a pre-formed cavity at the
front edge of a sink.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figure 1, there is shown an exploded
view of a conventional sink 2 mountable to a wall using a
conventional wall hanging bracket 6.that engages the rear
edge 8 of the sink. To ensure that sink 2 is reliably
mounted to wall 4, a bracing system according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention is used to
provide additional support for the weight of the sink.
The bracing system comprises at least one bracket 10
mountable to wall 4 by conventional screw fasteners 12.
In the illustrated embodiment, a pair of brackets 10 are
used, one at each side of sink 2. A brace member 20 is
associated with each bracket 10 and extends between the
bracket and the underside of the sink 2. Each brace
member 20 has a first end 22 engagable with the sink and
a second end 24 removably retained in bracket 10 by an
adjustable support 30.
Figures 3 to 5 provide detail views of wall
mountable bracket 10. The bracket is formed from two
parts. There is an outer portion 10', preferably
comprising a strip of mild steel formed with a central U
shaped bend 14 separating flat co-planar ends 15 and 16
that receive fasteners 12. There is also an inner
portion 10" comprising a flat strip of mild steel
adapted to be mounted adjacent wall 4 beneath outer
portion 10'. The ends of inner portion 10" and outer
portion 10' have alignable openings 17 and 18 drilled
therethrough so that assembled bracket 10 can be secured
to wall 4 by screw fasteners 12. Preferably, bracket 10
will be positioned adjacent studs underlying wall 4 to
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ensure that the bracket is securely attached. Openings
18 are slotted to permit some adjustment of the position
of assembled bracket 10 on wall 4.
Central U shaped bend 14 of outer portion 10' is
formed with elongate slot 19 to receive second end 24 of
brace member 20. Elongate slot 19 houses adjustable
support 30 that supports second end 24 of brace member
20. In a preferred embodiment, adjustable support 30
comprises a locking member 31 in the form of a nut and
bolt combination 34. As best shown in Figure 4, the
shaft 35 of bolt 36 extends through slot 19. The bolt
head 38 is selected so that it is too large to fit
through slot 19. Nut 37 is tightened onto shaft 35 from
the opposite side of portion 10' to clamp the combination
in place against the sides of slot 19 between nut 37 and
bolt head 38.
Locking member 31 is tightened into place at a
desired location within slot 19 to support second end 24
of brace member 20 as it extends through slot 19 to abut
inner portion 10" . Essentially, locking member 31
blocks slot 19 at a desired location to support end 24 of
brace member 20 against downward vertical movement within
the slot. The sides of slot 19 prevent lateral movement
of end 24. In addition, end 24 engaging against inner
portion 10" of bracket 10 braces the end against
horizontal movement and prevents the end from puncturing
wall 4.
Moving locking member 31 involves loosening nut 37
on bolt shaft 35 and sliding the locking member within
the slot to a desired location. As best shown in Figure
4, nut 37 is accessible from the side of bracket 10 so
that a first wrench can hold nut 37 still while a second
tool is used to rotate bolt head 38 to loosen or tighten
the nut on the shaft.
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Brace member 20 is preferably a rod of generally
cylindrical cross-section. A rod of 3/8 inch diameter
mild steel has been found to be suitable. As best shown
in Figure 6, first end 22 of brace member 20 is
preferably bent into a generally S-shaped portion 26 for
insertion into a pre-formed cavity 40 at the underside of
the front edge of the sink. Such cavities are routinely
formed in sinks to accept bracing members. End 22 is
preferably covered by a resilient cap 23 which serves as
a cushion to protect the ceramic material of sink 2 from
contact with the metal end of brace member 20. S-shaped
portion 26 is formed with flanges 27 to retain a
resilient washer 28. Cap 23 also assists in maintaining
washer 28 in place. Washer 28 is preferably slightly
oversized for fitting within opening 40, and is distorted
on insertion to fractionally lock end 22 within cavity
40.
As best shown in Figure 2, installation of the
bracing system of the present invention involves
supporting sink 2 initially on a conventional central
rear wall bracket 6. Bracket members 10 are then
attached to the wall directly below the sink at each side
of the side. Each bracket member 10 is mounted to the
wall using upper and lower threaded fasteners 12 such as
self-tapping screws or bolts. The upper threaded
fastener 12 is preferably common to both the sink and the
bracket member and extends through a conventional
mounting hole in the sink and the aligned slot opening 18
of bracket member 10. A brace member 20 is then inserted
by end 22 into a cavity 40 at one side of the sink. The
brace member is cut to length using a hack saw or other
suitable tool to create end 24 that is insertable into
slot 19 of bracket member 10 to engage inner portion 10"
of the bracket. If desired, end 24 can be bent into a
rounded end to abut portion 10" . End 24 extends into
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slot 19 above adjustable support 30 which is positioned
initially at the bottom of slot 19. Adjustable support
30 is then slid upwardly in slot 19 to engage and support
end 24 against vertical movement within the slot by
locking the support in place. In the illustrated
embodiment, this involves tightening nut 37 on bolt shaft
35 to clamp the adjustable support in place in slot 19.
The process is repeated for the other side of the sink.
Although the present invention has been described in
some detail by way of example for purposes of clarity and
understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes
and modifications may be practised within the scope of
the appended claims.
