Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
A FLUID TRANSFERRING DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR MOUNTING SUCH A DEVICE
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fluid transferring device and to a method
for mounting such
a fluid transferring device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Water damages in buildings caused by water leakage from machines using water
in the house
or from hoses to those machines are common and very costly to repair. Leakage
from white
goods for example dish washers, washing machines, refrigerators, ovens using
steam, ice
machines, water heaters etc. in for example kitchens is a great problem.
Machines which are
positioned directly on the floor, such as dish washer and refrigerator are
often provided on a
floor protector which is a plastic tray arranged to be provided on the floor
under a machine in
for example a kitchen. The tray can be provided with an inclination such that
any possible
water leakage coming from the machine will flow to the front which can be seen
by a user.
Hereby any water leakage will hopefully be detected by the user before the
leakage is big and
causes water damages to the building.
More and more machines using water are used in houses. Many of these machines
are smaller
machines which are not positioned directly on the floor. This could be for
example steam
ovens provided in a kitchen shelf, coffee machines, water heaters or ice
machines provided on
a bench or in a shelf or in a cabinet in the kitchen. There may be problems in
detecting
leakages from those machines.
SUMMARY
An object of the invention is to improve the possibilities to prevent water
damages caused by
machines provided on a level above the floor in households.
This is achieved by a fluid transferring device arranged for transferring
fluid through a
through hole in a surface, wherein said fluid transferring device comprises a
first part and a
second part arranged to be connected to each other from one side each of the
surface through
the through hole and wherein said fluid transferring device is designed for
transferring the
1
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
fluid from one side of the surface, through the first and second parts to the
other side of the
surface and wherein at least the first part comprises a seal for sealing
around the through hole
when the first and second parts are connected to each other.
This is also achieved by a method for mounting such a fluid transferring
device.
Hereby fluid, such as a leakage from a machine or a hose, can be transferred
from a surface
which may be elevated above the floor in a house. The fluid is transferred
through the fluid
transferring device which is provided in a through hole in the surface. The
seal of the fluid
transferring device seals around the through hole which will ensure that the
fluid is not
transferred outside the fluid transferring device. Hereby the fluid can be
transferred to the
floor level which could be advantageous for detecting the leakage. The leakage
can be
transferred to a floor protector provided on the floor or directly to a drain.
Leakage from many
machines can possibly be transferred to the same floor protector and an alarm
can possibly be
alerted when a leakage is detected by a sensor in the floor protector.
In one embodiment of the invention the first part and the second part each
comprises one end
which is tube formed and provided with threads, one on the outside of the tube
formed part
and the other on the inside of the tube formed part and wherein the threads of
the first and
second parts are designed such that one of the parts is threaded into the
other part for
connection of the first and second parts to each other and the tube formed
threaded part of at
least one of the first part or the second part is at least 10 mm.
Hereby the surface can be of different thickness and still a sealed connection
of the first and
second parts of the fluid transferring device can be achieved.
In one embodiment of the invention the fluid transferring device is arranged
to transfer fluid
through a through hole in a substantially horizontal surface provided elevated
above a floor
and the first part comprises a tube formed threaded part with threads on its
outer surface and a
fluid collection part which is connected to the tube formed threaded part,
wherein the fluid
collection part is arranged to receive fluid provided to the surface and
transfer the fluid further
through the tube formed threaded part, wherein said fluid collection part
further is connected
to a circular seal and arranged to compress the seal around the through hole
in the surface
when the first part is provided through the through hole and connected to the
second part on
the other side of the surface. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention
the fluid
collection part comprises an elevated cap provided above an opening into the
tube formed
2
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
threaded part, said cap having distributed openings and wherein the fluid
collection part
further comprises openings around a circumference below said elevated cap,
said openings
transferring fluid into the opening of the tube formed threaded part.
Hereby the risk that an object, dirt or some rubbish will arrive to the device
and cover the
openings is limited.
In one embodiment of the invention the second part comprises a tube formed
threaded part
with threads on its inner surface arranged to be connected to the tube formed
threaded part of
the first part and wherein the second part further comprises a tube connecting
part which is
connected to and arranged to transfer fluid coming from the tube formed
threaded part,
wherein said tube connecting part is connected to the tube formed threaded
part such that the
extension of the tube connecting part is provided with an angle of
substantially 90 degrees in
relation to the extension of the tube formed threaded part.
Hereby a tube can easily be connected to the second part of the fluid
transferring device even
in small spaces and without the need to bend the tube. Tubes that are bent can
break and cause
water leakage and damages.
Further embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and
in the
detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure la shows a first part of a fluid transferring device according to one
embodiment of the
invention.
Figure lb shows a second part of a fluid transferring device according to one
embodiment of
the invention.
Figure 2 shows a fluid transferring device according to one embodiment of the
invention
mounted in a cabinet.
Figure 3 shows a cross section of a fluid transferring device according to one
embodiment of
the invention when mounted to a surface.
3
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
Figure 4a and 4b shows a cross section of a fluid transferring device
according to one
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 shows two fluid transferring devices according to one embodiment of
the invention
mounted to side walls of two floor protectors.
Figures 6a-6d shows a fluid transferring device according to one embodiment of
the invention
mounted to a surface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
Figure la shows a first part 1 of a fluid transferring device according to one
embodiment of
the invention. Figure lb shows a second part 3 of a fluid transferring device
according to one
embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 shows a fluid transferring device 5
according to one
embodiment of the invention mounted in a cabinet 7.
According to the invention a fluid transferring device 5 arranged for
transferring fluid, such as
a leakage from a kitchen machine or a hose, through a through hole 9 in a
surface 11 is
provided. This surface may be substantially horizontal and provided elevated
above a floor.
The surface 11 could be for example a bottom in a shelf, a cabinet or a bench
in a kitchen or a
ventilation pipe. If a machine using water such as for example a coffee
machine, a steam oven
or an ice machine is provided within a cabinet it may be difficult to detect a
leakage. Another
example could be a ventilation device or a heat exchanger where a lot of
condensation can be
provided during operation. This condensation could suitably be transferred
with a fluid
transferring device according to the invention. The fluid transferring device
5 according to the
present invention will provide a possibility to transfer any fluid from this
elevated surface 11
down to another surface where fluid can be collected and detected. In one
embodiment the
fluid is transferred down to the floor level and collected in a floor
protector or transferred
directly to a drain. The fluid transferring device 5 according to the
invention can also be
provided to a vertical wall for transferring fluid through this wall which is
shown in relation
to Figure 5.
Said fluid transferring device 5 comprises a first part 1 and a second part 3
arranged to be
connected to each other from one side each of the surface 11 through the
through hole 9 in the
surface. Said fluid transferring device 5 is designed for transferring fluid
from one side of the
4
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
surface 11, through the two parts to the other side of the surface. At least
the first part 1
comprises a seal 13 for sealing around the through hole when the two parts are
connected.
The first part 1 and the second part 3 comprises each one end which is tube
formed and
provided with threads, one on the outside of the tube formed part and the
other on the inside
of the tube formed part and wherein the threads of the two parts are designed
such that one of
the parts is threaded into the other part for connection of the two parts. The
tube formed
threaded part of at least one of the first part 1 and the second part 3 is at
least 10 mm. In the
embodiment shown in Figures 1-5 the tube formed threaded parts of both the
first part and the
second part are at least 10 mm or suitably at least 20 mm or 30 mm or even
more. A threaded
tube formed part with a length up to 100 mm or even 200 mm is possible and
covered by this
invention. The tube formed threaded part 41 of the second part 3 can be
provided with less
threads, i.e. threads over a shorter distance, than the tube formed threaded
part 15 of the first
part 1. However, threads can also be provided over the whole distance of the
tube formed
threaded part of the second part as shown in these Figures and that may be
advantageous in an
injection moulding production process of the device. For being able to seal
around surfaces of
different thickness from for example 1 mm to 20 or 30 mm which could be a
normal thickness
of a bottom in a shelf or cabinet in a kitchen the length of the threaded part
of at least the first
part 1 needs to be at least of that length. An even longer threaded part would
also be possible.
Hereby the surface over which the two parts are connected can differ in
thickness.
In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures la, lb and 2 the first
part 1 comprises a
tube formed threaded part 15 with threads 17 on its outer surface and a fluid
collection part 19
which is connected to the tube formed threaded part 15. The fluid collection
part 19 is
arranged to receive fluid provided to the surface 11 and transfer the fluid
further through the
tube formed threaded part 15. Said fluid collection part 19 is further
connected to a circular
seal 13 and arranged to compress the seal 13 around the through hole 9 in the
surface 11 when
the first part 1 is provided through the through hole 9 and connected to the
second part 3 on
the other side of the surface 11. The fluid collection part 19 comprises in
this embodiment an
elevated cap 21 provided above an opening 23 into the tube formed threaded
part 15. Said cap
21 has a number of distributed openings 25 for allowing fluid to enter the
first part 1. The
number of openings can of course vary but in this shown embodiment six
openings 25 are
provided. The elevated cap 21 with its openings 25 will decrease the risk that
an object, dirt or
some rubbish will arrive to the device and cover the openings. The fluid
collection part 19
further comprises openings 27 around a circumference below said elevated cap
21. Said
5
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
openings 27 allowing transfer of fluid into the opening 23 of the tube formed
threaded part
15. Hereby fluid can enter the tube formed threaded part 15 from both openings
27 around the
circumference below the cap 21 and from openings 25 in the cap 21. The fluid
collection part
19 comprises a collar 29 which is arranged to be provided against the surface
11 during
connection of the first and second parts 1, 3. The collar 29 is attached to
one end of the tube
formed threaded part 15 such that the collar 29 is provided around an opening
23 into the tube
formed threaded part 15. The collar 29 is further connected to a circular seal
13 which will
enclose the through hole 9 in the surface 11 when the first and second parts
1,3 are connected.
Furthermore at least two vertical walls 31 are provided connected to the
collar 29. Said at
least two vertical walls 31 are also connected to the cap 21. The number of
vertical walls 31
can be varied. In this embodiment six vertical walls 31 are shown. The
vertical walls 31 are
provided on the collar 29 in a direction towards a central axis of the tube
formed threaded part
15. Beside the function of holding the cap 21 above the opening 23 into the
tube formed
threaded part 15 the vertical walls 31 will facilitate flow of fluid into the
fluid transferring
device. Fluid in vicinity of the vertical walls 31 will follow the direction
of the walls and flow
into the fluid transferring device.
The collar 29 will be compressed against the surface 11 when the first part 1
and the second
part 3 are connected to each other from each side of the surface 11. The seal
13 will be
compressed between the collar 29 and the surface 11 and the seal 13 will
hereby enclose the
through hole 9 in the surface 11 and hereby ensure that no fluid will escape
outside the fluid
transferring device 5. For collecting as much fluid as possible from the
surface 11 it is
important that the collar 29 has a small height, i.e. is provided as much as
possible in the same
level as the surface 11. In the embodiment shown in the Figures recesses 33
are shown around
the circumference of the collar 29. These recesses 33 are directed towards a
central axis of the
tube formed threaded part 15 and will constitute parts of the collar 29 which
have an even
lower height than the rest of the collar 29. Hereby fluid can enter the fluid
collection part 19
even more easily. It is important to provide a low entrance for the fluid into
the fluid
transferring device. The height of the collar 29 and the seal 13 below needs
to be kept small.
However to keep a stable device and a device possible to produce for example
by injection
moulding the recesses 33 are provided for providing even lower entrances for
fluid into the
device.
In the embodiment shown in the Figures the second part 3 comprises a tube
formed threaded
part 41 with threads on its inner surface. The tube formed threaded part 41 of
the second part
6
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
3 is arranged to be connected to the tube formed threaded part 15 of the first
part 1. The
second part 2 comprises further a tube connecting part 43 which is connected
to and arranged
to transfer fluid coming from the tube formed threaded part 41. In this
embodiment said tube
connecting part 43 is connected to the tube formed threaded part 41 such that
the extension of
the tube connecting part 43 is provided with an angle of substantially 90
degrees in relation to
the extension of the tube formed threaded part 41. Hereby a tube can be
connected to the
second part 3 of the fluid transferring device 5 in a convenient way. If the
space below the
elevated surface 11 is limited it will be much easier to connect a tube than
it would have been
without this bent configuration. Furthermore a tube could be damaged when
forcing it to
bend. The tube connecting part 43 is furthermore provided with at least one
elastic flange 45
around its outer circumference for sealing to a tube connected to the tube
connecting part 43.
Here five flanges are shown but the number can of course be varied. This bent
configuration
of the second part 3 is however not necessary for the invention. In another
embodiment of the
invention the extension of the tube connecting part 43 is provided in another
angle in relation
to the extension of the tube formed threaded part 41 or in no angle, i.e. in
the same direction.
Furthermore the tube formed threaded part 41 of the second part 3 comprises a
circular seal
47 provided around an opening 49 of the tube formed threaded part 41. This
seal 47 will be
contacting the underside of the surface 11 when the first and second parts are
connected. Said
seal 47 is arranged to enclose the through hole 9 in the surface 11 during
connection of the
first and second parts 1, 3.
The seal 13 connected to the first part 1 and the seal 47 connected to the
second part 3 and the
at least one flange 45 provided on the outer circumference of a tube
connecting part 43 of the
second part 3 comprise a sealing material, such as an elastomeric material
such as silicon or
TPE, EPDM, NBR, Buna-n nitril or neoprene and the rest of the first and second
parts 1, 3 are
made up from a polymeric/plastic material such as acetal, POM, PP or PA. The
first and
second parts 1, 3 of the fluid transferring device 5 can in one embodiment of
the invention be
injection moulded.
In one embodiment of the invention a detector can be provided to the first or
second part of
the fluid transferring device 5. This detector can detect the presence of a
fluid in the fluid
transferring device and can be connected to some kind of warning system. One
type of
possible detector is a detector comprising two metal wires provided pointing
into the first or
the second part of the fluid transferring device. Such a detector can indicate
presence of a
7
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
fluid if the two wires are short circuited by the fluid. The two metal wires
could be moulded
into the device during injection moulding. Another possibility is that a
warning system is
connected to a floor protector to which the fluid is transferred through a
tube connected to the
fluid transferring device.
In one embodiment of the invention no tube needs to be connected to the second
part 3. The
fluid can instead just be flowing or dripping out from the second part 3 and
be collected in a
tray or floor protector provided there below. In that case there is no need
for the bent
configuration of the second part 3. The tube connection part 43 could simply
be omitted.
The fluid transferring device 5 of the embodiment shown in the Figures is
designed for being
mounted without the use of tools. The first and second parts 1, 3 can be held
by hands and
threaded into each other by only hand craft. A sealed connection of the two
parts towards the
surface can be achieved without the use of tools.
Figure 3 shows a cross section of a fluid transferring device 5 according to
one embodiment
of the invention when mounted to a surface 11. Here it can be seen how the
tube formed
threaded part 15 of the first part 1 is provided through the through hole 9
and connected to the
tube formed threaded part 41 of the second part 3. Thanks to the length of the
tube formed
threaded part 15 of the first part 1 the fluid transferring device 5 can be
provided to surfaces
of different thickness. In Figure 5 it is shown that the fluid transferring
device also can be
provided to a thin wall of a plastic tray, a floor protector. In Figure 3 it
can also be seen how a
tube is connected to the tube connecting part 43 of the second part 3.
Figure 4a and 4b shows a cross section of a fluid transferring device 5
according to one
embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 shows two fluid transferring devices 5 according to the invention
mounted to side
walls of two floor protectors 61. If fluid for example is transferred from
another fluid
transferring device mounted in for example a shelf or a cabinet through a tube
to a floor
protector there is a possibility to use another fluid transferring device
according to the
invention through an opening in a side wall of the floor protector. Then the
tube can simply be
threaded over the tube connecting part 43 of the second part 3 of this fluid
transferring device
while a first part 1 is provided on the inside of the side wall and connected
through the
opening to the second part 3.
8
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
Hereby it is clear that the fluid transferring device 5 according to the
invention can not only
be provided to horizontal elevated surfaces but can also be used through
vertical walls for
transferring fluid.
The fluid transferring device according to the invention has here been
described with
reference to one specific embodiment shown in the Figures 1-5. However many of
the details
of the construction can be varied but still be covered by the claimed
invention. For example
the design of the fluid collection part 19 can be varied. Some kind of
elevated cap is suitable
but not necessary. The vertical walls are also not necessary but will
facilitate the fluid
collection because of the fact that the fluid will follow the wall in the
direction towards the
center of the fluid collection device. Number of openings and recesses can of
course be
varied. The number and distance of threads of the threaded parts can also be
varied and as
discussed above the bent configuration of the second part is suitable but not
necessary.
Figures 6a-6d show a fluid transferring device 5' according to one embodiment
of the
invention mounted to a through hole 9' in a surface 11. In this embodiment of
the invention
all the previously described details are the same and are also given the same
reference
numbers however a few extra details are added. One new detail is a flexible
sheet 71
connected to the first part 1 of the fluid transferring device 5'. The first
part 1 is protruding
through the flexible sheet 71 such that the fluid collection part 19 is
provided on one side of
the flexible sheet 71 and the tube formed threaded part 15 is provided on the
other side. The
flexible sheet 71 is extending around the first part 1 in a direction that is
perpendicular to an
extension direction of the tube formed threaded part 15. The seal 13 which is
connected to the
fluid collection part 19 will hereby seal against the flexible sheet 71. When
mounted to a
through hole 9' in a surface lithe flexible sheet 71 will be covering at least
a part of a first
side of the surface 11. In one embodiment of the invention the flexible sheet
71 is provided in
a size such that it covers the whole surface 11, for example a bottom in a
shelf or a cabinet. In
another embodiment the flexible sheet 71 is arranged to be attached by for
example glue or
tape to the first side of the surface 11 such that leakage between the
flexible sheet 71 and the
surface is avoided. The flexible sheet 11 is water resistance.
Furthermore, in this embodiment the through hole 9' can be larger than an
outer
circumference of the fluid collection part 19 of the first part 1. The
flexible sheet 71 will keep
the fluid collection part 19 from passing through the through hole 9'. A
mounting plate 75
needs to be provided to the second part 3 in this embodiment for allowing the
first and second
9
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
parts to be connected through the through hole 9' without the second part 3
entering into the
through hole 9'. The tube formed threaded part 15 of the first part 1 is
protruding through the
mounting plate 75 when the first and second parts are connected to each other
and the
mounting plate 75 is arranged for being provided against a second side of the
surface 11 when
the fluid transferring device 5' is mounted to the through whole 9'. Hereby
the mounting plate
75 comprises an opening of a size such that the threaded part 15 of the first
part can protrude
through the opening and be connected to the second part 3 on the other side of
the mounting
plate 75 while the second part 3 is not received in said opening of the
mounting plate 75 but
will be in contact with a surface of the mounting plate 75 outside said
opening of the
mounting plate 75. Herby the second part 3 of the fluid transferring device 5'
is kept outside
the through hole 9' on the second side of the surface 11. Furthermore the
mounting plate 75 is
of a size such that it can connect and seal to the second side of the surface
11 outside said
through hole 9' and hereby be used for mounting the first and second parts to
each other
through the though hole 9', i.e. the mounting plate 75 needs to reach outside
the through hole
9' at least on two opposite sides of the through hole 9'. If the through hole
9' is circular the
mounting plate 75 needs to have a length in at least one direction being
slightly larger than the
diameter of the through hole 9'. The mounting plate 75 can be for example
rectangular, square
or circular. If the mounting plate 75 is circular it needs to have a larger
diameter than the
through hole 9'. Furthermore the mounting plate 75 is more rigid than the
flexible sheet 71.
Thanks to the flexibility of the flexible sheet 71 and the size of the through
hole 9' and the
rigidity and size of the mounting plate 75 the first and second parts 1, 3 can
be tightened
towards each other a little bit more than in the previously described
embodiments. Hereby the
flexible sheet 71 will provide an inclination towards the fluid collection
part 19 of the first
part 1 in the area above the through hole 9'. Hereby collection of possible
fluid on the surface
will be facilitated. Possible drainage will be guided towards the outlet with
this system
according to the invention.
Further according to the invention a method for mounting a fluid transferring
device 5; 5'
according to any one of the previously described embodiments is provided. Said
method
comprises the steps of:
- providing a through hole 9; 9' in a surface 11 and
- connecting the first part 1 of the fluid transferring device 5; 5'
to the second part 3 of
the fluid transferring device 5; 5' through said through hole 9; 9' such that
the first
CA 03019633 2018-10-01
WO 2017/176188
PCT/SE2017/050283
part 1 is provided on a first side of the surface 11 and the second part 3 is
provided on
a second side of the surface 11.
In the embodiment of the fluid transferring device 5' described in relation to
Figure 6a-6d the
method for mounting the fluid transferring device 5' further comprises the
steps of:
- providing a through hole 9' in the surface 11 being larger than an outer
circumference
of the fluid collection part 19;
- providing a flexible sheet 71 to the first part 1 of the fluid
transferring device 5'
through which flexible sheet 71 a part of the first part 1 is protruding,
wherein the
flexible sheet 71 is arranged for being provided covering at least a part of a
first side
of the surface 11 when the fluid transferring device 5' is mounted to the
through hole
9' and wherein the seal 13 will be sealing towards the flexible sheet 71 when
the first
and second parts are connected to each other;
- providing a mounting plate 75 to the second part 3, through which
mounting plate 75 a
part of the first part 1 is protruding when the first and second parts are
connected to
each other, wherein said mounting plate 75 is arranged for being provided
against a
second side of the surface 11 when the fluid transferring device 5' is mounted
to the
through whole 9'; and
- tightening the connection between the first and second parts 1, 3 such
that the flexible
sheet 71 will deform in a section covering the through hole 9' and the fluid
collection
part 19 will be provided within the through hole 9' at a level between a first
side and a
second side of the surface 11.
By this deformation of the flexible sheet 71 provided when tightening the
first and second
parts to each other an inclination towards the fluid collection part 19 is
provided and fluid
collection is facilitated.
11
