Laundry room washbasin

Abstract

A laundry room washbasin (1), comprising a washbasin body (2) adapted to form an internal basin delimited by four side walls, a pair of lateral guides (5) being arranged inside the basin of the washbasin, adjacent to the side walls and facing each other; the lateral guides (5) each have a recess (9) which is arranged so as to face a wall of the basin of the washbasin and is adapted to allow a board (7) to rest in such a way that the board is, in an inactive condition, accommodated substantially adjacent to the wall of the washbasin that faces the recess (9).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a laundry room washbasin. More specifically, the invention relates to a washbasin that improves the efficiency and practicality of operation of a domestic laundry room.

[0002] As is known, the laundry room washbasins currently available on the market are for the most part designed to perform some basic functions, such as washing and draining, and do not cater to any ergonomic or multifunctional aspect.

[0003] Known types of laundry room washbasin models have limitations in terms of integrated accessories and ease of use, and are therefore not very practical for the daily needs of users.

[0004] The known type of laundry room washbasin generally comprises a basin 100 (see Figure 1) made of ceramic or composite material, by means of a shell mold into which the viscous material is introduced by pouring or injection.

[0005] The product resulting from the molding process is a basin for collecting water, composed of an inclined bottom 101 from which four perimeter walls rise, two lateral walls, a rear wall and a front wall, all mutually connected by means of blended surfaces. The four perimeter walls, which slope outward, converge in the upper part in one or more horizontal planes on which a space can be obtained to be adapted for mounting the mixer.

[0006] With respect to the other three walls, the front wall 102 has a steeper inclination starting from approximately the halfway point of its height. Furthermore, usually it is provided on its surface with geometric protrusions which are designed for pretreating or treating clothes.

[0007] In some cases, this upper surface is not integrated in the structure of the front wall and some designers opt to provide an accessory board, which can be removed, to be installed for the purpose of washing clothes by hand.

[0008] Laundry room washbasins 200 that use structures of this type (see Figure 2) are generally provided with guides or supports 201, provided adjacent to the two side walls, which are located inside the washing basin.

[0009] These are designed so that they present a seat, the geometry of which makes it possible to place a board 202 (i.e. the surface on which the clothes can be washed) in two operating positions, so allowing different use cases.

[0010] The board can therefore be arranged in a resting position, in which it is arranged in a horizontal position with respect to the bottom of the washbasin, so that it can be used for placing buckets / sponges / detergents etc.

[0011] The board can also be arranged in an operating position, inclining it toward the bottom of the basin, so as to render the washbasin more suitable for pretreatment, treatment or washing operations.

[0012] The solutions described above do not allow for the board to be conveniently accommodated inside the basin of the washbasin so as not to present an obstruction when the board itself is in a position of non-use.

[0013] For the user, this means it is necessary to place the board somewhere else, with the difficulty of locating suitable locations and, especially, it means the board is not immediately available when it is needed.

[0014] The aim of the present invention is to provide a laundry room washbasin wherein the board on which pretreatment, treatment and washing operations can be performed on an item of clothing, can be placed in the inactive position without needing to remove it from the washbasin proper.

[0015] Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a laundry room washbasin, of which placement in the operating position occurs extremely rapidly, as does its placement in a position of non-use.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a laundry room washbasin that is highly reliable, easily and practically implemented, and at low cost.

[0017] This aim and these and other objects which will become more apparent hereinafter are achieved by a laundry room washbasin, comprising a washbasin body adapted to form an internal basin delimited by four side walls, a pair of lateral guides being arranged inside the basin of the washbasin, adjacent to the side walls and facing each other, characterized in that said lateral guides each have a recess which is arranged so as to face a wall of the basin of the washbasin and is adapted to allow a board to rest in such a way that said board is, in an inactive condition, accommodated substantially adjacent to the wall of said washbasin that faces said recess.

[0018] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the laundry room washbasin according to the present invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a laundry room washbasin according to the known art; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a laundry room washbasin according to the known art; Figure 3 is a first perspective view of a laundry room washbasin according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a second perspective view of the laundry room washbasin according to the present invention; Figure 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the laundry room washbasin according to the present invention; Figure 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the laundry room washbasin according to the present invention in a first operating configuration; Figure 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the laundry room washbasin according to the present invention in a second operating configuration; Figure 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the laundry room washbasin according to the present invention in a third configuration, of non-use of the board.

[0019] With reference to the figures, the laundry room washbasin according to the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a washbasin body 2 constituted by four walls which are adapted to define the containment basin of the washbasin. Conveniently, the end wall of the washbasin, 3, has an upper surface 4 which is adapted to accommodate a mixer or the like.

[0020] According to the invention, the washbasin body 2 is provided inside with a pair of lateral guides 5 arranged internally on the side walls of the washbasin body 2 and facing each other, which have a first recess 6 which makes it possible to arrange a supporting board 7 in the operating position, in which the board is inclined with respect to the bottom of the washbasin body 2, and in a resting position, in which the board 7 is arranged horizontally with respect to the bottom surface of the washbasin.

[0021] Conveniently, the lateral guides 5 have an additional recess 9 arranged in a position facing the front or rear wall of the washbasin (in the embodiment in the figures, the recess 9 is arranged at the front wall of the washbasin) and constituted by a bottom surface which is inclined with respect to the rear or front wall of the washbasin and which is connected to a wall 10 that is also inclined and divergent with respect to the rear or front wall of the washbasin.

[0022] In this manner, the recess 9 provides a resting position for the board 7, a position in which the board is accommodated inside the basin of the washbasin body 2; it is therefore possible to use the washbasin as normal, without using the board 7, and with the board 7 accommodated substantially adjacent to a wall of the washbasin that is facing the recess 9. In this position the board 7 does not present an encumbrance inside the basin of the washbasin, and furthermore it is readily available to the user.

[0023] The wall 10 of the hollow or recess 9, which has an inclination that diverges with respect to the angle of the wall which it faces, makes it possible to ensure a suitable draft angle for the extraction of the washbasin from the mold and so enable the industrialization thereof.

[0024] The laundry room washbasin according to the invention therefore allows three operating configurations, specifically: a first operating configuration, in which the board 7 is in the resting position, i.e. horizontal with respect to the bottom of the washbasin body 2 and resting on the upper surface of the lateral guides 5, so that it can be used for placing buckets / sponges / detergents etc.; a second operating position, in which the board 7 is arranged inclined toward the inside of the washbasin body 2, placed inside the first recess 6, so as to render the washbasin ready for the pretreatment, treatment or washing operations that are performed on the board 7; and a resting position, in which the board 7 is arranged inside the washbasin body 2, lodged in the recess 9 and arranged adjacent to the wall of the washbasin that faces the recess 9, so that it does not need to be removed in order for the washbasin to be used for purposes other than those mentioned above, and also it is possible to take advantage of the full capacity of the basin of the washbasin body 2.

[0025] In practice it has been found that the laundry room washbasin according to the present invention fully achieves the set aim and objects, in that it makes it possible to accommodate a board inside the washbasin body, without the board presenting an encumbrance for the operator when he or she wishes to use the washbasin in a configuration in which the board does not need to be used.

[0026] The laundry room washbasin thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

[0027] Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

[0028] In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and to the state of the art.

[0029] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102024000022653 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0030] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A laundry room washbasin (1), comprising a washbasin body (2) adapted to form an internal basin delimited by four side walls, a pair of lateral guides (5) being arranged inside the basin of the washbasin, adjacent to the side walls and facing each other, characterized in that said lateral guides (5) each have a recess (9) which is arranged so as to face a wall of the basin of the washbasin and is adapted to allow a board (7) to rest in such a way that said board is, in an inactive condition, accommodated substantially adjacent to the wall of said washbasin that faces said recess (9).

2. The washbasin according to claim 1, characterized in that said recess (9) has a sloping surface which has a different inclination with respect to the wall of the washbasin with which it is blended.

3. The washbasin according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said recess (9) has a wall (10) that is blended with said sloping surface, the inclination of which is also divergent with respect to the inclination of the wall of the washbasin body (2) which it faces.

4. The washbasin according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said wall that is blended with said recess (9) is a front wall of the washbasin.

5. The washbasin according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said wall of the washbasin that faces said sloping surface of said recess (9) is a rear wall of said washbasin.

6. The washbasin according to claim 1, characterized in that said lateral guides (5) have, at their top, an additional recess (6) adapted to allow the board (7) to rest at an angle with respect to the bottom of said washbasin body (2).

7. The washbasin according to claim 1, characterized in that said lateral guides (5) have a flat upper surface adapted to allow a resting position of said board (7) in which said board is horizontal with respect to the bottom of said washbasin body (2).

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