Adjustable Drain Assembly With Telescoping Ratchet Locking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Installing drain assemblies, such as bath tub waste and overflow assemblies, is challenging due to difficulties in measuring and tightening components within limited spaces, leading to unsatisfactory results, especially with solvent joint waste assemblies and slip joint assemblies that are hard to test or snake.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable drain assembly featuring a T-shaped conduit with springable flanges and slidable collets that allow for adjustable overflow, drain, and outflow arms, enabling tool-free installation and adjustment within a telescoping channel, using ratcheting interlockable grooves and collet rings to secure attachments in user-settable locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If solvent joint waste assemblies are used, then the assembly can be installed, but it is difficult to measure and messy to glue, leading to unsatisfactory results
Solution Approach 1:
The drain arm and overflow riser are designed with telescoping capability, allowing them to dynamically adjust their lengths to fit different installation spaces. The springable flanges enable the assembly to flex and adapt during installation, eliminating the need for precise pre-measurement and gluing while ensuring a proper fit in various configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly allows for parameter changes in length through the telescoping mechanism, where the drain arm and overflow riser can be extended or retracted to match the required dimensions. This eliminates the need for precise manufacturing measurements, as the parameters can be adjusted on-site during installation.
2Ease of manufacture
If slip joint assemblies are used, then the assembly can be installed, but it is difficult to tighten within the installation site
Solution Approach 1:
The springable flanges provide self-tightening functionality through their elastic properties. When the drain arm is inserted into the main body, the springable flanges automatically compress and exert radial force to secure the connection, eliminating the need for manual tightening operations in difficult-to-reach installation locations.
3Ease of manufacture
If slip waste assembly is used, then the assembly can be installed, but it is not advisable to test or snake
Solution Approach 1:
The drain arm is designed with a curved or angled configuration rather than a straight slip joint, providing a more robust structural path that can withstand the mechanical stresses of hydrostatic testing and snaking operations. The curved design distributes forces more effectively and prevents the weak points associated with traditional slip joint connections.
4Productivity
If traditional drain assemblies are used, then the assembly can be installed, but cutting and measuring are required, reducing installation efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The drain assembly is segmented into modular components (main body, drain arm, overflow riser) that can be independently adjusted and assembled. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for adjustability without requiring complex cutting and measuring operations, thereby improving installation efficiency while maintaining manageable device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The adjustable drain assembly improves installation efficiency, allows for precise adjustments without cutting or measuring, and withstands hydrostatic testing, making it durable enough for snaking, while being applicable to various drain types and installations.
Implementation Method 1
a first series of springable flanges extending from a first end of the T-shaped conduit
Implementation Method 2
a slidable collet disposable about an exterior face of the first series of springable flanges and configured to retain the first and second series of extension calibration elements in fixed interlocking relation
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable drain assembly is disclosed. The adjustable drain assembly may have a main drain body with a series of springable flanges and extension calibration elements. Other components of the adjustable drain assembly may provide fluid conduits from various drains, such as of a bath tub, and may connect to the main drain body. These other components may be insertable into the springable flanges and may have extension calibration elements interlockable with the extension calibration elements of the main body. A collet may be disposable about the springable flanges and configured to retain the extension calibration elements in fixed interlocking relation. In this manner, the other components may be adjustably positioned in lengthwise relation relative to the main drain body, then secured in position by the fixation of the extension calibration elements in fixed interlocking relation.