Floor Drain With Cuttable Inlet Pipe For Precise Height Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing floor drain systems face challenges in ensuring a defined distance between the inlet opening and the floor surface during installation, leading to potential leaks or obstruction issues due to uncertain installation depth and the need for tedious height adjustments.

Innovation Solution

A floor drain system with an adjustable inlet pipe made of cuttable material, allowing for easy height adjustment and level alignment, along with height-adjustable mounting elements and a sealing collar that ensures a watertight connection and prevents obstruction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the inlet opening of the siphon is embedded in the floor layer without protruding to the floor surface, then the floor layer can be continuously poured without interruption, but the installation depth becomes undefined and the craftsman cannot guarantee a tight connection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontinuous floor layer pouringVSAvoidinstallation depth definition
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by providing guidance marks on the drain body that indicate the correct insertion depth of the plug before installation. This allows the craftsman to achieve precise installation depth definition while maintaining continuous floor layer pouring capability, as the guidance marks are provided in advance on the drain body structure itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the plug is inserted deeply into the inlet opening to prevent floor surface lifting, then the watertight connection is improved, but the liquid passage of the siphon may be obstructed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewatertight connectionVSAvoiddischarge capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by providing guidance marks that indicate the precise insertion depth before installation. This prevents both insufficient insertion (which would allow floor lifting) and excessive insertion (which would obstruct the siphon liquid passage), thereby ensuring both reliable watertight connection and maintained discharge capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The guidance marks on the drain body provide visual feedback to the craftsman during installation, indicating the correct insertion depth. This feedback mechanism ensures that the plug is inserted to the precise depth that guarantees both watertight connection and unobstructed liquid passage, preventing both insufficient and excessive insertion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If the siphon is provided with two flanges for height adjustment, then the installation flexibility is improved, but the flange must be removed before pouring which complicates the installation process

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheight adjustment flexibilityVSAvoidinstallation process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the height adjustment function into two independent components: the drain body with fixed flanges and the separately replaceable plug with guidance marks. This allows the drain body to maintain its structural integrity with flanges for height adjustment, while the plug can be independently inserted to the correct depth without removing any flanges, simplifying the installation process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3031990B1Floor drain
Publication Date: 2020.03.18 HL HUTTERER & LECHNER GMBH
  • EP3031990B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3031990B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4
  • EP3031990B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The invention relates to a floor drain (1) for sanitary areas for installation in a floor (100) with a floor layer height (105) and a floor surface (110), comprising a drain body (30) with a connection (31) to a drain pipe (150) and an inlet pipe (32) communicating with the connection (31) and extending upwards in the installation position (200) of the drain body (30), as well as a waterproof flexible layer (50) that can be applied to the floor surface (110) and has a sealing sleeve (60) that can be inserted into the inlet pipe (32) of the drain body (30).The drain body (30) has a drain body height (35) measured from its underside (36) to an upper edge (37) of the inlet pipe (32), which is greater than the soil layer height (105), measured from a base surface (101) of the soil (100), optionally less a mounting distance (25) of the drain body (30) to the base surface (101), wherein the inlet pipe (32) is made of a material that can be cut by saw or knife. Furthermore, a method for installing a floor drain (1) is described.