L-Shaped Drainage Fitting With Removable One-Way Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plumbing traps under sinks, baths, and showers are prone to blockages due to lime scale, soap scum, and hair buildup, leading to drainage issues and noxious odor leakage, often requiring hazardous chemicals for clearance, and occupy valuable space.
Innovation Solution
A plumbing drainage fitting with a removable one-way valve that eliminates the need for a water seal, allowing for easy blockage clearance and preventing backflow, featuring a hollow elongate body with a maintenance access port and an outlet port connectable to a downstream waste system, utilizing a duckbill valve to ensure one-directional fluid flow and prevent odor return.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional P-trap is used to provide water seal and prevent backflow, then odor prevention is improved, but space occupation increases and blockage clearance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the water seal function from the traditional P-trap structure and replaces it with a mechanical one-way valve (flap valve). The valve member is hinged to oscillate between a closed position blocking the flow path and an open position allowing flow, eliminating the need for water accumulation and reducing space requirements while maintaining odor prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the hydraulic sealing mechanism (water seal) with a mechanical valve system. The flap valve uses mechanical motion (oscillation between open and closed positions) to control flow and prevent backflow, substituting the passive water barrier with an active mechanical component that occupies less space.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional P-trap is used to prevent backflow, then odor containment is improved, but blockage clearance requires hazardous chemicals
Solution Approach 1:
The one-way valve design allows waste to flow through in one direction while automatically preventing backflow. The valve member oscillates open to allow drainage and automatically closes to prevent odor return, creating a self-regulating system that maintains odor containment without requiring chemical interventions for routine operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve member is designed to be dynamic, oscillating between open and closed positions based on flow direction. This dynamic behavior allows the system to adapt to varying flow conditions, enabling easy clearance of blockages by simply restoring flow to push the valve open, without needing chemical dissolving solutions.
3Reliability
If a conventional P-trap is used to provide water seal, then backflow prevention is improved, but maintenance access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage system is segmented into modular components: the main body housing and the removable valve assembly. The valve member can be accessed by removing the body, allowing easy maintenance, repair, or replacement of the valve component without replacing the entire drainage assembly, while maintaining reliable backflow prevention when installed.
4Volume of moving object
If a compact drainage fitting is used to reduce space, then space efficiency is improved, but flow path complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple functions into a single compact component: the one-way valve simultaneously provides backflow prevention, odor containment, and automated flow control. This consolidation achieves space efficiency by integrating functions that would traditionally require separate components, while the simple L-shaped flow path minimizes 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 solution provides a compact, chemical-free solution for blockage clearance and odor prevention, ensuring efficient drainage and reducing space requirements, while maintaining effective fluid flow and odor containment.
Implementation Method 1
a removable one-way valve, which is insertable and removable via the first open end, wherein the one-way valve comprises a hollow elongate body section and a valve member, wherein the one-way valve is operable to permit flow in a direction from the inlet port to the outlet port and is operable to prevent backflow from the outlet port to the inlet port
Data Source
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AI summary
A plumbing drainage fitting (10) is configured to be installed to an outlet of a sanitary ware product such as a wash basin, a sink, a shower or a bath. The plumbing drainage fitting (10) comprises a hollow elongate body (12) comprising a first open end (14), a second open end (166) and an inlet port (18). The inlet port (18) is proximate the first open end (14). A removable one-way valve (22) is insertable and removable via the first open end (14) such that the first open end (14) provides a cleaning access. The second open end (16) provides an outlet port (16), which is connectable to a downstream waste system. The inlet port (18) is provided through the hollow elongate body (12) and opens into an upstream end of the one-way valve (22) such that a substantially L-shaped flow path is defined from the inlet port (14) to the outlet port (16). The one-way valve (22) is operable to permit flow in a direction from the inlet port (18) to the outlet port (16) and is operable to prevent backflow from the outlet port (16) to the inlet port (18).