Removable Drain Strainer Assembly for Easy Sink Stopper Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bathroom sink stopper assemblies often misalign, leading to improper sealing, clogging issues due to hair and foreign objects, and difficulty in accessing and replacing the strainer for cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A stopper assembly with a removable strainer cartridge that allows for efficient, sanitary replacement of the strainer element without direct contact with debris, featuring a detachable strainer coupled to the stopper head and a supplemental strainer device downstream for enhanced functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional stopper assembly is used, then the stopper can seal the drain, but the strainer becomes difficult to access for cleaning and replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper assembly is divided into separate functional components: a stopper body, a strainer cartridge, and a strainer element. The strainer cartridge can be detached from the stopper body and the strainer element can be removed from the cartridge independently, allowing easy access for cleaning without disassembling the entire assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The strainer element is extracted as a separate removable component from the strainer cartridge. This allows the strainer to be easily removed for cleaning by simply detaching it from the cartridge, which remains attached to the stopper body, providing direct access without complex disassembly.
2Ease of manufacture
If the strainer is permanently attached to the stopper head, then the structure is simpler, but replacement and cleaning become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The assembly is segmented into a stopper head, a strainer cartridge, and a strainer element that can be independently removed. This segmentation maintains structural simplicity while enabling easy replacement of the strainer by detaching it from the cartridge without affecting the stopper head.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between components is made dynamic rather than permanent. The strainer element can be easily detached from the cartridge, and the cartridge can be detached from the stopper head, allowing flexible maintenance while maintaining a simple overall structure during normal operation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the stopper head is permanently fixed to the stopper body, then alignment is maintained, but maintenance and replacement require full disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper assembly is segmented into a stopper body and a stopper head that can be selectively detached. This allows the stopper head to be removed for maintenance while the stopper body remains in place, maintaining alignment during operation but enabling easy access for repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the stopper head and body is made dynamically adjustable. The components can be firmly connected during operation to maintain alignment, but can be easily separated when maintenance is needed, providing both stability and ease of repair.
4Device complexity
If a single strainer is used, then the structure is simpler, but one strainer cannot provide both primary straining and supplemental filtration
Solution Approach 1:
The strainer system is designed with multi-functionality. The strainer cartridge provides primary straining and can be removed for cleaning, while a supplemental strainer device remains attached to the stopper body to provide additional filtration. This allows different filtration functions to be performed simultaneously with coordinated maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtration system is segmented into a primary strainer in the removable cartridge and a supplemental strainer on the stopper body. This segmentation allows each strainer to perform specific filtration functions while enabling independent access and cleaning of the primary strainer without affecting the supplemental one.
Data Source
AI summary
A stopper assembly for a drain system of a fluid basin includes a stopper head having a seal to sealingly engage the drain system of the fluid basin when the stopper assembly is moved from a drain position to a plug position and a strainer to strain fluid passing through the drain system when the stopper head is in a drain position. The stopper head assembly further includes a stopper body operably coupleable to a control element to move the assembly between the drain position and the plug position. The stopper body may be detachably coupled to the stopper head and/or the strainer to enable selective removal of the stopper head and the strainer from the stopper body when the stopper body is installed for use and coupled to the control element.