Shower Siphon Check Block With Rigid Cartridge Odor Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing siphons for shower trays face issues with allowing bad odors to rise due to membrane damage, misalignment, and manufacturing defects, and have limited watertightness, leading to ineffective odor blocking and maintenance challenges.
Innovation Solution
A siphon with a rigid cartridge and flexible hinge ensures proper positioning and sealing, preventing odor rise through pre-tensioning and a peripheral seal, and simplifies installation and maintenance with a handling tab for easy insertion and removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If elastically deformable material is used for the non-return block, then the block can be inserted into the siphon, but gaps are created between the block and siphon walls allowing odors to pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The non-return block is divided into a rigid body portion and a separate sealing element (membrane or lip). The rigid body provides structural stability and proper positioning, while the separate sealing element makes contact with the siphon walls to prevent odor passage, eliminating the gap creation problem of fully deformable materials.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the non-return block have different properties: the main body is rigid for stable positioning and alignment, while specific local regions (sealing surfaces, membranes, or lips) are made flexible or deformable to ensure tight contact with the siphon walls and effective sealing against odors.
2Productivity
If membranes are made movable to allow water flow, then water evacuation is enabled, but the membranes can be damaged by contact with siphon walls
Solution Approach 1:
Protective features are built into the design beforehand to prevent membrane damage. This includes providing sufficient clearance between the membrane and siphon walls, designing the membrane path to avoid direct contact with sharp edges, and creating a protective housing or guide structure that cushions the membrane during insertion and operation, preventing damage while maintaining sealing capability.
3Ease of operation
If the non-return block is made of elastically deformable material, then misalignment during insertion is compensated, but permanent separation of membranes occurs allowing odor passage
Solution Approach 1:
The non-return block is segmented into a rigid structural portion that maintains alignment and a separate membrane portion that provides sealing. The rigid portion prevents misalignment and permanent separation, while the membrane maintains its sealing function without suffering from the alignment issues that plague fully deformable designs.
4Ease of operation
If a hinge with spaced mounting points is used for the valve, then the valve can pivot for operation, but gaps are created allowing air and odors to enter
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a rigid hinge with spaced mounting points, a flexible membrane or thin film structure is used for the valve. This flexible element can pivot or deform to allow operation while maintaining continuous contact with the sealing surface, preventing gaps from forming and blocking odors effectively throughout the valve's range of motion.
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 effectively blocks bad odors in all circumstances, ensures reliable installation, and extends the lifespan of the non-return block by preventing deformation and damage, while simplifying handling and reducing manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a non-return valve (12) mounted to pivot on the cartridge (11) between a closed position in which it blocks fluid passage from the first opening (1111a) to the second opening (1112a) and an open position in which it allows fluid passage
Implementation Method 2
The hinge (123) is pre-tensioned so as to constrain the non-return valve (12) in its closed position in the absence of fluid from the first opening (1111a)
Implementation Method 3
The water to be drained from the shower tray exerts pressure on the first inclined portions so as to position them substantially straight
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a non-return block (1) intended to be mounted in a shower tray siphon, the siphon comprising: - a body intended to be housed in a drain hole of a shower tray; - a tube extending the body to a pipe, the block (1) comprising: - a rigid cartridge (11) intended to be inserted into the tube, the cartridge (11) having a first opening (1111a) facing towards the body and a second opening (1112a) opposite to the first opening (1111a); - a valve (12) rotatably mounted on the cartridge (11) between: - a closed position in which it prevents fluid passage from the second opening (1112a) to the first opening (1111a), and - a passage position in which it allows fluid passage from the first opening (1111a) to the second opening (1112a), the cartridge (11) having a manipulation tab (114).