Mounting device for securing a sink to a countertop and method of using same

A method of using a clamp assembly to secure a sink to a countertop,

• the sink including a bowl having a peripherally extending rim adapted to engage an upper surface of the countertop and a bracket mounted to a side of said bowl at a location below said rim, the clamp assembly including,
• a bolt having a bolt head and a threaded portion, a hanger member configured to engage said bracket and couple the hanger member thereto and having a threaded bore size to threadedly receive the threaded portion of the bolt therein, whereby when the hanger member is secured to the bracket the rotation of the bolt in a first direction moves the threaded portion through the threaded bore towards the sink rim, a movable clip member adapted to engage an underside of the countertop, the movable clip member including a base having an opening therethrough positioned on an axis and sized to permit substantially free sliding movement of the threaded portion of the bolt therein while preventing movement of the head therethrough, an arm member extending longitudinally generally in a direction of said axis from the base and including a projecting flange configured to engage at least one of said hanger member, said bracket, said bowl and said bolt at a limit position to prevent further rotation of the clip in the first direction,
• said sink being secured to the countertop by the steps of:
• (a) forming a hole in said countertop sized to receive the bowl therein in a complementary fit manner;
• (b) Inserting the bowl into the hole to position the rim in engagement with the upper surface;
• and
• (c) With the hanger member secured to the bracket and the threaded portion of the bolt inserted through the opening and into threaded engagement with the threaded bore, rotating the bolt in the first direction to move the bolt axially toward the sink rim to axially move the clip into engagement with the underside of the countertop, and wherein the rotation of the clip about the axis moves the projecting flange into engagement with said at least one of said hanger member, said bracket, said bowl and said bolt to maintain said clip at said limit position as said clip is moved axially.

In combination, a sink and a mounting device for securing the sink to a countertop, the mounting device comprising a bracket secured to a side portion of the sink, a movable clip and a hanger assembly for coupling the movable clip to the bracket,

• The movable clip being adapted to engage an underside of the countertop and including a base having a through-opening therethrough positioned on an axis and an arm member extending generally in a direction of said axis longitudinally from the base,
• the hanger assembly including a hanger member having an axially aligned internally threaded bore therethrough, and a bolt having a threaded portion and a bolt head, the threaded portion having a diameter selected to permit its sliding axial movement in the through-opening and its threaded engagement with the threaded bore, the bolt head having enlarged diameter portion selected larger than the through-opening, wherein with the threaded portion of the bolt slid axially through the through-opening and into threaded engagement with the threaded bore the engagement of the bolt head with the base as the bolt is rotated in a first direction about the axis urges the clip axially towards the countertop, and at least one of the movable clip, bracket and hanger member including a projecting flange configured to prevent further rotation of said movable clip member in the first direction beyond a limit position as the bolt is rotated.