Push-in closet flange
OwnerB. Eugene Hodgesinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closet flange having a shoulder and a body portion extending therefrom, the body portion having a substantially cylindrical upstream portion and a smooth tapered downstream portion, the downstream portion configured to receive an elastic o-ring. The o-ring travels up the tapered portion as the closet flange is inserted into a drain pipe, providing an increasingly tighter seal between the closet flange and the pipe. O-rings of various outer diameters may be provided to accommodate pipes having different internal diameters. The flange is installed without tools by pushing the flange into the end of the pipe until the desired tightness is achieved.
Claims9
A closet flange for insertion into a drain pipe, comprising:
- a shoulder portion having a plurality of openings for accommodating means for securing the flange to a floor;
- a body portion extending from the shoulder portion in a downstream direction and defining an axis, said body portion having an upstream portion adjacent the shoulder portion and a downstream portion, said upstream portion being substantially cylindrical and having a constant outer diameter in the axial direction, said downstream portion being tapered such that its outside diameter increases in the upstream direction;
- and
- a toroidal o-ring disposed about the body downstream portion to provide a compression fit between the flange and the drain pipe, the o-ring being of sufficient elasticity to travel in an upstream direction along the downstream portion as the flange is inserted into the pipe to provide an increasingly tighter fit.
A system for connecting a plumbing fixture to drain pipes of varying diameters, the system comprising:
- a closet flange for insertion into a drain pipe, said closet flange comprising a shoulder portion having a plurality of openings for accommodating means for securing the flange to a floor and means for securing a plumbing fixture to the flange, a body portion extending from the shoulder portion in a downstream direction and defining an axis, said body portion having an upstream portion adjacent the shoulder portion and a downstream portion adjacent the upstream portion, said upstream portion being substantially cylindrical and having a constant outer diameter in the axial direction, said downstream portion being tapered such that its outside diameter increases in the upstream direction;
- and
- a plurality of toroidal o-rings of varying outer diameters to accommodate varying drain pipe inside diameters, said O-rings configured to be disposed about the flange body downstream portion to provide a compression fit between the flange and a drain pipe, the o-rings being of sufficient elasticity to travel in an upstream direction along the downstream portion as the flange is inserted into a drain pipe to provide an increasingly tighter fit.
A closet flange for insertion into a drain pipe, said closet flange comprising:
- a body having an upstream portion and an adjacent downstream portion, said upstream portion having a cylindrical inner wall and a cylindrical outer wall, said downstream portion having a cylindrical inner wall of the same inner diameter as the upstream inner wall, said downstream portion having an outer wall tapered in the downstream direction;
- a shoulder portion extending radially from an end of the upstream portion away from the downstream portion, said shoulder portion having a plurality of openings disposed therein for accommodating means for securing the flange to a floor;
- and
- a toroidal o-ring disposed about the downstream portion to provide a compression fit between the flange and the drain pipe, the o-ring being of sufficient elasticity to travel in an upstream direction along the tapered outer wall as the flange is inserted into the pipe to provide an increasingly tighter fit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.