Hinged overflow pan
OwnerLeonard Steinberginventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The operation of certain appliances and machinery includes the flow of water through the appliance or storage of fluid within the appliance, leading to the risk of significant fluid leakage. An overflow pan may be provided beneath the appliance to contain any fluid leakage. The overflow pan may include a movable portion which is configured to permit passage of a horizontally-extending portion of the appliance, such as a drawer. This movable member may be biased to return to a closed position when the horizontally-extending portion of the appliance is retracted, so as to form a fluid-retaining seal with the remainder of the overflow pan.
Claims27
An overflow pan, comprising:
- a substantially flat base portion;
- a sidewall structure extending transversely upward from the base to define a fluid-retaining basin, the sidewall structure comprising:
- a first portion permanently affixed to the base portion;
- a second portion connectively affixed to the base portion and movable between a first position in which the second portion is positioned relative to the first portion so as to maintain a fluid-tight seal between the second portion and the first portion, and a second position in which at least part of the second portion is spaced apart from the first portion, and wherein the second portion is biased to return to said first position;
- and
- a lip extending generally horizontally outward from at least a portion of an upper edge of the second portion in a direction in which the second portion is movable, wherein:
- the second portion is configured to interact with an outwardly extending portion of an appliance disposed within the fluid-retaining basin to move the second portion towards the second position to permit extension of the longitudinally extending portion beyond the second portion of the sidewall;
- and
- the lip is configured to interact with the longitudinally extending portion of the appliance to move the second portion towards the second position to permit retraction of the outwardly extending portion of the applicance.
An overflow pan configured to permit the passage of a longitudinally extending portion of an appliance seated within the pan, the overflow pan comprising:
- a base, said base comprising a laterally extending side;
- a sidewall extending upward from the base, said sidewall comprising:
- a first portion fixed relative to the base;
- a second portion connected to the laterally extending side of the base via a hinge at the base of the first portion;
- and
- a lip extending horizontally outward from an upper edge of the second portion;
- and
- a biasing structure configured to pull the second portion into an upright position wherein the second portion cooperates with the base and the first portion of the sidewall to define a fluid-retaining space;
- wherein the second portion is configured to interact with a longitudinally extending portion of an appliance positioned within the pan to rotate the second portion of the sidewall about the hinge into a lowered position so as to permit the extension of the longitudinally extending portion of the appliance, and wherein the lip is configured to interact with the longitudinally extending portion of the appliance to rotate the second portion of the sidewall about the hinge into a lowered position so as to permit the retraction of the longitudinally extending portion of the appliance.
A hinged containment pan, comprising:
- a base, said base comprising a front side, two lateral sides, and a back side;
- a sidewall extending around the sides of the base, wherein at least a portion of the sidewall adjacent the front side of the base is movable relative to the remainder of the sidewall to permit extension of a portion of an appliance seated within the pan to a location outside of the sidewall;
- a lip extending generally horizontally outward from an upper edge of the movable portion of the sidewall in a direction in which the movable portion of the sidewall is movable, wherein the lip is configured to interact with the extendable portion of the appliance to displace the movable portion of the sidewall and allow retraction of the extendable portion of the appliance to a location within the sidewall;
- and
- a connector extending between the movable portion of the sidewall and a fixed component of the containment pan, wherein the connector is configured to exert a force on the movable portion to pull said movable portion towards a position in which the movable portion cooperates with the remainder of the sidewall to retain fluid within the containment pan.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.