fixation structure for a faucet

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to anassembly for installing and mounting a faucet, and more particularly, to anassembly that enables quick installation of a faucet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Faucet is a common cleaning device that provides water and is typically installed in locations such as restrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas. Faucets come in various types, one of the most common being those fixed on a countertop. Users control the water flow and temperature by adjusting the lever.

To mount the faucet on the countertop, as disclosed in US 8,925,571B2 and US 2019/0119888A1, the structure generally involves the faucet being fitted into a sleeve, which passes through the countertop and abuts against the countertop. Below the countertop, a fastening component is used to secure the sleeve (and the faucet) to the countertop. As disclosed in US 2013/0048100A1, two long rods with external threads are passed through the countertop, and with the use of two clamps below the countertop, fastening can be performed directly on the countertop, which simplifies the fastening process.

However, whether fastening is performed above or below the countertop, it requires considerable time due to the long threaded travel necessary for securing, making the installation time-consuming. Furthermore, during the process of turning the faucet on and off, vibrations can occur, causing the fastening components to loosen. Therefore, addressing the issue of time-consuming installation and loosening caused by vibrations has become a key focus for professionals in this field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a fixation structure for a faucet is provided. The structure comprises a housing sleeve, a connecting rod and a latch component. The housing sleeve includes an annular wall extending along a longitudinal axis for fitting a faucet, a hollow portion defined within the annular wall and penetrating along the longitudinal axis, and a securing block positioned within the hollow portion and affixed to the annular wall. The securing block has a positioning hole penetrating along the longitudinal axis. The connecting rod comprises a rod body extending along the longitudinal axis and a connecting portion. The rod body has a head portion inserted into the securing block of the housing sleeve and a bottom portion extended from the head portion, with the connecting portion extending transversely with respect to the rod body. The latch component comprises a first section and a second section. The first and second sections are spaced apart laterally and each has a first lateral hole and a second lateral hole. The first and second lateral holes are coaxially aligned to allow insertion of the connecting portion, so that the bottom portion of the rod body is positioned between the first and second sections, and the latch component is rotatably connected to the connecting rod using the connecting portion as a pivot. At least one of the first and second sections has a long edge larger than a maximum width of the connecting rod and a short edge smaller than the long edge. The latch component has an installation position and a fixation position relative to the rod body. When the latch component is in the installation position, the long edge is parallel to the rod body with the short edge perpendicular to the rod body, and when the latch component is in the fixation position, the latch component rotates around the connecting portion such that the long edge is perpendicular to the rod body with the short edge parallel to the rod body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary assembly according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the assembly in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the assembly in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the installation sleeve in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams illustrating the installation process of the assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before turning to the figures, which illustrate exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited by the specific details or methods described or depicted in the figures. Additionally, the terminology used herein is intended for descriptive purposes only and should not be regarded as limiting.

Throughout the specification and claims, the meanings identified below are provided as illustrative examples and do not necessarily limit the terms. The term "a," "an," or "the" may include plural references, and the term "in" encompasses both "in" and "on." The phrase "in an embodiment" or "in an example," as used herein, does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example, although it may in some instances.

FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a faucet fixation structure, which is used to install a countertop mounted faucet on a countertop. The faucet fixation structure comprises a housing sleeve 10, a connecting rod 20, a latch component 30 and a resilient member 40. The housing sleeve 10 includes an annular wall 11, a hollow portion 12, and a securing block 13. The annular wall 11 extends along a longitudinal axis A_L to accommodate a faucet, the hollow portion 12 is defined within the annular wall 11 and penetrates along the longitudinal axis A_L. In an example, the longitudinal axis A_L may be defined as a vertical direction that is perpendicular to a surface plane of the countertop. The hollow portion 12 is configurated for a water pipe to pass through, which is fluidly connected to the faucet to supply water through the faucet. The securing block 13 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is affixed to the annular wall 11 and is position at a corner of the hollow portion 12. The securing block 13 has a positioning hole 14 extending along the longitudinal axis A_L, which is configured to house the connecting rod 20.

The connecting rod 20 comprises a rod body 21 and a connecting portion 22 engaged with the rod body 21. The rod body 21 extends along the longitudinal axis A_L and has a head portion 211 and a bottom portion 212. The head portion 211 is inserted into the securing block 13 of the housing sleeve 10, and the connecting portion 22 extends transversely with respect to the rod body 21. The connecting portion 22 has a through hole 221, through which the bottom portion 212 of the rod body 21 passes. The bottom portion 212 has an end portion passed over the through hole 221 of the connecting portion 22, which has a second annular groove 213 for housing a second retaining ring 23. The width of the second retaining ring 23 is larger than that of the through hole 221, such that the connecting portion 22 can be sleeved on the rod body 21 and is positioned by the second retaining ring 23.

The latch component 30 is configured to engage with the connecting rod 20 while remaining movable relative to the connecting rod 20, allowing multiple positions of the latch component 30 for installation and fixation. In the example, the latch component 30 is formed as a U-shaped sheet (in the side view of FIG. 2) extended along a lateral direction such that a first side of the latch component 30 is longer than a second side of the latch component 30 (in the front view of FIG. 2). A latch mechanism is created through rotational movement between the latch component 30 and the connecting rod 20.

The latch component 30 comprises a first section 31 and a second section 32. The first section 31 and the second section 32 are spaced apart laterally, with each having a first lateral hole 311 and a second lateral hole 321. The first lateral hole 311 and the second lateral hole 321 are coaxially aligned, allowing the connecting portion 22 to be inserted, so that the bottom portion 212 of the rod body 21 is positioned between the first section 31 and the second section 32. The latch component 30 is rotatably connected to the connecting rod 20 using the connecting portion 22 as a pivot. That is, the latch component 30 may be rotated around an axis A as shown in FIG. 2. The connecting portion 22 has a first end 222 and a second end 223. The first end 222 has a width (or a diameter) larger than that of the first lateral hole 311 and is positioned outside the first section 31, while the second end 223 has a width (or a diameter) smaller than that of the second lateral hole 321 and is positioned outside the second section 32, allowing the connecting portion 22 to be inserted into the first lateral hole 311 and the second lateral holes 321 from the second end 223. The second end 223 has a first annular groove 224 for housing a first retaining ring 24. The first retaining ring 24 has a width (or a diameter) larger than that of the second lateral hole 321, such that the connecting portion 22 can be securely positioned in the first lateral hole 311 and the second lateral holes 321 along the axis A, thereby preventing disengagement.

In the example, each of the first section 31 and the second section 32 has a long edge 33 and a short edge 34 which has a dimension smaller than the long edge 33. At least one of the long edges 33 has a width larger than a maximum width of the connecting rod 20. The maximum width of the connecting rod 20 may be defined as a maximum dimension of the connecting rod 20 in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A_L.

Each of the first section 31 and the second section 32 has a first portion 35 and a second portion 36. The second portion 36 is adjacent to and may be extended from the first portion 35. The first lateral hole 311 and the second lateral hole 321 are positioned on the first portions 35 of the first section 31 and the second section 32, and the second portions 36 of the first section 31 and the second section 32 are connected by a connecting member 37. In the example, the connecting member 37 is extended from the long edge 33 of the first section 31 to the long edge 33 of the second section 32. The first portion 35 of the second section 32 is longer than the first portion 35 of the first section 31, such that the first portion 35 of the second section 32 is acted as a latch bolt after installation.

The resilient member 40 is sleeved on the rod body 21 and comprises a top portion 41, a first fixing hook 42, a bottom portion 43, and a second fixing hook 44. In the example, the resilient member 40 may be a spiral spring. The first fixing hook 42 is formed at the top portion 41 and the second fixing hook 44 is formed at the bottom portion 43. After assembled, the top portion 41 is exposed through the positioning hole 14, and the first fixing hook 42 is latched onto a groove 132 and a notch 133 formed on a top surface 131 of the securing block 13. Both the first fixing hook 42 and the second fixing hook 44 are formed as a crook shape.

In this embodiment, at least one of the first section 31 and the second section 32 of the latch component 30 has a slot 38. In one example, the slot 38 is formed on the second section 32, which is configured to accommodate the second fixing hook 44 of the resilient member 40. The slot 38 is designed to be extended along an arcuate path, which is in cooperation with a movement of the second fixing hook 44 of the resilient member 40 during the rotation of the latch component 30 around the axis A. In other words, the arcuate path of the slot 38 allows the second fixing hook 44 of the resilient member 40 to move within the slot 38 when the latch component 30 rotates relative to the rod body 21 from an installation position to a fixation position. When the latch component 30 rotates back to the installation position, the resilient member 40 slides to the end of the slot 38 and is compressed by the slot 38. The resilient member 40 is configured that in its normal, unstressed state, the resilient member 40 keeps the latch component 30 in the fixation position, as shown in FIG. 1. To rotate the latch component 30 to the installation position, a force must be applied to compress the resilient member 40.

In one example, at least one of the second portions 36 of the first section 31 and the second section 32 is extended outwardly from an edge to form a hooked piece 361. As shown in FIG. 2, the hooked piece 361 is extended from the first section 31 and bent to form a crook-shaped section. A user can attach a rope or similar tool to the hooked piece 361 to assist in rotating the latch component 30 relative to the rod body 21.

In one example, a maximum width of an assembly consists of the connecting rod 20 and the latch component 30 is defined as a length L₁ of the short edge 34 of the latch component 30 when the latch component 30 is located in the installation position. The maximum width of the assembly is defined as a length L₂ by the long edge 33 of the latch component 30 when the latch component 30 is located in the fixation position. The short edge 34 may refer to the left side of the first section 31 (or the second section 32). Alternatively, in this example, the short edge 34 may refer to the right side of the first section 31 (or the second section 32). That is, the length L₃ of the short edge 34 may include the height of the connecting member 37, as shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 5A to 5C, the faucet fixation structure is used to secure a faucet on a countertop 50. The latch component 30 has the installation position and the fixation position with respect to the rod body 21. In the installation position, the faucet fixation structure is configured to be easily vertically inserted into an installation hole on the countertop 50 and positioned in space 52 below the countertop 50. While in the fixation position, the faucet fixation structure is configured to be securely engaged with a mount plate at a bottom surface 53 of the countertop.

FIG. 5A shows when the latch component 30 is in the installation position, the long edge 33 is parallel to the rod body 21 and FIG. 5C shows when the latch component 30 is in the fixation position, the latch component 30 rotates with respect to the connecting portion 22 such that the long edge 33 is perpendicular to the rod body 21. That is, the short edge 34 is parallel to the rod body 21 when in the fixation position.

The countertop 50 has a pre-formed upper opening 50a for the connecting rod 20 to pass through. The upper opening 50a has a diameter D₁ large enough to receive the connecting rod 20 and the latch component 30 when the latch component 30 is in the installation position and smaller than a diameter D₂of the housing sleeve 10 such that the housing sleeve 10 can be situated or fixed onto an upper surface 51 of the countertop 50.

During installation, the latch component 30 is first positioned as shown in FIG. 5A, where the long edge 33 is parallel to the rod body 21, allowing the connecting rod 20 and the latch component 30 are inserted into the upper opening 50a. As previously described, when no force is applied to compress the resilient member 40, it maintains the short edge 34 of the latch component 30 parallel to the rod body 21 (with the long edge 33 of the latch component 30 perpendicular to the rod body 21), as shown in FIG. 1. To position the long edge 33 of the latch component 30 parallel to the rod body 21 (with the short edge 34 perpendicular to the rod body 21), as shown in FIG. 5A, a rope can be used to hook onto the hooked piece 361 and rotate the latch component 30 relative to the rod body 21.

Next, referring to FIG. 5B, the connecting rod 20 and the latch component 30 are inserted from the upper opening 50a into an installation hole in the space 52 below the countertop 50. After the housing sleeve 10 is positioned on the upper surface 51 of the countertop 50, the rope is removed, and the latch component 30 rotates around the axis A back to the fixation position due to the elastic restoring force of the resilient member 40, as shown in FIG. 5C. In the fixation position, the long edge 33 of the latch component 30 is perpendicular to the rod body 21, and the short edge 34 is parallel to the rod body 21. In this position, the long edge 33 abuts against the bottom surface 53 of the countertop 50, thereby securing the housing sleeve 10 to the countertop 50 and enabling the faucet 60 to be mounted. At least one end of the long edge 33 of the latch component 30 extends laterally over a periphery of a bottom opening 50b, limiting the movement of the faucet fixation structure along the longitudinal axis A_L, and ensuring that the faucet fixation is securely positioned on the countertop 50. The connecting rod 20 and the countertop 50 are designed to fit together, such that the latch component 30 is aligned with and adjacent to the bottom surface 53 of the countertop 50, positioned on the same horizontal plane.

In summary, the latch component of the present invention is capable of rotating around the connecting portion such that the long edge is perpendicular to the rod body, allowing the long edge to abut against the bottom surface of the countertop. This design provides a quick-release structure without the need for screws, meeting the requirements for quick installation while solving the problem of loosening due to vibration.