Shower drain assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025109579-A1
Application number	US-202318497583-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 30, 2023
Priority date	Oct 2, 2023
Publication date	Apr 3, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Shower drain assemblies and their components are disclosed. In some examples, a shower drain assembly may include a shower drain, a retaining ring, a sealing ring assembly, or a combination thereof. The retaining ring may fit inside the shower drain, and the sealing ring assembly may fit inside the shower drain and on top of the retaining ring. In some other examples, a shower drain assembly may include a shower drain, a gasket, a compression ring assembly, or a combination thereof. The gasket may fit inside the shower drain, and the compression ring assembly may fit inside the shower drain and on top of the gasket. The shower drain assemblies may allow for fluid pressure testing of shower drain and pipe assemblies. The shower drain assembly may allow for fluid pressure testing of areas not previously tested or a lack of a need for caulking, among other improvements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A shower drain assembly, comprising:
a shower drain comprising:
an upper opening;
a lower opening;
a ledge having an upper surface and being substantially concentric with the upper opening and the lower opening of the shower drain;
and
inside threading;
a retaining ring comprising a plurality of angled teeth, and
wherein the retaining ring is configured to rest on the upper surface of the ledge of the shower drain; and
a sealing ring assembly, the sealing ring assembly comprising:
a test membrane;
outside threading configured to couple to the inside threading of the shower drain;
a plurality of grooves substantially concentric with the upper opening and the lower opening of the shower drain, each configured to receive an O-ring;
an inside cylindrical surface;
an outside cylindrical surface; and
an opening through the sealing ring assembly extending radially from the inside cylindrical surface to the outside cylindrical surface,
wherein a lower surface of the sealing ring assembly is configured to contact the retaining ring when the sealing ring assembly is threadingly mated to the shower drain.

2 . The shower drain assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sealing ring assembly further comprises a lower opening configured to receive a pipe, and wherein when the sealing ring assembly is threadingly mated with the shower drain, there is a first gap between the top of the pipe and the test membrane of the sealing ring assembly.

3 . The shower drain assembly of claim 2 , wherein the pipe comprises a cylindrical outside surface, and wherein when the sealing ring assembly is threadingly mated with the shower drain, there is a second gap between the cylindrical outside surface of the pipe and at least a portion of the inside cylindrical surface of the sealing ring assembly.

4 . The shower drain assembly of claim 3 , wherein the inside cylindrical surface of the sealing ring assembly is divided into a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is radially offset from the second surface, and wherein the second gap is between the cylindrical outside surface of the pipe and the first surface of the inside cylindrical surface of the sealing ring assembly.

5 . The shower drain assembly of claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of O-rings, wherein the plurality of O-rings comprises a first-O-ring configured to contact the shower drain and the sealing ring assembly to create a first seal, and a second O-ring configured to contact the pipe and the sealing ring assembly to create a second seal.

6 . The shower drain assembly of claim 2 , wherein the pipe comprises a cylindrical outside surface, and wherein the opening, at the inside cylindrical surface of the sealing ring assembly, is fluidly coupled with an inside of the pipe via the first gap and via a second gap between the cylindrical outside surface of the pipe and at least a portion of the inside cylindrical surface of the sealing ring assembly.

7 . The shower drain assembly of claim 1 , wherein the opening, at the outside cylindrical surface of the sealing ring assembly, is located between two of the grooves, including at least one outwardly facing groove and at least one inwardly facing groove.

8 . The shower drain assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sealing ring assembly comprises one or more holds.

9 . The shower drain assembly of claim 1 , where the sealing ring assembly has a lower surface at an angle that is substantially a same angle as the plurality of angled teeth.

10 . A sealing ring assembly for a shower drain, the sealing ring assembly comprising:
a test membrane covering an upper opening of the sealing ring assembly; a plurality of grooves, each substantially concentric with the upper opening of the sealing ring, and each configured to receive an O-ring; an inside cylindrical surface; an outside cylindrical surface; and an opening through the sealing ring extending radially from the inside cylindrical surface to the outside cylindrical surface, wherein the opening fluidly connects the inside cylindrical surface to the outside cylindrical surface.

11 . The sealing ring assembly of claim 10 , wherein the inside cylindrical surface of the sealing ring assembly is divided into a first surface and a second surface, and wherein the first surface is radially offset from the second surface.

12 . The sealing ring assembly of claim 10 , wherein the opening, at the outside cylindrical surface of the sealing ring assembly, is located between two of the grooves, including at least one outwardly facing groove and at least one inwardly facing groove.

13 . The sealing ring assembly of claim 10 , wherein the sealing ring assembly comprises one or more holds.

14 . The sealing ring assembly of claim 10 , wherein the sealing ring assembly comprises outside threading.

15 . The sealing ring assembly of claim 10 , further comprising:
a lower surface at an angle configured to frictionally contact a plurality of angled teeth of a retaining ring, the angle of the lower surface having substantially a same angle as the plurality of angled teeth.

16 . A shower drain assembly, comprising:
a shower drain comprising:
an inside lower cylindrical surface; and
inside threading adjacent to the inside lower cylindrical surface;
a gasket having a substantially cylindrical shape, the gasket configured to fit inside the shower drain and configured to contact the inside lower cylindrical surface of the shower drain, and the gasket comprising an upper surface; and a compression ring assembly configured to fit inside the shower drain, the compression ring assembly comprising:
a test membrane covering an upper opening of the compression ring assembly, wherein the test membrane is longitudinally offset from the gasket; and
outside threading configured to couple to the inside threading of the shower drain,
wherein when the outside threading is coupled to the inside threading of the shower drain, a lower surface of the compression ring assembly is configured to contact the upper surface of the gasket.

17 . The shower drain assembly of claim 16 , wherein the shower drain further comprises a lower opening, wherein a top of a pipe is configured to fit inside the lower opening of the shower drain and through the gasket, and wherein when the outside threading is coupled to the inside threading of the shower drain, the test membrane is longitudinally offset from the top of the pipe.

18 . The shower drain assembly of claim 16 , wherein the gasket comprises an inside surface, and wherein the inside surface of the gasket comprises a plurality of concentric grooves, wherein each groove is longitudinally offset from one another.

19 . The shower drain assembly of claim 16 , wherein the compression ring assembly comprises one or more holds.

20 . The shower drain assembly of claim 16 , wherein the lower surface of the compression ring assembly is configured to contact the upper surface of the gasket at an angle so that, when the compression ring assembly is threadingly mated to the shower drain, the upper surface of the gasket is deflected radially inward.

Assignees

• Wcm Ind Inc

Inventors

• Pilarczyk Eric
• Ball William T
• Hogan Kevin

Classifications

• E03F5/0408

  specially adapted for showers · CPC title

• E03F5/0409

  Devices for preventing seepage around the floor drain · CPC title

• E03C2201/00

  Details, devices or methods not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• E03C1/22 Primary

  Outlet devices mounted in basins, baths, or sinks (stoppers A47K1/14) · CPC title