This invention is directed to a washing machine outlet box of the type fitting in the wall and suitable to accommodate both a hot and cold water valve as well as a drain pipe.
In my patents, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,158,471 and 3,834,781, I describe two washing machine outlet boxes which are utilized in conjunction with the hot and cold water outlet valves for a washing machine, as well as the drain pipe of the same. The washing machine outlet valves illustrated in these two patents have certain utilitarian features and functions which make them highly desirable for use in conjunction with the plumbing attachments for washing machines. However, because of certain construction techniques, certan code requirements and certain new plumbing appliances which are now available, the prior known washing machine outlet boxes are deficient with regard to one or another of these items.
It has become desirable to reduce the size of washing machine outlet boxes such that they are of a small a size as possible, yet still can accommodate both a hot and cold water valve and receive the drain hose of a washing machine. With miniaturization of the washing machine outlet box, consideration must be given to the increased distance between the outlet box and the distance between the side of the outlet box and a standard wall studs which are placed at sixteen inches on center. The connecting tabs, or brackets for a smaller washing machine outlet box must, of necessity, span a greater space before these brackets can be connected to an appropriate wall stud. The prior known method of attaching the connecting brackets is not directly applicable to a miniaturized washing machine outlet box because of the instability of the box with respect to the wall because of flexure of the brackets at the point of attachment to the outlet box.
The washing machine outlet boxes are mounted in new construction prior to the application of dry wall. During the application of the dry wall, and during subsequent plumbing operations wherein valves and the like are attached to pipes within the washing machine outlet box, because the bottom of the prior known washing machine outlet boxes were designed to collect all water leakage the bottom also collected construction debris and channeled the same down onto the drain pipes leading from the washing machine outlet box drain opening. This debris can accumulate in the traps attached to these drain pipes, and when the consumer starts utilizing a washing machine attached to the washing machine outlet box, clogs and the like have resulted from the construction debris lodged in the traps. Since the traps are now dry walled into a wall, and since the traps are often located within a cement slab, the unclogging of this debris is both an irritant and an unnecessary expense.
Further, many plumbing codes require a pressurization check of all of the sewer plumbing as a part of an inspection procedure after the rough plumbing has been completed. This requires the insertion of a test plug into the drain outlet of the washing machine outlet box. The insertion of such a plug into the washing machine outlet box leads to an unnecessary material and labor expense which is ultimately passed on to the consuming public.
In prior known washing machine outlet boxes, the placement of the hot and cold water valves within the physical confines of the interior of the washing machine outlet box was at the whim and will of the plumber installing the same. If due care was not exercised by the plumber, it was possible to position the valve very near the bottom surface of the washing machine outlet box, such that it was then difficult to further attach the hoses leading from these valves directly to the washing machines. For convenience of the consumer, the valves should be placed in positions which allow hand connection of the hoses and the like to the valves without having to resort to the use of tools to attach a hose to a valve which was placed too close to the bottom of the washing machine outlet box.
Aside from the above problems, a combined hot and cold water valve is now available wherein a single lever can be utilized to control simultaneously both the hot and cold water valves. This lever is a throw lever and does not require the hand turning of valve knobs and the like. It is recommended by most washing machine manufacturers that the valves to which the inlet hoses are attached be closed inbetween uses of the washing machine in order to prevent the control valves in the washing machine itself from being exposed to the effects of continuous water pressure. The single lever valve allows for convenient turning off and on of the water lines leading to the washing machine without having to rotate a valve knob, which is both time consuming and irritating to the user of the appliance to such an extent that normally the appliance user would neglect to do the same. Unfortunately, the prior known washing machine outlet boxes do not accept the single lever outlet valve because of the placement of the drain of the washing machine outlet valves in the very center, with openings for the hot and cold water lines then placed to the left and right of the drain opening respectively. This essentially precludes the use of a single lever valve in combination with the washing machine outlet box.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds