DRAIN COVER

[0001] The disclosure relates to a drain cover, more particularly to a heat-sensitive drain cover for covering a drain.

[0002] As shown in FIG. 1, Taiwanese Utility Model Patent No. M413711 discloses a conventional drain assembly 1 including a receiving base 11 that is adapted to be mounted on a drain carrier (e.g., the floor, a bathtub and a sink), a drain device 12 mounted to the receiving base 11, and a drain grate 13 mounted on top of the receiving base 11 and covering the drain device 12. The drain device 12 has a water outlet 121 and a valve 122 that covers openably the water outlet 121, that is, the water outlet 121 can be opened and closed by pressing the valve 122 to create a displacement. Moreover, the drain grate 13 on top of the drain device 12 keeps hair, impurities and other debris from entering the drain as well as providing aesthetic values.

[0003] However, the drain grate 13 needs to be removed every time the valve 122 is to be pressed. Besides, in order to secure the drain grate 13 and to keep it from being displaced by hydraulic force or other external forces when the conventional drain assembly 1 is in use, the drain grate 13 needs to be tightly mounted on the receiving base 11. In this regard, the receiving base 11 needs to be tailor-made to tightly fit the drain grate 13 or vise versa. In other words, the drain grate 13 cannot be used for any drain devices without a receiving base 11. If the drain grate 13 is too small, a gap is formed between the receiving base 11 and the drain grate 13 for gathering debris therebetween; if the drain grate 13 is too large, it becomes difficult to fit the drain grate 13 with the receiving base 11. Both situations result in inconvenience of usage.

[0004] Moreover, the drain grate 13 has limited functionality: it can only keep debris from entering the drain and is not capable of temperature-sensing.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a heat-sensitive drain cover that can be easily installed regardless of its environment.

[0006] According to the disclosure, the drain cover is adapted for covering a drain device. The drain device is mounted to a drain carrier and has a water outlet and a valve that covers openably the water outlet. The drain cover includes a grid member and a weight member.

[0007] The grid member has a coupling portion and a grid portion that is adapted to be disposed on the drain carrier and to surround the drain device. The grid portion is flexible, and surrounds and is coupled to the coupling portion. The grid portion cooperates with the coupling portion to define a receiving space, and is formed with a plurality of grid holes that are in spatial communication with the receiving space and the external environment. At least one of the coupling portion and the grid portion has a thermochromic section that is capable of changing colors due to a change in temperature.

[0008] The weight member is coupled to the coupling portion of the grid member, and is adapted to be disposed over the valve of the drain device.

[0019] Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the first embodiment of the drain cover according to the present disclosure is adapted for covering a drain device 3. The drain device 3 is mounted to a drain carrier 4 (i.e. the floor, bathtub, sink, etc.), and has a water cutlet 31 and a valve 32 that covers openably the water outlet 31. The drain cover includes a grid member 5 and a weight member 6.

[0021] The grid member 5 has a coupling portion 51 and a grid portion 52 that is adapted to be disposed on the drain carrier 4 and to surround the drain device 3. The grid portion 52 is flexible, and surrounds and is coupled to the coupling portion 51. The grid portion 52 cooperates with the coupling portion 51 to define a receiving space 50, and is formed with a plurality of grid holes 521 that are in spatial communication with the receiving space 50 and the external environment. At least one of the coupling portion 51 and the grid portion 52 has a thermochromic section 522 that is capable of changing colors due to a change in temperature. In the present embodiment, the grid portion 52 is formed with the thermochromic section 522, and the grid member 5 is made of a composition having a base material that is selected from a group consisting of silicon rubber and plastic, and a thermochromic material that is disposed in the thermochromic section 522 of the grid portion 52. In other embodiments, the thermochromic material may be a thermochromic ink coated on the thermochromic section 522 of the grid portion 52. The grid portion 52 further has a surrounding peripheral section 523 that is connected to the thermochromic section 522 and that is adapted to make contact with the drain carrier 4.

[0022] It should be noted that, the thermochromic section 522 is not confined to only part of the grid portion 52. In some variations of the present embodiment, the thermochromic section 522 can be expanded into the whole body of the grid portion 52.

[0023] In the present embodiment, the coupling portion 51 is formed with a through hole 511. The weight member 6 is made of metal, and is coupled to the coupling portion 51 of the grid member 5 while engaging the through hole 511.

[0024] While in use, the drain cover is placed on top of the drain device 3 with the weight member 6 being disposed over the valve 32 of the drain device 3. Due to the weight of the weight member 6, the drain cover is securely positioned, with the grid member 5 making contact with the drain carrier 4. More specifically, the drain device 3 is located within the receiving space 50, surrounded by the grid portion 52 and covered by the grid member 5. The surrounding peripheral section 523 of the grid member 5 is in full contact with the drain carrier 4, stopping debris from passing therethrough. Meanwhile, water is allowed to enter the receiving space 50 of the gridmember 5 via the grid holes 521, and then pass through the water outlet 31 of the drain device 3 when the valve 32 is opened, thus accomplishing the process of draining. When a user applies pressure on the weight member 6, the gridmember 5, due to its flexibility, can be deformed for allowing the weight member 6 to be pressed against the valve 32. Once the valve 32 is pressed and displaced (the deformed grid member 5 and the displaced valve 32 are illustrated in dash-dotted lines in FIG. 2), the water outlet 31 is then closed, and since the surrounding peripheral section 523 is still in contact with the drain carrier 4, debris are still kept out of the drain cover. Moreover, when the thermochromic section 522 is in contact with hot water, it changes its color, which is different from the color under ambient temperature. In this manner, the thermochromic section 522 gives out warnings to users, especially when the drain carrier 4 is a bathtub or a bathroom sink, that the water temperature is too high.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5, the second embodiment has a structure similar to that of the first embodiment. The main difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment resides in that the weight member 6 has a cover portion 61 that is exposed from the grid member 5, and a weight portion 62 that is connected to the cover portion 61 and that engages the through hole 511. The cover portion 61 and the weight portion 62 of the weight member 6 are made of metal and are molded as one piece.

[0026] As a result, the weight portion 62 adds extra weight to the drain cover. In the same way as mentioned in the first embodiment, the drain cover is placed on top of the drain device 3, and due to the weight of the weight member 6, the drain cover is securely positioned, with the grid member 5 making contact with the drain carrier 4. When a user presses the valve 32 of the drain device 3 by applying pressure on the weight member 6, the valve 32 is displaced and thus closes the water outlet 31. And, again, the flexible grid member 5 does not hinder the movement of the valve 32, and the surrounding peripheral section 523 stays in contact with the drain carrier 4 (as shown in FIG. 2) which keeps debris out of the drain cover.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 6, the third embodiment has a structure similar to that of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the weight portion 62 of the weight member 6 has a cavity 621 facing the receiving space 50, that is, the cavity 621 is in spatial communication with the receiving space 50.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 7, the fourth embodiment has a structure similar to that of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the cover portion 61 of the weight member 6 is made of a plastic material, and the weight portion 62 of the weight member 6 is made of metal. The cover portion 61 is connected removably to the weight portion 62, and the cover portion 61 and the weight portion 62 cooperatively define an air chamber 60 therebetween. In the present embodiment, the cover portion 61 and the weight portion 62 are connected by screwing the former into the latter. However, in some variations of the present embodiment, they can also be connected in other fashions, such as one directly inserted fittingly into the other.

[0029] In virtue of the abovementioned arrangement, one can enhance the aesthetic values of the drain cover by changing the style and color of the cover portion 61, and still retain the practical function of stabilizing the drain cover by keeping the weight portion 62.

[0030] It should be noted that, the cover portion 61 and the weight portion 62 are not limited to defining an air chamber 60 therebetween. In some variations of the present embodiment, in order to apply more weight and to better keep the drain cover on top of the drain device 3, there can be no air chamber between the cover portion 61 and the weight portion 62.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the fifth embodiment has a structure similar to that of the previous embodiments. The main difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiments resides in that there is no through hole 511 at the coupling portion 51 of the grid member 5. Moreover, the weight member 6 is enclosed in the coupling portion 51 of the grid member 5.

[0032] As a result, the weight portion 62 adds extra weight to the drain cover in a similar way as mentioned in previous embodiments. And again, due to the weight of the weight member 6, the drain cover is securely positioned over the top of the drain device 3, with the grid member 5 making contact with the drain carrier 4. When a user presses the valve 32 of the drain device 3 by applying pressure on the weight member 6, the valve 32 is displaced, and thus closes the water outlet 31. Also, the flexible grid member 5 does not hinder the movement of the valve 32. Like the previous embodiments, the surrounding peripheral section 523 stays in contact with the drain carrier 4 for keeping the debris out of the drain cover.

[0033] In conclusion of the description above, the advantages of the aforementioned embodiments are listed as follows:

• • [0034] 1. The present invention, due to the weight of the weight member 6, can be disposed firmly and directly over the drain device 3. Also, having a flexible grid member 5, the drain cover does not need to be removed while the drain device 3 is being operated which means the present invention can be easily installed and is suitable for various kinds of drain devices 3.
  • [0035] 2. Moreover, the thermochromic section 522 of the grid member 5 is able to change its color and gives out warnings while it is in contact with hot water, and thus enhances the functionality and utility of the present invention.

[0036] In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

[0037] While the disclosure has been described in connection with what are considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.