The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 31, 1998
Filed:
May. 15, 1996
Dwayne A Becknell, Nashville, TN (US);
Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
Household and institutional sinks are commonly used in cleaning regimens in which articles are contacted with aqueous cleaning media under conditions of agitation. Such agitation can be provided by directing the aqueous medium contained within the sink to a pump that returns the aqueous medium to the sink under agitating conditions such that the agitation can act to promote soil removal. The aqueous medium can be withdrawn from a waste line installed in a sink drain. The aqueous medium can then pass into a pump which can return the aqueous medium to the sink at a location in the sink causing the aqueous medium to agitate and circulate within the sink bowl. Preferably, valved waste line hardware can be installed in the drain such that when the waste line valve is closed, the aqueous medium is retained in the sink. The pump intake is placed in liquid communication with the aqueous cleaning medium upstream of the valve. The aqueous cleaning medium is drawn by the pump from the waste line and is then directed by the pump returning to an annular return collar formed on the waste line installed in the drain. The pumped aqueous medium is directed by the return collar into the bowl of the sink assembly. The return collar has a stator creating a horizontal cyclonic circulation pattern.