Drain assembly for industrial sink

Abstract

A drain assembly for an industrial sink that is seamlessly attached to a basin of a sink. In one embodiment, the drain assembly comprises a drain tube, drain stopper, gasket, clamp, and lever. According to one embodiment, the drain assembly is seamlessly welded to the basin of the sink so that the drain assembly and sink form one continuous unit. The drain assembly allows for external (to the sink) operation of the drain assembly via the use of a lever that is attached to the drain stopper, wherein moving the lever seals and opens the drain assembly. In one embodiment, the drain stopper is spherically-shaped with spherical wedges cut out of the top to form a disc-shaped handle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sink drain assembly, comprising:
 a hollow drain member having a first end for affixing to a sink basin and a second end for affixing to a drain tube, wherein the relative size of a cross-section of the hollow drain member gradually decreases from the first end to the second end;   a drain stopper releasably seated within the hollow drain member; and   a drain-release lever operatively connected to a lower portion of the drain stopper via a linking mechanism, wherein a portion of the drain-release lever extends outside of the hollow drain member.   
     
     
         2 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the linking mechanism comprises a paddle pivotably affixed to the drain-release lever and an upwardly-extending rod releasably attached to the lower portion of the drain stopper. 
     
     
         3 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the paddle includes a slot for accepting an end of the drain-release lever. 
     
     
         4 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 3 , further comprising the drain tube affixed to the second end of the hollow drain member. 
     
     
         5 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the drain tube further comprises two or more connector guides engaged with the linking mechanism that guide the linking mechanism in a direction coaxial with the drain tube. 
     
     
         6 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the connector guides are oriented on an inner peripheral surface of the drain tube in an axial direction. 
     
     
         7 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the drain tube further comprises an opening in a peripheral wall wherein the portion of the drain-release lever extends therethrough. 
     
     
         8 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the drain stopper is releasably seated within the hollow drain member at a position between the first end of the hollow drain member and the second end of the hollow drain member. 
     
     
         9 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the drain stopper has a cross-sectional shape that generally coincides with a cross-sectional shape of the hollow drain member. 
     
     
         10 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the drain stopper further comprises one or more cut-outs to define a handle portion. 
     
     
         11 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the cut-outs each comprise wedge-shaped cut-outs comprising an obtuse angle. 
     
     
         12 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the handle portion is located on an upper portion of the drain stopper. 
     
     
         13 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the drain stopper further comprises an opening that accepts the upwardly extending rod. 
     
     
         14 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the lower portion of the drain stopper includes the opening that accepts the upwardly extending rod. 
     
     
         15 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the opening and the upwardly extending rod are compatibly threaded to screw together. 
     
     
         16 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first end of the hollow drain member is operatively attached to a drain hole in the sink basin. 
     
     
         17 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the first end of the hollow drain member is operatively attached to the sink basin via a polished weld that defines a smooth connection between edges of the first end of the hollow drain member and the sink basin. 
     
     
         18 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a slotted drain cover. 
     
     
         19 . The sink drain assembly of  claim 18 , wherein the slotted drain cover includes an upwardly-extending wide lip.