Waste disposer mounting apparatus

Claim 2

In a food waste disposer having an outturned top flange and lower body, improved securing means for securing the disposer to a sink in a bottom opening thereof with the disposer flange resting on the sink at the edge of said opening and with the disposer body extending downwardly therefrom through said opening, said securing means comprising: a clamp ring adapted to be disposed about said body, said clamp ring having an upper portion adapted to engage the underside of the sink at the edge of said opening, and a lower portion defining a plurality of circumferentially related downwardly facing continuously inclined cam surfaces; outwardly projecting shoulder means on said disposer body, said cam inclined surfaces engaging said shoulder means and urging said upper portion of the clamp ring upwardly to a clamping position as an incident of relative coaxial rotation of the clamp ring and shoulder means, whereby said clamp ring upper portion may cooperate with the disposer flange in infinitely adjustably clamping the disposer to the sink; and means for locking the clamp ring in said adjustable clamping position.

Claim 3

The food waste disposer securing structure of claim 1 wherein said shoulder means is integral with said disposer body.

Claim 4

The food waste disposer securing structure of claim 1 wherein said shoulder means comprises means removably secured to said disposer body.

Claim 5

The food waste disposer securing structure of claim 1 wherein said shoulder means comprises a plurality of protrusions on said disposer body.

Claim 6

The food waste disposer securing structure of claim 1 wherein said shoulder means includes an annular groove in said disposer body, a snap ring in said groove, and means abutting said snap ring and defining cam follower means for slidably engaging said cam surface to urge said clamp ring axially as an incident of relative rotation between said cam surface and said cam follower means.

Claim 7

The food waste disposer securing structure of claim 1 wherein said shoulder means includes an annular groove in said disposer body, a snap ring in said groove, and a locking ring rotatable coaxially about said disposer slidably against said snap ring and defining a cam follower surface upwardly engaging said cam surface to urge said clamp ring axially as an incident of rotation of said locking ring.

Claim 8

The food waste disposer securing structure of claim 1 wherein said shoulder means includes an annular groove in said disposer body, a snap ring in said groove, and a locking ring rotatable coaxially about said disposer slidably against said snap ring and defining a cam follower surface upwardly engaging said cam surface to urge said clamp ring axially as an incident of rotation of said locking ring, said clamp ring lower portion further defining at least one additional circumferentially spaced such cam surface, and said locking ring further defining a corresponding plurality of such cam follower surfaces associated one each with said cam surfaces for providing a distributed clamping force for securing the disposer to the sink.

Claim 9

The food waste disposer securing structure of Claim 1 wherein said disposer body defines a plurality of axially spaced mounting portions and said shoulder means is selectively mounted to any one of said mounting portions for selective adjustability in the urging of the cam means upwardly as an incident of said relative rotation.

Claim 10

The food waste disposer securing structure of claim 8 wherein said mounting portions comprise a plurality of axially spaced annular grooves on said disposer body, said shoulder means being selectively installed in any one of said grooves for causing said selective adjustability of the urging of the cam means upwardly as an incident of said relative rotation.

Claim 11

In a food waste disposer having an outturned top flange and a lower body, improved means for installing the disposer to a sink in a bottom opening thereof with the disposer flange resting on the sink at the edge of said opening and with the disposer body extending downwardly therefrom through said opening, said installing means comprising: a clamp ring adapted to be disposed about said body, said clamp ring having an upper portion adapted to engage the underside of the sink at the edge of said opening, and a lower portion defining a plurality of circumferentially related downwardly facing continuously inclined cam surfaces; outwardly projecting shoulder means on said disposer body, said cam inclined surfaces engaging said shoulder means and urging said upper portion of the clamp ring upwardly to a clamping position as an incident of relative coaxial rotation of the clamp ring and shoulder means, whereby said clamp ring upper portion may cooperate with the disposer flange in infinitely adjustably clamping the disposer to the sink; means for locking the clamp ring in said adjustable clamping position; a water inlet connector removably mounted to said body subjacent said shoulder means; and a waste discharge connector removably mounted to said body below said water inlet connector.

Claim 12

In a food waste disposer having an outturned top flange and a lower body, improved means for installing the disposer to a sink in a bottom opening thereof with the disposer flange resting on the sink at the edge of said opening and with the disposer body extending downwardly therefrom through said opening, said installing means comprising: a clamp ring adapted to be disposed about said body, said clamp ring having an upper portion adapted to engage the underside of the sink at the edge of said opening, and a lower portion defining a plurality of circumferentially related downwardly facing continuously inclined cam surfaces; outwardly projecting shoulder means on said disposer body, said cam inclined surfaces engaging said shoulder means and urging said upper portion of the clamp ring upwardly to a clamping position as an incident of relative coaxial rotation of the clamp ring and shoulder means, whereby said clamp ring upper portion may cooperate with the disposer flange in infinitely adjustably clamping the disposer to the sink; means for locking the clamp ring in said adjustable clamping position; a water inlet connector removably mounted to said body subjacent said shoulder means; and a waste discharge connector removably mounted to said body below said water inlet connector.

Claim 13

The food waste disposer installing means of claim 10 wherein said disposer defines an upper open throat portion adapted to pass said connector downwardly therethrough for extension thereof outwardly through said body subsequent to the extension of said body downwardly through said sink opening.

Claim 14

The food waste disposer installing means of claim 10 wherein said waste discharge connector includes a tubular element having an annular connector portion extending through said disposer body, collar means on said connector portion, and clamp means encircling said disposer and clamping said collar means to said disposer body for removably securing said connector to said disposer body.

Claim 15

In a food waste disposer having an outturned top flange and lower body, improved securing means for securing the disposer to a sink in a bottom opening thereof with the disposer flange resting on the sink at the edge of said opening and with the disposer body extending downwardly therefrom through said opening, said securing means comprising: a clamp ring adapted to be disposed about said body, said clamp ring having an upper portion adapted to engage the underside of the sink at the edge of said opening, and a lower portion defining a plurality of circumferentially related downwardly facing continuously inclined cam surfaces; outwardly projecting shoulder means on said disposer body, said cam inclined surface engaging said shoulder means and urging said upper portion of the clamp ring upwardly to a clamping position as an incident of relative coaxial rotation of the clamp ring and shoulder means, whereby said clamp ring upper portion may cooperate with the disposer flange in infinitely adjustably clamping the disposer to the sink; means for locking the clamp ring in said adjustable clamping position; and a water inlet connector comprising a tubular member having an annular flange end within said body, a tubular portion extending outwardly through said body, and shoulder means on said tubular portion cooperating with said annular flange for removably locking said connector to said body.

Claim 16

In a food waste disposer having an outturned top flange and lower body, improved securing means for securing the disposer to a sink in a bottom opening thereof with the disposer flange resting on the sink at the edge of said opening and with the disposer body extending downwardly therefrom through said opening, said securing means comprising: a clamp ring adapted to be disposed about said body, said clamp ring having an upper portion adapted to engage the underside of the sink at the edge of said opening, and a lower portion defining a plurality of circumferentially related downwardly facing continuously inclined cam surfaces; outwardly projecting shoulder means on said disposer body, said cam inclined surface engaging said shoulder means and urging said upper portion of the clamp ring upwardly to a clamping position as an incident of relative coaxial rotation of the clamp ring and shoulder means, whereby said clamp ring upper portion may cooperate with the disposer flange in infinitely adjustably clamping the disposer to the sink; means for locking the clamp ring in said adjustable clamping position; and a water inlet connector comprising a tubular member having an annular flange end within said body, a tubular portion extending outwardly through said body, and shoulder means on said tubular portion cooperating with said annular flange for removably locking said connector to said body.

Claim 17

The food waste disposer securing structure of claim 13 further including annular sealing means abutting said annular flange and said body for sealing said connector to said body and biasing said shoulder means into frictionally retained association with said body.