Basket strainer and stopper assembly for sinks

Claim 1

In a basket strainer-stopper assembly for closing the drain opening of a sink having a drain plate with a central opening extending across the drain opening, which basket strainer-stopper assembly comprises a cup-shaped basket strainer, a stopper for closing the drain opening positioned below the basket strainer and the means which hold the assembly in an open drain position and cooperate with the opening in the drain plate to retain the assembly in a closed drain position, the improved means which comprise a stem extending axially through the basket strainer and the stopper, said stem having an upper portion projecting into the basket strainer to provide a handle and a lower forked portion having a plurality of individual arcuate legs which are connected at one end to the stem and have tips at the other end that support the assembly in a stable position upon the drain plate about the central opening when the assembly is in an open drain position, said arcuate legs being sufficiently resilient so that when a downward force is exerted on the upper portion of the stem the legs will flex inwardly sufficiently to pass through the central opening in the drain plate so that the assembly can assume a closed drain position and so that the legs also will flex inwardly when the upper portion of the stem is pulled upwardly so that the assembly can be moved from the closed drain position to an open drain position.