Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
PLUNGER DEVICE WITH TRIANGULAR BELL AND CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
100011 The present invention relates to a plunger for unclogging drains.
The plunger
includes a handle and a plunger head. The plunger head includes a generally
triangular-shaped
bell portion and a generally cylindrical sleeve portion.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Plungers are well known for unclogging drains such as those
associated with a
toilet. Traditional, generally circular-shaped plunger bells, can be
ineffective for creating the
necessary seal around both circular and trapezoidal toilet bowl drain openings
to allow the
pressure created by the plunger to be fully directed into the drain. Also,
traditional plunger
sleeves may not fit effectively into both round and trapezoidal drain openings
while still
maintaining the necessary seal. An improper seal between the plunger bell and
the toilet drain
may result in splash-back of contaminated water onto a user when the plunger
bell is compressed,
inversion of the plunger bell, and failure to clear the clogged drain.
Consequently, there exists a need for a universal plunger device that enables
the user to
create and maintain the appropriate seal for both circular and trapezoidal
drain types, to
maximize effectiveness of clog removal, and reduce likelihood of splash-back.
There is also a
need for an improved plunger device that accomplishes the foregoing objectives
while
preventing costly and time consuming repairs, and being easy and inexpensive
to use and
manufacture.
SUMMARY
[0003] In one aspect, the improved toilet plunger of the present
invention comprises a
handle, and a plunger head. The plunger head comprises a top portion for
attaching the plunger
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head to the handle, and a generally triangular-shaped, collapsible bell
portion having an upper
end and a lower end. The upper end of the bell portion is fixedly attached to
the top portion and
the lower end of the bell portion defines a seal lip for engaging the inner
surface of a toilet bowl.
The plunger head further comprises a generally cylindrical, flexible sleeve
portion fixedly
attached to the lower end of the bell portion. The flexible sleeve portion is
configured to engage
the trap of a toilet. In one embodiment, the top portion, bell portion and
sleeve portion are
molded in one piece from natural or synthetic rubber.
[0004] In some embodiments, the bell portion of the toilet plunger is
generally in the
shape of an equilateral triangle with rounded comers. In some embodiments, the
bell portion
comprises a plurality of segments. In some embodiments, the sleeve portion has
an upper
concave portion and a lower convex portion.
[0005] Among the advantages of the invention is that the triangular shape
of the bell
portion creates a better seal for every type of toilet bowl opening or trap
way. The bell portion
covers both round and trapezoidal openings, minimizes or prevents splash-back
during the
plunging process, and maximizes the amount of liquid displaced through the
drain during
plunging. The taper of the lower convex portion of the sleeve creates a better
seal for every type
of toilet bowl opening or trap way. The sleeve blocks the toilet jets to
prevent forcing liquid
back into the toilet bowl during the plunging process, thereby maximizing the
pressure and
volume of the liquid displaced by plunging.
[0006] Other advantages and features of the invention become apparent in
view of the
following description of embodiments of the invention, which shall be
understood not to be
limiting and which will be explained below with reference to the drawings.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. I is a side view of one embodiment of the plunger of the
present invention.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a side view of the plunger head of the plunger of FIG.
1.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plunger head of the plunger
of FIG. 1.
[00010] FIG. 4 is a top view of the plunger head of the plunger of FIG. 1
[00011] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the plunger head of FIG. 4 through
section 5-5.
[00012] FIGS. 6A-6D show the progressive deformation of the plunger head
as downward
force is applied to the plunger head.
[00013] FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view of one embodiment of the
plunger head with
exemplary dimensions of the thickness of the plunger head.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00014] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the plunger 10 of the present
invention. The
plunger is comprised of a handle 12 and a plunger head 14. The handle 12
includes an elongated
portion 15 having a proximal end and a distal end. A grip 17 may be provided
at the proximal
end of the plunger. The distal end of the plunger may include a threaded
portion 19 for use in
attaching the handle to a correspondingly threaded top portion of the plunger
head as described
below. Alternatively, the distal end of the handle may be attached to the
plunger head using an
adhesive, a friction fit, or by any other appropriate means known to those
skilled in the art.
[00015] As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the plunger head 14 is comprised of a top
portion 13, a
bell portion 16, and a sleeve portion 18. The top portion 13 may include
threads corresponding
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to threads on the distal portion of the handle to connect the plunger head 14
to the handle 12.
Alternatively, the handle may be connected to the plunger head by glue,
friction fit or other
means of attachment.
[00016] The upper end of the bell 16 is attached to the lower end of the
top portion 13.
The upper end of the sleeve 18 is attached to the lower end of the bell 16,
whereby the sleeve 18
is in fluid communication with the bell 16. The bell 16 and sleeve 18 are
comprised of a flexible
material, such as natural or synthetic rubber, although the invention is not
limited in this regard
and any appropriate flexible material may be used. Use of a flexible material
permits the bell 16
to collapse to force a fluid, such as water, into a drain, and further permits
the sleeve 18 to
conform to fit into both round and trapezoidal drain openings. In one
embodiment, the top
portion 13, the bell 16 and the sleeve 18 are integrally formed as a single
unit from natural or
synthetic rubber. Alternatively, the top portion 13, the bell 16 and the
sleeve 18 can be
separately formed and attached by any means known in the art, such as by glue.
[00017] The bell 16 of the plunger head 14 has a generally triangular
shape and is
collapsible. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the bell 16 is generally
in the shape of an
equilateral triangle having rounded corners. The generally triangular shape of
the bell portion 16
covers both round and trapezoidal openings, minimizes or prevents splash-back
during the
plunging process, and maximizes the amount of liquid displaced by plunging.
Compression of
the bell 16 of the plunger head 14 forces fluid down the toilet trap to clear
blockages, allowing
the toilet to drain. The rounded triangular shape of the bell 16 and seal lip
20 improves the seal
made when the seal lip 20 engages the surface of the toilet, thus maximizing
the pressure of
liquid displaced by plunging.
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[00018] As shown in FIGS. 2-3, in one embodiment the bell portion 16 is
comprised of a
plurality of segments 28, 30, 32 and 40. The bell portion 16 may contain any
desired number of
segments. As shown in FIGS. 2-3, the segments may become progressively wider
moving from
the first segment 28 attached to the top portion 13 to the last segment 40.
The last segment 40 of
the bell portion 16 defines a seal lip 20 having a lower wall 21 that engages
the surface of the
toilet bowl to form a seal. As shown in FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the walls
of first and second
segments 28, 30 of the bell portion 16 are thicker than the wall of the third
segment 32 of the bell
portion 16. Also, the fourth segment 40, which defines the seal lip 20, is
thicker than the third
segment 32.
[00019] As shown in Fig. 7, in one embodiment, the thickness of the third
segment 32 wall
is approximately 3.8 millimeters at its upper potion, and approximately 5.0
millimeters at its
lower portion where it meets the wall of the fourth segment 40. The wall
thickness of the
segments can varied to control the flexibility of the bell portion. As shown
in FIGS. 6A-6D, in
one embodiment, when a downward force is applied, the plunger bell folds where
the walls are
thinner, while areas with thicker walls remain rigid to provide stability. In
one embodiment
shown in FIG. 7, the thickness of the sleeve 18 immediately below the seal lip
20 is
approximately 4.4 millimeters, and is approximately 2.6 millimeters at its
lower portion where it
meets the sleeve 18 opening. The invention is not limited in this regard, and
each of the
segments and the sleeve may be any desired thickness.
[00020] The inner surface of the bell portion 16 defines an interior space
48, which is
designed for containing fluid to be forced through the toilet trap when the
bell portion 16 is
compressed by applying a downward force to the handle 12. The sleeve portion
18 comprises a
wall 50 which defines an interior space 52 of the sleeve portion. The sleeve
wall 50 is
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contiguous with the lower wall 21 of the bell portion 16 and the bell interior
space 48 is in fluid
communication with the sleeve interior space 52. The decrease in diameter
between the bell 16
and the sleeve 18 produces an effect similar to a nozzle and forces fluid from
the bell 16 through
the sleeve 18 at an increased pressure to facilitate forcing debris through
the trap of the toilet.
1000211 FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the improved plunger device 10
in which the
circular opening 26 of the generally cylindrical sleeve 18 is visible. In this
embodiment, the
sleeve 18 further comprises an upper or proximal, concave portion 24 and a
lower or distal,
convex portion 22 which forms a tapered end of the sleeve portion. The tapered
lower end of the
sleeve portion 18 contorts to fit both round and trapezoidal toilet drain
openings, blocks the jets
in the toilet to prevent forcing liquid back into the toilet bowl during
plunging, and maximizes
the pressure of the liquid displaced by plunging.
1000221 The length of the sleeve portion is selected to be long enough to
seal the opening
in the drain and block the toilet jet to prevent water from returning to the
bowl or pressure loss
during plunging. The sleeve portion is also selected to be short enough to
leave a gap between
the sleeve and the bottom of the toilet bowl so that the water directed out of
the sleeve has
enough clearance to remove any debris or blockage. In one embodiment, the
sleeve portion has a
length of approximately 71.5-73.5 millimeters.
1000231 Though generally smaller in capacity than typical plunger bells of
the prior art,
the bell portion 16 of the present invention displaces higher volumes of fluid
and creates higher
pressures relative to its size. The more efficient design of the bell 16 thus
allows blockages to be
cleared with fewer plunge attempts. The smaller bell 16 capacity is also
advantageous in that it
displaces a smaller volume of fluid when submerged, which is helpful in
preventing overflow
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when plunging. Also, the smaller bell 16 is beneficial in that it is lighter
and easier for a user to
operate, requires less material to manufacture, and less storage space. In one
embodiment, the
bell capacity is approximately 1100 milliliters, which represents a reduction
in capacity of about
33% over the prior art. Table 1 below provides test results comparing the
plunger of the present
invention to an exemplary prior art plunger:
[00024] Table 1
Prior Art Present Invention
Plunges Required to Unclog 1 13 6
Plunges Required to Unclog 2 14 8
Pressure Generated (psi) 2.82 5.44
Displacement (L) 1.88 1.27
Table 1
[00025] In use, the user inserts the plunger head 14 into the toilet bowl
so that the sleeve
18 is inserted into the trap of the toilet. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, as a
downward force is
applied to the handle 12 the plunger bell 16 compresses, thereby forcing the
air and/or fluid in
the plunger bell 16 through the sleeve 18 and into the trap to force the
debris through the trap,
thus allowing the toilet bowl to drain. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, during
compression of the
plunger head 14, the plurality of segments 28, 30, 32, and 40 sequentially
collapse. The
triangular profile of the bell portion 16 of the plunger head 14 keeps the
applied force along the
central axis of the plunger device 10. Both the controlled flow of force
through ordered
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depression of the plurality of segments 28, 30, 32, and 40, and the triangular
profile of the bell
portion 16 prevent the plunger head 14 from becoming unstable, rotating off
its central axis,
and/or breaking its seal with the drain opening. This process is repeated
until the blockage has
been cleared and normal operation of the toilet can resume.
1000261
While the above describes certain embodiments, those skilled in the art should
understand that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit
or scope of the
invention. It should also be understood that the embodiments of the present
disclosure described
herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make any
variations and
modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
All such variations
and modifications, including those discussed above, are intended to be
included within the scope
of the disclosure.
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