Drain-Unclogging Assembly and Method Therefor

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to drain cleaning devices and more particularly pertains to a new drain-unclogging assembly for allowing a user to both break up objects, such as large pieces of fecal matter or clumps or wads of toilet paper, that are too large to pass through a drain opening or are stuck in the drain mouth, and also plunge the drain.

(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The prior art relates to drain cleaning devices. The prior art, as best understood, does not disclose a drain-unclogging assembly that has an engagement head that allows a user to both break up objects that are too large to pass through a drain opening or are stuck in the drain mouth, and also a plunger head to allow a user to plunge the drain.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above in a drain-unclogging assembly generally comprising an elongated structure, a plunger head, and a releasable securing assembly. The elongated structure includes a handle, an engagement head, and a shaft connecting the handle and the engagement head. The engagement head includes a plurality of projections designed to break apart objects lodged in a drain mouth and obstructing flow of water. The plunger head is movably mounted on the shaft, wherein the plunger head is selectively movable between a first position in which the plunger head is positioned at the engagement head surrounding the projections and a second position in which the plunger head is positioned adjacent the handle portion, such that the projections are exposed. The releasable securing assembly includes a first securing device to releasably secure the plunger head in the first position and a second securing device to releasably secure the plunger head in the second position.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drain-unclogging assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure in use.

FIG. 7 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 7 thereof, a new drain-unclogging assembly embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7, the drain-unclogging assembly 10 generally comprises an elongated structure 12, a plunger head 14, and a releasable securing assembly 16. The elongated structure 12 includes a handle 18, an engagement head 20, and a shaft 22 connecting the handle 18 and the engagement head 20. The engagement head 20 includes a plurality of projections 24 designed to break apart objects lodged in a drain mouth and obstructing flow of water. As shown in FIG. 5, the plunger head 14 is movably mounted on the shaft 22, wherein the plunger head 14 is selectively movable between a first position 26 in which the plunger head 14 is positioned at the engagement head 20 surrounding the projections 24, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and a second position 28 in which the plunger head 14 is positioned adjacent the handle 18 portion, such that the projections 24 are exposed, as shown in FIG. 1. The releasable securing assembly 16 includes a first securing device 30 to releasably secure the plunger head 14 in the first position 26 and a second securing device 32 to releasably secure the plunger head 14 in the second position 28. As shown in FIG. 1, a base 52 could be used to seat the drain-unclogging assembly 10 when not in use.

Each of the projections 24 includes at least one cutting edge 34. The cutting edges are used to chop apart objects. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the projections 24 are designed as fins projecting substantially radially from the shaft 22, though other shapes such as prongs or spikes are within the scope of the application. The fins act like blades to cut apart objects. These fins are curved, but could also be straight in one possible embodiment. The fins have a sloped edge so that the fins fit better inside the conical plunger head 14. The projections 24 could be made of a resiliently deformable rubber or soft plastic so that when the projections 24 are pushed into a drain opening, such as a toilet, the projections 24 will not scratch or damage the surfaces of the drain opening. The deformability would also allow the projections 24 to be pushed into the drain opening if smaller than the width of the projections 24.

The plunger head 14 includes a guide sleeve 36 movably mounted on shaft 22. The guide sleeve 36 has a length sufficient to permit grasping by a hand of a user, as shown in FIG. 5, so the user does not have to contact the unsanitary portions of the plunger head 14. The guide sleeve 36 is made of a hard plastic or hard rubber. The plunger head 14 also includes an orifice 38 having a diameter sufficient to engage with a drain opening and to permit the plunger head 14 to be moved past the projections 24. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the plunger head 14 includes a first conical portion 40 and a second conical portion 42 connected together, wherein the first conical portion 40 tapers to the guide sleeve 36 and the second conical portion 42 tapers to the orifice 38. Other common plunger head 14 designs are within the scope of the disclosure.

Each of the first and second securing devices 30, 32 includes a locking member 44 mounted on and projecting from the shaft 22. The guide sleeve 36 includes an opening 46 therein designed to releasably engage with the locking member 44. As shown in FIG. 4, the locking member 44 includes a spring 48 positioned in the shaft 22 and a tab 50 attached to the spring 48 and movable into and out of the shaft 22. The opening 46 in the guide sleeve 36 is designed as a slot.

A user can unclog a drain using the drain-unclogging assembly 10. In some situations, the clog is caused by objects that will not travel down the drain with water. For example, in toilets, large pieces of fecal material could become stuck in a drain mouth. Clumps of toilet paper could be so large that they cannot be forced down the drain. The drain-unclogging assembly 10 is not limited to addressing clogs in toilet drains, but could also be used in kitchen sink drains or utility room drains where solid objects may obstruct the drain. In use with a toilet 70, as shown in FIG. 6, the user first manually engages and releases the first securing device 30 and then moves the plunger head 14 from the first position 26 to the second position 28, such that the projections 24 are exposed. The user then breaks apart objects lodged in the toilet drain mouth using the projections 24. When the user is done using the projections 24, the user manually engages and releases the second securing device 32 and moves the plunger head 14 from the second position 28 to the first position 26. The user can then engage the drain mouth with the plunger head 14 and plunge the drain as would be done with a standard plunger. The user can repeat the preceding steps as needed until water and objects flow satisfactorily through the drain mouth.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.