Air blasting devices for plumbing purposes to clean, clear, unclog, or unstop drains or pipes

• US 8,650,670 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2012
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pacific Jade, FLP
• Original Assignee: Wonder Plumber, LLC
• Inventors: Stein, Harvey Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US13/589,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 425/511, 425/501
• US Class Current: 4/255.11
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/308 by means of a pumping device

Abstract

An improved plunger comprises a generally V-shaped handle attached to a top distal end of a shaft. The handle comprises two mirrored arms that face inwards from a base so that neither of them nor the shaft shares a vertical or a horizontal plane. The handle is removably detachable from the plunger so that it can be washed, disinfected, and sanitized. At least one extension shaft portion extends a height of the shaft when it is not collapsed into and housed in the hollow shaft. A snaking attachments formed of a linearly aligned, spiral wound coil has an attachment end attachable to said dislodging protrusion.

Claims

1. In a plunger having an inverted rubber cup having a rim about a mouth of the cup and circumscribing a formed continuous plunger wall, said rubber cup connected to a distal end of a linearly elongated shaft such that forcible deformation of the rubber cup plunger wall is capable of creating increased pressure when the mouth of the cup is sealed about a plumbing opening, wherein the improvement comprises, in combination:

an improved generally V-shaped handle atop the shaft and attached to a top distal end of said shaft, which provides a better and more ergonomic means to manipulate the plunger;

a dislodging protrusion integrated within the inverted rubber cup and sharing a longitudinal axis with the shaft; and

a snaking attachments capable of being removably affixed to said dislodging protrusion, wherein said snaking attachment provides a linearly elongated plumbing snake mechanism that may extend into a plumbing conduit in order to physically break up clogs.

2. The improved plunger of claim 1, wherein said dislodging protrusion protrudes downwards from the plunger cup to just beneath the crest forming a dull spike that protrudes past a cross-plane formed at the cup'"'"'s rim(s) when the plunger is compressed.

3. The improved plunger of claim 1, wherein said snaking attachments comprises a linearly aligned, spiral wound coil having an attachment end attachable to said dislodging protrusion.

4. An improved plunger comprising:

a hollow shaft vertically extending upwards from a crest of an inverted rubber plunger cup;

a dislodging protrusion protruding downwards from said plunger cup;

a generally V-shaped handle attached to a top distal end of said shaft, wherein said handle comprises;

two mirrored arms that face inwards so that neither of said arms nor said shaft share a vertical or a horizontal plane;

hence, an of the arms and the shaft travel in separate planes, said handle further is removably detachable from said plunger so that it can be washed, disinfected, and sanitized;

a base that is a leg vertically extending downwards a length where said arms meet;

at least one extension shaft portion to extend a height of said shaft;

a threaded rod to connect said shaft to said plunger;

a cavity at a crest of said plunger cup that travels a vertical depth to accommodate a first length of said threaded rod, wherein said first length of said threaded rod comprises a circumference slightly smaller than that of said cavity;

a second, remaining length of said threaded rod comprising a second circumference slightly smaller than that of a hollow depth protruding from at least at a distal end of said shaft, wherein said depth at said distal end of said shaft comprises corresponding threads along an inner shaft wall which mate with those on said second, remaining length; and

a snaking attachments capable of being removably affixed to said dislodging protrusion;

wherein said snaking attachment provides a linearly elongated plumbing snake mechanism that may extend into a plumbing conduit in order to physically break up clogs; and

wherein said cavity comprises corresponding threads across its inner wall that mate with those on said first length of the rod; and

wherein said cavity receives said first length of said rod while said second, remaining length is received in said depth of said shaft.

5. The plunger of claim 4, wherein said shaft comprises a cross-section slightly greater than that of said extension shaft portion so that a latter can collapse into and be housed in a former.

6. The plunger of claim 4, wherein said extension shaft portion comprises a threaded distal length that mates with corresponding threads along an inner cavity wall formed at a base of said handle.

7. The plunger of claim 4, wherein a lower distal end of said extension shaft portion comprises a threaded length that mates with a corresponding threaded length comprised on an inner shaft wall proximate to a corresponding top distal end of said shaft.

8. The plunger of claim 4, wherein said plunger cup further comprises:

a rim that flanges outwards before a first continuous sidewall extends nearly vertically, upwards;

a second continuous sidewall affixed to said first sidewall where said first continuous sidewall begins to taper to a horizontal plane, said second continuous sidewall next extends nearly vertically upwards to extend a height, and hence a volume, of said plunger cup; and

,

a third continuous sidewall affixed to said second continuous sidewall when said second continuous sidewall begins to taper another horizontal plane, said third continuous sidewall tapers inward toward and travels a short distance in a third horizontal plane before it tapers again upwards in a vertical plane where it terminates at a mouth of a cavity;

wherein each of said continuous sidewalls comprises a circumference smaller than a last such that said plunger cup is embodied as a plurality of concentric, stacked sidewalls.

9. The plunger of claim 4, wherein said dislodging protrusion shares a longitudinal axis with said shaft, said dislodging protrusion protrudes downwards from an inside of a continuous sidewall of said plunger cup just beneath the crest;

wherein said dislodging protrusion protrudes past a cross-plane formed at said plunger cup'"'"'s rim when said plunger is compressed.

10. The plunger of claim 9, wherein said dislodging protrusion comprises stiff bristles that extend outwards from at least a portion of its surface.

11. The plunger of claim 4, further comprising:

a shaft vertically extending upwards from a crest of an inverted rubber plunger cup, wherein said plunger cup comprises;

a rim that flanges outwards before a first continuous sidewall extends nearly vertically upwards;

a second continuous sidewall affixed to said first sidewall where said first continuous sidewall begins to taper to a horizontal plane, said second continuous sidewall next extends nearly vertically upwards to extend a height, and hence a volume, of said plunger cup; and

,

a third continuous sidewall affixed to said second continuous sidewall when said second continuous sidewall begins to taper another horizontal plane, said third continuous sidewall tapers inward toward and travels a short distance in a third horizontal plane before it tapers again upwards in a vertical plane where it terminates at a mouth of a cavity;

wherein each of said continuous sidewalls comprises a circumference smaller than a last such that said plunger cup is embodied as a plurality of concentric, stacked sidewalls.

12. The plunger of claim 11, wherein said shaft further comprises a generally V-shaped handle attached to a top distal end of said shaft.

13. The plunger of claim 12, wherein said handle comprises:

two mirrored arms that face inwards so that neither of said arms nor said shaft share a vertical or a horizontal plane;

hence, all of the arms and the shaft travel in separate planes; and

,

a base that is a leg vertically extending downwards a length where said arms meet.

14. The improved plunger of claim 4, wherein said snaking attachments comprises a linearly aligned, spiral wound coil having an attachment end attachable to said dislodging protrusion.

15. In a plunger having an inverted rubber cup having a rim about a mouth of the cup and circumscribing a formed continuous plunger wall, said rubber cup connected to a distal end of a linearly elongated shaft such that forcible deformation of the rubber cup plunger wall is capable of creating increased pressure when the mouth of the cup is sealed about a plumbing opening, wherein the improvement comprises, in combination:

a dislodging protrusion extending from within the inverted rubber cup and sharing a longitudinal axis with the shaft; and

a snaking attachments capable of being removably affixed to said dislodging protrusion, wherein said snaking attachment provides a linearly elongated plumbing snake mechanism that may extend into a plumbing conduit in order to physically break up clogs.

16. The improved plunger of claim 15, wherein said dislodging protrusion is integrated within the inverted rubber cup.

17. The improved plunger of claim 16, wherein said dislodging protrusion protrudes downwards from the plunger cup to just beneath the crest forming a dull spike that protrudes past a cross-plane formed at the cup'"'"'s rim(s) when the plunger is compressed.

18. The improved plunger of claim 15, wherein said dislodging protrusion is removably attachable to within the inverted rubber cup.

19. The improved plunger of claim 18, wherein said dislodging protrusion protrudes downwards from the plunger cup to just beneath the crest forming a dull spike that protrudes past a cross-plane formed at the cup'"'"'s rim(s) when the plunger is compressed.

20. The improved plunger of claim 15, wherein said snaking attachments comprises a linearly aligned, spiral wound coil having an attachment end attachable to said dislodging protrusion.