Patent Grant
7367077
This invention relates to drain cleaning apparatus and devices and, more particularly, to improvements in portable, motor-operated drain cleaners.
Relatively small, portable drain cleaners are of course well known and, generally, include a drain cleaning snake or cable coiled in a housing or drum from which an end of the cable extends for introduction into a drain or sewer line to be cleaned. The drum is rotated in order to rotate the cable about its axis as the latter is advanced into the drain, and such rotation of the drum is achieved by coupling the drum with a suitable drive motor which, in some instances is provided by a hand held drill. The cable is advanced out of the drum and into a drain either manually, by pulling the cable outwardly of the drum, or through the use of a cable feeding device attached to the drum as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,076 to Rutkowski, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,436 to Burch, et al., or to a guide tube or hose as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,588 to Rutkowski, all of which patents are incorporated herein by reference for background information.
In such drain cleaning apparatus heretofore known, the drum is a rotating part which a user must contend with during operation of the drain cleaner. Moreover, in the absence of a cable feeding device, the user must de-energize the drive motor and manually displace the cable out of the drum during a drain cleaning operation and back into the drum following completion of the operation. Such manual displacement of the cable exposes the user's hands, gloves or other clothing to the grime and other moisture-laden material which adheres to the cable as the latter advances into and is withdrawn from a drain or the like being cleaned. In any event, the drain cleaning apparatus and devices of the foregoing character heretofore available are not easy to use, most often do not provide for hands-off operation with respect to the cable, expose a user to contact with the rotating cable drum, and render a drain cleaning operation tedious and, often, undesirably time-consuming.
In accordance with the present invention, motor-operated drain cleaning apparatus is provided by which the foregoing and other disadvantages of such devices heretofore available are advantageously minimized or overcome. More particularly in this respect, a drain cleaning device in accordance with the invention provides for the drain cleaning cable to be stored in a non-rotating housing and to be rotated about the cable axis when the cable is in a drain by a motor coupled to the end of the cable in the housing. Advantageously, the outer or operating end of the cable can be associated with a cable feeding device coupled to the housing, such as through the use of a flexible guide tube or hose, whereby an operator of the apparatus does not have to come into contact with rotating parts of the apparatus, or the cable which rotates relative thereto and is advanced and retracted relative to the housing by the feeding device. Accordingly, use and operation of the device with a cable feeding mechanism is much easier than is the operation of units heretofore available and, moreover, affords the operator the ability to avoid contact with the cable and thus exposure to dirt, grime and other undesirable matter which may accumulate on the cable during a drain cleaning operation. Still further, a user is much more relaxed in connection with using the apparatus in that he or she does not see any rotating parts of the apparatus other than the cable, and visibility of the latter is minimal once the operating end of the cable is in a drain, especially if displacement of the cable into and from the drain is through the use of a cable feeding mechanism. Suitable cable feeding devices can include those shown in the aforementioned patents and, preferably, is one enabling displacement of the cable out of and into the housing without changing the direction of the drive motor, such as the feed mechanisms disclosed in co-pending application Ser. Nos. 11/179,957 and 10/792,983 in the name of Rutkowski, et al. and which is assigned to the same assignee as the present application.
It is accordingly an outstanding object of the present invention to provide improved, motor-operated drain cleaning apparatus.
Another object is the provision of apparatus of the foregoing character in which rotation of the drain cleaning cable about its axis during displacement relative to a drain being cleaned is achieved by rotating the cable by a motor coupled to the end of the cable in a housing of the device.
Yet another object is the provision of apparatus of the foregoing character in which the drain cleaning cable is stored in a non-rotating housing and is directly rotated about the cable axis relative to the housing.
A further object is the provision of drain cleaning apparatus of the foregoing character which is portable, easy to use, does not have any visible rotating parts, such as a cable drum, and affords an opportunity for hands-off use or use with a minimum hand contact with the cable during a drain cleaning operation.
The foregoing objects, and others, will in part be obvious and in part pointed out more fully hereinafter in conjunction with the written description of preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention only and not for limiting the invention, drain cleaning apparatus 10 illustrated in
The spaced annular and domed walls provide a cable passageway 38 having a lower end 38a and an upper end 38b which communicates with cable opening 30, and a drain cleaning cable 40 is coiled in the lower portion of passageway 38 about annular wall 18 of base 12. Cable 40 has an inner end 42 relative to the housing which extends tangentially from lower end 38a of passageway 38 through an opening 44 in the lower portion of annular wall 26 of the cover for coupling with a drive motor unit M of the apparatus as set forth more fully hereinafter. Cable 40 extends upwardly from the coil in the lower portion of passageway 38, through cable opening 30 and, in the embodiment shown, through flexible guide tube 36 and a cable feeding device CF which corresponds structurally to a feeding device disclosed in the aforementioned co-pending application Ser. Nos. 11/179,957 and 10/792,983. Basically in this respect, the cable feeder comprises a base B having axially opposite ends and an actuator defined by first and second actuator members A1 and A2, respectively, overlying base B between the opposite ends thereof. Actuators A1 and A2 are mounted on base B by a pivot pin P for displacement toward and away from base B independent of one another, and one of the opposite ends of base B is adapted to receive and frictionally interengage with the outer end of guide tube 36. The feeding device further includes axially spaced apart sets of actuating rolls, each of which sets includes a pair of rolls mounted on the corresponding one of the actuators A1 and A2 and a single roll mounted on base B and underlying the rolls on the corresponding actuator. The rolls of each set are skewed so as to alternately engage with and displace the cable in opposite directions relative to the cable feeder in response to rotation of the cable about its axis. As mentioned, cable 40 extends through the cable feeding device, and the cable has an outer end 46 provided, for example, with a bulb auger BA. Preferably, passageway 38 has a radial dimension which precludes two turns of the coil being in the same radial plane in the passageway. This relationship can be obtained by providing for the radial width of the passageway to be less than twice the outer diameter of the cable.
Second cover portion 16 is contoured to overlie and matingly interengage with second base portion 12b, and the interior compartment area 24 of base portion 12b and the interior compartment area 48 of second cover portion 16 are structured to axially capture motor unit M and a pneumatically actuated switch unit 50 therebetween. Further, an on-off switch 52 is mounted on cover portion 16 for selectively connecting and disconnecting motor unit M to a power source which, in the embodiment disclosed, is a 110 volt source to which the motor unit is connected by a power cord 54. Motor unit M is mounted on cover portion 16 and comprises an electric motor 56 and a gear box 58 which is driven thereby and which has a slip clutch output coupling 60 for connection to end 42 of cable 40 by means of a pair of set screws 62. Pneumatically actuated switch 50 is mounted on cover portion 16 and is connected to an air hose 64 which, in a well-known manner, has a foot or hand actuator component attached to the outer end thereof and by which pulses of air under pressure are delivered to the switch by depressing the actuator to alternately open and close the switch. While not shown, it will be appreciated that switches 50 and 52 are connected in series with motor M and the power source, whereby displacement of switch 52 to the “on” position connects motor M to the power source subject to the operating condition of switch 50. During use, the operator displaces the actuator of the pneumatically actuated switch to alternately energize and de-energize motor 56 and, accordingly, alternately rotate and stop rotation of cable 40.
Cover portion 14 is removably attached to base 12 by means of a plurality of threaded fasteners, not shown, extending through openings 66 in cover portion 14 and into openings 68 therefor in base 12, and cover portion 16 is removably mounted on the base by a plurality of threaded fasteners, not shown, which extend upwardly from the bottom of base 12 through openings 70 therefor and to openings 72 in cover portion 16. Domed wall 28 of cover portion 14 is provided with a plurality of arcuate slots 74 therethrough which enable observing the movement of cable 40 upwardly toward opening 30 during operation of the apparatus, and housing and cover portions 12b and 16 are provided with aligned slots 75 which provide vent openings to the motor unit when the base and cover are assembled. A handle 76 is provided for lifting and transporting the drain cleaner and includes a first end 76a attached to domed wall 28 of cover 14 by a threaded fastener 78 extending into the handle from the interior side of wall 28. Second end 76b of the handle is releasably interengaged with cover portion 16 by a slot and finger arrangement including slots 80 and 82 in cover portion 16 and fingers 84 and 86 on end 76b of the handle which extend through slots 80 and 82, respectively. Finger 84 engages under the inner side of cover portion 16, and the handle is removable with cover portion 14 by removing the fasteners from the openings 66 of the latter and pivoting cover portion 14 and handle 76 clockwise from the position shown in
In use, it will be appreciated that power cord 54 is plugged into a power source and switch 52 is then turned to the “on” position to enable energizing of the motor dependent on the condition of pneumatically actuated switch 50. Presuming the operator to depress the actuator of switch 50 to close the switch, motor 56 is energized and cable 40 is rotated relative to base 12 and the cover components. Further presuming the cable feeding device CF to be in a neutral position as shown in
Housing portion 16A is defined by legs 98 and 100 extending generally tangentially of housing portion 14A and a bridging portion 102 between the outer ends of the legs, and when the base and cover portions are assembled, legs 98 and 100 and bridging portion 102 respectively overlie legs 92 and 94 and bridging portion 96 of base portion 12b. Moreover, when the base and cover portions are assembled, legs 92 and 98 define a compartment for a battery pack 103 and on-off switch 104, and legs 94 and 100 define a compartment for a motor unit M. Further, as will be appreciated from
In this embodiment, motor unit M includes a motor 106 and gear box 108 having a slip clutch output coupling 60 for connection to the inner end 42 of a drain cleaning cable. Further, it will be appreciated that the power source for the motor in this embodiment is battery pack 103 and that the latter is connected in circuit with motor 106 through on-off switch 104. As in the embodiment shown in
The axially inner side of end wall 138 of drum 136 is provided with a compartment 152 for receiving a motor unit M, a compartment 154 for receiving a battery pack 156, and an axially inwardly extending switch recess 158 having an inner wall 160 on which an on-off switch 162 is mounted. As in the previous embodiments, motor unit M includes an electric motor 164 connected to a gear box 166 having an output to a slip clutch coupling 60 by which inner end 42 of drain cleaning cable 40 is coupled to the motor unit. End wall 138 of the drum is provided with slots 139 for venting the motor unit compartment. The housing, as defined by housing members 122 and 124 has a cable opening 168, and cable 40 is coiled about drum 136 in the space between drum wall 140 and cylindrical walls 128 and 132 of the housing members, which space defines a cable passageway 38, and the cable extends outwardly through opening 168 and, as in the previous embodiments, has an outer end, now shown, which is adapted to be introduced into a drain to be cleaned. Preferably, opening 168 terminates in a collar 170 which is provided with barbs or the like to facilitate connecting a flexible guide tube thereto, such as that shown in connection with the embodiment of
End wall 138 of drum 136 is provided on the axially outer side thereof with a crank arm 180 by which the drum can be manually rotated about axis A relative to the housing, and each of the housing members is provided with a pair of circumferentially spaced apart feet 182 for supporting the drain cleaner on an underlying surface in a use position as shown in the drawings. Further, closed end wall 130 of housing member 122 is provided with a plurality of radially extending axially outwardly projecting recesses 184 each of which terminates in a foot 186 which projects axially outwardly therefrom and which feet provide an alternative arrangement for supporting the drain cleaner on an underlying surface. Further, each of the housing members 122 and 124 is provided with a corresponding handle portion 188 which, when the housing members are assembled, provides a carrying handle diametrically opposite feet 182 of the housing.
As will be appreciated from the description of the previous embodiments herein, motor 164 is adapted to be energized through on-off switch 162, and when the latter is in the “on position” the motor operates through gear box 166 to rotate cable 40 about its axis and relative to the drum and housing components. If the cable extends through a flexible guide tube having a cable feeding device attached thereto as described in connection with the embodiment of
In each of the foregoing embodiments, the housing components are constructed from a suitable plastic material such as polyethylene, for example, and preferably are constructed from an antibacterial plastic material or a plastic material such as polyethylene having an antibacterial additive therein such as the additive IRGAGUARD available from Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Inc. of Tarrytown, N.Y.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be appreciated that other embodiments can be readily devised and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principals of the invention. In this respect, for example, it will be appreciated that a wide variety of on-off switch structures can be employed, that the use of a pneumatically actuated switch is optional, and that, if used, any variety of cable feeding devices can be employed either in association with a flexible guide tube or directly connected to or supported adjacent the housing. Further, it will be appreciated that the drive motor can be reversible in which case the main control switch would operate to reverse the direction of the output rotation of the motor, thus enabling the use of a cable feeding device with the drain cleaner which would operate to displace the cable into a drain in response to rotation of the cable in one direction about its axis and outwardly of the drain and into the housing in response to rotation of the cable in the opposite direction about its axis. These and other modifications of the preferred embodiments as well as other embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading the description herein, whereby the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1532177 | Gist | Apr 1925 | A |
| 2450486 | Perry | Oct 1948 | A |
| 2460149 | Shoensiegel | Jan 1949 | A |
| 2625699 | Jurasevich | Jan 1953 | A |
| 3317943 | Primm | May 1967 | A |
| 3574878 | Shames et al. | Apr 1971 | A |
| 3897602 | Waterbury | Aug 1975 | A |
| 4570281 | Boelens | Feb 1986 | A |
| 6009588 | Rutkowski | Jan 2000 | A |
| 6158076 | Rutkowski et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6412136 | Rutkowski | Jul 2002 | B1 |
| 6615436 | Burch et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20050193509 A1 | Sep 2005 | US |
