Patent Application
20170204594
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates to plumbing tool to be used in a plumbing system, including method of operation, in order to capture oversized objects from flowing through the system. In particular, a tubular insert for use with a P-Trap is inserted into the inlet section of the P-Trap preventing oversized objects from flowing through the P-Trap.
The use of traps in plumbing systems is well known to artisans of ordinary skill. They usually are in a U, S, or J shape and are located below or within a plumbing fixture. The traps are utilized to prevent sewer gases from entering buildings. The most common of these traps in houses is referred to as a P-trap. It is the addition of a 90 degree fitting on the outlet side of a U-bend, thereby creating a P- like shape. It is also referred to as a sink trap because it is installed under most house sinks.
Because of its shape, the trap retains a small amount of water after the fixture's use. This water in the trap creates a seal that prevents sewer gas from passing from the drain pipes back into the occupied space of the building. Because it is a localized low-point in the plumbing, sink traps also tend to capture heavy objects that are inadvertently dropped into the sink. Traps also tend to collect hair, sand, and other debris and limit the ultimate size of objects that will pass on into the rest of the plumbing, thereby catching oversized objects. For all of these reasons, most traps can either be disassembled for cleaning or they provide some sort of cleanout feature.
The existing tools and methods require disassembly of the piping system and there is a need for a tool and method for capturing and retracting oversized objects flowing through plumbing systems without disassembly. The present invention uses a tubular insert that is inserted in a tubular P-Trap which comprises a straight inlet section, a U-Bend trap section, and a straight outlet section. The insert, having an inner diameter, an outer diameter, and a length such that the length is greater than an inner diameter of the P-Trap. Liquid flow is allowed to pass through the insert but oversized objects, having a maximum size greater than the insert inner diameter of the insert, are prevented from flowing through it. A retractor is used to retract the insert along with the oversized object from the inlet section of the P-Trap.
In one aspect, a tubular insert for use with a tubular P-Trap is disclosed wherein said insert is operable to prevent an oversized object from flowing through the P-Trap, said P-Trap comprising a straight inlet section operable to receive liquid, a U-Bend trap section operable to trap the liquid, and a straight outlet section operable to discharge the liquid, said P-Trap further comprising a P-Trap inner diameter, said insert comprising an insert inner diameter, an insert outer diameter, and an insert length, wherein the insert is inserted into the straight inlet section until an edge section of the insert perimeter rests against an inner side of the U-Bend trap section, wherein the insert inner diameter is less than a maximum size of the oversized object, wherein the insert outer diameter is less than the P-Trap inner diameter, and wherein the insert length is greater than the P-Trap inner diameter.
Preferably, the P-Trap is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
Preferably, the insert is made of polyvinyl chloride.
Preferably, the P-Trap inner diameter is equal to 4 inches.
Preferably, the insert outer diameter is equal to 3.75 inches.
Preferably, the insert inner diameter is equal to 3.5 inches.
Preferably, the insert length is in the range between 6 inches and 8 inches.
Preferably, the insert further comprises one or more circular holes disposed circumferentially around an axial direction of the insert.
Preferably, the one or more circular holes comprise 4 circular holes having a diameter equal to 0.75 inches, wherein the 4 circular holes are disposed circumferentially around the axial direction of the insert at 90 degrees intervals, and wherein the 4 circular holes are disposed axially 0.5 inches from a distal edge of the insert.
Preferably, the maximum size of the oversized object is equal to a diameter of a sphere circumscribing the oversized object.
In another aspect, a method for preventing an oversized object from flowing through a tubular P-Trap is disclosed wherein said P-Trap comprises a straight inlet section operable to receive liquid, a U-Bend trap section operable to trap the liquid, and a straight outlet section operable to discharge the liquid, said P-Trap further comprising a P-Trap inner diameter, said method comprising providing for a tubular insert, said insert comprising an insert inner diameter, an insert outer diameter, and an insert length, inserting said insert into the straight inlet section until an edge section of the insert perimeter rests against an inner side of the U-Bend trap section, wherein the insert inner diameter is less than a maximum size of the oversized object, wherein the insert outer diameter is less than the P-Trap inner diameter, and wherein the insert length is greater than the P-Trap inner diameter.
Preferably, the method further comprises retracting said insert, via a retractor.
Preferably, the insert further comprises one or more circular holes disposed circumferentially around an axial direction of the insert, wherein the retractor comprises a circular rod, wherein the circular rod comprises a bend, and wherein the bend is operable to engage one of the one or more circular holes facilitating the retracting of the insert.
Preferably, the P-Trap is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
Preferably, the insert is made of polyvinyl chloride.
Preferably, the P-Trap inner diameter is equal to 4 inches.
Preferably, the insert outer diameter is equal to 3.75 inches.
Preferably, the insert inner diameter is equal to 3.5 inches.
Preferably, the insert length is in the range between 6 inches and 8 inches.
In another aspect, a tubular insert for use with a tubular pipe is disclosed wherein said insert is operable to prevent an oversized object from flowing through the pipe, said pipe comprising a pipe bend and a pipe inner diameter, said insert comprising an insert inner diameter, an insert outer diameter, and an insert length, wherein the insert is inserted into the pipe until an edge section of the insert perimeter rests against an inner side of the pipe bend, wherein the insert inner diameter is less than a maximum size of the oversized object, wherein the insert outer diameter is less than the pipe inner diameter, and wherein the insert length is greater than the pipe inner diameter.
The present invention provides a method and system for preventing an oversized object from flowing through a tubular P-Trap using an insert that is inserted into the P-Trap's inlet section. A retractor can be used to subsequently retract the insert and the oversized object from the P-Trap.
The inner diameter DI at 222 of the insert 202 is less than a maximum size of an oversized object. According to one preferred embodiment, the maximum size of the oversized object is equal to a diameter of a sphere circumscribing the oversized object. The outer diameter DO at 224 of the insert 202 is less than the P-Trap inner diameter PI at 206 so that the insert 202 may be easily inserted into the inlet section 208 of the P-Trap. The length of the insert H at 216 is greater than the P-Trap inner diameter PI at 206 so as to ensure that the insert 202 does not flow through the P-Trap.
According to a preferred embodiment, the P-Trap 200 is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, such as the ABS piping system known to artisans of ordinary skill. The insert 202 is also made of polyvinyl chloride, such as the PVC piping system. The inner diameter PI at 206 of the P-Trap 200 is equal to 4 inches. The outer diameter DO at 224 of the insert 202 is equal to 3.75 inches, the inner diameter DI at 222 of the insert 202 is equal to 3.5 inches, and the length H at 216 of the insert 202 is the range between 6 inches and 8 inches, preferably 7 inches. Since the length H at 216 of the insert 202 is 7 inches and the inner diameter PI at 206 of the P-Trap 200 is equal to 4 inches, the insert 202 will not flow through the P-Trap 200.
All oversized objects having a maximum size greater than the inner diameter DI at 222 of the insert 202, which in this case is 3.5 inches, will be stopped at the top of the insert 202, shown in more detail in connection with
For instance, if the inner diameter PI at 310 of the P-Trap is equal to 4 inches, all objects having a maximum size less than 4 inches can flow through the P-Trap which may be unacceptable to a drain system. By inserting the insert 302 into the inlet section 308 of the P-Trap, the effective diameter of the inlet section 308 is reduced to the inner diameter DI at 312, for instance 3.50 inches, of the insert 302, which may be acceptable to the drain system. As such, inserting the insert 302, is an easy method of reducing the inner diameter of a P-Trap in a pipe system.
The liquid flows through the inlet section 408 of the P-Trap at 404, over the oversized object 412 at 410, and through the insert 402 at 416 to drain 406 while preventing the oversized object 412 from flowing through the pipe system. As such, liquid can flow through the pipe system while the oversized object 412 is prevented from flowing thought it and possibly damage the downstream drain system.
The foregoing explanations, descriptions, illustrations, examples, and discussions have been set forth to assist the reader with understanding this invention and further to demonstrate the utility and novelty of it and are by no means restrictive of the scope of the invention. It is the following claims, including all equivalents, which are intended to define the scope of this invention.
