The present disclosure relates to a toilet plunger containment system and, more particularly, to a sanitary toilet plunger containment system.
It is often necessary to employ a toilet plunger to force objects stuck in the drain tube to become dislodged by exerting pressure on the plunger. Unfortunately, this is often a messy task both during the plunging process and afterward when the plunger is removed from the toilet bowl for storage. Controlling the unsanitary nature of using and storing the toilet plunger is therefore highly desirable.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
A sanitary toilet plunger containment system for holding a plunger during periods of non-use is provided and may include a tray, a disposable disinfecting component, and a housing. The tray may include a first shelf portion and a second shelf portion. The disposable disinfecting component may be positioned within the tray and include a first portion supported by the first shelf portion and second portion supported by the second shelf portion. The housing may include a circumferential wall which hosts the tray.
In another configuration, a sanitary toilet plunger containment system for holding a plunger during periods of non-use is provided and may include a tray, a disposable disinfecting component, and a housing. The tray may include a first tier and a second tier. The disposable disinfecting component may be positioned within the tray and may be supported by the first tier. The housing may include a circumferential wall which hosts the tray.
Still other aspects of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings and detailed description provided below.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The shell 12, otherwise referred to herein as a housing, is typically formed from a moldable plastic material and is defined by a body 22 including a base 24 and cover 26 as best shown with reference to
The cover 26, which only partially covers the base 24, includes an open area 56 so as to allow for insertion and removal of the toilet plunger, includes a side wall 50 and a semi-circular top wall 52 which serves as a splash guard. The top wall 52 preferably includes a cut-out area 54 sized to receive a lower portion of the toilet plunger handle.
The selectively removable tray 14, as best shown in
The tray itself is designed to host a disposable, moisture absorptive material which includes a disinfectant component. This disposable disinfectant can be formed from a variety of moisture absorptive materials including, without limitation, charcoal, cellulosic materials such as wood chips, paper and cardboard or absorbent fibers by way of non-limiting example. The disposable disinfectant should be somewhat hydrophilic and may include disinfectant compositions, deodorizing additives and/or scented materials such as pine or floral scents, among others.
As should be appreciated, the moisture absorptive material 90 should be capable of being treated with disinfectants and deodorants in liquid, solid or gaseous form, and yet still be sufficiently absorptive after treatment with these types of compositions to consume waste water coming off of the plunger. Preferably, the moisture adaptive material is contained within the tray. A liquid permeable and/or perforated layer 92, is separated from the absorptive material and is sealed to the edge of the tray as shown in
Under a highly preferred embodiment, the moisture absorptive material 90 will be in the form of replaceable packets that can be sold separately when refills are needed.
As for the plunger 18, the major elements include a suction cup 70, the shaft 72 and the handle 74. The cup 70 includes a body 76, a peripheral lip 78 and a coupling portion 80 extending upwardly from the body. The cup is formed from a material such as 60-90 a durometer silicone, butyl rubber or other liquid injection moldable material or elastomeric thermoplastics which is sufficiently durable and flexible to carry out effective plunging. An added benefit of this type of material is that it has limited porosity and is generally resistant to absorption; that is, toilet matter generally does not stick to it. Under a highly preferred embodiment, the plunger cup will be post treated to substantially eliminate the porosity all together. A high polished diamond lapping process can be employed to eliminate any surface porosity in the plunger head which is molded from a silicone or other low porosity elastomeric or thermoplastic elastomeric material.
The shaft 72 is formed from a sufficiently rigid material to withstand the force applied to the plunger during use. Example materials include nylon 66, ABS, polypropylene and other thermoplastic materials that include Teflon like functions that prevent are reduce adhesion of toilet debris to the structure shaft 72 includes an elongated stem 84 and a coupling member 86 extending from the lower end of the shaft which mates with the coupling portion 80 of the cup. As shown, this coupling arrangement is in the form of a male and female threaded embodiment, but as should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, various mechanical coupling arrangements could be utilized. Further, the male and female aspects could be on either the cup or the shaft as long as effective mating is achieved.
Extending along the upper end 86 of the shaft 72 is an enlarged handle 74. As shown, the upper end has a substantially bulbous shape to enhance the ergonomics of the plunger during use. The handle may also include an end cap 88 which is formed from a material which is particularly useful for ergonomic purposes. Alternatively, the upper end 86 can be over molded with an elastomeric material for comfort.
Referring particularly to
Referring to
The packaging (not shown) for the construct would preferably be moisture resistant to preserve the moisture absorbing characteristics of the absorptive material.
Still another variation of the present invention is shown in
Referring to
With particular reference to
The first circumferential wall 104 may extend from the second tier 112 at least partially in the axial direction, such that the fourth circumferential wall 114, the second tier 112, and the first circumferential wall 104 substantially forms an annular channel or trough 116. The channel or trough 116 may serve as a receptacle for excess water or moisture that is not absorbed by the moisture absorptive material 90.
The second circumferential wall 106 may extend radially from the first circumferential wall 104, such that the second circumferential wall 106 substantially forms an intervening annular shelf to assist in supporting the moisture absorptive material 90. Accordingly, an axial height H1 of the second circumferential wall 106 may be substantially equal to an axial height H2 of the first tier 110, such that the second circumferential wall 106 and the first tier 110 are substantially coplanar. It will be appreciated that the first tier 110 may assist in supporting a central portion of the moisture absorptive material 90, and the second circumferential wall 106 may assist in supporting a peripheral portion of the moisture absorptive material 90. An intermediate portion of the moisture absorptive material 90 (located between the central portion and the peripheral portion) may be substantially aligned with the trough 116, in an unsupported configuration.
The third circumferential wall 108 may extend axially from the second circumferential wall 106. The lip 66A extends from the second circumferential wall 106, and may include a radially extending portion 118 and an axially extending portion 120, such that the lip 66A forms a substantially U-shaped channel that seats over the upper lip 46 of the housing 12. The lip 66A terminates at the edge of the upper portion of the housing 12 when the tray 14A is positioned within the housing 12. Ideally, the body of the tray 14A is sized to fit securely within the body of the housing 12. Extending outwardly from the lip 66A is gripping tab 71 which facilitates insertion and removal of the tray from the housing.
The plunger containment systems described herein may be offered commercially as a kit. The kit may include at a minimum, a tray and a moisture absorbing component as described above. The kit may also include a decorative shell and optionally a plunger. Again, once the moisture absorptive component is exhausted, refills could be purchased separately.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/666,130 filed on Nov. 1, 2012. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13666130 | Nov 2012 | US |
Child | 14068174 | US |