Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Implements – Pipe – tube – or conduit cleaner
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-11
2003-09-09
Warden, Sr., Robert J. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Implements
Pipe, tube, or conduit cleaner
C015S104050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06615436
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to the art of drain cleaning tools and, more particularly, to cable feeding devices for powered and/or hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tools.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tools have been provided heretofore and generally, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,076 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,284,939 for example, are comprised of a drain cleaning cable or snake coiled in a cable drum which is rotatable relative to a support by which the drum is adapted to be held in one hand of a user while the latter rotates the drum with his or her other hand through a crank on the drum. The cable extends forwardly of the drum and is extended relative thereto for insertion into a drain to be cleaned and rotates with the drum so as to clear a blockage encountered in the drain. Further in this respect, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,284,939, a length of the cable is adapted to be manually withdrawn from the drum by the user, and then a thumb screw is tightened against the cable at the forward end of the drum so as to preclude unintended displacement of the cable into the drum as the cable is advanced into the drain to be cleaned. The drum is then held with one hand and rotated by the other while the user at the same time forces the cable into the drain. When the withdrawn length of the cable has been inserted into the drain, the thumb screw is loosened, the cable is held in place and the drum is withdrawn from the entrance to the drain to withdraw a further length of cable from the drum. The thumb screw is again tightened and the operation is repeated to displace the newly extended length of the cable to the drain. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,284,939, the hand support for holding the drum for rotation is a tubular support at the rear end of the drum and, in other previous support arrangements, such a tubular support is disposed forwardly of the drum and may include a pistol grip type handle extending laterally of the axis of rotation for supporting the drum. A hand held and hand operated tool of the latter structure is available from The Ridge Tool Company of Elyria, Ohio under the latter's product designation “K-Spin Hand Spinner.” When the drain cleaning operation is completed, the thumb screw is loosened and the cable is manually pushed back into the drum by the user.
Hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tools of the foregoing character are desirable in that they are lightweight, structurally simple, economical to manufacture, and, for all of these reasons, ideal for use in connection with light duty drain cleaning operations such as those encountered in a residential home. At the same time, the necessity to manually extend and retract the cable relative to the drum, and to tighten and loosen the thumb screw in connection with inserting and rotating the cable relative to a drain to be cleaned is cumbersome, difficult at times, such as in connection with moving the leading end of the cable around a sharp bend in the drain line, and is dirty as a result of sludge and other material adhering to the cable and contacting the hand of the user in connection with extending and retracting the cable relative to the drum. Should the user of the tool encounter an obstruction in the drain line while a considerable length of the cable extends outwardly from the drain entrance, rotation of the cable can result in the latter whipping about the axis of the drain as opposed to rotating about its own axis, and such whipping can damage the area adjacent the drain entrance. Further, it becomes frustrating, awkward and difficult in such situations to loosen the thumb screw to retract the extra cable into the drum without pulling the cable from the drain, tightening the thumb screw and then pushing and rotating the drum in an effort to advance the snake. Further frustration results from having to repeat the thumb screw loosening, cable pulling, thumb screw tightening, and drum pushing and rotating procedure, in order to move the leading end of the cable through or past the obstruction. While the foregoing problems and difficulties are minimized or avoided in connection with the operation of motor powered drain cleaning apparatus by providing the latter with cable feeding mechanisms operable in response to rotation of the drum and cable to automatically feed the latter relative to the drum, such feeding devices heretofore available are structurally complex, expensive, structurally and/or functionally complicated and/or inoperable in connection with a hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tool in which the drum is supported by one hand of a user and rotated by the other.
The hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tool disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,076 overcomes these problems. The hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tool includes cable driving components mounted on the drum support and a manually operated drive actuator mounted on the drum support for selective displacement by the user between operating and non-operating conditions relative to the cable for respectively feeding the cable relative to the drum and interrupting the cable feed.
Although this new hand held and hand operated device overcomes many of the problems associated with prior hand held and hand operated devices, there are instances when it is difficult to operate the hand held and hand operated device due to the length of cable that has been fed out and/or the type of clog encountered. During such operations, a power operated drain cleaning tool is desirable. However, in many situations the hand held and hand operated device is sufficient to accomplish the job. Therefore, there is a need for a drain cleaning tool that can be operated both manually or powered means and can be conveniently modified for operation by hand or by a power operated drive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, feeding arrangements are provided for drain cleaning tools of the foregoing character which avoid or minimize the problems and difficulties encountered in connection with the use thereof and which provide the advantages realized in connection with the use of cable feeding devices with power driven drain cleaning apparatus while promoting and maintaining the desired simplicity of structure and economy of manufacture and ease of use of a hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tool. In addition, the drain cleaning tool is easily modifiable into a power driven drain cleaning tool when added torque and speed are required. Feeding devices according to the invention include cable driving components mounted on the drum support and a manually or power operated drive actuator mounted on the drum support for selective displacement by the user between operating and non-operating conditions relative to the cable for respectively feeding the cable relative to the drum and interrupting the cable feed. Importantly, the manually or power operable drive actuator is positioned for operative displacement by the user using the fingers of the one hand by which the drum is supported while the drum is being rotated by the other hand of the user or the hand operating the power operated drive. In accordance with one embodiment, the drum support includes a hand grip by which the drum is supported with the one hand of the user, and the drive actuator includes a trigger forwardly adjacent the hand grip which is selectively displaceable by the user while he or she supports the drum in the one hand and rotates the drum with the other or operates a power drive to rotate the drum. In accordance with another embodiment, the drum support includes a cradle-like portion extending forwardly of the drum and by which the latter is adapted to be supported by one hand of a user, and the manually or power operable drive actuator is diametrically opposed to the cradle-like portion and is selectively displaceable by the fingers and/or thumb of the one hand of the user while the latter rotates the drum with his or her other hand to operate a power drive to rotate the drum. In this embodiment, the
Burch, Jr. Danny L.
Dunkin Jon R.
Rutkowski Michael J.
Balsis S
Emerson Electric Co.
Fay Sharpe Fagan Minnich & McKee
Warden, Sr. Robert J.
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