Sewer hose liner and related methods

Abstract

This invention relates to a disposable sewer hose liner that may be used to line the inside of a sewer hose for recreational vehicles, trailers, and mobile homes. The disposable sewer hose liner provides a more sanitary method of disposing sewage and waste water from an RV, trailer, or mobile home and reduces the odor emanating from a sewer hose, the amount of cleaning necessary, and the amount of bacteria or waste that a user comes in contact with when interacting with a sewer hose.

Claims

1. A disposable sewer hose liner installed in a sewer hose of a recreational vehicle, said disposable sewer hose liner comprising: a first end; a second end; and a hollow passage therebetween said first end and second end; and, wherein said sewer hose has a connector end that is connected to a sewage disposal drain and a terminal end that is connected to a sewer drain of the recreational vehicle; wherein said first end of said disposable sewer hose liner is cuffed over the terminal end so that a first cuff is exposed at and fixed between a connection of the terminal end and the sewer drain of the recreational vehicle; and, wherein said second end of said disposable sewer hose liner is cuffed over the connector end that a second cuff is exposed at and fixed between a connection of the connector end and the sewage disposal drain.

2. The disposable sewer hose liner of claim 1, wherein the first and second end of the hose liner are perforated.

3. The disposable sewer hose liner of claim 1, wherein said hose liner is comprised of plastic.

4. The disposable sewer hose liner of claim 1, wherein said hose liner is bio-degradable.

5. The disposable sewer hose liner of claim 1, wherein an anchor is built into at least one end of the sewer hose liner.

6. The disposable sewer hose liner of claim 1, wherein at least one end of the sewer hose liner has an elastomeric band.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Other objectives of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the invention has been shown and described. The manner in which these objectives can be achieved is explained in the following description and attached figures in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the sewer hose liner;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sewer hose liner of FIG. 1, an RV, and a corresponding sewer hose;

(4) FIG. 3 is an illustration depicting one embodiment of using the sewer hose liner of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 is an illustration depicting one embodiment of using the sewer hose liner of FIG. 1 in a sewer hose; and,

(6) FIG. 5 is an illustration depicting one embodiment of a sewer hose employing the sewer hose liner of FIG. 1.

(7) It is to be noted, however, that the appended figures illustrate only typical embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments that will be appreciated by those reasonably skilled in the relevant arts. Also, figures are not necessarily made to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFFERED EMBODIMENTS

(8) In general, disclosed is a sewer hose liner that can be used with RV sewer hoses. In a preferred embodiment, the sewer hose liner can reduce the mess and a user's contact with bacteria and waste matter associated with attaching, detaching, and cleaning sewer hoses for RVs, trailers, or mobile homes. In a preferred use, the liner can be passed through the hose by (1) putting a weight or an anchor in the end of the liner, (2) tying the liner closed, (3) threading the liner through the hose by dropping the weighted end through the hose, (4) pulling the liner through the other end, and (6) cuffing the end of the liner around the ends of the hose. Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the sewer hose liner 1 may be a sheath with a hollow central passage through which waste can travel. The sewer hose liner 1 has a first terminal end 2 and a second terminal end 6 (See FIG. 3). In a preferable embodiment, the sewer hose liner is disposable and can be cuffed around the ends of the sewer hose. The liner 1 may be composed of plastic, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon, or other non-porous, flexible, bio-degradable, or disposable material.

(9) Referring to FIG. 2, the sewer hose liner 1 is to be used with a sewer hose 3 with a first end 4 and a second end 5. The sewer hose 3 may be one commonly used with RV drains to connect an RV sewer drain 8 to a sewage disposal drain or site. FIGS. 2-5 depict one embodiment of a sewer hose 3 that may accept the sewer hose liner 1.

(10) Referring to FIG. 3, in use, a preferred embodiment allows a user to close off a first terminal end 2 by tying a knot or by using a fastening device such as a zip tie, cable tie, rubber band, elastic tie, or any other means known to one of skill in the art. Once a first terminal end 2 is closed off, a user may place an anchor 7 into a second terminal end 6, and allow the anchor 7 to reach and come to a rest at the closed off first terminal end 2. With the anchor 7 at the first terminal end 2, a user may then insert the first terminal end 2 of the sewer hose liner 1 into the first end 4 of a sewer hose 3 and maneuver the sewer hose 3 so that the first terminal end 2 of the sewage liner 1 travels to the second end 5 of the sewer hose 3. Referring to FIG. 4, in a preferred embodiment, once the first terminal end 2 of the sewage liner 1 is threaded through the entire sewer hose 3, a user may open up the first terminal end 2, remove the anchor 7, and cuff the first terminal end 2 around the second end 5 of the sewer hose 3. The user then may cuff the second terminal end 6 of the sewer hose liner 1 around the first end 4 of the sewer hose 3. Referring to FIG. 5, the user may attach the first end 4 and the second end 5 of the sewer hose 3 to the respective sewage hookups on the RV drain 8 or the disposal drain or site, or allow one end to empty out into a disposal site. After a user empties out the sewage from an RV through the sewer hose 3, the user may disconnect the first and second ends 4,5 of the sewer hose 3, uncuff the first terminal end 2 and the second terminal end 6 from the sewer hose 3, remove the sewer hose liner 1 from the sewer hose 3, and then dispose of the sewer hose liner 1, thereby preventing sewage waste from coming in contact with the inside of the sewer hose 3. In one embodiment, before removing the sewer hose liner 1 from the sewer hose 3, a user may close off the first and second terminal ends 2,6 of the sewer hose liner 1 to reduce any sewage waste from escaping the sewer hose liner 1.

(11) In one embodiment, the sewer hose liner 1 may be manufactured to a preset length to fit different sewer hoses 3. In an alternative embodiment, a user may cut the sewer hose liner 1 to fit any length of sewer hose. In another embodiment, the sewer hose liner 1 may have perforations on each end. In one embodiment the anchor 7 may be a rock or any other item with sufficient enough weight to travel through a sewer hose 3. In another embodiment, an anchor 7 or plurality of anchors 7 may be built into the perforations or other location on one or both ends of the sewer hose liner 1, which allows one end to have weight to be maneuvered through a sewer hose 3. In one embodiment, the first and second terminal ends 2,6 of the sewer hose liner 1 may be cuffed around the ends of the sewer hose 3 by wrapping them around the edges of the sewer hose 3, or by employing a securing device such as a zip-tie, rubber band, cable tie, or elastic tie. In another embodiment, an elastomeric band built into the edges of the first and second terminal ends 2,6 of the sewer hose liner 1, which allows them to be securely cuffed around the ends of a sewer hose 3.

(12) It should be noted that those of skill in the art may appreciate alternate embodiments of the invention after reading this disclosure. This description of a preferred embodiment is not intended to be a limit to the scope of this disclosure. On the contrary, applicant contemplates many alternative embodiments that may be contrived and used without departing from the spirit and intent of this written description.

(13) The claims filed herewith are incorporated by reference in their entirety into the specification as if fully set forth herein.