Abstract
A combination toilet unblocking/cleaning apparatus for providing both a toilet unblocking and toilet cleaning tool in one convenient unit. The toilet unblocking tool further includes an adjustable auger, a combined tongs, and a detachable rod. Wherein, the adjustable auger includes two drain cleaning cable connected to a slider and slidable held in an elongated sleeve member; and the detachable rod is removably attached to the adjustable auger to form a combined tongs, constructed in such manner that the rod member can be used individually as drain rod. Also, the combination toilet cleaning tool is using the combined tongs as a handle with a plurality of different detachable bathroom accessories. Accessories may include a brush, a plunger, and a scraper; in which the brush, the plunger, and the scraper are configured to be selectively and removably coupled to the combined tongs.
Claims
1. A combination toilet unblocking and cleaning tools, wherein comprising: An adjustable auger comprising: a. an elongated sleeve member having a front wall, back wall and two opposing sidewalls; wherein the front wall and two side walls are about one inch shorter than said back wall; b. a handle attached to an upper end of said elongated sleeve; wherein the handle has a “7” shape or “D” shape; c. a central elongated opening divides the front wall of the sleeve member into two equal parts; and another central opening divides the bottom half of the back wall of the sleeve member into two equal parts; d. two drain cleaning cables slidably held in the sleeve member, and slider which is connected with the drain cleaning cable and is slidable in the sleeve member in the longitudinal direction, via which the drain cleaning cable is manipulated to protrude from and retracted into the sleeve member said slider is smaller than the bore of the sleeve member, said slider can slide in the sleeve member; e. a few pairs of slots cross with the opening of the front wall of the sleeve member, said slots is used to hold the slider knobs of the slider; f. a locking means is provided on the slider for selectively fixing the slider to a desired slots; g. a pair of rings attached at the middle of back walls of the sleeve member, said rings is to be parallel connected with the ring on the easily detachable rod to form a combined tongs; h. a pair of screws screwed at the lower end of the back wall of the elongated sleeve, said screws can be used as hooks of the sleeve; said screws can also be inserted into the hole of the accessory coupler for coupling the bathroom accessory to the sleeve member.
2. A combined tongs assembly including the adjustable auger member and also including an easily detachable rod member being removably attached to the rings of said adjustable auger member with a hinge pin to form a combined tongs, said detachable rod member can be use individually as drain rod. A detachable rod, comprising: a. an elongate shaft; a handle at one end of the shaft, and a ring in the middle of the shaft; b. a longitudinal hook member at the end of the shaft; wherein the shaft has two bends located under the ring and each bend is a straight angle; c. wherein the hook member has a rounded “U” shape and points substantially in the direction of the of the handle, the hook is also configured to insert into the hole of the bathroom accessory; d. wherein the handle has a “7” shape or “D” shape said the handle and the hook member are located on the opposite side of the shaft; e. wherein the section of the shaft that contacts the hook member is on the same plane as the handle and the ring.
3. A combination toilet cleaning tool assembly is using the combined tongs as a handle and the screws of the combined tongs as accessory coupler to couple detachable bathroom accessory to clean the bathroom. A combination toilet cleaning tool comprising: a. a combined tong as a handle and the screws of the combined tong as an accessory coupler which responsive to an accessory release mechanism on the combined tongs; b. a plurality of different bathroom accessories comprising at least a toilet plunger, a brush and a scraper, wherein each bathroom accessory comprises a first end configured to removably couple to the screws of the combined tongs; c. where in the screws of the combined tongs is configured to inserted into the hole of the bathroom accessory and the accessory coupler is configured to couple the bathroom accessory to the combined tongs.
4. The combination toilet unblocking and cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein said locking means comprise: an interior channel contained inside of the slider, said interior channel is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slider and communicable with a surface of one side of the slider by a gap.
5. The combination toilet unblocking and cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein two slider knobs and one compression spring are hold in the interior channel; said compression spring is connected the seating potion of the two slider knob; said compression spring would expand to keep the track gripping portion in the slots after the slider knobs being manipulated to the desired slots.
6. The combination toilet unblocking and cleaning apparatus of claim 2,wherein the rod is of a single unitary construction.
7. The combination toilet unblocking and cleaning apparatus of claim 2,wherein a hinge pin is inserted into the ring of said adjustable auger and the ring of said detachable rod to form a combined tongs.
8. The combination toilet unblocking and cleaning apparatus of claim 2,wherein a hinge pin is used as pivot axis to connect the adjustable and the rod.
9. The combination toilet unblocking and cleaning apparatus of claim 2,wherein the detachable rod may be used individually as a drain rod when desired.
10. The combination toilet unblocking and cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein the bathroom accessory further comprise a coupler member and also including an bathroom accessory being attached to the coupler member.
11. The combination toilet unblocking and cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein the coupler comprise a cuboid support which has three hole being centrally disposed in and through the cuboid support said these hole are configured to be coupled with the screws of the combined tongs.
12. The combination toilet unblocking and cleaning apparatus of claim 3, where in each of the bathroom accessory is of a single unitary construction.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a conventional toilet auger;
[0031] FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrammatic front and side views of the adjustable auger with the drain cleaning cable extend;
[0032] FIG. 3 is an enlarged diagrammatic view illustrating the area indicated by arrow 3 in FIG. 2A;
[0033] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a combination toilet unblocking tool and a combination toilet cleaning tool according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective front and rear views of the sleeve;
[0035] FIGS. 6A and 6B are the front and side elevational view of the slide cable;
[0036] FIGS. 7A, 7B are the front and side view of the slider illustrated in FIG. 6A;
[0037] FIG. 8A, is the front view of the slide knob and the spring;
[0038] FIG. 8B, is the side view of the slide knob;
[0039] FIG. 8C, is the top view of the slide knob and spring;
[0040] FIG. 9 is a view of the spring illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8C;
[0041] FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of assembled togs embodying the invention;
[0042] FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a rod forming one side of the tongs;
[0043] FIGS. 12A and 12B are front and side view of the adjustable auger with a scrapper accessory attached;
[0044] FIG. 13 is an enlarged diagrammatic view illustrating the area indicated by arrow 13 in FIG. 12A;
[0045] FIGS. 14A and 14B are front and side view of the scrapper accessory;
[0046] FIG. 15 is a view of a brush accessory;
[0047] FIG. 16 is a views of a plunger accessory;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0048] The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below. Although particular implementations are disclosed, such implementations and implementing components may comprise any shape, size, material, quantity, etc. As used in the specification as well as in the appended claims, the term “about” is utilized to modify various numerical values. In this context, the term “about” should be construed to mean any value that is suitable for the invention.
[0049] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 16, a description is made below on a combination toilet unblocking tool and a combination toilet cleaning tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate diagrammatic front and side views respectively of the adjustable auger 10 with the drain cleaning cable 1, 2 extended. As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 6A, the adjustable auger assembly 10 includes an elongated sleeve member 20, and also including a slider member 6 (refer to FIG. 3) slidably held in the sleeve member 20 and further including two drain cleaning cables 1, 2 being attached to the slider member 6.
[0050] FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the present invention and FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate perspective views of the sleeve member 20. As illustrated in FIGS. 5B and 2B a “7” shaped handle 38 attached to an upper end of the elongated sleeve member 20. This handle 38 is used to hold and rotate the sleeve member 20 which is made of the same durable material as the rest of the sleeve member 20, and it can be molded or forged to the sleeve member 20. The handle 38 maybe in another shape of what is typically called a “D” shaped handle but the precise shape of the handle member 38 is not crucial.
[0051] As illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B the sleeve member 20 is provided with a front wall 22, a back wall 23 and a pair of side walls 24, 25. The sleeve member 20 is made from a durable, rigid material, for example stainless steel or iron. The length of the sleeve member 20 is within the range about forty two inches to forty eight inches. However, the length of the front wall 22 and two side walls 24, 25 are about one inch shorter than back wall 23 in order to couple the bathroom accessory. Operation of how to couple a bathroom accessory is explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 12A. The front wall 22 is provided with a central opening 26, as shown in FIG. 5B. The opening 26 divides the front wall 22 into two equal parts 22a, 22b. The opening 26 is served as a rail for the slider knob 9, 11 on the slider 6 (refer to FIGS. 2A and 3), so that the slider 6 can slide inside of the sleeve member 20. Also, the opening 26 is substantially wider than the diameter of the rod 40 (refer to FIGS. 4 and 11) so that the rod 40 can also pass through the opening 26 when the rod 40 is attached to the rings 28, 29 of the sleeve member 20 to form a combined tongs. Operation of how to attach the rod 40 to the sleeve member 20 is explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. Additionally, there are few pairs of slots 31, 32, 33 cross with the opening 26 of the front wall of the sleeve member 20 (refer to FIGS. 2A and, 5B). These slots are configured to hold the slide knob 9, 11 on the slider 6 (refer to FIG. 3). Therefore, these slots are used to provide a lock mechanism for locking the slider knob 9, 11 in a position in practical use.
[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 5A on the back wall 23 of the sleeve member 20, there is another opening 27 in the middle which has the same width as opening 26 on the front wall 21. However, this opening 27 is only opened from the bottom end of the back wall 23 to the middle point of the back wall 23; as a result only the bottom half of the back wall 23 is divided by the opening 27 into two parts 23a, 23b, and there is no slots on these two parts.
[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 5A, there are two rings 28, 29 attached at the middle of the back wall 23a, 23b of the sleeve member 20 next to the opening 27. The diameter of these rings is about 0.25 inch. These rings are made of the same durable material as the rest of the sleeve member 20, and they can be molded or forged directly to the back wall 23a, 23b. These rings are configured to parallel connect with the ring 42 on the rod member 40 with the hinge pin 47 to form a combined tongs 30 (refer to FIGS. 10, 11), and they also serve as pivotal support for the rod 40, thus their diameter is same as the ring 42 on the rod 40 but the thickness of the ring is smaller than the diameter of the rod 40. Operation of these rings and the rod is explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 10.
[0054] As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, there are two holes 34, 35 at the lower end near the outside edge of the back wall 23a, 23b of the sleeve member 20. Two ordinary screws 36, 37 are screwed in the usual way through the holes. These screws 36, 37 are used to insert into the hole 53, 55 on the accessory coupler 50 (refer to FIG. 14A), so that the bathroom accessory and the sleeve member 20 can be properly coupled (refer to FIGS. 12A, 12B). These screw can also be used to hook objects in the toilet bowl with the hook 43 on the rod 40. Operation of these screws 36, 37 and the hook 43 are explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 10.
[0055] As illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B, a sliding cable assembly 5 includes a slider 6, two slide knobs 9, 11, a spring 16 is provided in between slide knobs 9, 11 and also includes two drain cleaning cables 1, 2 being securely attached to the threaded holes 19, 21 of the slider member 6. In order to slide the slider 6 inside the sleeve member 20, the width (W) and length (L) of the slider 6 is smaller than the width (W) and length (L) of the bore 39 of the elongated sleeve member 20 (refer to FIG. 4). As a result, a space is kept between the slider edge and an inner wall of the sleeve member 20. The slider 6 is configured to slide within the sleeve member 20 and is preferably made of metal, or a composite material.
[0056] As illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 12A, the slider member 6 may be selectively locked in either an extended or retracted position relative to the slots 31, 32, 33 on the sleeve 20 with a locking means, which is located on middle of one side of the slider 6. FIGS. 7A, 7B are front and side view of the slider member 6. The locking means includes an interior channel 8, two slider knobs 9, 11 and a spring member 16 (refer to FIGS. 6A, 6B). The interior channel 8 is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slider 6, and is communicable with one side of the surface of the slider 6 by a gap 7. The interior channel 8 and gap 7 is served as a rail for the slider knobs 9, 11. As illustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B two slider knobs 9, 11, are held in the interior channel 8. FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C are front, side and top view of the slider knobs 9, 11, and a spring member 16 is provided in between of the two small and shallow hole 17, 18 of these two track seating potion 12, 14 of the slider knob 9, 11. The spring 16 would expand to make the slider knob gripping portion 13, 15 seat in the slots after the slider knobs 9, 11 being manipulated to the desired slots.
[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 2A the slider knobs 9, 11 are used to manipulate the slider 6 to desired slots and locked the slider at the slots. FIG. 8B is a side view of the slider knob 11. The slider knob 11 includes an upper gripping portion 13 and a lower track seating potion 12 but the entire slider knob 11 is of a single unitary construction which is preferably made of metal. Also, there is a small and shallow hole 18 located on one side of the middle of the track seating position 12 which is used to fixed one end of the spring 16. In order to move the slider knobs 9, 11 in the interior channel 8, the overall size of the track seating potion 12, 14 is small than the interior channel 8 of the slider 6. As a result, a space is kept between the track seating potion edge and an inner wall of the interior channel 8 of the slider 6. The track seating potion 12, 14 is configured to move within the interior channel 8 of the slider member 6.
[0058] As illustrated in FIG. 6A, two conventional drain cleaning cables member 1, 2 with a spiral tip 3, 4 located at the distal end of the drain clean cable member 1, 2 are attached to the threaded hole 19, 21 provided on the slider member 6. Alternatively, the user can use only one drain cleaning cable instead of two, but use two cables can increase the penetration to the blockages. The related position of theses threaded holes 19, 21 on the slider are corresponded to the front wall 22a, 22b of the sleeve 20 and the distance between these two hole 19, 21 is slightly wider than the opening 26 on the front wall of the sleeve 20 (refer to FIG. 3). The reason for this arrangement is to prevent the drain cleaning cables 1, 2 block the slit opening 26 between the front wall 22a, 22b and the slit opening 27 between the back wall 23a, 23b on the sleeve member 20, when the user using this sleeve member 20 with rod member 40 as a combined tongs. Operation of how to use sleeve member 20 with rod member 40 as combined tongs is explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 10, 11. The drain clean cable 1, 2 as in conventional is an elongate flexible member made of tightly wound drain cleaning cable wire. The drain clean cable 1, 2 has a length that is about three feet (1 m).
[0059] In operation, a user can manipulate the slider knob 9, 11 to cause the slider 6 to slide, so that the drain cleaning cables 1, 2 are protruded from or retracted into the sleeve member 20 (refer to FIG. 2A). Being guided in the walls of the sleeve member 20 the drain cleaning cable 1, 2 and the slider 6 slide in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve member 20. After the slider 6 is reached to the desired slots, and the drain cleaning cable 1, 2 is inserted into the drain of the toilet then the user can release the slider knob 9, 11 fitting the gripping potions 13, 15 into the slots on the front wall 22a, 22b. Since the slider 6 operatively engages the sleeve member 20 and the drain cleaning cables 1, 2 operatively engages the slider 6 such that rotation of the sleeve member 20 about the longitudinal axis causes the drain cleaning cables 1, 2 to rotate generally about the longitudinal axis. In use, the user grips the handle 38 with both hand to turn the sleeve member 20, then the elongated drain cleaning cables 1, 2, and the spiral tips 3, 4 will rotate to open the clogged drain in the toilet bowl.
[0060] The present invention also includes a combined tongs assembly. FIG. 10 illustrates a diagrammatic side elevation view of the combined tongs 30. As illustrated in FIG. 10 A combined tongs assembly 30 includes the adjustable auger 10 and also including a detachable rod 40 (refer to FIG. 11) being attached to the rings 28, 29 (refer to FIG. 5A) of the adjustable auger 10 to form a combined tongs. An important object of the invention is to provide combined tongs 30 in the form of easily-detachable rod, constructed in such a manner that the detachable rod member 40 may be used individually as drain rod, when desired. FIG. 11 illustrates a diagrammatic side elevation view of the detachable rod 40 of the present invention. The detachable rod 40 comprises a shaft 41, a ring 42 in the middle of the shaft 41, a “U” shaped hook 43 extending longitudinally from one end of the shaft 41, and a handle 44 at the opposite end of the shaft 41. The shaft 41 is made of stainless steel or iron and the length of the shaft 41 is same as the length of the adjustable auger member 10. The diameter of the shaft 41 is slightly smaller than the opening 26 on the front wall 22, and opening 27 on the back wall 23 of the adjustable auger 10, so that the shaft 41 can pass through the opening 26, 27 when open the combined tongs. (refer to FIGS. 5A, 5B)
[0061] As illustrated in FIG. 11, the detachable rod member 40 has a “7” shaped handle 44 attached to an upper end of the shaft member 41. The handle 44 of the shaft 41 is made of the same durable material as the shaft 41, and is molded or forged directly onto the shaft 41. The handle can be any shape or size comfortable for holding by a user and the precise shape of the handle member 44 is not crucial. A ring 42 is in the middle of the shaft 41 which is used to parallel connect with the rings 28, 29 on the adjustable auger 10 to form a combined tongs (refer to FIG. 5A); therefore the size and diameter of the ring 42 is same as the rings 28, 29 on the adjustable auger 10. The shift 41 has two bends beneath the ring 42. The first bend 45 is bent at an angle about 90° opposite the handle 44 direction; the second bend 46 is immediately bent downward next to the first bend 45 and opposite the upper end of the shift 41, which is bent at another 90°. The second bend makes the bottom half of the shaft 41 standing between in the slit opening 27 of the back walls 23a, 23b of the adjustable auger 10 when the combined tongs is closed (refer to FIG. 12B). What's more, having the bottom half of the shaft 41 bent within these specified angles allows the “U” shaped hook member 43 to be inserted into the hole 54 on the accessory coupler 50 to help fixate the accessory coupler 51 when couple a bathroom accessory. Operation of this “U” shaped hook is explained in more detail with reference to FIGS.12A, 12B.
[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 11 at the lower end of the shaft 41 opposite the upper end and opposite the handle 44 direction, has a “U” shaped hook member 43 extending longitudinal from the shaft 41. As illustrated in FIG. 11 the handle 44, the ring 42 and the “U” shaped hook member 43 are located on the same plane and the end of the hook member 43 points substantially in the direction of the handle. It is contemplated that the entire rod 40 is of a single unitary construction. This “U” shaped hook 43 is configured to insert into the hole 54 on the accessory coupler 50 which also allow for pulling or push the clog in the toilet bowl (refer to FIGS. 12A, 14A). When parallel connecting the ring 42 of the shaft 41 to the ring 28, 29 on the adjustable auger 10 with a hinge pin 47 to provide a pivot axis, the adjustable auger 10 and the rod 40 are connected and crossed to form a combined tongs 40.
[0063] In operation, the user can grip the handle 38 of the adjustable auger 10 in one hand and grip the handle 44 of the rod 40 in another hand to open this combined tongs 30 as conventional tongs. Therefore, the user can use this combined tongs 30 to pick up the objects that block the drain, such as too much toilet paper, or other objects that falls into the toilet bowl, such as small toy.
[0064] In addition, as described above, the present invention also allows the detachable rod 40 to be used individually as a simple drain rod. As shown in FIG. 10 when detaching the hinge pin 47 from these rings 28, 29 of the adjustable auger 10,then the adjustable auger 10 and the rod member 40 (refer to FIG. 11) are separated.
[0065] In use, when using this detachable rod 40 as simple drain rod, the user can grip the handle 44 of the rod in one hand then push clogged materials in the toilet bowl into the drain with the hook 43, or pulling the clogged materials from the drain with the hook 43 to unclog a toilet.
[0066] Finally, as described above, another particular implementation of the present invention allows the combined tongs 30 to couple a bathroom accessory to clean the toilet area. FIGS. 12A and 12B are diagrammatic front and side elevation views of the closed combined tongs 30 (refer to FIG. 10) with a scraping accessory 51 attached. As illustrated in FIG. 4 the screws member 36, 37 on the back walls 23a, 23b of the sleeve member 20 and the “U” hook member 43 on the detachable rod 40 can be used to couple the bathroom accessory. As shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B, 15, 16 the bathroom accessories may include a plunger 57, a brush 56, and a scraper 51 (the use of scraper will be describe below). However, in order to use these additional bathroom accessories to clean the toilet area, each of the bathroom accessory must comprises an accessory coupler 50 configured to be coupled by the screws member 36, 37 and the “U” hook member 43. The accessory coupler 50 assists in coupling the bathroom accessory 51 to the combined tongs 30.
[0067] FIGS. 14A, 14B illustrate one particular implementation of a scraping accessory 51. The scraping accessory 51 includes two parts including an accessory coupler 50, and also including a scraper member 52 being attached to the accessory coupler 50. The accessory coupler 50 may be made of rubber, plastic, composite material, or other material suitable for use with the scraper 52, as known in the relevant art. The scraper 52, like conventional scraper, may be made of a piece metal or may be in the shape of rectangular blade. The precise shape of the scraper 52 is not crucial. The function of the scraper 52 is to cut large piece toilet paper or hard stool into small pieces. This is a very useful function that will save a lot of time and effort if used appropriately. Since the most common waste that block the toilet are caused by large piece toilet paper or hard stool; if the user can cut them up into small pieces then it would be easy to flush these small obstruction in to the toilet. In addition, this scraper 52 can scrape other hard-to-remove materials in the toilet bowl area.
[0068] As illustrated in FIGS. 14A, 14B, a first end of the scraping accessory 51 comprises an accessory coupler 50 which is configured to attach a scraper member 52 and also can be coupled to the combined tongs 30. The accessory coupler 50 includes a cuboid support including three holes 53, 54, and 55 being centrally disposed in and through the cuboid support. The holes 53, 54, 55 are configured to be coupled with the screws 36, 37 of the sleeve member of 20 and the U-hook member 43 of the detachable rod 40 of the combined tongs 30. (refer to FIGS. 12A, 12B). As shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B a blade (scraper) 52 is attached to the accessory coupler 50; the scraping accessory 51 may be molded or formed by methods known in the art for molding or forming the material used to make the scraping accessory. It is contemplated that the entire bathroom accessory is of a single unitary construction. FIG. 15 is a view of a plunger accessory and FIG. 16 is a views of a brush accessory. The shape of the plunger and brush is not crucial. (there are conential plunger).
[0069] In operation, to couple the combined tongs 30 to the scraping accessory 51, the user can grips the handle 38 of the adjustable auger 10 in one hand and grips the detachable rod handle 44 in another hand to open the combined tongs 30 and placed the combined tongs above the scraping accessory 51 then close the combined tongs 30; so that the screws 36, 37 of the adjustable auger 10 are inserted into hole 53, 55 of the scraping coupling 51, and the “U” hook member 43 of the detachable rod 40 is inserted in to hole 54 of the scraping coupling 51. To decouple the scraping accessory 51, the user simply put the scraping accessory 51 in a cell of a storage box (omitted) against the wall of the storage box then open the combined tongs; so the scraping accessory 51 will fall into the storage box.
[0070] In use, a user in need of any of the accessories available from the storage box may simply select the accessory from the storage box. Note that in the drawings and the detail specification of the storage box for the bathroom accessory is omitted, because the storage box is not council. However, in an actual product, a simple open box divides into several cells and configured to store each accessory and the combined tongs member will be provided.
[0071] While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims.
