Toilet plunger having disinfectant dispenser
A toilet bowl plunger includes a fluid reservoir for containing a disinfectant fluid and a fluid dispensing mechanism for dispensing the disinfectant fluid from the reservoir out from the toilet bowl plunger upon activation by a user.
This application claims the filing date of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/980,598 filed Oct. 17, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to apparatus for removing obstructions from a toilet bowl drain pipe and, more particularly, to toilet bowl plungers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe use of toilet bowl plungers for removing obstructions from toilet bowl drain pipes is well known. A toilet bowl plunger is typically used when the trap becomes obstructed with waste matter, including fecal matter. The obstruction prevents water and other matter from being flushed from the toilet bowl into the sewage system.
A typical toilet bowl plunger comprises an elongated handle and an inverted cup-shaped plunger portion connected to an end of the handle. The plunger portion is formed of rubber or some equivalent resilient material. When the trap becomes obstructed, the open end of the plunger portion is placed over the opening at the bottom of the bowl and the walls of the plunger portion collapsed in response to a downward push on the handle thereby forcing air under pressure into the trap. The plunger portion is then returned to it's initial shape pulling upwardly on the handle thereby applying suction to the trap. The resulting agitation tends to dislodge and free the obstruction from the trap.
A drawback to the use of conventional toilet bowl plungers is that during the process of dislodging the obstruction from the toilet trap, the plunger portion of the plunger comes into contact with unsanitary waste material. After flushing the toilet, the plunger portion can be rinsed in the clean water which fills the bowl. However, simply rinsing the plunger portion with water in the toilet bowl, or elsewhere, is not sufficient to disinfect the plunger portion which has been in direct contact with human waste material. Disinfecting the plunger portion by simply applying a disinfectant from a separate bottle onto the surfaces of the plunger portion can be time consuming and messy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toilet plunger.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toilet plunger having self-contained apparatus for dispensing disinfecting fluid.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toilet bowl plunger including a self-contained reservoir for containing a disinfectant fluid and a self-contained fluid dispensing mechanism for dispensing disinfectant fluid from the self-contained reservoir.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toilet plunger which can be cleaned and disinfected within the confines of the toilet bowl area.
Briefly, in accordance with the invention, these and other objects are attained by providing a plunger comprising a plunger handle having first and second end regions and an inverted cup-shaped plunger portion connected to the second end region of the plunger handle. A fluid reservoir is associated with the plunger handle for containing a disinfectant fluid or the like. A fluid dispensing mechanism is associated with at least one of said plunger handle and plunger portion for dispensing the disinfectant fluid from the reservoir upon actuation by a user.
In one embodiment, the fluid reservoir is situated in the plunger handle and the fluid dispensing mechanism includes an activating part associated with the plunger handle and a fluid dispensing part at the second end region of the handle through which disinfectant fluid is dispensed into the open space defined by the inner concave side of the inverted cup-shaped plunger portion upon activation of the activating part.
In use, after the plunger has been used in a conventional manner to dislodge an obstruction in the trap of a toilet, the toilet is flushed to fill the bowl with clean water. The plunger is then held over the bowl with the plunger portion situated over the water in the bowl whereupon the user activates the activating part to dispense disinfecting fluid into the water of the bowl through the dispensing part. The disinfectant is concentrated so that when it is mixed with the water in the bowl, a disinfecting solution is formulated which is effective to disinfect the surface of the plunger portion. The plunger portion is submerged into the newly formed disinfectant solution in the bowl and agitated thereby causing the disinfectant mixture to flow over all of the surfaces of the plunger portion to effectively disinfect the same.
The invention thus provides a convenient arrangement by which the plunger portion of a plunger can be disinfected within the confines of the area of the toilet bowls without having to fill a bucket with a disinfecting solution or to obtain a separate container of disinfectant and apply the disinfectant directly to the plunger portion either of which can be time consuming and messy. The toilet bowl itself becomes a tank for containing a disinfectant mixture and is sufficiently deep that the entire plunger portion can be immersed in the disinfecting solution.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the fluid dispensing part can be designed to dispense disinfectant fluid directly onto the inner surface of the plunger portion upon activation of the activating part. In this embodiment, the user activates the activating device to dispense disinfecting fluid directly onto the inner surface of the plunger portion from which it can be wiped using ordinary paper towels or the like.
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof, will be readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to
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When the activating handle is moved downwardly, the force of the fluid moving in the downward direction overcomes the resistance of spring 48 and allows gate 46 to open to dispense the disinfectant. The force of the downwardly moving fluid overcomes the spring force in the lower fluid dispensing part 42 thereby allowing disinfectant fluid to be dispensed from the second end of the plunger handle 12 into the space defined by the concave inner surface of plunger portion 14.
In use, after the toilet bowl plunger 10 has been employed in a conventional manner to dislodge an obstruction in the trap of a toilet, the toilet is flushed to fill the bowl with clean water. While holding the plunger 10 so that the plunger portion is situated over the water in the bowl, the user slides the activating handle downwardly to dispense disinfecting fluid into the water in the bowl. The disinfectant mixes with the water to form a disinfecting solution which is effective to disinfect the surface of the plunger portion. The plunger portion is submerged into the disinfectant solution in the bowl and agitated to cause the disinfectant mixture to flow over the surfaces of the plunger portion to disinfect the same.
The upper activating part 26 can be adjusted to increase or reduce the amount of disinfecting fluid dispensed with each downward movement of activating handle 16 over the plunger handle 12. This is accomplished by rotating the activating handle 16 to raise or lower the handle 16 on screw 38. Rotating the handle 16 to further compress spring 32 reduces the amount of fluid dispensed through the lower dispensing part 42, and vice versa.
Other arrangements are possible. For example, the reservoir for disinfecting fluid may take the form of a separate cylinder attached to the exterior of the plunger handle and fluidly coupled to the dispensing part of an external rubber tube. An electric pump can be activated by pushing a button to pump the disinfecting fluid from the reservoir through the dispensing part. Alternatively, only a portion of the plunger handle may be hollow and function as the disinfecting fluid reservoir. Other one-way valve constructions may be utilized for the activating and fluid dispensing parts, such as ball valves.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the claims appended hereto, the invention may be practiced otherwise then as specifically disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A toilet bowl plunger, comprising:
- a plunger handle having first and second end regions;
- an inverted cup-shaped plunger portion connected to said second end region of said handle portion;
- a fluid reservoir associated with said toilet bowl plunger for containing a disinfectant fluid or the like; and
- a fluid dispensing mechanism associated with said toilet bowl plunger for dispensing said disinfectant fluid from said reservoir out from said toilet bowl plunger upon activation by a user.
2. A toilet bowl plunger as recited in claim 1 wherein:
- said fluid reservoir is situated in an interior space within said handle.
3. A toilet bowl plunger as recited in claim 2 wherein:
- said fluid dispensing mechanism comprises a fluid dispensing part including a first one-way valve situated within said second end region of said plunger handle portion.
4. A toilet bowl plunger as recited in claim 3 wherein:
- said fluid dispensing mechanism comprises an activating part including a second one-way valve situated in said plunger handle.
5. A toilet bowl plunger as recited in claim 4 wherein:
- said activating part further includes an activating handle coupled to said second one-way valve.
6. A toilet bowl plunger as recited in claim 1, wherein:
- said fluid dispensing mechanism comprises a valve situated at said second end region of said plunger handle.
7. A toilet bowl plunger as recited in claim 1 wherein:
- said fluid dispensing mechanism comprises a valve adapted to dispense the disinfectant fluid into a space defined by an inner concave surface of said inverted cup-shaped plunger portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 17, 2008
Publication Date: Apr 30, 2009
Inventor: Mark C. Dressel (Narberth, PA)
Application Number: 12/288,213
International Classification: E03D 11/00 (20060101);