Drain Trap with an Integrated Chemical-Free Debris Filter
A drain trap for plumbing fixtures that contains an integrated filter that is environment-friendly and is easy to replace and clean. The drain trap includes a plumbing trap, a brush-receiving pipe, a filter brush, and a sealing cap. The plumbing trap is any existing trap which traps and retains water within. The brush-receiving pipe traverses into the plumbing trap and houses/retains the filter brush. The filter brush includes a flexible rod and a plurality of bristles. The filter brush is removably positioned within the plumbing trap and the brush-receiving pipe in order to prevent debris from flowing through plumbing trap. The bristles are distributed along the flexible rod in order to create a filter-like barrier inside the plumbing trap. The sealing cap is adjacently attached to the brush-receiving pipe in order to prevent the filter brush from dislodging from inside the plumbing trap.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/149,772 filed on Apr. 20, 2015.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to plumbing fixture accessories, in particular to drain traps. More specifically, the present invention is an environment-friendly drain trap which contains an integrated debris filter that prevents hair, debris, and other unwanted items from entering the plumbing system. The integrated debris filter eliminates the use of any chemicals that are used for cleaning purposes, resulting in an environment-friendly apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMost people have dealt with a clogged drain with reference to a sink, a toilet, or any other plumbing fixture that discharges water. Hair is the most common culprit when it comes to clogged drains, but a variety of other things can clog a drain such as food, small objects, etc. Typically, people attempt to unclog the pipe by sticking a brush or a similar device down the drain to pull out any unwanted substances. In many cases, a brush may not fit down the drain because it is too small or the cap blocking the opening may not be removable. Furthermore, devices that are designed to fit down most drains are limited to pulling out only hair. Objects such as jewelry, small toys, etc. cannot be pulled out using these traditional devices and methods. An alternative option is to pour chemicals down the drain that will unclog the drain. The problem with said chemicals, also known as liquid drain openers, is that they are extremely toxic. For example, any chemicals that may poured the toilet will stay there for some time due to the fact that toilet bowl is filled with water and is slow to drain without flushing. The chemicals settle onto the porcelain and heat up while sitting in the ceramic bowl. This may cause the porcelain to crack or the concoction may even cause an explosion. In some instances, the chemicals build up in a clogged area and resultantly corrode the drain. With repeated use, these chemicals may eat their way through a pipe and cause leaks or a collapse of the entire plumbing system. Along with the potential of damaging the plumbing system and also the environment, the active ingredients in these chemicals can cause serious, life-threatening symptoms to humans when exposed even for a short amount of time. For example, eyes and skin can be severely burned when the chemicals come into contact with them. Mixing cleaning chemicals together presents a whole new problem in itself.
Combining various cleaners can create deadly gasses which may be deadly. An individual must worry about a multitude of side effects when using chemicals to unclog a drain.
The present invention solves the aforementioned problems. The present invention eliminates the need to use of harmful chemicals to unclog a drain, eliminating all dangers and problems that are associated with chemical cleaners. Anything that falls into the drain, such as hair, jewelry, small objects, etc. is blocked by a drain brush placed inside the modified P-trap at all times. Simultaneously, water is able to flow through the drain without impeding the speed in any way. By providing an access opening in the modified P-trap, the present invention allows the individual to easily access the drain brush. This allows for easy maintenance and cleaning of the drain. If the individual notices that the drain is clogged, they can simply access the internal space of the drain by removing a threaded cap to pull out the drain brush, which will have caught any and all objects that are clogging the drain. Once the drain brush is cleaned, the user simply inserts the drain brush back into the modified P trap, effectively unclogging the drain.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is an alternative design for a drain trap. More specifically, the present invention is a drain trap that contains an integrated chemical-free debris filter. The integrated chemical-free debris filter catches and traps any unwanted objects flowing through the drain trap without significantly impeding the flow rate. Additionally, the present invention allows an individual to quickly and easily unclog the piping of the drain trap by providing easy access to the integrated chemical-free debris filter.
Referring to
The brush-receiving pipe 9 houses a portion of the filter brush 12 and provides a means for easily accessing the filter brush 12 for maintenance purposes. Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The annular lip 20 is concentrically positioned within the brush-receiving pipe 9. Additionally, the annular lip 20 is laterally connected to the brush-receiving pipe 9, adjacent to the sealing cap 19. Complimentary to the annular lip 20, the filter brush 12 further comprises a retaining disk 17 which acts as the second engagement element. The retaining disk 17 is laterally connected around the second portion 15 of the flexible rod 13. Additionally, the retaining disk 17 is positioned in between the annular lip 20 and the sealing cap 19. When the filter brush 12 is positioned within the brush-receiving pipe 9 and the intermediate pipe 4, the retaining disk 17 presses against the annular lip 20 and limits the mobility of the filter brush 12. Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Furthermore, because the J-shaped pipe always contains a small amount of water, it is important to elevate the access aperture 10 of the brush-receiving pipe 9. This is achieved by orienting the brush-receiving pipe 9 and the straight portion 5 at an acute angle 22, 45 degrees to be more specific. Additionally, the access aperture 10 is raised above the outlet 3. More specifically, the height of the access aperture 10 and the outlet 3 is in reference to a tangent line 23 of the curved portion 6, i.e. the lowermost portion of the J-shaped pipe as seen in
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Claims
1. A drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter comprises:
- a plumbing trap;
- a brush-receiving pipe;
- a filter brush;
- a sealing cap;
- the plumbing trap comprises an inlet, an outlet, and an intermediate pipe;
- the filter brush comprises a flexible rod and a plurality of bristles;
- the inlet being in fluid communication with the outlet through the intermediate pipe;
- the brush-receiving pipe laterally traversing into the intermediate pipe;
- the plurality of bristles being distributed along a first portion of the flexible rod;
- the plurality of bristles being radially connected around the flexible rod;
- the filter brush being removably positioned within the brush-receiving pipe and the intermediate pipe;
- the first portion of the flexible rod being positioned within the intermediate pipe; and
- the sealing cap being adjacently attached to the brush-receiving pipe, opposite the intermediate pipe.
2. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- an annular lip;
- a second portion of flexible rod;
- the second portion being positioned opposite the first portion across the flexible rod;
- the filter brush further comprises a retaining disk;
- the annular lip being concentrically positioned within the brush-receiving pipe;
- the annular lip being adjacently positioned to the sealing cap;
- the annular lip being laterally connected to the brush-receiving pipe;
- the retaining disk being laterally connected around the second portion;
- the retaining disk being positioned in between the annular lip and the sealing cap; and
- the retaining disk being pressed against the annular lip.
3. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- the filter brush further comprises a handle ring;
- the handle ring being adjacently connected to a second portion of the flexible rod, opposite the plurality of bristles; and
- the handle ring being positioned within the brush-receiving pipe, adjacent to the sealing cap.
4. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- a slip joint washer;
- an access aperture of the brush-receiving pipe;
- the access aperture being positioned opposite to the intermediate pipe along the brush-receiving pipe;
- the slip joint washer being concentrically positioned with the brush-receiving pipe;
- the slip joint washer being adjacently connected to the sealing cap; and
- the slip joint washer being pressed into an access aperture of the brush-receiving pipe by the sealing cap.
5. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 1 comprises:
- the intermediate pipe being a J-shaped pipe;
- the brush-receiving pipe being adjacently connected to an intersection between a straight portion of the J-shaped pipe and a curved portion of the J-shaped pipe;
- a main axis of the brush-receiving pipe being coincidentally aligned with a sagittal plane of the plumbing trap;
- the brush-receiving pipe being positioned opposite the outlet across the J-shaped pipe; and
- the brush-receiving pipe being oriented with the straight portion of the J-shaped pipe at an acute angle.
6. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 5, wherein the acute angle is 45 degrees.
7. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 5 comprises:
- a tangent line of the curved portion being oriented perpendicular to the straight portion of the J-shaped pipe; and
- a first vertical distance between the tangent line and an access aperture of the brush-receiving pipe being greater than a second vertical distance between the tangent line and the outlet.
8. A drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter comprises:
- a plumbing trap;
- a brush-receiving pipe;
- a filter brush;
- a sealing cap;
- the plumbing trap comprises an inlet, an outlet, and an intermediate pipe;
- the filter brush comprises a flexible rod and a plurality of bristles;
- the inlet being in fluid communication with the outlet through the intermediate pipe;
- the brush-receiving pipe laterally traversing into the intermediate pipe;
- the plurality of bristles being distributed along a first portion of the flexible rod;
- the plurality of bristles being radially connected around the flexible rod;
- the filter brush being removably positioned within the brush-receiving pipe and the intermediate pipe;
- the first portion of the flexible rod being positioned within the intermediate pipe;
- the sealing cap being adjacently attached to the brush-receiving pipe, opposite the intermediate pipe;
- the intermediate pipe being a J-shaped pipe;
- the brush-receiving pipe being adjacently connected to an intersection between a straight portion of the J-shaped pipe and a curved portion of the J-shaped pipe;
- a main axis of the brush-receiving pipe being coincidentally aligned with a sagittal plane of the plumbing trap;
- the brush-receiving pipe being positioned opposite the outlet across the J-shaped pipe; and
- the brush-receiving pipe being oriented with the straight portion of the J-shaped pipe at an acute angle.
9. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 8 comprises:
- an annular lip;
- a second portion of flexible rod;
- the second portion being positioned opposite the first portion across the flexible rod;
- the filter brush further comprises a retaining disk;
- the annular lip being concentrically positioned within the brush-receiving pipe;
- the annular lip being adjacently positioned to the sealing cap;
- the annular lip being laterally connected to the brush-receiving pipe;
- the retaining disk being laterally connected around the second portion;
- the retaining disk being positioned in between the annular lip and the sealing cap; and
- the retaining disk being pressed against the annular lip.
10. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 8 comprises:
- the filter brush further comprises a handle ring;
- the handle ring being adjacently connected to a second portion of the flexible rod, opposite the plurality of bristles; and
- the handle ring being positioned within the brush-receiving pipe, adjacent to the sealing cap.
11. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 8 comprises:
- a slip joint washer;
- an access aperture of the brush-receiving pipe;
- the access aperture being positioned opposite to the intermediate pipe along the brush-receiving pipe;
- the slip joint washer being concentrically positioned with the brush-receiving pipe;
- the slip joint washer being adjacently connected to the sealing cap; and
- the slip joint washer being pressed into an access aperture of the brush-receiving pipe by the sealing cap.
12. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 8 comprises:
- the intermediate pipe being a J-shaped pipe;
- the brush-receiving pipe being adjacently connected to an intersection between a straight portion of the J-shaped pipe and a curved portion of the J-shaped pipe;
- a main axis of the brush-receiving pipe being coincidentally aligned with a sagittal plane of the plumbing trap;
- the brush-receiving pipe being positioned opposite the outlet across the J-shaped pipe; and
- the brush-receiving pipe being oriented with the straight portion of the J-shaped pipe at an acute angle.
13. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 8, wherein the acute angle is 45 degrees.
14. The drain trap with an integrated chemical-free debris filter as claimed in claim 8 comprises:
- a tangent line of the curved portion being oriented perpendicular to the straight portion of the J-shaped pipe; and
- a first vertical distance between the tangent line and an access aperture of the brush-receiving pipe being greater than a second vertical distance between the tangent line and the outlet.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 20, 2016
Publication Date: Oct 20, 2016
Inventor: John Wesley Corbin (Vancouver, WA)
Application Number: 15/134,126