초록 ▼

An affordable plumbing device that uses a compressed gas and a burst disk having a relatively even surface of substantially uniform thickness to produce a sudden discharge of energy to forcibly act against any obstruction that may interfere with the proper function of a drain. The plumbing device ha

An affordable plumbing device that uses a compressed gas and a burst disk having a relatively even surface of substantially uniform thickness to produce a sudden discharge of energy to forcibly act against any obstruction that may interfere with the proper function of a drain. The plumbing device has a cylindrical chamber for receiving the compressed gas and may generally take the shape of a plunger, which is flexible to use and is easy to store. A portion of the chamber forms a receiving chamber with the burst disk for harnessing and directing the energy of the compressed gas to clear the drain.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A plunger for clearing a clogged drain, comprising: an upper chamber separated from a lower chamber by a burst disk, wherein each chamber is connected to the other and has an inner cavity for receiving a compressed gas, wherein the inner cavity of the upper chamber has a smal

What is claimed is: 1. A plunger for clearing a clogged drain, comprising: an upper chamber separated from a lower chamber by a burst disk, wherein each chamber is connected to the other and has an inner cavity for receiving a compressed gas, wherein the inner cavity of the upper chamber has a smaller inner diameter than the inner cavity of the lower chamber; a sealing mechanism adjacent an open end of the lower chamber for connecting the plunger to a drain opening; a nozzle connected to an open end of the upper chamber; a handle connected to and axially moveable with respect to the upper chamber; and a compressed gas canister connected for movement with the handle and having a puncture point spaced from and in substantially axial alignment with a pin on the nozzle; wherein the burst disk provides a temporary barrier between the upper and lower chambers and is adapted to burst when the pressure in the upper chamber reaches a predetermined level, to thereby send a sudden burst of gas and energy into the drain. 2. The plunger of claim 1, wherein the burst disk is constructed of a substantially non-metallic material. 3. The plunger of claim 1, further comprising a compression spring positioned between the chamber and the handle for normally biasing the handle away from the chamber. 4. The plunger of claim 1, further comprising a piercing pin positioned on one end of the nozzle. 5. The plunger of claim 4, wherein the piercing pin is staked to the nozzle and positioned near the center of the nozzle. 6. The plunger of claim 4, further comprising a gas inlet hole in the piercing pin for receiving and directing gas into the nozzle. 7. The plunger of claim 6, wherein the nozzle has a passage which extends through the nozzle for receiving gas from the gas inlet hole of the piercing pin. 8. The plunger of claim 7, wherein the passage is cylindrical and positioned near the center of the nozzle and has a diameter that is sized for receiving the piercing pin. 9. The plunger of claim 8, wherein the passage has channels along the length of the cylindrical sides of the passage for receiving and directing gas into the passage. 10. A plunger for clearing a drain, comprising: a chamber having an upper end and a lower end; a nozzle adjacent the upper end of the chamber for receiving a compressed gas; a sealing member adjacent the lower end of the chamber for providing a connection between the plunger and a drain opening; and a burst disk separating the chamber into an upper and a lower chamber, wherein the lower chamber has a larger inner diameter than the upper chamber, and wherein the burst disk is adapted to burst when the pressure in the upper chamber reaches a predetermined level. 11. The plunger of claim 10, wherein the burst disk is constructed of a substantially non-metallic material. 12. The plunger of claim 10, further comprising a piercing pin positioned on one end of the nozzle. 13. The plunger of claim 12, wherein the piercing pin is staked to the nozzle and positioned near the center of the nozzle. 14. The plunger of claim 12, further comprising a gas inlet hole in the piercing pin for receiving and directing gas into the nozzle. 15. The plunger of claim 14, wherein the passage extends through the nozzle for receiving gas from the gas inlet hole of the piercing pin. 16. The plunger of claim 15, wherein the passage is cylindrical and positioned near the center of the nozzle and has a diameter that is sized for receiving the piercing pin. 17. The plunger of claim 16, wherein the passage has channels along the length of the cylindrical sides of the passage for receiving and directing gas into the passage. 18. The plunger of claim 10, wherein the sealing member and lower end of the chamber are joined by a threaded connection. 19. The plunger of claim 10, wherein the lower chamber has a larger volume than the upper chamber. 20. A method of clearing a drain using a plunger, having a handle, a pressurized canister, a nozzle connected to an upper chamber having an inner cavity, and a burst disk, that harnesses the energy of a compressed gas and directs that energy to the drain by means of a sudden burst of pressure, comprising: placing the burst disk between the nozzle and a discharge end of the plunger; placing the pressurized canister adjacent an end of the nozzle; connecting the discharge end of the plunger to a drain opening; and forcing the handle axially toward the burst disk to cause the pressurized canister to rupture against the nozzle and cause the burst disk to explode thereby sending a sudden burst of pressure and energy into the drain through a lower chamber having an inner cavity with a larger diameter than the inner cavity of the upper chamber. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein forcing the handle toward the burst disk punctures the canister and releases gas from the canister into the nozzle. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the canister is punctured by a pin on the nozzle. 23. The method of claim 20, wherein placing the burst disk between the nozzle and the sealing member comprises: disconnecting the upper chamber lower chamber placing the burst disk between the upper chamber and the lower chamber and reconnecting the upper chamber to the lower chamber. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the inner cavity of the upper chamber has a smaller volume than the inner cavity of the lower chamber. 25. The method of claim 20, further comprising, detaching a cover on the handle to gain access to a spent compressed gas canister; replacing the spent canister with a new canister containing compressed gas; and reattaching the cover. 26. A plunger for clearing a drain, comprising: a nozzle having a piercing pin with a passage for receiving a compressed gas from a pressurized canister, wherein the passage is positioned near the center of the nozzle and is in communication with a cylindrical pathway in the nozzle, wherein the pathway has channels parallel with and along the length of the cylindrical sides of the pathway for receiving and directing the gas against a burst disk an upper chamber having an inner cavity connected to the passage of the nozzle; and a sealing member connected to the nozzle for providing a connection between the plunger and a drain opening; wherein the burst disk is positioned to create a barrier between the nozzle and sealing member, wherein the burst disk is adapted to burst after the canister is ruptured by the piercing pin, to thereby send a sudden burst of gas and energy into the drain through a lower chamber having an inner cavity with a larger diameter than the inner cavity of the upper chamber.