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A manually operable device and a method for separating solid waste materials from liquid to be disposed of through a drain, and for reducing the size of pieces of such solid waste materials for more efficient disposal through the drain. A size reduction assembly is manually movable with respect to a

A manually operable device and a method for separating solid waste materials from liquid to be disposed of through a drain, and for reducing the size of pieces of such solid waste materials for more efficient disposal through the drain. A size reduction assembly is manually movable with respect to a stationary body and may include perforated material for catching solid material from a liquid flowing into the drain, and at least one cutting or ripping or abrasion component for reducing the size of pieces of the solid material into smaller pieces that may then pass downward through the drain. In some embodiments the size reduction assembly may be driven downward by pressure from a hand or foot. The reduced-size pieces of material are flushed from the device by liquid draining through the device.

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What is claimed is: 1. A manually operable device for use in a household drain inlet receptacle for helping to maintain free flow of liquid through a drain conduit connected with the receptacle, comprising: (a) a stationary main body; (b) a strainer portion located at least partially within the sta

What is claimed is: 1. A manually operable device for use in a household drain inlet receptacle for helping to maintain free flow of liquid through a drain conduit connected with the receptacle, comprising: (a) a stationary main body; (b) a strainer portion located at least partially within the stationary main body in position to receive a flow of liquid and to catch relatively large pieces of solid waste material and temporarily hold said relatively large pieces; (c) a manually movable size reduction assembly extending within the stationary main body and reciprocally movable with respect to the stationary main body, between an upper position and a lower position; and (d) a spring urging the movable size reduction assembly toward the upper position thereof; and (e) wherein the manually movable size reduction assembly engages at least some of said relatively large pieces of waste material and acts cooperatively with the stationary main body, to reduce at least some of said engaged pieces of waste material to a smaller size while said movable size reduction assembly is being moved between said upper and lower positions thereof. 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said strainer portion is included in said movable size reduction assembly. 3. The device of claim 2 wherein said stationary main body includes an elastic outer member urging a sleeve including an abrasive surface inwardly toward an exterior surface of said strainer portion. 4. The device of claim 2, wherein said strainer portion includes a perforated tube of sheet material and said movable size reduction assembly includes a cap located adjacent an upper end of said perforated tube and said perforated tube includes an outer surface apposed to a shearing surface of a portion of said stationary main body. 5. The device of claim 1 wherein said stationary main body includes a sleeve and said movable size reduction assembly includes said strainer portion and said strainer portion is apposed to said sleeve and reciprocally movable within said sleeve between said upper position and said lower position. 6. The device of claim 5 wherein said sleeve has an abrasive inner surface and said strainer portion has an outer surface apposed to said abrasive inner surface, whereby waste material can be carried by said strainer into contact against said abrasive surface and said relatively large pieces of waste material can be reduced to smaller size by reciprocating movement of said movable size reduction assembly between said upper and lower positions. 7. The device of claim 5 wherein said strainer portion includes a perforated tube of sheet material and said movable size reduction assembly includes a cap located adjacent an upper end of said perforated tube. 8. The device of claim 7 wherein said perforated tube comprises a plurality of perforated arcuate sectors each biased radially outward toward said abrasive surface by its own elasticity. 9. The device of claim 5 wherein said stationary main body includes an elastic outer member urging said sleeve including said abrasive surface inwardly toward an exterior surface of said strainer. 10. The device of claim 1 wherein said movable size reduction assembly includes a cap and said cap includes an array of vertically oriented parallel screening members disposed in said flow of liquid when said movable size reduction assembly is located in said upper position thereof. 11. The device of claim 1 wherein said movable size reduction assembly includes a cap having an array of vertically oriented fingers extending downward therefrom, and wherein said stationary body member includes a shoulder defining a plurality of passageways aligned to receive respective ones of said fingers as said movable size reduction assembly moves reciprocally from said upper position toward said lower position. 12. The device of claim 11 wherein at least one of said fingers defines a downwardly open notch located on an outer face of said fingers in position to engage one of said relatively large pieces of waste material and carry said waste material downward into a respective one of said passageways. 13. The device of claim 11, said movable size reduction assembly including said strainer portion and said strainer portion comprising a perforated tube attached to said cap and extending downward therefrom, and wherein said vertically oriented fingers extend downward along an outer surface of said perforated tube. 14. The device of claim 1 wherein said strainer portion includes a perforated cup located in said stationary main body and defining a plurality of passageways extending downwardly therethrough, said passageways including a plurality of slots, and wherein said movable size reduction assembly includes an upper m ember, a support member extending downward from said upper member, and a plurality of blades mounted on said support member and aligned with respective ones of said slots in said perforated cup, said blades being located above an upper surface of said perforated cup when said movable size reduction assembly is in said upper position thereof, and said blades being movable into said slots so as to carry waste material and thereby reduce said pieces of waste material to smaller pieces as said movable size reduction assembly is moved downward toward said lower position thereof. 15. The device of claim 14 wherein said stationary main body includes an upwardly extending central tower defining a central passageway and an intersecting lateral slot, one of said blades extending through said lateral slot and said support member extending upward through said central bore. 16. The device of claim 15 further including a collar slidably disposed about said tower and a plurality of blades extending downward from said collar and aligned with one of said plurality of slots defined in said perforated cup. 17. The device of claim 14 wherein said upper member is a cap having a comfortable upper surface. 18. The device of claim 14 wherein said blades and said slots define respective shearing edges aligned with one another to shear said waste material cooperatively. 19. The device of claim 14 wherein one of said blades has a bottom surface defining a waste-holding groove. 20. The device of claim 14 wherein one of said blades has a bottom surface defining a plurality of hair-holding grooves. 21. The device of claim 14 wherein one of said blades has a sharp edge. 22. The device of claim 14 wherein said strainer is formed as an integral part of said stationary main body. 23. The device of claim 14 wherein one of said blades has an abrasive bottom surface. 24. The device of claim 1 wherein said stationary main body is adapted to be mounted in a conventional strainer member of a household drain. 25. The device of claim 1 in combination with a conventional strainer portion of a household drain, wherein said conventional strainer portion includes a horizontal cross member and said spring rests on said cross member so as to be compressed between said movable size reduction assembly and said cross member when said movable size reduction assembly moves between said upper position and said lower position thereof. 26. The device of claim 1 wherein said stationary main body is adapted to replace a conventional drain strainer member. 27. The device of claim 26 wherein said stationary main body includes a radially extending flange. 28. The device of claim 1 wherein said strainer includes a perforated base plate and wherein said movable size reduction assembly includes a plurality of vertically extending members each having a lower end portion aligned with and movable into a respective opening defined in the bottom plate. 29. The device of claim 28 wherein said lower end portion of one of said vertically extending members includes a waste-gathering notch. 30. The device of claim 29 wherein said lower end portion of one of said vertically extending members has an abrasive surface. 31. The device of claim 1 including a latching mechanism operatively interposed between said movable size reduction assembly and said stationary main body so as to keep said movable size reduction assembly selectively in said lower position thereof, and including a seal member arranged to prevent liquid from flowing through said device when said movable size reduction assembly is in said lower position thereof. 32. The device of claim 31 wherein said strainer portion includes a bottom member of said stationary main body, the stationary main body including a centrally located portion extending upward from said bottom member, the movable size reduction assembly including a plurality of vertically oriented fingers, and said bottom member defining a plurality of apertures arranged to receive respective ones of said fingers. 33. The device of claim 32 in combination with a strainer member of a household drain, said strainer member including a radially extending upper flange, and said seal member being included in said movable size reduction assembly and movable into a position of contact against seal flange by moving said size reduction assembly to said lower position thereof. 34. The device of claim 1 wherein said strainer portion includes a bottom member of said stationary main body, the stationary main body including a centrally located portion extending upward from said bottom member, the movable size reduction assembly including a plurality of vertically oriented fingers, and said bottom member defining a plurality of apertures arranged to receive respective ones of said fingers. 35. The device of claim 1 in combination with a strainer member of a household drain, said strainer member including a radially extending upper flange, and said movable size reduction assembly including a sealing member movable into a position of contact against seal flange by moving said size reduction assembly to said lower position thereof. 36. A method for preventing waste materials from clogging a household drain, comprising: (a) receiving a quantity of waste material contained in a flow of water toward a drain receptacle; (b) guiding the flow of water containing waste materials to a predetermined position adjacent a part of a manually operable device mounted within the drain receptacle; (c) gathering the quantity of the waste material from the flow of water in a first location adjacent a member of the manually operable device located in the drain receptacle using the flow of water to align the quantity of waste material in a predetermined arrangement within the device, including gathering and entwining a plurality of hairs included in said waste material; (d) maintaining the flow of water to hold the waste material in the first location while manually moving a size reduction assembly portion of the device so as to grip a portion of the quantity of waste material; (e) thereafter moving the size reduction assembly farther and thereby dividing the portion of the waste material into a plurality of smaller pieces; and (f) thereafter, carrying the smaller pieces away from said drain receptacle and through a drain conduit in the flow of water. 37. The method of claim 36 wherein, the predetermined arrangement includes arrangement of at least some of the waste materials into a strand. 38. The method of claim 37 including the step of using the flow of water to hold the strand of waste material in a location spanning a plurality of neighboring water passages through a containment portion of the device. 39. The method of claim 37 wherein the step of comminuting the waste material includes moving the size reduction assembly downward, thereby urging a plurality of notched fingers into contact with the strand and into respective ones of the water passages, thereby tearing the strand into small pieces. 40. The method of claim 36 including the step of mechanically carrying a portion of the waste material along an abrasive surface, thereby cutting some of said waste material into smaller pieces. 41. The method of claim 36 including the step of closing the drain by engaging the size reduction assembly with a part of the drain receptacle and thereby holding a sealing member carried on the size reduction assembly in sealing contact with a surface of the drain receptacle. 42. The method of claim 36 including the step of forming an elongate strand of said waste material by utilizing said flow of water to align a plurality of hairs alongside one another and urge said hairs toward a central portion of the device. 43. The method of claim 36 including gathering and entwining a plurality of hairs included in said waste materials as a part of the step of aligning the quantity of waste materials, and using the flow of water to align a strand of hairs transversely across the flow of water. 44. The method of claim 36 including the step of catching a piece of said waste material in an opening defined in said size reduction assembly and shearing the piece of waste material by cooperative action of the size reduction assembly and a stationary part of said device. 45. A method for preventing waste materials from clogging a household drain, comprising: (a) receiving a quantity of waste material contained in a flow of water toward a drain receptacle; (b) guiding the flow of water containing waste materials to a predetermined position adjacent a part of a manually operable device mounted within the drain receptacle; (c) gathering the quantity of the waste material from the flow of water in a first location adjacent a member of the manually operable device located in the drain receptacle; (d) gathering and aligning a plurality of hairs included in the quantity of waste material to form a strand; (e) maintaining the flow of water to hold the waste material in the first location while manually moving a size reduction assembly portion of the device so as to grip a portion of the quantity of waste material; (f) thereafter moving the size reduction assembly farther and thereby dividing the portion of the waste material into a plurality of smaller pieces; and (g) thereafter, carrying the smaller pieces away from said drain receptacle and through a drain conduit in the flow of water. 46. The method of claim 45 including the steps of gripping a plurality of parts of said strand of said waste material while pushing the plurality of parts of the strand simultaneously into a plurality of respective apertures, thereby shearing said waste material into smaller pieces. 47. The method of claim 45 including the steps of gripping said strand of said waste material at a plurality of locations along a length of the strand while pushing a plurality of parts of the strand into a plurality of respective apertures, thereby tearing said waste material into smaller pieces. 48. The method of claim 45 including the steps of simultaneously holding and pushing on a plurality of locations along a length of said strand of said waste material, thereby pushing said strand simultaneously into a plurality of neighboring apertures and thereby pulling and tearing said waste material into smaller pieces. 49. The method of claim 45 including the step of gripping said strand of waste material at a plurality of places along the strand and thereafter forcing respective parts of the strand simultaneously into apart-spaced openings in a bottom member of the manually operable device, thereby elongating the strand sufficiently to cause it to break into a plurality of shorter pieces.