WO2025222319A1

WO2025222319A1 - Drain cleaners with a toothed connection between the drum and nose assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2025222319A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/089039
Authority: WO
Inventors: Qi Zhou; Jie Jin; Xinwen YANG
Original assignee: Emerson Professional Tools LLC
Current assignee: Emerson Professional Tools LLC
Priority date: 2024-04-22
Filing date: 2024-04-22
Publication date: 2025-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-22

Abstract

A drain cleaner (10) includes a rotatable drum (28). The rotatable drum (28) has a plurality of first teeth (76) spaced circumferentially about the drum (28). A drain cleaning cable (36) is at least partially disposed in the rotatable drum (28). The drain cleaner (10) includes a nose assembly (56) that includes a grip (16) and a guide tube (60) that is rotatable with the drum (28). The guide tube (60) is at least partially disposed in the grip (16). The guide tube (60) has a flange (64) that includes a plurality of second teeth (77). The first teeth (76) engage the second teeth (77) during rotation of the drum (28).

Description

DRAIN CLEANERS WITH A TOOTHED CONNECTION BETWEEN THE DRUM AND NOSE ASSEMBLY

FIELD

The field of the disclosure relates generally to drain cleaners and, more particularly, to handheld drain cleaners.

BACKGROUND

Handheld drain cleaners include a flexible cable disposed within a rotatable drum. The drum is typically driven by an electric motor. Some drain cleaners are driven by a drill which removably engages the drum. Rotation of the drum causes the drain cleaning cable to rotate. An operator may activate a forward or reverse actuator to translate rotation of the cable to axial movement of the cable to advance or retrieve the drain cleaning cable from the drain cleaner during drain cleaning operations. While advancing the drain cleaning cable from the drain cleaner, the drain cleaning cable is withdrawn from the drum and travels through a nose assembly that is forward of the drum. The drain cleaning cable passes through an outlet of the nose assembly and into the drain. The drain cleaning cable may be retracted back into the drain cleaner and the drum after the drain cleaning operation is complete.

The drain cleaning cable is disposed in the drum in one or more windings of the drain cleaning cable. At times, it is desirable to interchange drain cleaning cables in the drain cleaner. For example, the cable may become worn or damaged during use or it may be desirable to use a different length or diameter cable. When the cable is worn or damaged, the drum may be interchanged with a new drum in which a new drain cleaning cable is preloaded.

A need exists for drain cleaners in which the drum may be interchanged and assembled in the drain cleaner relatively quickly with torque being reliably transferred between rotating components.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a drain cleaner. The drain cleaner includes a rotatable drum. The rotatable drum has a plurality of first teeth spaced circumferentially about the drum. A drain cleaning cable is at least partially disposed in the rotatable drum. The drain cleaner includes a nose assembly. The nose assembly has a grip and a guide tube that is rotatable with the drum. The guide tube is at least partially disposed in the grip. The drain cleaning cable passes through the guide tube. The guide tube includes a flange that includes a plurality of second teeth. The first teeth engage the second teeth during rotation of the drum.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a drain cleaner. The drain cleaner includes a rotatable drum and a drain cleaning cable at least partially disposed in the rotatable drum. The drain cleaner includes a nose assembly. The nose assembly is removably connected to the rotatable drum. The nose assembly includes a grip and a guide tube that is rotatable with the drum. The guide tube is at least partially disposed in the grip.

Various refinements exist of the features noted in relation to the above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also be incorporated in the above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure as well. These refinements and additional features may exist individually or in any combination. For instance, various features discussed below in relation to any of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure may be incorporated into any of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure, alone or in any combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drain cleaner;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the drain cleaner;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drain cleaner showing the drum and the nose assembly;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drain cleaner showing the drum and the drive assembly;

FIG. 5 is perspective view of the drain cleaner showing the battery compartment;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the nose assembly of the drain cleaner;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the guide tube of the nose assembly;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the grip of the nose assembly;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the drain cleaner showing the guide tube;

FIG. 10 is another perspective view of the guide tube;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the drain cleaner showing the drum;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the drum;

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the drive assembly and drum;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the nose assembly and forward housing segment of the drain cleaner;

FIG. 15 is a cross-section rear view of the drain cleaner showing a toothed connection between the drum and guide tube;

FIG. 16 is a detailed cross-section rear view of the drain cleaner showing the toothed connection between the drum and guide tube; and

FIG. 17 is a detailed cross-section side view of the nose assembly of the drain cleaner.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a drain cleaner 10 is shown in FIGS. 1-17. The illustrated drain cleaner 10 is configured to be handheld and includes a handle 14 and a grip 16 for manipulating the drain cleaner 10. The drain cleaner 10 is powered by a rechargeable battery 20 (FIG. 2) . In other embodiments, the drain cleaner 10 includes a cord or may include both a battery 20 and a cord to power the drain cleaner.

The drain cleaner 10 operates by rotating a cleaning head (not shown) of a drain cleaning cable 36 (FIG. 9) as the cleaning head moves through a drain. The drain cleaning cable 36 rotates as the cable 36 is advanced (and retracted) through a drain. The drain cleaner 10 includes a light assembly 38 (FIG. 1) to illuminate the drain cleaning cable 36 and the drain opening.

The drain cleaner 10 includes a housing 24. A rotatable drum 28 (FIG. 3) is disposed in the housing 24 and rotates relative to the housing 24. The drain cleaner housing 24 includes a forward housing segment 26 (FIG. 1) and a rear housing segment 27. The forward housing segment 26 is removably connected to the rear housing segment 27. The rear housing segment 27 includes the handle 14.

A drive assembly 29 (FIG. 4) that includes a motor 30 and gear box 32 are disposed in the housing 24. In other embodiments, the motor 30 and/or gear box 32 are disposed exterior to the housing 24. In yet other embodiments, the drain cleaner 10 does not include a motor and is powered by a motor separate from the drain cleaner 10 (e.g., a drill) .

During drain cleaning operations, the drain cleaner 10 may rest on its base 12 (i.e., the lower surfaces of the drain cleaner housing 24) or may rest on a support stand 13. The support stand 13 is pivotally connected to the housing 24 at a pivot joint 15. An operator of the drain cleaner 10 may pivot the support stand 13 such that the support stand is below the housing 24. When the support stand 13 is pivoted downward, the support stand 13 may contact the supporting surface (e.g., sink, floor or bathtub) and the support stand 13 supports the weight of the drain cleaner 10.

The drain cleaning cable 36 (FIG. 9) is at least partially disposed in the drum 28. When powered, the drive assembly 29 causes the drum 28 to rotate about an axis A (FIG. 3) . Rotation of the drum 28 causes the drain cleaning cable 36 to also rotate. The drive assembly 29 is powered upon actuation of a switch 40 (shown as a trigger) that is disposed in the handle 14. The switch 40 is biased to the off position such that the switch 40 must be continuously actuated by a user to power the drive assembly 29. The switch 40 variably changes the speed at which the drain cleaning cable rotates based on the degree of actuation of the switch 40.

The drain cleaning cable 36 may be advanced (i.e., extracted from the drain cleaner 10) by manipulating a cable feed forward actuator 44 for extracting the drain cleaning cable from the drain cleaner 10. A cable feed retraction actuator 48 may be manipulated to retract the cleaning cable back into the drain cleaner 10. The forward actuator 44 and retraction actuator 48 translate rotation of the drain cleaning cable 36 into axial movement of the drain cleaning cable 36 (i.e., advancement and retraction of the cable 36) . The cable feed forward actuator 44 advances the drain cleaning cable and the cable feed retraction actuator 48 retracts the drain cleaning cable for a given direction of rotation of the drum 28 (e.g., clockwise when viewed from the back) . If the forward-reverse switch 42 (FIG. 2) is moved to a reverse status (causing the drum 28 to rotate in the opposite direction) , the cable feed forward actuator 44 retracts the drain cleaning cable and the cable feed retraction actuator 48 advances the drain cleaning cable.

The battery 20 (FIG. 2) is disposed within a battery compartment 52 (FIG. 5) . The battery 20 is supported by first and second rails 54, 55. The battery 20 is removeable and rechargeable and, in the illustrated embodiment, is an 18 volt battery.

The drain cleaner 10 includes a control module 22 (FIG. 4) having a controller (e.g., printed circuit board assembly which includes a controller) . The battery 20 supplies power to the control module 22. The control module 22 is configured to supply DC power to the motor 30 upon actuation of the switch 40.

The drain cleaner 10 includes a nose assembly 56 which is forward of the drum 28 relative to the rotational axis A (FIG. 3) . Referring now to FIG. 6, the nose assembly 56 includes the grip 16 and includes a guide tube 60 that rotates with the drum 28 (FIG. 3) . The grip 16 extends from the forward housing segment 26 and is not axially slidable relative to the housing 24. The grip 16 includes grip surfaces 18. The guide tube 60 (FIG. 7) includes a tubular portion 68 and a flange 64 that extends radially outward from the tubular portion 68. The guide tube 60 is at least partially disposed in the grip 16 (i.e., a portion of the tubular portion 68 is disposed within the grip 16) . The grip 16 has a chamber 19 (FIG. 8) in which the forward actuator 44 and retraction actuator 48 (FIG. 1) are disposed. The nose assembly 56 (FIG. 6) also includes a cable lock assembly 72 that axially locks the drain cleaning cable 36 (FIG. 9) . The nose assembly 56 extends through an opening 65 (FIG. 14) of the housing 24.

The drain cleaning cable 36 (FIG. 9) is at least partially disposed in the drum 28. Referring now to FIG. 12, a drum channel 96 extends between an outer wall 86 and an inner wall 90 disposed within the drum 28. The inner wall 90 is the circumferential edge of a drum protuberance 92 that extends into the drum 28. The drain cleaning cable 36 (FIG. 15) is partially disposed in the drum channel 92 in one or more windings of the drain cleaning cable. The drain cleaning cable 36 (FIG. 15) extends from the drum 28 through a drum opening 100 (FIG. 12) and into the guide tube 60 (FIG. 9) . The guide tube flange 64 (FIG. 10) includes a frustoconical surface 70 that is sized and shaped to direct the drain cleaning cable toward the tubular portion 68. The drain cleaning cable 36 exits the guide tube 60 at the forward end 62 (FIG. 17) of the guide tube 60 and continues through the grip 16 and passes through a drain cleaner outlet 17 (FIG. 1) .

Referring now to FIG. 13, the drum 28 includes a drum aperture 104 for receiving a shaft 112 of the drive assembly 29. The drum 28 includes a main body 108 and a plate 110 (e.g., metal plate) that is connected to the main body 108 by fasteners 111. The metal plate 110 forms the drum aperture 104. The drum aperture 104 is sized and shaped to receive the shaft 112 such that rotation of the shaft 112 causes the drum 28 to rotate. In the illustrated embodiment, the shaft 112 and drum aperture 104 are both hex-shaped.

The drain cleaner 10 includes one or more fasteners 116 (one fastener being shown in FIG. 5) that removably connect the rear housing segment 27 to the forward housing segment 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the fasteners 116 are thread fasteners. Each fastener 116 is disposed within a housing notch 120 to allow the fasteners 116 to be recessed within the rear housing segment 26.

As shown in FIG. 14, the guide tube 60 extends through the forward housing segment 26. To access the drum 28 (e.g., to interchange the drum) , the fasteners 116 are removed and the forward housing segment 26 and the nose assembly 56 are separated from the drain cleaner. The drum 28 (FIG. 13) is axially slidable along the shaft 112 of the drive assembly 29 which allows the drum 28 to be separated from the drain cleaner 10.

Referring now to FIG. 17, the cable lock assembly 72 includes a cable lock sleeve 124. The grip 16 and guide tube 60 are disposed within the cable lock sleeve 124. The sleeve 124 is axially slidable relative to the grip 16 and the guide tube 60. The sleeve 124 engages a collar 128 that is disposed between the guide tube 60 and the grip 16. To lock the drain cleaning cable 36, the sleeve 124 is moved axially in the direction of the arrows which causes the collar 128 to move. The collar 128 contacts locking members 132, 133 (e.g., leaf springs) and causes the locking members 132, 133 to apply a clamping force to the drain cleaning cable 36. When the sleeve 124 is moved to the locked position, the collar 128 rotates with the guide tube 60 and the drain cleaning cable 36. The collar 128 rotates independent from the sleeve 124 and grip 16 enabling the sleeve 124 and grip 16 to remain in place as the collar 128 rotates.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the drum 28 includes a plurality of first teeth 76 (which may also be referred to herein as “drum teeth 76” ) that are spaced circumferentially about the drum 28. The plurality of drum teeth 76 are disposed within a recess 78 of the drum 28 and extend from a recess shoulder 82.

Referring now to FIG. 10, the flange 64 of the guide tube 60 includes a plurality of second teeth 77 (which may also be referred to herein as “guide tube teeth 77” ) . When the forward housing segment 26 and nose assembly 56 (FIG. 14) are connected to the rear housing segment 27 as shown in FIG. 1-2 and 5) , the drum teeth 76 contact the guide tube teeth 77 during rotation of the drum 28. Unless stated otherwise, the term “teeth” as recited herein is not intended to be limited to a particular shape or dimension and generally includes any protrusion for mating connection of the drum and guide tube.

In the illustrated embedment, the number of drum teeth 76 exceeds the number of guide tube teeth 77 (i.e., not every drum tooth 76 engages a guide tube tooth 77) . As shown in FIG. 15, the guide tube teeth 77 include a first set of guide tube teeth 77A and a second set of guide tube teeth 77B. Each guide tube tooth 77 includes a first edge 79 and a second edge 80 (i.e., a leading edge and a trailing edge depending on the direction of rotation of the drum 28) . The drum teeth 76 and guide tube teeth 77 are spaced such that each tooth of the first set of guide tube teeth 77A (FIG. 16) contacts a corresponding drum tooth 76 at the first edge 79 of the guide tube tooth 77A while each tooth of the second set of guide tube teeth 77B contacts a drum tooth 76 at the second edge 80 the guide tube tooth 77B (i.e., the edge 80 opposite the first edge 79) . In this arrangement, once the drum 28 reverses direction, the guide tube 60 instantly reverses direction with the drum 28 (i.e., the drum teeth 76 do not need to travel over the span between guide tube teeth 77 to cause the guide tube 60 to rotate when the drum reverses its direction) .

The drum teeth 76 and guide tube teeth 77 are v-shaped, having an apex at the forward end of each tooth. The v-shape of the teeth 76, 77 helps the teeth to matingly slide together during assembly.

Compared to conventional drain cleaners, the drain cleaners of the present disclosure have several advantages. Use of a forward housing segment that is connected to a rear housing segment by fasteners allows the drum to be accessible by an operator by loosening the fasteners and separating the forward housing segment and nose assembly from the remainder of the drain cleaner. The toothed connection between the drum and guide tube allows the guide tube to be separated from the drum relatively quickly and without additional fasteners. The drum is axially slidable along the shaft of the drive assembly which allows the drum to be separated from the drain cleaner and interchanged without separate fasteners or additional tools.

As used herein, the terms “about, ” “substantially, ” “essentially” and “approximately” when used in conjunction with ranges of dimensions, concentrations, temperatures or other physical or chemical properties or characteristics is meant to cover variations that may exist in the upper and/or lower limits of the ranges of the properties or characteristics, including, for example, variations resulting from rounding, measurement methodology or other statistical variation.

When introducing elements of the present disclosure or the embodiment (s) thereof, the articles “a” , “an” , “the” and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising, ” “including, ” “containing” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. The use of terms indicating a particular orientation (e.g., “top” , “bottom” , "side" , etc. ) is for convenience of description and does not require any particular orientation of the item described.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions and methods without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawing [s] shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

A drain cleaner comprising:

a rotatable drum, the rotatable drum having a plurality of first teeth spaced circumferentially about the drum;

a drain cleaning cable at least partially disposed in the rotatable drum;

a nose assembly comprising:

a grip; and

a guide tube that is rotatable with the drum, the guide tube being at least partially disposed in the grip, the drain cleaning cable passing through the guide tube, the guide tube including a flange including a plurality of second teeth, the first teeth engaging the second teeth during rotation of the drum.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 1 wherein the rotatable drum is disposed within a housing and is rotatable relative to the housing, the grip extending from the housing.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 2 wherein the guide tube includes a tubular portion, the flange protruding radially outward from the tubular portion.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 3 wherein the flange includes a frustoconical surface sized and shaped to direct the drain cleaning cable toward the tubular portion.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 2 comprising a drive assembly for rotating the drum, the drive assembly comprising a motor disposed in the housing.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 5 wherein the drum comprises an aperture that receives a shaft of the drive assembly, the drum being axially slidable along the shaft to separate the drum from the shaft.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 6 wherein the shaft and the aperture are each hex-shaped.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 2 wherein the housing has a forward housing segment and a rear housing segment, the guide tube extending through the forward housing segment, the forward housing segment being removably connected to the rear housing segment.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 8 comprising one or more fasteners that connect the forward housing segment to the rear housing segment.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 9 wherein the one or more fasteners includes a plurality of threaded fasteners which connect the forward housing segment to the rear housing segment.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 1 wherein the nose assembly includes a cable feed assembly comprising:

the grip; and

a cable feed forward actuator for extracting the drain cleaning cable from the drain cleaner.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 11 wherein the cable feed assembly comprises a cable feed retraction actuator for retracting the drain cleaning cable into the drain cleaner.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 11 wherein the nose assembly further comprises a cable lock assembly, the cable lock assembly comprising:

a cable lock sleeve, the grip being disposed within the cable lock sleeve, the cable lock sleeve being axially slidable relative to the grip; and

locking members that selectively apply a clamping force to the drain cleaning cable upon sliding movement of the cable lock sleeve.
A drain cleaner comprising:

a rotatable drum;

a drain cleaning cable at least partially disposed in the rotatable drum;

a nose assembly, the nose assembly being removably connected to the rotatable drum, the nose assembly comprising:

a grip; and

a guide tube that is rotatable with the drum, the guide tube being at least partially disposed in the grip.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 14 wherein the rotatable drum is disposed within a housing and is rotatable relative to the housing, the grip extending from the housing.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 15 wherein the guide tube comprises a flange having an opening through which the drain cleaning cable passes, the drum comprising a plurality of first teeth, the flange comprising a plurality of second teeth that contact the first teeth such that rotation of the drum causes the guide tube to rotate.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 15 comprising a drive assembly for rotating the drum, the drive assembly comprising a motor disposed in the housing.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 17 wherein the drum comprises an aperture that receives a shaft of the drive assembly, the drum being axially slidable along the shaft to separate the drum from the shaft.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 15 wherein the housing has a forward housing segment and a rear housing segment, the grip extending from the forward housing segment, the forward housing segment being removably connected to the rear housing segment.
The drain cleaner as set forth in claim 14 wherein the nose assembly comprises:

a cable feed assembly comprising:

the grip;

a cable feed forward actuator for extracting the drain cleaning cable from the drain cleaner; and

a cable feed retraction actuator for retracting the drain cleaning cable into the drain cleaner; and

a cable lock assembly comprising:

a cable lock sleeve, the grip being disposed within the cable lock sleeve, the cable lock sleeve being axially slidable relative to the grip; and

locking members that selectively apply a clamping force to the drain cleaning cable upon axial sliding movement of the cable lock sleeve.