US3336604A

US3336604A - Force cup

Info

Publication number: US3336604A
Application number: US437161A
Authority: US
Inventors: Philip P Lacey; David C Walker; Alexander M Zrolka
Original assignee: Radiator Specialty Co
Current assignee: Radiator Specialty Co
Priority date: 1965-03-04
Filing date: 1965-03-04
Publication date: 1967-08-22
Anticipated expiration: 1984-08-22

Description

Aug. 22, 1967 P. P. LACEY ETAL FORCE CUP Filed March 4, 1965 INVENTORfi 24 FHAAC'IY, 9.6. Wail/(497% A .M. Z R01 KA 1:4? ATTORNEYJ United States Patent 3,336,604 FORCE CUP Philip P. Lacey, David C. Walker, and Alexander M. Zrolka, Charlotte, N.C., assignors to Radiator Specialty Company, Charlotte, N.C.

Filed Mar. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 437,161 2 Claims. (Cl. 4-255) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A force cup having a lower reduced telescoping collar and having internal means for forcing fluid under pressure into a drain to remove an obstruction.

This invention relates to force producing and applying devices employed in connection with the care and maintenance of installations and apparatus of various kinds employed to create and exert a pushing or a pulling force where pressure is needed for various purposes.

The invention relates particularly to force cups, plungers, or other plumbing accessories having cup portions or bodies of rubber or other flexible substance with handles attached thereto by means of which the force cups can be operated to project water or other fluid in one direction under compression, or can be operated to suck or draw water or other fluid in the opposite direction, and thus by being able to impart pushing and pulling motion, for example, to a clogged water line, to dislodge obstruction and restore flow therethrough.

Force cups of many kinds have been produced of varying degrees of usefulness, efiiciency, satisfaction and quality. Such devices have been subject to criticism for various reasons including their failure to seat properly, because of insufiicient air volume and the small amount of thrust they could exert, because they would break off center, and for the reason that the focus of the pressure or force exerted was above the center of the force cup and required a greater amount of etfort to operate and for other reasons.

It is an object of the invention to provide a force cup of simple, inexpensive and durable construction, of a character to be self-centering and to seat properly, as well as a force cup of suflicient size to provide adequate air volume regardless of Whether positive or negative pressure is exerted, in which the focus of the force or power exerted will be below the middle of the force cup so that it will require less power or pressure to operate, and which force is exerted axially and equally on all sides so that the force cup will break straight downwardly and not ofl. center.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating one application of the invention viewed from the top of the same;

FIG. 2, a perspective of the force cup of FIG. 1 viewed from the bottom;

FIG. 3, a vertical section;

FIG. 4, a vertical section through a trap type flush bowl with a force cup illustrated in elevation applied thereto; and,

FIG. 5, a vertical section illustrating the force cup applied to a conventional drain.

Briefly stated the force cup of the present invention is a hollow flexible body having a generally cylindrical side wall, a closed rounded top, and an open bottom. The rounded top has a substantially flat central portion of greater thickness which increases the strength and decreases the flexibility of the top and provides a greater air space, and which cup when force is applied down- 3,336,604 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 joined by a curved connection to a cylindrical sleeve or skirt which may be disposed selectively upwardly within said hollow body when the device is applied to a flat surface or extended downwardly and outwardly of the hollow body when applied to a device having an opening into which said sleeve can be fitted. The flange and the side wall structure of the hollow body are connected by an annular curved wall and around the exterior of the flange at the bottom of the side wall is provided an enlarged combination seating and strengthening annular rib which extends all the way around the lower end of the hollow flexible body and which is flattened against the surface to which it is applied.

With continued reference to the drawing the force cup of the present invention is composed of a hollow flexible body 10 of rubber or other suitable material. The body may have a generally cylindrical side wall 11, a closed rounded top 12, and an open bottom 13. By providing a generally cylindrical body a greater volume of air can be accommodated within such body and consequently greater force can be applied.

The rounded top has a central portion 14 of greater thickness than that of the side Wall 11 which serves to increase the strength of such portion of the top, as well as to decrease the flexility thereof. Thus when force is applied downwardly 0n the central portion of the top, a greater amount of flexing will occur in the thinner wall portion 12 and consequently such central portion may readily be moved downwardly while it remains in a generally horizontal position at right angles to the axis of the flexible body.

The top is provided with a central depending portion 15 with a closed bottom 16 and an upwardly and outwardly opening cavity 17 having internal threads 18 for engagement with external threads 19 of an operating post or handle 20. The space within the flexible body 10 is of suflicient size, that is, diameter and height, that when the operating handle 20 is pushed downwardly its lower end will be against the end wall 16 of the depending portion 15, with such end wall in a substantially lower position than the vertical center of the body, as illustrated in FIG. 5, thus obviating any tendency for the cup or body to break off center. In other words, the body is generally cylindrical instead of inverted cone-shaped like prior devices.

The lower end of the side wall 11 of the body has connected thereto a generally horizontal flange 21 with a curved connection 22 to a cylindrical skirt or sleeve 23, which may be disposed in outward depending position, as illustrated by dot and dash lines in FIG. 3, and in full lines in FIG. 4, or it may be located in upright position as illustrated by solid lines in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. The position of the skirt depends upon the type of construction to which the device is applied. When used, for example, in connection with a commode, such as that of FIG. 4, the skirt 23 will be in a depending position, but when used on a flat wall, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the skirt 23 will be in an upright position.

For durability, strength and assistance to seating, an annular rib or enlargement 24 may be provided around the lower outer edge or rim of the hollow flexible body, such rib serving when applied to a commode 25 of the character indicated in FIG. 4 to be flattened against the wall which it contacts, and when the device is applied to a sink or other horizontal member 26 to which there is a drain 27, an annular enlarged area of contact will be obtained.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a novel improved force cup or plunger is provided and it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A force cup comprising a hollow generally cylindrical resiliently flexible body portion of generally uniform wall thickness with a substantially flat wall closing end and having a portion coaxially disposed at right angles to said end and of a thickness materially greater than said cylindrical body portion, said substantially flat wall closing end being of a diameter at least one-half that of the diameter of said cylindrical body portion, said substitute fiat wall closing end being integrally connected to said cylindrical body portion by an annular curved wall, said substantially flat wall closing end including cup-shaped outwardly opening cavity means integral therewith and disposed axially thereof within said cylindrical body portion, said cup-shaped cavity means providing means for mounting and securing a force applying member therein, a transversely extending wall portion integral with the opposite end of said cylindrical body portion having a thickness approximately equal to that of said substantially fiat wall closing end portion and disposed generally parallel thereto, said transversely extending wall portion having a resiliently flexible centering and guiding open skirt portion of reduced thickness integral therewith and disposed coaxially of said cylindrical body portion, said open centering skirt portion being selectively positionable inwardly and outwardly of said cylindrical body portion relative to said transversely extending wall portion whereby the interconnecting wall therebetween forms a correspondingly inwardly or outwardly arcuately curved annular wall portion providing for complementary seating and sealing contact with drain openings, said wall to diameter ratio of said cylindrical body portion maintaining axial defraction of said cylindrical body portion under externally applied force to said force applying member, said relative size and arrangement of the component parts of the force cup providing maximum effective utilization of an applied force to deform the force cup when used for the purpose intended.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the free end of said centering skirt portion when selectively positioned within said cylindrical body portion is normally spaced from said cavity means at the opposite end thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,526,750 10/1950 Hollandsworth 4-255 3,021,532 2/1962 Gross 4-255 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

B. KILE, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A FORCE CUP COMPRISING A HOLLOW GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE BODY PORTION OF GENERALLY UNIFORM WALL THICKNESS WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALL CLOSING END AND HAVING A PORTION COAXIALLY DISPOSED AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID END AND OF A THICKNESS MATERIALLY GREATER THAN SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION, SAID SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALL CLOSING END BEING OF A DIAMETER AT LEAST ONE-HALF THAT OF THE DIAMETER OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION, SAID SUBSTITUTE FLAT WALL CLOSING END BEING INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TO SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION BY AN ANNULAR CURVED WALL, SAID SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALL CLOSING END INCLUDING CUP-SHAPED OUTWARDLY OPENING CAVITY MEANS INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND DISPOSED AXIALLY THEREOF WITHIN SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION, SAID CUP-SHAPED CAVITY MEANS PROVIDING MEANS FOR MOUNTING AND SECURING A FORCE APPLYING MEMBER THEREIN, A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING WALL PORTION INTEGRAL WITH THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION HAVING A THICKNESS APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THAT OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALL CLOSING END PORTION AND DISPOSED GENERALLY PARALLEL THERETO, SAID TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING WALL PORTION HAVING A RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE CENTERING AND GUIDING OPEN SKIRT PORTION OF REDUCED THICKNESS INTEGRAL THEREWITH AND DISPOSED COAXIALLY OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION, SAID OPEN CENTERING SKIRT PORTION BEING SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION RELATIVE TO SAID TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING WALL PORTION WHEREBY THE INTERCONNECTING WALL THEREBETWEEN FORMS A CORRESPONDINGLY INWARDLY OR OUTWARDLY ARCUATELY CURVED ANNULAR WALL PORTION PROVIDING FOR COMPLEMENTARY SEATING AND SEALING CONTACT WITH DRAIN OPENINGS, SAID WALL TO DIAMETER RATIO OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION MAINTAINING AXIAL DEFRACTION OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION UNDER EXTERNALLY APPLIED FORCE TO SAID FORCE APPLYING MEMBER, SAID RELATIVE SIZE AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE COMPONENT PARTS OF THE FORCE CUP PROVIDING MAXIMUM EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF AN APPLIED FORCE TO DEFORM THE FORCE CUP WHEN USED FOR THE PURPOSE INTENDED.