Toilet plunger

Abstract

A plunger device comprising a piston pump assembly and a plunger head that is sized to fit inside a trap of a toilet and downstream of a siphon jet of the toilet. Pressurized air from the piston pump assembly is used to dislodge an obstruction and push it down the toilet drain. The plunger is easy to use, easy to clean and can be adapted to use different plunger heads to unclog different types of drains other than toilet drains.

1 . A plunger device comprising a piston pump assembly and a plunger head sized and shaped to fit inside a trap of a toilet and downstream of a siphon jet of the toilet, the piston pump assembly further comprising:
 a) a hollow cylindrical body having a first end and a second end, and defining a carrying passage extending within the cylindrical body and through the first end and the second end; and   b) a piston plunger slidably and sealingly disposed within the cylindrical body, said piston plunger comprising a piston rod, a piston attached to one end of the piston rod and a handle attached to the opposite end of the piston rod; and   
       the plunger head further comprising:
 a) an elongated carrier body having a liquid inlet end, a liquid outlet end, and an internal through-passage extending along the carrier body and through the liquid inlet and said liquid outlet ends; 
 b) a first flange encircling the elongated carrier body and projecting outwardly therefrom; 
 c) a second flange encircling the elongated carrier body and projecting outwardly therefrom, the second flange longitudinally spaced along said carrier body from said first flange; 
 d) a resilient foam body extending completely between said first and said second flanges and encircling said elongated carrier body; and 
 e) a water-proof skin covering at least said foam body and said first and second flanges, thereby sealing the foam body from the external environment; and 
 
       wherein the plunger head is connected to the piston pump assembly so that the internal through-passage of the plunger head is fluidly connected with the carrying passage of piston pump assembly. 
     
     
         2 . The plunger of  claim 1  wherein the cylindrical body is sufficiently long such that when the plunger head is inserted into the trap of the toilet, the cylindrical body rests on the edge of the bowl of the toilet. 
     
     
         3 . The plunger of  claim 1  wherein the cylindrical body diameter is sized such that the cylinder can be grasped manually. 
     
     
         4 . The plunger of  claim 1  wherein the resilient foam body is made of open-celled foam. 
     
     
         5 . The plunger of  claim 1  wherein the plunger head is ovoid shaped. 
     
     
         6 . The plunger of  claim 5  wherein the major axis of the plunger head is at least 1.5× greater than the minor axis. 
     
     
         7 . The plunger of  claim 1  wherein the connection of the plunger head to the piston pump assembly is reversible. 
     
     
         8 . A kit comprising the plunger device of  claim 7  and instructions for use. 
     
     
         9 . The kit of  claim 8  comprising at least one additional plunger head that can be reversibly connected to the piston pump assembly. 
     
     
         10 . The kit of  claim 9  wherein the at least one additional plunger head is a cup-shaped plunger head, the edge of which forms a seal around a drain when the cup is positioned over the drain and contacts the sink or tub. 
     
     
         11 . The kit of  claim 9  wherein the at least one additional plunger head is a spheroid-shaped plunger head sized to fit into and seal the basket strainer of a kitchen sink.