Plumbers tool

Abstract

The application discloses a basic container for a plumbers' flexible snake having a chuck through which the snake passes in and out, an adapter shell means suitable for mounting on a motor or on a crank which releasably attaches to the rear of the container to afford a means for rotating the container, and a container adaptable for mounting various forms of chucks.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a plumbers' tool, a hollow container adapted to store a flexible plumbers' snake coiled therein and having an axially disposed neck at the front through which the snake extends and is movable, said container having an annular rear wall defining an opening, a motor having a shaft, an adapter shell mounted on the shaft of said motor, interengaging means on said shell and on said annular rear wall of said container for detachably securing said shell to said container .Iadd.said interengaging means comprising a plurality of spaced apart slots provided in one of said shell and said annular rear wall and a plurality of spaced apart lugs provided on the other of said shell and said annular rear wall, said lugs being adapted to be receivable in said slots.Iaddend.. 
     
     
       2. The tool set forth in claim 1 in which said adapter shell is detachably mounted on the shaft of the motor. 
     
     
       3. The plumbers' tool set forth in claim 1 in which the interengaging means on said shell and said annular rear wall of the container comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced lugs on said shell and a plurality of circumferentially spaced and circumferentially extending slots in the annular rear wall of the container receiving said lugs. 
     
     
       4. The tool set forth in claim 1 in which said shell extends forwardly a substantial distance into said container. 
     
     
       5. The tool set forth in claim 1 in which said container is provided with a chuck on the neck thereof through which the snake extends. 
     
     
       6. In a plumbers' tool: (a) a hollow container adapted to store a flexible plumbers' snake coiled therein having an axially disposed neck at the front through which the snake extends and is movable and being formed at the rear with .[.an annular.]. wall means .[.extending radially inward and.]. .Iadd.having a plurality of slots formed therein, said wall means .Iaddend.defining a relatively large opening whereby the container is open at the rear;   (b) an adapter shell detachably mounted on said .[.annular.]. wall means of said container in position to close the opening therein .Iadd., said adapter shell having interengaging means receivable in said slots whereby rotation of said adapter shell will cause rotation of said container; .Iaddend.and   (c) means for rotating said shell, said means including a shaft, said shell being mounted on said shaft.   
     
     
       7. The tool set forth in claim 6 in which said adapter shell extends forward a substantial distance through said opening into said container. 
     
     
       8. In a plumbers' tool: (a) a first means for housing a coiled flexible plumbers' snake;   (b) a second means in removable engagement with said first means for rotating said first means;   (c) means on one of said first or second means comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots and means on the other of said first or second means comprising a plurality of circumferential lugs so constructed and arranged as to be receivable in said spaced slots; and   (d) means for rotating said second means.   
     
     
       9. In a plumbers' tool: (a) a first means for housing a coiled flexible plumbers' snake.Iadd., said first means comprising a hollow container including an annular shaped wall having circumferentially spaced apart interengaging means thereon.Iaddend.; and   (b) a second means removably engaged to said first means for rotating said first means comprising: (1) an adapter means for transmitting rotational movement to said first means;   (2) a locking means on said adapter means for cooperative engagement with said .Iadd.interengaging means of said .Iaddend.first means for locking said first and second means in assembled position; and   (3) a hand-held motor means removably engaged to said adapter means for rotating said adapter means relative to said motor means.