Splunger

Abstract

A combined toilet brush and plunger, termed the Splunger, combines both functions in one tool. In order to do so, the Splunger can be converted, conveniently and without tools, from a substantially rigid configuration in which a mop head is effectively mounted on one end of a rigid handle, so as to be employed as a conventional toilet brush, to a flexible configuration in which the mop head is extended on a flexible but incompressible member, so that it can be forced into the constricted passages of a toilet, clearing it out.

1 . A combined toilet brush and plunger, comprising: 
 an elongated rigid tubular outer handle;    an elongated flexible but incompressible tubular member, disposed within the interior of said tubular outer handle, and arranged to slide longitudinally therewithin;    a mop head mounted on a distal end of the flexible but incompressible member;    an elongated control member disposed within the flexible but incompressible tubular member and arranged to slide longitudinally therewithin, a proximal end of said control member extending out of a proximal end of said outer handle and adapted to be gripped; and    wherein said control member is adapted to be selectively affixed to said flexible but incompressible member at spaced relative positions thereof, whereby said control member can be affixed to said flexible but incompressible member at a first relative position thereof and manipulated to urge said flexible but incompressible member out of the distal end of the outer handle or can be affixed to said flexible but incompressible member at a second relative position thereof and manipulated to to withdraw said flexible but incompressible member into the outer handle.    
   
   
       2 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the flexible but incompressible member comprises a fitting having an internal thread, for receiving a corresponding thread on the distal end of said control member, such that said control member can thereby be selectively affixed to the distal end of the flexible but incompressible member.  
   
   
       3 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 2 , wherein the proximal end of the flexible but incompressible member comprises a second fitting having an internal thread for receiving the thread on the control member, and wherein the control member extends proximally through said second fitting, such that said control member can thereby be selectively affixed to the proximal end of the flexible but incompressible member.  
   
   
       4 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 2 , further comprising a distal cap fitting over the distal end of the outer handle, said distal cap having a bore therethrough for allowing passage of said flexible but incompressible member.  
   
   
       5 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 4 , further comprising a cup member secured to said distal cap, wherein the mop head fits within the cup member sufficiently snugly that the cup member frictionally secures the mop head against rotation, allowing the control member to be unthreaded from said fitting.  
   
   
       6 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 5 , wherein said cup member is perforated to allow water to escape therefrom.  
   
   
       7 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 6 , further comprising a second outer cup member secured to said outer handle for receiving said perforated cup member.  
   
   
       8 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 1 , further comprising a proximal cap fitting over the proximal end of the outer handle, said proximal cap having a bore therethrough for allowing passage of said control member.  
   
   
       9 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 1 , wherein said flexible but incompressible member is made using a length of reinforced plastic tubing.  
   
   
       10 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 1 , wherein said control member is formed to define discontinuities at spaced locations therealong, and said flexible but incompressible tubular member comprises a mechanism at its proximal end for being selectively coupled to one of said discontinuities.  
   
   
       11 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 10 , wherein said rigid tubular outer handle is selectively weakened in a predetermined region, said region surrounding said mechanism when said control member is operated to bring the proximal end of said flexible but incompressible member to a predetermined position, whereby said tool may be reconfigured from one operating configuration to the other by a user exerting hand pressure sufficient to deform said tubular outer handle inwardly and operate said mechanism.  
   
   
       12 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 10 , wherein said discontinuities are circumferential grooves formed in said control member adapted to receive a ball confined by said mechanism to move longitudinally with said flexible but incompressible tubular member but permitted to move controllably radially inwardly and outwardly with respect thereto, whereby said control member can be affixed to said flexible but incompressible tubular member by disposition of said ball in one of said grooves in said control member while preventing radial outward movement of said ball.  
   
   
       13 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 12 , wherein said control member fits within a tube one end of which is fixed to said flexible but incompressible tubular member, a hole being bored transversely in said tube for receiving said ball, whereby said ball is constrained to move longitudinally with said flexible but incompressible tubular member.  
   
   
       14 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 13 , wherein a sleeve is disposed over said tube, said sleeve having an inside bore having at least one groove formed therein, said bore being sized that said ball is prevented from moving radially outwardly from said grooves in said control member except when said at least one groove in the inside bore of said sleeve is juxtaposed to the groove in said control member in which said ball is then disposed.  
   
   
       15 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 14 , wherein said sleeve is spring-biased to a position with respect to said tube such that said ball is prevented from moving radially outwardly except when said sleeve is displaced against said bias.  
   
   
       16 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 15 , wherein said sleeve is disposed between opposed springs, one confined between said sleeve and the proximal end of said flexible but incompressible tubular member, and the other confined between said sleeve and a bushing affixed to the proximal end of said tube.  
   
   
       17 . The combined toilet brush and plunger of  claim 16 , wherein said rigid tubular outer handle is selectively weakened in a predetermined region, such that a user can exert hand pressure sufficient to deform said tubular outer handle inwardly and grip said sleeve so as to restrain motion of said sleeve against the bias of said springs as the flexible but incompressible tubular member is moved with respect to said control member by hand pressure applied to the proximal end of the control rod.  
   
   
       18 . A method of use of a single tool reconfigurable to be selectively operable as a toilet brush, having a mop head attached substantially rigidly to a handle, or as a plunger having a mop head attached to a flexible but incompressible member, said tool comprising: 
 an elongated rigid tubular outer handle;    an elongated flexible but incompressible tubular member, disposed within the interior of said tubular outer handle and arranged to slide longitudinally therewithin;    a mop head mounted on a distal end of the flexible but incompressible member;    an elongated control member disposed within the rigid tubular outer handle and arranged to slide longitudinally therewithin, a proximal end of said control member extending out of a proximal end of said outer handle, and said control member being selectively affixable to said flexible but incompressible tubular member at spaced relative positions thereof,    wherein said method of use of the tool as a plunger comprises the steps of affixing said control member to said flexible but incompressible tubular member such that the distal end of said control member is juxtaposed to the proximal end of said flexible but incompressible tubular member, and urging said control member into said outer handle such that the flexible but impressible member extends out of said outer handle, such that tool can be employed as a plunger, and    said method of use of the tool as a toilet brush comprises the steps of affixing said control member to said flexible but incompressible member such that the distal end of said control member is substantially juxtaposed to the distal end of said flexible but incompressible member and withdrawing said control member from said outer handle such that the flexible but incompressible member is substantially contained within said outer handle, such that said tool can be employed as a toilet brush.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein first and second fittings are secured to the proximal and distal ends of the flexible but incompressible member, said fittings having an internal thread for receiving a corresponding thread on the distal end of said control rod, whereby the distal end of the control member can be selectively affixed to one of the proximal and distal ends of the flexible but incompressible member by threading the thread on the distal end of the control member into the corresponding thread on said fitting.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein said control member is formed to define discontinuities at spaced locations therealong, and said flexible but incompressible tubular member comprises a mechanism at its proximal end for being selectively coupled to one of said discontinuities.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said rigid tubular outer handle is selectively weakened in a predetermined region, said region surrounding said mechanism when said control member is operated to bring the proximal end of said flexible but incompressible member to a predetermined position, whereby said tool may be reconfigured from one operating configuration to the other by a user exerting hand pressure sufficient to deform said tubular outer handle inwardly and operate said mechanism.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein said discontinuities are circumferential grooves formed in said control rod, and said mechanism comprises a ball confined to move longitudinally with said flexible but incompressible tubular member but permitted to move controllably radially inwardly and outwardly with respect thereto, whereby said control member can be selectively affixed to said flexible but incompressible tubular member by disposition of said ball in one of said grooves in said control member while preventing radial outward movement of said ball.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein said control member fits within a tube one end of which is fixed to said flexible but incompressible tubular member, a hole being bored transversely in the wall of said tube for receiving said ball, whereby said ball is confined to move longitudinally with said flexible but incompressible tubular member.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein a sleeve is disposed over said tube, said sleeve having an inside bore having at least one groove formed therein, said bore and said at least one groove therein being sized that said ball is prevented from moving radially outwardly from said grooves in said control member except when said at least one groove in the inside bore of said sleeve is juxtaposed to the groove in said control member in which said ball is then disposed.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said sleeve is spring-biased to a position with respect to said tube such that said ball is prevented from moving radially outwardly except when said said sleeve is displaced against said bias.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said sleeve is disposed between opposed springs, one confined between said sleeve and said flexible but incompressible tubular member and the other confined between said sleeve and a bushing affixed to the proximal end of said tube.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein said rigid tubular outer handle is selectively weakened in a predetermined region, said region surrounding said sleeve when said control member is operated to bring the proximal end of said flexible but incompressible member to a predetermined position, whereby said tool may be reconfigured from one operating configuration to the other by a user exerting hand pressure sufficient to deform said tubular outer handle inwardly and grip said sleeve so as to restrain motion of said sleeve against the bias of said springs, while moving the flexible but incompressible tubular member with respect to said control member by hand pressure applied to the proximal end of the control rod.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the control member is somewhat longer than the outer tubular handle, so that when the control member, having been affixed to the distal end of said flexible but incompressible member to which the mop head is attached, is drawn partially into the tubular handle, the flexible but incompressible member extends somewhat from the handle, and wherein a wringer cup within which said mop head fits relatively snugly is disposed around the distal end of said tubular handle, whereby if said control member is drawn fully into the outer handle said mop head is drawn into said wringer cup, whereby water is effectively wrung from said mop head by said wringer cup.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein said wringer cup is perforated, and a second outer cup is affixed to said tubular handle over said wringer cup.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein a cup is secured to the distal end of said tubular handle, such that said flexible but incompressible member extends through an opening in said end of said cup, and whereby said tool can be used as a plunger, the distal end of the control member having first been secured to the proximal end of the flexible but incompressible member, by urging an open distal end of said cup against a water passage to be cleared, and pushing said control member into said handle, such that said mop head is urged by said flexible but incompressible member into the water passage.