Plunger device with triangular bell and cylindrical sleeve

Abstract

An improved toilet plunger for unclogging drains, comprised of a handle and a plunger head with an upper generally triangular-shaped, collapsible bell portion and a lower generally cylindrical, flexible sleeve portion. The unique shape and configuration of the bell and sleeve portions enable the improved plunger device to displace clogs with fewer attempts, and to resist device deformation, inversion, rotation, and breaking of the seal during plunging.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A toilet plunger comprising:
 a handle, and   a plunger head, wherein said plunger head comprises   (i) a top portion for attaching the plunger head to the handle,   (ii) a generally triangular-shaped, collapsible bell portion having an upper end and a lower end, wherein the upper end of the bell portion is fixedly attached to the top portion and the lower end of the bell portion defines a seal lip for engaging the surface of a toilet, and   (iii) a generally cylindrical, flexible sleeve portion fixedly attached to the lower end of the bell portion, wherein the flexible sleeve portion is configured to engage the trap in a toilet.   
     
     
         2 . The toilet plunger of  claim 1 , wherein the bell portion is generally in the shape of an isosceles triangle having rounded corners. 
     
     
         3 . The toilet plunger of  claim 2 , wherein the bell portion comprises a plurality of segments. 
     
     
         4 . The toilet plunger of  claim 1 , wherein said plunger head is comprised of rubber. 
     
     
         5 . The toilet plunger of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve is contiguous with the bell, whereby the sleeve is in fluid communication with the bell. 
     
     
         6 . The toilet plunger of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve further comprises an upper concave portion and a lower or convex portion. 
     
     
         7 . The toilet plunger of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of segments subjacent the top portion comprises four progressively wider segments. 
     
     
         8 . The toilet plunger of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of segments comprises a first segment, a second segment, a third segment, and a fourth segment, with the fourth segment defining the seal lip where it meets the sleeve. 
     
     
         9 . The toilet plunger of  claim 8 , wherein the wall of the first and second segments of the bell is thicker than the wall of the third segment of the bell. 
     
     
         10 . The toilet plunger of  claim 9 , wherein the fourth segment is thicker than the first and second segments and further forms a protuberance which reinforces the seal lip. 
     
     
         12 . The toilet plunger of claim  11 , wherein during compression of the plunger head, the plurality of segments collapse, beginning with the first segment, followed by the second segment, and then the third segment, in the order of least segment width to greatest segment width. 
     
     
         13 . The toilet plunger of  claim 1 , wherein the triangular profile of the bell portion of the plunger head maintains the applied force along the central axis of the plunger device during plunging.