Collapsible Arch Plunger for Low-Flow Toilet Clogs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plungers are ineffective for newer low-flow toilets due to their size and design, which makes them difficult to use and unable to generate sufficient pressure and suction to clear clogs, and they often cause splashback and spillover due to their circular shape and incompatibility with the narrower waste exit ports and siphon jets of these toilets.
Innovation Solution
A forcibly collapsible plunger with a resiliently deformable body featuring a closed top portion and a lower portion with a true arch configuration, a flexible exterior lip, and a handle, allowing for directional expulsion of contents through a smaller bottom orifice, which fits securely into the rectilinear waste exit port and seals the siphon jet, minimizing splashback and maximizing pressure and suction for effective clog removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a conventional circular plunger cup is used, then it can cover the waste exit port, but it is too wide to fit into the narrow waste drain passage of newer low-flow toilets and cannot generate sufficient pressure and suction
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger cup is designed to be collapsible, transitioning from an expanded state for sealing to a collapsed state for plunging. This dynamic transformation allows the cup to fit into narrow waste drain passages while maintaining adequate sealing area, resolving the contradiction between fitting size and force generation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The plunger cup's volume and shape are changed dynamically during operation. In the expanded state, it provides sufficient sealing area; during plunging, it collapses to concentrate force into a smaller area, increasing pressure while reducing the effective area to fit narrow passages
2Reliability
If a conventional circular plunger is positioned over the waste exit port, then it can seal the opening, but it also covers the siphon jet and directs pressure and suction forces into the siphon jet instead of the waste exit port
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger cup is designed with non-uniform thickness, having a thinner wall at the front (waste exit port side) and thicker walls elsewhere. This allows selective sealing - the thin front wall area seals the waste exit port while the thicker rear portions seal around the siphon jet, preventing force diversion into the siphon system
Solution Approach 2:
The plunger cup wall is segmented into regions of different thicknesses, with the front portion being thinner to allow precise positioning and sealing of the waste exit port while the rear portions provide structural support and seal the siphon jet area
3Force
If axial downward pressure is applied to collapse the plunger body, then pressure is generated to expel contents, but the circular shape causes water to spray out of gaps and splash back onto the operator
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger cup is designed with an asymmetric true arch configuration rather than a circular shape. This asymmetric geometry, combined with the collapsible design, directs the expelled contents through a focused pathway that minimizes lateral spray and splashback, while still generating sufficient expulsion pressure
4Force
If the plunger cup is made larger to generate sufficient pressure, then force is improved, but the plunger becomes incompatible with the narrower waste exit ports of newer low-flow toilets
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger cup transitions between expanded and collapsed states, allowing it to adapt to different toilet configurations. In the expanded state, it provides sufficient sealing area for force generation; in the collapsed state, it fits into narrow waste drain passages of low-flow toilets, achieving both force requirement and adaptability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The plunger effectively clears clogs in newer low-flow toilets by directing pressure and suction directly into the waste exit port, reducing splashback and spillover, and is compatible with both new and old toilet models, while being durable and inexpensive.
Implementation Method 1
a resiliently deformable body having a closed top portion, and a lower portion defining a bottom orifice wherein axial downward pressure exerted on the resiliently deformable body causes the top portion of the resiliently deformable body to be forcible collapsed downwardly into the second cavity which responsively forcibly expels contents of the interior cavity through the bottom orifice
Implementation Method 2
The reciprocal motion alternately contracts and enlarges an internal volume defined by the circular convex plunger cup and responsively creates an alternating pressure and suction force in interconnected pipes and plumbing fixtures to dislodge the obstruction clog
Data Source
AI summary
An improved plunger having a true arch configuration and defining an interior cavity provides a body having a convexly dome shaped upper portion and a rectilinear truncated conic shaped bottom portion that defines a bottom orifice. Axial downward pressure exerted or a handle communicating with a handle attachment carried by the dome shaped upper portion causes the body to collapse to forcefully expel contents of the interior cavity outwardly through the bottom orifice and into a pipe or plumbing fixture. A flexible resiliently deformable exterior lip circumscribing the bottom orifice prevents leakage and the truncated conic shape of the bottom portion fluidically seals a toilet siphon jet to prevent loss of plunger pressure when removing clogs and obstructions.