Drain Cleaning Device With Micro-Hook Tip For Hair Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drain cleaning methods, such as chemical agents and plungers, often fail to effectively remove hair clogs from bathroom drains, leading to slow drainage and potential blockages.
Innovation Solution
A drain cleaning device comprising a detachable handle section and a drain cleaning stick with a tip section featuring injection-molded micro-hook elements, designed to grab and collect debris from the drain pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If chemical drain cleaning agents are used, then the drain can be cleaned without mechanical intervention, but the chemicals may damage the drain structure and cause health problems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical cleaning agents with a mechanical cleaning system consisting of a drain cleaning device with a rotatable element featuring cleaning surfaces. This mechanical approach eliminates the need for corrosive chemicals while achieving effective drain cleaning through physical contact and removal of debris.
2Ease of operation
If liquid chemical agents are used, then the drain can be treated without disassembly, but a significant portion of the chemical flows past the clog without effectively dissolving the hair
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces liquid chemical agents with a mechanical cleaning device that physically contacts the clog. The rotatable element with cleaning surfaces directly engages with hair and debris, ensuring reliable removal regardless of chemical flow dynamics.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning surfaces on the rotatable element are designed to preliminarily engage and loosen the clog material before complete removal. This preliminary mechanical action prepares the debris for effective extraction, ensuring reliable cleaning even in difficult-to-reach areas.
3Reliability
If traditional drain snakes are used, then hair clogs can be effectively removed, but the device requires extensive disassembly and manual manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a rotatable cleaning element that can rotate automatically or be manually rotated to engage and remove debris. This dynamic mechanism provides the effectiveness of traditional snakes while simplifying operation through rotational motion that naturally follows the drain geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning element is designed with multiple cleaning surfaces that can handle various types of debris and clog configurations. This universal design maintains high effectiveness across different drain scenarios while requiring minimal user intervention or disassembly.
4Reliability
If the drain cleaning device uses a solid structure, then it can effectively reach and snag hair, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cleaning element into multiple segments or surfaces arranged on a rotatable structure. This segmentation allows the device to maintain simplicity in its basic components while achieving complex cleaning functionality through the coordinated arrangement of multiple cleaning surfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A drain cleaning device for removing debris from a drain is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the drain cleaning device includes a handle section, an elongated rod section having a first end and a second end oppositely disposed relative to the first end, the first end of the elongated rod section being connected to the handle section; and a tip section connected to the second end of the elongated rod section, the tip section including a central core portion and a plurality of protruding elements extending from the central core portion, the plurality of protruding elements configured to grab and collect debris from a drain pipe.