Manual Drain Size Reduction Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for preventing drain clogging in household sinks, tubs, and showers are either complex, prone to fouling, or require frequent manual cleaning, especially when dealing with human hair and other solid waste materials.
Innovation Solution
A manually operable drain-mounted device with a size reduction assembly featuring a perforated tube and abrasive surface that reduces hair and other waste materials to a size small enough to be flushed through the drain conduit without clogging, using a spring mechanism for easy operation and minimal maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a strainer or filter is used to prevent solid materials from entering the drain, then clogging of the drain conduit is reduced, but the strainer itself becomes prone to clogging and requires frequent manual cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic solid materials (hair and other waste) from the drain system by capturing them in a strainer basket, then removes them completely from the system through the garbage disposal mechanism that grinds them into small particles that can be flushed away, eliminating the need for manual cleaning of the strainer
Solution Approach 2:
The garbage disposal mechanism provides self-service by automatically grinding and flushing away the captured waste materials, eliminating the need for manual intervention to clean the strainer. The system serves itself by processing its own accumulated waste
2Ease of operation
If an electric garbage disposal is used to comminute solid waste, then manual cleaning is minimized, but significant space, electrical power, and maintenance access are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electric motor-driven garbage disposal system with a manually operated mechanical system. The user directly operates the grinding mechanism by hand, eliminating the need for electrical power, complex motor assemblies, and associated maintenance requirements while still achieving waste comminution
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the electrical motor and complex control systems from the garbage disposal, retaining only the essential mechanical grinding components that can be operated manually, thereby simplifying the overall system while maintaining the core functional benefit
3Device complexity
If a manually operated comminuting device is used, then space and power requirements are reduced, but the device becomes prone to fouling with hair and complex mechanisms fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the device into distinct functional zones: a strainer basket that captures waste, a grinding chamber that comminutes it, and a discharge path that flushes it away. This segmentation prevents hair from accumulating in one location and fouling the entire mechanism, as each section has a specific function and clear waste egress path
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of trying to prevent hair from entering the mechanism, the patent inverts the approach by designing a system that actively captures hair in a removable strainer, then completely processes and eliminates it through grinding and flushing, preventing any opportunity for fouling to occur
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 device effectively reduces the size of waste materials, minimizing the likelihood of drain stoppages and eliminating the need for frequent cleaning, while being easy to install and maintain, outperforming more complex mechanisms like motor-driven garbage disposals.
Implementation Method 1
A manually operable drain-mounted device with a size reduction assembly featuring a perforated tube and abrasive surface that reduces hair and other waste materials to a size small enough to be flushed through the drain conduit
Data Source
AI summary
A manually operable device and a method for separating solid waste materials from liquid to be disposed of through a drain, and for reducing the size of pieces of such solid waste materials for more efficient disposal through the drain. A size reduction assembly is manually movable with respect to a stationary body and may include perforated material for catching solid material from a liquid flowing into the drain, and at least one cutting or ripping or abrasion component for reducing the size of pieces of the solid material into smaller pieces that may then pass downward through the drain. In some embodiments the size reduction assembly may be driven downward by pressure from a hand or foot. The reduced-size pieces of material are flushed from the device by liquid draining through the device.