Abstract:
A waste disposer assist tool for automatically feeding waste food contained within the housing of a standard kitchen electric food disposer and for spraying liquid soap. The tool includes a hollow handle and a piston which screw together through a central hole of a flexible plunger. The plunger is held between respective flanges of the handle and the piston with the piston slightly protruding from within the plunger. The tool is positioned over the opening of the sink above the garbage disposer with the piston fitted within and in a substantially air-tight seal with the interior of the housing of the disposer unit. The plunger fits in a substantially air-tight seal against the bottom interior of the sink. The slight vacuum created by the outflow of ground food waste and water by the garbage disposer blades below the piston causes the higher ambient pressure against the upper side of the plunger to force the piston downward against he waste food in an automatic feed fashion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to devices for manipulating food waste in and around sink mounted garbage disposer units, and more particularly to devices for feeding the food waste into the garbage disposer unit.  
           [0003]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0004]    Garbage disposers which mount below the drain outlet of sinks for grinding up food waste are common in today&#39;s modern kitchen. Such waste food might include waste food from food preparation such as potato peelings, trimmed fat from meat, and carrot tops, or waste food left over from the meal on the dinner plates. Such uneaten food waste is typically pushed through the drain outlet into the housing of the garbage disposer for grinding using a sponge, dish rag, or sometimes even using one&#39;s own hands.  
           [0005]    The food waste is fed to the rotatable blades at the bottom of the housing using a flow of water from the sink in conjunction with gravity once the food waste has been pushed into the housing of the garbage disposer. The garbage disposer can be quite slow at times using this method, especially with light weight food waste which tends to form an air pocket above the rotatable blades. Likewise, harder waste food such as bones tends to resist being contacted with the rotatable blades since such contact violently throws the bone away from the blades, sometimes even propelling the bone completely out of the garbage disposer. While pushing down on the food waste can overcome such grinding problems, such can also be very dangerous. If a long spoon or other such kitchen implement is used to manipulate and push the food waste, it can become jammed in the blades or thrown from the garbage disposer. Even worse is the use of one&#39;s hands to manipulate and push the food waste, which can possibly contact the blades causing injury. Ideally, the food waste is pushed into the housing of the garbage disposer and the drain opening leading to the housing is covered using a plug prior to starting and during the entire time during which the garbage disposer is being run.  
           [0006]    Various devices have been designed for manipulating such food waste from the kitchen sink into the garbage disposer. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,761 issued to Loos is disclosed a multi-purpose garbage disposal utensil for sweeping garbage into a garbage disposer. The utensil includes a unitary plug and downwardly disposed blade. The plug prevents the end of the blade from contacting the rotatable blades and plugs the drain hole above a garbage disposer to prevent food waste from exiting the garbage disposer during use. The utensil permits agitating the food waste to speed up and unclog the feed of garbage into a garbage disposer. A problem with the utensil is that while it facilitates rotational and lateral movement of the food waste within the housing of the garbage disposer, the thin vertically disposed blade provides little horizontal surface area for pushing the food waste downwardly towards the rotatable blades for grinding.  
           [0007]    Another example of a manual tool for feeding food waste into a garbage disposer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,080 issued to Lindley. The tool includes a unitary body with a gripping head at one end of the body. A plurality of radially spaced, longitudinally extending ribs extend downwardly from the head whereby the tool may be more easily grasped in-hand. A generally cylindrical shaft also extends downwardly from the head and ribs of such a size as to be insertable into the housing of the garbage disposer. The lower end surface of the shaft includes a pair of horizontally disposed curved surfaces with a central downwardly disposed projection therebetween for manual manipulation of the food waste within the housing of the garbage disposer. The ribs limit the depth to which the shaft of the tool may be inserted in the garbage disposer to prevent contact with the rotatable blades. The tool apparently would allow some pushing of the food waste downwardly due to the larger surface area of the cylindrical shaft. However, the tool still must be manipulated manually and does not have enough surface area to simultaneously contact the entire surface of the food waste in the garbage disposer.  
           [0008]    Yet another example of a manual tool for feeding refuse to a garbage disposer, but which also facilitates cleaning of the sink to which the garbage disposer is attached is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,749 issued to Pearce et al. The tool includes a handle having a scraper extending from a first end thereof for scraping food from a surface of the sink. A plunger extends from a second end of the handle for facilitating positioning of food debris into the garbage disposer. A projection extends from the end of the plunger to aid in preventing the plunger from contacting the rotating blades of the garbage disposer. The tool still must be manipulated manually and does not have enough surface area to simultaneously contact the entire surface of the food waste in the garbage disposer.  
           [0009]    There is a need for a tool for use with a sink mounted garbage disposer which automatically feeds the food waste within a garbage disposer to the rotating blades for grinding.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0010]    1. Advantages of the Invention  
           [0011]    One of the advantages of the present invention is that it utilizes the slight vacuum created by a garbage disposer while grinding and disposing food waste to automatically feed the food waste contained within the garbage disposer to the rotating blades for grinding.  
           [0012]    A further advantage of the present invention is that it stores liquid soap and automatically sprays a predetermined amount of the liquid soap into the garbage disposer while feeding the waste food.  
           [0013]    Another advantage of the present invention is its ability to act as a conventional plunger to unclog the garbage disposer and the drain pipe connected thereto.  
           [0014]    Yet another advantage of the present invention is its ability to spray liquid soap independently of feeding food waste by compressing the bellows of the handle.  
           [0015]    A further advantage of the present invention is its modular design wherein the handle, the piston member, and the plunger can be designed to fit the particular garbage disposer application.  
           [0016]    These and other advantages of the present invention may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification, claims, and abstract.  
           [0017]    2. Brief Description of the Invention  
           [0018]    The present invention comprises a waste disposal assist tool for pushing food waste through the drain hole of a sink and through the housing of a sink-mounted garbage disposer having a plurality of rotatable blades to chop the food waste into particles and deposit them into a waste drain pipe. The tool includes a resilient plunger having an annular top portion and a downwardly dependent annular side wall terminating in an annular rim adapted to fit and seal around the drain hole of the sink above the garbage disposer, the top portion and side wall defining a plunging chamber. A handle is secured to a top of the top portion, the handle extending vertically upwardly from the plunger and adapted for being grasped and manipulated manually in-hand. A piston member of round cross-section is secured to the handle and to a bottom of the portion, the piston extending vertically downwardly from the plunger opposite the handle. The piston is of a size for inserting through the drain hole of the sink and into the garbage disposer so as to reach most of the volume enclosed within the housing of the garbage disposer when the plunger is compressed against the sink coaxially about the drain hole by manually pushing downwardly on the handle. The piston is adapted for urging food waste through the drain hole and the housing of the garbage disposer for chopping into particles against the plurality of rotatable blades and depositing the particles into the waste drain pipe. The plunger is adapted for plunging to alternately create a pressure above and below ambient to unclog the garbage disposer and the drain pipe.  
           [0019]    In a preferred embodiment of the tool, the piston member is of such a size as to closely fit to an inner surface of the housing of the garbage disposer. The outer circumference of the piston member sealingly engages the inner surface of the garbage disposer to form a substantially airtight seal thereagainst. When the garbage disposer is activated, ambient air pressure above the plunger forces the piston member downward toward the rotatable blades due to the below ambient air pressure created by the plurality of rotatable blades chopping the food waste into particles and depositing them into the waste drain pipe. The waste food is pushed against the rotatable blades in an automatic feed fashion. The tool also preferably includes automatic spraying of soap into the garbage disposer.  
           [0020]    The above description sets forth, rather broadly, the more important features of the present invention so that the detailed description of the preferred embodiment that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below and will form the subject matter of claims. In this respect, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 is substantially a perspective view of a waste disposal assist tool according to the present invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 is substantially an exploded perspective view of the waste disposal assist tool;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3 is substantially a partial longitudinal sectional view of the waste disposal assist tool;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4 is substantially a partial longitudinal sectional view of the waste disposal assist tool as assembled in a first operative position to the bowl of a kitchen sink with attached garbage disposer also shown in partial longitudinal section;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 5 is substantially a partial longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4, but with the waste disposal assist tool shown in a second operative position; and  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 6 is substantially a partial longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5, but showing the flows of the liquid soap and pressure compensating air. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0028]    The present invention provides a waste disposal assist tool, generally shown at  20 , which comprises a handle assembly  23 , a plunger  26 , and a piston member  29 .  
         [0029]    Handle Assembly  
         [0030]    The handle assembly  23  includes a thin-walled, hollow handle  32  and a screw cap  35 . The handle  32  comprises a single thin annular wall  38  forming respective externally threaded upper and lower ends  41  and  44 , a bellows  47 , a straight stem  50 , and a flange  53  of the handle  32 . A reservoir  56  for containing liquid soap (not shown) extends completely longitudinally therethrough. Cap  35  includes a disk  59  and a downwardly dependent annular rim  62  which is internally threaded to threadably engage the upper end  41  of the handle  32 . The handle  32  and the cap  35  are made of plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene, with the thickness of the wall  38  being thick enough so as to resist kinking while being used as a handle, but thin enough such that the bellows  47  can be compressed relatively easily by applying hand-pressure. Handle  32  is typically manufactured by a blow molding process to produce a substantially constant thickness for the wall  38  whereas the cap  35  is typically molded by an injection or pressure molding process.  
         [0031]    Plunger  
         [0032]    The plunger  26  is of a single piece, thin-walled construction, comprising a single thin annular wall  65  forming an upper disk  68  having an upwardly dependent flange  71  with a central hole  74  which extends therethrough, and a lower annular sealing bead  77  interconnected by a bellows  80 . A plunging chamber  83  is defined within the plunger  26  by the wall  65 . The plunger  26  is made of rubber or plastic, for example polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene, with the thickness of the wall  65  of the plunger  26  being thin enough that the bellows  80  can be compressed relatively easily by applying a slight pressure to the upper disk  68  with the sealing bead  77  retained, but thick enough so as to return to an undeformed shape after releasing the pressure. The plunger  26  is typically manufactured by a blow molding process to produce a substantially constant wall thickness.  
         [0033]    Piston Member  
         [0034]    Piston member  29  is of a single piece, thin-walled construction, comprising a single thin annular wall  86  forming a generally spool-like configuration with an upper flange  89  and a lower piston  92  interconnected by a stem  95 . Piston  92  includes an annular groove  93  at the outer circumference thereof in which an O-ring or a rectangular cross-section sealing ring  94  is disposed. An internally threaded tubular extension  98  extends upwardly from upper flange  89 , being of such size as to closely fit within the central hole  74  of the plunger  26 . The tubular extension  98  has a hole  101  which extends into a reservoir  104  of the piston member  29  which is internally threaded to threadably engage the externally threaded lower end  44  of the handle  32 . An air inlet pin hole  107  extends through the wall  86  at the stem  95  into the reservoir  104 . A soap outlet pin hole  110  extends through wall  86  at the lower piston  92  of the stem  95 . The piston member  29  is made of plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride, with the wall thickness of the piston member  29  being thick enough so as to act as a piston to push waste without kinking. Piston member  29  is typically manufactured by a blow molding process.  
         [0035]    Automatic Feed of Food Waste  
         [0036]    Referring to FIG. 4, the waste disposal assist tool  20  is shown in an upermost operative position as used in a standard kitchen sink  113  having a stainless steel bowl  116  with a drain hole  119 , and a garbage disposer  122 . The garbage disposer  122  includes a cylindrical housing  125  affixed at the drain hole  119 , and a rotatable chopping disk  128  having a plurality of blades  131 , the chopping disk  128  being driven by an electric motor  134 . The waste disposal assist tool  20  fits coaxially with the drain hole  119  and the housing  125 , the plunger  92  sealingly engaging an inner surface  137  of housing  125 . Rim  77  of the plunger  26  sealingly engages a flat inner surface  140  of the bowl  116 , with food waste  143  to be ground up by the blades  131  and disposed of through a drain pipe  146  disposed below the piston  92 . In such first operative position, the relative pressures “Pa” (ambient pressure), “Pp” (pressure in the plunging chamber  83 ), “Ph” (pressure in the housing  125 ), and “Ps” (pressure of the liquid soap in the respective handle and piston member reservoirs  56  and  104 ) are about equal.  
         [0037]    Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the waste disposal assist tool  20  is shown in a lowermost operative position wherein the garbage disposer has been turned on such that the food waste  143  is caused to be rotated in the direction of the blades  131 , ground up, and thrown outwardly by centrifugal force along with the flushing water (not shown) originally contained within the housing  125  to exit through the drain pipe  146  as shown at arrow “A” to the household plumbing (not shown). The flushing water and finely ground food waste form a seal between the pressure “Ph” within the housing  125  and the ambient pressure “Pa” in the drain pipe  146 . Therefore, the exiting of the food waste  143  and flushing water causes the pressure “Ph” within the housing  125  to drop slightly below the ambient pressure “Pa”. The ambient air pressure “Pa” pushing downwardly against the disk  69  of the plunger  26  causes downward movement thereof as shown at arrows “B” and forces upper flange  89   20  of the piston member  29  downwardly. This action pushes the food waste  143  downwardly against the rotating blades  131  to automatically feed the food waste  143  without the need for manual force to be applied by a user. The process continues as more of the food waste  143  is ground up and exits through the drain pipe  146  until the piston  92  is in a lowermost position with the bellows  80  fully collapsed as shown in the FIGS. 5 and 6. Note that the piston  92  is prevented from further movement and from contacting the rotating blades  131  by the bellows  80  being fully collapsed against the inner surface  140  of the bowl  116 .  
         [0038]    Automatic Spraying of Soap  
         [0039]    Again referring to FIGS.  4 - 6 , liquid soap  149  is contained within the respective handle and piston member reservoirs  56  and  104 , being introduced thereinto by unscrewing the screw cap  35 . The liquid soap  149  is introduced through the soap outlet pin hole  110  into the housing  125  of the garbage disposer  122  as a spray  152  as shown at the arrow “C” by the pressure differential between the pressures “Pp”, “Ps”, and “Ph” caused during the automatic feed of the food waste  143 . The pressure in the plunging chamber  83  “Pp” increases slightly over the ambient pressure “Pa” as the bellows  80  compress as shown by the arrows “B” whereas the pressure in he housing “Ph” is lower than “Pp”, which air to enter the reservoir  104  of the piston member  29  through the air inlet pinhole  107  as shown at arrow “D” raising the pressure “Ps” such that the liquid soap  149  continues the spray  152  out of the soap outlet pinhole  110  in an attempt to raise the pressure in the housing “Ph”. However, so long as there is soap  149  remaining and the garbage disposer  122  continues to grind and expel the food waste  143  into the drain pipe  146 , the pressure differential will cause the spray  152  to continue. When the pressures “Pp”, “Ps”, and “Ph” equalize such as after the garbage disposer  122  is turned off, then the spray  152  of the liquid soap  149  ceases. The total amount and the rate of spray of the soap can be controlled by the design of the tool  20  including the relative diameters of the plunger  26 , the air inlet pin hole  107 , and the soap outlet pin hole  110 .  
         [0040]    Manual Spraying of Liquid Soap  
         [0041]    The liquid soap  149  can also be sprayed through the soap outlet pin hole  110  by manually compressing the bellows  47  of the handle  32 . This is useful for adding extra liquid soap into the garbage disposer  122  and for use while washing dishes following disposal of the food waste  143 .  
       CONCLUSION  
       [0042]    It can now be seen that the present invention solves many of the problems associated with the prior art. The present invention provides a tool that utilizes the slight vacuum created by a garbage disposer while grinding and disposing food waste to automatically feed the food waste contained within the garbage disposer to the rotating blades for grinding. The present invention provides a tool that stores liquid soap and automatically sprays a predetermined amount of the liquid soap into the garbage disposer while feeding the waste food. The present invention provides a tool that can act as a conventional plunger to unclog the garbage disposer and the drain pipe connected thereto. The present invention provides a tool that can spray liquid soap independently of feeding food waste by compressing the bellows of the handle. The present invention provides a tool that has a modular design wherein the handle, the piston member, and the plunger can be designed to fit the particular garbage disposer application.  
         [0043]    Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of presently preferred embodiments of this invention. The specification, for instance, makes reference to a round or circular cross-section for the handle, the plunger, and the piston. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to only circular cross-sections. Rather it is intended that the present invention can have any cross-section or other such configuration which accomplishes the functions of the tool. Likewise, while a three piece with a separate handle, plunger, and piston member which threadably connect together is preferred, the present invention can be a unitary piece, two piece, or any number of pieces. Likewise, the closure of the handle can be a pressfit plug or other such device which retains the liquid soap therein. Also, while the present invention can be used to automatically feed the food waste in garbage disposers which have a housing with a cylindrical inner surface which is the same diameter or greater than the drain opening, the invention can be adapted for use with other types of garbage disposers which have smaller drain openings. Finally, while manual and automatic soap dispensing are preferred, the invention need not have such features. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.