Abstract:
A kit for use in treating a sink drain so that drain remains both open and clean includes an unclogging device and a strainer, which though packagable or stackable together would normally be used separately. The unclogging device can be used to concentrate the spray from a nozzle to assist in unclogging a drain. The strainer would normally reside in a sink drain to prevent debris from clogging or restricting the drain. One version of the strainer provides space for an air freshener that can be replaced. These kits also include a sealing stopper and a gasket.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a kit or cluster package of components suitable for use in unclogging sink drains and disposal units, preventing clogs in the first place and positioning an air freshener at the drain entrance to mask or attack odors emanating from the drain. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Clearing clogged or slow drains resulting from food and/or other particle build-up remains a time consuming and cumbersome task, notwithstanding the advent of modern conveniences. Even with the widespread availability of various plunger devices and chemical solvents that are designed to clear drains, clearing drains remains a time-consuming task and a frustrating experience. 
     Food particles and other foreign matter may often be released into the drain during the process of cleaning dishes and other objects in a sink. These food particles and other foreign matter may accumulate in the drains and result in a partially or completely clogged drain. Commonly, the kitchen sink is provided with a manually operable hose spray. Such sprays are normally stowed adjacent to the faucet and are connected to the faucet water supply by an extendable flexible hose. The hand spray may be manipulated to deliver a spray to the clogged drain. However, not all food particles and/or foreign matter can be cleared from the drain by the hand spray and resort must be made to other devices for removing more resistant deposits, blockages, and the like. 
     Preventive measures will reduce the occurrence of clogged drains. Strainers of various forms are common devices placed in drains to prevent debris from ever entering a drain. 
     Another prior art approach is to place an air freshener in a drain or in a holder positioned in the drain. An example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,866,440 in which a consumable air freshener is encapsulated into a garbage disposal drain stopper. U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,253 discloses a screw on plug that engages a straining basket and mentions the possibility of incorporating an antibacterial and/or deodorizer additive into the basket or plug. None of this prior art, however, considers the possibility of a kit that would package or cluster an unclogging device with a strainer, a stopper for a sink drain and an air freshener device that could be employed therewith. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A kit for treating a sink includes an outer unclogging member, a strainer, and a stopper. The outer member includes a central projection that can enagage a spray nozzle for clearing a clogged drain. The strainer can be packaged within the outer unclogging member. The strainer cap can be removed from the outer member. The strainer has a perforated base and a hollow central column. The central projection on the unclogging device is received within the hollow central column when the strainer is packaged within the outer member. A stopper is packaged on top of the strainer. A basic strainer used only to prevent debris from entering a sink drain can be a molded one-piece member. Another strainer including a chemical cartridge, such as an air freshener, can employ a strainer cap screwed or otherwise attached to a hollow central column to house an air freshening member. 
     Alternatively the invention comprises a drain treatment cluster. Clustered components include a plurality of stackable components separately useable to maintain a sink drain in a flowing condition. The cluster includes a cylindrical outer member, a cylindrical strainer, and a stopper. The cylindrical outer member being is used to unclog a stopped drain and includes a central projection having a tapered inner surface extending upward from surrounding solid base. The tapered inner surface engages a spray nozzle to concentrate injection of water from the spray nozzle into a stopped drain. The cylindrical has an annular base with a hollow central column extending upwardly therefrom. A top section of the hollow central column and the annular base each have a plurality of perforations for straining debris before it enters a sink drain when the cylindrical strainer is positioned in or over a sink drain. The stopper can be placed over a drain to cover and seal the drain. Different strainers are employed with or without and air freshener. 
     Either type of strainer includes a perforated base, a hollow central column and an outer wall. The hollow central column extends upwardly from the strainer base. The hollow central column is enclosed by a perforated top section, which can be an integral part or can comprise a strainer cap. A wall extends upwardly from a peripheral edge of the perforated base. The wall is spaced radially outward from the hollow central column to form a toroidal space between the wall and the hollow central column. The top section of the hollow central column is elevated relative to the perforated base. These strainers include a peripheral lip extending radially outward from a top edge of the wall. The strainer is insertable into a drain having a diameter at least equal to the outer diameter of the wall but less than the outer diameter of the peripheral lip. The perforated base and the perforated top sections of the hollow central column permit passage of fluids, but obstruct passage of solid objects that are larger than perforations in the hollow central section and in the base. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view showing the main components of a basic sink drain treatment kit. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view showing the main components of an alternative sink drain treatment kit that includesan air freshener. 
         FIGS. 3A-3C  show an outer unclogging device suitable for use in either of the sink drain treatment kits shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  FIG. 3A  is a top view of the outer unclogging device.  FIG. 3B  is a side view, and  FIG. 3C  is a section view taken along section lines  3 C- 3 C shown in  FIG. 3A . 
         FIGS. 4A-4C  are views showing the details of a basic strainer of the type employed in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 4A  is a top view and  FIG. 4B  is a side view.  FIG. 4C  is a section view taken along section lines  4 C- 4 C in  FIG. 4A . 
         FIGS. 5A-5D   5 D are views of a stopper of the type suitable for use with the kits shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  FIG. 5A  is a top view, and  FIG. 5B  is a side view.  FIG. 5C  is a section view taken sections lines  5 C- 5 C in  FIG. 5A .  FIG. 5D  shows the manner in which an emblem or logo can be inserted into the stopper. 
         FIGS. 6A-6C  are views of a gasket that can be used on the outer wall of the outer unclogging apparatus so that a wider variation of sink drains can be accommodated.  FIG. 6A  is a top view.  FIG. 6B  is a side view.  FIG. 6C  is a sectional view taken along section lines  6 C- 6 C in  FIG. 6A . 
         FIGS. 7A-7D  are views of a strainer that would be used in the kit shown in  FIG. 2  and would incorporate an air freshener.  FIG. 7A  shows the top view of the strainer.  FIG. 7B  is an exploded side view of the strainer and an air freshening cartridge and strainer cap exploded from the main body of the strainer cap.  FIG. 7C  is a section view from the perspective of section lines  7 C- 7 C in  FIG. 7A , but also showing the air freshener cartridge and the strainer cap exploded from the strainer base.  FIG. 7D  is an exploded three dimensional view showing the components of the air freshening strainer. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  show two alternate versions of a kit  2  or cluster of components that can be employed to help maintain a sink drain, and especially a kitchen sink drain in a clean free flowing state. Each version of the kit  2  includes a plurality of stackable components that can be packaged or stored in a relatively small space. Combination of these components in a relatively small package is significant, because shelf space or space on a pegboard in a retail facility is always limited, especially space in higher traffic areas. Storage in a small space with the components clustered together is also significant both because space in kitchen or other place containing a sink is also generally at a premium and the ability to stack the components in a cluster makes it easier to find the individual components when they are needed. 
       FIG. 1  shows a version of kit  2  including an unclogging device  10 , a strainer  30  and a stopper  50 , which also functions as a drain cover or seal. The unclogging device  10  forms the outer member of a stack of these components. Both the unclogging device  10  and the strainer  30  have outer walls  16  and  38  respectively in the form of right circular cylinders of a diameter on the same order of magnitude as the inner diameter of a standard sink drain, so that both can normally fit within the sink drain. The strainer  30  can be stacked within the cylindrical outer wall  16  of the unclogging device  10  because the strainer outer wall  38  has an outer diameter that is less than the inner diameter of the outer device wall  16 . An outer peripheral lip  40  on the strainer  30  will fit over the outer peripheral lip  18  on the outer unclogging device  10  when the strainer  30  is stacked or packaged within the outer member  10 . Peripheral lips  18  and  40  will prevent the unclogging device  10  and the strainer  30  from falling into an oversized drain. Lips  18  and  40  also facilitate sealing off the drain opening or the disposal to create a closed loop system and prevent water from splashing out. The unclogging device  10  includes a generally cylindrical central projection  12 , which serves as a support for a standard spray nozzle when the device is used to unclog a sink drain. A central column  32  on the strainer, also having a generally cylindrical configuration, is dimensioned to fit over the central projection  12  when the strainer  30  is stacked on top of or nested with the outer unclogging device  10 . 
     A generally round stopper  50  forms the top part of the stack of components forming the kit shown in  FIG. 1 . This stopper  50  can be used to cover a sink drain. Stopper  50  is formed of a more flexible or rubbery material than the unclogging device  10  or the strainer  30  so that the stopper will form a seal when placed over a sink drain. 
     The fourth component of kit  2  as shown in  FIG. 1  is a gasket  60  that fits around the exterior of outer unclogging member  10 . This gasket  60  allows the unclogging member  10  to be used with sink drains having different inner diameters. 
       FIG. 2  shows a second version of a kit  2 , which has all of the same components as the kit shown in  FIG. 1 , but also includes an air freshening cartridge  100 . The addition of a freshening cartridge  100  has, however, resulted in configuration changes to the basic strainer. Strainer  70  includes means for storing the freshening cartridge  100 , and has replaced strainer  30  in the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . In strainer  30 , the central column  32  includes a top section  36  that is integral with the column cylindrical wall  34 . In strainer  70 , the central column  72  comprises a strainer cap  92 , which can be attached to and detached from cylindrical column wall  74 . The freshening cartridge can be inserted into the space within column wall  74  and strainer cap  92  can then be attached entrapping the freshening cartridge  100 . Perforations  94  in the strainer cap  92  allow water to flow over and/or through the freshening cartridge when the strainer  70  is positioned within a sink drain. The unclogging device  10 , stopper  50  and gasket  60  in the kit embodiment of  FIG. 2  can be identical to the corresponding components in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
     The one-piece molded outer member  10  is shown in  FIGS. 3A-3C . This outer member is a drain unclogging device, and a drain unclogging device is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,975, which is incorporated herein by reference. The one piece molded device  10  differs from that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,975, only as specifically described herein. For example, the groove  24  of the present device as shown in  FIGS. 3A-3C  is not present in the prior art device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,975. Outer member  10  can be used with a hand held spray nozzle as shown in the above identified patent. Outer member  10  has a generally circular base  20  with an annular hub or cylindrical projection  12  extending upwardly from the base upper surface. The base  20  can be large enough to fit over conventional kitchen sink drains or it can be sized to fit into a standard drain opening. A groove  24  is provided on the outside of cylindrical outer wall  16  so that a gasket  60  can be mounted on the exterior of the outer member  10 . This gasket  60  will allow use of the unclogging member  10  for drains having different diameters. The upwardly projection annular hub  12  has an inner conical or tapered surface  14 , which diverges in the upward direction, so that its upper open end has a larger diameter than its opening in the base  20 . The cylindrical outer wall  16  of the outer or unclogging member  10  is spaced radially outwardly from the cylindrical projection or hub  12  and separated therefrom by a toroidal gap  22 . An annular lip  18  is formed on the top of the outer wall  16 . The height of the annular hub  12  can be greater than the height of the cylindrical outer wall  16 , although that is not necessary. The outer wall  16  and the lip  18  can be sized so that unclogging member  10  can be inserted into a standard drain with the lip  18  preventing the adapter member  10  from falling into the drain. The lip  18  would also close the drain in that configuration. Alternatively the flat adapter base  20  can be positioned over the drain and held down to close the drain. The conical or tapered surface  14  is sized so that the head of a standard spray nozzle can be inserted into the top of the centrally projecting hub  12 , but the opening at the top of the projecting hub is small enough so that the spray nozzle cannot be inserted completely through the central fluid passage formed by the interior of the projection  12 . The conical surface  14  will also provide a reaction surface against which the spray nozzle can be downwardly pressed. This downward force will also hold the unclogging device  10  securely in or over the drain so that a stream of water can be sprayed into the drain to dislodge tightly impacted material in the drain. The outer unclogging member  10  will also serve to prevent the water spray or stream from backing up into the sink to enhance the effect of the stream injected into the drain. The stopper  50  can also be used in combination with the unclogger. Stopper  550  can be used to close a second opening in a conventional sink to create a closed loop system. 
       FIGS. 4A-4C  show details of the strainer  30  employed in the kit embodiment of  FIG. 1 . Strainer  30  is normally fabricated as a one-piece injection molded member, and it can be fabricated from a straight pull mold to lower manufacturing cost. However, the strainer  30 , and other components, can be fabricated using methods other than injection molding. Strainer  30  comprises a cylindrical outer wall  34  spaced from a central hollow column  32 . The column wall  32  and the outer wall  34  are concentric and are separated by a toroidal gap  42 . Both the column wall  32  and the outer wall  34  extend upwardly from the perforated base  44  of the strainer  30 . The perforated column top  36  is integral with the column wall  32 . The column top section  36  is therefore in the shape of a circle or disk and an plurality of perforations  48  extend through the column top  36 . The base  44  also includes a series of perforations  46 . Perforations  46  and  48  are sized to permit relatively free flow of water and so that food and other debris that might clog or contribute to clogging a drain cannot enter a drain when the strainer  30  is in place. The annular peripheral lip  40  extending outward from and integral with the top of outer wall  38  is dimensioned to prevent the strainer  40  from falling into an oversized drain. Lip  40  also seals off the drain opening or the disposal to create a closed loop system and prevents water from splashing out. As shown in  FIG. 4C , the peripheral lip  40  is elevated slightly above the column top section  36 . 
     The strainer  30  is normally not intended to be used at the same time as the unclogging device  10 . The strainer  30  can of course be used with the unclogging device  10 , but the flow of water would be restricted to water passing thought perforations  48  in the top section  36  and through the hollow central projection  12  on the unclogging device  10 . The strainer  30  is, however, stackable on top of the unclogging device  10 . Thus the inner diameter of the column  32  will be greater than the outer diameter of the projecting hub  12  so that the strainer  30  can be stacked on top of or nested with the unclogging device  10  when packaged or stored. 
     Details of the stopper  50  are shown in  FIGS. 5A-5C . The main function of stopper  50  is to seal a sink drain. Stopper  50  is a molded member and is fabricated from a material that is more flexible and rubbery than the strainer  30  or the unclogging device  10 , so that the stopper  50  will seal a drain over which it is placed. Stopper  50  includes an outer section  52  which will extend beyond a drain opening over which the stopper may be placed. A rim or ridge  54  on the bottom surface of the stopper is dimensioned to fit within a drain, and its radiused contour will aid in sealing the drain. This rim  54  will also fit within the top of the annular or toroidal gap  42  of the strainer when the stopper is packaged on top of the strainer  30  or the strainer  70 . The stopper  50  is normally used alone, but it can be used with strainers  30  and  70  when positioned within a sink drain. When packaged as part of a kit the stopper  50  will form the top of the stack of components. Since the stopper  50  will be the most visible packaged component, a recess  56  in formed on the top surface of the stopper  50 . As shown in  FIG. 5D , a A disk  57  containing a emblem or logo can be inserted into this recess  56  so that it will be visible to the purchaser. The logo or emblem need not be a permanent part of the stopper  50  so that interchangeable logos or emblems can be mounted on the stopper  50  by different retailers or sellers. Of course the stopper can be manufactured so as to include a permanent emblem. 
     Although the kit  2  and the unclogging device is intended to be used with standard sink sizes, there is some variation in the diameter of sink drains. Therefore a gasket  60 , shown in detail in  FIGS. 6A-6C  can be mounted within groove  24  on the outer wall  16  of unclogging device  10 . Gasket  60  is fabricated from a flexible or rubbery material and includes a cylindrical gasket wall  62  with a reversely formed lip  64  extending from one edge thereof. This lip  64  permits insertion of the unclogging device into drain openings having a variation in diameters normally found in commercial available sink drains. 
     As previously mentioned, the kit  2  shown in  FIG. 1  can be converted into a kit including an air freshener by replacing strainer  30  with strainer  70  and with the addition of an air freshening cartridge  100 . This subassembly in shown in more detail in  FIGS. 7A-7D . The primary difference between the strainer  70  and the strainer  30  is the replacement of the one-piece hollow central column  32  in strainer  30  with a two piece hollow central column  72  in strainer  70 . A strainer cap  92  can be attached to and detached from the cylindrical wall  74 . In this embodiment, the strainer cap  92  includes inner threads  96 , which will engage outer threads  98  on wall  74 . In addition to the cylindrical wall  74 , strainer  70  also has a tapered or conical inner wall  90 , which extends downwardly from the top edge of cylindrical wall  74 . As shown in  FIG. 7C , bottom edges of this tapered wall  90  are joined by a web  91  that includes perforations similar to perforations  86  in the base  84 . Strainer cap  92  also includes a series of perforations  94  on its top surface. A small compartment is formed by tapered inner wall  90  the bottom web  91  and the strainer cap  92 . Into this cap an air freshener cartridge  100  can be introduced. Air freshener cartridge  100  has a generally frusta-conical configuration with a flat upper surface  102  and slanting sides. The air freshener cartridge can be fabricated in a number of different ways and in a number o different shapes. First a liquid or granular active air freshener can be contained within a package have the shape of the cartridge  100  shown in  FIG. 7D . Alternatively, a cartridge could be in the form of a cake of material formed into a shape that would be received within tapered walls  90 . Alternatively, the bottom web  91  could be solid and a granular air freshener could be introduced into the interior cavity and the strainer cap  92  could be attached to the hollow column  72 . Perforations  94  would then allow the fragrance to permeate to the surrounding area. The term freshener cartridge, should be understood to refer to each of these alternatives, and there are a number of alternative ways to introduce an air freshening material into strainer  70 . other It would even be possible to introduce a liquid, provided perforations  94  would be small enough to prevent undue spillage. Importantly, however, all of these alternatives would permit the air freshening cartridge or its remnants to be removed when spent, and a new cartridge or material could be added when needed. 
     It should be understood that other alternative embodiments would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. For instance, the air freshener could be replaced by a cleaner or an antibacterial agent. Thus chemical cartridges other than air freshening cartridges could be employed. The embodiments depicted herein are therefore only representative of various equivalent devices that would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.