Patent Publication Number: US-6698317-B1

Title: Multi-purpose plumbing tool

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a multi-purpose plumbing tool and, in particular, to a multi-purpose plumbing tool for tightening or loosening plumbing parts, especially parts used in drain-waste-vent systems, such as but not limited to, plugs for nominal 1½ inch and 2 inch plastic pipes, faucet mounting nuts with flanges (hereinafter “flanged faucet mounting nuts”), bathtub drain pieces, flanged drain test plugs, sink basket strainer pieces, and similar pieces or parts. 
     Frequently, when clearing clogs in drain-waste-vent systems, it becomes necessary to remove a plug present in the drain-waste-vent system from the drain-waste-vent system to insert a drain snake or auger. The piping of the drain-waste-vent system is normally located within an interior wall of the building and a hole must be provided in the wall to gain access to the plug for its removal so that appropriate clog clearing tool can be introduced into the system. These plugs typically have square heads used to loosen or tighten the plugs and are only about 2 to about 2½ inches across. Accordingly, the size of the hole required in a wall to remove and replace a plug would not have to be very large to permit the removal and replacement of the plug. However, the loosening and tightening of these plugs, as currently practiced, poses a problem. Under current practices, the heads of the plugs are typically gripped with channel lock pliers or similar tools which require an opening much larger than the cross section of the plug. Thus, if the access hole in the wall is approximately the size of the plug in cross section, the portion of the wall adjacent the access hole, typically drywall, becomes damaged by the channel lock pliers or similar tools when the plug is removed and replaced. 
     Another problem associated with drain-waste-vent systems arises in the installation or removal of bathtub drain pieces. These pieces are typically about two inches long with spokes at the bottom. Currently, to tighten these bathtub drain pieces in place or to loosen these bathtub drain pieces for removal, a plumber will use two screwdrivers which are inserted down into the bathtub drain piece and moved to cause to bathtub drain piece to rotate. The use of the two separate tools to tighten or loosen these bathtub drain pieces can be quite awkward, especially, if threads of the bathtub drain piece and the drain tailpiece are corroded together. 
     In addition to the need for a tool to alleviate the problems associated with the installation and removal of plugs and bathtub drain pieces discussed above, there has continued to be a need for a tool to facilitate the tightening and loosening of flanged faucet mounting nuts, flanged drain test plugs, sink basket strainers, and similar pieces or parts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The multi-purpose plumbing tool of the present invention solves the problems currently encountered in carrying out the above plumbing procedures by providing a multi-purpose plumbing tool that: enables plugs to be easily rotated and unthreaded from or threaded into plumbing fittings within a wall though an opening in the drywall that only needs to be large enough to accommodate the plug; enables flanged faucet mounting nuts to be easily rotated and threaded onto or unthreaded from faucet stems; bathtub drain pieces to be easily rotated and threaded into or unthreaded from drain assemblies; flanged drain test plugs to be easily rotated and threaded into or unthreaded from bathtub drain pieces or parts; and sink strainer pieces to be easily held stationary while a strainer nut is rotated and threaded onto or unthreaded from the sinke strainer. 
     Preferably, the multi-purpose plumbing tool of the present invention includes first and second tubular sockets which can be extended through holes in walls to reach the heads of plugs within the walls, accommodate faucet stems when threading faucet mounting nuts onto or off of faucet stems, and extended down into bathtub drain or up to basket strainer pieces to thread such parts into or unthread such parts from drain assemblies. A first end portion of each of the tubular sockets has four notches therein, extending inward from a first end of the tubular socket and spaced from each other on 90° centers, for receiving a complementary part to be tightened or loosened by one of the sockets, such as the square head of a pipe fitting plug, the flanges on a faucet mounting nut or test plug, or the radially extending spokes of a bathtub drain or basket strainer piece. As used herein the term “complementary part” includes pieces or parts which have heads or flanges that fit into or are received within the notches of the socket so that the piece or part can be rotated and tightened or loosened by threading or unthreading the piece or part from another piece or part, such as but not limited to the four corners of a square head of a plug which are received within the four notches; a flange or pairs of flanges which are received within two diametrically opposed notches of the four notches; and two flanges or pairs of flanges or spokes oriented at right angles to each other that are each received within two diametrically opposed notches of four notches. 
     The second tubular socket can accommodate and is used to rotate and tighten or loosen larger sized parts or pieces than the first tubular socket. Preferably, the second end portion of the second tubular socket can be removably mounted on the first end portion of the first tubular socket to rotate with the first tubular socket. The second end portion of the first tubular socket has a hole extending through its wall for receiving a handle and/or a hole in an end wall of the socket for receiving a conventional socket drive and/or a similar means for rotating the first tubular socket to tighten or loosen a complementary part received in the notches of the first tubular socket or received in the notches of the second tubular socket when the second tubular socket is mounted on the first end portion of the first tubular socket. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top view of the first tubular socket; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the first tubular socket; 
     FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the first tubular socket; 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the second tubular socket; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of the second tubular socket; 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the second tubular socket; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the second tubular socket mounted on the first tubular socket along with a handle. 
     FIGS. 8A and 8B are end and side views of a conventional externally threaded pipe fitting plug; 
     FIGS. 9A and 9B end and side views of a typical internally threaded flanged faucet nut; and 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an externally threaded bathtub drain piece. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Preferably, the multi-purpose plumbing tool  20  of the present invention includes a first tubular socket  22 , as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and a second tubular socket  24 , as shown in FIGS. 4-6, which is removably mounted on the first tubular socket  22  as shown in FIG.  7 . The multi-purpose plumbing tool  20  has a longitudinal axis  26 . Typically, the first tubular socket  22  is used to rotate and tighten or loosen (thread one part into or onto another part or unthread one part from another part) parts for a first nominal pipe size or sizes (e.g. 1¼ or 1½ inch nominal inside diameter sizes that are standard in the industry) and the second tubular socket  24  is used to rotate and tighten or loosen parts of a larger nominal pipe size or sizes (e.g. 2 inch nominal inside diameter size that is standard in the industry). For example, the first tubular socket may used to tighten and loosen parts for nominal 1½ inch diameter rigid plastic pipe, such as the standard rigid plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) pipe currently used in drain-waste-vent systems, and the second tubular socket may used to tighten and loosen parts for nominal 2 inch diameter rigid plastic pipe, such as the standard rigid plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) pipe currently used in conventional drain-waste-vent systems. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the first tubular socket  22  has a tubular wall  30  with a first end portion  32  and a second end portion  34 . The tubular wall  30  at the first end portion  32  has four notches  36  therein, which extend inward from the first end of the first tubular socket  22 , parallel to the longitudinal axis  26 , and are spaced from each other on 90° centers, for receiving a complementary part to be tightened or loosened. As shown in FIG. 2, the cut outs forming the notches  36  can be squared off at their base (the notch on the left side of the figure) or the notches can have a radius at their base (the notch on the right side of the figure). Typically, the notches  36  are squared off at their base when the first tubular socket is made of a metal e.g. steel and the notches have a radius at their base when the first tubular socket is made of plastic, e.g. a C polyvinyl chloride. When the first tubular socket  22  is made of plastic, the portions of the socket sidewall  30  intermediate the notches  36  can be reinforced by metal rods  38  or other reinforcements to enable the socket  22  to better withstand the forces generated on those portions of the socket sidewall without failing when the socket  22  is used to tighten or loosen a complementary part. 
     Preferably, the second end portion  34  of the first tubular socket  22  contains four drive holes  40 , e.g. holes with circular cross sections, for receiving a handle or rod  42  to drive or turn the first tubular socket to tighten or loosen a complementary part received within the notches  36 . The drive holes  40  pass radially through the sidewall  30  and are spaced from each other on 90° centers creating two pairs of diametrically opposed holes for receiving a handle or rod  42  that can be inserted completely through the first tubular socket  22 . Preferably, the second end portion of the first tubular socket  22  also has an end wall  44  with a drive hole  46 , e.g. a hole with a square cross section, centrally located therein for receiving the drive of a conventional socket wrench, e.g. a quarter inch drive. Thus, either the drive holes  40  can be used with a handle or the drive hole  46  can be used with a conventional socket drive to turn or rotate the first tubular socket  22  and tighten or loosen complementary parts received within the notches  36  of the first tubular socket  22 . While a drive hole  46  for receiving a conventional socket drive is preferred, rather than the drive hole  46 , the end wall  44  could be provided with a centrally located square head for receiving a conventional socket drive. 
     Typical dimensions for a first tubular socket  22  used to tighten or loosen complementary parts for 1½ inch nominal diameter rigid plastic pipe are as follows: overall length about 4½ inches; internal diameter about 1⅛ inches; outside diameter about 1⅜ inches; sidewall ( 30 ) about ⅛ of an inch in thickness; notches ( 36 ) about ⅝ of an inch in depth, about ⅜ of an inch in width, and when used about {fraction (3/16)} of an inch radius at their base; steel rods ( 38 ) {fraction (1/16)} inch ×⅝ inch; drive holes ( 40 ) about {fraction (5/16)} of an inch in diameter and spaced inward about 1 inch from the second end of the tubular socket  22 ; end wall ( 44 ) about ½ of an inch thick; and socket drive hole ( 46 ) about ¼ inch square. 
     As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the second tubular socket  24  has a tubular wall  60  with a first end portion  62  and a second end portion  64 . The tubular wall  60  at the first end portion  62  has four notches  66  therein, which extend inward from the first end of the second tubular socket  24 , parallel to the longitudinal axis  26 , and are spaced from each other about the circumference of the tubular socket on 90° centers, for receiving a complementary part to be tightened or loosened. As shown in FIG. 5, the cut outs forming the notches  66  have a radius at their base. However, the notches  66  can also be squared off at their base. Typically, the notches  66  are squared off at their base when the second tubular socket is made of a metal e.g. steel and the notches have a radius at their base when the first tubular socket is made of plastic, e.g. a C polyvinyl chloride. While not shown, when the second tubular socket  22  is made of plastic, the portions of the socket sidewall  60  intermediate the notches  66  may be reinforced by metal rods or other reinforcements, in a manner similar to the rods  38  used to reinforce the socket sidewall  30  of the first tubular socket  22 , to enable the socket  24  to better withstand the forces generated on those portions of the socket sidewall without failing when the socket  24  is used to tighten or loosen a complementary part. The internal and external diameters of the second tubular socket  24 , at the first end portion  62  of the second tubular socket, are greater than the corresponding internal and external diameters at the first end portion  32  of the first tubular socket  22  so that the second tubular socket  24  can be used to rotate and tighten or loosen complementary parts for nominal pipe sizes greater than the nominal pipe size with which the first tubular socket  22  is used. 
     The second end portion  64  of the second tubular socket  24 , has an internal diameter substantially equal to but slightly greater than the external diameter of the first end portion  32  of the first tubular socket  22  so that the second end portion  64  of the second tubular socket  24  can be slid over and form a close fit with the first end portion  32  of the first tubular socket  22  to removably mount the second tubular socket  24  on the first tubular socket  22 . The interior surface of the tubular sidewall  60  of the second end portion  64  of the second tubular socket  24  is also provided with four ribs  68  which extend inward from the interior surface of the tubular sidewall  60  and are spaced from each other about the internal circumference of second tubular socket on 90° centers. The ribs  68  extend, parallel to the longitudinal axis  26 , from a internal collar  70  on the interior surface of the tubular sidewall  60 , located intermediate the first and second end portions of the second tubular socket  24 , toward the second end of the second tubular socket  24 . The ribs  68  have dimensions which enable the ribs  68  to be slid into, slid out of, and form a close fit with the notches  36  of the first tubular socket  22  so that, when the second tubular socket  24  is mounted on the first tubular socket  22  and the first tubular socket  22  is rotated, the second tubular socket  24  rotates with the first tubular socket  22 . 
     Typical dimensions for a second tubular socket  24  used to tighten or loosen complementary parts for 2 inch nominal diameter rigid plastic pipe are as follows: overall length about 2⅜ inches; internal diameter at the first and second end portions ( 62  and  64 ) about 1⅜ inches; internal diameter of the collar ( 70 ) about 1⅛ inches; outside diameter about 1⅝ inches; sidewall ( 60 ) ⅛ of an inch in thickness at the first and second end portions ( 62  and  64 ) and about ¼ of an inch at the collar ( 70 ); notches ( 66 ) about {fraction (11/16)} of an inch in depth, {fraction (7/16)} of an inch in width, and when used, {fraction (7/32)} of an inch radius at their base; collar ( 70 ) about ¼ of an inch wide, about 1⅜ inches from the first end, and about ¾ of an inch from the second end; ribs ( 68 ) about {fraction (5/16)} of an inch wide, about ⅛ of an inch thick, about {fraction (7/16)} of an inch long. 
     When the multi-purpose plumbing tool  20  of the present invention is used to rotate and tighten or loosen a pipe fitting plug  80  , the four corners  82  of the head  84  of the plug  80  are received within the four notches  36  or  66 . When the multi-purpose plumbing tool  20  of the present invention is used to rotate and tighten or loosen a flanged faucet nut  86  or another part with flanges, such as but not limited to a flanged drain plug, the flanges  88  and  90  of the nut  86  are received within the diametrically opposed pairs of the four notches  36  or  66 . Of course, if the flanged faucet nut  86  or other part only had a pair of flanges, e.g. either flanges  88  or  90 , the pair of flanges would be received in a pair of the four notches  36  or  66  which are diametrically opposed. When the multi-purpose plumbing tool  20  of the present invention is used to rotate and tighten or loosen a bathtub drain piece  92  or a similar part, such as but not limited to a sink basket strainer, the four spokes  94  at the bottom of the bathtub drain piece are received within the four notches  36  or  66 . 
     In describing the invention, certain embodiments have been used to illustrate the invention and the practices thereof. However, the invention is not limited to these specific embodiments as other embodiments and modifications within the spirit of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art on reading this specification. Thus, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but is to be limited only by the claims appended hereto.