Patent ID: 8359696

Claim:
A drain snake device for removing obstructing debris from piping structures, comprising: a. a reusable handle having: a proximal elongated grip section for gripping the handle, an elongated intermediate section integrally extending from the grip section at an oblique angle, the proximal section forming a bend portion with the intermediate section; and, an elongated distal section, the distal section including a contoured interlockable distal end, the distal end having at least one stop surface defining part of a contour profile; b. a disposable snake segment having an elongated distal section for contacting and collecting obstructing debris in the piping structure, the snake segment including a contoured interlockable proximal end, the proximal end having at least one projection having a shape generally complementary to the contour profile in the distal end of the handle and at least one stop surface having a shape profile generally complementary to the at least one corresponding stop surface in the distal end of the handle, defining a matching contour profile; and, c. a cylindrically shaped sleeve having a distal and a proximal end, and a notch in the proximal end, the sleeve being rotatably mounted on the distal section of the handle and the sleeve being movable along and coaxially with the distal section of the handle between a locked position and a release position; wherein, the contoured distal end of the handle is engagable with and interlockable with the corresponding contour profile at the proximal end of the snake segment, such that the notch has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the bend portion between the intermediate section and the distal section of the handle, and, such that, when the sleeve is in the release position, the notch engages the bend portion of the handle, thereby blocking the handle from rotation, and, alternatively, when the sleeve is in the locked position, the notch is disengaged from the bend portion and the handle can be rotated by a user, and, such that, after the handle engages a corresponding snake segment, the sleeve can be moved to the locking position to interlock the handle to the snake segment; and, alternatively, the sleeve can be moved to the release position, to permit the snake segment to engage with or be disengaged from the handle, and, wherein, when the handle is engaged with the snake segment and the sleeve is in the locked position, the handle can be rotated, thereby rotating the snake segment.