Spring feed device

Claim 2

A plumbing tool for use in cleaning out drains, conduits and the like comprising: a. an elongated coiled spring plumbers snake, b. means for rotating said plumbers snake about its longitudinal axis; c. first means including snake engaging means movable into and out of operable engagement with said plumbers snake for feeding said snake in an axial direction, said first means also including first biasing means for yieldably holding said snake engaging means normally out oF engagement with said snake; d. second means movable into operable engagement with said first means for moving said snake engaging means into engagement with said snake against the urging of said first biasing means; and e. second biasing means for yieldably urging said second means into operable engagement with said first means, said second biasing means being responsive to forces opposing axial feeding of said snake so that said snake engaging means will automatically move out of engagement with said snake in response to such forces.

Claim 3

The plumbing tool as defined in claim 1 in which said snake engaging means is rotatable with respect to said plumbers snake and comprises: a. a plurality of arcuately spaced supporting segments radially movable toward said plumbers snake against the urging of said first biasing means; and b. snake driving means rotatably carried by said supporting segments for driving said snake axially of itself upon relative rotation between said snake driving means and said snake.

Claim 4

second biasing means for urging said interengaging means into engagement with said segments; and

Claim 5

second biasing means for urging said interengaging means into engagement with said segments; and

Claim 6

a plurality of feed rollers rotatably carried by said segments proximate the axial passageway, said feed rollers being constructed and arranged as to be movable into releasable engagement with the snake upon inwardly radial movement of said segments and each having peripheral grooves adapted to drivably engage the snake; and

Claim 7

a plurality of feed rollers rotatably carried by said segments proximate the axial passageway, said feed rollers being constructed and arranged as to be movable into releasable engagement with the snake upon inwardly radial movement of said segments and each having peripheral grooves adapted to drivably engage the snake; and

Claim 8

first biasing means for yieldably resisting inward radial movement of said segments; e. second means cooperatively associated with said first means for operating said first means comprising:

Claim 9

first biasing means for yieldably resisting inward radial movement of said segments; e. second means cooperatively associated with said first means for operating said first means comprising:

Claim 10

control means for moving said interengaging means out of operable engagement with said segments; and f. stop means carried by said housing for preventing rotation of said first means within said housing.

Claim 11

control means for moving said interengaging means out of operable engagement with said segments; and f. stop means carried by said housing for preventing rotation of said first means within said housing.

Claim 12

The plumbing tool as defined in claim 2 in which said second means comprises interengaging means rotatable with respect to said plumbers snake and movable into operable engagement with said supporting segments for moving said segments radially toward said snake against the urging of said first biasing means.

Claim 13

The plumbing tool as defined in claim 3 in which said snake driving means comprises a plurality of feed rollers rotatably carried by said supporting segments, each said feed roller having peripheral grooves adapted to drivably engage said snake.

Claim 14

The plumbing tool as defined in claim 3 in which said first means further includes stop means for stopping the rotation of said snake engaging means with respect to said snake.

Claim 15

A plumbing tool of the type used for cleaning drains, conduits and the like and characterized by having a plumbers snake housing in which an elongated plumbers snake can be coiled, said snake housing having an opening for passage of the snake and including means for rotating the housing relative to the feed device, comprising: a. a housing having an axial passageway adapted to accommodate passage of said snake; b. first means rotatably carried within said housing for cooperative engagement with said snake, said first means comprising snake engaging means for feeding said snake in an axial direction relative to said housing, said snake engaging means being movable into and out of engagement with said snake and including a first biasing means for yieldably holding said snake engaging means normally out of engagement with said snake; c. second means for cooperative engagement with said first means comprising interengaging means rotatably carried within said housing and movable into mating engagement with said first means for moving said snake engaging means into operative engagement with said snake against the urging of said first biasing means; d. second biasing means cooperatively associated with said second means for yieldably urging said interengaging means into engagement with said first means; and e. said first means further including stop means carried by said housing for stopping the rotation of said first means relative to said housing.

Claim 16

A plumbing tool of the type used for cleaning drains, conduits and the like and characterized by having a plumbers snake housing in which an elongated plumbers snake can be coiled, said snake housing having an opening for passage of the snake and including means for rotating the housing relative to the feed device, comprising: a. a housing having an axial passageway adapted to accommodate passage of said snake; b. first means rotatably carried within said housing for cooperative engagement with said snake, said first means comprising snake engaging means for feeding said snake in an axial direction relative to said housing, said snake engaging means being movable into and out of engagement with said snake and including a first biasing means for yieldably holding said snake engaging means normally out of engagement with said snake; c. second means for cooperative engagement with said first means comprising interengaging means rotatably carried within said housing and movable into mating engagement with said first means for moving said snake engaging means into operative engagement with said snake against the urging of said first biasing means; d. second biasing means cooperatively associated with said second means for yieldably urging said interengaging means into engagement with said first means; and e. said first means further including stop means carried by said housing for stopping the rotation of said first means relative to said housing.

Claim 17

The apparatus as defined in claim 6 including control means carried by said housing for moving said interengaging means of said second means out of operative engagement with said first means against the urging of said second biasing means.

Claim 18

The apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which said feed means comprises a plurality of feed rollers rotatable relative to said snake and having peripheral grooves adapted to engage said snake so as to urge axial movement thereof relative to said feed rollers.

Claim 19

The apparatus as defined in claim 6 in which said feed means comprises: a. a plurality of arcuately spaced, radially movable segments; and b. a plurality of snake engaging driving means carried by said segments.

Claim 20

The apparatus as defined in claim 9 in which said segments of said feed means in combination form a conically shaped assembly and in which said interengaging means of said second means is in the form of a recessed cone movable axially within said housing and constructed and arranged to mate with said segments in a manner as to urge them radially inwardly against the urging of said first biasing means.

Claim 21

A plumbing tool comprising: a. an elongated plumbers snake; b. means for rotating said plumbers snake about its longitudinal axis; c. a housing having an axial passageway adapted to accommodate passage of the snake; d. first means rotatably carried by said housing for cooperative engagement with the snake, said first means having an axial passageway for reception of the snake and including:

Claim 22

A plumbing tool comprising: a. an elongated plumbers snake; b. means for rotating said plumbers snake about its longitudinal axis; c. a housing having an axial passageway adapted to accommodate passage of the snake; d. first means rotatably carried by said housing for cooperative engagement with the snake, said first means having an axial passageway for reception of the snake and including:

Claim 23

A feed control apparatus for use with plumbing tools of the type having an elongated coiled spring wire or plumbers snake and means for rotating the snake about its longitudinal axis, comprising: a. snake engaging means movable into and out of driving engagement with the snake for feeding the snake axially of itself; and b. means operably coupled with said snake engaging means for moving said snake engaging means into driving engagement with the snake, including biasing means for yieldably urging said snake engaging means into driving engagement with the snake, said biasing means being responsive to forces opposing axial feeding of the snake so that said snake engaging means will automatically move out of driving engagement with the snake in response to such forces.

Claim 24

A feed control apparatus for use with plumbing tools of the type having an elongated coiled spring wire or plumbers snake and means for rotating the snake about its longitudinal axis, comprising: a. snake engaging means movable into and out of driving engagement with the snake for feeding the snake axially of itself; and b. means operably coupled with said snake engaging means for moving said snake engaging means into driving engagement with the snake, including biasing means for yieldably urging said snake engaging means into driving engagement with the snake, said biasing means being responsive to forces opposing axial feeding of the snake so that said snake engaging means will automatically move out of driving engagement with the snake in response to such forces.

Claim 25

The feed control apparatus as defined in claim 12 in which said snake engaging means comprises: a. a plurality of arcuately spaced segments radially movable toward and away from the snake and rotatable with respect thereto; b. a plurality of feed rollers rotatably carried by said segments each said roller having snake engaging surfaces adapted to operably engage the snake so as to urge axial movement thereof relative to said feed rollers; and c. first biasing means operably associated with said segments for yieldably resisting radial movement thereof toward the snake.

Claim 26

The feed control apparatus as defined in claim 12 in which said means for moving said snake engaging means into driving engagement with the snake includes interengaging means rotatable relative to the snake and movable into operable engagement with said segments for moving said segments radially toward the snake against the urging of said first biasing means.

Claim 27

The feed control apparatus as defined in claim 14 in which said snake engaging means includes stop means for stopping the rotation of said segments with respect to the snake.

Claim 28

The feed control apparatus as defined in claim 14 including adjustment means for adJusting said biasing means so as to vary the force with which said biasing means urges said engaging means into driving engagement with said snake.