Method and implement for cleaning drains

Claim 1

An implement for cleaning drains, said implement comprising a carriage hub for attachment of cutting and plunging means, said cutting means comprising a plurality of blades radially extending from the carriage hub, said plunging means comprising a plurality of elements pivoted between said blades and prevented from folding flat against said blades so that said elements are folded backward at an inclined angle to said blades when the implement is pulled through a drain in a direction parallel to the hub whereby said inclined elements are arranged to torque the implement and which are folded forwardly to form a plate when the implement is pulled in an opposite direction, said implement further including water directing means for spraying water in advance of the cutting means.

Claim 11

A method for cleaning tubular drains filled with debris which comprises towing an implement comprising a carriage hub with cutting, plunging and scraping means, said cutting means comprising a plurality of blades radially extending from the carriage hub, said blades being circular segments and mounted on said carriage hub such that said implement is spherical in shape, said plunging means comprising a plurality of elements pivoted between said blades and prevented from folding flat against said blades so that said elements are folded backwardly at an inclined angle to said blades when the implement is pulled forward through a drain in a direction parallel to the axis of the carriage hub whereby said inclined elements torque the implement, said pulling being in a forward direction and for a selected distance, said implement further including water directing means for spraying water in front of the cutting means whereby the waste in the drain is wetted by water from the water directing means, churned loose by the cutting means and passed around the plunging means torquing the implement; said method further including towing the implement in an opposite direction after the preselected distance has been reached, as said implement is towed backwardly, the loosened waste material in the drain exerting pressure on one or more of said pivoted elements comprising the plunging means and inclined at an angle to said blades causing them to reverse the fold into a plate having substantially the same diameter as the drain, whereby the waste churned loose by the cutting means and passed around the plunging means is swept backward by the fully expanded plunging means as the implement is towed backwards.

Claim 12

A method for cleaning tubular drains filled with debris which comprises towing an implement comprising a carriage hub with cutting, plunging and scraping means, said cutting means comprising a plurality of blades radially extending from the carriage hub, said blades being circular segments and mounted on said carriage hub such that said implement is spherical in shape, said plunging means comprising a plurality of elements pivoted between said blades and prevented from folding flat against said blades so that said elements are folded backwardly at an inclined angle to said blades when the implement is pulled forward through a drain in a direction parallel to the axis of the carriage hub whereby said inclined elements torque the implement, said pulling being in a forward direction and for a selected distance, said implement further including water directing means for spraying water in front of the cutting means whereby the waste in the drain is wetted by water from the water directing means, churned loose by the cutting means and passed around the plunging means torquing the implement; said method further including towing the implement in an opposite direction after the preselected distance has been reached, as said implement is towed backwardly, the loosened waste material in the drain exerting pressure on one or more of said pivoted elements comprising the plunging means and inclined at an angle to said blades causing them to reverse the fold into a plate having substantially the same diameter as the drain, whereby the waste churned loose by the cutting means and passed around the plunging means is swept backward by the fully expanded plunging means as the implement is towed backwards.