US3134119A

US3134119A - Sewer cleaning device

Info

Publication number: US3134119A
Application number: US167392A
Authority: US
Inventors: James M Criscuolo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-01-19
Filing date: 1962-01-19
Publication date: 1964-05-26
Anticipated expiration: 1981-05-26

Description

y 26, 1964 J. M. CRISCUOLO 3,134,119

SEWER CLEANING DEVICE Filed Jan. 19, 1962 Iii! INVENTOR. JAMES M. CRIS CUOLO BY aoamymflpwzm ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,134,119 3EWER CLEANING DEVEQCE James M. Criscuolo, 1938 Wallace Ave, Bronx, NY. Filed Jan. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 167,392 4- Ciaims. (Cl. 1il4.3)

This application is related to my coapending applications Serial No. 9,846, filed February 119, 1960*, now U.S. Patent 3,048,870, which latter application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 617,395, filed October 22, 1956, now abandoned.

My invention relates to cleaning sewers and drain pipes and, more particularly, provides an easily assembled and readily transportable sewer cleaner equipped to withstand the stresses, especially angular stresses, imposed on such devices by obstructions in sewers and drains.

The sewer cleaning machines commonly in use today are made up primarily of a cleaning instrument, usually a rotating cutting tool strong enough to cut through tree roots and similar obstructions found in sewer pipe, a rotating drive device, and "a connecting link for connecting the drive device to the tool. Such connecting links are most commonly braided steel cables or tightly wound steel wire coils, or a combination of both, attached at one end to the cutting tool and at the other end to the drive device, which usually is an electric motor. Various arrangements are commonly used for attaching the drive device to the cable link, such as belts, pulleys, gears, and chains, which permit a portion of the link to be retained on a drum or reel while an extended portion, attached to the cutting tool, is rotated.

The forward progress of the cutting tool along the internal length of the sewer or drain is usually made by passing the relatively stiff cable or wire coil hand over hand into the conduit to be cleaned to drive the cutting tool forward so long as no obstructions interfere or so long as there is cable or coil left on the reel or in the cable drum. As a result, the operator is rarely out of close contact with his sewer cleaning equipment and must almost continuously hazard the dangers inherent in being close to or in actually handling a continuously moving steel cable.

The greatest hazard to the operator and his equipment, and one which often befalls even the most experienced operator arises when his rotating cutting tool strikes an obstruction in the sewer line which does not give way and which causes the cutting blade to stop rotating, despite the fact that torque is still applied to the cable. This sort of stoppage causes the cable to twist, kink, and perhaps break. Consequently, a potentially destructive strain is put on an expensive piece of equipment, no matter how quickly power may be shut off. More important, however, is the danger to the operator of having the twisting cable torn from his hands and, just as easily, of being struck by the lashing cable or its broken ends. It is an object of my invention substantially to eliminate this danger without the necessity of completely cutting off the power supply.

Another disadvantage common to sewer cleaning devices is their bulk and weight. The cable is particularly cumbersome, since it is not uncommon to employ it in 100 lengths weighing from about 60* to 80 pounds which are normally stored on reels or drum cable containers having about a 2 radius and which are most often themselves of metal. It is an object of my invention to make the transportation of such cable and its containers as safe and as convenient as possible by substantially eliminating the need for lifting them.

It is also an object of my invention to make the assembly of the equipment, particularly the connection between the cable and the drive power source for rotating the cutting tool, as simple as possible by eliminating the need for belts, pulleys, gears or chains and excessive manipulations by the operator.

These and other objects are accomplished by my sewer cleaner which has two larger components. These are a rotatable drum cable container mounted upon a horizontal axis which serves not only to store and transport the cable or wire to be used, but also to impart to the cable the rotational force ultimately to be communicated to the cutting tool, and a support means upon which the drum and the power source for rotating the drum can be firmly secured. The two components are so constructed as to afford the operator as much ease as possible in transporting the device. For a more complete understanding of the practical application of the features and principles of my invention, reference is made to the appended drawings in which:

FIGURES l and 2 are front elevations of an embodiment of the sewer cleaning system of my invention; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side view of the embodiment of my invention shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

In the embodiment of my invention depicted in FIG- URES 1, 2 and 3, a freely rotatable curved cable conduit 1112 is rotatably mounted on axle 104 by means of bushing 106. The conduit 102 is a hollow, bent pipe which curves from the bushing 16% into the drum '1 and outwardly along a radius of the drum. A cable 3 with a cutting tool 16 fastened to its outer end is led out of the drum, through the conduit, toward the obstructed pipe .to be cleaned. Drum 1 is also rotatably mounted on axle 104 as by a bushing, not shown, bolted to sidewall 17. As can be seen in FIGURE 3, the axle 134 extends beyond the side-wall 1'7 of drum 1. A support member 108 is mounted for rotation about this portion of axle 104. Finally, at the end of axle 104- remote from the conduit W2, a motor mounting member 116' is also mounted for rotation about axle 164. The conduit 102, the support member 1118 and the motor mounting member 110, along with the axle 1114, are held together by a pair of washers 112 and a pair of bolts 114- threadedly received in each end of axle 1124.

As can be seen from the drawings, particularly FIG- URES 1 and 2, support member 1118 is of a generally triangular shape and has two

legs

116 and 118 attached thereto and extending radially outward from the axis of axle 1M. Legs 116 and 113 are provided with

feet

120 and 122, respectively, disposed parallel to the axis of axle 104. The legs 116 and 11 8 are of such length that they extend sufiiciently beyond the periphery ofdr'um 1 and tire 2 so that when the sewer cleaner is assembled it can stand on feet 129 and 122 and a suificient clearance between tire 2 and the surface upon which the

feet

120 and 122 are standing is provided to permit rotation of the drum 1.

Motor mounting member 111 is provided with three

cylindrical holes

124, 126, and 128 located at the end of motor mounting member 111) remote from axle 104.

set screw 134 tightened to hold it in place.

arrangemenhihandle 136 functions as a

third support Holes

124 and 126 are disposed such that their axes extend radially from the axis of axle 1'34. Hole 128, however, is disposed so that its axis intersects the axes of both hole 126 and axle 104. Each of these

cylindrical holes

124, 126 and 128 is provided with a wing head set screw 131i), 132and 134, respectively.

FIGURES 1 and '2 show a handle 136 with one end thereof inserted in cylindrical hole 124. The other end of handle 136 is provided with a crossbar 138.

An electric motor 146 having an output shaft 142 is mounted on plate 144 having extension 146 for supporting output shaft 142. Plate 144 is in turn mounted on cylindrical post 148 adapted to be received slidably in cylindrical hole 126.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2, it can be seen that a coil spring 150 is connected at one end thereof to. support member 1118 and at the other end thereof to motor mounting member 110. It will also be seen that when coil spring 150 is in its extended position as shown in FIGURE 1 it will bias support member 1% to rotate toward motor mounting member 110 until such time as coil spring 150 is in its fully retracted position as shown in FIGURE 2. As can also be seen, a small tip 152 extends from the end of motor mounting member 110 remote from motor 146 and overlies a portion of support member 1198. Tip152 is provided with another wing head set screw 154 which is adapted to be threadedly received by tip 152 and bear against support member 108.

FIGURE 1 shows this'particular embodiment of my invention supported on

feet

120 and 122 of legs 116 and In order to transport this embodiment 118, respectively. of my invention, it is merely necessary for the operator to loosen wing head set screw 154- so that it does not bear against support member 193 and then pull on handle 136 by means of cross bar 133. As soon as the weight of the machine has been removed from

feet

124 and 122 and the machine is resting on tire 2, the coil spring 150 V will cause support member 108 to rotate into the position shown in FIGURE 2. Wing head set screw 154 can then be tightened so as to secure support member 185 in this position when transporting the machine. The

. machine can then be transported by rolling it along tire head set screw 13h can belloosened and handle 136 removedfrom the cylindrical hole 124. The end of handle 136 removed from the cylindrical hole 124 can now be placed into cylindrical hole 128 and wing head leg as illustrated in FIGURE 3.

Furthermore, this embodiment of my invention pro- .vides a means'for adjusting the friction drive between output shaft 142 and tire 2. This is accomplished by loosening wing head set screw1132 and raising or lower ing post 148 within cylindrical hole 126. When post 148 is in the desired position, thereby placing output shaft 142 in thedesired position relative to tire 2, wing head set screw 132 can be tightened to hold post 143 in 'place. This'arrangement can also be employed to re move output shaft 142 from contact with tire 2 when in such drum 1 will not begin to rotate immediately, since the tire 2 and the output shaft 142 are so contacted as to permit slippage. However, as the operator begins by hand to feed the cable 3 to which a cutting tool 16 has been a'i'fixed into the sewer or drain pipe, the friction between the output shaft 142 and the tire 2 will be put 1 to use in therotation of the drum 1 and the application of torque to the cable 3. The rotation of conduit 102, on

the other hand, depends entirely on the positioning of the cable remaining in drum 1 Whenever the further feeding of cable into the sewer is stopped or prevented, the clutch-like action between a the 2 and output shaft 142 comes into play and the transporting the machine in the manner described above.

Advantageously, the handle 136 and cross bar 138 are equipped with brake means for contact with tire 2.

' Although the embodiment of'the invention shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 show. the support means movably jointed at the drum axle, the support means can be movably jointed at any point less than a drum radius distant from the axis of rotation of the drum to permit rotation drum 1 stops its rotation. This, in turn, prevents the application of any torque to cable 3 and, as a consequence, the cable is not liable to twist, kink, or even, break to the detriment of the equipment or the operator. ther, the motor need not be turned off. The same is true when the cable is being withdrawn from the sewer pipe.

I claim:

1. A sewer pipe cleaning device comprising a drum for receiving flexible cables and wires annularly coiled therein, a curved cable conduit one end of which is rotatably mounted at one end of said drum adjacent the axial line thereof with the other end of said conduit disposed within said drum and extending outwardly from said axial line, an elongated support means having a pair of spacedapart feet at one end and a handle at the other end of said support means, said drum beingrnounted upon said support means intermediate the ends thereof for rotation about an axis perpendicular thereto, drive means movably mounted on said support means intermediate the handle and the mounted drum, said'drive means being capable of peripheral contact with the said drum for rotating said drum, said support means being movably jointed at a point less than a 'drurn radius distant from the axis of rotation of the drum to permit rotation in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drum and to permit support of the device by the drum, and means for preventing rotation of said support means about the joint.

2. A device according to claim 1 which further comprises a tire positioned about said drum and in which said drive means includes a rotatable output shaft peripherally contacting said tire.

3. A device according to claim 1 in which the support means comprises a support member from which two legs depend and on which legs feet aremounted, the support'membe'r being in the same general plane'as the legs, an axle perpendicular to said plane, said support member being joined at one end to said legs at a common point and at the other end enclosing said axle, a motor mounting member having ahandle at one end and at the other end enclosing saidaxle, and means associated with saidsupport member and motor mounting member to hold them rigidly aligned.

4. A sewer pipe cleaning device comprising a drum for receiving flexible cables and wires annularly coiled therein, a cable annularly coiled in said drum, a tire positioned about said drum, a curved cable conduit one end of which is rotatably mounted atone end of said 'drum adjacent the axial line thereof with the other end of said conduit disposed within said drum and extending Furgeneral plane as said legs, an axle perpendicular to said plane, said support member being joined at one end to said legs at a common point and at the other end enclosing said axle, a motor mounting member having a handle at one end and at the other end enclosing said axle, means associated with said support member and motor mounting member to hold them rigidly aligned, spring means associated with said support member and motor mounting member biasing said support member and motor mounting member to rotate about said axle relative to one another, said drum rotatably mounted on said axle, and drive means movably mounted on said motor mounting member including a rotatable output shaft peripherally contacting said tire, the spring means rotating said support member and motor mounting member when not rigidly aligned to permit support and movement of 5 the sewer pipe cleaning device on the drum tire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,468,490 Di Joseph Apr. 26, 1949 10 3,007,186 Olsson Nov. 7, 1961 3,048,870 Criscuolo Aug. 14, 1962

Claims

1. A SEWER PIPE CLEANING DEVICE COMPRISING A DRUM FOR RECEIVING FLEXIBLE CABLES AND WIRES ANNULARLY COILED THEREIN, A CURVED CABLE CONDUIT ONE END OF WHICH IS ROTATABLY MOUNTED AT ONE END OF SAID DRUM ADJACENT THE AXIAL LINE THEREOF WITH THE OTHER END OF SAID CONDUIT DISPOSED WITHIN SAID DRUM AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID AXIAL LINE, AN ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS HAVING A PAIR OF SPACEDAPART FEET AT ONE END AND A HANDLE AT THE OTHER END OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS, SAID DRUM BEING MOUNTED UPON SAID SUPPORT MEANS INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR THERETO, DRIVE MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS INTERMEDIATE THE HANDLE AND THE MOUNTED DRUM, SAID DRIVE MEANS BEING CAPABLE OF PERIPHERAL CONTACT WITH THE SAID DRUM FOR ROTATING SAID DRUM, SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING MOVABLY JOINTED AT A POINT LESS THAN A DRUM RADIUS DISTANT FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE DRUM TO PERMIT ROTATION IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF THE DRUM AND TO PERMIT SUPPORT OF THE DEVICE BY THE DRUM, AND MEANS FOR PREVENTING ROTATION OF SAID SUPPORT MEANS ABOUT THE JOINT.