Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a removable seal for sealing a drainage pipe section, and more particularly, a seal for collecting fallen debris in a drainage pipe section of a shower base during construction.

Background

During construction of shower bases, it is common for concrete and tile debris to fall into an open drainage pipe and become trapped within an elbow section of the pipe. Trapped debris in the drainage pipe can be difficult to detect and usually remains trapped until well after construction of a building is complete, when significant drainage issues surface due to clogging of the pipe by the trapped debris. Resolving such blockages would involve time- consuming and expensive repairs, which not only inconveniences occupiers of a building but also adds to the cost of construction.

The applicant has determined that it would be advantageous to provide a cost-effective solution for collecting fallen debris in the shower base drain during construction. The present invention, in its preferred embodiments, seeks to at least in part alleviate the above-identified problems.

Summary of the Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a removable seal for collecting debris in a drainage pipe section of a shower base during construction, the seal comprising a stem member having a proximal end, an opposed distal end, and an airflow passageway extending from the proximal end to the distal end, the stem member comprising a one-way valve, located at or near the proximal end, configured for allowing air to flow only into the passageway; and an inflatable member sealingly mounted to the stem at the distal end so as to be in fluid communication with the passageway, the inflatable member being configurable between a deflated state for insertion into, and subsequent removal from, the drainage pipe section, and an inflated state in which the inflatable member substantially seals against walls of the drainage pipe section for collecting fallen debris and thereby preventing debris from falling further into the pipe.

Preferably, the seal further comprises at least one elongated handle member projecting substantially sideways from or near the proximal end of the stem member, the handle member being configured to be longer than a diameter of a drainage pipe opening so as to prevent the proximal end of the stem member from falling into the pipe when the inflatable member is in the deflated state. Preferably, the seal comprises a pair of said handle members extending in opposing directions from or near the proximal end of the stem member. Preferably, the handle member is configured with a flat base.

Preferably, the one-way valve is in the form of a duck-bill valve. Preferably, the stem member and the inflatable member are made from elastomeric materials.

Preferably, the inflatable member is configured with an upper part in the form of a tapered portion extending from a neck region to an equatorial region of the member when the member is in the inflated state for collecting fallen debris in the drainage pipe section, during use. Preferably, the inflatable member is configured with a lower half in the form of a semi-spherical shape when the member is in the inflated state.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of collecting fallen debris in a drainage pipe section of a shower base during construction using the removable seal as described above, the method comprising the steps of lowering the removable seal in its deflated state into a drainage pipe until the inflatable member is in contact with an elbow section of the pipe; and inflating the inflatable member by pumping air through an opening of the airflow passageway at the proximal end via the one-way valve such that the inflatable member expands against walls of the drainage pipe and secures the removable seal to the pipe section.

Preferably, the steps of removing the seal from the drainage pipe section comprise piercing the stem member at a portion below the one-way valve so as to create an opening to the airflow passageway to permit release of air from the inflatable member through the airflow passageway opening and thereby the seal is no longer secured to the pipe section; and removing the seal from the pipe section by pulling the stem member out of the pipe section.

Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description.

Brief description of drawings

The invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic top perspective view of a removable seal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the removable seal in an inflated state;

Figure 2 is a schematic bottom perspective view the removable seal of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a schematic front view of the removable seal of Figure 1 showing an airflow passageway in broken lines;

Figure 3A is a schematic front view of the removable seal according to another embodiment of the present invention, showing components of a one-way valve in the exploded view;

Figure 3B is a schematic close up sectional view of the removable seal of Figure 3 A;

Figure 4 is a side view of the removable seal of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the removable seal of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the removable seal of Figure 1.

Detailed description

While a removable seal will be described below for use in advantageously collecting fallen debris in a shower base drainage pipe, it is to be understood by a skilled person that the removable seal is equally suitable for use in collecting fallen debris in other drainage or plumbing pipe applications not described herein. Figures 1 to 6 show a removable seal 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention having a stem member 10, an inflatable member 30 sealingly mounted to the stem member 10 and at least one elongated handle member 40 projecting from the stem member 10. One or more parts of the removable seal 1, such as the stem 10 and the inflatable member 30, may be manufactured from elastomeric materials such as rubber. The removable seal may also be a one-use disposable item.

Referring to Figure 3, the stem member 10 has a proximal end 12 and an opposed, distal end 14. The stem member 10 further comprises an airflow passageway 20 which extends substantially from the proximal end 12 to the distal end 14 of the stem member with openings 22 at each respective ends. The stem member 10 is configured with a one-way valve 24, such as a duck-bill valve, located at or near the proximal end 12 for allowing air to flow only in to the passageway 20 from the proximal end 12 opening 22. With reference to Figures 3 A and 3B, according to one embodiment, the one-way valve 24 is embedded within a tubular casing 25, which is mounted within the opening 22 at the proximal end 12 of the stem member. It is to be appreciated that the stem member 10 is configured to be long enough such that it could reach an appropriate depth of a drainage pipe section such as an elbow or bend section of the pipe. In one configuration, the stem member 10 has a length of approximately 500 mm. However, it is to be appreciated that the stem member 10 may be configured in any suitable length.

In the preferred embodiment, the inflatable member 30 is sealingly mounted to the distal end 14 of the stem member 10 such that air may only flow to and from the inflatable member 30 via the airflow passageway 20 of the stem member 10. The inflatable member 30 is configurable between a deflated state for inserting into, and subsequent withdrawal from, the drainage pipe section, and an inflated state in which the inflatable member 30 expands against the walls of said drainage pipe section and secures itself in place. It is to be appreciated that in the inflated state, the inflatable member 30 would substantially seal tight against walls of the drainage pipe, and in the deflated state, the inflatable member 30 remains in a size that is generally equivalent to that of the pipe diameter so that any debris collected above the inflatable member 30 could be removed when withdrawing the inflatable member 30 from the pipe (typically when construction is complete). It is to be understood that the inflatable member 30 is configured such that it can be sufficiently inflated or expanded to reach the walls of drainage pipes (of various sizes, depending on application) to hold its position. In one embodiment, the inflatable member 30 is in the form of a rubber balloon configured to be inflatable up to 300 mm in diameter. In other embodiments, the inflatable member 30 may be configured to be inflatable up to 120 mm or 60 mm in diameter. It is to be appreciated that the inflatable member 30 may be configured to be inflatable up to any diameter value depending on application.

The inflatable member 30 may be configured with different inflatable shapes for collecting fallen debris during use. In the preferred embodiment, the inflatable member 30 has an upper half 32 that is in the form of a tapered portion extending from a narrow neck region 34 (where the inflatable member 30 is sealingly mounted to the distal end 14 of the stem member 10) to a wider equatorial region 36 of the inflatable member 30 in the inflated state. This configuration advantageously provides a relatively flat contour on the inflatable member 30 which assists with collecting fallen debris in the drainage pipe section during use. Additionally, the inflatable member 30 may be provided with a lower half 38 in the form of a semi-spherical shape in the inflated state such that the widest point of the inflatable member 30 occurs substantially around its equator for gripping on to walls of drainage pipe sections. It is to be appreciated that the inflatable member 30 may be in the form of any other suitable shape, including non-limiting examples of: spherical, ovoid, cubical and rectangular prism.

The stem member 10 is further provided with one or more handle(s) 40 projecting from the stem member 10 so as to prevent the stem member 10 from falling into the drainage pipe when the inflatable member 30 is in the deflated state during use. In some configurations, the handle 40 is in the form of an elongated member projection substantially sideways from or near the proximal end 12 of the stem member 10. It is to be appreciated that, in some configurations, the handle 40 may be configured to project upwards or downwards with respect to the stem member 10. In the preferred embodiment, the handle 40 has a general triangular shape and provided with a flat base for engaging with the floor or an opening of the drainage pipe (such as a puddle flange). In the preferred embodiment, the stem member 10 is provided with two like-handle members 40 extending in opposing directions from or near the proximal end 12 of the stem member 10 to prevent the proximal end 12 of the stem member 10 from falling into a pipe opening. In other embodiments, the stem member 10 may be provided with any number of handles 40, including one, three or four like-handle 40 members equally spaced around the proximal end 12.

In use, the removable seal 1 in its deflated state is first lowered, with the distal end 14 first, through a shower base opening (such as a puddle flange) into a drainage pipe. Preferably, the removable seal 1 is lowered into the drainage pipe until the inflatable member 30/distal end 14 of the stem member 10 is within the area in which a user would like to prevent debris accumulation. This is typically 100 to 200 mm in depth into said drainage pipe, but could be deeper depending on plumbing installations. The user would then use an air pump, such as a pneumatic pump or a powered pump to pump air through opening 22 of the stem member 10, pass the one-way valve 24 and into the airflow passageway 20. Air pumped through the airflow passageway 30 would then inflate the inflatable member 30 but would not be able to escape due to the one-way valve 24. The user would inflate the inflatable member 30 to its inflated state while holding onto the stem member 10 or the handle 40 until walls of the inflatable member 30 expands against walls of the drainage pipe, thereby securing the removable seal to the desired pipe section. It is to be appreciated that in this state, the removable member 30 would be able to stand on its own with the stem member 10 being in a substantially upright orientation. The removable seal 1 in this state would advantageously collect above the upper surface of the inflatable member 30 debris such as dust and loose/broken concrete or tile parts which fall into the drainage pipe and prevent debris from falling further into the pipe.

Removal of the seal 1 from the drainage pipe on completion of building construction would involve the following steps. In one embodiment, the stem member 10 is configured such that it can be cut so as to create an opening to the airflow passageway 20 to permit release of air from the inflatable member 30 through the airflow passageway 20 into the ambient surrounding. This would subsequently deflate the inflatable member 30 thereby allowing the removable seal to be pulled from the drainage pipe. It is to be understood that other alternative configurations may be possible, for example, the stem member 10 may be configured with a release valve for releasing air from the airflow passageway 30.

In the description and drawings of this embodiment, same reference numerals are used as have been used in respect of the first embodiment, to denote and refer to corresponding features. While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.