# US 5,706,528 A · Toilet plunger splash prevention

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- Number: US 5,706,528 A
- Document ID: US5706528A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/542,295
- Filed: 1995-10-12
- Granted: 1998-01-13
- Earliest claimed: 1995-05-02
- Inventors: William A. Broback
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5706528A

## CPC

- E03D 9/00: Sanitary or other accessories for lavatories (hand tools for cleaning the toilet bowl A47K11/10; seats or covers for closets A47K13/00; body supports, other than seats for closets A47K17/02; devices for preventing contamination of drinking-water pipes E03C1/10 ){; Devices for cleaning or disinfecting the toilet room or the toilet bowl; Devices for eliminating smells (cleaning, disinfecting or deodorising the seat A47K13/30)}
- E03D: WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR

## Abstract

A system for containing the splashing produced when using a toilet plunger to unclog a flush toilet is comprised of a substantially flat stiff splash plate that covers the upper opening of a toilet bowl when the plate is rested on the toilet bowl rim. The plate is visually transparent and has a central aperture for a plunger handle to freely pass through. A gasket is interposed between the plate and the toilet bowl rim and is formed of an absorbent paper material that may be disposed of by flushing it down the toilet drain after use. A method of using the splash plate and the gasket utilizes the transparency of the splash plate and the disposability of the gasket. The splash plate may optionally have stiffness enhancing features including a contoured portion and a perimeter flange. A kit of equipment has a splash plate, a gasket and a reclosable envelope for holding the splash plate and gasket.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for containing the splashing produced when using a toilet plunger to unclog a flush toilet, wherein said toilet comprises a bowl with an upper opening and a lower drain mouth below said upper opening, and a bowl rim with a flat horizontal upper surface surrounding the upper opening of said bowl, and wherein said plunger comprises an elongate handle shaft and a deformable plunger cup mounted thereon for positioning over the drain mouth of said bowl, said system comprising a stiff unitary uniformly thick splash plate having an outer perimeter edge and a flat perimeter border inwardly adjacent to said perimeter edge, said plate being of a size adapted to cover the upper opening of said bowl when the flat perimeter border of said plate is rested upon the upper surface of said bowl rim, said plate being visually transparent and having a central aperture formed therein of a size dust sufficiently large to permit free movement therethrough of the handle shaft of said plunger, said splash plate having an inner contoured portion substantially encircling said aperture and located inward of said flat perimeter border, the contour of said inner contoured portion being a protrusion out of the plane of said flat perimeter border, said protrusion being less than about 3 cm in height and being effective to enhance the overall stiffness of said splash plate, the area of said protrusion being less than the area of flat portions of said splash plate, and said splash plate having a uniform thickness of less than about 0.5 cm, wherein the outer perimeter edge of said splash plate has a curved edge portion lying in the plane of said perimeter border and a substantially straight edge portion lying in the plane of said perimeter border, and wherein said splash plate additionally comprises a perimeter flange depending downwardly solely from said curved edge portion of said perimeter edge.

### Claim 2

A system for containing the splashing produced when using a toilet plunger to unclog a flush toilet, wherein said toilet comprises a bowl with an upper opening and a lower drain mouth below said upper opening, and a bowl rim with a flat horizontal upper surface surrounding the upper opening of said bowl, and wherein said plunger comprises an elongate handle shaft and a deformable plunger cup mounted thereon for positioning over the drain mouth of said bowl, said system comprising a stiff unitary uniformly thick splash plate having an outer perimeter edge and a flat perimeter border inwardly adjacent to said perimeter edge, said plate being of a size adapted to cover the upper opening of said bowl when the flat perimeter border of said plate is rested upon the upper surface of said bowl rim, said plate being visually transparent and having a central aperture formed therein of a size just sufficiently large to permit free movement therethrough of the handle shaft of said plunger, said splash plate having an inner contoured portion substantially encircling said aperture and located inward of said flat perimeter border, the contour of said inner contoured portion being a protrusion out of the plane of said flat perimeter border, said protrusion being less than about 3 cm in height and being effective to enhance the overall stiffness of said splash plate, the area of said protrusion being less than the area of flat portions of said splash plate, and said splash plate having a uniform thickness of less than about 0.5 cm, wherein said splash plate has a central planar portion located adjacent to said central aperture and substantially surrounded by said inner contoured portion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2 wherein said central planar portion lies in the same plane as said perimeter border.