US2086738A - Pipe cleaner - Google Patents

Description

July 13, 1937. i F. PosslNGER PIPE CLEANER Filed Nov. 27, 1934 Patented July 13, 1937 D UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE f :i i 2,086,738

Ftrs CLEANER Florian Possing'er, Ebenezer, N. Y. Application November 2'?, i934, Serial lilo.l 755,008

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in pipe cleanersy and more particularlyl to a cleaner of `therearner type adapted for cleaning or rearning out the bowl of a tobacco pipe. Y ,Theyinvention has for its primary object the yprovision of a'cleaner or reainer which is selfadjustable to the varying interior contour of bowls of; tobacco pipes of various shapes and sizes.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple, and inexpensive cleaner 'of this type which will effectively free the walls of pipe bowls o ,fftobacco and carbon,y and which will as effectigvelyclean'the bottom of the bowl as the` side wall thereof.

A furtherobjectoffmy invention is the provi vsiony-oi 21.',cleaner'oi this type, comprising few lparts-which,are capable of being readilyl assemlblecliand connected together without the use of rivets, solder, or other extraneous fastening means. 1 l

, A `still further object of my invention is the provision of a cleaner or rea-mer for pipe bowls having a su,lostantially U-shaped reaming element silient strip of metal having a suitable handle attached to its outei` or free ends and being stiffened adjacent said handle to resist the torsional strain applied thereto while rotating the saine during the act of cleaning a pipe bowl.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction, and in the arrangement and cornbination of parts to be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention applied to the bowl of a tobacco pipe showing the manner 4in which the cleaner or reamer is manipulated.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the bowl-end of the pipe showing my improved cleaner or reamer inserted therein and the manner in which it is rendered self-conformable to the interior contour of the pipe bowl.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the complete cleaner or reamer.

Fig. 4 isa section taken on line 4 4, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through the handle or outer end of the device.

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on line 6-S, Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrow crossing said line.

Fig. 7 is a detached perspective' view of the sleeve retainer forming part of the handle.

constructed of a comparatively thin narrow re- (ci. iai-13) Referring to the drawing in detail, 8 designa'tes a tobacco pipe having tobacco bowl S at one end, as is common.

The cleaner or reamer comprises three parts, namely, a cleaning or rea-ming element it, a hanf dle li, and a retainer sleeve i2 forming part of said handle. Thecleaning or reaming element is formed of a narrow stripof flat resilient metal, such as sliocl spriiig or highly carbonized steel, properly tempered and curved between its ends` to provide a yielding bight i3 andV yielding side parts or legs it. Y

The handle ll is thirnble-lilfe in form to provide a peripheral wall l5, preferably cylindrical, andan outer end wall it. rPhe outer surface of this handle is serrated or otherwise roughened, as at l?, to aid in gripping thesame between the thumb and foreiingerr of a hand, or in any other manner. v

The retainer sleeve is provided at diainetrically opposite points with grooves t3 which extend the full length thereof, and may be a trifle less in depth than the thickness of the flexible strip inaterial forming thecleaning er reaming element. The outer or free ends of. the cleaning or reaming element are placed within kthe grooves and the sleeve inserted into the handle under pressure, with the result that the ends of the substantially U-shaped cleaning or rearning element are firmly clamped. between the thimble-like outer and the sleeve-like inner members of the handle. The three parts of the device are thus firmly connected together without resorting to the 1Lise of rivets, solder, or other fastening means.

It will therefore be apparent that the forcing of the retainer sleeve into the thimble-like handle assures a secure fastening of the cleaning or reaining element in place, and due to the fact that the retainer sleeve is inserted into the thimble-like handle under considerable pressure, the grooves within said retainer sleeve need not necessarily be shallower than the thickness of the metallic strip forming the cleaning or reaming element. However, to assure a secure fastening, the strip should at least correspond in thickness to the depth of said grooves. When thus assembled the device comprises a loop-like or substantially Ushaped cleaning or roaming element and a handle, which latter, in a broad sense, may be considered to include both members ll and l2, herein separately referred to as the handle and retainer sleeve, respectively. The loop of the cleaning or reaming element has itsA greatest width between its bight and the handle, and is therefore rendered quite resilient so as to conform to the interiors of various sized bowls of tobacco pipes. This formation permits of the ready insertion cf the cleaningv or reaming element into a bowl, and by pressing downwardly upon the device, said element automatically shapes itself to the interior contour of the bowl s0 as to ream the same from the bottom to the top; or at least, depending on the depth of the bovl, from the extreme bottom upwardly or outwardly toward the top.

When inserted into the bowl the handle is taken hold of and rotated, with the result that the flexible cleaning element is moved circularly in contact with the inner wall surface of the bowl, the sharp corners at the edge of the element acting upon the adhering tobacco or carbon and effectively scraping or reaming the same from the wall of the bowl.

The cleaning or reaming element may be rotated continuously in a circular direction, or back and forth, as may be found desirable, and in such cases where the element is not in contact with the upper portion of the wall of the bowl when fully inserted into the bowl, after reaming the lower or inner portion, the device may be liftedv or raised so that the cleaning of the upper portion of the wall can take place.

Such rotary movement of the cleaning or reaming element results in torsional strain being applied to the side parts or legs thereof, particularly in proximity to the handle, and since said element is most effective when made comparatively thin due to the desirability of having it conform itself to the shape of the bowl, I provide each of the side parts or legs I4 of the element adjacent the handle with stiifening ribs I9 which extend downwardly from the handle and from opposite ends are gradually widened to a point midlength so that they gradually merge from their medial points directly into the flat formation of said parts or legs. By thus stiffening the spaced parts or legs of the cleaning or reaming element all tendency of said parts or legs to twist adjacent the handle is obviated.

It will be apparent therefore that I have produced a pipe cleaner or reamer which is exceedingly flexible so that it will conform itself to the shape ofthe interior of a tobacco bowl when inserted thereinto, yet be exceedingly rigid, and in addition thereto provide a convenient handle having an outer end face formed by the outer end wall i6 of the handle, which can be used as a tamper for pressing down the tobacco in the bowl while smoking. The device is therefore one which will serve as a pocket companion to a tobacco pipe, and will aid in keeping a pipe in perfect smoking condition and also enable the tobacco to be properly packed during the act of smoking Without resorting to the usual method of inserting a finger into the bowl for this purpose, which occasionally results in pain due to a slight burn, and also causes soiling of the hand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A tobacco pipe cleaner, comprising a hollow handle, a thin fiat resilient strip of metal curved between its ends and having its ends inserted into said hollow handle, and a retainer sleeve provided with grooves at diametrically opposite ends to receive the ends of said strip, said retainer sleeve being forcibly inserted into said hollow handle to clamp the ends of said strip between said handle and said retainer sleeve.

2. A tobacco pipe cleaner, comprising a cylindrical handle, a sleeve forcibly inserted into said handle and having grooves arranged longitudinally therein at diametrically opposite points, and a flat resilient strip of metal curved between its ends and having its ends inserted into vsaid grooves and clamped between said handle and said retainer sleeve, said stripr having stiffening ribs near its ends extending downwardly from said handle, each of said ribs being gradually widened from its ends towards its longitudinal center so that said ribs gradually merge at opposite ends into the flat portions of said strips.

FLORIAN POSSINGER.

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