U.S. patent application number 09/872793 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-29 for cleaning apparatus.
Invention is credited to Duplessis, Mariha M..
Application Number | 20010044980 09/872793 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25587430 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010044980 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Duplessis, Mariha M. |
November 29, 2001 |
Cleaning apparatus
Abstract
A cleaning apparatus includes an elongate handle and a hollow
cleaning head connected to the handle. The cleaning head has a
slotted opening on the periphery thereof. A blade is securable to
the handle in the interior of the cleaning head and the blade is
movable under axial rotation of the handle relative to the cleaning
head, between an extended position in which the blade projects
outwardly from the cleaning head, and a retracted position in which
the blade is contained within the cleaning head.
Inventors: |
Duplessis, Mariha M.;
(Bloemfontein, ZA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DARBY & DARBY P.C.
805 Third Avenue
New York
NY
10022
US
|
Family ID: |
25587430 |
Appl. No.: |
09/872793 |
Filed: |
June 1, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09872793 |
Jun 1, 2001 |
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PCT/ZA99/00128 |
Nov 26, 1999 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
15/121 ; 15/118;
15/211; 15/244.1; 15/245 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 13/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/121 ; 15/118;
15/245; 15/244.1; 15/211 |
International
Class: |
A47L 013/11; A47L
013/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 1, 1998 |
ZA |
98/10967 |
Claims
1. A cleaning apparatus, comprising; a handle; a hollow cleaning
head connectable to the handle, the cleaning head having a slotted
opening on the periphery thereof; and a blade securable to the
handle, the blade being movable between an extended position in
which the blade projects outwardly from the cleaning head through
the slotted opening, and a retracted position in which the blade is
contained within the cleaning head.
2. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the blade is
elongate.
3. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the elongate
blade is rubber.
4. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the handle
is elongate.
5. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the elongate
handle is extendible.
6. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the blade is
movable between the extended and retracted positions by means of
axial rotation of the handle relative to the cleaning head
7. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the hollow
cleaning head is made out of a plastics material.
8. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which a first
portion of the external surface of the cleaning head has a layer of
absorbent cleaning material secured thereto.
9. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which the
absorbent cleaning material is any one of foam, chamois or a
fibrous material.
10. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which a second
portion of the external surface of the cleaning head is covered
with a layer of scouring material.
11. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 10 in which the
scouring material is woven plastics filaments.
12. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the
cleaning head is substantially oblate-shaped having a large and a
small end.
13. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which the handle
is securable to the oblate-shaped head at the small end
thereof.
14. A cleaning apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which the
slotted opening is located at the large end of the cleaning head
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and, more
particularly, to a cleaning apparatus such as a mop which can be
employed to clean surfaces such as sanitaryware, floors and the
like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many cleaning apparata such as brooms, mops, duster and the
like are known for cleaning surfaces in domestic and industrial
applications.
[0003] In general, such a cleaning apparatus comprises a cleaning
head attached to an elongate handle. The head can be made from a
variety of different materials, such as foam rubber, sponge rubber,
chamois and flax, whilst the elongate handle is usually made of
wood or of a plastics material.
[0004] It is common for the cleaning head to be fixed relative to
the elongate handle and this makes the cleaning of contoured
sanitaryware surfaces difficult, particularly when a user of the
cleaning apparatus has limited mobility, such as may be the case
with elderly persons.
[0005] In order to overcome this disadvantage, it is known to
provide the cleaning head with limited movement relative to the
elongate handle. Cleaning apparata of this type are still
unsatisfactory for cleaning angled, hard to reach or uneven
surfaces, as the position of the elongate handle of cleaning
apparatus must be positioned to ensure a satisfactory contact
between the cleaning head and a surface to be cleaned. This is
tedious when the surface to be cleaned is contoured such as the
bottom and sides of a bath tub.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an object of this invention to provide a cleaning
apparatus which will, at least partially, alleviate the
abovementioned difficulties and disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with this invention there is provided a
cleaning apparatus, comprising;
[0008] a handle;
[0009] a hollow cleaning head connectable to the handle, the
cleaning head having a slotted opening on the periphery thereof;
and
[0010] a blade securable to the handle, the blade being movable
between an extended position in which the blade projects outwardly
from the cleaning head through the slotted opening, and a retracted
position in which the blade is contained within the cleaning
head.
[0011] Further features of the invention provide for the blade to
be elongate, for the elongate blade to be rubber, for the handle to
be elongate, for the elongate handle to be extendible, and for the
blade to be movable between the extended and retracted positions by
means of axial rotation of the handle relative to the cleaning
head.
[0012] Still further features of the invention provide for the
hollow cleaning head to be made out of a plastics material, for a
first portion of the external surface of the cleaning head to have
a layer of absorbent cleaning material secured thereto, for the
absorbent cleaning material to be any one of foam, chamois or a
fibrous material, for a second portion of the external surface of
the cleaning head to be covered with a layer of scouring material
and for the scouring material to be woven plastics filaments.
[0013] Preferably, the cleaning head is substantially oblate-shaped
having a large and a small end, the handle to be securable to the
oblate-shaped head at the small end thereof, and the slotted
opening to be located at the large end of the cleaning head.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below,
by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning apparatus
according to the invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is an end view of a cleaning head of the cleaning
apparatus of FIG. 1; and
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side view of the cleaning apparatus of FIG. 1,
shown with a blade in an extended position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, a cleaning apparatus is indicated
generally by reference numeral (1).
[0019] The cleaning apparatus (1) includes an elongate, handle (2)
and a substantially oblate-shaped plastics cleaning head indicated
generally by reference numeral (3). The oblate-shaped cleaning head
has small and large ends (10 and 11), respectively. The elongate
handle (2) Is tubular and is made of plastics material such as
polyvinyl chloride. A first end (4) of the elongate handle (2) is
received in a complementary socket (not shown) on the cleaning head
(3) located at the small end (10) thereof.
[0020] The oblate-shaped head (3) has an elongate slotted opening
(12) at the large end (11) thereof. A rubber blade (13) of suitable
dimension to fit through the slotted opening (12) is connected to
the handle (2) in the interior of the cleaning head (3). The blade
(13) Is movable under axial rotation of the handle (2) relative to
the cleaning head (3), between an extended position in which the
blade projects outwardly from the cleaning head (3) through the
slotted opening (12), and a retracted position in which the blade
is contained within the interior of the cleaning head. The
arrangement for providing axial movement of the blade (13) relative
to the handle (2) under axial rotation thereof is well known in the
art and will not be described here In detail,
[0021] The elongate handle comprises two elongate telescoping
sections (14a and 14b) which may be locked in position by means of
a twist lock arrangement (15) which is well known in the art
[0022] A first portion (16) of the cleaning head (3) has a layer of
absorbent cleaning material in the form of foam secured thereto. A
second portion (17) of the cleaning head (3) is covered with a
layer of scouring material in the form of woven plastic filaments,
which is well known and commonly used in pot scourers and the
like.
[0023] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
cleaning apparatus (1) is advantageous in instances where it Is
desired to clean an angled, uneven or hard-to-reach surface, such
as sanitaryware and the like. In such applications the oblate-shape
of the cleaning head (3) will provide an optimum contact between
the cleaning head and the surface to be cleaned, without requiring
a user of the cleaning apparatus to continuously adjust the
orientation of the elongate handle (2). This will render the
cleaning apparatus (1) easier and more convenient to use than prior
art equivalents. Further, the user may utilize the absorbent
cleaning material or the scouring material to clean surfaces as is
necessitated by the needs of a particular application. Still
further, the user may extend the rubber blade as required which
enables the cleaning apparatus to be employed to displace liquid
from a flat surface such as a floor, a window or the like.
[0024] Numerous modifications are possible to this embodiment
without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular
the elongate handle (2) can include a universal joint along its
length to enable the cleaning apparatus (1) to be used to reach
otherwise inaccessible locations. Further, differently shaped
cleaning heads (3) may be used to suit the needs of particular
applications, while different types of absorbent cleaning material,
such as other fibrous materials or chamois, may be utilised on the
cleaning head (3), as alternatives to the sponge (16).
[0025] It is envisaged that the cleaning head (3) is
Interchangeable with different types of cleaning heads.
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