U.S. patent application number 11/737420 was filed with the patent office on 2008-05-01 for underbody car wash for home use.
Invention is credited to Aaron B. Arbiture, James W. Fleming, Dan Herried, Dale R. Rosson, Mark J. Zinski.
Application Number | 20080099588 11/737420 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34984897 |
Filed Date | 2008-05-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080099588 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zinski; Mark J. ; et
al. |
May 1, 2008 |
UNDERBODY CAR WASH FOR HOME USE
Abstract
An underbody car wash sprayer for home-use, which can be hooked
up solely to a garden hose or in combination with a pressure
washer. The device utilizes a three nozzled "I" design, supported
by four swiveling casters. In addition, it is connected to an
ergonomically effective wand system to allow easy maneuverability
under the vehicle. Finally, in some embodiments a trigger spray gun
acts as a handle and pressure regulator. The compactness of the
specific design allows for significant material reduction and hence
a reduction in production costs, providing the consumer with a more
economical choice. Additionally, the concentrated pressure and
spray pattern of the "I" design along with its precision
maneuverability allows the consumer to easily access and forcefully
remove sediment adhesions to the vehicle underbody while
controlling water flow at all times with a trigger spray gun.
Inventors: |
Zinski; Mark J.; (Milwaukee,
WI) ; Rosson; Dale R.; (Elkhorn, WI) ;
Fleming; James W.; (Appleton, WI) ; Arbiture; Aaron
B.; (Sullivan, WI) ; Herried; Dan; (Milwaukee,
WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WHYTE HIRSCHBOECK DUDEK S C
555 EAST WELLS STREET, SUITE 1900
MILWAUKEE
WI
53202
US
|
Family ID: |
34984897 |
Appl. No.: |
11/737420 |
Filed: |
April 19, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10803228 |
Mar 18, 2004 |
7208051 |
|
|
11737420 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
239/722 ;
134/123; 239/532 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B08B 3/028 20130101;
B05B 15/65 20180201; B08B 3/024 20130101; B05B 1/202 20130101; B08B
3/026 20130101; B05B 9/01 20130101; B05B 13/04 20130101; B60S 3/042
20130101; B05B 1/205 20130101; B05B 9/007 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
239/722 ;
134/123; 239/532 |
International
Class: |
B05B 3/00 20060101
B05B003/00; B08B 3/02 20060101 B08B003/02 |
Claims
1. A high-pressure pressure washing apparatus comprising: a handle
configured to receive fluid at a first location on the handle and
further configured to provide the received fluid to a second
location on the handle; a base coupled to the second location on
the handle; at least three wheels that are coupled to the base at
three locations on the base; at least two nozzles having external
orifices proximate a top of the base that are directed to emit the
fluid; at least one internal channel capable of communicating fluid
received from the handle to the nozzles; and a mirror is coupled to
one of the base and the handle.
2. The high-pressure pressure washing apparatus of claim 1, further
comprising a light that is coupled to one of the base and the
handle.
3. The high-pressure pressure washing apparatus of claim 1, further
comprising means for varying a height of the torso relative to a
ground surface supporting the base.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to devices for cleaning
automobiles and similar vehicles and, more particularly, relates to
devices for cleaning the undersides of such vehicles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In order to better maintain and enhance the performance of
automobiles and similar vehicles, as well as to enhance the
vehicles' aesthetic appearance, it is desirable to maintain the
cleanliness of the exteriors of the vehicles. Indeed, underbody
washing maintenance has been shown to successfully stem the
corrosive effects of road salt, sand, and dust, and thereby provide
a consumer with repair cost savings over the life of his or her
vehicle.
[0003] Given the expense associated with professionally cleaning
their vehicles, many persons choose to clean their vehicles at
home. Yet while the sides and tops of vehicles are readily
accessible to persons who wish to manually clean their vehicles,
the underbodies of vehicles are more difficult to reach by a person
without specialized cleaning tools. Further, the types of dirt and
other grime that collect along the underbodies of vehicles often
are different than, and often are more difficult to remove than,
the substances that collect on other parts of vehicles.
[0004] For these reasons, a series of devices have been developed
for facilitating the home-cleaning of vehicles' underbodies, and a
number of U.S. patents have issued in relation to such devices. A
primary goal of such devices has been to provide consumers with
mechanisms for cleaning their vehicles' underbodies that not only
rival the cleaning efficacy of professional underbody wash systems
available at local car washes and the like, but also are relatively
inexpensive and easy to use. Typically reliant upon home water
sources (e.g., the water provided via a garden hose outlet from a
consumer's home), such known devices have become more practical
with the advent of pressure washer systems enabling the consumer to
generate pressures approaching or exceeding 1,000 psi, since the
application of higher-pressure water is more effective at removing
adhesive sediments from the underbody of a vehicle.
[0005] Among these known devices are those shown in U.S. Pat. No.
4,580,726 issued on Apr. 8, 1986 to Unger; U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,746
issued on Jan. 15, 1991 to Joyal; U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,392 issued on
Aug. 5, 1997 to Wells; U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,014 issued on Jan. 13,
1998 to Chan et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,640 issued on Jun. 27,
2000 to Merrits.
[0006] Although each of the known devices disclosed in the
aforementioned patents can be used for the purpose of underbody
cleaning, each of these devices has various disadvantages that
limit the devices' efficacy. With respect to the device shown in
Unger, a housing is supported upon a pair of castor wheels at
opposite ends (along the sides) of the housing. The housing
includes two nozzles, also positioned proximate the opposite ends
of the housing, for spraying fluid upward toward a vehicle
underbody. Because the housing employs a large, rectangular-shaped
body, significant amounts of material must be used to form the
housing. Further, because the housing employs a large amount of
material, it is heavier than it might otherwise be, which can make
it more difficult for a user to move or turn the housing.
[0007] Further, the use of two castor wheels makes it possible for
the housing to wobble (e.g., in a front-to-back or back-to-front
manner). Although this wobbling capability allows tipping of the
housing fore and aft, it reduces the stability of the housing and
increases the difficulty of controlling the exact direction of
fluid squirted out of nozzles. This difficulty is exacerbated by
the fact that the handle is flexibly coupled to the housing by way
of a flexible hose portion, rather than coupled in a fixed manner.
Finally, it is unclear from Unger how the two nozzles shown in that
patent can be appropriately configured to maximize cleaning
effectiveness of the device.
[0008] As for Joyal, while that patent discloses embodiments of
underbody washing mechanisms that have T-shaped or triangularly
shaped bodies with three wheels, where at least one of the wheels
is a castor wheel, at least one or two of the wheels of each of the
embodiments are wheels that are controllably steered by an operator
by way of a handle of the respective device. Thus, while the
devices in Joyal are more stable than the wobbling housing shown in
Unger, the use of wheels that are controlled in their steering
orientation makes the devices in Joyal complicated both in terms of
operation and manufacture. In particular, in terms of operating the
devices in Joyal, the use of the controllably steered wheels would
appear to prevent side-to-side movement that is available with the
devices in Unger. Further, to the extent that the devices in Joyal
not only provide for controllably steered wheels but also link
movement of the spray nozzles to movement of the steered wheels,
the devices are even more complicated to operate.
[0009] Additionally, while the T-shaped embodiment shown in Joyal
employs three nozzles or rotary caps (each having multiple
orifices) along a central axis of the T-shaped body, this axis is
oriented in a front-to-back manner as opposed to being oriented in
a side-to-side manner as are the nozzles on the housing shown by
Unger. Consequently, movement of the T-shaped body of Joyal
underneath a car does not expose as great of an area of the
underbody of the car to fluid as the device of Unger. Additionally,
to the extent that the design employs the rotary caps, the design
is rather complicated and lacking in robustness. As for the
additional, triangular-shaped embodiment shown in Joyal, that
device appears to only include a single nozzle or rotary cap, and
consequently also is lacking in terms of the area of the underbody
that it cleans, its complexity, and its robustness. Further,
because the housings of the devices shown in Joyal are relatively
large, the housings again utilize a large amount of material that
can further increase the expense of manufacturing these
devices.
[0010] With respect to devices shown in Wells and Chan et al., each
of these devices employs a linear base having two fixed wheels
spaced on opposite ends of the base and having multiple
orifices/holes spaced between the wheels in a side-to-side manner.
Although, in contrast to the devices in Joyal and similar to the
device in Unger, the devices in Wells and Chan et al. are able to
direct fluid along a wide area as the linear base is moved
underneath an automobile, the use of fixed wheels along the sides
of the linear base prevents easy side-to-side movement underneath
the automobile. Additional fixed wheels shown in Chan et al. that
are coupled to a handle extending rearward from the linear base
further compound this problem. Additionally, it is not clear from
these patents that an efficient spray pattern can be achieved given
the particular nozzle arrangements that are employed. Further, the
device shown in Chan et al. in particular requires a large number
of parts so that it can perform a variety of cleaning functions,
and consequently is relatively expensive to manufacture.
[0011] As for the device shown in Merrits, this device does not
include a wheeled base resting along the ground but rather employs
a series of orifices along an end portion of the handle that is
supported by the operator. As in the case of one of the devices
shown in Joyal, these orifices are positioned along the handle from
front-to-back rather than in a side-to-side orientation, and
consequently, as in the case of Joyal, the amount of area impacted
by cleaning fluid is undesirably limited. Further, because a base
is not used, it is difficult for an operator to control the
direction of fluid emanating from the nozzles.
[0012] Given these limitations associated with the prior art, it
would be advantageous if a new, improved device for cleaning the
underbodies of automobiles and similar vehicles could be developed.
In particular, it would be advantageous if such a device was easily
maneuverable in all directions by an operator, including not only
frontward and backward, but also sideways movements. It would
further be advantageous if such a device was highly stable,
particularly in terms of the portion of the device from which fluid
emanated, thereby allowing an operator to more easily and
consistently clean the underbody of a vehicle. It would
additionally be advantageous if the device was capable of directing
fluid at a wide area under a vehicle in an efficient manner, so
that a large vehicle underbody could be exposed relatively rapidly
to fluid in a manner that made efficient use of water resources. It
further would be advantageous if the device was inexpensive to
manufacture and did not require a large number of parts and/or a
large amount of manufacturing material. Additionally, it would be
advantageous if such a device more effectively distributed or
applied water (and/or other cleaning solutions) on the underbodies
of vehicles than conventional devices. Further, it would be
advantageous if such a device could utilize water sources
conventionally available at consumers' homes, such as the tap for a
garden hose, and advantageous if such a device was relatively
simple to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present inventor has recognized that an improved
underbody cleaning device could, in certain embodiments, employ a
set of water/cleaning solution emission nozzles spaced in a
side-to-side manner along a central axis of an I-shaped base, where
the I-shaped base further was mounted on four caster wheels
positioned respectively on or near the respective endpoints of the
end cross-axes of the I-shaped base. By connecting the I-shaped
base to a water supply by way of a control arm coupled at the
center of the central axis and extending outward substantially
perpendicular therefrom, a user could easily control the
positioning of the I-shaped base so as to expose a large swath of
the underbody of a vehicle to water or other cleaning fluid. Use of
the four swiveling caster wheels would render the I-shaped base
both highly stable and easily maneuverable in terms of both
frontward/backward and side-to-side movement, and use of an
I-shaped base would minimize material requirements.
[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, in particular,
three nozzles are positioned along the central axis of the I-shaped
base in a manner intended to maximize cleaning efficiency. Further,
in some embodiments, the handle extends from the I-shaped base
horizontally outward and then, at a location sufficiently distant
from the base so that it would typically be clear of the vehicle
during use, the handle further extends upward and outward at a 135
degree angle. Additionally, in yet other embodiments, a base having
a shape other than an I-shape could be employed, or a base
supported by only 3, or more than four, caster wheels could be
used.
[0015] In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus
for applying a fluid to an underbody of a vehicle. The apparatus
includes a handle configured to receive fluid at a first location
on the handle and further configured to provide the received fluid
to a second location on the handle. The apparatus further includes
a base coupled to the second location on the handle, where at least
a portion of the handle extends toward the base along a first axis.
The base includes a torso and also at least three wheels coupled to
the torso at three locations on the torso, where each of the wheels
is coupled to the torso in a manner allowing for a respective
rotational axis about which the wheel rotates to rotate about a
respective additional axis, and where each wheel is capable of
interfacing a support surface at a tangent location at the bottom
of the respective wheel, the respective tangent locations defining
a plane. The base further includes at least two nozzles having
external orifices proximate a top of the torso that are directed to
emit the fluid, where the two nozzles are spaced apart from another
along a second axis that at least includes a component that is
perpendicular to the first axis, and at least one internal channel
capable of communicating fluid received from the handle to the
nozzles.
[0016] The present invention further relates to an apparatus for
washing an underbody of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a base,
at least two orifices on the base, the orifices being spaced apart
from one another along a side- to-side axis, at least three
freely-swiveling wheels coupled to the base and supporting the base
in a non-wobbling manner, and a handle coupled to the base and
extending away from the base along a generally front-to-back
axis.
[0017] The present invention additionally relates to a method of
cleaning an underbody of a vehicle. The method includes providing
an underbody cleaning device having a base stably supported upon at
least three freely-swiveling wheels and a handle coupled to the
base, where the base includes at least two
substantially-upwardly-directed orifices positioned at different
respective locations along a first axis that is substantially
parallel to the ground and substantially perpendicular to a second
axis along which a portion of the handle extends away from the
base. The method further includes coupling the underbody cleaning
device to a source of pressurized fluid, and moving the base of the
underbody cleaning device under the vehicle so that the base moves
in a first direction having a forward component that is
substantially perpendicular to the first axis. Due to the wheels
being freely-swiveling, the base can also be moved in a second
direction generally perpendicular to the first direction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a device for cleaning the
underside of a vehicle in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 shows an elevation view of the handle employed in the
device of FIG. 1;
[0020] FIGS. 3A and 3B show, respectively, two perspective views of
a base of the device of FIG. 1;
[0021] FIGS. 4A and 4B show top and side elevation views of an
I-shaped structure forming a portion of the base shown in FIGS. 1,
3A and 3B;
[0022] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an exemplary spray nozzle
capable of being mounted on the base of FIGS. 3A,3B,4A and 4B;
and
[0023] FIG. 6 shows schematically paths of water and/or cleaning
solution emanating from nozzles of the device of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary underbody cleaning device
5 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention
includes a base 15 having an I-shaped torso 40 coupled to and
supported by four freely-swiveling casters 45 (or similar
wheeled-type components that freely allow movement in a variety of
directions). At or proximate to a central location 55 along a
central axis bar 60 of the I-shaped torso 40 is coupled a handle 65
that includes therewithin (or itself constitutes) a tube 20 that is
capable of communicating fluids such as water and/or cleaning
solution from an inlet 75 to a quick-connect 30 on the base 15.
Fluids provided to the quick-connect 30 are in turn communicated
within the I-shaped torso 40 (e.g., by way of one or more tubes or
similar passages therewithin, not shown) to one or more sprayer
nozzles 50 mounted along a top side 85 of the I-shaped torso spaced
along the central axis bar 60.
[0025] Further as shown in FIG. 1, the four casters 45 each are
positioned at respective ends 42 of end cross-bars 44 of the
I-shaped torso 40. By using four casters 45 in this manner, the
base 15 is highly stable, and the fluid emanating from the nozzles
50 is sprayed in a consistent manner regardless of movements of the
base 15. Further, because the handle 65 extends perpendicularly (or
substantially perpendicularly) away from the central axis bar 60,
the nozzles 50 when directed underneath a vehicle generally direct
fluid towards a wide swath of the underbody rather than just a
narrow swath that might otherwise be impinged if such nozzles were
aligned parallel to the handle 65 rather than along the central
axis bar. Consequently, cleaning of the entire underbody of a
vehicle can be performed much more rapidly than would be possible
using nozzles aligned along the handle.
[0026] Also as shown in FIG. 1, in a preferred embodiment, the
handle 65 at a far end 70 away from the I-shaped torso 40 includes
a sprayer trigger gun 10. The gun 10 governs whether fluid
communicated to the inlet 75 is in turn communicated to the quick
connect 30 and in turn to the sprayer nozzles 50 (the inlet 75 in
at least some embodiments is an inlet to the gun). Preferably, the
sprayer-trigger gun 10 is detachable from a remainder of the handle
65 and is capable of handling high pressures, such as 1800-psi. The
inlet 75 of the handle 65 (and/or the gun 10) preferably is
threaded and capable of being coupled directly to a garden hose or
to an outlet of a pump, such as a 1300-psi pump. Insofar as the
sprayer trigger gun 10 typically will be the portion of the handle
65 that is usually handled by a user, the sprayer trigger gun 10
typically serves not only as a control valve governing the
communication of fluid to the sprayer nozzles 50 but also operates
as the grasping/steering mechanism by which a user is able to
position the base 15 appropriately under a vehicle.
[0027] In preferred embodiments, the handle 65 is formed simply as
the combination of the sprayer trigger gun 10 and the sprayer tube
20. In some such embodiments, the sprayer tube 20 is made of
stainless steel type 316, with 3/8 inch OD, a thickness of 1/8
inch, and a 0.035 wall. Further, with respect to the length and
height of the handle 65/sprayer tube 20, FIG. 2 shows the
dimensions of the sprayer tube in one such embodiment. Because the
handle 65 is intended to reach well under (and typically at least
half-way under) a vehicle, the handle 65 includes a horizontal
portion 90 designed to extend under the vehicle. Since an average
automobile's width is 6 feet, in the present embodiment the
horizontal portion extends at least half of 6 feet, or 36 inches,
as shown in FIG. 2.
[0028] To allow a user to control the positioning of the base 15
while standing up, the handle 65 includes a second,
vertically-extending portion 95 that generally extends to a level
such that the sprayer trigger gun 10 could be easily grabbed and
controlled by a user with his or her hand without bending over. In
the preferred embodiment, the portion 95 is not directly vertical
but rather is diagonally oriented, to facilitate direction of the
base 15 by a user without requiring excessive rotational exertion
by way of the user's wrist. To this end, one preferred ergonomic
design of the vertically-extending portion 95 involves a
vertically-extending portion angled at 135 degrees relative to the
horizontal portion 90 and extending about 30 inches higher than the
horizontal portion 90 as shown. [0029] Referring to FIG. 3A, the
quick connect 30 is positioned on the I-shaped torso 40 so as to be
easily connected to the tube 20/handle 65 in manners well known-to
those of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, for
example, the quick connect 30 encompasses a threaded, male-type
extension capable of being attached to a handle having a threaded,
female-type end (or vice-versa). FIG. 3A in particular shows a 3/8
inch quick-connect 30 that is positioned slightly to the right of
the center of the I-shaped torso 40 (and to the right of the center
nozzle 50), albeit in alternate embodiments, the quick-connect
could be directly centered on the I-shaped torso 40 or positioned
at another location on the torso. Typically the quick-connect 30 is
positioned at or near the center of the I-shaped torso 40 for
providing a "balanced feel" to an operator moving the device 5.
[0029] As for FIG. 3B, a height 88 of the top side 85 of the
I-shaped torso 40 relative to the ground or other surface on which
it is mounted (as supported by the casters 45) is, in a preferred
embodiment, shown to be 4'' inches high due to consideration of the
average height of a vehicle underbody and the spray pattern to be
discussed below with reference to FIG. 6. Although not necessarily
the case, the nozzles 50 in the present embodiment do not extend
upward beyond the top side 85 of the I-shaped torso 40, to avoid
the possibility of one or more of the nozzles becoming caught on a
portion of a vehicle or another component.
[0030] FIGS. 4A and 4B show in greater detail a preferred
embodiment of the I-shaped torso 40. In this embodiment, the
I-shaped torso 40 is made from an aluminum tube that is
1.times.1.times.1/8 inch thick. The central axis bar 60 of the
I-shaped torso measures 15'' inches in length, while each of the
end cross-bars 44 measure 7 inches in length. The quick-connect 30
in the embodiment shown is adjoined to the aluminum via a 1/4 inch
27 pipe thread. Also, the three sprayer nozzles 50 are shown in
FIG. 5 to be spaced apart from one another by a spacing of 3.75
inches, with at least one of the end nozzles being spaced from one
of the end cross-bars 44 by 2.75 inches. Additionally, the nozzles
50 have a 1/4'' 27 pipe thread for being coupled to the I-shaped
torso 40. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, in a preferred embodiment, each
of the nozzles 50 is a brass flat fan-spray nozzle with an orifice
of 0.057 inches and spray angle 87 of 50 degrees.
[0031] FIG. 6 depicts a spray pattern that can be achieved using
the device 5 in accordance with the preferred embodiments in FIGS.
3B,4A,4B and 5. Given a height of the top side 85 of the I-shaped
torso 40 of 4 inches, which is about half of the generally accepted
height of an average sedan (e.g., 8 inches), fluid emanating from
the three nozzles 50 covers continuously a wide area 100 of the
underbody that is 4 inches above the nozzles. If the device is
provided under a larger vehicle, such as a sport utility vehicle
(SUV) having generally an underbody height of 11 inches off of the
ground, a larger area 105 is continuously impacted by fluid from
the nozzles 50. If the device is provided under a smaller vehicle,
such as a compact car having generally an underbody height of 7
inches off of the ground, a smaller area 110 is impacted, in only a
discontinuous manner.
[0032] Although the embodiments discussed above are certain
embodiments encompassed by the present invention, the present
invention is intended to encompass other embodiments as well. For
example, in alternate embodiments, the present invention could
employ a differently-shaped base that was supported by caster
wheels or otherwise swiveling wheels. In each of these embodiments,
the base would be supported by at least three such wheels so that
the base was supported in a stable manner above the ground or other
surface on which it was situated. The base preferably would be
designed so as to reduce the amount of material required for its
formation. The shape of the base would, however, necessarily be of
a form such that the three or more castor wheels were positioned to
maintain stability.
[0033] For example, the base could take on the shape of a perimeter
of a rectangle or an isosceles triangle with castor wheels at each
of the corners of rectangle/triangle. Alternately, the base could
take on a "T-shape or a plus sign-shape with swiveling castor
wheels at each of the ends of the bars forming the shapes. In each
such design, however, multiple nozzles would be positioned along
one or more of the bars so that the nozzles were spaced generally
along an axis having a substantially side-to-side component. Thus,
a V-shaped design with two castor wheels at the ends of each leg of
the V and also an additional wheel at the vertex of the V could
also be employed, with nozzles on the diagonally- directed legs of
the V, since the nozzles would still be spaced apart from one
another along such a side-to-side axis.
[0034] The materials used to form the base, the handle, and other
portions of the device in accordance with the present invention can
also vary from those discussed above in alternate embodiments.
Also, the base 15 need not have a rectangular/square cross-section
as shown in FIG. 4B, and nozzles 50 can take on a variety of types
other than that shown in FIG. 5. In certain alternate embodiments,
particularly those employing nozzles having angles of dispersion
greater or less than 50 degrees, the number of nozzles and/or the
spacing of nozzles can vary from the three nozzles spaced apart as
shown in FIG. 4A. For example, in some embodiments, four nozzles
each having a smaller angle of dispersion could be employed. While
nozzles are used in the present embodiment, simple orifices or
other spraying devices could also be used. Further, in certain
embodiments, the castor wheels are mounted to the I-shaped torso 40
in a manner such that the height of the torso can be varied from
the ground, to adjust for the type of vehicle with respect to which
the device is being used.
[0035] In further alternate embodiments, convex, circular mirrors
with periscopic design could be attached to the handle 65 allowing
a user to view any section of the underbody through the mirror
system while remaining in standing position. Also, in some
alternate embodiments, the handle could be telescopically
collapsible, thus allowing the device to be folded and stored more
easily. Further, in some alternate embodiments, a battery-operated
light attachment would be mounted on the handle and/or the base to
allow for increased visibility.
[0036] Additionally, in some alternate embodiments, the base would
allow for various nozzles to be mounted and interchanged with one
another to accommodate potential consumer preferences for spray
distribution based on vehicle type and height. Further, in some of
the embodiments that employ the trigger gun, one or more adjustable
pressure inputs could be provided on the trigger-gun. Further, in
some alternate embodiments, a water basin attachment to collect
water for conservation or to prevent run-off if using device in
conjunction with soap injector could be employed. Additionally, a
brush system could be employed on the base or otherwise to allow
user to scrub road sediment from underbody. Further, the sprayer
tube could be detachable so as to be used independently as a
separate spray wand for washing other parts of the vehicle.
[0037] While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes
the preferred embodiments of this invention, it is to be understood
that the invention is not limited to the precise construction
herein disclosed. The invention can be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes.
Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims,
rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope
of the invention.
* * * * *