U.S. patent application number 12/809842 was filed with the patent office on 2010-11-04 for device for cleaning toilet bowls and disposable cleaning element therefore.
This patent application is currently assigned to Diskoigien Sas Di Peterlin Davide & C.. Invention is credited to Davide Peterlin.
Application Number | 20100275398 12/809842 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40315653 |
Filed Date | 2010-11-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100275398 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Peterlin; Davide |
November 4, 2010 |
DEVICE FOR CLEANING TOILET BOWLS AND DISPOSABLE CLEANING ELEMENT
THEREFORE
Abstract
A device (1) for cleaning toilet bowls, includes a tubular body
(10) provided with a handle (11) which encloses a mechanism (6)
that acts on an expanding coupling element (4) disposed in a distal
position with respect to the handle (11) and adapted to couple and
to release a cleaning element (2) of the disposable type. The
mechanism (6) includes an operating element (7) disposed near the
handle (11) to be operated by the user and a connecting rod (8),
which connects the operating element (7) to the expanding coupling
element (4). The cleaning element (2) is made of a biodegradable,
water-soluble plastic material.
Inventors: |
Peterlin; Davide; (Conco,
IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YOUNG & THOMPSON
209 Madison Street, Suite 500
Alexandria
VA
22314
US
|
Assignee: |
Diskoigien Sas Di Peterlin Davide
& C.
Romano d'Ezzelino
IT
|
Family ID: |
40315653 |
Appl. No.: |
12/809842 |
Filed: |
June 16, 2008 |
PCT Filed: |
June 16, 2008 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2008/004827 |
371 Date: |
June 21, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/143.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 11/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/143.1 |
International
Class: |
A47K 11/10 20060101
A47K011/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 21, 2007 |
IT |
MI2007A002425 |
Claims
1-18. (canceled)
19. A device (1) for cleaning toilet bowls comprising a tubular
body (10) provided with a handle (11) which encloses a mechanism
(6) that acts on an expanding coupling element (4) disposed in a
distal position with respect to the handle (11) and adapted to
couple and to release a cleaning element (2) of the disposable
type, said mechanism (6) comprising an operating element (7)
disposed near the handle (11) to be operated by the user and a
connecting rod (8) that connects said operating element (7) to said
expanding coupling element (4), characterised in that said
expanding coupling element (4) is an elastic block that engages in
a cylindrical tang (22) of said cleaning element.
20. A device (1) according to claim 19, characterised in that said
operating element (7) comprises a body (70) from which protrudes
radially a lever (73) which comes out of a slot (14) of the tubular
body (10) of the cleaning device to be operated by the user.
21. A device (1) according to claim 20, characterised in that said
operating element (7) comprises a longitudinal elastic tongue (74)
that protrudes downward from the body (70) of the operating
element, said longitudinal elastic tongue (74) being provided with
a protruding part (75) which engages with a protruding part (16)
that protrudes inward from the tubular body (10) of the cleaning
device.
22. A device (1) according to claim 21, characterised in that it
comprises a button (77) that protrudes radially from said
longitudinal tongue (74) of the operating element (7), said button
(77) coming out of a slot (15) in the tubular body (10) of the
cleaning device to be able to be operated by the user, so as to
release the protruding part (75) of the longitudinal tongue from
the protruding part (16) of the tubular body (10) of the cleaning
device.
23. A device (1) according to claim 19, characterised in that the
containing body (10, 11) of said device comprises two half shells
(5, 5') engageable with each other by means of snap means (50, 51,
50', 51').
24. A disposable cleaning element (2) for a toilet bowl cleaning
device (1), according to claim 19, said cleaning element (2) being
made of a biodegradable, water-soluble plastic material,
characterised in that it comprises a disc-shaped flange (20)
provided with a plurality of protruding parts (21) able to scrape
the dirt from the toilet bowl and a cylindrical tang (22) adapted
to engage with an expanding coupling element (4) of the cleaning
device (1).
25. A cleaning element (2) according to claim 24, characterised in
that the plane of said disc-shaped flange (20) is inclined with
respect to the axis of said tang (22).
26. A cleaning element (2) according to claim 24, characterised in
that it comprises a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based polymer.
27. A cleaning element (2) according to claim 8, characterised in
that it comprises about 70-80% of polyvinyl alcohol and the
remainder (20-30%) is made up of polyol plasticizers.
28. A cleaning element (2) according to claim 26, characterised in
that it comprises a small amount of organic or inorganic
additives.
29. A cleaning element (2) according to claim 26, characterised in
that said polyvinyl alcohol is of the type with a medium molecular
weight and a medium hydrolysis fat (86-88%).
30. A cleaning element (2) according to claim 27, characterised in
that said plasticizers are high boiling aliphatic polyols chosen
among the group of the natural or synthetic alcohols or
alcohol-esters containing at least three atoms of carbon per
molecule and not less that two primary or secondary alcohol
functional groups.
31. A cleaning element (2) according to claim 24, characterised in
that it is made by injection moulding.
32. A cleaning element (2) according to claim 27, characterised in
that it comprises a small amount of organic or inorganic additives.
Description
[0001] The present invention refers to a device for cleaning toilet
bowls.
[0002] Toilet brushes comprising a shaft ending in a cleaning head
provided with protruding parts to scrape the inner walls of the
toilet bowl are known on the market. It is obvious that these types
of brushes are not hygienic, since the toilet dirt generally
remains trapped in the gaps between the protruding parts of the
cleaning head and is therefore difficult to remove.
[0003] The Italian patent application VI2006U000005U, in the name
of the same applicant, describes a toilet cleaning device provided
with a head consisting of a disposable cleaning element, made of a
biodegradable paper material, possibly impregnated with detergent
and disinfectant products.
[0004] The cleaning element is mounted removably at the end of the
shaft and a coupling and release mechanism, provided with a
spring-operated button, allows the cleaning element to be coupled
and to be expelled. By operating the button on the handle of the
shaft, the user can cause the removal of the cleaning element. In
this manner, after each use of the cleaning device, the cleaning
element is allowed to fall into the toilet trap, preventing
build-up of dirt thereon.
[0005] However, such a type of device presents some drawbacks, due
to the paper material of the cleaning head. In fact said paper
material soaks up water and does not fulfil its cleaning function
perfectly. Furthermore, the cleaning head is not very stiff;
consequently, it must be structured with a round shape and
anchoring thereof to the end of the shaft proves difficult. The
coupling and release system also proves quite complex and
unreliable because of the provision of the spring-loaded
button.
[0006] Object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks
of the prior art by providing a disposable cleaning element and a
device for cleaning toilet bowls that is efficient, versatile,
practical and simple to make.
[0007] This object is achieved in accordance with the invention
with the characteristics set forth in appended independent claims 1
and 12.
[0008] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are apparent from
the dependent claims.
[0009] The device for cleaning toilet bowls according to the
invention comprises a tubular body provided with a handle which
encloses a mechanism that acts on an expanding coupling element
disposed in a distal position with respect to the handle and
adapted to couple and to release the disposable cleaning element.
The mechanism comprises an operating element disposed near the
handle to be operated by the user and a connecting rod, which
connects the operating element to the expanding coupling
element.
[0010] Such a mechanism proves simple, cheap and reliable.
[0011] The cleaning element is made of a biodegradable,
water-soluble plastic material. In this manner the cleaning element
can be structured with a suitable shape to perform its cleaning
function.
[0012] Further characteristics of the invention will be made
clearer by the detailed description that follows, referring to a
purely exemplifying and therefore non limiting embodiment thereof,
illustrated in the appended drawings, in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cleaning device
according to the invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
container for the cleaning elements of the device of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the
various parts that make up the cleaning device of FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 4 is an exploded axial sectional view, illustrating the
coupling and release mechanism of the cleaning device of FIG.
1;
[0017] FIG. 5 is an axial sectional view, partially broken off, of
the device of FIG. 1 assembled, during a first stage of the
coupling of the cleaning element; and
[0018] FIG. 6 is an axial sectional view like FIG. 5, in which the
cleaning element is firmly coupled to the coupling element.
[0019] A cleaning device for toilet bowls, indicated as a whole
with the reference numeral 1, is described with the aid of the
figures. With reference for now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning
device 1 comprises a containing body 10 with a substantially
tubular shape. The containing body 10 has at its proximal end a
handle 11 adapted to be gripped by a user. A coupling element 4
adapted to couple removably a disposable cleaning element or refill
2 is provided at the distal end of the tubular body 10.
[0020] The cleaning element 2 comprises a disc-shaped flange 20
provided with a plurality of protruding parts 21 which protrude
from the bottom surface thereof, to be able to scrape the inner
surface of the toilet bowl.
[0021] A cylindrical tang 22 is connected, by means of a curved
joining element 23, to the central part of the upper surface of the
disc-shaped flange 20. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tang 22 of
the cleaning element is hollow on the inside and has a cylindrical
hole 24 adapted to receive the coupling element 4 of the cleaning
device 1.
[0022] The plane of the disc-shaped flange 20 is inclined by about
45.degree. with respect to the axis of the tang 24. In this manner
the cleaning element 2 is disposed with a suitable inclination to
be able to scrape the inner surface of the toilet bowl easily.
[0023] The cleaning element 2 is made of a biodegradable,
water-soluble plastic material. In order to be disposed in the
toilet flush without polluting, said plastic material must
preferably be soluble in cold water, must not contain heavy or
toxic elements and must guarantee a minimum acute toxicity level
(LD.sub.50).
[0024] To meet the above mentioned requirements, a polyvinyl
alcohol (PVA) based polymer is used. The product used
advantageously consists of about 70-80% of polyvinyl alcohol and
the remainder (20-30%) is made up of polyol plasticizers with the
addition of a small amount of organic or inorganic additives.
[0025] The polyvinyl alcohol is of the type with a medium molecular
weight and a medium hydrolysis fat (86-88%). The plasticizers are
high boiling aliphatic polyols chosen among the group of the
natural or synthetic alcohols or alcohol-esters containing at least
three atoms of carbon per molecule and not less than two primary
and secondary alcohol functional groups.
[0026] The above mentioned plastic material is supplied in the form
of granules and can be used for injection moulding. The cleaning
element 2 can thus be made in a single piece, by injection
moulding.
[0027] The cleaning device 1 is combined with a container 3 adapted
to contain the refills for the cleaning elements 2. The container 3
has a substantially cylindrical shape, which defines a containing
chamber 30 open at the top. The container 3 can hold about fourteen
cleaning elements 2 stacked on top of each other. For this purpose,
in the central part of the bottom surface of the flange 20 of the
cleaning element a recessed hole is formed, within which the tang
22 of the cleaning element underneath is disposed.
[0028] The container 3 has a longitudinal opening 31 to allow the
user to see the number of cleaning elements 2 contained therein.
Furthermore, the container 3 has a rectangular slot 32 adapted to
receive a rectangular protuberance 18, which protrudes outward from
the tubular shaft 10 of the cleaning device 1. In this manner the
cleaning device 1 can be disposed vertically, alongside the
container 3.
[0029] At the base of the container 3 is disposed a flange 33 which
protrudes radially therefrom to receive a drip catching receptacle
34. In this manner, when the cleaning device 1 is anchored to the
container 3, the end thereof in which the coupling element 4 is
situated is disposed inside the receptacle 34, preventing the
dripping of the coupling element 4.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the outer body of the cleaning device 1
comprises two substantially symmetrical half shells 5, 5' that can
be coupled to each other in a snap coupling relationship. For this
purpose, the first half shell 5 has pins 50 which snap couple
inside respective holes 50' formed in the second half shell 5'. To
centre the two half shells 5, 5' perfectly, a rib 51', adapted to
engage in a groove 51 formed on the peripheral edge of the first
half shell 5, is formed on the peripheral edge of the second half
shell 5'.
[0031] Each half shell comprises a semi-cylindrical shaft 10 and a
handle 11 shaped as a semi-ellipsoid of revolution. The shaft 10
ends in a transverse semi-circular wall 12, provided with a central
hole 12a. Beneath the wall 12 there extends a semi-cylindrical tang
13 with a slightly smaller diameter than the shaft 10.
[0032] Again in each half shell, on an edge near the handle 11, a
first slot 14 defined by two abutment surfaces 14a and 14b is
formed. Slightly beneath the first slot 14, in a diametrically
opposite position, a second slot 15 defined by two abutment
surfaces 15a and 15b is formed. Slightly beneath the second slot 15
a protuberance 16 that protrudes radially inwards towards the
inside of each half shell is formed, so as to define an upper
abutment surface 17.
[0033] The coupling and release mechanism of the cleaning element
2, designated as a whole with the reference numeral 6, is described
hereunder with reference also to FIG. 4.
[0034] The coupling and release mechanism 6 comprises an operating
element 7 that can be operated by the user and a connecting rod 8
which connects the operating element 7 to the coupling element 4
adapted to couple the cleaning element 2.
[0035] In the present embodiment, the coupling element 4 is an
expanding element formed by means of a cylindrical block of a
compressible elastic material such as, for example, rubber.
However, the coupling element 4 can be formed by any equivalent
element that performs the same function such as, for example, an
expansion screw or even a hook or an articulated arm.
[0036] The rubber block 4 has an axial hole 42 adapted to be passed
through by the lower end of the rod 8. The rod 8 has at its lower
end a retaining disc 80, which abuts against the bottom end of the
coupling element 4 to retain it. For this purpose the retaining
disc 80 can have a threaded hole 81 (FIG. 4) to screw to the end of
the rod 8.
[0037] The coupling element 4 comprises a smaller diameter tang 40
and a larger diameter tang 41. The smaller diameter tang 40 is
adapted to be inserted inside the bottom tang 13 of the shaft of
the cleaning device. The diameter of the larger diameter tang 41 is
slightly smaller than the diameter of the hole 24 formed in the
tang 22 of the cleaning element, so as to give rise to a loose
coupling between the coupling element 4 and the cleaning element
2.
[0038] A substantially U-shaped configuration which gives rise to
two elastic tongues 82 is provided at the upper end of the rod 8.
Each tongue 82 has an outwardly tapered surface 83, which gives
rise to an abutment and retaining surface 84. The rod 8 has a
flattened portion 85 beneath its upper end.
[0039] The operating element 7 consists of a substantially
cylindrical body 70 having a transverse wall 71 in which a
rectangular through hole 72 adapted to be passed through by the
tongues 82 of the rod 8 is formed. In this manner the tapered
surface 83 of the tongues 82 slides on the edges of the hole 72 and
the tongues 82 bend elastically inward until they pass beyond the
hole 72; the tongues 82 then return elastically to their original
position and their abutment surface 84 abuts against the wall 71
retaining the connecting rod 8.
[0040] A lever 73, which comes out from the first slot 14 of the
half shells so that it can be operated by the user, protrudes
radially outward from the cylindrical block 70. From the transverse
wall 71 there protrudes downward a longitudinal elastic tongue 74
ending in a protruding end 75 which defines a lower abutment
surface 76 adapted to abut against the upper abutment surface 17 of
the protrusion 16 of the shells. In a central portion of the
longitudinal tongue 74 is formed a button 77, which protrudes
radially outward, in a diametrically opposite direction with
respect to the lever 73, to come out from the second slot 15 of the
two half shells.
[0041] Operation of the cleaning device 1 according to the
invention is described hereunder with reference to FIGS. 5 and
6.
[0042] Initially, with reference to FIG. 5, the coupling element 4
is in its original resting configuration. The lever 73 and the
button 77 of the operating element 7 are thus in abutment against
the lower abutment surfaces 14a and 15a of the respective slots 14
and 15 of the half shells. In this situation, the user inserts the
tang 41 of the coupling element inside the tang 22 of the cleaning
element.
[0043] Subsequently the user pushes the lever 73 of the operating
element upward, in the direction of the arrow F1. The rod 8 thus
moves upward and the retaining disc 80 compresses the elastic
coupling element 4 against the wall 12 of the half shells. As a
result, as shown in FIG. 6, the coupling element 4 expands radially
pressing on the walls of the hole 24 of the cleaning element so as
to anchor itself firmly to the cleaning element 2.
[0044] At the same time, the longitudinal tongue 74 of the
operating element 7 moves upward, until its protruding part 75 goes
past the protruding part 16 of the shells. The longitudinal tongue
74 then returns elastically to its original position and its lower
abutment surface 76 abuts against the upper abutment surface 17 of
the protrusion 16 of the half shells, preventing the axial movement
of the coupling mechanism 6. In this manner the coupling mechanism
6 remains in this position against the elastic force of the elastic
element 4, which is deformed.
[0045] After having cleaned the toilet bowl, the user presses the
button 77 of the operating element, so as to disengage the
protrusion 75 of the longitudinal tongue 74 from the abutment
surface 17 of the protruding part of the shells. As a result, the
elastic element 4 returns to its original configuration,
contracting radially and releasing the cleaning element 2, which
falls into the toilet trap. At the same time, the rod 8 is pulled
downward, bringing the coupling mechanism 6 back to the original
configuration illustrated in FIG. 5.
[0046] Numerous changes and modifications of detail within the
reach of a person skilled in the art can be made to the present
embodiment of the invention without thereby departing from the
scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
* * * * *