U.S. patent application number 14/432355 was filed with the patent office on 2015-09-10 for adhesive cleaner.
This patent application is currently assigned to KABUSHIKI KAISHA NITOMS. The applicant listed for this patent is Yoshihiro HASHIZUME. Invention is credited to Yoshihiro Hashizume.
Application Number | 20150250376 14/432355 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50477014 |
Filed Date | 2015-09-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150250376 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hashizume; Yoshihiro |
September 10, 2015 |
ADHESIVE CLEANER
Abstract
Provided is a portable adhesive cleaner with superior
portability, and which is small and easy to manage. In order to
prevent shaking of an adhesive tape roll (R) in a protective case
(3) when attaching the protective case (3) to a cleaning tool main
unit (2), a disc-shaped stopper (4) of larger diameter than the
maximum outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll (R) is provided at
the tip of a supporting shaft (21), and a positioning means is
provided between the stopper (4) and the bottom lid (36) of the
protective case (3).
Inventors: |
Hashizume; Yoshihiro;
(Chuo-ku, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HASHIZUME; Yoshihiro |
|
|
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
KABUSHIKI KAISHA NITOMS
Chuo-ku, Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
50477014 |
Appl. No.: |
14/432355 |
Filed: |
December 26, 2012 |
PCT Filed: |
December 26, 2012 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2012/008298 |
371 Date: |
March 30, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/104.002 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 25/005 20130101;
A47L 13/51 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47L 25/00 20060101
A47L025/00; A47L 13/51 20060101 A47L013/51 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 10, 2012 |
JP |
2012-224896 |
Claims
1. An adhesive cleaner comprising: an adhesive tape roll having an
adhesive tape with a dust collecting adhesive surface formed on one
surface of a base material, the adhesive tape roll formed by
winding the adhesive tape into a cylindrical shape with the
adhesive surface facing outward; a cleaning tool main unit
rotatably supporting the adhesive tape roll; and a protective case
detachably attached to the cleaning tool main unit so as to cover
the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape roll, wherein the
cleaning tool main unit includes a supporting shaft rotatably
supporting the adhesive tape roll and a grip portion disposed on
one end of the supporting shaft, a stopper for retaining the
adhesive tape roll is detachably attached to the other end of the
supporting shaft, the protective case includes an opening portion
at one end side, into which the adhesive tape roll supported on the
supporting shaft is inserted, and a bottom lid at the other end on
a bottom portion side, having a tapered barrel shape with an inner
diameter thereof progressively increasing from the opening portion
to the bottom portion, and a positioning means for positioning the
supporting shaft coaxially with the protective case is disposed
between the stopper and the bottom lid.
2. The adhesive cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the stopper
is formed so as to have a larger diameter than at least a maximum
outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll.
3. The adhesive cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the stopper
is disk-shaped or polygonal.
4. The adhesive cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the
positioning means comprises: a hemispherical projecting portion
formed on either one of the stopper and the bottom lid; and a
hemispherical recessed portion formed on the other thereof, and the
positioning means is centered such that when the projecting portion
and the recessed portion are aligned with each other, an axial line
of the supporting shaft is coaxial with an axial line of the
protective case.
5. The adhesive cleaner according to claim 1, wherein an inner
peripheral surface of the protective case includes a plurality of
ribs disposed along an axial direction of the adhesive tape roll.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an adhesive cleaner
including an adhesive tape roll which is formed by winding an
adhesive tape with an adhesive surface thereof facing outward and
which is rolled on a cleaning target surface thereby to collect
dust adhering to the cleaning target surface on the adhesive
surface, and more particularly to a small portable adhesive
cleaner.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] One of cleaners removing dust adhering to clothes or the
like includes a portable adhesive cleaner using an adhesive tape.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a portable adhesive
cleaning tool including a cleaning tool main unit having a
supporting shaft rotatably holding an adhesive tape roll wound so
as to have an adhesive surface of an adhesive tape thereon facing
outward; and a protective case attached to the cleaning tool main
unit so as to cover an outer peripheral surface of the adhesive
tape roll.
[0003] The adhesive cleaning tool includes a grip portion foldably
connected to one end side of the supporting shaft. The grip portion
is held by the hand when used. The grip portion serves as means of
locking the protective case when folded. Accordingly, the adhesive
cleaning tool can be used by expanding the grip in the folded state
so as to be coaxial with the supporting shaft and then removing the
protective case. The user can collect dust on the adhesive surface
by rolling the surface of the adhesive tape roll on the clothes
with the grip held in the hand.
[0004] However, the adhesive cleaner disclosed in Patent Literature
1 has encountered the following problems. Specifically, the grip is
folded with respect to the supporting shaft, and thus the grip has
a large outer diameter in the folded state. This increases the
overall size of the cleaner, resulting that the cleaner is too
bulky to carry around in a small bag, thereby causing inconvenience
to the user.
[0005] In addition, the grip portion is folded and further serves
as locking means, which means that the use needs to expand the grip
before use, thereby preventing one-touch simple operation.
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
[0006] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
2009-219575
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0007] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a portable adhesive cleaner having more portability,
smaller in size, and easier to handle.
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM
[0008] To solve the above problems, the present invention has some
features described below. Specifically, an adhesive cleaner
according to the present invention includes: an adhesive tape roll
having an adhesive tape with a dust collecting adhesive surface
formed on one surface of a base material, the adhesive tape roll
formed by winding the adhesive tape into a cylindrical shape with
the adhesive surface facing outward; a cleaning tool main unit
rotatably supporting the adhesive tape roll; and a protective case
detachably attached to the cleaning tool main unit so as to cover
the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape roll, wherein the
cleaning tool main unit includes a supporting shaft rotatably
supporting the adhesive tape roll and a grip portion disposed on
one end of the supporting shaft, a stopper for retaining the
adhesive tape roll is detachably attached to the other end of the
supporting shaft, the protective case includes an opening portion
at one end side, into which the adhesive tape roll supported on the
supporting shaft is inserted, and a bottom lid at the other end on
a bottom portion side, having a tapered barrel shape with an inner
diameter thereof progressively increasing from the opening portion
to the bottom portion, and a positioning means for positioning the
supporting shaft coaxially with the protective case is disposed
between the stopper and the bottom lid.
[0009] As a more preferred embodiment, the stopper is formed so as
to have a larger diameter than at least a maximum outer diameter of
the adhesive tape roll.
[0010] As a more preferred embodiment, the stopper is disk-shaped
or polygonal.
[0011] As a more preferred embodiment, the positioning means
includes: a hemispherical projecting portion formed on either one
of the stopper and the bottom lid; and a hemispherical recessed
portion formed on the other thereof, and the positioning means is
centered such that when the projecting portion and the recessed
portion are aligned with each other, an axial line of the
supporting shaft is coaxial with an axial line of the protective
case.
[0012] In addition, an inner peripheral surface of the protective
case includes a plurality of ribs disposed along an axial direction
of the adhesive tape roll.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION
[0013] Accordingly, the cleaning tool main unit is formed in a
stick shape with the supporting shaft and the grip disposed
coaxially. The protective case can be inserted thereinto from a
distal end of the supporting shaft, thereby providing a compact
adhesive cleaner with good portability like a lip stick.
[0014] The cleaner further includes a projection and a recess as a
positioning means disposed between the stopper and the bottom lid.
The protective case and the supporting shaft can be easily centered
simply by aligning the projection with the recess, which can
prevent the adhesive tape roll from rattling inside the protective
case when the cleaner is carried.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1(a) is a front view of an adhesive cleaner of the
present invention, (b) is a plan view thereof, (c) is a bottom view
thereof, and (d) is a sectional view taken along line A-A.
[0016] FIG. 2(a) is a front view of a cleaning tool main unit of
the adhesive cleaner, (b) is a central longitudinal cross-sectional
view thereof, and (c) is an enlarged partial sectional view
thereof.
[0017] FIG. 3(a) is a front view of a stopper of the cleaning tool
main unit and (b) is a central longitudinal cross-sectional view
thereof.
[0018] FIG. 4(a) is a central longitudinal cross-sectional view of
a protective case of the adhesive cleaner and (b) is a bottom view
thereof.
[0019] FIG. 5(a) is a front view of a bottom lid of the protective
case, (b) is a central longitudinal cross-sectional view thereof,
and (c) is a plan view thereof.
[0020] FIG. 6 is an explanatory drawing describing a method of
attaching an adhesive tape roll to the cleaning tool main unit.
[0021] FIG. 7 is an explanatory drawing describing a method of
attaching the protective case to the cleaning tool main unit.
[0022] FIG. 8 is an explanatory drawing describing an alignment
mechanism for aligning the bottom lid of the protective case with
the stopper of the cleaning tool main unit.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT
[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the
present invention is not limited to this. As illustrated in FIG. 1,
an adhesive cleaner 1 includes: a cleaning tool main unit 2
rotatably supporting an adhesive tape roll R; and a protective case
3 detachably attached to the cleaning tool main unit 2.
[0024] The adhesive tape roll R is formed by winding an adhesive
tape, an adhesive surface of which is formed by applying an
adhesive layer to one surface of a sheet-like base material, in
multiple into a cylindrical shape so that the adhesive surface
faces outward. In this example, the adhesive tape roll R is formed
by winding a sheet having a width of 75 mm and a length of 1.5 m
around a cylindrical body having an inner diameter of .phi.10 mm by
25 rotations (with a maximum outer diameter of 17 mm).
[0025] Note that the adhesive tape roll R according to the present
invention may be substantially any cleaning adhesive tape roll with
the adhesive surface facing outward, and the specific shape and
specifications thereof may be arbitrarily selected.
[0026] Referring also to FIG. 2, the cleaning tool main unit 2 is a
molded article made of a synthetic resin. A supporting shaft 21
supporting the adhesive tape roll R is disposed on one end side (a
lower end side in FIG. 2(a)) thereof. A grip portion 22 for
gripping the cleaning tool main unit 2 in the hand is disposed on
the other end side (an upper end side in FIG. 2(a)) of the
supporting shaft 21.
[0027] The supporting shaft 21 exhibits a cylindrical shape
insertable along an inner peripheral surface of the adhesive tape
roll R. A stopper 4 for retaining the adhesive tape roll R is
attached to a distal end thereof. An alignment portion 211 for
guiding an insertion direction for attaching the stopper 4 is
disposed on the distal end of the supporting shaft 21.
[0028] A hook claw 212 is disposed in a distal end of an inner
peripheral surface of the supporting shaft 21. When the stopper 4
is attached to the supporting shaft 21, the hook claw 212 is
engaged into a locking groove disposed on a side of the stopper 4.
As illustrated in FIG. 2(c), the hook claw 212 is disposed so as to
protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the supporting shaft
21 toward the center, while the alignment portion 211 is disposed
so as to face in a radial direction.
[0029] With reference to FIGS. 3(a) and (b), the stopper 4 includes
an end plate 41 supporting one end side of the adhesive tape roll R
and a locking shaft 42 protruding from the center of the end plate
41. The end plate 41 is disk-shaped and has a larger diameter than
a maximum outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll R. The bottom
portion thereof (the bottom surface in FIG. 3(a)) includes a
recessed portion 43 engaged with a projecting portion 361 for
alignment disposed on a bottom portion of the protective case
3.
[0030] The locking shaft 42 is a cylindrical shaft erected
vertically from the center of an upper surface (upper surface in
FIG. 3(a)) of the end plate 41. The locking shaft 42 has an outer
diameter insertable along an inner peripheral surface of the
supporting shaft 21. A locking groove 44 for guiding the hook claw
212 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the locking
shaft 42.
[0031] The locking groove 44 is formed into an L-shape including an
introducing portion 44a extending vertically along an axial
direction from an upper end of the locking shaft 42 and a locking
portion 44b formed substantially horizontal along a circumferential
direction of the locking shaft 42 from one end of the introducing
portion 44a. The locking portion 44b is formed so that the opening
width (length in an axial direction) is smaller on the inlet side
and becomes larger toward the inside.
[0032] The locking shaft 42 of the stopper 4 is inserted into the
supporting shaft 21 by pushing the hook claw 212 into the
introducing portion 44a of the locking groove 44. Further, in this
example, the locking shaft 42 is rotated clockwise about
90.degree., and then the stopper 42 is slightly pulled out in the
axial direction. Thus, the hook claw 212 is entered and locked into
the locking portion 44b, whereby the stopper 4 is attached to the
distal end of the supporting shaft 21.
[0033] According to the present embodiment, the stopper 4 is formed
in a disk-shape so as to have a larger diameter than a maximum
outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll R, but in order to
function to retain the adhesive tape roll R, the diameter of the
stopper 4 may be larger than at least the inner diameter of the
inner peripheral surface of the adhesive tape roll R. In addition,
the shape of the stopper 4 is not limited to a disk-shape, but may
be a polygon such as a square or a hexagon.
[0034] Further, the stopper 4 may be a so-called claw-shaped, and
the recessed portion 43 for alignment may be formed in the bottom
portion of the stopper 4. Furthermore, the recessed portion 43 may
be a hole.
[0035] Referring back to FIG. 2, the grip portion 22 is integrally
formed on the upper end of the supporting shaft 21 so as to be
easily grasped by the hand. In view of the design of the protective
case 3, the outer diameter thereof is formed into a cylindrical
shape gradually reduced from the upper end to the lower end. A
cover plate 221 is fitted into the upper end of the grip portion
22, but the cover plate 221 may be integrally formed.
[0036] The lower end side (lower end in FIG. 2) of the grip portion
22 includes a locking surface 23 for locking the cleaning tool main
unit 2 and the protective case 3 when the cleaning tool main unit 2
is inserted into the protective case 3. The locking surface 23 is
formed to be one step smaller than the outer diameter of the grip
portion 22.
[0037] The locking surface 23 is formed to be gradually reduced in
outer diameter from the upper end side (side engaging with the grip
portion 22) to the lower end side (side engaging with the
supporting shaft 21) and the outer diameter on the upper end side
is slightly smaller than the opening diameter of the protective
case 3.
[0038] The outer peripheral surface of the locking surface 23
includes a locking projecting portion 231 engaged into a recessed
groove 35 disposed on a side of the protective case 3. In this
example, the locking projecting portion 231 includes projecting
ribs protruding outside from the outer peripheral surface of the
locking surface. In this example, three ribs are provided at
intervals of 120.degree..
[0039] The number of the locking projecting portions 231 and the
shape thereof may be arbitrarily changed in accordance with the
specifications. In addition, the locking projecting portion 231 may
be replaced with an annular rib, and the rib may have any shape
allowing the rib to be entered and engaged into the recessed groove
35.
[0040] With reference to FIG. 4, the protective case 3 exhibits a
hollow cylindrical shape with an opening portion 31 disposed on an
upper portion thereof and is formed in a tapered barrel shape with
an outer diameter thereof progressively increasing from the upper
end (upper end in FIG. 4(a)) to the lower end (lower end in FIG.
4(a)).
[0041] An inner peripheral surface 32 of the protective case 3 is
formed with the inner diameter thereof progressively increasing
from the upper end to the lower end in the same manner as the outer
diameter. In this example, an insertion surface 34 receiving the
above described locking surface 23 is formed for a predetermined
length from the opening portion 31 of the protective case 3.
[0042] The axial length of the insertion surface 34 is
substantially the same axial length of the locking surface 23, and
the inner diameter of the insertion surface 34 is substantially the
same outer diameter of the locking surface 23. The insertion
surface 34 includes a recessed groove 35 engaged with the above
described locking projecting portion 231. In this example, the
recessed groove 35 is made of an annular groove one step recessed
along the inner diameter of the insertion surface 34. Note that the
position and the shape of the recessed groove 35 may be arbitrarily
selected according to specifications.
[0043] The inner peripheral surface 32 includes ribs 33 to prevent
the adhesive surface from sticking to the inner peripheral surface
32 when the adhesive tape roll R is inserted in a state of being
skewed relative to the axial line.
[0044] The ribs 33 are formed along the axial direction from the
lower end of the insertion surface 34 on the inner peripheral
surface of the protective case 3 to the bottom portion. In this
example, 12 ribs are provided radially at a predetermined interval.
The shape and the number of ribs 33 may be arbitrarily
selected.
[0045] Referring also to FIG. 5, a bottom lid 36 is attached to the
bottom portion of the protective case 3. The bottom lid 36 is made
of a lid body fittable along an opening of the bottom portion of
the protective case 3 so as to be inserted along the inner
peripheral surface 32 of the protective case 3. Note that the shape
and installation mode of the bottom lid 36 may be arbitrarily
selected.
[0046] The upper surface (upper surface in FIG. 5(b)) of the bottom
lid 36 includes the projecting portion 361 receiving the recessed
portion 43 disposed in the bottom portion of the stopper 4 of the
cleaning tool main unit 2. In this example, the projecting portion
361 is formed by arranging two semicircular shaped projecting ribs
in a cross shape. When the projecting portion 361 is engaged into
the recessed portion 43, the central axis of the supporting shaft
21 is aligned with the central axis of the protective case 3.
[0047] Referring also to FIGS. 6 to 8, an example of a procedure
for using the adhesive cleaner 1 will be described. For attaching
the adhesive tape roll R to the cleaning tool main unit 2, the
distal end of the supporting shaft 21 of the cleaning tool main
unit 2 is inserted until it hits the end along the inner diameter
of the adhesive tape roll R.
[0048] Then, the stopper 4 is attached to the distal end of the
supporting shaft 21. Thus, the adhesive tape roll R is rotatably
held by the supporting shaft 21. For using the cleaning tool main
unit 2, a protective seal provided on the outer periphery of the
adhesive tape roll R is peeled off and then the adhesive surface
(not shown) exposed on the surface is rolled on clothes or the
like, thereby allowing dust adhering to the clothes to be collected
on the adhesive surface.
[0049] After use, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the cleaning tool main
unit 2 is inserted from the distal end (from the side of the
stopper 4) of the supporting shaft 21 into the opening portion 31
of the protective case 3. According to the present invention, the
outer diameter of the stopper 4 is larger than the maximum outer
diameter of the adhesive tape roll R. Thus, even if the cleaning
tool main unit 2 is inserted into the opening portion 31 in a state
in which the cleaning tool main unit 2 is skewed, the stopper 4
abuts the periphery of the opening portion 31 before the adhesive
surface adheres to the periphery of the opening portion 31. Thus,
the present invention can prevent the adhesive tape roll R from
contacting the opening portion 31.
[0050] Even if the cleaning tool main unit 2 is skewed when the
cleaning tool main unit 2 is inserted until it reaches the end, the
present invention can allow the rib 33 to contact the outer
periphery of the stopper 4, preventing the adhesive surface from
contacting the periphery of the opening portion 31 and thereby
preventing the adhesive surface from being contaminated or peeled
off.
[0051] When the cleaning tool main unit 2 is further deeply
inserted into the protective case 3 to the bottom, the recessed
portion 43 of the stopper 4 is guided to the projecting portion 361
provided on the bottom lid 36 of the protective case 3, and at the
same time the insertion surface 23 of the cleaning tool main unit 2
is locked with the locking surface 34 of the protective case 3.
[0052] Thus, the supporting shaft 21 is supported by two points:
one at the distal end side (side of the stopper 4) and one at the
proximal end side (side of the grip portion 22). The adhesive tape
roll R is held coaxially along the central axis of the protective
case 3, which can securely prevent the adhesive surface from
sticking to the inner peripheral surface of the protective case 3.
Particularly when the cleaning tool main unit 2 is portably
carried, the adhesive tape roll R can be prevented from rattling in
the protective case 3.
[0053] In this example, the outer shape of the protective case 3 is
conically formed to fit the inner diameter so as to be stable when
the protective case 3 is set at a stationary state, but the
protective case 3 may be formed simply with cylindrical inner
peripheral surface and outer peripheral surface, or at least the
inner peripheral surface that can store the adhesive tape roll R,
and the outer shape may be quadrangle or the like.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0054] 1 adhesive cleaner
[0055] 2 cleaning tool main unit
[0056] 21 supporting shaft
[0057] 22 grip portion
[0058] 23 insertion surface
[0059] 3 protective case
[0060] 31 opening portion
[0061] 32 inner peripheral surface
[0062] 33 rib
[0063] 36 bottom lid
[0064] 361 projecting portion
[0065] 4 stopper
[0066] 43 recessed portion
[0067] R adhesive tape roll
* * * * *