AU2008100568A4 - Cleaner with rotatable head - Google Patents

Description

Our Ref:4170Inno P/00/009 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION SPECIFICATION FOR AN INVENTION ENTITLED Invention title: Name of Applicant: Address for Service Cleaner with rotatable head Gary Ian Jones A.P.T. Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys PO Box 222 Mitcham, S.A. 5062 The invention is described in the following statement: 00 2 SCleaner with rotatable head O FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cleaner with rotatable head for cleaning a 00 Ssurface and use thereof. In one particular aspect the invention relates to a cleaner for S 5 use with a cleaning fluid, the cleaner having a squeegee member and/or a brush member.

00 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are numerous apparatus currently available to assist in undertaking cleaning activities. The apparatus help reduce the effort required in undertaking such tasks.

A commonly used cleaning apparatus is the window or floor squeegee.

Typically squeegees have at least one flat smooth rubber blade. Squeegees are used to remove liquid from a flat surface such as a window or floor. Small handheld squeegees are used on windows and larger push broom type squeegees are used on floor and wall surfaces, such as in hospitals to clean up liquid spills. Squeegees are also useful in wet areas, such as tiled bathrooms where a cleaning solution can be applied to the surface and the squeegee used to push the liquid and any accumulated dirt into the drain hole. Long extension handles are used in conjunction with window and floor squeegees to provide greater reach.

When using a squeegee a soapy solution is typically applied to the surface such as the window or floor. The solution acts as a lubricant and dissolves or breaks apart any dirt on the surface. The squeegee is then drawn across the surface and the water-borne dirt is cleaned from the surface. A swivel method is often utilised when using a squeegee. The method involves the use of a series of strokes combined with turns that hold the water in front of the leading edge of the squeegee to prevent the formation of streaks across the surface being cleaned.

00 3 One of the difficulties with currently available squeegees is that it may be difficult to position the squeegee so that the cleaning edge is at the correct angle. As a result the user may need to significantly rotate their wrist to ensure correct positioning of the squeegee blade. This could potentially lead to repetitive strain injuries or 00 5 soreness in the wrist. An incorrect angle means that the water is forced out from under the trailing edge of the blade and rearwardly onto the cleaned area resulting in San incomplete cleaning effect.

00 Some currently available squeegees include a ball joint to enable the rotation of the head of the squeegee. These are however less stable than squeegees having a fixed head and significantly less force can be exerted when the cleaner is used at an extended range.

The initial clean of the surface may not dislodge all the dirt from the surface.

The user may therefore identify an area that requires attention during use of the squeegee. They must therefore set aside the squeegee and pick up a scourer or broom to dislodge the dirt and then swap back to using the squeegee. This may be difficult if the user is on a ladder or if the scourer or broom is not immediately at hand and in any event is less convenient than use of the same implement.

It should be appreciated that any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification is included solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention and should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art was widely known or formed part of the common general knowledge in the field as it existed before the priority date of the application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a first aspect of the invention but not necessarily the broadest or only aspect, there is proposed a cleaner for use in cleaning a surface, including a head rotatably attached to a handle having at least one working edge, wherein rotation of the head tracks along a plane that is transverse to said surface being cleaned.

00 4 0 0 The head of the cleaner is preferably able to rotate 3600. This allows for the head to be positioned at varying angles on the cleaning surface, thereby facilitating o the use of the swivel or fan method of cleaning. It also means that when the head is being swung over a large arc sufficient pressure can still be brought to bear on the 00 5 surface to ensure sufficient cleaning.

IND

V)

oIn one form the terminal end of the handle is angled relative to the longitudinal 0 axis of the handle. The head is attached to the terminal end of the handle such that 0 oduring rotation the head does not contact the handle ensuring that the head can freely rotate during operation of the cleaner.

The head is preferably attached to the terminal end of the handle by way of a shaft that rotatably engages through an aperture in the handle and fixable engages the head. In this way the head is able to rotate about the axis of rotation defined by the shaft. The aperture in the handle includes washers. These washers are preferably metal washers. The use of metal means that the surface of the washer becomes polished as a result of the continual contact with rotating head thereby over time resulting in smoother rotation.

In a preferred form the head includes a first working member and a second working member. The first and second working members are located on opposing sides of the head. In preference the first and second working members are parallel and extend the length of respective sides of the head. The first working member includes a blade that is attached to and extends outwardly from the head. The blade is constructed from a hydrophobic flexible material such as rubber. In one form the blade extends outwardly from the head from between 50-100mm and has a thickness of between 10-20mm.

The blade can be attached directly to the head by way of an adhesive. A blade engaging groove could be used to ensure an adequate coupling of the blade.

Alternatively the head can include clamps to reversible attach the blade. In this way the blade could be replaced if is becomes worn or to replace it with a blade having different dimensions.

00 In an alternate form the first working member includes at least two parallel ;blades. Each parallel blade is tapered to an outwardly extending terminal end as known in the art.

The second working member preferably includes a brush member extending I 5 outwardly from the head. In one form the brush member includes a plurality of bristles attached to a base. The base slidably engages a channel in the head. In this 0way the brush member can be replaced if it becomes fouled or worn. The second working member may alternatively comprise a scourer pad or felt pad. The second working member may as an alternative include a segment of bristles as well as a pad to provide various grades of cleaning capability.

In one form the cleaner includes an extendible handle to provide greater reach.

This would be particularly useful when the surface being cleaned is above the head of the user. The handle preferably includes a telescopic portion so that the length of the handle can be varied depending upon the application. The use of a telescopic portion maintains rigidity in the handle whilst providing an extendible member. It should however be appreciated by the reader that other types of extendible handles could be used. In an alternate form the handle comprises a solid shaft that is not extendible.

In one form the cleaner includes an intermediate neck that is located between the head and telescopic handle. The head is rotatably attached to the neck using a fixing means such as a shaft or bolt and the opposing end of the neck is rigidly attached to the handle. This means that the head and neck can be fitted to a standard telescopic handle.

In one form the neck and handle are attached using quick release connections means or screw fittings to allow for the cleaner to be dismantled during storage or transportation. This also means that the cleaner can be provided with a number of heads of different sizes and configurations that can be quickly replaced for specific applications. In such a form there may be some type of quick release bayonet type attachment means used.

00 6 0 The head can be rotated between the first and second working members, which enables the user to alternate between the brush portion and blade to effectively clean a osurface. In use a cleaning fluid is applied to a surface to be cleaned and the brush member used to dislodge any dirt. The head is then rotated so that the blade portion 00 5 can be used as a squeegee to remove the water-borne dirt from the surface. If the user 'Th identifies dirt that has not been dislodged the head can be simply rotated to access the 0 O brush and then returned to the squeegee blade once the user is satisfied that the dirt 00 has been released from the surface. This means that the user does not have to swap Obetween separate tools to clean the floor, since these tools may not be readily at hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an implementation of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cleaner with rotatable head of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the cleaner of figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the cleaner of figure 1 in use; and Figures 4a-c is a series of perspective views of the cleaner of figure 1 being rotated between the squeegee and brush sides.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED AND EXEMPLIFIED

EMBODIMENTS

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings. Dimensions of certain parts shown in the drawings may have been modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity or illustration.

00 7 0 0 cxl In a preferred embodiment there is proposed a cleaner 10 for use in cleaning a surface, including a head 12 rotatably attached to a handle 14 having at least one o working edge, wherein rotation of the head 12 tracks along a plane that is transverse to said surface being cleaned.

00 I 5 Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description, a cleaner 10 is Oillustrated, demonstrating by way of example an arrangement in which the principles 0of the present invention may be employed. The cleaner 10 includes a head 12, a 0 ohandle 14 and a neck 16 positioned between the head 12 and handle 14.

The head 12 is rotatably attached to the neck 16 by way of shaft or bolt 18.

The shaft 18 movably engages an aperture in the neck 16 and fixably engages the head 12. In this way the head is able to rotate 3600 about an axis of rotation that is defined by the shaft 18.

The head 12 includes a support 20 and two working edges defined respectively by an outwardly projecting rubber blade 22 and an outwardly extending brush member 24. As illustrated in the figures the rubber blade 22 and brush member 24 are located on opposing sides of the support 20 and extend the length of their respective sides. In this way the head 12 can be rotated between the two working edges so that the user can either use either the rubber blade 22 or the brush member 24.

As illustrated in figure 2, a portion of the neck 16 is angled outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the handle 14. This ensures that the head 12 can freely rotate during operation of the cleaner 10 without either the blade 22 or brush member 24 contacting the side of the neck 16 or handle 14.

The blade 22 is fixedly attached to the support 20 by way of an adhesive or any other type of fixing means. The brush member 24 includes a base 26 and a plurality of bristles 28. The base 26 is adapted to slidably engage a channel 30 in the support 20. In this way brush member 24 can be replace if it become fouled or worn.

The handle 14 is extendible to provide greater reach and includes cooperating telescopic members 32 and 34 movable in the direction of arrow 36. The reader 00 8 0 should however appreciate that other types of extendible handles could be used or the handle could simply be a solid non-extensible shaft.

0 As illustrated in figure 3 the rotatable configuration of the head 12 means that 00 during use either the rubber blade 22 or brush member 24 can be located at various I 5 angles on the surface 38 being cleaned. This is particular useful when using the Vt) swivel or fan method with the rubber squeegee blade as previously discussed.

00 o In use the head can be rotated between the rubber blade 22 and the brush c, member 24 as illustrated in figures 4a-c. The user can alternate between the brush member 24 and blade 22 to effectively clean the surface.

The skilled addressee will now appreciate the many advantages of the illustrated invention. The cleaner 10 provides an apparatus that can be rotated on the cleaning surface to minimise the effort required by the user. Furthermore the cleaner includes two different cleaning members 22 and 24 that can be alternately used to clean the surface. The extendible configuration of the handle 14 also means that the cleaner 10 can be used for numerous applications.

Various features of the invention have been particularly shown and described in connection with the exemplified embodiments of the invention, however, it must be understood that these particular arrangements merely illustrate and that the invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly the invention can include various modifications, which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. For the purpose of the specification the word "comprise" or "comprising" means "including but not limited to".

Claims (16)

1. 3. The cleaner according to claims 1 or 2 wherein the terminal end of the handle is angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the handle.
2. 4. The cleaner according to any one of claims 1-3 wherein the head is attached to the terminal end of the handle by way of a shaft that rotatably engages through an aperture in the handle and fixable engages the head. The cleaner according to any one of the above claims wherein the head includes a first working member and a second working member.
3. 6. The cleaner according to claim 5 wherein the first and second working members are located on opposing sides of the head.
4. 7. The cleaner according to claims 5 or 6 wherein the first and second working members are parallel and extend the length of the respective side of the head.
5. 8. The cleaner according to any one of claims 5-7 wherein the first working member includes a blade that is attached to and extends outwardly from the head.
6. 9. The cleaner according to claim 8 wherein the blade is constructed from a hydrophobic flexible material such as, but not limited to rubber. The cleaner according to claims 8 or 9 wherein the blade is attached to the head by way of an adhesive. 00
7. 11. The cleaner according to any one of claims 5-10 wherein the second working member includes a brush member extending outwardly from the head.
8. 12. The cleaner according to claim 11 wherein the brush member includes a 00 plurality of bristles attached to a base.
9. 13. The cleaner according to claim 12 wherein the base slidably engages a channel _in the head. 00 OO
10. 14. The cleaner according to any one of claims 5-10 wherein the second working member includes a felt pad or scourer pad. The cleaner accordingly to any one of the above claims further including an extendible handle.
11. 16. The cleaner according to claim 15 wherein the handle includes a telescopic portion.
12. 17. The cleaner accordingly to any one of the above claims further including an intermediate neck that is located between the head and telescopic handle.
13. 18. The cleaner according to claim 17 wherein the head is rotatably attached to a first end of the neck and the opposing second end of the neck is rigidly attached to the handle.
14. 19. A method of cleaning a surface including the step of: providing a cleaner having a head attached to a handle at a location defining an axis of rotation, the head having a first working member; positioning the first working member against said surface to be cleaned whereby the axis of rotation of the head is positioned transverse to said surface; and operating the cleaner such that the angle of said first working member is altered with respect to the handle. 00 A method according to claim 19 wherein the head includes a first and second h. working member.
15. 21. A method according to claims 19 or 20 wherein the head can be rotated to use either the first or second working member. 00 ID
16. 22. A cleaner as herein before described with reference to the figures. 00