CLEANING DEVICE
The present invention is to provide a cleaning device, which includes a housing, a pressing element and a wiping element. The housing has an opening formed at one side thereof and a closed receiving space defined therein at a position corresponding to the opening and filled with cleaning fluid. The pressing element has a first end extending outward of the housing and a second end extending into the receiving space. When the first end of the pressing element is pressed, the cleaning fluid in the receiving space is flow or sprayed out through one side of the receiving space that faces the opening. An accommodating space is defined in the housing between the receiving space and the opening and is configured to accommodate a portion of the wiping element so that the portion of the wiping element can be positioned in the housing and completely cover the opening.
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The present invention relates to a cleaning device, more particularly to a cleaning device configured for protecting an object to be cleaned from damage which may otherwise occur if excessive cleaning fluid is sprayed on the surface of the object and flows into the object through any gap thereof
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTo clean an object with a cleaning fluid, it is common practice nowadays to take a bottle of cleaning fluid, spray the cleaning fluid onto the object to be cleaned, and then wipe the surface of the object with a cleaning cloth. This process, however, may cause problems. First of all, the cleaning fluid, once sprayed from the bottle to the surface of the object, is subjected to gravity and tends to flow downward along the surface of the object to the table where the object is placed or to the user's hand holding the object. Should it happen, the user must take extra time and effort to clean off the excess cleaning fluid on the table or the hand, which is rather inconvenient. If the object is an electronic product (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD)), which typically has a gap on its surface (e.g., the gap along the inner periphery of the frame of the LCD), the flowing cleaning fluid is likely to enter the object through the gap and contact with the internal components (e.g., a circuit board) of the object, causing corrosion or short-circuit thereof. In the worst case, the user could damage the object with the cleaning fluid and therefore incur great losses.
As stated above, the conventional cleaning tools (e.g., the aforesaid cleaning fluid bottle and cleaning cloth) and the conventional cleaning method have many drawbacks and may cause failure of or damage to an object to be cleaned if the cleaning fluid is allowed to flow along the surface of the object and ends up entering the object through the surface gap thereof. Hence, it is an important issue in the cleaning device industry to design a novel cleaning tool that effectively overcomes the aforementioned problems.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn view of the fact that the cleaning fluid in the conventional cleaning tools is directly sprayed on the surface of an object to be cleaned and that, once flowing into the object through any gaps thereof, the cleaning fluid may cause the object to malfunction, the inventor of the present invention conducted extensive research and experiment and finally succeeded in developing a cleaning device for effectively solving the aforesaid problems of the prior art.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a cleaning device configured for protecting an object to be cleaned from damage which may otherwise occur if excessive cleaning fluid is sprayed on the surface of the object and flows into the object through any gap thereof. To achieve the above objective, the cleaning device includes a housing, a pressing element, and a wiping element as described in further detail below. The housing has one side formed with an opening. A closed receiving space is defined in the housing at a position corresponding to the opening and is filled with a cleaning fluid. The pressing element has a first end extending outward of the housing and a second end extending into the receiving space. When the first end of the pressing element is pressed, the cleaning fluid in the receiving space is caused to flow out or is sprayed out through one side of the receiving space that faces the opening. Also defined in the housing is an accommodating space between the receiving space and the opening. The accommodating space is configured to accommodate a portion of the wiping element so that this portion of the wiping element can be positioned in the housing and completely cover the opening after passing through the opening and the accommodating space successively. To perform a cleaning task with the wiping element, it is required to press the pressing element first. As a result, the cleaning fluid in the receiving space is forced to flow to or is sprayed on the aforesaid portion of the wiping element through the side of the receiving space that faces the opening. Afterward, the user only has to take off the wiping element, and the cleaning task can be done with the cleaning fluid on the aforesaid portion of the wiping element.
The structure as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages of the present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The inventor of the present invention has long been engaged in the research and development of cleaning devices. In the process, the inventor has found that it is common practice to spray a bottled cleaning fluid directly on an object to be cleaned. However, if an excessive amount of cleaning fluid accumulates on a certain surface portion of the object, chances are the accumulated cleaning fluid will flow along the surface of the object, pass through any gap on the surface, and eventually enter the object, causing damage to its internal components (e.g., a circuit board). In consideration of this, the inventor came up with a perfect solution in which improvement is made to the overall structure of the conventional cleaning devices so as to facilitate cleaning.
Referring to FIG, 1, a cleaning device 1 according to the present invention includes a housing 11, a pressing element 13, and a wiping element 15. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the housing 11 has one side formed with an opening 110. A partition 111 in the housing 11 divides the interior of the housing 11 into a closed receiving space 113 and an accommodating space 115, wherein both the receiving space 113 and the accommodating space 115 correspond in position to the opening 110. The side of the partition 111 that faces the opening 110 is provided with a spray hole 117 which brings the receiving space 113 and the accommodating space 115 into communication. The receiving space 113 is filled with a cleaning fluid to be sprayed into the accommodating space 115 through the spray hole 117. The pressing element 13 has one end extending out of the housing 11 and a second end extending into the receiving space 113 and covering the spray hole 117. In the first embodiment, the pressing element 13 includes a shank 130, a stop plate 131, a resilient member 132, and a fluid stopper 135. The shank 130 has a first end extending out of the housing 11 so as to be pressed by the user. The shank 130 also has a second end 130 which passes through the receiving space 113 and the spray hole 117. The stop plate 131 is provided on the shank 130 and located in the receiving space 113. The resilient member 132, which is mounted around the shank 130, has a first end pressing against the stop plate 131 and a second end pressing against the partition 111. The fluid stopper 135 is connected to the second end of the shank 130, situated in the accommodating space 115, and driven by the shank 130—which is biased by the resilient member 132—to tightly close the spray hole 117, thereby preventing the cleaning fluid from flowing out of the receiving space 113. When the first end of the shank 130 (i.e., the first end of the pressing element 13) is pressed, the stop plate 131 overcomes the resilient force of and thereby compresses the resilient member 132. As a result, the second end of the shank 130 (i.e., the second end of the pressing element 13) is moved toward the opening 110, and the fluid stopper 135 is driven away from the spray hole 117, thus allowing the cleaning fluid in the receiving space 113 to flow into or be sprayed into the accommodating space 115 through the spray hole 117. Once the first end of the shank 130 is no longer pressed, the stop plate 131 is pushed by the restoring force of the resilient member 132 and in turn drives the first end of the shank 130 back to its original position. Consequently, the fluid stopper 135 at the second end of the shank 130 recloses the spray hole 117.
As shown in
To facilitate replacement of the cleaning fluid and strengthen the connection between the housing and the wiping element, the cleaning device in the first embodiment described above is partially modified to produce the second embodiment of the present invention as shown in
In the third embodiment of the present invention as shown in
It should be pointed out that, while the pressing elements and the wiping elements in the foregoing embodiments are depicted in detail in the accompanying drawings, the drawings are intended only to enable the general public to comprehend the technical features of the present invention rapidly. In other words, the configurations of the pressing elements and the wiping elements are not limited to those disclosed herein. A person who is skilled in the art and has fully understood the technical features of the present invention may alter the shapes of the pressing elements or the wiping elements as appropriate. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not restricted to the above description, and all equivalent changes which are easily conceivable by a person skilled in the art and which are based on the disclosed technical features should fall within the scope of the present invention, which is defined only by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A cleaning device, comprising:
- a housing having a side formed with an opening, the housing being provided therein with a closed receiving space corresponding in position to the opening, wherein the receiving space is filled with a cleaning fluid, the housing being further provided therein with an accommodating space between the receiving space and the opening;
- a pressing element having a first end extending to the housing and a second end extending into the receiving space, wherein when the first end is pressed, the cleaning fluid in the receiving space flows out or is sprayed out through a side of the receiving space that faces the opening; and
- a wiping element, wherein a portion of the wiping element is configured for passing sequentially through the opening and the accommodating space so as to be positioned in the housing, thereby covering the opening of the housing completely.
2. The cleaning device of claim I, wherein the housing is further provided therein with a cleaning fluid bottle comprising:
- a bottle body provided therein with the receiving space; and
- a bottle head connected to the bottle body and provided with the pressing element and a spray hole, wherein the spray hole is directed toward the opening of the housing so as for the cleaning fluid in the receiving space to flow out or be sprayed out through the spray hole.
3. The cleaning device of claim 2, wherein the pressing element has a surface flush with a surface of the housing.
4. The cleaning device of claim 2, wherein the pressing element has a surface extending out of a surface of the housing.
5. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the housing is further provided therein with a partition between the receiving space and the accommodating space, the partition being formed with a spray hole communicating the receiving space with the accommodating space, and wherein the second end of the pressing element passes through the partition, covers the spray hole, and once the first end of the pressing element is pressed, stops covering the spray hole, thereby allowing the cleaning fluid in the receiving space to flow out or be sprayed out through the spray hole.
6. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the housing is further provided therein with a partition between the receiving space and the accommodating space, the partition being formed with an aperture, and wherein the first end of the pressing element has a spray hole corresponding in position to the aperture such that, when the first end of the pressing element is pressed, the cleaning fluid in the receiving space flows into or is sprayed into the accommodating space through the spray hole and the aperture.
7. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the housing is formed with an aperture in communication with the accommodating space, and the housing is further provided therein with a cleaning fluid bottle comprising:
- a bottle body provided therein with the receiving space; and
- a bottle head connected to the bottle body and provided with the pressing element and a spray hole corresponding in position to the aperture, wherein when the first end of the pressing element is pressed, the cleaning fluid in the receiving space flows into or is sprayed into the accommodating space through the spray hole and the aperture.
8. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the wiping element comprises:
- a base; and
- a resilient wiper connected to a side of the base and receivable in the accommodating space through the opening.
9. The cleaning device of claim 2, wherein the wiping element comprises:
- a base; and
- a resilient wiper connected to a side of the base and receivable in the accommodating space through the opening.
10. The cleaning device of claim 5, wherein the wiping element comprises:
- a base; and
- a resilient wiper connected to a side of the base and receivable in the accommodating space through the opening,
11. The cleaning device of claim 6, wherein the wiping element comprises:
- a base; and
- a resilient wiper connected to a side of the base and receivable in the accommodating space through the opening.
12. The cleaning device of claim 7, wherein the wiping element comprises:
- a base; and
- a resilient wiper connected to a side of the base and receivable in the accommodating space through the opening.
13. The cleaning device of claim 8, wherein the housing is provided therein with a first connecting portion adjacent to the opening, and the base is provided with a second connecting portion connectable with the first connecting portion.
14. The cleaning device of claim 9, wherein the housing is provided therein with a first connecting portion adjacent to the opening, and the base is provided with a second connecting portion connectable with the first connecting portion.
15. The cleaning device of claim 10, wherein the housing is provided therein with a first connecting portion adjacent to the opening, and the base is provided with a second connecting portion connectable with the first connecting portion.
16. The cleaning device of claim 11, wherein the housing is provided therein with a first connecting portion adjacent to the opening, and the base is provided with a second connecting portion connectable with the first connecting portion.
17. The cleaning device of claim 12, wherein the housing is provided therein with a first connecting portion adjacent to the opening, and the base is provided with a second connecting portion connectable with the first connecting portion.
18. The cleaning device of claim 5, wherein the pressing element comprises:
- a shank having a first end extending out of the housing and a second end passing through the receiving space and the spray hole;
- a stop plate provided on the shank and located in the receiving space;
- a resilient member mounted around the shank, wherein the resilient member has an end pressing against the stop plate and an opposite end pressing against the partition; and
- a fluid stopper connected to the second end of the shank, located in the accommodating space, and movable with the shank so as to cover or not to cover the spray hole.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 21, 2011
Publication Date: Jan 17, 2013
Applicants: (New Taipei City), (New Taipei City)
Inventor: Kuan-Di HUANG (New Taipei City)
Application Number: 13/238,549