Flex-joint for handles
A unitary shock absorbing one piece flexible joint located between an upper and lower handle portion of a cleaning apparatus handle thus allowing flexing of the handle around the mid section when the handle is being abused. The Flex-Joint apparatus being rectangular in shape thus having flexing attributes when the handle is forced down thus flexing and not bending causing handle breakage. Secondly, the curvature of the connector on the bottom side and flat surface between the end of the connector lip and handle allows for heavy object to come on contact with the handle and not cause breakage.
1. Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to flexible joint between a handle that can be attached to multiple products. The purpose of the Flex-Joint is when a handle is abused the joint will flex approximately in the middle of the handle thus reducing breakage. Prior patents have emphasized a flexible joint at the base of a tool such as a mop in U.S. Pat. No. 7,895,697 and broom head in U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,189.
A flex-joint with and without limit stops in the middle of the handle when abused flexes and absorbs shocks thus making it shock absorbing and unbreakable. In particular products that take harsh abuse like cleaning tools for scrubbing, dust mopping, or a sweeping apparatus and in particular to scrub brushes or applications where material is being removed by an apparatus. Patent on mechanisms or attachments that allow for a flexible joint between the brush broom handle are old in the prior art. However, to date all prior art devices are attached to the base of the cleaning apparatus. The new innovation is a unitary one piece elastomer joint connector located between the upper and lower handles that has a flexible longitudinal section having a thickness which is thicker than the thickness of said flex joint longitudinal section between axial bores with open end on both sides that house the upper and lower handles and thus allowing flexing around the horizontal flexing within the longitudinal section between approximately 3-75 degrees. The Flex-Joint is made from unbreakable molded elastomeric material.
The flexible longitudinal section when viewed cross sectionally is rectangular in shape but not limited to any design. To reduce the amount of flexing the new innovation could also have limit stops that allow the handle to flex downward when being abused like when the handle is run over by a truck but the innovation has limited push down effect when the upper and lower limit stops come in contact thus is still effective when the handle is being pushed by the operator. Also, the rectangular shape and limit stops are designed that when pushing objects, that exceed normal weight that could cause injury to the operator or break the handle the flex joint will flex thus reducing potential injury to operator and/or breakage. Also, the prior art devices allow the handle to have excessive lateral movement when in contact with a stationary object thus causing the contents to be swept, instead of being retained in the brush broom bristle, due to the excessive angle of the brush broom in relation to the broom handle. In addition, without stop limits, the prior art devices allow the flex member to go beyond the stress limit of the flexible handle joint material, causing the flexible membrane to crack and eventually break, thus rendering it ineffective. In addition, the prior art flexible insert at the mid-point of the handle are not rectangular in shape along the horizontal and/or a lateral axis which is critical to reduce stress to the flexible member yet allow for horizontal and/or longitudinal movement and retain the rigidity in the forward and aft movement. A flex joint in the middle also allows for the broom to be easily shipped in half the size of a full length handle thus reducing shipping costs. The cylindrical attachments described in the prior art causes the flexible member to flex in both the lateral direction and horizontal and/or longitudinal direction making the broom head unstable. Also, the Flex-Joint innovation can be angled for ergonomic reason to allow the cleaning head to come in contact with the floor at an improved angle yet also flex. To enhance bristle contact to floor, and thus make ergonomic for the operator, the horizontal and/or longitudinal angle in the mid longitudinal section can have a fixed difference before flexing of 0 to 75 degrees.
2. Description of Prior Art
None of the prior art has a unitary one piece elastomer flex-joint in the middle of the handle that has limit stops or without and is angled to allow improvement to cleaning head floor contact. Therefore a need exists to allow handles to flex downward when abused yet controlled with limit stops. The new innovation, when combined with flex joints that flex laterally allow for a completely unbreakable handle.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTIONA flexible handle joint that flexes horizontally and/or longitudinally between the approximate mid-section of cleaning apparatuses handles. The flexible joint has either limit stops and/or a rectangular mid section between two longitudinal section with axial holes for receiving and securing the upper and lower handles. The purpose of this mid-section Flex-Joint is to eliminate breakage that occurs in the middle of the handle when abused. The shock absorbing Flex-Joint eliminates handle breakage thus a significant needs exists.
Referring particularly to the drawings for the purpose of illustration only and not limitation, there is illustrated:
Although specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and merely illustrative of but a small number of the many possible specific embodiments which can represent applications of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the invention as further defined in the appended claims.
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Claims
1. A handle with a mid sectional Flex-Joint that can be used to attach to numerous floor cleaning apparatuses:
- a. A unitary one piece elastomer joint connector located between the upper and lower handles that has a flexible longitudinal section having a thickness which is thicker than the thickness of said flex joint longitudinal section between axial bores with open end on both sides that house the upper and lower handles and thus allowing flexing around the horizontal flexing within the longitudinal section between approximately 3-75 degrees;
- b. The flexible longitudinal section when viewed cross sectionally is rectangular in shape but not limited to any design;
- c. A connector that has two open end axial bore opening for receiving an upper and lower handle;
- d. The mid section between the two axial bore openings is rectangular in shape;
- e. The Flex-Joint connector is made out of a flexible elastomer plastic material with memory;
- f. The Flex-Joint connector to handle can be attached via numerous means and not limited to screw, push pin, pin, and rivet.
2. The Flex-Joint handle in accordance to claim 1 has a recess protruding downward allowing for the Flex-Joint to flex.
3. The Flex-Joint handle in accordance to claim 1 has the upper and lower handle ends edge having a minimum radius of 0.02″.
4. The Flex-Joint in accordance with claim 1 can be angled between the two handles to enhance bristle contact to floor, and thus make ergonomic for the operator, the horizontal and/or longitudinal angle in the mid longitudinal section can have a fixed difference before flexing of 0 to 75 degrees.
5. The Flex-Joint bottom portion of apparatus in accordance with claim 1 whereas the curvature of the lip between the midpoint and end of the upper and lower flat insert lips has an approximate radius between 0.15″ to 7″ and the lip height are between the lower and upper portion of the lower handle and upper handle and upper and lower flat insert lips are between 0.05″ to 0.15″.
6. The apparatus Flex-Joint in accordance to claim 1 bottom portion is either flat or recessed.
7. A handle with a mid sectional Flex-Joint that can be used to attach to numerous floor cleaning apparatuses:
- a. A unitary one piece elastomer joint connector located between the upper and lower handles that has a flexible longitudinal section having a thickness which is thicker than the thickness of said flex joint longitudinal section between axial bores with open end on both sides that house the upper and lower handles and thus allowing flexing around the horizontal flexing within the longitudinal section between approximately 3-75 degrees;
- b. The flexible mid joint section having a pair of symmetrical arcuate recesses located on opposite side and extending the width of said flexible mid section, the arcuate recess forming an upper engagement stop limit pad 15 and lower engagement stop limit pad 14 where the upper engagement pad and the respective lower stop limit form a predetermined gap distance for allowing horizontal and/or longitudinal flexing of longitudinal mid section and upper handle 4 and lower handle, whereby the flexible mid section allows the upper and lower handle sections to move handle back and forth but if pushed hard and pushing heavy items the allows the handle to flex horizontally and/or longitudinally relative to cleaning apparatus comes in contact with heavy objects, either one of said upper engagement pads comes in contact with its respective aligned lower stop limit pad and thereby prevents said handle member from horizontal movement such that flexible mid section prevents handle from breaking due to elastomer limits;
- c. Unbreakable molded elastomeric Flex-Joint made out of a flexible plastic elastomer material with memory;
- d. The Flex-Joint connector to handle can be attached via numerous means and not limited to screw, push pin, pin, and rivet.
8. The Flex-Joint in accordance with claim 7 can be bent to enhance bristle contact to floor, and thus make ergonomic for the operator, the horizontal and/or longitudinal angle in the midpoint longitudinal section can have a fixed difference before flexing of approximately 3 to 75 degrees.
9. The Flex-Joint in accordance with claim 7 Can be bent to enhance bristle contact to floor, and thus make ergonomic for the operator, the horizontal and/or longitudinal angle in the mid longitudinal section can have a fixed difference before flexing of 0 to 75 degrees.
10. The bottom portion of apparatus in accordance with claim 7 whereas the curvature of the lip between the midpoint and end of the upper and lower flat insert lips have an approximate radius between 0.15″ to 7″ and the lip height are between the lower and upper portion of the lower handle and upper handle and upper and lower flat insert lips are between 0.05″ to 0.15″
11. The Flex-Joint handle in accordance to claim 7 has the upper and lower handle ends having radius of a minimum 0.02
12. A handle with a mid sectional Flex-Joint that can be used to attach to numerous floor cleaning apparatuses:
- a. A unitary one piece elastomer joint connector located between the upper and lower handles that has a flexible longitudinal section having a thickness which is thicker than the thickness of said flex joint longitudinal section between two protruding ends that are inserted into tube like handles thus allowing flexing around the horizontal flexing within the longitudinal section between approximately 3-75 degrees;
- b. The flexible longitudinal section when viewed cross sectionally is rectangular in shape but not limited to any design;
- c. The mid section between the two axial bore openings is rectangular in shape;
- d. The Flex-Joint connector is made out of a flexible elastomer plastic material with memory;
- e. The Flex-Joint connector to handle can be attached via numerous means and not limited to screw, push pin, pin, and rivet.
13. The Flex-Joint handle in accordance to claim 12 has a recess protruding downward allowing for the Flex-Joint to flex.
14. The Flex-Joint in accordance with claim 12 can be angled between the two handles to enhance bristle contact to floor, and thus make ergonomic for the operator, the horizontal and/or longitudinal angle in the mid longitudinal section can have a fixed difference before flexing of 0 to 75 degrees.
Type: Application
Filed: May 11, 2012
Publication Date: Nov 14, 2013
Inventor: Simon Ralph Cassar (Watsonville, CA)
Application Number: 13/506,711