Abstract: The pick-up device includes a support platform having a first side and second side. An elongated handle is connected to the first side. A plurality of sheets of adhesive material are attached to the second side. The sheets are arranged in a sandwich type fashion. Each sheet has an outwardly facing tacky adhesive surface and is adapted to be exposed when a preceding outermost sheet is removed. The tacky adhesive surface serves to pick up lint and other light substances when placed against it.

Abstract: A vibrating toothbrush, which includes a handle member, an elongated arm which has a brushhead at the distal end thereof, and a drive assembly for moving the brushhead at a selected velocity. Responsive to an on/off switch on the toothbrush is an on/off variable, which enables a master clock to produce a drive signal, the on/off variable being reset by a 120-second timer. A quadtimer variable, when in the enabled state, is responsive to the on/off switch to produce an audible signal and a difference in brush velocity at 30-second intervals within the 120-second period.

Abstract: A drain cleaning system which utilizes a plumbing cable and nozzle assembly. A fluid-conveying hose is incorporated within a plumbing cable and a nozzle is affixed to the distal end of the cable and in communication with the hose. The nozzle includes a body having a rounded radius tip and a rotatably mounted ring having a plurality of radial jet passages formed therein. The ring and the body cooperatively define an annular passage therebetween. Pressurized water passes through the nozzle body and into the annular passage to produce a water bearing. The water is then discharged through the jet passages in the ring, causing the ring to rotate about the water bearing to produce a rotating spray of pressurized water. The rounded tip and ring are oriented co-axially with the tip being wider than the ring to prevent the jet passages from clogging when the nozzle is used to penetrate a clog in a pipe.

Abstract: A denture cleaner powered by a stream of falling water. A first rotary brush is geared to the gear. A second rotary brush is arranged at an angle to the first brush, with the bristles of the two brushes intersecting. The water falls onto a turbine or water wheel, which turns the first brush through a reducing gear. The first brush frictionally or interfittingly drives the second brush. Dentures are placed between the two brushes, and are held in place by the configuration of the cleaning chamber. Two pairs of brushes arranged in this manner are provided for cleaning two sets of dentures simultaneously. The water wheel is arranged selectively to divert a portion of the water stream into the cleaning chamber. A pocket having a perforated wall dispenses a cleaning agent into the cleaning chamber. The denture cleaner is thus independent of power from a manual, electric, or fluid pressure source, and operates without manual assistance from the user.

Abstract: A container for cleaning liquid solution for a carpet dry cleaning apparatus includes an outer wall having a cylindrical front portion and a flat back portion, an annular bottom wall at the bottom edge of the front portion of the outer wall, a top wall extending across the top edge of the outer wall, an inner wall extending around the inner edge of the bottom wall spaced inwardly from and extending along a portion of the front portion of the outer wall, and an inner bottom wall extending from the top edge of the inner wall to the back portion of the outer wall. The walls form a chamber for the cleaning liquid solution which extends across a portion of the inner bottom wall and annularly between the inner wall and the front portion of the outer wall. The container is adapted to fit over and around a motor mounted on a base of a carpet dry cleaning machine and can be secured to the base by screws extending from the bottom wall into the base.

Abstract: A toothbrush comprising an elongated handle, a bristle support member articulately mounted on one end of the handle so as to be constrained, in use, into limited reciprocal movement with respect to the handle and in a direction of longitudinal axis of the handle. The toothbrush further comprising a plurality of bristle tuft arrays pivotally mounted on the support member about at least one pivotal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and articulately coupled to the one end of the handle so that the limited reciprocal movement of the support member gives rise to limited pivotal lateral rocking of the bristle arrays.

Abstract: An electric toothbrush having a circular front chamber and a rectangular rear chamber on the brush head thereof, a first brush holder and a second brush holder respectively mounted in the circular front chamber and the rectangular rear chamber, a transmission rod mounted inside the brush head and reciprocated by a DC motor drive, the transmission rod having a stub rod engaged into a guide groove on the bottom side of the second brush holder, and an upright pin inserted through a side notch on the first brush holder, wherein when the transmission rod is reciprocated by the DC motor drive, the second brush holder is forced to oscillate in the transverse direction, and the first brush holder is driven by the upright pin to move round about its own center.

Abstract: Cleaning cloth supply and take-up spools are mounted by rodless supports for rotation about spaced, parallel axes in a frame that is connected to a pneumatic cylinder for reciprocation between opposite ends of a rotating process roll the surface of which is to be cleaned. The cleaning cloth passes over an opening in the frame, and a sponge pressure pad, which is saturated with cleaning fluid, is mounted in the frame to reciprocate toward and away from the opening between an advanced position in which it engages, saturates and urges the registering portion of the clean cloth into contact with the surface of the rotating processing roll, and a retracted position in which the sponge is drawn into the frame completely to disengage the cloth, which therefore disengages the processing roll. The sponge pad retracts and a clean section of cloth is advanced over the frame opening each time the frame reaches one of its limit positions.

Abstract: An assembly is provided which enables effective and rapid cleaning of computer mouse balls. The assembly includes a generally planar member, have a smooth low friction upper surface with a recessed well being formed at the member within the lateral periphery of same. The bottom of the well defines a plane which is parallel to the upper surface of the planar member and which is coated with an adhesive film. The planar member thereby defines a frame for the well so that the computer mouse may be positioned with its ball in the well in contact with the adhesive film, while the adjacent underlying body of the mouse is supported upon and slides freely upon the planar surface of the frame. This enable effective rolling of the ball in contact with the adhesive film to enable cleaning of the ball surface.

Abstract: A floor cleaning assembly including a gimballing connector is disclosed. The floor cleaning assembly includes a mounting member having an annular ring of bristles attached to the bottom surface thereof. The upper surface includes a centrally disposed hub and plurality of spokes and passageways extending radially therefrom. An annular barrier wall disposed adjacent the passageways extends upwardly from the upper surface of the barrier wall. The floor assembly is coupled to a motor drive by a gimballing connector which allows the axis of rotation of the floor assembly to shift relative to the axis of rotation of the motor drive. The geometry of the gimballing connector results in an evenly distributed wear pattern on the gimballing surface of the connector.

Abstract: A twin stemmed nursing cleaning brush comprises a junior brush stemmed from the middle or bottom portion of the main brush shaft to provide close contact with the bottle, bottle neck and its outer threads, pacifier, nipple cover and its inner threads when cleaning by either rotating the object or the brush assembly. Thus, this thorough interior and exterior nursing bottle cleaning device presents effective and convenient operation, as well as for easy storing.

Abstract: A sacrificial link is disclosed for the shaft of a vehicle-cleaning brush unit, which link is pre-engineered to fail prior to the remainder of the shaft in response to bending forces exerted on the brush by a vehicle, for example. The shaft itself is therefore protected from permanent deformation or breakage, while the sacrificial link is easily removed and replaced with relatively little downtime and expense. In a preferred form the sacrificial link comprises a sacrificial shaft section having socket ends for removable connection to the upper portion of a brush shaft depending from a motor drive unit and the lower portion of the brush shaft connected to the brush, and a center region pre-engineered to fail before the upper and lower brush shaft sections. Novel clamping and release structure associated with the socket ends of the sacrificial shaft section is also disclosed.

Abstract: A vibration type floor sweeper comprising a mounting frame; a motor mounted on the mounting frame; at least two movable supporting points; and a pad or brush having an overall square-shaped configuration movably mounted on a bottom surface of the mounting frame through the movable supporting points, the pad or brush being horizontally vibrated by eccentric operation of the motor.

Abstract: An electrically powered vibrating hair brush including an electric vibratory drive, a handle portion, and a brush head portion driven by the vibratory drive, the brush head portion being non-fixedly mounted onto the handle portion about a longitudinal axis, so as to permit both relative axial movement along the longitudinal axis and relative rotational movement thereabout.

Abstract: A cylindrical brush of the type utilized in an industrial type sweeper is retained on one end by an idler broom arm. The idler broom arm is hingedly connected to a member transverse to the brush such that the broom arm swings outwardly from the brush to effect a brush change as the broom arm is pivotally retained. A latch retains the arm in its closed position. The hinge is located radially behind and axially outwardly relative to the brush. This offset location of the hinge creates an inward biasing of the broom arm during forward travel of the sweeper to retain the brush between the idler broom arm and the driven broom arm on the opposite side of the brush.

Abstract: An article for use when bathing includes first and second mitts each having a pocket-defining end for receiving a person's hand and a flap extending from the pocket-defining end. Each mitt is made from opposing panels sewn together to form a pocket in the shape of a person's hand, with one edge of the mitt being left open for access to the pocket. A transverse slot extends parallel the one edge spaced from the open edge to form a handle. A patch of hook-and-loop material is sewn onto the flap and a mating patch of hook-and-loop material is sewn onto the "palm" of the pocket-defining end. The patch and mating patch are releasably engageable to hold the mitt in a folded position, which is conveniently sized to facilitate use as a single-handed scrubber. The patches on the flaps of the first and second mitts is also releasably engageable so that the mitts can be attached to form an elongated article useful for scrubbing a person's back.

Abstract: A quick squeezing self-wringing mop which utilizes an outer tubular member for wringing the mop dry. It comprises an outer tubular member, an inner shaft located within the outer tubular member and which is movable longitudinally relative to the inner shaft and rotatable relative thereto, a locking body, a mop, a spring-and-ratchet mechanism, and a handle member. The spring-and-ratchet mechanism comprises a pawl which is pivotally mounted to the outer tubular member. The pawl is biased by a spring such that its tip is engaged with one of the multiplicity of longitudinal ribs on the inner shaft to prevent the outer tubular member from rotating back to its initial position. When the outer tubular member is rotated in its clockwise circular path, which squeezes the mop, the outer tubular member can stop at any position relative the inner shaft and have the outer tubular member released, without causing the mop to unwind.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatically cleaning submerged surfaces, such as the bottom and side walls of a swimming pool. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes onboard sensors, and an onboard processor (preferably, a microprocessor) which controls operation of the apparatus in response to status information supplied from the sensors. Preferably, the apparatus has an onboard watertight battery and an adjustable inlet nozzle size, and includes left and right track treads which are controllable to cause the apparatus to turn or rotate (clockwise or counterclockwise), or translate in a forward or reverse direction, on a horizontal or vertically inclined submerged surface. A transmission assembly is provided for each track tread, including a cam wheel and a cam follower connected thereto within a sealed control assembly, and a shift link extending through a seal in the control assembly.

Abstract: A mechanism for advancing a rotating cylindrical member, which mechanism includes a frame having an opening with a first axis to accept a cylindrical member extending therethrough in a first line, an advancing roller for engagement with a cylindrical member extending through the frame opening, first structure for mounting the advancing roller for movement relative to the frame with the first structure including a mounting block on the frame having a passage and a carrier for the advancing roller that is movable guidingly in the mounting block passage in a path in first and second opposite directions, and sealing structure cooperating between the carrier and the mounting block for blocking migration of foreign matter into the mounting block passage.

Abstract: A rotary brush floor polisher is provided with an upper and a lower disk member movably connected with each other through a shock absorbing member interposed therebetween, on which lower disk member is fixedly mounted a polishing brush or pad which is rotatably driven by an electric motor to glide over a floor to polish and clean the same. The polisher is characterized by the shock absorbing member each of which is interposed: between the upper and the lower disk member; and between the electric motor and a platform on which the motor is mounted. The shock absorbing member has a simple and compact construction which: realizes reduction in size of the polisher; reduces vibrations and noise in operation; and eliminates a fear that the operator's fingers and like objects are sandwiched between the upper and the lower disk member by mistake in operation to ensure a safety operation of the polisher.