CLEANING IMPLEMENT

Abstract

A cleaning implement is disclosed that provides multiple functions useful in cleaning windows and similar surfaces. There is a support head that has three sides, one being a cleaning liquid applicator side and two presenting an absorbent sheet. The liquid applicator side can apply a cleaning liquid to a surface to be cleaned and optionally can provide scrubbing to the surface. The sheet can perform rough drying followed by finish drying, and/or other functions. Replacement liquid applicator cartridges and replacement sheets, or stacks of sheets, are also disclosed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority on U.S. provisional application 60/784,912, filed Mar. 22, 2006.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to devices for cleaning windows and other hard surfaces. More particularly, it relates to “all-in-one” type devices that deliver a cleaning fluid, work the fluid along the surface being cleaned, and remove the used liquid.

Cleaning of windows and other hard surfaces typically requires several tools and is a multi-step process. One typically picks up a spray bottle and spray the window, then picks up a sponge or cloth and works the cleaning fluid along the window glass, then picks up a squeegee, rag or other device to remove the used cleaning fluid. Hence, several devices are required, and time is needed to shift from device to device.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,376,195 disclosed an all-in-one type window cleaning device. The device had a reservoir containing cleaning liquid that impregnated a moistening element/sponge. The device collected the used liquid in an adjacent catch reservoir on the device. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,701 disclosed a device which supplied a cleaning liquid and collected at least some of it in an adjoining absorbent pad region. However, with these devices once the liquid was used up or the collection capacity of the device exceeded, it was difficult to adapt the device for continued use. Moreover, the devices were not compact and were unduly heavy.

There have also been some attempts to provide a cleaning head with multiple cleaning sides rotatably connected to a handle. See e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,171,152 and 5,596,786. There were also a number of devices that contained cleaning surfaces having different cleaning characteristics, allowing a user to select an appropriate surface for a particular step in the cleaning or other surface treating process. See e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,461,749, 6,733,595, and 6,766,552.

There were also a variety of cleaning devices where a cleaning sheet or pad, once used, could be replaced. See e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,461,749 and 6,202,250, and U.S. patent application publication 2004/0117935.

There were yet other cleaning devices where multiple cleaning sheets were mounted in stacked fashion, with the external most sheet being removable after use to expose a fresh sheet. See e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,298,517, 6,405,403, and 6,810,554.

While there have therefore been substantial activity in the area of developing cleaning implements with improved characteristics, further improvements are still desired, particularly with respect to developing improved all-in-one type, cleaning implements.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect the invention provides a cleaning implement for cleaning a surface. It has a handle and a support head mounted on the handle for rotation. The support head has at least two sides that can be selectively positioned adjacent the surface. There is also an absorbent sheet removably covering at least a first of the two sides of the support head, and a substrate forming another of the sides which is impregnated with a cleaning fluid and removably mountable to the support head. The substrate is suitable to deliver cleaning fluid to the surface.

In preferred forms the support head has at least three sides that can be selectively positioned adjacent the surface, and the absorbent sheet removably covers at least two of them. The absorbent sheet can be part of a stack of such absorbent sheets, and the stack can be removably mountable to the support head along those two sides. Using such a structure a first sheet of the stack can be tom off from the stack after use to expose a fresh second sheet of the stack. If desired the first sheet of the stack can have weakenings and tabs to facilitate tearing off of the first sheet from the stack.

When using such stacks it is important that the used liquid that reaches the outermost sheet of the stack not reach the underlying sheets. Thus, it is preferred that each absorbent sheet comprises an outer absorbent layer laminated or otherwise linked to an inner barrier layer.

It is also desirable that the substrate be a porous material that readily releases impregnating liquid upon contacting a surface. This can be anything from a sponge-like material to a fibrous material. It is particularly preferred that the substrate be made of a fibrous material selected from the group consisting of polyester fiber, polypropylene fiber, cellulose acetate fiber, and bonded polyolefin fiber, and the substrate be impregnated with a window cleaning fluid. Also possible is using melamine foam materials.

Such a substrate is configured to deliver cleaning fluid in a controlled manner. It also provides a scrubbing surface for working in the fluid along the window being cleaned. Further, the substrate can be selected to be suitable to reabsorb at least part of the used cleaning liquid, and filter it so as to be able to reuse it to some extent.

It should be appreciated that if a stack of sheets is used it can be replaced as one unit separately from the substrate. Further, the substrate can be replaced independently of the sheets. Hence, the useful life of each can be optimized.

With respect to some porous materials it is desirable that their size be controlled (e.g. typically to less than 8 cm in any direction). Longer structures in any direction may tend to drool due to the head pressure caused by gravity along the structure.

In this regard, head pressure can be defined as the pressure of the liquid in the substrate material. Each type of substrate material can hold up to some maximum height of the liquid in a vertical direction (regardless of the thickness of the material) before the liquid begins to drool out of the material. Therefore, at greater than the maximum head pressure of the material, the force of gravity is greater than the ability of the material to hold the liquid.

The maximum head pressure can be determined by loading various sizes of the substrate material to saturation with a liquid of interest and then placing the pieces of material on end to check which vertical heights leak and which vertical heights retain liquid. With the types of fibrous material we prefer to use we have found that once the pieces of material begin to exceed about 8 cm a drool problem can exist for typical window cleaners.

With some cleaning liquids it is desirable to cover the substrate, or a cartridge containing the substrate, between uses to minimize evaporation from the substrate. This can be achieved with a removable cover. That cover will also limit evaporation prior to the first use, albeit prior to the first use a sealed packet may be the preferred way to protect the cartridge.

In particularly preferred forms the support head is essentially triangular in cross section (most preferably isosceles triangular). This permits free rotation of the support on its axis for about 300 degrees of rotation. Additional rotation is prevented as the longer end of the triangle will contact a structure of the handle before further rotation can occur. This helps insure that the support head surfaces are optimally aligned with typical vertical surfaces being cleaned (e.g. a window).

Structures are also preferably provided to facilitate quick attachment and removal of the absorbent sheet(s). Each sheet can be provided with slots adjacent its ends which can hook onto corresponding projections on the support head. Some of the projections can be on a side of the support head that is pivotably mounted to another side. The attachment of the sheet(s) can be made when the sides are pivoted open and the sheet stack can then be dragged into a tight alignment by the closing of the sides.

The substrate is preferably mounted to a cartridge housing, with the cartridge housing being mounted to the support head and holding a plurality of additional substrate pieces in separate wells. Further, a portion of the substrate facing the surface to be cleaned can be segmented with non-porous barriers between the segments. These structures further facilitate cleaning while minimizing drool.

In another aspect the invention provides a refill cartridge for such a cleaning implement. There is a cartridge housing and a porous substrate mounted to the housing. The substrate is impregnated with a cleaning liquid and the substrate is suitable to deliver the cleaning fluid to the surface.

In preferred forms the substrate is formed of a fibrous material selected from the group consisting of polyester fiber, polypropylene fiber, cellulose acetate fiber, and bonded polyolefin fiber, and the substrate is impregnated with a window cleaner. The substrate may have an applicator portion and a reservoir portion, where the reservoir portion has at least two separated portions, the two separated portions each being a separate piece of a porous absorbent material impregnated with a cleaning liquid. Alternatively, the reservoir portion can be an integral portion of the same block which has the applicator portion.

The applicator portion can be divided into segments. Hence, the substrate is sized so as to avoid gravity (via head pressure) alone causing the cleaning liquid to drool out of the substrate.

In operation the support head is first rotated on its own longitudinal axis to align the substrate with a surface to be cleaned (e.g., a window glass surface). By pressing the substrate against the window cleaning liquid is applied to the window.

The support head is then turned to align one of the sheet sides with the window and the sheet along that side is then pressed against and wiped on the window. This may be for a crude drying function, or, depending on the nature of that portion of the sheet, may also provide some scrubbing function or other function as well. If desired, the support head can then be turned again so that the other sheet side can be pressed against and dragged on the surface. This can then perform a final drying.

When the exposed sheet has become saturated or too dirty, it can be torn off. Tear weakenings can be provided transversely along a strip adjacent the slots to facilitate this. The barrier layer of the top exposed sheet prevents the sheet then being exposed from being prematurely soiled.

While we prefer a single sheet of uniform material draping two sides of the support head as the preferred absorbent sheet (optionally in the form of a stack of such sheets), the exposed material along one side of the support head can be of a first nature and the material adjacent another side can be of another nature. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,522.

Moreover, two separate sheets, or two separate stacks of sheets, may be used so that a sheet on one side can be separately removed or installed relative to the sheets along the other side. In any event, the sheets covering the two sides may have identical or different functional characteristics to perform either identical or different functions, at least one which is absorbing used cleaning liquid from a surface being cleaned and drying the surface.

The sheets in the stack may be optionally attached together, for example, by heat sealing at two opposing ends of the sheets. Each tear-off sheet may optionally have other features that facilitate the removal of the sheet. For example, the sheets may also have tabs to facilitate the start of the tearing. A variety of other ways to attach the sheets to the support head are also possible such as clamping, bolting, and adhering via Velcro® type of hooks or loops.

The handle provided may be a one-piece handle or a multi-piece elongatable handle. For example, a handle having a fork and two telescoping extension parts is preferred.

Such devices are suitable for cleaning building windows. However, they can also be used for cleaning automobile windows and other hard surfaces. A variety of cleaning liquids can be used ranging from water to specialized window cleaners (e.g. Windex® brand window cleaner), to other hard surface cleaning or treatment fluids. The liquid may have other functions besides just cleaning (e.g., polishing, antibacterial treatment, insect treatment, etc.). Thus, the nature of the liquid is not critical to the invention.

The portion of the substrate material adjacent the window to be cleaned (“the applicator”) is preferably of sufficient integrity so that it does not degrade and leave residue while being rubbed against the window. It is also preferred that this portion of the substrate material have some abrasiveness or roughness to provide scrubbing to the surface. The substrate is most preferably in slab-like segments of a porous absorbent material, such as a fibrous filtering material selected from the group consisting of polyester fiber, polypropylene fiber, cellulose acetate fiber, and bonded polyolefin fiber. Particularly preferred absorbents are polyester fiber materials, polypropylene fiber materials, cellulose acetate fiber materials, and bonded polyolefin fiber materials available from Filtrona Richmond Inc. (Colonial Heights, Va.). Alternatively, one could use a porous polyethylene material available from Porex or a cellulosic pad with horizontal capillary fibers made of plastic to improve integrity and water transport. Another possibility is the use of melamine foam.

The substrate can be frictionally fit into a cartridge housing. A variety of ways are available to mount the cartridge housing to the support head such as snap fits, hooks, clamps or other structures.

All of the cleaning liquid may be in the substrate. Alternatively, additional cleaning liquid may be positioned in an adjacent reservoir of the cartridge unit so as to resupply and refresh the substrate. In this latter application the substrate can form a type of cap over the reservoir(s). Another possibility is for additional strips or pieces of the substrate to form a type of reservoir which feeds the applicator portion.

Hence, it will be appreciated that a variety of advantages are achieved by various embodiments of the present invention. The functions of providing cleaning liquid, scrubbing stains, and collecting the used liquid are all achieved by a single compact tool, which can be inexpensively manufactured. The above functions are optimized through use of replaceable and disposable parts.

The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description. In the following description reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration preferred embodiments of the invention. Such embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention. Reference should therefore be made to the claims herein for interpreting the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a cleaning implement of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a portion thereof, but with the support head rotated to another position;

FIG. 3 is a left side elevational view of the support head portion of the FIG. 1 device;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but with the support head rotated;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but with parts exploded outward from the handle;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged exploded view of the support head of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Turning first to FIGS. 1-4, a generally triangular cross section cleaning implement is shown having a support head (generally 10) with one side being a substrate 12 for applying a cleaning liquid, and two sides 13A/13B being covered by a stack of absorbent tear-off sheets 14. There is also a handle structure (generally 16) having a lower end 18 and an upper end 19 linked to a fork 20.

The support head 10 is rotatably mounted between the arms 40 and 42 to align the impregnated substrate 12 with a surface to be cleaned (such as a window glass surface 22). When holding the handle lower end 18 the substrate 12 can be pressed against and dragged on the window glass surface 22, thereby applying cleaning liquid to the surface and to some extent scrubbing the surface to help remove stains and other deposits.

Next, the support head 10 can be rotated as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 to align one of the tear-off sheet sides with the glass surface 22. A sheet 14 can then be pressed against and dragged on the surface to absorb most of the used liquid. Over-rotation of the support head 10 is blocked with contact between the elongated point of the support head's triangle and the linking structure 44 of the fork 20.

Then, the support head can be rotated in the opposite direction through about 300 degrees of rotation so that the opposite side of a sheet 14 can finish the drying process (see FIG. 4). When the top tear-off sheet is sufficiently saturated or soiled, it can be torn off to expose a fresh sheet underneath. Note for example weakening perforations 104/106 in FIG. 6 to facilitate the tearing off of a top sheet 14. When not in use, the substrate 12 can be covered by a removable cover 23 (see FIG. 6) to prevent evaporation of cleaning liquid.

The preferred handle has separate segments 24, 26, and 28 that are linked together. With this handle segments 26 and 28 can telescope to provide varied length options. The segment 28 may be locked into either a compact position (dotted lines in FIG. 1) for easy storage and transportation, or an extended position for additional reaching capability. This can be achieved via a pair of outwardly biased button tabs 30 and 32 on the segment 26 and corresponding openings on the adjacent parts. When these buttons are aligned with their corresponding openings they prevent disassembly or relative sliding movement. Pressing the buttons radially inward permits disassembly or relative sliding movement.

Arms 40 and 42 have prongs 46 and 48 extending towards each other for retaining the support head 10 in an axle-like manner. As best seen in FIGS. 5-7, the support head 10 is in the general shape of an isosceles triangular prism with longer sides 49 and 51 than connecting side 53 (FIG. 7). The support head 10 has connector walls 50 and 52 and the three lateral sides 54, 56, and 58.

Sides 54 and 56 support the tear-off sheets, and side 58 is formed by the removable substrate 12. The connector walls 50 and 52 and the side 56 may be of a single piece and this piece may be pivotally connected to the side 54 by pins 59 and 60 through holes 62 and 64 on the connector walls 50 and 52 and holes 66 and 68 on the side 54.

The side 54 may therefore be pivotally opened and closed relative to the side 56 (see FIG. 6). When the side 54 is closed, it is locked into the closed position by a snap connection to the connector walls 50 and 52 via a pair of tabs on the side 54 (tab 70 and a similar tab (not shown) on the opposite end of the side 54) and a pair of corresponding receiving pockets on the connector walls 50 and 52 (pocket 72 on the wall 52 and a similar pocket (not shown) on the wall 50). The sides 54 and 56 have fold-in sections 74 and 76 each with projections 78 and 80 extended there from for retaining the stack of tear-off sheets 14.

Preferably, the substrate 12 has a transverse portion presented as a liquid applicator side 58. It is mounted to a cartridge 82 that has a container 84 that houses multiple pieces of substrate 86 (the same or a different material than substrate 12) that has been impregnated with a cleaning liquid. Each of the pieces of substrate 86 are axially aligned but separately stored in corresponding wells 88 of the container 84.

Preferably, the substrate 12 has a outward applicator portion 90 and an inward reservoir portion 86. In any case each portion should have a high capacity for liquid, and at least the outward applicator portion 90 should be made of a material of sufficient integrity so that it does not degrade and leave residue. Thus, while tissue paper typically has a very high capacity for absorbance, it would not be an optimal material for the outward applicator portion 90 as it would crumble and leave lint and other pieces on the window if dragged against the window.

Outward applicator portion 90 is segmented into segments by regions 91. This can be achieved by having a single block that forms portion 90, but melting regions 91 to disrupt and compress these regions to interrupt wicking portions. Alternatively, separator walls could be made of a substantially non-porous material. The outward applicator portion 90 can be mounted (e.g., glued) to a plate 92 of the container 84 to close the container, after each of the pieces of reservoir substrate 86 have been placed in a corresponding well 88.

The size of each piece of impregnated substrate is made sufficiently small, due to this compartmentalization and segmentation, to prevent head pressure developed by gravity along the substrate from causing a drooling problem, regardless of the direction that the head is held in.

The plate 92 may have a snap connection tab 94 extended there from, and a similar tab on the opposite side (not shown) to removably mount the cartridge 82 to the support head 10 by fitting the tabs into two receiving pockets 96 and 98 on the connector walls 50 and 52. The container 84 may have one or more grooves on the outside that can be aligned with and slide along at least one of spines 97 and 99 underneath the side 56 to guide the installation of the cartridge 82.

Each sheet may have a front absorbent layer and a rear barrier layer laminated to the back of the absorbent layer. The barrier layer would prevent the sheet, when wetted, from wetting/soiling an underlying sheet. The sheets may be attached together by heat sealing at two opposing ends of the sheets.

As best seen in FIG. 6, each sheet may also have slots 100 and 102 near the two opposing ends for securely wrapping the sheet around the sides 54 and 56 by fitting the holes onto projections 78 and 80. Further, note that the side 54 may be pivoted open to facilitate the mounting of the sheet. Pivoting the side closed then drags each sheet into a tight fitting configuration.

Each sheet, when there is a stack of sheets, may also have perforations 104 and 106, and tabs 108, 110, 112, and 114, to facilitate the removal of used sheets. For example, a used top sheet may be removed by lifting one of the tabs 108-114 and tearing along the perforations 104 and/or 106 to expose the next fresh sheet underneath. When the whole stack is used up, a new stack can be installed to the support head 10 by opening the side 54 and then removing the portion of the stack remaining on the projections 78 and 80. A new stack can then be placed on the projections.

When using the FIG. 1 implement, a window or other hard surface can be cleaned and dried without needing any other tool or element besides the cleaning implement of the present invention. The implement provides its own supply of cleaning liquid, provides scrubbing via pressing and dragging the applicator, and provides a way to rough dry and then finish dry the window.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and otherwise disclosed herein, alternative embodiments are also intended to be within the scope of the claims. For example, the stack of sheets may have two side-by-side areas so that the first side to be used has another function (e.g. scrubbing; applying a treatment chemical). Thus, the invention is not to be judged solely by the preferred embodiments. Rather, the claims should be looked to in order to judge the full scope of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention provides a cleaning implement for windows or the like which performs multiple functions, and replacement cartridges and stack refills for use therewith.

Claims

1. A cleaning implement for cleaning a surface, comprising:

a handle;

a support head mounted on the handle for rotation, the support head having at least two sides that can be selectively positioned adjacent the surface;

an absorbent sheet removably covering at least one of the sides of the support head; and

a substrate forming one of said sides of said support head and being impregnated with a cleaning fluid and also being removably mountable to the support head, the substrate being suitable to deliver cleaning fluid to the surface.

2. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein the support head has at least three sides that can be selectively positioned adjacent the surface.

3. The cleaning implement of claim 2, wherein the absorbent sheet removably covers two of the sides of the support head.

4. The cleaning implement of claim 3, wherein the absorbent sheet is part of a stack of such absorbent sheets, the stack being removably mounted to the support head along two of the sides such that a first sheet of the stack can be tom off from the stack after use to expose a second sheet of the stack.

5. The cleaning implement of claim 4, wherein the first sheet of the stack has weakenings to facilitate tearing off the first sheet from the stack.

6. The cleaning implement of claim 4, wherein at least one absorbent sheet of the stack comprises an outer absorbent layer linked to an inner barrier layer.

7. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a fibrous material selected from the group consisting of polyester fiber, polypropylene fiber, cellulose acetate fiber, and bonded polyolefin fiber, and the substrate is impregnated with a cleaning fluid.

8. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein the substrate can be removed from a remainder of the support head independently of removal of the absorbent sheet from that remainder of the support head.

9. The cleaning implement of claim 1, further comprising a removable cover suitable to cover the substrate prior to use, and the support head is essentially triangular in cross section.

10. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein the support head is capable of freely rotating along its longitudinal axis, but not for a complete 360 degrees of rotation.

11. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein the absorbent sheet has at least one slot adjacent an end of the sheet that can hook onto a projection of the support head.

12. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein a side of the support head is pivotably hinged to another side of the support head to facilitate mounting of the absorbent sheet.

13. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein the substrate is mounted to a cartridge housing, and the cartridge housing is mounted to the support head.

14. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein a cartridge housing houses a plurality of separated porous material that are impregnated with cleaning fluid.

15. A refill cartridge for a cleaning implement, the cleaning implement being of a type suitable to clean a hard surface, the cartridge comprising:

a cartridge housing; and

a porous substrate mounted to the housing, wherein the substrate is impregnated with a cleaning liquid and the substrate is suitable to deliver the cleaning fluid to the surface.

16. The refill cartridge of claim 15, wherein the substrate comprises a fibrous material is selected from the group consisting of polyester fiber, polypropylene fiber, cellulose acetate fiber, and bonded polyolefin fiber, and the substrate is impregnated with a window cleaner.

17. The refill cartridge of claim 15, wherein the substrate comprises an applicator portion and a reservoir portion.

18. The refill cartridge of claim 17, wherein the reservoir portion is positioned in at least two separated wells, the two separated wells each holding a separate piece of a porous absorbent material impregnated with a cleaning liquid.

19. The refill cartridge of claim 17, wherein the applicator portion is divided into segments.

20. The refill cartridge of claim 15, wherein the substrate is sized so as to avoid gravity alone causing the cleaning liquid to drool out of the substrate.