Weighted Deformable Cleaning Device
The weighted deformable cleaning device includes an outer sack sized to receive a weighted sack. The outer sack has an abrasive surface. The weighted sack contains a bead composition having a combination of weighted beads and cushion beads. The weighted beads are made a non-reactive heavy material and are preferably spherical in shape. The cushion beads are smaller in size than the weighted beads and are made from a lightweight material. The number of cushion beads in the weighted sack exceeds the number of the weighted beads such that the cushion beads have a higher volumetric weight in the weighted sack compared to the weighted beads. The weighted deformable cleaning device deforms to pass through narrow openings of a container, such as a bottle. The added mass from the weighted sack allows for increased frictional cleaning forces when the container is agitated, thereby increasing the cleaning efficiency of the device.
This application claims the benefit of priority to the United States Provisional Patent Application for “Weighted Deformable Cleaning Device”, Application No. 62/849,266 filed on May 17, 2019.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONVarious narrow opening containers are in wide use, including but not limited to baby bottles, vases, pitchers, decanters, vacuum flasks, water bottles, etc., which are often very difficult to clean. Such narrow opening containers often have openings that are too small to allow a user to pass his or her hand through the opening in order to access the interior volume. Conventional sponges rarely are adequate to accomplish the cleaning of the interior volume because once passed through the narrow opening, they cannot be adequately accessed by the user to ensure that the internal surfaces are cleaned with an adequate cleaning force to ensure the removal of bio films, food/beverage materials, or other contaminants. Long handled cleaning devices, often formed with a deformable cloth, sponge or wire brush tip, provide the user some additional control, but still fail to provide access in hard to reach areas of the narrow opening container, and in particular larger containers, the dimensions of which can exceed the length of the handle of the cleaning device. Additionally, the various custom cleaning devices have no utility apart from cleaning the particular geometry for which the device was designed. While a user can purchase numerous cleaning devices of different lengths and configurations to address the variety of shapes and sizes of narrow opening containers, such a solution is impractical, expensive and leads to unwanted household clutter.
As a result, there is a need in the art for a universal cleaning device that is adaptable to access the various sizes and shapes of narrow opening containers. Such a device would also be useful for cleaning other surfaces, including surfaces having complex shapes. There is a further need for a universal cleaning device which is relatively inexpensive. In addition, there is need for a universal cleaning device which allows for application of sufficient cleaning force without a user directly contacting the cleaning device during use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is a weighted deformable cleaning device. The weighted deformable cleaning device has an exterior sack formed with an abrasive material on the surface with an opening providing access to an interior volume. A weighted sack is housed within the interior volume accessible through an aperture in the exterior sack. The aperture is sealable with a fastener, such as a hook and loop fastener.
The exterior sack preferably has a retrieval loop to enable a user to retrieve the weighted deformable cleaning device by hand or by using a simple tool, such as long hooked wire. The retrieval loop may optionally be formed with an abrasive material on the surface.
The weighted sack itself is partially filled with a bead composition. The bead composition provides the weight necessary to ensure that the weighted deformable cleaning device imparts sufficient cleaning force to the interior of a narrow opening container when the container is swirled by a user with the weighted deformable cleaning device located within the interior of the narrow opening container. The bead composition further enables the weighted sack to be sufficiently deformable to allow for the entrance of the deformable cleaning device past the narrow opening of a container.
In one embodiment, the bead composition is a blend of weighted beads and cushion beads. Preferably, the weighted beads are larger in size than the cushion beads and are spherical in shape. The weighted beads are made of a nonreactive heavy material such as stainless steel. Alternatively, heavy reactive materials such as iron, steel, or copper may be used for the weighted beads provided that such reactive materials have a nonreactive coating, such as a ceramic coating.
The cushion beads are preferably smaller in dimension than the weighted beads, but are provided in a larger quantity. The cushion beads are made of a lightweight nonreactive material, such as high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polystyrene, or other such material provided the selected lightweight material does not contain bisphenol-A (BPA). The shape of the cushion beads is not important, nor do the dimensions of the cushion beads need be uniform. However, it is preferred that the surface of the cushion beads is smooth.
During use, the cushion beads surround the weighted beads and act as a cushion precluding the impart of a point load from a weighted bead to the interior surface of the narrow opening container, which are often made from fragile materials such as glass, crystal or materials that can be easily dented, such as thin walled stainless steel.
In use, a user first inserts the weighted sack into the interior volume of the exterior sack of the weighted deformable cleaning device, through the exterior aperture. The exterior aperture is then sealed with a fastener. The weighted deformable cleaning device is then sufficiently deformed from a non-deformed cross-section area to a deformed cross-section area so as to fit through the narrow opening of a container. The container is then optionally partially filled with a cleaning solution. Next the container is swirled by user so as to generate an angular velocity of the weighted deformable cleaning device with respect to the interior surface of the container. As the angular velocity builds, the weight provided by the weighted beads imparts a radial force which acts on the interior surface of the container. The radial force is sufficient to ensure that the textured surface of the exterior sack of the weighted deformable cleaning device acts on the interior surface of the container with sufficient force to clean the interior surface.
The nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout, and wherein:
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Although numerous geometries of the weighted beads 34 are contemplated by the invention, it is preferred that the weighted beads 34 be spherical in shape. Since the weighted sack 30 is reusable and likely to be used in an aqueous environment, it is preferable that the weighted beads 34 be made of a nonreactive heavy material, such as stainless steel. Ceramic materials or ceramic coated materials may also be used for the weighted beads 34.
The cushion beads 36 are a key aspect of the invention because the weighted beads 34 alone are likely to cause damage to the containers which are intended to be cleaned by the weighted deformable cleaning device 10. A purpose of the present invention is to allow a user to vigorously shake and swirl a container to cause movement of the weighted deformable cleaning device 10 within. Larger diameter heavy spherical weighted beads 34, unless cushioned, will impart a point load on the interior surface of the container since the deformable exterior sack 20 is insufficient to cushion the weighted beads 34.
The cushion beads 36 are smaller in size than the weighted beads 34, preferably between 0.125 to 0.5 times the size of the weighted beads 34. The structure of the cushion beads 36 may be spherical, cylindrical, ellipsoid, torus or any other number of configurations. It is preferred that the cushion beads 36 do not have sharp edges and have a generally smooth surface. Each cushion bead 36 does not need to be uniform in size or structure with the other cushion beads 36. However, the number of cushion beads 36 disposed within the weighted sack 30 must be greater than the number of weighted beads 34. It is preferable that the volumetric weight of the cushion beads 36 exceed the volumetric weight of the weighted beads 34 in the bead composition 32. It is further preferred that the volumetric weight of the cushion beads 36 exceed the volumetric weight of the weighted beads 34 by a ratio of 2:1.
The size and weight of the weighted beads 34 and the cushion beads 36 will vary depending on the interior surface geometry to be cleaned. For containers with an irregular interior surface geometry, it is beneficial to use smaller weighted beads 34 and cushion beads 36 for the weighted deformable cleaning device 10 to more easily deform to the irregular interior surface geometry being cleaned. For containers with a smooth surface, it is beneficial to use larger weighted beads 34 and cushion beads 36 for the weighted deformable cleaning device 10 since it does not need to deform to an irregular surface geometry to clean. The weighted beads 34 and cushion beads 36 may be as small as a sand grain or be as large as possible while still enabling the deformation of the weighted deformable cleaning device 10 to fit within the narrow opening and to adapt to the interior surface geometry of the container to be cleaned.
The cushion beads 36 are preferably made with a nonreactive material such as high density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, polystyrene, or other similar light weight material. It is preferred that that the cushion beads 36 not contain bisphenol-A (BPA).
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Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more other steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility).
While there have been shown what are presently considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited as except by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A weighted deformable cleaning device comprising:
- a deformable exterior sac having an interior volume;
- a deformable weighted sac removably inserted into said interior volume of said deformable exterior sac;
- wherein said deformable exterior sac and said deformable weighted sac have a non-deformed cross-section area and are configured to deform to fit through an opening smaller than said non-deformed cross-section area; and
- wherein said deformable exterior sac further comprises a textured surface.
2. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 1, wherein said deformable exterior sac further comprises an opening to said interior volume.
3. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 2, wherein said deformable exterior sac further comprises a fastener configured to seal said opening.
4. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 3, wherein said deformable weighted sac comprises a bead composition within an interior volume of said deformable weighted sac.
5. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 4, wherein said bead composition comprises a plurality of weighted beads and a plurality of cushion beads.
6. A weighted deformable cleaning device comprising:
- a deformable exterior sac having an interior volume;
- a deformable weighted sac having an interior volume filled with a plurality of weighted beads and a plurality of cushion beads, said deformable weighted sac removably inserted into said interior volume of said deformable exterior sac.
7. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 6, wherein said plurality of cushion beads are each between 0.125 to 0.5 times smaller than said plurality of weighted beads.
8. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 6, wherein said plurality of cushion beads has a cushion bead quantity and said plurality of weighted beads has a weighted bead quantity wherein said cushion bead quantity exceeds said weighted bead quantity in said deformable weighted sac.
9. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 6, wherein a volumetric weight of said plurality of cushion beads exceed a volumetric weight of said plurality of weighted beads.
10. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 6, wherein a volumetric weight of said plurality of cushion beads exceed a volumetric weight of said plurality of weighted beads by a ratio of 2:1.
11. A weighted deformable cleaning device comprising:
- a deformable exterior sac having an interior volume;
- a deformable weighted sac having a bead composition removably inserted into said interior volume of said deformable exterior sac;
- wherein said deformable exterior sac and said deformable weighted sac each have a non-deformed cross-section area and are each configured to deform to fit through an opening smaller than said non-deformed cross-section areas; and
- wherein said deformable exterior sac further comprises a textured surface.
12. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 11, wherein said deformable exterior sac further comprises an aperture to said interior surface.
13. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 12, wherein said deformable exterior sac further comprises a fastener configured to close said aperture.
14. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 13, wherein said deformable exterior sac further comprises a retrieval loop.
15. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 14, wherein said textured surface of said deformable exterior sac is an abrasive surface.
16. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 15, wherein said bead composition comprises a plurality of weighted beads and a plurality of cushion beads.
17. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 16, wherein said cushion beads are between 0.125 to 0.5 times smaller than said weighted beads.
18. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 17, wherein said plurality of cushion beads has a cushion bead quantity and said plurality of weighted beads has a weighted bead quantity wherein said cushion bead quantity exceeds said weighted bead quantity in said deformable weighted sac.
19. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 18, wherein a volumetric weight of said plurality of cushion beads exceed a volumetric weight of said plurality of weighted beads.
20. The weighted deformable cleaning device of claim 19, wherein a volumetric weight of said cushion beads exceed a volumetric weight of said weighted beads by a ratio of 2:1.
Type: Application
Filed: May 18, 2020
Publication Date: Nov 19, 2020
Inventor: Patricia Gallego (Bakersfield, CA)
Application Number: 16/876,826