Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02301481 2000-03-03
COMPACT MULTI-PURPOSE CLEANING DEVICE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the cleaning of a surface with
extraneous material thereon and more particularly to means for
containing and dispensing a supply of cleaning material onto the
surface and means to abrade, wipe or scrape the extraneous material
and/or the cleaning material, from the surface.
BACKGROUND OF SHE INVENTION
This application is related to and is a modified version of the
invention described in applicant's Canadian Patent 2,204,193 granted
and issued on 1999/11/09.
In the cleaning of headlights, side windows, outside rear view
mirrors and even windshields, it is a common practice to use a
squeegee and bucket of water or cleaning fluid provided by a service
station when one fills up with gas.
The big problem is that one is not always handy to service station
facilities when the undesirable matter arrives on surfaces that are
necessary to the safety of all concerned. People have resorted to
sponges, rags or even a handful of snow to improve degenerating
visual conditions.
In an effort to remove the unwanted condition of matter on a surface
several attempts have been made as shown in U.S. Patent 3,276,067 to
Boyle et at, U.S. Patent 3,226,761 to Adamsky and Canadian Patent
1,054,320 to Hardy.
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United States Patent "067" teaches pressure responsive slits in a
flexible wall of a container to meter the flow of liquid therefrom.
An applicator pad is placed on the container over the slits to
receive the liquid and apply it to a surface as it is moved
thereover. The instant invention does not have a flexible wall
container slit to control fluid flow, nor a wiping pad covering the
slits.
United States Patent "761" again has a pliable container which is
distorted by hand thereby opening a valve to permit fluid in the
container to flow on to a surface to be cleaned. An applicator
sponge is attached to the container body to spread the fluid applied
to the surface. This device is similar to the instant invention only
in that a sponge is used to spread the fluid after it has been
released from the container. This device has several shortcomings
which have been overcome by the invention herein described. The
invention has a semi-rigid body which will not accidentally disperse
fluid therefrom by flexing of the body nor will it disperse fluid as
the body is held tightly in the hand when wiping the fluid and
extraneous matter from a surface to be cleaned. The fluid is under
complete control at all times, providing a direct location of fluid
application and the desired amount applied. This control makes for
easy storage such as in the glove box or other compartment in an
automobile.
Canadian Patent "320" teaches a liquid dispensing bottle adapted for
use in a squeegee operation. The body of the container has a trigger
operated dispensing mechanism and a squeegee mounted thereon. The
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squeegee "per se" in this case is not directly mounted on the
container body, thus it can only carry out a single function. No
further functions have been provided for or even suggested. The
direct attachment to the container body is what is required for a
compact multi-cleaning device.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The removal of the above mentioned vehicle hazards or even cleaning
in the home may be accomplished by providing, a container normally
but not necessarily filled with a cleaning fluid, an opening in the
container having flow control dispensing means mounted thereon, if
required, and one or :yore extraneous matter engaging elements any of
which are mounted in .a recess on the container and may include, a
rough or coarse abrasive type material held in a fixed, adjustable or
removable manner adja~~ent to a first portion of the container, a
sponge or wiping material held in a fixed, adjustable or removable
manner adjacent to a second portion of the container, a wiper blade
held in a fixed, adjustable or removable manner adjacent to a third
portion of the container and a scraper blade held in a fixed,
adjustable or removab:Le manner adjacent to a fourth portion of the
container. Any combination of any or all of the above elements is
conceivable and practical in the cleaning process. Various
~~perations can be peri_ormed with the above compact multi-cleaner but
the end result is the removal of unwanted foreign matter from a
;surface.
It is therefore the principal object of the instant invention to
provide a compact effective device for cleaning a surface in a
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practical and expeditious manner.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combination
dispensing and abrading device for cleaning a surface.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combination
dispensing and wiping device for cleaning a surface.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a combination
dispensing and scraping device for cleaning a surface.
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide one or
more fixed, adjustable, and/or removable matter engaging elements on
a hand manipulable container
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide an
economical, easy to manufacture cleaning device to aid in the safe
operation of a vehicle of any kind.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 shows a front elevation view of the cleaning
device.
Fig. 2 shows a view taken at the cutting plane A-A in
figure 1.
Fig. 3. shows a view similar to figure 2 wherein the pads
are of the "snap in" or "slide in" type.
Fig. 4. shows a detailed view of the area B in figure 3.
The pads would in fact be in contact with the body
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parts but are shown separated for clarity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to figure 1 there is here shown a container body means
1, which is normally of semi-rigid plastic, normally translucent and
which can have various shapes. This container body is for storing a
quantity of a cleansing material that can assist in the removal of an
undesirable matter from a surface to be cleansed. The cleansing
material is normally a fluid such as water and in the case of the
automotive art it would probably be windshield washer fluid. A fine
10. powder is also conceivable. The container body 1 has on an upper
surface thereof an opening or aperture for egress of material
therefrom. The container body 1 has the cleansing fluid replenished
through this same aperture. Mounted on this opening or aperture is a
removable container cap 10 carrying a dispensing valve 9. The cap 10
is normally threadeably attached to the aperture and the valve 9 is
opened and closed by an on-off vertical movement to control the
dispensing of the fluid. The dispenser may also be in the form of a
spray pump for a more controlled dispensing. On or adjacent one
portion of the container body 1 is an abrasive material 3 of coarse
20 texture usually required to remove matter strongly adhering to a
surface. On or adjacent a second portion of the container body 1 is
a sponge type of wiping material means 2 of finer texture than
material 3 usually required to remove or wipe off matter easily
removable from a surface. These materials 2 and 3 may also both be
on the same side of container body 1 with the other side being used
for advertising or the same material may be placed on both sides.
The materials 2 and 3 are normally held in position in a recess 8
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shown in fig 2 by an adhesive means 7. VELCRO or other adhering
means are also conceivable. A wiping blade means 5 normally made of
rubber is held in a fixed, adjustable and/or removable manner
adjacent a third portion of container body 1 which is normally an
edge thereof. The wiping blade 5 is slideably positioned in groove 6
in container body 1. A scraping blade means 4 normally made of rigid
plastic is held in a fixed, adjustable and/or removable manner
adjacent a fourth portion of container body 1 which again is normally
an edge thereof. The scraping blade 4 is slideably positioned in a
second groove 6 in container body 1. Scraping blade 4 is normally
used for the removal of thin ice or frost both inside and outside of
a vehicle. It may not be necessary to apply liquid to the frost.
Now looking at figure 2 there is here shown a cross section taken at
A-A in figure 1. The container body means 1 is normally elliptical,
rectangular or the like in cross section making it readily
manipulable when grasped by one's hand and so that the edges with
grooves 6 where the rubber wiper means 5 and plastic scraper means 4
are mounted leaves them readily accessible to perform their function.
The wiping material means 2 and the coarser abrasive type of material
3 are here shown in depressions or recesses 8 where they are held by
mounting or retaining means 7 which as previously mentioned may be an
adhesive, VELCRO or other adhering means. The materials 2 and 3 may
in fact be sprayed on to the surface of depressions 8.
Now looking at figure 3 there is again shown the basic cleaner with
the wiping material means 2 the abrasive material means 3, the
container body means 1, the wiper blade means 5 and the scraper blade
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means 4. The difference here is shown in the amplification of area B
as in figure 4. It is here shown that the materials 2 and 3, which
of course may be any shape such as rectangular round, triangular,
square, or the like, are mounted on a plate or base 11 by various
means and then slid into a face groove or grooves 12 formed between
container body 1 and the recess or depression 8 formed in container
body 1. The face groove 12 may be completely around the
circumference of the recess 8 or on only a portion or portions
thereof. The plate 11 with material 2 and/or 3 attached may be
flexed to reduce a dimension and then released to fit into a face
groove or grooves 12 as an alternative method of assembly. For
sliding assembly and flex assembly of such as a square or rectangular
base 11 the face grooves 12 need only be for two parallel sides and
open at one end as are grooves 6 in figure 1.
There could also be a tester in the container to indicate if the
fluid is H20 or C2H602 to prevent picking up a solid unuseable device
(frozen).
Various modifications such as size, shape and arrangement of
components may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of
this invention. The above disclosure shall be interpreted as
illustrative only and limited only by the scope of the invention as
defined in the following claims.
