Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to residential and commercial
cleaning implements and, in particular, relates to collapsible
handle cleaning implements such as brooms or mops and
accessory systems therefore.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
With real estate prices ever escalating, there has been an
increasing trend for people to live in smaller homes and to
work in smaller premises than was previously the norm.
These smaller environments typically provide reduced
storage space, especially for larger items. In a residential
context, the traditional full height "broom closet" is now
often found only in larger size homes and is often absent in
smaller types of living accommodation such as
condominiums, town homes, mobile homes and the like. As
a result of the reduced amount of available storage area a
premium is put on what storage areas exist, and as a result,
numerous products have been introduced to take better
advantage of these areas. These products include closet and
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cupboard organizers, cleaning utensils, and other
implements designed to be stored in small spaces. Many
cleaning implements employed in both residential and
commercial contexts such as brooms, mops and dusters
have full length handles and require a broom closet or other
similarly sized areas which to store the implement when it
is not in use. As storage space of sufficient size for these
implements are increasingly more often not present, the
implement is often stored in a coat closet or in a basement
or often simply in the corner of a room. It would therefore
be desirable to have have a cleaning implement with a full
length handle such as a broom, mops, dusters or the like
that contained a collapsible handle means such that the
implement could be stored in very small spaces such as in a
cupboard or underneath the kitchen sink. This would also
permit such cleaning implements to be stored in
automobiles, mobile homes, boats and other vehicle, and or
will as in any other application having limited storage
space. It would also be desirable to have any normal
accessories for such cleaning implements, i.e. a dust pan to
be used in conjuction with the collapsed cleaning
implement as a compact unit. This would provide even
more efficient use of storage area as will as providing the
user with added convenience.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning
implement such as broom with a full sized handle that is
capable of being easily and quickly collapsed for use as a
mini sweeping broom. It is a further object of the present
invention to provide an accessory dust pan to said cleaning
implements that is designed to be stored in conjunction
with said cleaning implement as a compact unit. It is still a
further object of the present invention to provide a full size
broom that when in a collapsible state, is stored with the
bristles of the broom being enclosed in a co-operating dust
pan in such a manner so as to prevent the escape of dirt or
other matter to the surrounding area. It is still a further
object of the present invention to provide a collapsibe
cleaning implement and accessory that are durable and
inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to use. Thus in the
invention there is provided a cleaning implement with a full
size handle, comprising at least two if not more handle
sections, one end of the handle sections is decreased in
diameter so as to permit the slidable insertion into the
ajoining handle section end to form a rigid full size handle.
An internal connection means, such as a flexible elastic
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cord is used as a means to assist in the extension of the
handle from the collapsed position to the extended and
locked position and also provides the means to keep the
handle sections connected togeather when the handle is in
the collapsed position. Accessories to the cleaning
implement is provided and is designed so that they can be
stored togeather with the cleaning implement in a compact
unit. Accessories provides mounting and holding means
incorporated into its structure such as clips, hangers or
hook or loop straps. Further features of the invention will
be described or will become apparent in the course of the
following detailed description.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the invention may be clearly understood, the preferred
embodiment thereof will now be described in detail by way of example,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a three demensional view of the collapsible broom in its fully
extended position
Fig. 2 is a three demensional view of the collapsible broom in a partially
collapsed position showing the separate handle sections and the internal
connecting means which runs throughout the length of the broom handle.
Fig. 3 is a three demensional view of the collapsible broom in the fully
collapsed position.
Fig. 4 is a three demensional view of the joints between the two adjoining
handle sections when the sections are separated and showing the internal
elastic cord of the collapsible broom.
Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of two interlocking joints from one handle
section to another in a partially interlocked relation and showing a
connecting interal elastic cord of the collapsible broom.
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Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of two interlocking joints from one handle
section to another in an interlocked relation and showing a connecting
internal elastic cord of the collapsible broom.
Fig. 7 is a three demensional view of a dust pan in an operative position.
Fig. 8 is a three demensional view of a dust pan in an upright position.
Fig. 9 is a three demensional view of a dust pan interacting with a
collapsible broom in a storage mode afixed to a cupboard door.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Fig. 1, in the described embodiment of the present invention
there can be seen a long handled cleaning implement 1. In the described
embodiment of the present invention, a long handle 4 is shown connected to a
broom head 2 having bristles 3 thus defining a long handled cleaning
implement 1 made out of suitable materials, referred to from now on as a
broom 1. The long handle 4 is made up of several similarly dimensioned
handle sections referred to as handle sections 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d as shown in
Fig. 2. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the handle
sections 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are of a generally cylindrical shape and are
predominantly hollow throughout. The handle sections 5a, 5b and 5c each
have their lower end 6 which is closest to the broom head 2 a short section
having a reduced outside diameter as compared to the balance of the handle
sections 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d as shown in fig. 2. Referring to Fig. 4, there can
be
seen an enlarged view as an example the adjoining handle sections 5a and 5b.
The handle section 5a can be seen to have a short section of a reduced
diameter at the lower end 6. This shorter section of handle sections 5a is
adapted to be slidable into and slidable removable from the adjoining handle
sections 5b creating a snug fit as shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. The handle
sections 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are connected to each other by an internal
connecting means, typically being a flexable elastic material which is
commonly known as a bungy cord 7 as shown in Fig. 4, Fig. 5 and Fig 6. The
bungy cord 7 is connected to the uppermost of handle section 5a and
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lowermost of the handle sections 5d by any appropriate fastening means.
The bungy cord 7 is partially stretched so as to provide an elastic pull to
the
handle sections 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d so that when the cleaning implement is in a
fully extended position there is an elastic compressive force exerted on the
long handle 4 which resists separation when the broom 1 is being used as a
cleaning implement. After this operation the handle sections 5a, 5b, 5c and
5d can be stretched apart 8 from each other as shown in example in Fig. 2 and
folded along side of each other thus creating the short handle 4a as shown in
Fig. 3 and still remain connected to each other creating a different cleaning
implement referred to as broom la. To maintain the handle sections 5a, 5b,
5c, and 5d in this short handle 4a configuration, a retaining means is
provided such as a hook and loop strap 9 which is connected to handle
sections 5d show in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 which is wraped around the handle
sections 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d which is shown in Fig. 3. These two choices
allows the operator the convienience of sweeping large areas with the broom
1 or concentrated areas with the broom 1 a.
In conjunction with the described embodiment of the present invention is a
dust pan 10 as shown in Fig. 7and Fig. 8. The dust pan 10 has two separate
but connecting components, a dust pan bucket 11 and a dust pan handle 12,
made out of suitable materials. The dust pan handle 12 has two dust pan
handle arms 13 which extend out of the dust pan handle 12 main body so to
make the dustpan handle 12 to look like a two prong fork, the dustpan handle
arms 13 lies on opposite sides of the dust pan bucket 11 main body
perpendicular to the dust pan bucket entrance 18 as shown in Fig. 7. The dust
pan handle arms 13 has two connecting pins 14 at its opposite ends from the
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connection to the dust pan handle 12 main body. The connecting pins 14
are attached to the dust pan bucket walls 19 allowing the dust pan handle 12
to swivel 15 back and forth in relation to the dust pan bucket 11 as shown in
Fig. 7, so when the operator lifts the dust pan handle 12 by the finger hold
16 as shown in Fig. 7 the dust pan bucket 11 swivels upward preventing any
aquired debris from falling out of the holding tray 17 as shown in Fig. 8.
The dust pan handle 12 is an elongated body that is a U shaped channel 20 as
shown in Fig. 8. This U shaped channe120 has the width and depth to
encompass the short handle 4a snuggly on three sides. Hence the broom 1 a
can be inserted into the dust pan 10, bristles 3 first into the holding tray
17,
then the short handle 4a can be placed into the U shaped channel 20 which
makes the configuration of a storage mode 21 as shown in Fig. 9. The Broom
1 a and the dust pan 10 can be convienently transported or stored in this
storage mode 21. When the broom 1 a and the dust pan 10 is in a storage
mode 21 the finger hold 16 can be placed on a hook 22, made out of suitable
materials, which has the attachment means to be placed on a hard surface
such the inside of a door of a kitchen cupboard 23 as shown in Fig. 9. This
allows the operator the choice of a full size or compact cleaning implement,
and the convienence of compact transportation or storagability.
Those skilled in the art to which this invention relates to are able to do
variations in its practice and modes of construction. Thus this invention is
not intended to be limited by the illustrative description presented
hereinabove, but should be encompassed in the spirit and scope of the
appended claims.
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