Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
  • A46B11/001—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water with integral reservoirs
  • A46B11/0065—Brushes where the reservoir is specifically intended for being replaced when empty
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
  • A46B11/001—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water with integral reservoirs
  • A46B11/0013—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water with integral reservoirs dispensing by gravity or by shaking
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
  • A46B11/0072—Details
  • A46B11/0079—Arrangements for preventing undesired leakage or dispensing
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47K—SANITARY EQUIPMENT; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR, e.g. TOILET ACCESSORIES
  • A47K11/00—Closets without flushing; Urinals without flushing; Chamber pots; Chairs with toilet conveniences or specially adapted for use with toilets
  • A47K11/10—Hand tools for cleaning the toilet bowl, seat or cover, e.g. toilet brushes

Definitions

• This invention relates to a safety lockable household cleaning tool incorporating a replaceable cartridge for household cleaning fluid.
• WOOl/65969 discloses, as a solution to the above problem, the provision of a brush with an integrated cleaning liquid reservoir in which the brush can be locked into a non- dispensing mode by various means .
• a piston pump forms the mechanical connection between the brush handle and the brush head, and the dispensing of cleaning liquid is effected by movement between the brush handle and the brush head in the axial direction of the brush handle.
• Accidental dispensing is prevented by means of a spring-loaded bushing which forms a sleeve around the handle and serves to lock or limit axial travel of the handle when it is twisted relative to the handle.
• a "setting button” may be provided on the handle, which connects to a rod oriented between the wall of the handle and the interchangeable cartridge that contains the cleaning liquid.
• the rod forms the physical stop for the axial movement of the handle which governs the piston stroke.
• the position of the rod is adjusted between dispensing modes (in which axial movement of the handle is permitted) and a non-dispensing mode (in which axial movement is prevented) by pressing and sliding the setting button.
• a disadvantage of the locking mechanisms outlined above is that because they are operated via the brush handle they do not guarantee the prevention of accidental dispensation when the cleaning liquid reservoir is not simply a refillable recess within the handle, but is instead a completely separate entity from the handle, such as a removable and replaceable cartridge. In such a case, the installation of a fresh cartridge into the brush will inevitably require some degree of axial force to be applied, especially when there is a sealing membrane or other closure provided on the cartridge which is to be ruptured at the point of installation. In the event that the consumer has omitted to set the locking mechanism on the handle in advance of installation, such axial forces could actuate the piston pump, and therefore trigger the dispensation of cleaning liquid during the process of cartridge installation, which is undesirable .
• a replaceable cartridge system is desirable for cleaning brushes such. as those described above since it avoids the need to refill the brush directly from a bottle of cleaning liquid, which carries the risk of spillage and waste. Refilling from a bottle may also lead to hazardous cross-contamination between chemicals that are not intended to be mixed (such as hypochlorite bleach and oxidising agents) when different cleaning liquids are used to fill ' the brush.
• the invention provides a safety lockable household cleaning tool incorporating connection means for the installation of a replaceable cartridge of household cleaning fluid, characterised in that the cartridge and the connection means are provided with co-operating surfaces which interengage to prevent dispensation of cleaning fluid during installation of the cartridge.
• the dispensing of household cleaning liquid is effected by movement of the cartridge, which is slidably received in the body of the cleaning tool.
• the connection means for installation of the cartridge are provided in the body of the cleaning tool and the cartridge is interengageable with the connection means so that only after installation of the cartridge has taken place can the cartridge be moved from a locked position, in which movement of the cartridge is prevented to an unlocked position, in which movement of the cartridge is permitted.
• the cleaning tool according to the invention will comprise an elongate body having at one end a handle for the user and at the other end a cleaning head.
• the cleaning head is suitably provided with an array of bristles or synthetic bristles on its external surface.
• the connection means for the installation of the cartridge will generally be located between the cleaning head and the handle.
• a pump will be located between the connection means and the cleaning head, which pump is actuated by pushing the cartridge as a lever. The pump serves to transfer household cleaning fluid from the cartridge to the cleaning head.
• the cartridge is movable from the locked to unlocked position after installation by rotation about its longitudinal axis.
• the locked and unlocked positions are preferably provided by the interengagement of a shaped recess on the neck of the cartridge which interengages with corresponding projections on the connection means to effect locking and unlocking respectively.
• projections may be provided on the cartridge which interengage with a corresponding shaped recess on the connection means to effect locking and unlocking respectively.
• the cartridge and connection means are advantageously furnished with co-operating surfaces which provide a positive locking effect at the point at which the cartridge is installed. This provides a further safeguard against accidental dispensation of cleaning liquid since it prevents accidental removal of the cartridge or falling out of the cartridge in the event that the cleaning tool is dropped or inverted.
• the cartridge is provided on its neck with one or more step-shaped recesses which interengage with corresponding projections on the connection means to effect locking and unlocking respectively.
• such a step-shaped recess provides a walled channel of sufficient depth to accommodate a corresponding projection on the connection means, which is shaped to fit into the channel when the cartridge is installed into the cleaning tool. Due to the step-shape of the recess, the axial length of the channel in which the projection is retained varies in dependence on the position to which the cartridge is rotated inside the connection means. In the locked orientation, axial movement of the cartridge is prevented due to abutment of the projection against the end wall of the channel. This forms a physical stop against further axial movement of the cartridge after installation. In the unlocked orientation, the axial length of the channel is sufficiently long to permit some axial travel of the cartridge before the projection abuts against the end wall of the channel .
• the cartridge can be pushed down to actuate the pump and dispense the household cleaning liquid.
• the locking and unlocking sections of the recess are linked by a circumferential channel section which receives the projection and permits rotation of the cartridge about its long axis from the locked to the unlocked position but no axial travel of the cartridge. Therefore dispensing of household cleaning fluid is prevented unless and until the unlocked position is engaged.
• the step-shaped recess incorporates a small projection such as a stud at the point of cartridge insertion. This has to be forced over a corresponding projection on the connection means and therefore provides a positive locking effect at the point at which the cartridge is installed, which is advantageous for reasons described above .
• the circumferential channel section of the step- shaped recess is shaped so that when the cartridge is rotated about its long axis from the locked to the unlocked position, it encounters a region of increased frictional contact with the projection on the connection means, before the unlocked position is engaged.
• This provides additional safety against accidental dispensing since an positive force is required by the consumer to rotate the cartridge past this region and thereby engage the unlocked position of the cartridge.
• this effect is achieved by providing the central region of the circumferential channel section with a portion of reduced depth in relation to the projection of the connection means. The projection has to be forced past this portion (where it makes a tighter frictional fit due to the reduced depth) before the unlocked position can be reached.
• the cartridge is preferably provided with alignment indicators to show the insertion point of the cartridge, and also its locked and unlocked positions relative to the body of the tool, which may also be provided with corresponding alignment indicators.
• Suitable materials for the body of the cleaning tool and the cartridge can be any rigid easily formed materials which will be readily evident to the skilled person.
• Preferred materials are thermoformable polymers that are resistant to attack from the chemicals in household cleaning fluids.
• Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a replaceable household cleaning fluid cartridge for installation in a safety lockable household cleaning tool
• Figure 2 is a view of the cartridge of Figure 1 rotated about its longitudinal axis by 90 degrees;
• Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line C-C of Figure 1 ;
• Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-section showing a safety lockable household cleaning tool with the cartridge of Figures 1 to 5 installed, and in a locked position, and
• Figures 7a and 7b show developed views of the connection between the cartridge and tool of Figures 1 to 6 showing locked and unlocked positions of the tool respectively.
• the cartridge (1) shown in Figures 1 to ' 5 has a rigid elongate tubular body (2) which extends into a neck portion (3) which is sealed at its end by a closure cap (4) incorporating a flexible silicone septum (5) .
• the neck portion. (3) bears a pair of diametrically opposed identical step-shaped recesses (6) . These serve to guide and limit the path of the cartridge (1) during and after installation into the household cleaning tool which is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7.
• Each step-shaped recess (6) has a first channel section (6a) , which defines a short axial channel extending in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge (1) , then a second channel section (6b) , which defines a circumferential channel substantially at right angles to the first channel section (6a) , then a third channel section (6c) which defines a longer axial channel extending in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge (1) .
• First section (6a) is provided at its end nearest closure cap (4) with a small boss (7) .
• the second channel section (6b) has a central region in which the channel is of reduced depth in relation to the flanking regions on either side.
• the tubular body (2) bears alignment indicators (8a) and (8b) which are aligned in the longitudinal direction with first section (6a) and third section (6c) on the neck portion (3) respectively. This serves to indicate to the user the different radial orientations of the cartridge (1) which provide the locked and unlocked modes respectively when the cartridge (1) is installed into the household cleaning tool which is illustrated in Figures 6 and 7.
• a household cleaning tool (9) is seated in a storage pot (10) , and has an elongate housing (11) which is in the form of a rigid sleeve furnished with an inclined handle (12) and a cleaning head (13) .
• a spring- loaded piston pump (14) is located in the base of the sleeve of the housing (11) .
• a plurality of fluid continuous channels, shown representatively as (15), lead from the interior surface to the exterior surface of the cleaning head (13), which exterior surface is provided with an array of bristle tufts, two of which are shown schematically as (16) .
• the cartridge (1) containing household cleaning fluid is locatable in the sleeve of the housing (11) and interengagable with the housing (11) by means of a annular connection socket (17) located at the base of the sleeve of the housing (11) above the pump (14) .
• the connection socket (17) bears a pair of circumferential stud-shaped projections (17a) .
• a hollow needle (18) is provided between the pump (14) and the cartridge (1) .
• the cartridge (1) In use, the cartridge (1) is pushed into the connection socket (17) so that the stud-shaped projections (17a) on the connection socket (17) are forced over boss (7) and become seated into the first channel sections (6a) on the cartridge (1) .
• Alignment indicator (8a) on the cartridge enables the user to locate the correct orientation of the cartridge (1) relative to the connection socket (17) in order to effect installation.
• the needle (18) Upon installation of the cartridge (1) , the needle (18) penetrates sealing septum (5) on the closure cap (4) of cartridge (1) which allows the household cleaning fluid in the cartridge (1) to flow through the needle (18) into the chamber of the pump (14) .
• second channel sections (6b) have central regions of reduced depth. Due to the tighter frictional fit of stud-shaped projections (17a) within these regions, they therefore present a barrier to rotation of the cartridge (1) unless and until an increased rotational force is applied which forces stud-shaped projections (17a) past these regions, so that the cartridge (1) can reach the unlocked position as shown by alignment indicator (8b) .
• the cartridge (1) cannot be moved axially due to abutment of the stud-shaped projections (17a) against the side walls of the second channel sections (6b) , which therefore form a physical stop against axial, movement of the cartridge (1) .
• the stud-shaped projections (17a) become seated into the third channel sections (6c) which have a sufficient axial length to permit axial movement of the cartridge before the stud-shaped projections (17a) abut against the end walls of the third channel sections (6c) .
• the cartridge (1) In order to operate the tool (9) , the cartridge (1) is pushed down axially in the direction of the cleaning head (13) which causes the pump (14) to be actuated, thereby transferring household cleaning fluid from the cartridge (1) through the channels (15) to the array of bristle tufts (16) .
• the end walls of the third channel sections (6c) serve to limit the extent of axial travel of the cartridge in the unlocked position and therefore the stroke of the pump (14) .
• the spring-loading of the pump (14) returns the cartridge (1) to its starting position after the pump stroke.
• the tool (9) can only be operated at the point at which the stud-shaped projections (17a) of the connection socket (17) become seated into the third channel sections (6c) of the cartridge (1) , and cannot be operated at other points such as during installation of the cartridge (1) .

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Brushes (AREA)
• Cleaning Implements For Floors, Carpets, Furniture, Walls, And The Like (AREA)
• Infusion, Injection, And Reservoir Apparatuses (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=56290392

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2003
  • 2003-02-28 WO PCT/EP2003/002102 patent/WO2003073900A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2003-02-28 DE DE60309293T patent/DE60309293T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-02-28 AT AT03743363T patent/ATE343343T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-02-28 AU AU2003210392A patent/AU2003210392A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-02-28 EP EP03743363A patent/EP1480544B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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