Hand-held cleaning device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a cleaning device that is intended to be used on flat surfaces, typically vertical flat surfaces, such as windows or bathroom glass surfaces. The cleaning device has a flat, base, portion that is intended to be attached with a cleaning cloth to thereby allow wiping the surface to be cleaned with the cleaning cloth. Continuous to the flat portion there is a slanted portion that is slanted with respect to the flat portion and extends above and away from the flat portion. The slanted portion functions as a wiping portion of a squeegee. This allows an easy transition between a wiping activity with the cloth and a wiping activity with the slanted, wiping portion. The flat portion and the slanted portion are typically integrally formed by being molded from a single mold, namely they are a single piece molded article forming a continuous and integral structure. The flat portion and the slanted portion can be made of plastic or preferable rubber or silicone rubber. A handle is coupled to the flat portion for allowing the manipulation of the cleaning device by the hand of a user.

Description

[0001] HAND-HELD CLEANING DEVICE

[0002] TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure is in the field of cleaning devices, in particular cleaning devices for flat surfaces, such as windows.

[0004] BACKGROUND ART

[0005] References considered to be relevant as background to the presently disclosed subject matter are listed below:

[0006] - US 2021 / 0093148

[0007] - US 10,646,093

[0008] Acknowledgement of the above references herein is not to be inferred as meaning that these are in any way relevant to the patentability of the presently disclosed subject matter.

[0009] GENERAL DESCRIPTION

[0010] The present disclosure provides a cleaning device that is intended to be used on flat surfaces, typically vertical flat surfaces, such as windows or bathroom glass surfaces. The cleaning device has a flat, base, portion that is intended to be attached with a cleaning cloth to thereby allow wiping the surface to be cleaned with the cleaning cloth. Continuous to the flat portion there is a slanted portion that is slanted with respect to the flat portion and extends above (above means away from the surface to be cleaned when the device engages the surface with the cleaning cloth) and away from the flat portion. The slanted portion functions as a wiping portion of a squeegee. This allows an easy transition between a wiping activity with the cloth and a wiping activity with the slanted, wiping portion. The flat portion and the slanted portion are typically integrally formed by being molded from a single mold, namely they are a single piece molded article forming a continuous and integral structure. The flat portion and the slanted portion can be made of plastic or preferable rubber or silicone rubber. A handle is coupled to the flat portion for allowing the manipulation of the cleaning device by the hand of a user. Therefore, a first aspect of the present disclosure provides a cleaning device. The cleaning device comprises a planar base defining a base plane and having a top face and a bottom face. The bottom face is intended to face and engage, typically via a cleaning cloth, with the surface to be cleaned. The cleaning device further comprises one or more fastening or attaching elements for allowing fastening or attachment of a cleaning cloth to the bottom face, such that the cleaning cloth extends over the bottom face, or at least a portion of the bottom face. A handle of the cleaning device is coupled to the base and extending from the top face. The cleaning device further comprises a wiping portion extending from an end of the planar base along a wiping portion plane, the wiping portion plane forms a non-straight angle with the base plane. The wiping portion extends towards a direction above the top face and further away from the planar base, namely towards the direction of the handle or towards a direction such that the wiping portion extends vertically away from the surface to be cleaned and wiped and horizontally away from the planar base. Therefore, the projection of the wiping portion on the base plane is continuous to the planar base.

[0011] It is to be noted that any combination of the described embodiments with respect to any aspect of this present disclosure is applicable. In other words, any aspect of the present disclosure can be defined by any combination of the described embodiments.

[0012] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the one or more fastening or attaching elements comprises hook-and-loop fasteners seamed by seams to the bottom face. The seams pass from the top face to the bottom face to thereby seam the hook-and- loop fasteners to the bottom face such that a cleaning cloth can be fastened thereby to the bottom face.

[0013] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the planar base comprises two depressions, each depression from a different side of the handle. The seams seaming the fasteners to the bottom face are formed in said two depressions. This allows to maintain most of the planar base relatively thick and only to form two depressions with a lower thickness to allow passing the seams through the planar base to thereby seaming the fasteners to the bottom face.

[0014] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the planar base comprises a metal plate for granting rigidity to the planar base. The metal plate is planar to correspond to the planar shape of the planar base. The metal plate spans over the majority of the planar base. The majority of the planar base should be understood that the projection of the metal plate over the planar base, or the projection thereof, covers more than 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or even 90%. In other words, the 2-dimensional area of the metal plate is about equal to the 2-dimensional area of the planar base. Namely, the 2-dimensional area of the metal plate is less than 20% smaller than the 2-dimensional area of the planar base.

[0015] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the planar base and the wiping portion are formed as a single piece molded article made of a molding material, such as silicone or silicone -rubber. The molding material forming the planar base is molded over the metal plate to encapsulate it within. Namely, the metal plate is disposed between the top face and the bottom face of the planar base.

[0016] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the planar base is molded over the metal plate in an over-molding process.

[0017] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the metal plate comprises two openings, each is formed in a different side of the handle. The openings allow to pass seams through the planar base so as to allow seaming the fasteners to the bottom face of the planar base. In other words, the metal plate is shaped around defined areas that are intended for seaming the fasteners therethrough such that the fasteners will be attached to the bottom face of the planar base.

[0018] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the two openings are aligned with the two depressions for allowing seaming the fasteners to the bottom face of the planar base.

[0019] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the metal plate has a 2-dimensional area that is about equal to the 2-dimensional area of the non-depressed portions of the planar base. The 2-dimensional areas are the areas of the elements on a plane defined by the top or bottom face of the planar base, or a plane parallel thereof. The non-depressed portions are all the portions excluding the two depressions used for seaming the fasteners to the bottom face of the planar base. The term “about” should be understood as ±20% or ±10% of difference between the two 2-dimensional areas.

[0020] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the handle comprises two coupling portions to the base.

[0021] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the handle is an arch or arch-like handle.

[0022] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, said wiping portion forms an angle of between 90° and 180° with the top face of the planar base. In some embodiments of the cleaning device, said wiping portion forms an angle of about 145° with the top face of the planar base. Namely, the obtuse angle between the base plane and the wiping portion plane is about 145°. The term "about" should be interpreted as ±20°.

[0023] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the wiping portion comprises a wiping edge and the wiping portion is tapered towards said wiping edge. Said wiping edge defines a line that lies in a wiping edge plane being parallel to the base plane. Said wiping edge plane crosses a portion of the handle, namely a portion of the handle is found in the wiping edge plane.

[0024] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the planar base and the wiping portion are formed as a single piece molded article. Namely, the planar base and the wiping portion are made from a single mold and therefore are integrally formed. Therefore, the planar base and the wiping portion are formed as a continuous single piece. It is to be noted that the handle is typically not part of single piece molded article and also can be made of different materials.

[0025] In some embodiments of the cleaning device, the planar base and the wiping portion are made of rubber or silicone rubber.

[0026] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Figs. 1A-1D are schematic illustrations of different views of an example of an embodiment of the cleaning device according to an aspect of the present disclosure. Fig. 1A is a top perspective view; Fig. IB is a top view; Fig. 1C is a bottom view; and Fig. ID is side view.

[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following figures are provided to exemplify embodiments and realization of the invention of the present disclosure. Reference is now being made to Figs. 1A-1D, which are schematic illustrations of different views of an example of an embodiment of the cleaning device of the present disclosure. The cleaning device 100 is intended to be a hand-held cleaning device that is particularly suitable for cleaning planar surfaces, such as windows. The cleaning device 100 comprises a planar base 102 that defines a base plane BP. The planar base 102 has a top face 104 and a bottom face 106. The cleaning device 102 has a handle 108 that is coupled to the top face 104 of the planar base 102 by two screws 110 that passes from the bottom face 106 to the top face 104 and into respective screws-receiving portions in the handle 108. The handle is an arch-like handle 108 for allowing a user to grip it with the hand to manipulate the cleaning device over the surface to be cleaned, such as a window or a glass surface.

[0031] The cleaning device 100 further comprises a wiping portion 112 that extends from an end 114 of the planar base 102. Namely, the wiping portion extends from an edge 114 of the planar base 102, which after it the planar shape ends. In this example, the wiping portion 112 extends from an entire long edge 114 of the planar base 102. It is to be noted that additional wiping portions can extend from the other edges of the planar base and the cleaning device of the present invention is not limited to only one wiping portion. The planar base 102 has a rectangle shape and the wiping portion extends from an entire edge of the rectangle. The planar base 102 and the wiping portion 112 are a single piece molded article, typically made of rubber or silicone rubber. Therefore, the wiping portion 112 is a continuous portion to the planar base 102 and is distinguished only due to its angle with respect to the planar base 102. The wiping portion 112 extends generally along a wiping portion plane WPP that forms an obtuse angle of about 145° with the base plane BP, as can be best seen in Fig. ID In other words, the wiping portion 112 forms an obtuse angle with the top face of about 145°. The term "about" should be interpreted as a deviation of ±20° from the nominal value. The wiping portion 112 extends away from the planar base 102 and away from the top face 104. Namely, the wiping portion 112 has a first, horizontal, geometrical component that lies on the base plane and continues the projection of the planar base, and a second, vertical, geometrical component that lies on a plane that is perpendicular to the base plan BP and includes the edge 114 of the planar base 102. Therefore, the projection of the wiping portion 112 on the base plane BP is continuous to the planar base 102. The wiping portion 112 is tapered towards a wiping edge 113. As can be best seen in Figs. 1B-1C, two fasteners 116 in the form of hook-and- loop fasteners are attached to the bottom face 106 of the planar base 102 by seams 118 that passes between the top face 104 and the bottom face 106. The seams 118 are formed on two depressions 119, each located in a different side of the handle. A metal plate (not shown) is comprised in the planar base 102 to grant the planar base rigidity. The planar base is molded over the metal plate such that it entirely encapsulates it. The molding material, e.g. rubber or silicone-rubber is molded around the metal plate. Namely, the metal plate is disposed between the top face 104 and the bottom face 106. The metal plate comprises two openings aligned with the depressions 119 to allow the seams 118 to pass through the planar base. Generally, the metal plate has the shape of the non-depressed portions of the planar base 102. Namely, the metal plate has a 2-dimensional area that is about equal to the 2-dimensional area of the non-depressed portions of the planar base 102. The term “about” should be understood as ±20% or ±10% of difference between the two 2-dimensional areas. The fasteners 116 are suitable for attaching a cleaning cloth (not shown) thereto for allowing wiping a surface to be cleaned with the cleaning cloth by manipulating the cleaning device 100 over the surface to be cleaned by a hand of the user that grips the handle. After wiping the surface to be cleaned by the cleaning cloth, by tilting the cleaning device 100, the user can engage the wiping portion 112 or specifically the wiping edge 113 with the surface to be cleaned to complete the wiping activity by wiping all the remaining liquid on the surface to be cleaned. This is particularly practical when cleaning a window or a vertical glass surface, starting with wiping the surface with the cloth and ending with wiping the surface with the wiping portion that leaves the surface with no marks that are typically left when cleaning with a cleaning cloth.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A cleaning device, comprising: a planar base defining a base plane and having a top face and a bottom face; one or more fastening or attaching elements for allowing fastening or attachment of a cleaning cloth to the bottom face; a handle coupled to the base and extending from the top face; a wiping portion extending from an end of the planar base along a wiping portion plane, the wiping portion plane forms a non-straight angle with the base plane; wherein the wiping portion extends towards a direction above the top face and further away from the planar base.

2. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the one or more fastening or attaching elements comprises hook-and-loop fasteners seamed by seams to the bottom face.

3. The cleaning device of claim 2, wherein the planar base comprises two depressions, each depression from a different side of the handle; wherein said seams are formed in said two depressions.

4. The cleaning device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the handle comprises two coupling portions to the base.

5. The cleaning device of claim 4, wherein the handle is an arch-like handle.

6. The cleaning device of any one of claims 1-5, wherein said wiping portion forms an angle of about 145° with the top face of the planar base.

7. The cleaning device of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the wiping portion comprises a wiping edge, wherein said wiping edge defines a line that lies in a wiping edge plane being parallel to the base plane, wherein said wiping edge plane crosses a portion of the handle.

8. The cleaning device of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the planar base and the wiping portion are formed as a single piece molded article.

9. The cleaning device of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the planar base and the wiping portion are made of rubber or silicone rubber.

10. The cleaning device of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the planar base comprises a metal plate for granting rigidity to the planar base.

11. The cleaning device of claim 10, wherein the metal plate spans over the majority of the planar base.

12. The cleaning device of claim 10 or 11, wherein the metal plate comprises two openings, each is formed in a different side of the handle; wherein the two openings are aligned with two depressions, wherein each depression is formed in a different side of the handle; wherein the one or more fastening or attaching elements comprises hook-and- loop fasteners seamed by seams to the bottom face, said seams are formed in said two depressions.

13. The cleaning device of claim 12, wherein the metal plate has a 2-dimensional area that is about equal to the 2-dimensional area of non-depressed portions of the planar base, said non depressed portions are defined as all portions of the planar base excluding said two depressions.

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