Deployable Broom Scraper for Hardened Floor Debris
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional brooms are ineffective in removing dried-on or hardened debris from floor surfaces, requiring separate tools that disrupt the sweeping process and add time.
Innovation Solution
A sweeper system with a deployable scraper blade integrated into a telescopic handle, allowing for easy deployment and stowage, featuring a scraper blade that can be rotated and locked into different positions for effective scraping and sweeping, and a mechanism to prevent accidental contact and ensure safe storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional broom is used, then loose debris can be swept, but hardened debris cannot be removed effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a broom and scraper into a single integrated tool. The scraper blade is mounted on the broom head, allowing both sweeping and scraping functions to be performed with one device. This merging resolves the contradiction by enabling the tool to handle both loose and hardened debris without requiring separate tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The broom is designed with multi-functionality by incorporating a deployable scraper blade. The same tool can sweep loose debris and scrape hardened material, making it a universal cleaning device for floor surfaces. This addresses the adaptability requirement while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Productivity
If a separate scraper tool is used for hardened debris, then effective scraping is achieved, but the sweeping process is disrupted and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the scraper blade directly onto the broom head, the patent eliminates the need to switch between separate tools. The user can seamlessly transition from sweeping to scraping and back again, maintaining continuous productivity without time loss associated with tool changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The scraper blade is designed to be deployable and stowable, allowing dynamic adjustment based on the cleaning task. The blade can be extended when hardened debris is encountered and retracted when sweeping loose debris, enabling flexible response to different cleaning needs without interrupting the workflow.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a deployable scraper blade is integrated into the broom, then both sweeping and scraping functions are available, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The scraper blade is nested within the broom head structure when retracted, and can be extended outward when needed. This nesting approach allows the scraper to be stored compactly within the existing broom geometry, minimizing the increase in overall device complexity while maintaining dual functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The broom head is segmented into functional zones: the bristle area for sweeping and the scraper blade area for scraping. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while being integrated into a unified structure, managing complexity through functional division.
4Ease of operation
If the scraper blade is exposed during storage, then easy access is provided, but accidental contact and damage to bristles occur
Solution Approach 1:
The scraper blade is nested within the broom head when not in use, with the blade retracted into a protective cavity. This nesting provides automatic protection against accidental contact and prevents the blade from damaging the bristles, while still allowing easy deployment when needed by extending the blade outward.
Solution Approach 2:
A protective mechanism or housing acts as an intermediary between the scraper blade and the external environment during storage. This intermediary structure shields the blade from accidental contact and isolates it from the bristles, eliminating harmful interactions while maintaining easy access through controlled deployment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient removal of hardened debris while maintaining the sweeping functionality, reducing the need for additional tools and enhancing cleaning efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
at least one force-assister to assist returning such scraper to such housing after scraper use
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to providing a sweeping system incorporating at least one user-deployable scraper feature within a sweeping apparatus to assist in removing dried-on materials from at least one floor surface. The scraper feature is preferably spring tensioned within at least one housing and deployed through use of a manual extension of telescoping cylinders. Further featured is a rotation blocking mechanism to prevent rotation of the scraper while scraping.