Dispensing Dish Brush Handle for Controlled Liquid Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Handheld dispensing dish brushes often struggle to effectively apply and absorb cleaning liquid on inclined surfaces, requiring excessive force to clean, as the liquid tends to run or drip off rather than being adequately absorbed.
Innovation Solution
A handheld dispensing dish brush design featuring a cleaning head with bristles and apertures, a flexible handle with a diaphragm, and a neck that forms a reservoir, allowing for controlled dispensing and acceleration of cleaning liquid through a Venturi effect, enabling efficient liquid distribution and scrubbing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If cleaning liquid is applied to an inclined area, then the area can be cleaned, but the liquid runs or drips off instead of being adequately absorbed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the liquid reservoir, dispensing mechanism, and scrubbing brush into a single integrated handheld device. The reservoir is formed by the flexible handle wall and cleaning head wall, with apertures in the cleaning head face allowing liquid to be dispensed directly onto the scrubbing surface. This merging ensures the liquid stays contained and is applied precisely where needed, preventing runoff on inclined surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle is constructed with a flexible wall that forms part of the liquid reservoir. This flexible structure allows the handle to be compressed by the user, which controls the rate of liquid flow from the reservoir through the apertures in the cleaning head. The flexibility provides a manual pumping action that regulates liquid dispensing without requiring additional mechanical components.
2Productivity
If excessive force is applied by the dispensing dish brush, then cleaning can be achieved on inclined areas, but user effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses hydraulic principles by utilizing the flexible handle wall as a compressible reservoir that forces liquid through apertures under pressure. When the user compresses the flexible handle, it creates pressure that propels the cleaning liquid through the apertures and onto the cleaning surface. This hydraulic action delivers liquid at higher velocity without requiring the user to apply excessive mechanical force to the brush itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning liquid is pre-loaded into the reservoir formed by the flexible handle and cleaning head wall before use. This preliminary preparation allows the liquid to be readily available and dispensed immediately when needed, eliminating the need to separately apply liquid to the brush or surface, thereby reducing overall user effort.
3Ease of operation
If the handle is made flexible to control liquid flow, then liquid dispensing is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible handle wall serves multiple functions simultaneously: it forms the wall of the liquid reservoir, provides the mechanism for controlling liquid flow rate through compression, and acts as the structural body of the handheld device. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components such as rigid reservoir containers, flow control valves, or pumping mechanisms, thereby reducing overall device complexity despite the flexibility requirement.
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
The brush effectively dispenses cleaning liquid with high velocity, reducing the effort required for scrubbing by ensuring adequate liquid absorption and distribution on surfaces, enhancing cleaning efficiency on inclined areas.
Implementation Method 1
A first position of the dispensing dish brush wherein the handle defines a first distance between the diaphragm and an opposing wall of the handle and a second position of the dispensing dish brush wherein the handle is flexed. When the handle is flexed the distance between the diaphragm and the opposing wall is a second distance that is less than the first distance.
Implementation Method 2
The interior surfaces of the wall of the handle, neck and cleaning head have a smooth surface to promote a laminar flow in the reservoir.
Data Source
AI summary
A dispensing dish brush includes a cap, a handle portion and a cleaning head. The cap and the handle portion define a common wall that defines a reservoir. The reservoir stores and dispenses a cleaning liquid. The handle portion includes a gripping portion and a neck portion. The gripping portion includes a core section, a middle section and an upper section that define a diaphragm. The neck portion has an extension portion that connects to the cleaning head. The cleaning head includes a plurality of bristles and an aperture with a wall. The aperture is placed with a removable valve and valve lock to restrict the flow of the cleaning liquid. The diaphragm is squeezable and flexes to dispense the cleaning liquid. The diaphragm accelerates the flow of the cleaning liquid in the reservoir. The cap provides access to the reservoir.