Abstract:
A squeegee and tray system is provided to clean up spills. The tray has a front edge, a ramp, and a trough for receiving and transporting a spill. The squeegee has a resilient edge to push a spill into the front edge of the tray. A bracket is provided to mount on a vertical surface that receives the tray. The tray has a slot for receiving the squeegee where the squeegee and tray are stored together when placed on the mounting bracket.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This present disclosure relates to spill cleanup devices. Many dust pans and reservoirs exist on the market intended to assist the user in the efficient and thorough cleanup of spilled material. Most spill cleanup systems are a combination of a dust pan and a broom or squeegee. The dust pan and squeegee are usually intended to be stored and used together, but lack an adequate or efficient storage method. Losing of one of the parts is common, rendering the other parts useless or difficult to use. Some dust pans and brooms are snapped together in an attempt to solve this problem but lack a convenient method of storage. Frequently the user is left to set it somewhere or use a hole somewhere on the system that was originally intended for displaying it in the store. This is inconvenient, and frequently causes the user to toss it somewhere under a cabinet or a closet. Therefore, a good way to store the two together and out of the way is needed. The system described here solves the problems of cleaning up a spill and storing both together. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure describes a spill cleanup system. The system has a squeegee, a tray, and a mounting bracket. The three parts come as a set. The mounting bracket is designed to be attached to a vertical surface, commonly the inside wall or door of a cabinet or closet. The tray has a ramp that serves as receiving surface for a spill and an interface with the mounting bracket. The bracket and the ramp have a similar angle, such that when the bracket is mounted to the wall, the tray can be placed onto the bracket, and both are held securely to the wall. The tray also has a slot designed to hold the squeegee up at an angle. This angle keeps the squeegee and the tray together as they are stored. The ramp is also a surface for pushing a spill into the tray. To use the system, the user takes the tray and squeegee from the storage position and uses the tray and squeegee to push the spill into the tray. The ramp and walls of the tray keep the spill contained while the user carries it to a trash bin or drain. When the user has emptied the tray, the squeegee is placed back in the slot and both are then placed onto the bracket, ready for the next spill. The system is designed to be mounted inside a cabinet in a space normally wasted, such as the space between the garbage disposal and the inside wall of a cabinet. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A preferred embodiment of this invention has been chosen wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the tray as mounted and stored; 
         FIG. 2  is a section view  2 - 2  of the system as mounted and stored on a vertical surface; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the tray in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the tray; 
         FIG. 5  is a front view of the tray; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the tray; 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of the squeegee; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the squeegee; and 
         FIG. 9  is a side section view  7 - 7  of the squeegee. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The spill system  10  includes a tray  12  as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , squeegee  14  as shown in  FIGS. 7 through 9 , and a bracket  16  as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 3 . The squeegee  14  has a handle portion  52  and a wiper  54 . The wiper  54  is made from an elongate strip of resilient material with a smooth flat wiping edge  50  along the bottom and a mounting edge  51  opposite the wiping edge  50 . The wiping edge  50  is designed to push a liquid or solid along a surface when the squeegee  14  is moved along a surface when the wiping edge  50  is against the surface. The resilient nature of the wiping edge  50  conforms to surface irregularities such that most or the entire spill is pushed with the wiping edge  50 . The wiper  54  is affixed to the handle portion  52  by the mounting edge  51 . The affixation of the wiper  54  to the handle portion  52  can be accomplished through many means. Tongue-in-groove, insert molding, snap fit, metal forming, crimping, riveting, and similar methods are commonly known in the art. The handle portion  52  is typically made from a stiffer material than the wiper  54 . The handle portion  52  has an area  62  adapted to mate with a rearward facing surface  30  as shown in  FIG. 6 . In the squeegee  14  shown in all FIGS, the area  62  is an entire surface that is part of the handle portion  52 . Optionally, the area  62  could be localized near each end. The handle portion  52  has a grip  56  as shown in  FIGS. 7 through 9  to enable the user to securely hold the squeegee  14 . The grip  56  can have added features or resilient material added for the user&#39;s comfort, as is commonly known in the art. 
     The tray  12  has a ramp portion  72 , a trough  74 , and a squeegee slot  76  as is shown in  FIG. 6 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the tray  12  is made from one unitary continuous part, but can be also made from several pieces. The tray  12  can be molded, stamped, deep drawn metal, vacuum formed, or made from any number of methods. The tray  12  as shown in  FIGS. 1 through 6  is molded and has a uniform wall thickness throughout most of the tray to reduce warping. The ramp portion  72  is comprised of a front edge  20  which is adjacent to an upwardly sloping surface  22 . The front edge  20  is a thin lip or resilient edge. The front edge  20  is formed such that it makes contact with a surface with minimal gaps when placed against it. Preferably, the front edge  20  is sufficiently thin such that when the wiping edge  50  meets the front edge  20 , it smoothly transitions from a surface external to the tray (where the spill is located) to the upwardly sloping surface  22 . The upwardly sloping surface  22  is continuous with a downwardly sloping surface  24  which forms the front wall of the trough  74 . The downwardly sloping surface  24  terminates at the bottom  34 ,  36 . The bottom  34 ,  36  has an upper bottom surface  34  and a lower bottom surface  36  as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 6 . The lower bottom surface  36  is substantially coplanar with the front edge  20  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The angle of the upwardly sloping surface  22  is such that the user can use the squeegee  14  to push a spill up the ramp portion  72  into the trough. The angle of the downwardly sloping surface  24  is such that a spill can be poured or pushed from the trough  74  and disposed. The angles and relationship of the surfaces are shown in  FIGS. 3 through 6 . The trough  74  is a reservoir designed to hold a spill. The spill could be a liquid, solid, or a combination of the two. The upper bottom surface  34  intersects a series of surfaces that form a continuous perimeter of sufficient height above the upper bottom surface  34 . The perimeter keeps a spill contained when the lower bottom surface  36  is substantially horizontal. The perimeter includes the downwardly sloping surface  24 , a back wall  32 , and lateral sides  26 . The back wall  32  is located substantially opposite the downwardly sloping surface  24  as is shown in  FIG. 3 . The lateral sides  26  adjoin the downwardly sloping surface  24  and the back wall  32  as is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Each lateral side  26  has a boss  28  which protrudes inwardly and is spaced from the back wall  32  as shown in  FIGS. 2 through 6 . The boss  28  for each lateral side  26  has a rearward facing surface  30  substantially parallel to the back wall  32  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The distance between the rearward facing surface  30  and the back wall  32  is such that it forms a slot  76  intended to receive the squeegee  14  as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 . The boss  28  can also be continuous between lateral sides to form slot  76  across the entire width of the bottom  34 ,  36 . The slot  76  is angled away from the lower bottom surface  36  such that the squeegee  14  rests against the rearward facing surface  30  when the lower bottom surface  36  is substantially vertical as shown in  FIG. 2 . The upper bottom surface  34  and a lower bottom surface  36  are substantially parallel as shown in  FIG. 6 . The lower bottom surface  36  can either be one continuous surface or have feet  38  that protrude outward, forming a plane with the front edge  20  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The back wall  32  can have a protruding back wall  33 , where the protruding back wall  33  is connected to and substantially parallel to the back wall  32 . The protruding back wall  33  is located further back in order to create space between the tray  12  and the grip  56  so the user can easily access the squeegee  14  as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     A bracket  40  has a first surface  70  that intersects a second surface  44 . The first surface  70  is adapted for affixing the bracket  40  to a wall  18 ,  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The bracket  40  is affixed to a wall  18  through screws  58 , adhesive, clamps, or other attachment method. The wall  18  is considered to be substantially vertical as is shown in  FIG. 2 . The second surface  44  is adjacent to and intersects the first surface  70 . The second surface  44  is angled such that it is at an acute angle from the wall  18  and mates with the sloping surface  22  when the lower bottom surface  36  of the tray is against the wall  18 . When the bracket  40  is affixed to the wall  18 , the first surface  70  is in sufficient contact with the wall  18  to set the angle of the second surface  44 . The first and second surfaces can be a series of contact points or a flat planar surface. Additionally, the bracket  40  can incorporate other features such as a channel to catch any residual spill that may drip from the tray once it is stored. 
     The spill cleanup system  10  is stored as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The rearward facing surface  30  holds the squeegee  14  upward and away from the wall  18  such that it remains in the slot  76  when the system  10  is in the stored position as is shown in  FIG. 2 . To use the system  10 , the user picks up the squeegee  14  and tray  12 , typically by grabbing the back wall  32  and possibly the squeegee  14 . The front edge  20  is placed near or adjacent to a spill. The front edge  20  is shaped such that it makes sufficient contact with the surface adjacent to a spill. The wiping edge  50  is shaped such that it makes sufficient contact with the surface (such as the floor or a countertop) adjacent to the spill. The user then holds the tray  12  with one hand and uses the squeegee  14  to push the spill towards the front edge  20 . The spill is then pushed by the wiper  54  up the upwardly sloping surface  22  and into the trough  74 . The user then can transport the spill and dispose of it. The squeegee  14  can also be used to push the spill out of the tray  10 . Once the spill is disposed of, the user can replace the squeegee  14  in the slot  76  and then place the two on bracket  40  for storage. 
     It is understood that while certain aspects of the disclosed subject matter have been shown and described, the disclosed subject matter is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects. No specific limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred. Modifications may be made to the disclosed subject matter as set forth in the following claims.