Abstract:
A multi-purpose and multi-use cleaning or treating device, in particular for personal hygiene includes at least a cleaning or treating head ( 20, 13 ). This head includes a substantially flat cleaning element ( 20 ) made of sponge plastic material capable of adopting any desired shape by the effect of forces applied thereon and to resume at least partially its original shape, preferably plane, when these forces are absent, and a support ( 13 ) whose shape the element ( 20 ) can match when it is folded down and arranged thereon for covering it at least partially. Retainer ( 30 ) co-operates with the element ( 20 ) and the handle ( 10 ) to ensure proper hold of the element on the support. The support ( 13 ) includes gripping means directly mounted, such as grooves, or intrinsic, by the very material of which the support is made, for example a resin or an elastomer. The supports can be of different shapes. This device can be made in the most varied dimensions, thereby making it useful for many different purposes (personal hygiene, medical or veterinary use, craftwork, in one dimension scale; industrial and domestic use in another dimension scale).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is related to a cleaning or treating utensil or tool having multiple utilities and applications, especially in personal hygiene 
     Several products of this kind are known, especially, when personal hygiene is concerned, for example the cotton bud for cleaning the external auditory canal, this device being formed by a thin rod having on at least one of its ends a cleaning element, generally of cotton wool. The cotton buds are easy and inexpensive to manufacture; however, their cleaning power is rather low and limited. In fact, the cleaning head is small (its diameter does only slightly exceed that of the rod), and the user must make a rotational movement with his hand which has seized the cotton bud in order to make the head successively bear against all generatrices or sites within the duct or canal to be cleaned or treated. The degradation of the cleaning head caused by this rotational movement is rapidly accelerated when the user makes a second rotational movement with the rod which is superimposed on the first one, comprising a simultaneous rotation of the rod about its axis for improving the cleaning efficiency. Furthermore, the handling of the cotton bud is anything else than ideal and is even ineffective when a liquid has beforehand been introduced into the canal or when the head is impregnated with, for example, a pharmaceutical, cosmetic or detergent product before use (which will later on be called “active fluid”). Finally, in view of the diameter of the cotton buds, their use is not without risks to damage the eardrum. According to a more sophisticated execution, the heads of certain cotton buds have a bulge at their basis which limits the distance of the introduction into the canal and diminishes that risk (without, however, completely eliminating it) but does not lift the other disadvantages described above. For this reason, other devices have still been suggested, aiming at overcoming the disadvantages. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 1,693,581 discloses a cleaning instrument for the external auditory canal, comprising a handle, a support screwed to one end of the handle or being integral with it, an exchangeable cleaning piece (e.g., a piece of tissue or of leather), and a ring for holding this piece on the support. The said cleaning piece is put on the support and held thereon by a ring that cooperates with a conical seat of the support. 
     The document FR-1,582,734 describes a different applicator device where the cleaning head is of a poriferous matter. 
     The document EP-A-0,234,061 discloses an utensil for cleaning the auditory canal of the external ear, comprising a cleaning head of rubber plugged on the end portion of a small stick from which it may be removed. This head presents, seen from the front, the shape of a pear and has a star-shaped cross-section. 
     The document EP-A-0,184,237 describes a product of the same type, also consisting of two parts, namely the thin stick and a pluggable cleaning head, the latter optionally comprising a shoulder which has a stopper function in order to limit the penetration of said head into the auditory canal and avoiding to touch the eardrum. Seen from the front, this head has a cylindrical shape with rounded ends and its cross-section is in a variant also star-shaped. 
     The document DE-OS-4,117,526 goes in the same direction as the two European patent applications which have just been cited. The head is preferably oval and may be protected by a sliding ring when the product is not under use. 
     The document U.S. Pat. No. 1,980,826 describes an utensil for cleaning the external auditory canal, comprising a handle, a guard, and a cleaning head which is interchangeable according to some embodiments, said head comprising a threaded rod screwed into one end of the handle so that its length is adjustable but remaining sufficiently fixed against rotation during its use. The apparent portion of the cleaning head is made of rubber, of sponge rubber or of felt. 
     The recommended matter of the cleaning heads described in most of the documents of the prior art is a flexible and compact matter, rubber, tissue, leather or an equivalent one. However, the documents FR-1,582,734 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,980,826 teach the use of a spongy matter. In the DE-OS-4,117,526, the ribs or lamellas of the head may additionally be provided with nubs. 
     These references disclose of course improvements with respect to the cotton bud as far as the specific use in personal hygiene is concerned, but they do not satisfactorily brush aside the drawbacks of the cotton buds, discussed above in the first place. In fact, if it can be imagined that the rubber lamellas are bent during use—still under the condition that certain conditions regarding the dimension of said lamellas are respected (which may give rise to feasibility and reliability problems of the product which have not been discussed and still less resolved in the prior art)—, a continuous and uniform adaptation or conformation of the cleaning head to the surface or canal to be cleaned is not given. Furthermore, the cleaning heads have a predetermined shape that is fixed and compulsory forever. A specific shaping of the cleaning heads, whereas their action, as discussed above, does not really solve the problems, and the relatively complex means that are used, in particular in U.S. Pat. No. 1,980,826, enter to a sensible degree into the manufacturing costs of these instruments and raise them. Regarding the U.S. Pat. No. 1,693,581, the disadvantage of its object is obvious. In fact, it can easily be imagined that, when the described and defined object is put into use, the compact cleaning piece of flexible matter will necessarily curl up and slide around its support when the instrument is made to rotate, the only retention means being the maintaining ring. Finally, the applications remain essentially limited to the personal hygiene, more specifically to the cleaning of external auditory canals. 
     The present invention has the objective to overcome the technical as well as economical disadvantages of the known utensils. 
     A multi-purpose and multi-use cleaning or treating device, in particular for personal hygiene includes at least a cleaning or treating head. This head includes an element made of sponge plastic material capable of adopting any desired shape by the effect of forces applied thereon and to resume at least partially its original shape, preferably plane, when these forces are absent, and a support whose shape said element can match when it is folded down and arranged thereon for covering it at least partially. Retainer cooperates with the element and the handle to ensure proper hold of the element on the support. The support includes gripping means directly mounted, such as grooves, or intrinsic, by the very material of which the support is made, for example a resin or an elastomer. The supports can be of different shapes. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     An embodiment of the invention is now described in detail as a non-limiting example thereof, making reference to the drawing wherein: 
     FIG. 1 represents a possible shape of the instrument according to the invention, 
     FIG. 2 shows the shape of the cleaning element before mounting, 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B represent a holding piece for the cleaning element, 
     FIG. 4 shows the constituting parts of the instrument before assembling, and 
     FIG. 5 represents the instrument according to the invention in assembled state 
    
    
     (it should be noticed that the pieces and elements that are shown are not always at the same scale). 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The utensil shown in FIG. 1 comprises a handle  10  having a symmetry axis  10 A and a hyperboloid profile  11 , and, on at least one of its two extremities, a shoulder  12  and a support  13 ,  13 A,  13 B. This shoulder has a truncated cone shape but may have any other profile, in particular hyperboloid, like the profile  11  cited above. The shapes of the supports are not necessarily identical. Thus, according to the non-limiting example shown in FIG. 1, it can be seen that the support  13 A is cylindrical whereas the support  13 B is cylindrical along a portion only of its length, the ending portion comprising a swelling  16  whose function will be explained later. The ends  15 ,  17  of the supports  13  are rounded. In a general manner, the support  13  will be addressed in the following as to design any support, whatever may be its shape. Finally, the shoulder and the support are preferably (but not necessarily) situated in the rectilinear prolongation of the axis  10 A. 
     The support  13  is destined to receive (under the conditions to be described later on) a cleaning or treating element  20 , two examples thereof being shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The element  20  is made preferably of a flexible and spongy matter, more generally of an alveolar matter such as a fine foam or sponge. The surface of the support  13  (i.e. the envelope of the support and not the rounded ends  15 ,  17 ) is provided with means for improving the hold of the cleaning element  20  on the support. These “holding” or gripping means will oppose a free rotation of said element or, at least, an unintentional one. According to an embodiment variant, this surface is provided at least in part with lengthwise directed grooves or streaks  14  having a triangular section and known per se (and which will be termed “built-up means”), which sensibly increase the friction coefficient between the contacting elements. According to another variant, the holding means, instead of being build-up, may be inherent or intrinsic to the selection of the material from which the support  13  is manufactured, namely, these holding means stem in this case from a property of said material, in the sense that the latter has not only an elevated frictional coefficient but also sufficient hardness and rigidity with respect to the charges to which the said support  13  may be exposed. As a matter of fact, if, on one hand, a gripping should be ascertained, it is also necessary, on the other hand, that the support  13  is capable of resisting to the compression forces or those which tend to bent it during the mounting of the cleaning element  20  on it and/or during the use of the instrument. The material of the support may thus be rubber, a resin, an elastomer or any other material capable of being formed under compressive conditions, it being essential that the selected material comprises the required above mentioned properties as to the friction coefficient and the sufficient rigidity). According to an embodiment of that second variant, only the envelope of the support  13  or that of the terminal portion thereof will be provided with the aforementioned selected material (having a high friction coefficient and a relatively high rigidity) whereas the remainder of the support  13  (thus at least its core) is made of any rigid material whatsoever (for example of a lightweight alloy). It is of course possible that the support  13 , being provided with holding means inherent to the selected material, comprises also built-up gripping means of the aforesaid type. 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B represent the cleaning or treating element  20  which has the particularity of having, prior to its mounting on any one of the supports  13 , the preferred shape of a flat piece (or a slightly concave one). As it has already been said, this element  20  is advantageously a fine natural or synthetic sponge (synthetic polyurethane foam of the ester or ether type) working at compression. Several shapes  21 A,  21 B are possible for this element  20  (outline, surface and thickness dimensions, see also the end of this paragraph regarding the surface dimensions). FIG. 2A shows a polygonal element  20  (here: hexagonal element  22 A). This outline is referenced  22 A, an edge  24 A, and the two surfaces,  23 A. FIG. 2B shows a circular element  20  having a circumference  22 B, an edge  24 B, and two surfaces  23 B. In the following, the letters will be left out, and in a general manner, one describes a cleaning element  20 , a shape  21 , a circumference  22 , a surface  23  and an edge  24 . In the folded or bent down condition onto the support  13 , see below, the circumference  22  of the cleaning element  20  will be applied against the support  13  or the supporting surface  12 , or it will be situated at least in the vicinity of that surface, the element  20  thus entirely or at least partially covering said support. This will say that the shapes of the element  20  (see the aforesaid exception) are preferably defined such that, in the folded down state, said circumference or better an edge  24  (see also FIG. 4) or at least portions of it, confined and wrinkled around the support  13  or the shoulder  12 , will be situated approximately at the height of a plane  18  (symbolized by a dashed line in FIG.  1 ). The circumference  22  may be cut at an angle, see reference  25  in FIG.  2 A. In other words, the straight sections (perpendicular to the surfaces  23 ) of the element  20 , not shown, and independently on the shape  21 , may be trapezoidal instead of rectangular. According to a variant, the cleaning element  20  has in its central region a higher thickness than over the remaining surface. In this manner, the cleaning element exerts a higher resistance against the force loaded on it in this region during mounting (see below). 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B show a sectional view and a view from above of an auxiliary piece  30  having a holding function, namely, according to the example, a tubular ferrule destined to cooperate, during the fastening of said element on any one of the supports  13 , with the cleaning element  20 , at one hand, and the handle  10  or, more precisely, the edge  12 A of the shoulder  12  on which the piece  30  is supported (see also FIGS.  4  and  5 ). This piece  30  which will be named “holding piece” or “retaining piece” or “ferrule”, may be present in several shapes. According to the described variant, it is bell-shaped. The ferrule  30  is namely composed of an essentially cylindrical portion  31  and, in its prolongation, a truncated cone portion  32  whose aperture angle is preferably in the order of 60°. Like the support  13 , the whole or a part of the inner surface of the ferrule  30  (preferably only the cylindrical portion  31 ) advantageously comprises means for improving the holding force applied by the cleaning element  20 , i.e., for example, lengthwise directed grooves (not shown). According to a preferred embodiment, the ferrule  30  is rigid. But it is also possible to provide a flexible holding piece, for example of synthetic material such as of elastic material which exerts a pressure against the element  20  for retaining it against the support  13 . In this case, it will not be provided with gripping means. 
     The mounting of the cleaning element  20  on a support  13  is effected in an extremely simple and rapid manner to be understood in looking at FIG. 4, thanks to the above-indicated properties of the selected material, on one hand, and to the choice of the preferred holding means of the element  20 , on the other hand (it is considered here that the used ferrule is rigid). In fact, it will be sufficient to first lay the element  20  down on the ferrule  30  so that the axes (not shown) of the two parts are falling more or less together (as it can be seen in FIG.  4 ), the element  20 , and according to a variant, the thickest portion of this element being pushed against the widest portion of the bell, i.e. against the edge  33  (FIGS.  3 A and  4 ), and then to apply the center of the assembly  20 ,  30  against the rounding  15  or  17  of the support  13 . Finally, in a third step, the assembly  20 ,  30  is pushed onto the support  13  towards the shoulder  12  in applying a force in the direction of the arrow F. During this operation, the element  20  is still further bent and takes the shape of the support  13  and covers it whereas the ferrule is pushed against the shoulder  12  of the handle  10 . Here rises the advantage of reinforcing the cleaning element in its central region, e.g. by providing a greater thickness of the said element in said zone. When the described operations are finished, the ferrule  30  whose edge  33  is in contact with the edge  12 A of the shoulder  12 , covers a portion of the element  20  whereas the emerging portion of the cylindrical section  31  forms, together with the support  13 , a cleaning or treating head  20 ,  13 . The edge  33  is manufactured in such a manner that it does not damage the element  20  during the operations of mounting and removal; it is preferably rounded or provided with a rim (these particulars are not shown in FIGS. 3A,  3 B and  4 ). In order to remove said element  20  from its support  13 , the inverse operations are carried out, i.e. a force F′ (not shown in FIG. 4) is exerted in the inverse direction of the force F and of equivalent intensity (FIG.  4 ), and the element  20  recovers automatically during its liberation its initial shape (a plain form in the described Example). 
     It can be seen that the profile of the support  13 A is different from that of support  13 B. Since the element  20  is of a flexible material, preferably a sponge, cleaning heads are obtained having different shapes (i.e., when seen in the direction of axis  10 A of the rod  10 , with different diameters), and this with the same standard element  20 . In this way, the user may easily establish a set of pieces  20 ,  30  on one of the supports and afterwards mount the same set on the other support that has a different shape, according to the object to be attained, one shape being better fitted for a specific use than another, or still following an intensive cleaning of the element or elements  20 . These advantages are as more important as they continue an obvious economical advantage, regarding the costs of manufacture and of the use of the instrument as well. It should be added in this context that it is of course more advantageous to mount a cleaning element  20  on both supports, and the utensil looks as shown in FIG.  5 . 
     The assembly  20 ,  30  remains fixed owing to the action of a group of means or preferably owing to combined actions of a first group of means and a second one. The first group of means is formed by gripping means which may advantageously be constituted, according to a variant, by the means  14  provided on the support  13  or, in another variant, the means resulting from the very material of which the support  13  is entirely or partially made. Furthermore, that first group of means may be completed by gripping means of the same kind provided at the inside of the ferrule or provided by the very material of the ferrule. In a general manner, when built-up means are concerned, the friction coefficient may still be increased by a relatively rough shaping of the said gripping means, namely in leaving a roughness on the edge lines of the grooves. The second group of means results from the reaction forces of the spongy element  20  on the ferrule  30 , taking into account the opening diameter of the tube  31 , this diameter being adapted to the dimensions of the support  13  (i.e. to the diameter of said support if it is cylindrical) and to the appropriate thickness of the cleaning element  20 . The spongy material within the region of the conical portion  32  of the ferrule  30  may of course somewhat expand, taking into account the profile of the shoulder  12  (having according to the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 a conicity that is essentially greater than that of the portion  32  of the ferrule  30 ), but this does not prejudice the reliability of the assembly since a thrust remains applied to the ferrule by the portion of the element  20  imprisoned therein, the element  20  having the tendency to recover its flat or nearly flat conformation. Moreover, he bell shape of the ferrule has another double advantage, namely ergonomy since it allows an easy manipulation during “capping” of the element  20  onto the support  13  and the “decapping”, and aesthetic since it is in harmony with that of the handle  10 . The holding piece  30 , ascertaining the folded-over position of the cleaning element  20 , is at the same time retained itself against any displacement owing to said thrust exerted on it by the said element  20 . 
     In a general manner, the dimensions of the different pieces and piece portions  10 ,  12 ,  13 ,  20 ,  30  that compose the utensil should be adapted mutually and to the use or field of use; this is up to the one skilled in the art. As to the constitution of the different parts  10 ,  12 ,  13  and  30 , any appropriate material or material combination whatsoever (light metal, synthetic materials) may be used, with the reserve of course as to the material of the support  13 , according to the embodiment variant. 
     According to an embodiment not shown, the ferrule  30  and the handle  10  may comprise complementary retaining or fixing means, known to the one skilled in the art (clamps, forks, clips, etc.) coacting with each other in order to ascertain a connection with the handle  10  and, at the same time, the holding of the elements  20  and  30 . Such means are preferably disposed within the border region  33  of the ferrule and at the shoulder  12  or the region  12 A of the handle  10 . These means are recommended for instruments of greater size destined for other applications (see below). 
     According to still another embodiment (not shown either), the number of supports  13  may be increased in selecting a multibranch handle. This is to say that, as an example, the handle may have the shape of a cross-piece having two branches, one according to the axis  10  and the other along the axis  19  (FIG.  1 ), each branch bearing at least one support and each support having optionally a specific shape. 
     It would also be possible to provide a monolithic execution of the utensil, for example by gluing the cleaning element  20  to the support  13  with or without ferrule: in this case, the function of the auxiliary holding means is taken over by the glue. When the wear of the element  20  requires an intervention, the user can remove the worn-out element (and this worn-out element will be partially destroyed) and replace it by a new element that is glued onto the support  13 . 
     When the element  20  is constituted of a spongy matter, it works at compression in a manner that, when it is applied to the surface to be cleaned or treated, or during its introduction in, e.g., the external auditory canal of the ear to be treated or cleaned, it will be compressed, and a portion at least of its envelope (namely the external and active surface  23  of the head  20 ,  13 ) exerts simultaneously on that surface or canal a reaction force each time perpendicular to the plane tangent to the envelope. In other words, the element  20  is continuously and uniformly pressed against the surface or the duct during the cleaning or treating operation. The cleaning power of the head  20 ,  13  is optimal since the sponge is characterized by the combination of a certain hardness due to the material itself, thus having an ideal abrasion degree for cleaning purposes; and, on the other hand, a flexibility brought about by the presence of cavities, that flexibility being modulated by or function of the density and the dimensions of these cavities, the particles to be eliminated (for example the cerumen when the utensil is used for cleaning the external auditory canal) being captioned by the latter and easily removable by simple rinsing of the head  20 ,  13 . 
     The other important advantage of the utensil according to the invention is based on the fact that it is ideally suited for a “humid” as well as for a “dry” work, because the spongy material allows to absorb an active fluid for a determined purpose and then to uniformly liberate this fluid with the duct, the cleaning head exerting at the same time a distributing function by successive and continuous absorption and liberation of the active fluid additionally to the cleaning function, or exerting a rinsing or drying function. 
     Still another advantage is established by the multiplicity of application fields where the utensil of the invention may be used, owing to the fact that it may be manufactured at very different scales, the principle of the means, their shapes and their functions remaining the same. Thus, the utensil may be manufactured with usual and known dimensions (total length of the utensil in the order of ten centimeters) for not only medical, veterinary, personal hygienic, cosmetic and making-up purposes, but also for all other utilities such as coloring, painting or do-it-yourself. Other, totally different applications may also be considered, especially in the field of household or industrial cleaning. In this case, it will be sufficient to define other dimensions for the constituting elements of the utensil, each time adapted to the particular field of use. 
     The implementation of the invention in most diverse application fields is as more interesting and recommended as the cleaning elements or heads can be easily and effectively rinsed and cleaned and even sterilized after every use (which would perhaps not work with the embodiment where the cleaning element is glued on the support). 
     The utensil according to the invention combines effectiveness with a low priced manufacture, and it may easily be imagined that its presentation may be widely varied (according to the preferred embodiment, the different elements such as handle, cleaning elements and ferrules may be sold separately), and that its possible applications are virtually unlimited.