Cleaning wiper for grocery conveyor belt

A cleaning wiper blade for a moving grocery conveyor belt in the form of a thin sheet of paperboard, cardboard or plastic material having a length which is essentially the same as said width of the belt. The underside of the sheet includes first, second and third areas all having a width and a length wherein the lengths are substantially equal to the length of the sheet. The first area includes an adhesive thereon adapted to be temporarily secured to the frame of the conveyor and is covered by a release paper. The second area includes a porous member having a quantity of a liquid cleaning agent and a protective covering for the member to prevent the liquid agent from being released. The third area includes material capable of wiping liquid from the belt. The cleaning wiper blade is capable of being attached to the conveyor by removing the release paper and the protective covering and securing the first area of the sheet of to the conveyor frame with the second and third areas contacting the upper surface of the belt as it moves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a cleaning device for a grocery or food store conveyor belt and, more particularly, toward such a device that is inexpensive and easy to use and that will first wipe a cleaning solution onto a moving belt and then immediately wipe off any excess cleaning solution in order to clean and dry the belt.

As is well known in the art, conveyor belts used in store checkouts and particularly grocery stores, supermarkets and the like can be a source of contamination of foods or other purchased items, due to the large number of items that are in physical contact with the conveyor belt. Not only food products but cleaning products and the like frequently come in contact with the belt surfaces. Food products themselves may leak and leave liquids on the belt that can spoil or attract mold or fungus. Even further, individuals may also touch the belt, which may lead to direct exposure to various diseases. Conveyor belts, however, are not easily removed and cleaning is typically not performed on a regular basis. Accordingly, this can lead to both real and perceived dangers of contamination from the conveyor belt.

Several systems have been proposed that address conveyor belt cleaning and sanitizing. They all, however, are complex and difficult to maintain. For example, U.S. Patent Publication 2010/0243410 discloses a cleaning system with a hollow porous roller situated below and on the underside of the conveyor belt, out of sight of the top or conveying surface of the belt. A perforated rod, positioned within the hollow porous roller, contains a cleaning and sanitizing solution that can be dispensed through a series of perforations in the rod. The cleaning and sanitizing solution is distributed via a pump from a tank reservoir.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,096,392 is directed to a steam cleaning system that includes a steam spraying unit and a wiping unit. The wiping unit includes a disposable, absorbable microfiber roller which is disposed across and in contact with the conveyor belt surface and a steamer unit is disposed below the conveyor. The steamer unit includes a boiler, a water collection tray, a pump, a filter and an actuator and is, therefore, quite complex.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,978,875 is also directed to a conveyor belt cleaning system which is adapted to clean the outer surface of the belt. A fluid dispenser dispenses cleaning fluid to the upper surface of the conveyor belt and a wiping device removes excess cleaning fluid. However, the system requires a reservoir to store the cleaning fluid and pump to pump the fluid to the dispenser, which, again, makes the system somewhat complex.

A need exists, therefore, for a simple system for cleaning the upper surface of a grocery store conveyor belt that is cost effective and easy to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning wiper blade for a moving grocery conveyor belt.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cleaning wiper blade for a moving grocery conveyor belt that is inexpensive so as to be disposable.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a cleaning wiper blade for a moving grocery conveyor belt that is easy to apply and remove.

In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning wiper blade for a moving grocery conveyor belt in the form of a thin sheet of paperboard, cardboard or plastic material. The sheet of material has a length which is essentially the same as said width of the belt. The underside of the material includes first, second and third areas all having a width and a length wherein the lengths are substantially equal to the length of the material. The first area includes an adhesive which is adapted to be temporarily secured to the frame of the conveyor and is covered by a release paper. The second area includes a porous member having a quantity of a liquid cleaning agent and a protective covering for the member to prevent the liquid agent from being released or otherwise drying out. The third area includes material capable of wiping liquid from the belt to dry the same. The cleaning wiper blade is attached to the conveyor by removing the release paper and the protective covering and securing the first area of the sheet of material to the conveyor frame with the second and third areas contacting the upper surface of the belt as it moves.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements, there is shown inFIGS.1-5a cleaning wiper blade for a grocery conveyor constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally as10. The wiper blade10is intended to be used to clean the entire width of the upper surface12of the moving belt14of the conveyor assembly16as it is moving.

The conveyor assembly16is of essentially known conventional construction. Accordingly, it is not believed that a detailed description thereof is necessary. Briefly, and as shown best inFIG.5, the conveyor assembly16includes a frame18that supports a rotating wheel or roller20. Not shown is a second roller at the other end of the conveyor for supporting the closed loop belt14. In use, the belt14moves in the direction shown in the arrows in the figures.

The conveyor frame18includes an upper frame member22that covers the upper surface12of the belt14as it emerges from beneath and moves outwardly and away from the frame member22. As shown inFIG.5, the frame member22is essentially a thin sheet of metal. In most grocery store conveyor systems, the frame member22is essentially horizontally arranged as shown in the figures. In some conveyor systems, however, the frame member22slants downwardly somewhat from a higher position down to the upper surface12of the belt14.

The cleaning wiper blade10is comprised essentially of a thin sheet of sheet-like material24such as paperboard, cardboard, plastic or metal or combinations thereof. The sheet24must be self-supporting but able to flex somewhat to have a slight springy effect. The sheet24has a length which is essentially the same as the width of the belt14. The width of the sheet24is preferably between approximately 8 and 15 inches although the width is not critical to the operation of the invention as should become readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The sheet of material24has an upper surface26and a lower surface28. The lower surface28includes three distinct areas30,32and34. Each of these areas30,32and34has a width and a length wherein the length of each area is substantially the same as the length of the sheet of material24.

Secured to the first area30of the underside28of the sheet24is an adhesive36. The adhesive36is preferably a contact adhesive which is capable of being temporarily secured to the upper surface of the frame member22as shown inFIGS.2and5. The adhesive36should be strong enough to maintain the wiper10in place but not so strong as to make it difficult to remove the same when desired.

A release paper38covers the adhesive36prior to use in order to prevent the adhesive from adhering to undesired products or other wipers. Prior to use, the release paper38is removed in order to expose the adhesive36.

The second area32on the underside28of the sheet24includes a porous member40that also runs essentially the length of the sheet material24. The porous member40carries a quantity of a liquid cleaning agent therein which can be released when it contacts the upper surface12of the belt14. Preferably, the porous member40is made of a nonwoven, felt-like material that is capable of holding a significant quantity of the liquid cleaning agent. It has been found that a material sold under the trademark ZORB by Wazoodle Fabrics, LLC, of Bensalem, Pa., is very suitable as the felt-like material40. This material is capable of holding a significant quantity of the liquid material. Furthermore, the liquid cleaning solution may also include an anti-bacterial solution.

In order to prevent the liquid from drying out before the wiper blade10is put to use, the porous member40is covered with a protective cover42. This may be a film of liquid impermeable plastic that covers the porous member40and is adhered to the undersurface28of the material24until the wiper10is intended to be used. The protective coating42can then be merely stripped away to expose the porous member40.

In the third area34of the undersurface28is a length of fibrous or foam material44that is capable of wiping dry the liquid from the porous member40that is applied to the upper surface12of the belt14. The material44can be made of substantially any material that will spread and partially dry any liquid that is on the belt as it passes under the material44.

The cleaning wiper10of the present invention is used in the following manner. First, the release paper38and the covering42are removed from the underside of the wiper10as shown inFIG.3. The area30with the adhesive36thereon is then placed onto the frame member22adjacent the moving belt14as shown inFIGS.1and2. The wiper10is arranged so that the porous member40and the drying or wiping member44press down slightly onto the upper surface12of the moving belt14as shown most clearly inFIG.5. The wiper10can be left on for a day or more until it is clear that there is no longer any liquid being dispensed. It can then be easily removed, discarded and replaced.

While the wiper10has been shown as being substantially flat, it should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that it can also be formed in a slight V configuration. This may be necessary if the frame member22extends downwardly at an angle toward the upper surface12of the belt14as described above. This can be accomplished by either forming the wiper10in the slight V shape or creating a crease or reduced area along the length of the material26between the adhesive area and the porous member and wiping area of the wiper10. This would allow the same to bend or flex so as to accommodate different angles.