Abstract:
A manual squeegee device for the movement of residual liquid on a surface, the squeegee device including a support element, first and second elongate blade holders and a coupling, the blade holders being in spaced apart generally parallel relationship, and each supporting a respective first and second non-absorbent flexible elongate blade each of which provides a wiping edge, the wiping edges lying in or substantially in a common plane, the support element being between the spaced apart blade holders and carrying the coupling, the coupling permitting of engagement with a handle, and permitting the handle in use to pivot universally relative to the support element.

Description:
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to a squeegee device and, more particularly, to a manually operable squeegee device which is intended to move residual liquid on a floor surface. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
   Handheld squeegees are well known. In particular, small single blade devices are used by window cleaners to remove residual liquid from windows. Larger single blade squeegee devices are known for use on floors and similar large area surfaces, typically following a mopping operation. 
   The single blade squeegee comprises a support element to which a handle is is mounted. The handle is fixed relative to the support element. A blade holder is provided, typically integrally formed with the support element, and a single flexible elongate, typically rubber, blade is held in the blade holder. 
   The problem with this kind of squeegee device is that, especially on larger versions, maneuverability may be difficult. If the blade is not kept in content contact and at the right angle to attack to the surface being cleaned, residual liquid may be missed. Moving the squeegee device quickly, with tight turns is particularly difficult, and accessing narrow or tight areas, can be troublesome since the blade tilts or rises, leading again to missed liquid. 
   According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a manual squeegee device for the movement of residual liquid on a surface such as a floor. The squeegee device may include a support element, first and second elongate blade holders and a coupling. The blade holders may be in spaced apart generally parallel relationship and each may support a respective first and second non-absorbent flexible elongate blade. The blades may be held by the first and second blade holders, respectively, and may project therefrom so that projecting edges of the first and second blades lie in or substantially in a common plane. The device may include a pivotable coupling carried by the support element and an opposite end engaged or engagable with a handle, so that, in use, the handle can pivot relative to the support element. 
   The present invention thus provides a stable and highly maneuverable squeegee device which is particularly suitable for quickly moving residual liquid over a large area. 
   The pivotable coupling may be a universal coupling carried by the support element between the first and second blade holders. 
   The first and second blade holders and/or the wiping edges of the blades may be raked, so that the first and second blades present a raked, preferably single, edge to the floor, so that when the device is at rest, with the handle generally upright, the blades each extend at a less than normal angle to the surface to be wiped. 
   The first and second blades may be formed of closed cell rubber material such as polychloroprene. 
   According to a second aspect of the present invention, there provided a method of moving without removing residual liquid on a floor using a squeegee device according to the first aspect of the invention, in a side-to-side manner so as to describe or substantially describe a figure of eight as the surface to be cleaned is traversed, such that the residual liquid is moved to or towards a single location on the surface to be cleaned. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Embodiments of the invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view from above of one embodiment of a squeegee device, in accordance with the first aspect of the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view from the other side of the squeegee device shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view from one end of the squeegee device; 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the one end of the squeegee device shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 1 , but of an alternative embodiment, and 
       FIG. 6  is an underside perspective view of the device of  FIG. 5 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1 to 4  of the drawings, there is shown a squeegee device  10  which includes a support element  12 , first and second, typically plastics, elongate blade holders  14 ,  16  attached to the support element  12 , first and second blades  18 ,  20  which are held by the first and second blade holders  14 ,  16 , respectively, and a universal coupling  22 . 
   The first and second blade holders  14 ,  16  are fixed midway between their ends to opposite sides of the support element  12 , so that they extend in spaced parallel relationship. Further blade elements  24  interconnect the first and second blade holders  14 ,  16  at positions along their longitudinal extents and which are spaced from the support element  12 . 
   Each one of the first and second blade holders  14 ,  16  includes a rectilinear elongate channel  26  which is dimensioned to receive a respective one of the blades  18 ,  20 . Each blade  18 ,  20  is elongate and flexible, typically being formed from non-absorbent Neoprene® or another kind of non-absorbent polychloroprene or other material. Other types of non-absorbent, typically rubber material, can be used. The e.g. polychloroprene material is preferably closed-cell. 
   Each blade  18 ,  20  is formed by folding a rectangular sheet of the blade material, double, preferably equally or substantially equally along its longitudinal extent, with the longitudinal folded edge being received in the channel  26 , and the free or projecting wiping edges  28 ,  29  being positioned adjacent to each other in spaced relationship with the channel  26 . 
   Each blade  18 ,  20  may be permanently held in its respective channel  26  by a clamp element (not shown) riveted to the channel  26 , e.g. at the fold line of the blade material. Alternatively, the blade  18 ,  20  can be releasably held in the channel  26 , e.g. by a disengageable clamp, so that it can be removed and replaced, if necessary. 
   Each channel  26  is raked or slanted in a lateral direction of the first and second blade holders  14 ,  16 . The rake is in a direction from the second blade holder  16  to the first blade holder  14 . Each blade  18 ,  20  thus presents raked projecting wiping edges  28 ,  29  and thus also a common angle of attack, which prevents or limits juddering of the blades  18 ,  20  as they are moved across a surface to be cleaned. 
   It will be appreciated that, although in this example, the channels  26  are raked, a deviation can be introduced into the material of the blades, whereby the channels  26  need not be raked, but the blades  18 ,  20  may provide raked wiping edges  28 ,  29 . Consequently, in this case, the channels  26  of the blade holders  14 ,  16  do not themselves need to be raked. 
   The raked edges  28 ,  29  of each blade  18 ,  20  provided by the edges of the folded over material, lie in or substantially in a common plane. Typically, mouths of the channels  26  of the first and second blade holders  14 ,  16  are also positioned in or on a common plane. However, the first and second blade holders  14 ,  16  can be offset, in which case the lateral dimensions of the first and second blades  18 ,  20  may need to be different, to allow the raked wiping edges  28 ,  29  of the first and second blades  18 ,  20  still to be co-planar. 
   The universal coupling  22  is a handle attachment element which is connected to, but may be integrally formed, or otherwise carried at one side of the support element  12 , and which presents a socket  30  at the opposite side for receiving a, typically long, shaft or handle  32 . The universal coupling  22  allows 360° of unrestricted free pivoting of the handle  32 , when attached, relative to the support element  12  and blade holders  14 ,  16  about generally perpendicular axes A, B. The large degree of free movement of the handle  32  results in the first and second blades  18   20  rarely, if ever in use, being lifted or tilted away from the surface being cleaned, due to moments imparted by the handle  32  contacting one or other of the blade holders  14 ,  16 . 
   Although a universal coupling  22  is suggested, any handle attachment element which allows unrestricted, universal, or substantially unrestricted pivoting movement of the attached handle  32  in all directions, can be utilised, and the phrase “universal coupling” is intended to cover this. 
   Furthermore, a coupling which permits the handle  32  to pivot in one plane could be utilised, although separation of the first and second blade  18 ,  20  from a surface being cleaned may be more likely to occur. 
   The second blade holder  16 , which in use, is typically closest to a user, includes a recessed portion  34  in an uppermost surface, to accommodate the socket  30  of the universal or other coupling  22  and/or handle  32  when in a lowered condition, for example, when the handle  32  is lowered to adjacent a surface being cleaned as the squeegee device  10  is moved beneath an item with low floor clearance, such as shelving. Although not seen as being necessary, due to the rake of the channels  26  or the edges  28 ,  29  of the blades  18 ,  20  resulting in the squeegee device  10  typically not being used when reversed, the first blade holder  14  could also include a recessed portion (not shown) in its uppermost surface, to accommodate the socket  30  of the universal joint and/or attached handle  32 . 
   With a handle  32  attached to the universal coupling  33 , the squeegee device  10  is, in use, moved by a user standing closer to the second blade holder  16  than the first blade holder  14 , in a side-to-side manner over a surface to be cleaned. The surface to be cleaned is typically a floor surface  36 , for example at a restaurant, and will have already been mopped, thus leaving a layer of residual liquid on the surface. 
   As the squeegee device  10  is moved forwardly and rearwardly and, side-to-side, a figure-of-eight movement may be imparted to the squeegee device  10 , so that the movement follows a figure-of-eight path as the floor is traversed. This is possible due to the provision of the universal coupling  22  and the spaced apart blades  18 ,  20  both of which remain in constant simultaneous contact with the floor surface  36 , thus stabilising the squeegee device  10 . Repetitious figure-of-eight movements are particularly beneficial in collecting and moving residual surface liquid to or towards a single location on the floor. 
   Once residual surface liquid has been moved to a more localised position, a mop or other absorbent device can be used to transfer the liquid to a container or sink, or the liquid may be received by a floor drain. 
   The universal coupling  22 , gives the squeegee device  10  great maneuverability. The stability of the squeegee device  10  is also extremely high, due to the twin catamaran-like spaced apart blade holders  14 ,  16  and blades  18 ,  20 . The universal coupling  22  allows the handle  32  to be positioned parallel or substantially parallel with the floor surface  36  being cleaned, when necessary, whilst the wiping edges of the first and second blades  18 ,  20  still remain in good positive contact with the floor surface  36 . Consequently, hard to reach areas, such as under shelves, sinks, worktops and tables can be confidently reached. 
   Although the first and second blade holders  14 ,  16  are in the  FIGS. 1 to 4  embodiment, of matching or substantially matching lengths, typically being in the range of 300 to 800 millimetres (mm), the blade holders  14 ,  16 , and thus the blades  18 ,  20 , can be of different lengths. In this case, the second blade holder  16  which is typically closer to the user can be shorter than the first  14  blade holder. For example, the first blade  18  can be in the range of 300 to 800 mm long, and the second blade  20  can be 60 g to 300 mm long. 
   An example of such an embodiment is illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6  in which like parts to those in  FIGS. 1 to 4  are labelled with the same references. 
   The support element  12  and blade holders  14 ,  16  can in another arrangement, be integrally formed with each other rather than secured together as in the examples illustrated. 
   In another embodiment, one or both blades  18 ,  19  need not be a folded layer of material but may be a single sheet of blade material. However, folding does reinforce the blade  18 ,  20  enabling supple but resilient blade wiping edges  28 ,  29  to be presented to the floor surface. In another example, the blades  18 ,  20  may be provided by a non-sheet material, held in or by the blade holders permanently or releasably, by any desired means. 
   Although the squeegee device  10  described above is primarily intended to aid in moving residual liquid over, but not removing residual liquid from, a freshly mopped floor surface, a squeegee device  10  in accordance with the invention can be used to move residual liquid on other surfaces, such as work tops, table tops, and windows. 
   Polychloroprene material for the blades  18 ,  20 , is a cheap material which, in combination with the simple structure of the remainder of the squeegee device  10 , allows disposal of the entire device  10  once the blades  18 ,  20  are worn, rather than replacement of only the blades  18 ,  20 . However, as mentioned above, it is feasible to provide a device with replaceable blades  18 ,  20 . 
   The squeegee device  10  is an entirely manually operated device  10 , with no electric motors and no gear mechanisms. This results in the manufacturing costs being low. 
   The embodiments described above are given by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. For example, one or both blade holders could have an arcuate longitudinal extent, instead of rectilinear, so that the respective blade  18 ,  20  could be arcuate.