Abstract:
The present invention provides a brushing assembly and a method of cleaning a surface. In one embodiment, the brushing assembly comprises a lint roller comprising a handle and a roll of adhesive tape supported by a barrel, wherein the adhesive tape has an exposed tacky surface. The brushing assembly further comprises a caddy cover comprising an opening for placement over the barrel and roll of adhesive tape of the lint roller and at least one working surfaces. In one embodiment, the method of cleaning a surface comprises providing a lint roller, providing a caddy cover having at least one working surfaces, placing the caddy cover over the lint roller, brushing the surface to be cleaned with at least one of the working surfaces of the caddy cover to gather debris, removing the caddy cover from the lint roller, and rolling the lint roller over the surface to be cleaned to capture the debris.

Description:
FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a brushing assembly. In particular, the present invention relates to a brushing assembly comprised of a lint roller and a removable caddy cover having brushing surfaces. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Lint removing devices such as an adhesive lint roller can be used to capture lint, dirt, debris, hair, and other particles on a surface. However, some types of debris, such as pet hair, can be particularly difficult to pick up from surfaces such as cloth and upholstery. Over these types of surfaces the debris can become embedded into the material of the surface. Therefore, an adhesive lint roller may only capture the surface debris and may not capture the debris in the lower layers of the surface. There is a need for a tool that can both gather debris and can capture and retain the gathered debris. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention provides a brushing assembly for cleaning surfaces. In one embodiment, the brushing assembly comprises a lint roller comprising a handle and a roll of adhesive tape supported by a barrel, wherein the adhesive tape has an exposed tacky surface. The brushing assembly further comprises a caddy cover comprising an opening for placement over the barrel and roll of adhesive tape of the lint roller and at least one working surfaces. 
     In another embodiment, the brushing assembly comprises a lint roller comprising a handle and a roll of adhesive tape supported by a barrel, wherein the adhesive tape has an exposed tacky surface. The brushing assembly further comprises a caddy cover comprising an opening for placement over the barrel and roll of adhesive tape of the lint roller and a first working surface, second working surface, and a third working surface, wherein each working surface extends along the direction of the barrel. 
     In another embodiment, a method of cleaning comprises providing a lint roller, providing a caddy cover having at least one working surfaces, placing the caddy cover over the lint roller, brushing the surface to be cleaned with at least one of the working surfaces of the caddy cover to gather debris, removing the caddy cover from the lint roller, and rolling the lint roller over the surface to be cleaned to capture the debris. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a brushing assembly having three working surfaces. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the caddy cover and lint roller of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a brushing assembly having two working surfaces. 
     
    
    
     Common references numbers are used throughout the figures to identify common features. While the above-identified drawings and figures set forth embodiments of the invention, other embodiments are also contemplated, as noted in the discussion. In all cases, this disclosure presents the invention by way of representation and not limitation. It should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art, which fall within the scope and spirit of this invention. The figures may not be drawn to scale. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a brushing assembly  100 . The brushing assembly  100  includes a lint roller  200  and a caddy cover  300  for placement over the lint roller  200 .  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the caddy cover  300  of  FIG. 1  removed from the lint roller  200 . 
     The lint roller  200  includes a handle  210  and a roll of tape  220 , wherein the tape is rolled such that the adhesive is exposed. The roll of tape  220  is supported on a barrel  225  of the handle  210 . The roll of tape  220  freely rotates about the barrel  225 . 
     The handle  210  includes a gripping portion  212  intended to be held by a user&#39;s hand and an arm  215  connecting the gripping portion  212  to the barrel  225  of the lint roller  200 . The lint roller  200  shown is referred to as a flat surface roller. A flat surface roller is a lint roller where the barrel  225  is perpendicular to the gripping portion  212  of the handle  210 . Although a flat surface roller is shown in connection with the caddy cover  300 , a linear roller may also be used. A linear roller is a lint roller where the barrel is parallel to the gripping portion of the handle. A suitable flat surface lint roller and linear roller are shown in U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/244,348, filed on Dec. 8, 2005, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     The roll of tape  220  may include a core or may be coreless. For use with a coreless roll of tape, the barrel  225  may be constructed such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,878,457 and 5,940,921, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference. The roll of tape  220  may be formed from a textured surface such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,765, herein incorporated by reference. Additionally, the strip of tape  220  forming the lint roller may be perforated and in one embodiment may be progressively perforated such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,038, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     The caddy cover  300  includes at least one working surfaces and an opening  350 . The opening  350  is for placement over the barrel  225  and roll of tape  220  of the lint roller  200 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the caddy cover  300  includes a first working surface  310 , a second working surface  320 , and a third working surface  330 . The working surfaces may be planar or may be curved. In either case, the working surfaces extend along the direction of the barrel  225  of the lint roller  200 . As shown, the working surfaces  310 ,  320 , and  330  are planar. 
     The working surfaces may be constructed from a variety of materials suitable for such activities as cleaning, dusting, lint removal, or brushing. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, bristles, foam, sponge, nonwoven material, directional fabric, adhesive, recloseable or hook fasteners, and microreplicated film. In one embodiment, at least one of the working surfaces includes a brushing surface. A brushing surface is a surface suitable for gathering embedded material within the surface to be cleaned. Suitable brushing surfaces include, but are not limited to, bristles, foam, sponge, recloseable or hook fasteners, and microreplicated film. 
     The bristles may be metal or plastic and may be in a variety of lengths, gauges, and densities. Also, flexible rubber bristles may be used. The rubber bristles may have an inherent tackiness that assists in retaining captured debris while the bristles help remove embedded debris from the surface to be cleaned. The bristles may be positioned on the surface anywhere between 0 and 90 degrees. Optionally and additional adhesive coating may be included. 
     The foam may be an open cell or closed cell foam. One particularly suitable foam is a foamed latex rubber foam. The foam latex rubber is effective at gathering debris. In one embodiment an open cell-foamed latex rubber is used. The open-cell construction provides small pockets that are capable of capturing and retaining debris that are encountered during cleaning. A foamed latex rubber suitable for the foam latex rubber layer is sold under the tradename Gonzo available from Quality Rubber Company, a division of Zephyr Manufacturing of Sedalia, Mo. 
     The latex rubber material is a material that exhibits a natural tackiness without the need for the addition of a secondary adhesive. This natural tackiness is unique and advantageous in use as a cleaning material. The tackiness assists in picking up and retaining debris. Because a secondary adhesive is not required, the risk of adhesive transfer to the surface being cleaned is eliminated. The latex rubber material may be cleaned using water or other solvents and following cleaning retains a natural tackiness. 
     The nonwoven material may be a lofty web of fibers and may or may not include an adhesive such as disclosed in US Patent Application Publication 20003-0171051-A1 or in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/362,549, filed on Feb. 24, 2006, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference. The nonwoven material may optional include protruding recloseable or hook fasteners or stems. The hook fasteners may be formed on the surface of the nonwoven such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,962,635 and 7,037,457, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the hook fasteners may be imbedded in the nonwoven such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,014,906, this disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     Directional fabric includes cut or uncut loops of fibers, such as natural fibers, synthetic fibers, glass fibers, thread, or wool. Preferably, the fibers are nylon fibers. A majority of the fibers are preferably orientated or tilted in one direction. One suitable example of the lint-removing material is commercially available as “De-lint fabric material” from Dalian Corporation based in Dalian, China. 
     The adhesive comprises an exposed adhesive such as an adhesive lint sheet or a stack of adhesive lint sheets similar to the stack disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/304,038 filed on Dec. 15, 2005, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. Also, the adhesive may be capable of being wetted and washed. 
     Hook fasteners or stems are fasteners typically used with other mating hook fasteners or loop materials to connect two surfaces. These include materials such as Velcro® fasteners. For use on a working surface, only one portion of the fastening system would be included. An example of a stem is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,077,870 and 6,054,091, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
     A microreplicated film is a replicated film with upstanding protrusions, such as shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,372,323; 6,610,382; and 6,907,615, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference. A variety of microreplicated films may be used wherein the protrusions on the film have a variety of lengths, shapes, thicknesses, flexibility, and density. The protrusions on the microreplicated film may be in a uniform pattern or may be in a random repeating pattern. The protrusions may extend across the entire surface or may be present on only a portion of the surface. Optionally, the microreplicated film may include an adhesive such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,265, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     To prevent the caddy cover  300  from rotating during use, a locking mechanism may be included. In one embodiment, the locking mechanism includes a retaining passage  340  on the caddy cover  300 . The retaining passage  340  is recessed enough to allow the caddy cover  300  to be placed over the lint roller  200  and to have the arm  215  contact the retaining passage  340  to prevent rotation of the caddy cover  300 . As shown, the retaining passage  340  is a recessed groove in the caddy cover  300 . The recessed groove may be in any shape, but is shown as a curved groove. The arm  215  of the handle  210  of the lint roller  200  engages with the retaining passage  340  to prevent rotation of the caddy cover  300 . As shown in the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is a retaining passage  340  separating each of the working surfaces. This allows the user the option of determining the orientation of the working surfaces. 
     It is understood that a retaining passage is an optional feature and that other locking mechanisms may be used, if desired. For example, the arm  215  may simply interact and engage with a working surface or other portion of the caddy cover to prevent rotation of the caddy cover. 
     The caddy cover  300  serves as a storage device for the lint roller  200 . By keeping the caddy cover  300  over the roll of tape  220  of the lint roller  200  the tape does not become contaminated with dirt, dust, lint, and other debris that may be encountered during storage. 
     To use the brushing assembly  100 , a user will place the caddy cover  300  over the barrel  225  and roll of tape  220  of a lint roller  200 . Then, the user will slide a working surface over a surface to be cleaned to gather the debris. The user may use more than one of the working surfaces. Following gathering the debris, the user can remove the caddy cover  300  from the lint roller  200  and use the lint roller  200  to capture and retain the debris. It is understood that the brushing assembly  100  can be used for cleaning applications. However, the brushing assembly can also be used to brush hair such as brushing the coat of a pet. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a brushing assembly  400 . The brushing assembly  400  includes a lint roller  500  and a caddy cover  600  for placement over the lint roller  500 . The caddy cover  600  can be removed from the lint roller  500  similar to that shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     The lint roller  500  includes a handle  510  and a roll of tape  520  (not shown), wherein the tape is rolled such that the adhesive is exposed. The roll of tape  520  is supported on a barrel  525  of the handle  510 . The roll of tape  520  freely rotates about the barrel  525 . 
     The handle  510  includes a gripping portion  512  intended to be held by a user&#39;s hand and an arm  515  connecting the gripping portion  512  to the barrel  525  of the lint roller  500 . The lint roller  500  shown is referred to a flat surface roller, as described above. However, it is understood that a linear lint roller may be used. 
     The caddy cover  600  includes two working surfaces and an opening  650 . The opening  650  is for placement over the barrel  525  and roll of tape  520  of the lint roller  500 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the caddy cover  600  includes a first working surface  610  and a second working surface  620 . The working surfaces may be planar or may be curved. In either case, the working surfaces extend along the direction of the barrel  525  of the lint roller  500 . As shown, first and second working surfaces  610 ,  620  are planar. 
     The working surfaces may be constructed from a variety of material as described above. In one embodiment, at least one of the working surfaces includes a brushing surface. 
     To prevent the caddy cover  600  from rotating during use, a locking mechanism may be included. In one embodiment, the locking mechanism includes a retaining passage  640  on the caddy cover  600 . The retaining passage  640  is recessed enough to allow the caddy cover  600  to be placed over the lint roller  500  and to have the arm  515  contact the retaining passage  640  to prevent rotation of the caddy cover  600 . The arm  515  of the handle  510  of the lint roller  500  engages with the retaining passage  640  to prevent rotation of the caddy cover  600 . As shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the retaining passage  640  separates the two working surfaces  610 ,  620 . 
     It is understood that any combination of materials, such as those described above, may be chosen for covering the working surfaces. Also, it is understood that any number of working surfaces may be included on the caddy cover. 
     Although specific embodiments of this invention have been shown and described herein, it is understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the many possible specific arrangements that can be devised in application of the principles of the invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can be devised in accordance with these principles by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the structures described in this application, but only by the structures described by the language of the claims and the equivalents of those structures.