Patent Publication Number: US-2007116507-A1

Title: Apparatus for treating a target stain

Description:
The present application claims the benefit of pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/731,681, filed Oct. 31, 2005 the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference 
    
    
     FIELD  
      The present application relates generally to an apparatus and/or method for treating a stain on a target surface More particularly, the application relates to such an apparatus for directly applying a treatment composition on the target stain so as to facilitate removal of the stain.  
     BACKGROUND  
      Some situations require the treatment of stains on selected surfaces without treating the entire surface. The objective is to concentrate and limit the treatment to the surface on which the stain is present, without affecting unstained areas or using excess treatment composition. In some applications, the treatment composition may potentially cause harm to adjacent unstained areas In other applications, it may not be feasible to treat and clean the entire surface For example, the entire surface may be too large to clean or it would be wasteful to treat surfaces other than the stained surface In other applications, it is desirable to treat the stain expeditiously and without the delay that would accompany treatment of more than the target surface  
      In these applications, the cleaning process entails selecting a definite surface portion to treat (ice., a target surface) and applying the appropriate chemical composition to treat the subject stain. Application in many cleaning processes will also involve agitation of the target stain with the treatment composition using a separate brush, rag, or the like. The mechanical action available from such agitation helps further apply the chemical composition and break down the properties of the stain.  
     SUMMARY  
      The present application provides an apparatus for treating a target stain on a target surface with a stain treatment composition, the apparatus comprising:  
      a pump having a manually compressible pump housing that defines a chamber storing a stain treatment composition; and  
      an applicator having an orifice in fluid communication with the chamber, the pump and the applicator being positioned such that the pump housing is manually compressible to deliver treatment composition from the chamber directly to a target stain on the target surface by way of the orifice; and  
      wherein the pump housing is elastically constructed such that the pump housing is manually compressible from an initial configuration to displace the treatment composition in the chamber and resiliently returns to the initial configuration after compression. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a plan view of an apparatus for treating a target stain on a target surface;  
       FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the apparatus in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded and perspective view of the apparatus in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 4  is an elevation view of a dispensing tip for the apparatus in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the dispensing tip in  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 6  is a bottom view of a closure cap for the apparatus in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 7  is a front, plan view of an agitator for the apparatus in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of an alternative apparatus for treating a target stain on a target surface; and  
       FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of a pump housing for the apparatus in  FIG. 7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       FIGS. 1-3  provide various views of a preferred apparatus  100  for treating a stain on a surface. The treatment apparatus  100  is a manually operable device for dispensing and directly applying the treatment composition on and around a target stain in controlled amounts so as to facilitate removal of the target stain. Target surfaces include substrates such as textile fabrics, upholstery, and carpets, and hard surfaces such as vinyl. The preferred apparatus is also used to safely apply and conveniently store the treatment composition,  
      Stain treatment compositions suitable for use with the apparatus include most, if not all, of the commonly available liquid compositions that are presently marketed as suitable to treat stains on surfaces such as those described above. These include, but not limited to, treatment compositions containing liquid bleach, enzymes, and/or a surfactant These treatment compositions are typically stored in conventional containers (e.g, a tube or can) and applied with a sprayer, brush, rag, roller, or felt tip, Common treatable stains include those caused by food, dirt, ink, or ink. It is further contemplated that the apparatus may also be used to store and directly apply liquid treatment compositions that are not yet commercially available, as long as such compositions may be safely stored in the pump housing and deliverable therefrom to a target stain.  
      In some applications, it is preferred that a stain treatment composition used with the apparatus does not include a bleaching agent, Certain surface areas may be damaged if contacted by the bleaching agent. Such contact could occur due to spreading or wicking of the stain treatment composition from the target surface to adjacent unstained areas. Alternatively, the bleaching agent may be potentially harmful to the surface on which the stain is present. For example, the automobile upholstery is typically provided in a color material, which may be damaged by the bleaching agent, In these cases, it is advantageous that a stain treatment composition does not include the bleaching agent or similar harmful agent.  
      In this regard, a preferred stain treatment composition is provided that has the following general composition and preferred ranges: about 90.0% to about 99.0% water, about 0.1% to about 5.0% of at least one surfactant component (i.e., surfactant, dispersant, and/or emulsifier), about 0.05% to about 1.0% of a least one preservative, 0% to about 1.5% fragrance as an optional component, and about 1.0 to about 10.0% of at least one polar solvent Suitable polar solvents include, for example, isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, and glycol ethers.  
      Further, an exemplary stain treatment composition formulation comprises the following ingredients: 
      about 93-89% water (excluding the water amounts from the other ingredients);     about 3.75% surfactant component provided by about 1.50% sodium laroyl     sarconsinate (30% in water) and about 2.25% sodium lauryl sulfate (28% in water;     about 0.20% preservative mixture in the form of bicyclic oxazolidines;     about 0.02% fragrance blend of choice; and     about 2.05% isopropyl alcohol 99% or anhydrous, as the polar solvent. 
 
 The preservative mixture, bicyclic oxazolidines, may be a mixture comprising the following: 
    50% water;     16% 5-Hydroxyinethyl-1-aza-3,7-dioxabicyclo(3.3.0) octane;     28% 5-Hydroxymethoxymethyl-1-aza-3,7-dioxabicyclo(3.3.0) octane; and 5% 5-Hydroxypoly[methyleneoxy(74% C2, 21% C3, 4% C4, 1% C5)]-methyl-1-aza-3,7-dioxabicyclo(3.3.0) octane.    

      The apparatus  100  may be described as having three distinct operable sections The middle section is a pump body  102  (or simply, a pump  102 ) that includes a resilient pump housing  104 . The pump housing  104  defines an internal chamber  106  for safely storing a treatment composition (not shown in the drawings). The apparatus  100  further includes an applicator assembly  108  for dispensing and then applying the treatment composition onto the vicinity of the target stain. The applicator assembly  108  receives the treatment composition from safe storage in chamber  106  upon operation of the pump  102 . Moreover, combination of the pump  102  and applicator  108  allows the user to directly apply the treatment composition to a target surface in a controlled manner (in terms of location, rate, and amount), while operating a single device.  
      A third section of the apparatus  100  is an agitator  110  that is preferably attached to the pump  102  at an end opposite of the applicator assembly  108  The agitator  110  is used to agitate (eagc, scrub) the vicinity of the target spot upon application of the treatment composition thereon. Thus, the preferred apparatus  100  provides in a single manually-operable device, a tool for storing, controllably dispensing, and directly applying treatment composition to a target stain on a target surface, and agitating the stain and treatment composition about the target surface.  
      The pump  102  is preferably configured as a selfstanding, positive displacement pump. The pump housing has a hollowed body that is a manually compressible (i.e., deformable) to displace and deliver viscous treatment composition from the chamber  106  to the applicator assembly  108 . The pump housing  104  is also sufficiently resilient such that it automatically returns to its initial compressible configuration, Such a pump housing is referred to as having an elastic construction. Resiliency may be achieved by selecting suitable plastic materials for the pump housing  104  and employing a suitable configuration, One suitable configuration is the totally enclosed, hollowed configuration depicted in  FIGS. 1-3 , wherein the pump housing  104  has a sufficiently firm (non-collapsible) end walls at an anterior end  112  and at a posterior end  116  and an elongated, tapered circumferential surface.  
      The pump  102  is preferably constructed from a plastic material that imparts flexibility and resiliency to the pump housing  104 , such as polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, and the like. In one configuration, the pump housing  104  is generally elongated and provided with an anterior end  112  to which the applicator assembly  108  is attached and a posterior end  116  to which the agitator  110  is detachably attached As best illustrated in FIGS,  1  and  2 , the pump housing  104  has a generally tapered construction—as viewed from the anterior end  112  to the posterior, end  116 . Further, the housing  104  is preferably wider at the anterior end  112 , but taller at the posterior end  116  An exterior surface  104 ′ of the pump housing  104  serves also as a handle  104 ′ for the apparatus  100 .  
      The pump housing  104  is further provided with laterally directed feelers  114  on its top and bottom sides In alternative embodiments, the feelers  114  may be provided on one or more other sides. The feelers  114  help the user to locate, position, and grip the pump  102  during operation of the applicator assembly  108  or the agitator  
      The above-described construction features enhance the capability of the pump  102  to deliver treatment composition from the chamber  106  to the applicator assembly  108  Moreover, these features facilitate manual operation of the apparatus Specifically, a user can readily hold and maneuver the apparatus  100  by way of the handle  104 ′ of the pump housing  104  and direct the applicator assembly  108  to the target stain. The flexibility and resiliency of the housing  104  allow the user to squeeze and compress the housing  104  with ease thereby displacing treatment composition in the chamber  106  toward the anterior end  112 , and then, directly onto the target stain. As discussed above, the user can also manually control the rate of dispensing In this way, the amount of treatment composition dispensed may be readily confined to the target stain This avoids waste and use of excess treatment composition and possible damage to contacted surfaces that do not exhibit stains.  
      The chamber  106  is defined, in the described embodiment, by the internal walls of the housing  104 . At the anterior end  112 , an outlet nozzle  118  extends longitudinally from the housing  104 . The nozzle  118  has an open, internal end that fluidly communicates with the chamber  106  and an open external end that fluidly communicates with a dispensing tip  126  and an orifice  128  of the dispensing tip  126  As shown in  FIG. 3 , two strands of threads are disposed about the nozzle  118 : first thread  120  and second thread (not shown).  
      The applicator assembly  108  includes a closure cap  124  and the dispensing tip  126 , both of which are threadedly engaged with the outlet  118 . The closure cap  124  threadedly engages the first threads  120  while the dispensing tip  126  threadedly engages the second threads.  
      Referring to  FIG. 3  as well as  FIG. 4 , the dispensing tip  126  has a bell-like shape that terminates at the fluid orifice  128 . In one embodiment of the apparatus, the apparatus  102  is about 5.8 cm long—from the closure cap to the bristles of the agitator, and a maximum of about 1.62 cm high. The closure cap in this embodiment is about 1.4 cm at its widest and about 0.90 cm at its minimum. Furthermore, the agitator is preferably configured in a semi-rectangular shape with a height of about 1.56 cm and a width of about 1.06 cm. As for the dispensing tip  126 , it preferably has a diameter of about 0.45 cm and a maximum height of about 0.55 cm. A suitable orifice may be sized at about 9 mm diameter. Further, the chamber  106 ′ in this embodiment may provide a volume of about 4 oz, Moreover, the components of the apparatus are preferably made of a polypropylene material. Another suitable material is a high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Various components of the apparatus may be formed using a blow molding process, injection molding process, and/or other suitable manufacturing process.  
      Referring to  FIG. 6 , the apparatus  102  includes, as added feature, an agitator  110 . To accommodate the agitator  110 , the pump  102  is configured with a generally rectangular-shaped end cap  150 . The agitator  110  includes a base  152  that defines a slot  154  that matches the end cap  150 . The slot  154  slottedly engages the female cap  150  to lock the agitator  110  onto the pump  102 . Typically, the agitator  10  includes multiple sections and rows of generally firm bristles  156 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . The bristles  156  allow the user to apply and distribute treatment composition on and around a target stain. The bristles  156  also allows the user to scrub the target surface with the treatment composition, thereby providing the mechanical action that allows the composition to penetrate the stain and break down the properties of the stain. By maneuvering the pump  102  about the handle  104 ′, the user can move the agitator  110  and the bristles  156  directly into the target stain.  
       FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate an alternative apparatus  200  for treating a stain. The apparatus  200  includes a pump body  202 , an applicator  208 , and an agitator  210 . The pump  202  is generally elongated and has a preferred tapered construction. In this embodiment, the pump  202  includes an unthreaded tube outlet  218  onto which a flow regulator  260  of the applicator  208  may be inserted. A spring device  262  may be positioned adjacent the flow regulator  260  to secure the flow regulator  260  in place The flow regulator  260  includes an orifice  262  that fluidly communicates with the nozzle  218  and thereby, with a chamber  216  of the pump  202 .  FIG. 8  provides a cross-section of the pump  202  illustrating the housing  204  that defines the chamber  206  and the outlet nozzle  218  that fluidly communicates treatment composition in the chamber  206  with the applicator assembly  208 .  
      While the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments and examples, it is not restricted to those embodiments and examples. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In further embodiments, for example, the apparatus may be provided with a housing having a different shape or material construction, a differently configured agitator and/or a different type of treatment composition. Other variations of the apparatus may incorporate different material compositions in the other components of the apparatus, as well as different configurations, again without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.