Patent Publication Number: US-2006016034-A1

Title: Scuff remover device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
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     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
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     DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX  
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     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates generally to the field of cleaning devices and more specifically to a scuff remover device.  
      Hard wood flooring and tile floors can become scuffed by the scraping of shoe bottoms or the sliding of other items such as the tips of chair feet, and the like.  
      Attempts to remove scuff marks have resulted in various devices including abrasive scrubbing pads. More recently, manufacturers have added small abrasive pads to sponge mops and other types of mops.  
      The existing scuff removing pads tend to be rather small and flat, forcing the user to hold the mop handle at a particular angle and to carefully align the scrub pad with the scuff mark. The same is true for other cleaning devices such as floor polishing tools, and wax application tools.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The primary object of the invention is to provide an effective scuff removing device that is simple to use.  
      Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient convex scrubbing surface that allows the user to effectively remove a scuff mark regardless of the angle of the stick handle.  
      Another object of the invention is to provide an improved scuff removing device whose working head is composed of fuzzy filaments such as those found on the surface of a tennis ball.  
      Another object of the invention is to provide a device that can accept elasticized covers that each can provide additional cleaning activities such as polishing and waxing.  
      Another object of the invention is to provide a scuff removing device that is economical to produce.  
      Another object of the invention is to provide a scuff removing device that quickly removes scuff marks from hard floors such as wood, tile and the like.  
      Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.  
      In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed Scuff Remover Device comprising: a stick like handle, a hollow pressurized, spherical ball shape having a size and outside surface similar to that of a standard tennis ball, a connection collar for joining one end of said stick handle to said ball shape and an adhesive material to connect said collar to said ball shape. A plurality of cleaning bonnets can be attached to said ball to provide other cleaning activities such as waxing and polishing.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.  
       FIG. 1  is a side view of the invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a side section view of the invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a perspective exploded view showing application of accessory bonnets.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 1  we see a side view of the present invention  100 . The invention is comprised of a stick like handle  2 , a connection collar  10 , and a pressurized sphere  12  that has an outside texture of a standard tennis ball. My experiments have shown that the back and forth scrubbing action of the ball  8  against a floor surface  14  such as wood or tile effectively and easily removes common scuff marks such as those produced by the bottoms of some types of shoes and the tips of certain chair legs and the like. The device  100  also works on some types of wall scuffs. Because the ball portion  12  is spherical in shape, the user can hold the handle at any angle  20  and still produce effective scuff removing action. Because the ball shape  12  is pressurized, the ball  12  can be pushed down to create a flat spot  16  but not be crushed completely even though the ball is hollow in nature. My experiments have shown that the fuzzy filaments that cover the outer surface of a standard tennis ball make a superior scuff removing medium without significantly damaging the floor surface being cleaned. The scuff remover of the present invention  100  can be effective even without the use of additional liquid cleaning agents thereby increasing the simplicity and time saving properties of the invention. The scuff remover of the present invention acts in a similar way that an eraser works on a standard graphite pencil. Therefore the device  100  can be considered a scuff erasing device.  FIG. 2  shows a partial section view of the present invention  100 . In this view collar  10  can be clearly seen as being an attachment means for ball  12  to handle  2 . One end of the collar is a partial sphere that has a slight recess on its concave surface to be able to accept an adhesive material  8  that can join the surface of ball  12  to the collar  10 . The opposite side of collar  10  has a threaded receptacle  4  that can accept the standard threads  5  of a stick type mop handle  2 . In this way, a person can purchase additional ball  12  and collar parts without having to purchase a new handle  2 .  FIG. 3  shows an exploded perspective view where an additional bonnet  30  includes an elastic perimeter band allows the bonnet  30  to be removably placed on the ball portion  12 . The bonnet  30  can be constructed of a variety of materials including terry cloth, lambs wool or synthetic fiber to accomplish other cleaning related activities such as polishing, washing and moisture absorption. The above description and illustrations show that the present invention provides a novel and improved method for removing scuff marks on floors or walls. The device is easy to manufacture and economical to produce.  
      While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.