Patent Publication Number: US-2007119011-A1

Title: Extensible cleaning utensil

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides a cleaning utensil and more particularly a cleaning utensil having an extensible flexible head portion.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Many cleaning utensils are known having a variety of handles and cleaning heads. Generally cleaning utensils include a handle portion with a cleaning attachment at one end. The cleaning attachment may take the form of a brush or sponge or such like.  
      Some cleaning utensils include a flexible portion connecting the handle portion to the cleaning head so that a user can utilise the utensil in hard to reach areas due to the flexibility imparted to the utensil. Others include fixed elongated handle portions to allow a user to reach further into a vessel that is to be cleaned. These types of utensils have fixed handle lengths and do not generally allow a user to adapt the utensil to a particular use.  
      Therefore, it is desirable to provide a cleaning utensil that includes an extendible head portion that has varying flexibility for use in different environments.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention provides a cleaning utensil comprising a handle portion and a head portion that is adapted to be extendible from the handle portion. The present invention further provides the cleaning utensil having an extendible and flexible head portion.  
      The present invention also provides a cleaning utensil comprising a handle portion, a cleaning head and an attachment member releasably attached to at least one of the cleaning head and the handle portion and operable to extend the cleaning head away from the handle portion and to impart flexibility thereto.  
      The present invention further provides a method of using an extensible cleaning utensil with a vessel to be cleaned, the utensil having a handle portion and an extendible and flexible head portion. The method includes the steps of (i) extending the head portion to at least one of a desired length and degree of flexibility for cleaning a portion of the vessel, (ii) placing the utensil within the interior portion of the vessel, (iii) cleaning the interior portion of the vessel with the head portion, and (iii) optionally flexing the head portion in order to reach areas within the interior portion of the vessel to be cleaned. The portion to be cleaned may be an interior portion. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are isometric views of one embodiment of the extensible utensil of the present invention;  
       FIGS. 2A through 2C  illustrate a series of side views of the extensible utensil of  FIGS. 1A  and B showing different extension positions;  
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  are exploded isometric views of the extensible utensil of  FIGS. 1A and 1B ; and  
       FIG. 4  illustrates the use of the extensible utensil of  FIG. 1A  in a carafe. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The present invention will now be described with reference to the Figures in which the utensil is shown as a cleaning brush and is indicated generally at numeral  10 .  
      In one embodiment of the present invention the brush  10  has a handle portion  12  and a head portion  14 . The head portion  14  is adapted to be extendible from the handle portion  12 . The head portion  14  is also adapted to be flexible.  
      The handle portion  12  is preferably made from a thermoplastic material. In a preferred embodiment the thermoplastic material is transparent. Alternatively, the handle portion  12  may be made of metal, for example stainless steel, or an alternative plastic material.  
      As can be seen in  FIGS. 2A through 2C , the head portion  14  includes a flexible coil  16  that threadingly engages the handle portion  12 . It will be understood that the connection of the coil  16  to the head portion  14  may be through any means known in the art and may be permanent, but preferably is releasable, so that the components of the head portion  14 , including the coil  16 , may be easily cleaned. In an alternative embodiment, the spring coil may be included as part of the handle portion, i.e. connected at the opposing end to the embodiment discussed above, the spring coil then threadingly engages the head portion.  
      In the illustrated embodiment, the flexible coil  16  is adapted to thread onto an proximal end  18  of the handle portion  12  and is operable to thread or unthread along the proximal end  18  to extend the head portion  14  away from or closer to the distal end of the handle portion  12  as required. It will be understood that the flexible coil  16  may extend further onto the handle portion  12  than depicted in the Figures, including extending the full length of the handle portion  12 . Further it will be understood that the head portion  14  may be connected to the handle portion  12  by other means that allow for the head portion  14  to extend away from the handle portion  12  and to be flexible in either a partially or fully extended position.  
      As the head portion  14  extends away from the handle portion  12 , i.e. the flexible coil  16  is unthreaded from the handle portion  12 , the flexible coil  16  imparts flexibility to the head portion  14 . The further from the handle portion  12  the flexible coil  16  extends, i.e. the more it is unthreaded, the greater the degree of flexibility provided. This flexibility allows for use of the brush  10  in tough to reach areas, for example decanters or vases, as described in further detail below.  
      The head portion  14  of the present invention additionally includes a releasable cleaning head  20 . The releasable cleaning head  20  may take any form of cleaning utensil that is known to a person skilled in the art and is releasably attached to the head portion  14 . Examples of suitable cleaning heads include any type of scrubbing device suitable for kitchen and/or housewares, examples include but are not limited to, brushes, sponges and cleaning pads, e.g. steel wool pads.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the cleaning head  20  is releasably attached to a plug portion  22  that is connected to the flexible coil  16 . However, it will be understood that the cleaning head  20  may be connected directly to the flexible coil  16 . As can also be seen in  FIGS. 2A-2C  the cleaning head  20  is connected to the plug portion  22  that fits within the flexible coil  16 . The cleaning head  20  is releasably attached to the plug portion  22  so that when the cleaning head  20  is disengaged from the plug portion  22  the plug portion  22  remains attached to the flexible coil  16 . In the illustrated embodiment, the plug portion  22  is frictionally engaged inside the flexible coil  16 . However, other means of attaching the plug portion  22  to the flexible coil  16  may be used, for example the flexible coil  16  may be threadingly engaged on the inside or outside of the plug portion or the flexible coil  16  may be attached to the plug portion  22  using adhesive or overmolding.  
      In the illustrated embodiment, the plug portion  22  includes a projection  24 , shown clearly in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , that extends away from the plug portion  22  in the direction of the handle portion  12 . The projection  24  is sized to be received within an aperture  26  located in the proximal end  18  of the handle portion  12  when the plug portion  22  is moved into engagement with the handle portion  12 . However, it will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the projection  24  merely provides an additional connection between the head portion  14  and the handle portion  12  when the head portion  14  is in the non-extended position, and may take any form of connection or in an alternative embodiment may not be included.  
      The use of the brush  10  of the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 2A-2C  and  FIG. 4 . The brush  10  may be used to clean a vessel without any tough to reach areas and of a depth that can be reached without any extended length on the brush and thus the head portion  14  may remain attached to the handle portion  12  in the non-extended position illustrated in  FIG. 2C . However, if the brush  10  is to be used to clean a vessel, i.e. a carafe indicated generally at numeral  30  in  FIG. 4 , which includes areas that are awkward to reach, the head portion  14  may be extended away from the handle portion  12 , as required by the user. This may be achieved by unthreading the flexible coil  16  from the handle portion  12 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , which extends the head portion  14  away from the handle portion  12 . As the head portion  14  extends further from the handle portion  12  the head portion  14  has increased flexibility and therefore is able to reach into the hard to reach areas of the vessel.  
      In addition, the brush  10 , may be used to clean a delicate surface upon which minimum pressure should be placed while cleaning. In such a use, the head portion  14  may be extended away from the handle portion  12  in order to impart maximum flexibility to the head portion  14  whilst minimising the force placed upon the item to be cleaned.  
      While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments and examples, the description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Thus, various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments. Further, all of the claims are hereby incorporated by reference into the description of the preferred embodiments.  
      All publications, patents and patent applications referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety.