Patent Publication Number: US-2022234080-A1

Title: Portable Shower Cleaning Apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Continuation-In-Part application of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 17/160,336 and claims the benefit of priority of the filing date of Continuation-In-Part application of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 17/160,336 (Attorney Docket No. BEA-0001) filed Jan. 27, 2021 which claims the benefit of priority of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. Number 62/966,396 (Attorney Docket No. BEA100-PRV) filed Jan. 27, 2020, the contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to cleaning apparatus and more particularly to a portable cleaning apparatus for showers and other areas that are prone to getting wet and retaining fluids. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Areas that are meant to deal with water, such as showers, kitchens, pools, hot tubs, etc. typically retain a portion of the water on its surfaces after use. This is especially true for commercial kitchens, such as in a restaurant, and bathrooms, such as in a workout facility, which handle large volumes of water and other fluids. As such, because a wet, damp environment is ripe for the growth of soap scum, mold, mildew and other bacteria that can have deleterious health effects on people using these facilities, it is imperative that these areas are cleaned well and disinfected correctly. In fact, for some commercial areas, professional cleaners may be required to ensure that the area is completely cleaned and/or disinfected. 
     In general, to adequately clean wet areas (such as a shower stall, bathroom, kitchen, etc.) multiple steps are typically used. The first step involves dispensing a cleaning fluid/liquid onto the surface or area that needs to be cleaned. This is usually accomplished via one or more spray bottles which contain a cleaning solution wherein the cleaning solution is sprayed onto the surfaces to be cleaned to cover the surfaces. The surfaces are then rinsed thoroughly to remove the cleaning solution from the surfaces. This is important because the cleaning solution may be caustic in nature. Unfortunately, however, these cleaning steps require multiple apparatus thereby requiring the cleaning person to carry large amounts of cleaning supplies, such as cleaning solution, cleaning solution dispenser, and a water container with enough water for rinsing the surfaces being cleaned. Accordingly, this makes cleaning these areas laborious, time consuming and inefficient. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A portable shower cleaning article is provided and includes a first container, wherein the first container defines a first container cavity for containing a rinsing fluid, and a pump, wherein the pump is associated with the first container cavity. The portable shower cleaning article further includes a dispensing hose, wherein the dispensing hose includes a hose input end communicated with a hose output end via a hose cavity, a trigger valve, wherein the trigger valve is associated with the hose output end and defines a trigger valve input end communicated with a trigger valve output end via a trigger valve flow cavity and a second container, wherein the second container is removably associated with the trigger valve output end and defines a second container cavity for containing a cleaning fluid. Additionally, the portable shower cleaning article also includes a dispensing nozzle, wherein the dispensing nozzle is associated with the second container and in flow communication with the second container cavity, wherein the pump is configured to pump the rinsing fluid through the hose cavity, through the trigger valve flow cavity, into the second container cavity and out of the dispensing nozzle under a flow pressure. 
     A portable shower cleaning article is provided and includes a first container, wherein the first container defines a first container cavity for containing a rinsing fluid and a pump, wherein the pump is associated with the first container cavity. The portable shower cleaning article further includes a dispensing hose, wherein the dispensing hose includes a hose input end communicated with a hose output end via a hose cavity and a trigger valve, wherein the trigger valve is associated with the hose output end and defines a trigger valve input end communicated with a trigger valve output end via a trigger valve flow cavity, wherein the hose input end is associated with the pump, and wherein the pump is configured to pump the rinsing fluid through the hose cavity and into the trigger valve flow cavity. 
     A method for implementing a portable shower cleaning article is provided wherein the portable cleaning article includes a first container having a first container cavity for containing a liquid, a pump associated with the first container cavity, a dispensing hose associated with the pump and a trigger valve associated with the dispensing hose. The method includes filling the first container cavity with a liquid, associating a second container with the trigger valve, wherein the second container defines a second container cavity for containing a cleaning fluid and includes a dispensing nozzle, operating the pump to cause the liquid to flow out of the first container cavity, through the dispensing hose and into the trigger valve, operating the trigger valve to cause the liquid to flow out of the trigger valve, into the second container cavity to mix with the cleaning fluid and out of the dispensing nozzle, disassociating the second container from the trigger valve and operating the trigger valve to cause the liquid to flow out of the trigger valve. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a front, side perspective view of a portable lightweight cleaning device, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is a front, side perspective view of a portable lightweight cleaning device, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front, side perspective view of a portable lightweight cleaning device, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an operational block diagram illustrating a method for operating the cleaning device of  FIG. 1A ,  FIG. 1B  and  FIG. 2 , in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1A , a portable lightweight cleaning device  100  is provided, wherein the cleaning device  100  includes a device cabinet  102 , a first container  104 , a second container  106 , a pump  108 , a dispensing hose  110  and a trigger valve  112 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The device cabinet  102  is preferably constructed from a strong material or plurality of materials, such as metal, composite, and/or plastic, and defines a device cabinet cavity  114  for containing the first container  104  and the pump  108 . Additionally, the device cabinet  102  defines a handle  116  to allow a user to carry the device cabinet  102  as needed. The first container  104  includes a first container structure  118  which defines a first container cavity  120  for containing a fluid, such as water. Additionally, the first container structure  118  defines a container opening  122  which is communicated with the first container cavity  120 . This advantageously allows the first container  104  to be refilled with fluid via the container opening  122 . Moreover, the dispensing hose  110  defines a hose cavity  124  and includes a hose pump end  126  and a hose dispensing end  128 , wherein the hose pump end  126  is in flow communication with the hose dispensing end  128  via the hose cavity  124 . 
     The pump  108  is associated with the first container  104  and the hose pump end  126  of the dispensing hose  110  such that when the pump  108  is operated, the pump  108  causes the fluid contained within the first container cavity  120  to flow into the hose pump end  126 , through the hose cavity  124  and out of the hose dispensing end  128 . It should be appreciated that the hose dispensing end  128  of the dispensing hose  110  is configured to associate with the trigger valve  112  to control the flow of the fluid flowing through the hose cavity  124 . It should be appreciated that the trigger valve  112  defines a trigger valve flow cavity  130  and includes a trigger valve flow actuator  132 , a trigger valve input end  134  and a trigger valve output end  136 , wherein the trigger valve input end  134  is in flow communication with the trigger valve output end  136  via the trigger valve flow cavity  130 . It should be appreciated that the flow of the fluid through the trigger valve  112  is controlled by the user via the trigger valve flow actuator  132 . 
     It should be appreciated that the second container  106  includes a second container structure  138  which defines a second container opening  140  and a second container cavity  142  for holding a cleaning fluid/solution, wherein the second container opening  140  is communicated with the second container cavity  142 . The second container  106  further includes a second container cover  144  which is configured to securely associate with the second container  106  to enclose the second container cavity  142 . The second container cover  144  defines a second container cover input port  146 , a second container cover output port  148  and a second container cover flow cavity  150 , wherein the second container cover input port  146  is in flow communication with the second container cover output port  148  via the second container cover flow cavity  150 . It should be appreciated that the second container cover input port  146  is configured to securely associate with the trigger valve output end  136  such that fluid flowing out of the trigger valve output end  136  will flow into the second container cover input port  146 . Additionally, the second container cover flow cavity  150  is preferably associated with the second container cavity  142  such that fluid flowing into the second container cover flow cavity  150  will associate with a cleaning fluid/solution contained within the second container cavity  142  and then flow out of the second container cover output port  148 . 
     Accordingly, the cleaning device  100  is operated as follows. Water (or other fluid as desired) is located within the first container cavity  120  and the container opening  122  is securely closed to seal the water therein. A cleaning fluid/solution is located within the second container cavity  142  and the second container  106  is associated with the dispensing hose  110 . This may be accomplished by associating the second container cover input port  146  of the second container cover  144  with the trigger valve output end  136 . This association may be facilitated via any method or device desired, suitable to the desired end purpose, such as a quick disconnect fitting. The pump  108  is operated to cause the water contained within the first container cavity  120  to flow through the dispensing hose  108  at a pressure of approximately 60 psi. The trigger valve  112  is then operated to cause the water to flow into the second container cavity  142  to mix with the cleaning fluid/solution and to flow out of the second container cover output port  148  in a pressurized stream and onto the surfaces to be cleaned. Once the second container cavity  142  is empty or all of the surfaces to be cleaned are sprayed with cleaning solution, the second container  106  is disassociated from the trigger valve  112 . The trigger valve  112  is then operated to cause the water contained within the first container cavity  120  to flow through the dispensing hose  110  and out of the trigger valve output end  136  at a pressure of approximately 60 psi to rinse the surfaces that were covered with cleaning fluid/solution. It is contemplated that the pump may be configured to generate a flow pressure in the range of between approximately 50 psi (±10%) and 120 psi (±10%) as desired. Moreover, it should be appreciated that the flow pressure may be adjustable via at least one of the pump  108  and/or the trigger valve  112 . 
     It should be appreciated that the cleaning device  100  may also include a spray wand  152  which is configured to associate with the second container cover output port  148  to allow a user to spray areas that are hard to reach or that may need a wider fluid stream spray. It is contemplated that the spray wand  152  may define a spray wand flow cavity  154  and may include a spray wand input port  156  and a spray wand output port  158 , wherein the spray wand input port  156  is in flow communication with the spray wand output port  158  via the spray wand flow cavity  154 . Moreover, it is contemplated that the spray wand input port  154  is configured to easily associate with at least one of the trigger valve output end  136  and/or the second container  106  via any method or device desired, suitable to the desired end purpose, such as a quick disconnect fitting. Additionally, the cleaning device  100  may include a cleaning fluid dispensing nozzle  159  which is communicated with the second container  164  to dispense the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical. This dispensing nozzle  159  may be configured to allow/cause the water-cleaning fluid/solution/chemical mix to foam up and be dispensed wholly and/or partially as a cleaning foam. 
     Moreover, it should be further appreciated that the pump  108  may be a manually operated pump (i.e., hand pump) or an electrically operated pump  108  in which case the pump  108  may include a and/or electronics/power cord to connect to an external power source (such as a wall plug). It is contemplated that in other embodiments, a battery may be used to power the pump. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the first container  104  and/or the second container  106  of the cleaning device  100  may be any size desired, suitable to the desired end purpose. For example, in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1A , the cleaning device  100  is configured to have a first container cavity  120  of one (1)-five (5) gallons and thus may be carried (either by hand or via backpack configuration) by the user. Moreover, in still yet another embodiment and referring to  FIG. 1B , a cleaning device  160  having a first container  162 , a second container  164 , a pump  166 , a dispensing hose  168 , a trigger valve  170  and a dispensing nozzle  172  is shown, wherein the first container  162  defines a first container cavity  174  having a volume of one (1)-two (2) gallons is provided and wherein the second container  164  defines a second container cavity  175  having a volume of approximately 32 oz (volume range may be between 8 oz and 64 oz as desired). This embodiment advantageously allows a user to more easily use the cleaning device  160  than the other embodiments which have a larger volume capacity. As with the other embodiments, the cleaning device  160  may further include a spray wand  176  which is configured to associate with the second container  164  and/or the trigger valve  170  to allow a user to spray areas that are hard to reach or that may need a wider fluid stream spray. 
     Additionally, the cleaning device  160  may include a cleaning fluid dispensing nozzle  178  which is communicated with the second container  164  to dispense the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical. This dispensing nozzle  178  may be configured to allow/cause the water-cleaning fluid/solution/chemical mix to foam up and be dispensed wholly and/or partially as a cleaning foam. It should be appreciated that in one embodiment, the pump  108  may be a 100 psi Shurflo on-demand pump with a 1.4 gallon per minute capacity. While in another embodiment, the pump  108  may be a 85-110 psi, 3-amp D.C. on-demand pump. Moreover, it should be appreciated that in one embodiment, the dispensing nozzle  178  may include an adjustable feed capability having of one or more gallons per minute, such as for example, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 12 oz. per gallon options. 
     referring to  FIG. 2 , a cleaning device  200  is shown having a device cabinet  202 , a first container  204 , a second container  206 , a pump  208 , a dispensing hose  210  and a trigger valve  212 , in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that in this embodiment, the first container  202  includes a first container cavity  214  having a capacity of five (5) or more gallons. In this embodiment, the cleaning device is too heavy to be easily carried by a user so the device cabinet  202  includes wheels  216  to allow a user to move the cleaning device  202  as needed. It should be appreciated that the second container  106 ,  206  may have a second container cavity  142 ,  218  with a capacity as desired suitable to the desired end purpose, such as for example 32 oz. It is contemplated that the second container  106 ,  206  should not be too heavy for a user to hold and operate with one hand. As with the other embodiments, the cleaning device  200  may further include a spray wand  218  which is configured to associate with the second container  206  and/or the trigger valve  212  to allow a user to spray areas that are hard to reach or that may need a wider fluid stream spray. Additionally, the cleaning device  200  may include a cleaning fluid dispensing nozzle  220  which is communicated with the second container  164  to dispense the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical. This dispensing nozzle  220  may be configured to allow/cause the water-cleaning fluid/solution/chemical mix to foam up and be dispensed wholly and/or partially as a cleaning foam. It should be appreciated that the spray wand  218  may be between 6-12 inches long having a jetted tip. 
     It should be appreciated that in still yet other embodiments, the invention may include a first container  104 ,  162 ,  204  which includes a hose container inlet  500  which is configured to connect to a hose that may be further connected to a water source, such as a sink outlet. This would advantageously allow a user to use the cleaning device  100 ,  160 ,  200  while having the first container  104 ,  162 ,  204  being constantly filled with water. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a method  300  for operating the cleaning device  100 ,  200  is provided and includes filling the first container  104 ,  204  with water or other rinsing fluid, as shown in operational block  302 . The first container  104 ,  204  may then be sealed and the second container  106 ,  206  may then be filled with a cleaning fluid/solution/chemical, as shown in operational block  304 . This may be accomplished by removing the second container cover  144 , disposing the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical into the second container cavity  142 ,  218  and associating the second container cover  144  with the second container  106 ,  206  to securely cover the second container opening  140  and enclose the second container cavity  142 ,  218 . The trigger valve input end  134  is securely associated with the hose dispensing end  128  and the trigger valve output end  136  is securely associated with the second container cover input port  146 , as shown in operational block  306 . The pump  108 ,  208  is then operated to cause the water contained within the first container cavity  120 ,  214  to flow through dispensing hose  110 ,  210  and into the trigger valve  112 ,  212  under pressure, as shown in operational block  308 . 
     The trigger valve  112 ,  212  is then operated to cause the water contained within the dispensing hose  110 ,  210  and the trigger valve  112 ,  212  to flow into the second container cavity  142 ,  218  to mix with the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical within the second container cavity  142 ,  218  and flow out of the second container cover output port  148  in a pressurized stream and onto the surfaces to be cleaned, as shown in operational block  310 . The cleaning fluid/solution/chemical may be left on the surfaces to be cleaned to allow the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical to soak on the surfaces and interact with the dirt/grease/germs and/or the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical may be agitated by scrubbing/rubbing the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical on and/or into the surfaces being cleaned. The second container  106 ,  206  is then disassociated from the trigger valve output end  136 , as shown in operational block  312 , and the trigger valve  112 ,  212  is operated to cause the water/rinsing fluid located within the first container cavity  120 ,  214  to flow out of the trigger valve output end  136  under pressure, as shown in operational block  314 , to rinse the surfaces that were covered with the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical from any residue from the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical. If the first container cavity  120 ,  214  is depleted or low on water/rinsing fluid, more water/rinsing should be added. 
     It should be appreciated that one advantageous feature of this invention is that the cleaning device  100 ,  200  generally uses a pressure of approximately 60 psi. Accordingly, the pressure allows for the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical to be disbursed adequately to clean surfaces but is not large enough to cause over spray and/or damage the structure being cleaned. Essentially, when the water from the first container cavity  120 ,  214  interacts with the cleaning fluid/solution/chemical contained within the second container cavity  142 ,  218  it mixes with air and foaming occurs. The foam is then diffused through the nozzle. 
     Moreover, while the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, omissions and/or additions may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, the elements and characteristics of the disclosed embodiments may be combined in whole or in part and/or many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, unless specifically stated any use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another.