Patent Publication Number: US-9888824-B2

Title: Cleaning device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/785,880, filed Mar. 14, 2013, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to devices for cleaning surfaces, such as floors, and more specifically to holders configured to receive cleaning or scrubbing pads or the like. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Various types of devices for cleaning surfaces, for example, floors, walls, and/or other such surfaces, are available (see, e.g.,  FIGS. 1A-1C ). In some cases, a cleaning pad of a cleaning device extends outwardly such that it can contact walls, baseboards, and/or other surfaces surrounding the floor area being cleaned. Some cleaning pads have abrasive surfaces and could damage or mar the surrounding surfaces. In some cases, even if the cleaning pad does not extend beyond the base, edges of the base can damage or mar surrounding surfaces. 
     SUMMARY 
     The cleaning devices and holders of the present disclosure advantageously allow for the holder to be used adjacent and/or alongside a wall or other surface while minimizing damage to the adjacent surface. 
     In some embodiments, a cleaning device for cleaning a surface includes a holder that includes a base having a top surface, a bottom surface, and an outer periphery. The top surface is configured to receive at least one handle, and the bottom surface is configured to receive a cleaning pad. The holder also includes a lip extending downwardly from a perimeter of the base along at least one side of the base such that at least a portion of the lip extends below the bottom surface of the base. The lip is at least partially adjacent at least one edge of the cleaning pad when the cleaning pad is received by or attached to the bottom surface of the base so as to prevent the at least one edge of the cleaning pad from extending outwardly beyond the lip. The cleaning device also includes at least one contacting member or feature extending from the base. The at least one contacting member or feature is sized and configured to extend outwardly beyond the periphery of the base. 
     In some embodiments, the lip extends along two adjacent sides of the base. In some embodiments, the at least one contacting feature includes at least one wheel or other movable member. The cleaning device can include three contacting features positioned along the lip. The bottom surface of the base can be configured to removably receive the cleaning pad. In some embodiments, the lip has a generally smooth and flat surface. In some embodiments, the base has a generally rectangular shape. The top surface of the base can include a coupling for receiving the handle. The cleaning device can include a handle configured for placement within the coupling. In some embodiments, the contacting feature or member is separate from the base and can be removably or permanently attached to the base. In some embodiments, the contacting feature or member is integral with the base. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure are described with reference to the drawings of certain embodiments, which are intended to schematically illustrate certain embodiments and not to limit the disclosure. 
         FIGS. 1A-1C  show various available cleaning devices; 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective side view of an example embodiment of a holder; 
         FIG. 3  shows a top perspective view of the holder of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows a bottom perspective view of the holder of  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows another bottom perspective view of the holder of  FIGS. 2-4 ; 
         FIG. 6  shows an example embodiment of a small, handheld holder; 
         FIG. 7  shows an example embodiment of a large, handheld holder; 
         FIG. 8A  shows a perspective view of an example embodiment of a large holder for use with a pole-type handle; 
         FIG. 8B  shows a perspective view of the holder of  FIG. 8A  including a handle; 
         FIG. 9  shows a top view of the holder of  FIGS. 8A and 8B ; 
         FIG. 10  shows the holder of  FIGS. 2-5  being used to clean a floor adjacent a wall; 
         FIG. 11  shows the holder of  FIG. 10  compared to a prior art holder being used to clean a floor adjacent a wall; and 
         FIG. 12  shows the holder of  FIG. 10  being used to clean a floor adjacent a baseboard. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Although certain embodiments and examples are described below, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and/or uses and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the disclosure herein disclosed should not be limited by any particular embodiments described below. 
     A cleaning device or holder  10  according to the present disclosure can generally include a base and one or more contacting features configured to minimize damage to surrounding areas during use. In some embodiments, for example as illustrated in  FIGS. 2-5 , the base  100  is generally rectangular. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the base  100  can include an attachment area  102  for receiving a long, pole-type handle, such as, for example, the handle  103  shown in  FIG. 8B . Alternatively, the base  100  can include a handle  105  configured for handheld use, for example as shown in  FIG. 6 . The base  100  is configured to receive a cleaning pad, brush, sheet, or the like, for example, such as the example cleaning pads  101  illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1C . The cleaning pad  101  can be removably or permanently coupled to a bottom surface of the base  100  with, for example, an adhesive, protrusions  104  as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and/or any other suitable attachment means. The base  100  can be made of PVC having a Shore D durometer of about 70, although other materials are also possible. 
     In some embodiments, the holder  10  includes a lip  106  extending downwardly from a perimeter of the base  100  along at least one side of the base. In the illustrated embodiment, the lip  106  extends along two adjacent sides of the base  100 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the lip  106  inhibits the cleaning pad  101  from extending outwardly beyond the perimeter of the base  100  so that the lip  106 , rather than the side of the cleaning pad  101 , may contact a wall  30  or another surface adjacent a floor  20  or other surface being cleaned. Although the holder  10  is generally discussed herein in the context of cleaning a floor surface adjacent a wall, the holder  10  can be used to clean various other surfaces adjacent various surfaces, for example, to clean a wall adjacent a floor, a floor or wall adjacent cabinetry, etc. 
     The holder  10  can also include at least one contacting feature extending outwardly from the base  100 , typically from the side(s) of the base  100  including the lip  106 . The contacting feature is configured to space the base  100  from the wall to inhibit or prevent contact between the wall and the pad  101  and/or lip  106 . The contacting feature can maintain a certain distance between the wall and base  100  to inhibit damage to the wall while keeping the pad  101  close enough to the wall to avoid leaving an area of uncleaned floor along the wall. In some embodiments, the at least one contacting feature is coupled to a top surface of the base  100 . In some embodiments, the holder  10  includes at least two contacting features, each proximate a corner of the base  100  adjacent the side(s) including the lip  106 . 
     In some embodiments, for example as shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , the contacting feature is a wheel  108  disposed horizontally on the top surface of the base  100 . The illustrated embodiment includes three wheels  108 , each proximate a corner of the base  100  adjacent the sides including the lip  106 . As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the wheels  108  of the holder  10 , shown on the left, space the base  100  and pad  101  from the wall  30 , compared to a prior art holder, shown on the right, which allows the pad  101  to directly contact the wall  30 . With reference to  FIG. 6 , the wheels  108  can have a center  110  made of PVC having a Shore D durometer of about 70 and a perimeter or contacting portion  112  made of nitrile rubber having a Shore A durometer of about 30 bonded to the center  110 , although other materials are also possible. In some embodiments, the base  100  includes one or more wheel housings  114  for one or more of the wheels  108 . The wheel housings  114  can cover a portion of the wheels  108  to help mount the wheels  108  on the base  100  and/or to help protect the wheels  108  from wear and tear. 
     In use, the wheels  108  can roll along the wall or adjacent surface to allow the user to easily glide the holder  10  along the wall without damaging the wall. However, contacting features other than wheels are also possible. For example, the contacting features can include a non-damaging outer surface or portion that is movable (e.g., slidable) or fixed and has a smooth, cushioned, non-abrasive, or other protective surface. 
     The holder  10  can be made in a variety of sizes and configurations. For example, the base  100  of  FIG. 6  can be a relatively small size configured to be convenient for handheld use and can have, for example, a length of about 118 mm and a width of about 81 mm. Another example embodiment of the base  100  as shown in  FIG. 7  can include a handle  105  configured for handheld use, but can be a larger size than the base  100  of  FIG. 6 . For example, the base of  FIG. 7  can have a length of about 250 mm and a width of about 110 mm. In the illustrated embodiment, the holder includes a third wheel  108  positioned near a center of the longer side of the base including the lip  106  so that the holder includes a total of four wheels. The additional wheel  108  can help maintain the distance between the wall and the lip  106  and/or pad  101  along the longer side of the base  100 . The base of  FIG. 8A  can be a similar size to that of  FIG. 7 , but can include an attachment area  102  for a long, pole-type handle, for example, as shown in  FIG. 8B , rather than a handle  105  for handheld use. Other sizes, configurations, and combinations are also possible. 
     With reference to  FIG. 9 , the wheels  108  extend beyond the edge of the base  100  on the sides including the lip  106 , but are recessed from the edges of the base  100  on the sides of the base that do not include the lip  106 , as indicated by gaps  116 . Thus, two sides of the base  100  (the left and bottom sides in the orientation shown in  FIG. 9 ) do not include features to inhibit the pad  101  from extending beyond the edges of the base  100  or to space the base  100  and/or pad  101  from the wall or another adjacent surface. This arrangement advantageously allows the pad  101  to extend beyond the edges of the base  100  on those two sides similar to the holders shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1C  for circumstances in which the user would like to clean the floor and adjacent surface simultaneously, for example, when the adjacent surface  40  is a baseboard or another surface made of the same material as the floor or a material that is durable enough to resist damage and marring from the pad  101 , for example as illustrated in  FIG. 12 . 
     Although several embodiments and examples are disclosed herein, the present application extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventions and modifications and equivalents thereof. It is also contemplated that various combinations or subcombinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. Accordingly, it should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combine with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow.