Patent Publication Number: US-2023142811-A1

Title: Cleaning tool

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Field 
     The present invention relates generally to a cleaning tool, and more particularly to a cleaning tool having a cleaning head that could be detached and replaced easily. 
     Description of Related Art 
     A conventional cleaning tools have multiple types and designs for different purposes. The conventional cleaning tool includes a long rod body for a user to hold easily. Taking a scraper for removing dirt, snow, or water as an example, an end of the long rod body is connected to a cleaning head, wherein the cleaning head could be a broom, brush, snow shovel, or a scraper. Since the long rod body and the cleaning head of the conventional cleaning tool is fixed, more space is needed for storing the cleaning tools for different purposes. Therefore, the cleaning tool with the fixed cleaning head is not convenient for storing. 
     In order to solve the aforementioned defect, there is a cleaning tool on the market, wherein a long rod body is detachably connected to a cleaning head. For example, according to “Brushware operating lever with telescopic locating function” of China utility model patent publication number CN201270923Y, an end of a connecting rod is disposed with a protruding lump, and a rotating rod is disposed with a fixing hole. When the connecting rod is inserted into the rotating rod, the protruding lump is engaged with the fixing hole, thereby connecting the connecting rod and the rotating rod. 
     According to the disclosure of the aforementioned patent, when the connecting rod is about to be disengaged from the rotating rod, the protruding lump should be pressed downwardly first to allow the protruding lump leaving from the fixing hole. After that, the connecting rod is withdrawn from the rotating rod, so that the connecting rod and the rotating rod are departed. However, the protruding lump is adapted to lock the components and to be pressed by the user. When the user presses the protruding lump by a finger and withdraws the connecting rod from the rotating rod, the finger is easily pinched between an edge of the fixing hole of the rotating rod and the protruding lump of the connecting rod. On the other hand, when the connecting rod is about to be assembled with the rotating rod, the protruding lump needs to be pressed for allowing the connecting rod to be inserted into the rotating rod. During the assembly process, the finger could probably be pinched and injured. Besides, the protruding lump and the connecting rod is integrally formed as a monolithic unit, so that the protruding lump is connected to the connecting rod via a small rib, thereby allowing the protruding lump could be pressed. After repeatedly used for a long period of time, the small rib is easily broken due to the stress. In such situation, the structure losses the function of connecting. 
    
    
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the above, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a cleaning tool, wherein a cleaning assembly of the cleaning tool could be easily and safely detached from and mounted to the holding rod, so that the cleaning assembly could be replaced easily. 
     The present invention provides a cleaning tool that includes a holding rod, a cleaning assembly, and a connecting assembly. The cleaning assembly has a connecting tube. The connecting assembly includes an engaged portion, a controlling member, and an elastic member, wherein the engaged portion is disposed on an inner wall of the connecting tube, and the controlling member and the elastic member are disposed at an end of the holding rod. The controlling member has an engaging portion and a pressing portion. The elastic member is located between the controlling member and the holding rod. When the end of the holding rod is inserted into the connecting tube, the engaging portion is located in the connecting tube, and the pressing portion is located out of the connecting tube. An elastic force provided by the elastic member pushes the engaging portion to be engaged with the engaged portion. When the pressing portion is pressed downward, the engaging portion is disengaged from the engaged portion. 
     With such design, the engaging portion, for connecting the holding rod and the cleaning assembly, and the pressing portion, for disengaging the holding rod from the cleaning assembly, are arranged separately, thereby simplifying the operation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of some illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of the cleaning tool of an embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is an exploded view of a part of the cleaning tool shown in  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of the connector of the cleaning tool shown in  FIG.  2   ; 
         FIG.  4    is similar to  FIG.  3   , which is seen from another perspective; 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of the controlling member of the cleaning tool shown in  FIG.  2   ; 
         FIG.  6    is similar to  FIG.  5   , which is seen from another perspective; 
         FIG.  7    is a side view of the controlling member of the cleaning tool shown in  FIG.  5   ; 
         FIG.  8    is a schematic view of the part of the cleaning tool shown in  FIG.  2   , showing the cleaning tool is assembled; and 
         FIG.  9    is a sectional view taken along the 9-9 line in  FIG.  1   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , a cleaning tool 1 of an embodiment according to the present invention includes a holding rod  10 , wherein each of two ends of the holding rod  10  is connected to a cleaning assembly  20  via a connecting assembly  30 , thereby enhancing the convenience of assembly and disassembly between the holding rod  10  and the cleaning assembly  20 . For illustrating easily, the following description merely takes the cleaning assembly and the connecting assembly at one of the two ends of the holding rod  10  as an example to describe in detail. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  2   , the holding rod  10  includes a rod body  12  and a connector  14 , wherein an end of the rod body  12  is connected to the connector  14 . The connector  14  has a cavity  141  that is recessed into a circumference of the connector  14  and is long-shaped. As illustrated in  FIG.  3    and  FIG.  4   , a recess  141   a  is recessed into each of two lateral sides of an inner wall of the cavity  141 . A positioning member  141   b  is protruded from a bottom of the cavity  141 . A sinkhole  141   c  is recessed into the bottom of the cavity  141 . A groove  141   d  is recessed into a side of the cavity  141  which is opposite to another side of the cavity  141  at where the positioning member  141   b  is located. Additionally, the circumference of the connector  14  has two protruding bars  141   e  that extend along an axial direction of the connector  14  and are arranged at two sides of the cavity  141 , respectively. 
     The cleaning assembly  20  includes a connecting tube  22  and a cleaning head  24 , wherein an end of the connecting tube  22  is connected to the cleaning head  24 . The cleaning head  24  could be a snow shovel, a scraper, a brush, or other cleaning devices, depending on the required demand. Another end of the connecting tube  22 , which is opposite to the end of the connecting tube  22  connected to the cleaning head  24 , is detachably connected to the connector  14  of the holding rod  10 . An inner wall of the connecting tube  22  has two slots  221  that are arranged to correspond to the protruding bars  141   e  of the connector  14 . It should be noted that a number of the protruding bar  141   e  corresponds to a number of the slot  221 . In other words, when the number of the protruding bars  141   e  is one, the number of the slot  221  is one correspondingly. Additionally, an opening end of the connector  14 , which is adapted to be connected to the connecting tube  22 , is recessed to form a notch  222 . 
     The connecting assembly  30  includes a controlling member  32 , an elastic member  34 , and an engaged portion, wherein the controlling member  32  and the elastic member  34  are disposed at the end of the holding rod  10 , and the engaged portion is disposed in the inner wall of the connecting tube  22 . In the current embodiment, the elastic member  34  is a spring as an example. As illustrated in  FIG.  5    and  FIG. . 6   , the controlling member  32  is a long-shaped plate body and has an engaging portion and a pressing portion, wherein the engaging portion is constituted by a protrusion  321 , and the pressing portion is constituted by a button  322 . As illustrated in  FIG.  7   , a horizontal line L is defined to pass through the controlling member  32 , wherein the button  322  and the protrusion  321  has a first height H1 and a second height H2, respectively relative to the horizontal line L, and the first height H1 is greater than the second height H2. The protrusion  321  has a slanted surface  321   a . A part of the controlling member  32  beneath the horizontal line L is inclined, wherein a height of the part of the controlling member  32  relative to the horizontal line L is gradually increased in a direction from the button  322  to the protrusion  321 . It should be noted that a side of the controlling member  32  which has the protrusion  321  and the button  322  is defined as an upside. Two longitudinal edges of the controlling member  32  are below the horizontal line L, wherein a side block  323  is laterally protruded from the controlling member  32  and is located at a portion of each of the two longitudinal edges of the controlling member  32 , which is near the protrusion  321 . A tongue  324  is formed by protruding outwardly from a lateral edge of the controlling member  32  that is near the button  322 . Additionally, the controlling member  32  has a positioning groove  325  that is recessed from a bottom surface of the controlling member  32 , and the button  322  has a hollowed portion  322   a  that is recessed from a bottom surface of the controlling member  32 , either. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS.  8  and  9   , when the side blocks  323  of the controlling member  32  are aligned with and inserted into the recess  141   a  of the connector  14 , and the tongue  324  of the controlling member  32  is inserted into the groove  141   d  of the connector  14 , the controlling member  32  is located in the cavity  141 . Simultaneously, the positioning groove  325  of the controlling member  32  and the positioning member  141   b  of the connector  14  could engage to enhance the stability of the engagement between the controlling member  32  and the connector  14 . Besides, before the controlling member  32  is engaged with the connector  14 , the elastic member  34  is put between the controlling member  32  and the connector  14 . After the controlling member  32  is engaged with the connector  14 , an end of the elastic member  34  urges against a bottom wall of the sinkhole  141   c  of the cavity  141  of the connector  14 , and another end of the elastic member  34  urges against an inner wall of the hollowed portion  322   a  of the controlling member  32 . An elastic force of the elastic member  34  pushes the controlling member  32  to move a side of the controlling member  32 , which has the hollowed portion  322   a , upward along a fulcrum, wherein the fulcrum is another side of the controlling member  32  with the side blocks  323 . The controlling member  32  that is pushed upward abuts against a wall of the groove  141   d  of the connector  14  via the tongue  324  thereof, so that the controlling member  32  does not be disengaged from the connector  14 . Since the height of the part of the controlling member  32  beneath the horizontal line L is gradually increasing in the direction from the button  322  to the protrusion  321 , a portion of the controlling member  32  that has the button  322  could be moved more when the button  322  is pressed downward. 
     The engaged portion of the connecting assembly  30  is constituted by an engaging recess  36  that is formed by recessing into an inner surface of the connecting tube  22 . The engaging recess  36  is near the notch  222 . A depth of the engaging recess  36  is gradually increased in a direction from a side of the engaging recess  36  away from the notch  222  to another side of the engaging recess  36  near the notch  222 . A tilted bottom of the engaging recess  36  corresponds to the slanted surface  321   a  of the protrusion  321 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  8    and  FIG.  9   , when the connector  14  at the end of the holding rod  10  needs to be inserted into the connecting tube  22  of the cleaning assembly  20 , the protruding bars  141   e  of the connector  14  are aligned with and slid into the slots  221  of the connecting tube  22  first. With such design, when the protruding bars  141   e  are engaged with the slots  221 , the holding rod  10  does not rotate relative to the cleaning assembly  20 . 
     During a process of inserting the connector  14  into the connecting tube  22 , the protrusion  321  of the controlling member  32  touches an edge of the opening end of the connecting tube  22  first. As the connector  14  being further inserted into the connecting tube  22  until the protrusion  321  completely enters the engaging recess  36  of the connecting tube  22 , a side of the controlling member  32  having the button  322  is pressed downwardly by the connecting tube  22  to compress the elastic member  34 . More specifically, the controlling member  32  is pressed to move downward along the slanted surface  321   a  of the protrusion  321 . Since the protrusion  321  abuts against a wall of the engaging recess  36 , the holding rod  10  could not depart from the connecting tube  22 . Simultaneously, the button  322  of the controlling member  32  is located right in the notch  222  and out of the connecting tube  22 . The elastic force of the elastic member  34  could keep the protrusion  321  (namely the engaging portion) is reliably engaged with the engaging recess  36  (namely the engaged portion) before the controlling member  32  is not pressed. On the contrary, when the button  322  (namely the pressing portion) is pressed, the controlling member  32  is moved downwardly along the fulcrum (namely the two side blocks  323 ) to drive the protrusion  321  to be disengaged from the engaging recess  36 . At the time, the holding rod  10  could be withdrawn relative to the connecting tube  22 , so that the holding rod  10  and the cleaning assembly  20  could be disassembled from each other. Furthermore, an alternative cleaning assembly with different functions could be mounted to the holding rod  10 . 
     In the current embodiment, the controlling member  32  includes the engaging portion (namely the protrusion  321 ) for engaging the holding rod  10  and the cleaning assembly  20  and the pressing portion (namely the button  322 ) for detaching the holding rod  10  and the cleaning assembly  20 , wherein the engaging portion and the pressing portion are arranged apart from each other. The conventional button is adapted to be engaged for locking and be pressed for unlocking, so that the defect of the conventional button is that the finger of the user is easily pinched and injured during pressing the button. The controlling member  32  of the current embodiment of the present invention could avoid the defect of the conventional button, thereby simplifying the operation and enhancing the safety during assembly and disassembly. 
     It must be pointed out that the embodiment described above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.