Patent Publication Number: US-9408521-B2

Title: Continuously curving cleaning element

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES 
     This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application 61/669,899 filed on Jul. 10, 2012. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a cleaning element. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a cleaning element that comprises a curved section of a sponge. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Hand held cleaning tools are commonly used for cleaning dishes, bathrooms, walls, showers. Hand held cleaning tools may have bristles for cleaning. Some hand held cleaning tools have a foam head that might also have scouring abilities. A dish wand is one specific hand held cleaning tool used for washing dishes. A dish wand commonly has a handle that can hold soap and a working head that includes a foam and a scouring portion. One specific example of a commonly used hand held cleaning tool with a foam head is a Scotch-Brite™ Dishwand, available from 3M Company, St. Paul Minn. The soap contained within the dish wand will sometimes seep out of the porous portion of the foam. Also, the dish wands are very useful for cleaning flat or slightly curved surfaces, like plates. However, dish wands are not as easily used for very curved surfaces like small bowls or cups. 
     SUMMARY 
     The disclosed cleaning element, which may be secured to a cleaning tool, includes a cleaning material that continuously curves from a first working surface to a second working surface allowing for easy cleaning of sharply curving surface, such as, for example, bowls and cups. Also disclosed is a method of making a continuously curving cleaning element. 
     In one embodiment, a cleaning element comprises a support comprising a first portion and second portion, wherein the support includes a slot for receiving separate attachment device, a cleaning material having a first working surface secured to the first portion of the support and a second working surface secured to the second portion of the support. The first working surface continuously curves to the second working surface forming a curving portion between. 
     In one embodiment, a cleaning tool comprises a handle with a holding end and a working end, wherein the working end comprises a first attachment, a support comprising a first portion and second portion, wherein the support connects with the first attachment, and a cleaning material having a first working surface secured to the first portion of the support and a second working surface secured to the second portion of the support. The first working surface continuously curves to the second working surface forming a curving portion between. 
     In one embodiment, the handle comprises a receptacle for holding a liquid. In one embodiment the handles comprises a passage from the receptacle to the cleaning element. In one embodiment, the handle comprises a deformable actuator for forcing liquid from the receptacle out the passage. In one embodiment, the support comprises a slot with a flexible guard for receiving the first attachment and wherein the flexible guard wraps adjacent the working end of the handle. In one embodiment, the first portion of the support comprises a first connector and the second portion of the support comprises a second connector for receiving the first connector. In one embodiment, the first connector and second connector provide for a secure, interlocking connection. In one embodiment, the first connector can be removably connected with the second connector. In one embodiment, the support further comprises a hinge between the first portion and second portion of the support. In one embodiment, the first working surface comprises a first width and the second working surface comprises a second width, wherein the first width is greater than the second width. In one embodiment, the cleaning material continuously curves at least 45 degrees, as measured by the angle formed through the cleaning material by the first working surface and second working surface. In one embodiment, the cleaning material continuously curved less than 180 degrees, as measured by the angle formed through the cleaning material by the first working surface and second working surface. 
     In one embodiment, a method of forming a continuously curved cleaning material comprises securing a cleaning material to a support adjacent a first connector and adjacent a second connector and securing the first connector on the support to the second connector on the support, which forms a curved portion of the cleaning material. In one embodiment, the first connector and second connector form a secure, interlocking connection. In one embodiment, the first connector is removable from the second connector. In one embodiment, the securing the cleaning material step further comprises securing a planar cleaning material to a support. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a cleaning element attached to a cleaning tool; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the cleaning element, wherein the working surface is planar; 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the cleaning element of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the cleaning element of  FIG. 2 , wherein the working surface is curved. 
     
    
    
     While the above-identified drawings and figures set forth embodiments of the invention, other embodiments are also contemplated, as noted in the discussion. In all cases, this disclosure presents the invention by way of representation and not limitation. It should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art, which fall within the scope and spirit of this invention. 
     The figures may not be drawn to scale. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a cleaning tool  100  with an attached cleaning element  300 .  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the cleaning element  300 , wherein the working surface is planar.  FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the cleaning element  300  of  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the cleaning element  300  of  FIG. 2 , wherein the working surface is curved. 
     The cleaning tool  100  comprises a handle  200  with a holding end  205  and a working end  210 . The working end  210  includes a first attachment  230  for connection with a second attachment  311  (discussed below) on the cleaning element  300 . In one embodiment the handle  200  includes a receptacle  215  for holding a liquid, such as, for example, liquid dish soap. To aid in dispensing the dish soap from the receptacle  215  to the cleaning element  300 , the handle includes a passage  217 . In one embodiment, to prevent continuous leaking of the liquid contained within the receptacle, the handle may include a valve at the passage  217  to hold the liquid in the handle until sufficient pressure is placed against the valve. The pressure may come from deformation of an actuator  220 . In this embodiment, the actuator  220  is deformable and is located on the underside of the handle  200 . Therefore, when the handle  200  is being held a users index finger is able to easily deform the actuator  220 , which in turn forces liquid from the valve out the passage  217 . From the passage  217 , the liquid will enter into the cleaning element  300 . The cleaning element  300  may itself include through passages to further aid in the fast release of the dispensed liquid from the handle  200  to the surface being cleaned. 
     The cleaning element  300  includes a cleaning material  305  secured to a support  310 . In this embodiment, the support  310  also serves as the second attachment  311 , for attachment with the first attachment  230 . Generally, the support  310  is made from a relatively rigid material so that secure attachment is formed when the first attachment  230  and second attachment  311  attach together. 
     In the embodiment shown, the second attachment  311  includes a slot  312  for receiving the first attachment  230  and includes a guard  313 . The guard  313  is deformable so that is can be pressed down to allow for the first attachment  230  to slide in and out of the second attachment  311 . When the guard  313  is in place, it securely wraps around the entire backside of the working end  210  of the handle  200  to provide a secure connection between the cleaning element  300  and handle  200 . 
     In the embodiment show, the support  310  includes a first portion  314  having a first connector  315  and a second portion  317  having a second connector  318  separated from one another by a hinge  316 . The first connector  315  and second connector  318  connect together. In one embodiment, the first connector  315  and second connector  318  form a secure, interlocking connection. In one embodiment, the first connector  315  can be releasably connected to the second connector  318 . When the first connector  315  secures with the second connector  318 , the hinge  316  will bend and a curved surface of the attached cleaning material  305  is formed, such as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . 
     The hinge  316  provides flexing between the first connector  315  and second connector  318 . The hinge  316  can be a living hinge, a thinner or weaker section of the support  310 , or a more flexible material than the support  310 . The cleaning material  305  is at least secured to a portion of the support  310  adjacent the first connector  315  and a portion of the support  310  adjacent the second connector  318  so that when engaged together a curved surface of the attached cleaning material  305  is formed. 
     In  FIG. 2 , the support  310  is flat, which allows for simplified manufacturing for securing to the cleaning material  305 . During assembly, the support  310  is bent at the hinge  216  and the first and second connectors  315 ,  318  interlock, such as shown in  FIG. 4 . For simplified manufacturing, it is desirable to provide the cleaning material  305  on to the support  310  in a single plane such as shown in  FIG. 2 , and then separately curving the surface. 
     It is understood that although an embodiment of the support  310  is described that include a flexing hinge  316  and first and second connectors  315 ,  318 , a curved cleaning material  305  could be made by having a fixed support  310  having a first portion  314  to which the flexible cleaning material  305  is secured, wrapped, and secured to a second portion  317 . In such an embodiment, a hinge  316  between the first portion  314  and second portion  317  maybe optional. Securement of the cleaning material  305  could be though commonly used securement mechanisms such as adhesive or melt bonding. 
     The curved cleaning element  300  includes a first working surface  330  and second working surface  340 . A curving portion  342  of the second working surface  340  curves and wraps to connect with the first working surface  330 . Generally, the first working surface  330  is adjacent the first connector  315 , and the second working surface  340  is adjacent the second connector  318 . In one embodiment, the cleaning material  305  continuously curves at least 45 degrees, as measured by the angle formed through the cleaning material  305  by the first working surface  330  and second working surface  340 . In one embodiment, the cleaning material  305  continuously curves at least 90 degrees, as measured by the angle formed through the cleaning material  305  by the first working surface  330  and second working surface  340 . In one embodiment, the cleaning material  305  continuously curves less than 180 degrees, as measured by the angle formed through the cleaning material  305  by the first working surface  330  and second working surface  340 . 
     In one embodiment, and shown in  FIG. 3 , first working surface  330  has a first width  335  and the second working surface  340  has a second width  345 . In this embodiment, the first width  335  is larger than the second width  345 . Therefore, the curving portion  342  also has a width less than the first width  335 . In one embodiment, the first width  335  is at least 10% greater than the second width  345 . In one embodiment, the first width  335  is at least 25% greater than the second width  345 . In one embodiment, the second width  345  is at least 30% smaller than the first width  335 . 
     When the second width  345  is less than the first width  335 , the curving portion  342  of the second working surface  340  that aligns with the hinge  316  is narrower than the first working surface  330 . Therefore, the curving portion  342  is better able to fit into small, curving areas of items being clean, like the bottom of a glass or bowl. 
     The cleaning material  305  can comprise foam, sponge, nonwoven fabric, knitted fabric, woven fabric, or combinations of one or more thereof. In one embodiment, the cleaning material  305  is a foam or sponge, with a souring layer secured to the foam or sponge at the outermost working surfaces. The cleaning material  305  can be secured to the connector  310  by a variety of mechanisms such as adhesive or melt bonding. 
     It is understood that the curved cleaning element  300  may be secured to a separate cleaning tool  100  which includes a handle or may be independently used for cleaning. Further if used with a cleaning tool  100 , any variety of sizes and shapes of cleaning tools could be used and any specific types of attachment mechanisms could be used for securing the cleaning element  300  to the cleaning tool  100 . 
     The disclosed curved cleaning element and method of making the cleaning element provide for a continuously curved working surface useful for cleaning sharply curving surfaces such a bowls or cups. 
     Although specific embodiments of this invention have been shown and described herein, it is understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the many possible specific arrangements that can be devised in application of the principles of the invention. Numerous and varied other arrangements can be devised in accordance with these principles by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the structures described in this application, but only by the structures described by the language of the claims and the equivalents of those structures.