Patent Publication Number: US-6210064-B1

Title: Soap-fillable brush with sealed actuator

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to cleaning devices and, in particular, to such devices which carry and dispense cleaning fluid. The invention relates in particular to a soap-dispensing brush. 
     Prior soap-dispensing cleaning devices are known, which include a housing defining a soap-containing reservoir, a wall of the housing carrying a cleaning medium, such as a sponge, brush or the like. A valve assembly dispenses fluid from the reservoir to the cleaning medium. In one such device the valve assembly includes a stem which extends upwardly through an opening in a cap which closes the upper end of the reservoir. The portion of the stem which extends upwardly through the cap defines a manually-actuated push button for opening the valve, which is spring-biased to a normally closed position. While such devices operate well in dispensing soap to the cleaning medium, they tend to leak cleaning fluid through the push button opening in the cap if the device is inverted or turned on its side, either in use or in storage or the like. 
     It is also known to provide cleaning devices with frictional gripping surfaces at hand-engaging portions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved fluid-containing cleaning device which avoids the disadvantages of prior such devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages. 
     An important feature of the invention is the provision os a fluid-containing cleaning device of the type set forth, which has a manually-actuated, fluid-dispensing valve assembly which does not leak. 
     In connection with the foregoing feature, another feature of the invention is the provision of a device of the type set forth, which can be used or stored in any orientation without danger of leakage. 
     Still another feature of the invention is the provision of a device of the type set forth, which is of simple and economical construction. 
     Certain ones of these and other features of the invention may be attained by providing a fluid-containing cleaning device comprising: an open-top housing defining a fluid reservoir, a scrubbing medium carried by the housing, a valve carried by the housing for providing communication between the reservoir and the scrubbing medium and having a valve stem extending through the reservoir, a cap for closing the open top of the housing and having an opening therein for receiving the valve stem, and a flexible and resilient seal member covering the cap and providing a fluid-tight seal around the opening therein while accommodating manual actuation of the valve stem from above the cap. 
     The invention consists of certain novel features and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the invention, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a cleaning device in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the cleaning device of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the cleaning device of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating opening of the cap of the cleaning device of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged view in vertical section taken along the line  5 — 5  in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, illustrating the valve assembly in its open condition; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged, exploded, sectional view of the device of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 8 is a further enlarged, fragmentary view of a portion of the cleaning device of FIG.  6 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-4 and  7 , there is illustrated a fluid-containing cleaning device, generally designated by the numeral  10 , constructed in accordance with and embodying the features of the present invention. The cleaning device  10  is in the nature of a liquid soap-fillable brush, but it will be appreciated that the present invention is applicable to cleaning devices with other types of cleaning media, such as sponges or the line. The cleaning device  10  has a housing  11  which includes a generally cylindrical side wall  12 , preferably formed of a transparent or translucent material, such as a suitable plastic. The side wall  12  has a radially inwardly projecting circumferential depression  13  formed therein intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof, which can serve as a finger grip to facilitate grasping of the device by a user. The side wall  12  is provided at its upper end with a circumferential groove  14 , which defines an annular shoulder surface  14   a  and an annular lip  15  along the upper end edge. Four short rectangular lugs  16  project radially outwardly from the upper end of the lip  15  at equiangularly spaced locations. An annular groove  17  is formed in the lower end of the side wall  12  and is adapted to receive therein an annular flange  19  projecting axially from the annular end face  18  of a base wall  20 , which may be formed of a suitable plastic material. The base wall  20  is fixedly secured to the side wall  12  for closing the lower end thereof by any suitable means, such as by ultrasonic welding. 
     The base wall  20  has an axial bore  21  formed therethrough (FIG. 7) which is provided with an enlarged-diameter counterbore  22  at its inner end and, at its outer end, with a counterbore  23  having a frustoconical inner end wall  24 . Fixedly secured to the outer surface of the base wall  20  is a suitable cleaning medium  25  which, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises a plurality of brush bristles, which may be fixed in sockets  26  in the base wall  20  by any suitable means. It will be appreciated that the axial bore  21  provides communication between the interior of the housing  11  and the cleaning medium  25 . 
     Referring in particular to FIGS. 5-7, the axial bore  21  is closeable by a valve assembly  30  which includes an elongated valve stem  31  extending axially through the housing  11  and through the axial bore  21 , being provided at its distal end with a conical head  32 . A valve member in the form of a flexible and resilient O-ring seal  34  is seated in a circumferential groove  33  in the stem  31  immediately above the head  32 . The stem  31  preferably has a reduced-diameter neck portion  35  adjacent to the head  32 , which is surrounded by a helical compression spring  36 , one end of which is seated in the counterbore  23  and the other end of which is seated against a radially outwardly extending annular flange  37  on the stem  31 . 
     The upper end  38  of the stem  31  is coupled to an actuator button  40 . More specifically the button  40  has an arcuate head  41 , which may be generally part-spherical in shape, and which is provided centrally of its inner surface with a depending cylindrical socket  42  which receive the upper end  38  of the stem  31  and may be fixed thereto by any suitable means. The head  41  of the actuator button  40  is provided around its periphery with a depending, generally frustoconical skirt  43 . 
     In use, it will be appreciated that the spring  36  resiliently biases the valve assembly  30  to a normal closed condition, illustrated in FIG. 5, wherein the O-ring seal  34  seats against the wall  24  of the counterbore  23  and cooperates with the stem  31  to seal the opening defined by the axial bore  21 . When the stem  31  is depressed by use of the actuator button  40 , the O-ring seal  34  unseats, as illustrated in FIG. 6, permitting liquid soap or other fluid to flow through the axial bore  21  to the cleaning medium  25 , the outward movement of the stem  31  being limited by engagement of the flange  37  with the inner surface of the housing base wall  20 . Preferably, the stem  31  has a length such that, in its normal rest position illustrated in FIG. 5, the upper end  38  and the attached actuator button  40  project outwardly beyond the upper end of the side wall  12 . 
     The device  10  also includes a cap  45  which is generally part-dome-shaped with a generally cylindrical skirt portion  46 , which is provided adjacent to its distal edge with four equiangularly spaced, generally L-shaped recesses  47  in its inner surface. Disposed centrally of the cap  45  is an axially inwardly extending cylindrical neck  48  which defines a relatively large-diameter axial opening  49  through the cap  45 , the opening  49  being dimensioned so as to receive the actuator button  40  therein. Preferably, the neck  48  is so dimensioned that, when the valve assembly  30  is in its normal rest condition, the frustoconical skirt  43  of the actuator button  40  engages the inner end of the neck  48  to close the opening  49 , the actuator button  40  being shaped and dimensioned so that it projects axially outwardly beyond the outer surface of the cap  45 , as can best be seen in FIG. 5, for easy actuation by the fingers or palm of the user&#39;s hand to open the valve assembly  30 . 
     While the skirt  43  of the actuator button  40  preferably engages the neck  48 , it does not provide a fluid-tight seal therewith, Thus, it is a significant aspect of the present invention that there is also provided a flexible and resilient cover or seal member  50 , which covers the entire outer surface of the cap  45 , including the opening  49 . The cover  50  is preferably formed of a suitable elastomeric material and is fixedly secured to the outer surface of the cap  45  by any suitable means, such as insert molding. The cover  50  is preferably molded with a central dome  51  and an arcuate annular skirt portion  52  with a circular groove  53  formed therebetween in the outer surface of the cover  50  to facilitate flexing of the dome  51  relative to the skirt portion  52 . Referring also to FIG. 8, the skirt portion  52  extends beyond the lower edge of the cap skirt portion  46  and is of reduced thickness to define an annular gasket lip  54 . 
     It can be seen that the cover  50  completely covers the actuator button  40  and the opening  49  in which the actuator button  40  is disposed, thereby effectively preventing the escape of fluid through the opening  49 . Furthermore, the cover  50  which may be formed of an elastomeric material, such as that sold under the trademark “SANTOPRENE”, also provides a frictional non-slip surface to improve the grip by a user&#39;s hand. 
     In use, the cap  45  is fitted onto the upper end of the housing  11 , with the lugs  16  received in the recesses  47 , the L-shape of which accommodates a slight rotation of the cap  45  relative to the side wall  12  in a known manner, to securely hold the cap  45  in place for cooperation with the housing  11  to define and close a fluid reservoir  55 , which is fillable with a suitable cleaning fluid, such as a liquid soap  56 . It will be appreciated that the cap  45  could also be removably attached to the housing  11  by other means, such as a threaded coupling. The flexible and resilient nature of the dome  51  of the cover  50  accommodates easy actuation of the actuator button  40  from above the cap  45 , as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, while maintaining an effective seal of the opening  49 . When the cap  45  is secured in place, the cover gasket lip  54  engages the shoulder surface  14   a  (FIG. 8) to form a fluid-tight seal between the cap  45  and the housing  11 . 
     From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has been provided an improved fluid-containing cleaning device which is refillable with and dispenses a suitable cleaning fluid, without risk of leakage in use. 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.