Patent Publication Number: US-2007098478-A1

Title: Coater used also as wiper

Description:
The present application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-152667, filed May 29, 2003, the entirety of which being incorporated herein by reference.  
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present invention relates to an applicator combined with a wiper used at a time of applying a liquid agent such as a functional liquid solution or the like, for example, to a glass, a building material or the like, wiping out a water, a soil or the like, or pasting a film on a smooth surface such as a glass or the like.  
     BACKGROUND ART  
      In conventional, as a tool for uniformly applying a solvent, for example, to a glass or the like or wiping out the water, the soil or the like, there has been used a wiper  51  having a spatula  52  provided with a leading end portion made of an elastic material such as a rubber, a soft synthetic resin or the like as shown in  FIG. 11 .  
      Further, as an applicator used in the case of applying a coating liquid solution such as a water repellent agent, a hydrophilic agent or the like, for example, to a glass, as shown in  FIG. 12 , there is used an applicator  61  in which a core-like spatula  62  provided in a leading end is covered by an application member  30  constituted by a non-woven fabric or the like, and an application work is executed by impregnating the water solution in the application member  30 .  
      However, in the wiper  51  as shown in  FIG. 11 , there is a case that the spatula  52  is hard to be sufficiently contacted closely to the surface if the surface of a member to be applied has a curved surface or a concavity and convexity.  
      Further, with regard to the applicator  61  shown in  FIG. 12 , since the application member  30  such as the non-woven fabric or the like is not firmly fixed to the spatula  62  by an adhesive layer  63  or the like, it is necessary to prepare the applicator  61  to which the suitable application member  30  is attached, in correspondence to a kind of the applied liquid agent, a purpose of application or the like. Further, when the application member  30  is soiled, it is hard to entirely wash the application member  30  by a machine, and it is troublesome to wash. Further, in the case that the application member  30  is damaged on the basis of a component of the liquid agent, a duty-cycle operation or the like, it is necessary to dispose an entire of the applicator  61  so as to replace the applicator  61  by a new one, and this is uneconomical. In addition, since the spatula  62  is hard and an elasticity in the leading end is inferior as mentioned above, there have been generated problems that the application member  30  is not closely contacted along an application surface, a usability is deteriorated, and it is hard to achieve a glossy finish.  
      Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an applicator combined with a wiper which is easily contacted closely to an applied member having a curved surface and a concavity and convexity, can employ a plurality of application members such as an application member or a wiping cloth in correspondence to an intended use, can be easily washed, is economical, and can structure a more user friendly spatula portion by using an appropriate raw material in each of portions in correspondence to an intended use.  
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION  
      In accordance with the present invention, the structure is made such that a grip portion and a thin plate-like spatula portion are provided, a folded portion is formed in a leading end portion of the spatula portion, at least the folded portion has an elasticity, and a bending angle of the folded portion is variable.  
      A rigidity of the spatula portion is improved by forming the folded portion, and it is possible to press the spatula portion strongly to the applied member. In addition, since the folded portion has the elasticity, the folded portion has a buffer action. Accordingly, even if the applied member has a curved surface or a concavity and convexity, the spatula portion can easily follow the surface of the applied member by appropriately changing a folded angle at a time of applying. In the case that the folded portion does not have the elasticity, the same effect can be obtained by bridging the folded portion and a base end portion by a spring member.  
      Further, in the case that a cloth-like application member impregnated with an application agent is detachably installed to an entire of an outer periphery of the spatula portion, it is possible to use the same applicator main body while changing a kind of a material, a thickness or the like of the application member in correspondence to a kind of an applied liquid agent or an applied member, a purpose of application, and the like. Further, in the case that the application member is soiled or damaged, it is possible to use the applicator by replacing only the application member. Further, since the detached application member can be washed as a whole by a washing machine, a washing work is easy and a small waste is generated even if the application member may be disposable. Since the cloth-like application member is freely attached and detached, only one main body can employ a plurality of application members in correspondence to an intended use.  
      Further, since the application member can be detached so as to be easily washed, and the main body can be continuously used by disposing only the application member in the case that the application member is damaged, the structure is economical.  
      Further, it is possible to intend to achieve an efficiency of an application work by forming the spatula portion by a plurality of plate members or forming a base end portion and a folded portion as independent bodies made of different materials, in correspondence to the material of the applied member, the intended use or the like. In this case, the applicator can be used as a wiper by employing the same wiping cloth as the application member in place of the application member mentioned above.  
      Further, in the case that the spatula portion is provided with a plurality of minute through holes through which a water or an application agent can pass, an extra water or application agent can slip from the through holes to a back side, and does not stay in the application surface, the applied member or the like. Accordingly, it is possible to uniformly apply the whole. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a state in which an application member is attached in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a horizontal cross sectional view of FIG.  2 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a horizontal cross sectional partial view showing a different embodiment of a spatula portion in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a horizontal cross sectional partial view showing a different embodiment of the spatula portion in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a horizontal cross sectional partial view showing a different embodiment of the spatula portion in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a horizontal cross sectional partial view showing a different embodiment of the spatula portion in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing a different embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 9  is a horizontal cross sectional partial view of  FIG. 8 ;  
       FIG. 10  is a horizontal cross sectional partial view showing a different embodiment of the spatula portion in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view showing a prior art; and  
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view showing a different prior art. 
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION  
      In order to explain the present invention in detail, a description will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
       FIG. 1  is a view showing one of best modes for carrying out the present invention. An applicator main body  2  has a spatula portion  21  made of a rigid material in a leading end side, and is provided with a fastener portion  23  and a grip portion  24  in a base end side of the spatula portion  21 . The applicator main body  2  constituted by the spatula portion  21 , the fastener portion  23  and the grip portion  24  is structured by an impermeable material which is not impregnated with a water, a functional water solution or the like corresponding to an application agent.  
      As a material of the spatula portion  21 , there can be used a rigid synthetic resin having an elasticity, a rubber material, a metal thin plate or the like, and a folded portion  22  is formed by bending an approximate length, for example, about one third of an entire length from a leading end. Further, an end line of the folded portion  22  is not fixed, but has an elasticity that a bending angle can be freely changed. Further, the folded portion  22  is provided with a plurality of minute through holes  20  through which the application agent such as the water, the functional water solution or the like can pass.  
      The fastener portion  23  has an attaching and detaching means which can easily attach and detach the application member  3 , for example, a hook-and-loop fastener or the like. Further, the application member  3  is formed as a cloth-like structure made of a material which has a flexibility and can impregnate a fixed amount of application agent in accordance with an intended use, for example, a felt or pile (including a towel cloth) cloth, an non-woven fabric, a micro fiber, a resin foam, a paper or the like, approximately employs a raw material in correspondence to a king of the application agent, a nature of the applied member, a purpose of application, or the like, and is attached so as to cover an outer periphery of the spatula portion  21  including at least the folded portion  22 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  
      At a time of using the applicator  1  mentioned above, the application member  3  having a suitable raw material, thickness and the like is first selected in correspondence with a hardness and an area of the applied member, a kind and an intended use of an applied water solution such as a coating water solution, for example, a water repellent agent, a defogger agent or the like, and the application member  3  is attached to the fastener portion  23  of the applicator main body  2 . In the case of applying the functional water solution to the applied member, an application work is executed by impregnating the water solution in the application member  3  while holding the grip portion  24 , and moving the applicator  1  along a surface of the applied member, for example, an automotive glass or the like.  
      Further, the application member  3  is formed as the cloth-like structure made of the material which has the flexibility and can impregnate the fixed amount of application agent in accordance with the intended use, for example, the felt or pile (including the towel cloth) cloth, the non-woven fabric, the micro fiber, the resin foam, the paper or the like. The application member  3  can be used as a wiper by using the application member  3  as a wiping cloth.  
      Since the folded portion  22  in the spatula portion  21  forming a core member of the application member  3  has an elasticity, the folded portion  22  tends to move along a shape of the surface even if the applied member is formed in a curved surface such as the automotive glass.  
      Accordingly, it is possible to apply the water solution without recoating. Further, since the leading end of the spatula portion  21  is folded and the folded portion  22  is formed, the spatula portion  21  is hard to be folded even if the spatula portion  21  is strongly pressed, whereby it is possible to strongly contact the folded portion  22  closely with the applied member.  
      Further, since the through hole  20  is provided in the folded portion  22 , an extra water solution slips to the back surface through the through hole  20 , and the water solution can be uniformly applied without being stored at one position in the application member  3  or the applied surface.  
      Further, in the case that the application member  3  is soiled or damaged, the application member  3  may be detached from the fastener portion  23 , and may be replaced by a new application member  3  so as to be used. Further, at a time of executing an application work under different conditions, the same applicator main body  2  can be used by replacing only the application member  3 . The detached application member  3  is washed so as to be reused or is disposed in correspondence to a state of the application member  3 . Since the application member  3  detached from the applicator main body  2  can be easily washed by a washing machine or the like, and the applicator main body  2  can be reused at many times even if the application member  3  is disposable, it is possible to restrict an economic and resource loss to a small level.  
      In this case, in the case of being used as a wiper, for example, a cutwater or the like, the applicator  1  may be used in a state in which the application member  3  is attached as shown in  FIG. 2 , or may be used as only the applicator main body  2  without attaching the application member  3 . In this case, since the folded portion  22  is formed, it is possible to press by a strong force without forming the spatula portion  21  by a rigid material or a thick plate. Accordingly, it is possible to closely contact without damaging the surface to be wiped.  
      FIGS.  4  to  10  show different embodiments in the spatula portion  21  in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  shows an embodiment in which a thin plate  22   a  made of an elastic material, for example, a rubber or the like is arranged in the folded portion  22  such as a conventional wiper, and a wiping effect is mainly improved. Further, in a state in which the application member  3  is attached, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the thin plate  22   a  achieves a slip resisting effect of the application member  3 .  
       FIG. 5  shows an embodiment in which the spatula portion  21  is structured by overlapping two thin plates. In this case, the spatula portion  21  may be structured by using a plurality of thin plates made of different materials in accordance with a purpose of application or the like, for example, an outer thin plate is made of a soft material so as to prevent the applied member from being easily damaged at a time of applying, and a rigid material is employed for an inner side so as to make an elastic force of the folded portion  22  strong. The number of the thin plates is not limited to two, but the spatula portion  21  may be structured by using a plurality of thin plates made of a suitable material in correspondence to the required performance.  
      Further,  FIG. 6  shows an embodiment in which a spring member  4  is bridged between the folded portion  22  of the spatula portion  21  and a base end portion  25 , and  FIG. 7  shows an embodiment in which the folded portion  22  of the spatula portion  21  and the base end portion  25  are formed as separated bodies, and the spring member  4  is bridged so as to couple them. In both the embodiments, the folded portions  22  and  22  have an elasticity on the basis of the spring member  4 , and it is possible to adjust an elasticity on the basis of the kind of the spring member  4 . In the case of  FIG. 7 , for example, the folded portion  22  contacted with the applied member may be made of a soft material so as to be hard to be damaged, and the base end portion  25  to which the force is applied in an axial direction may be formed by a rigid material.  
      Further,  FIGS. 8 and 9  shows an embodiment in which the folded portion  22  of the spatula portion  21  and the base end portion  25  are formed as separated bodies, and a pair of spring members  4  constituted by a folded leaf spring are bridged between the folded portion  22  and the base end portion  25  by using locking screws  41  and  41  so as to be coupled.  
      Further, an embodiment shown in  FIG. 10  is structured such that the folded portions  22  and  22  of the spatula portion  21  are folded to a plurality of sections, it is possible to form while selecting a finer elasticity in comparison with the embodiment having the once folded portion shown in FIGS.  1  to  9 , and it is possible to provide the structure which is suitable for the intended use. Of course, it goes without saying that the present embodiment can be used together with the embodiments shown in FIGS.  1  to  6 .  
      In this case, even in the case of having the spatula portion  21  in accordance with the embodiments shown in FIGS.  4  to  9 , it is possible to use as the wiper without attaching the wiping cloth (the application member)  3  or by attaching the wiping cloth  3 , in the same manner as the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  mentioned above, or it is possible to use as the applicator applying the liquid agent by attaching the application member  3 .  
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY  
      As mentioned above, the applicator combined with the wiper in accordance with the present invention can be used at a time of applying the liquid agent such as the functional water solution or the like, for example, to the glass, the building material or the like, wiping out the water, the soil or the like, and pasting the film on the smooth surface such as the glass or the like.