Patent Publication Number: US-6698437-B2

Title: Cleaning device for a shaving apparatus

Description:
This application is a Continuation of application No. PCT/EP00/07350 filed Jul. 29, 2000. 
    
    
     This invention relates to a cleaning device of the type identified in the prior-art portion of claim  1 . 
     A cleaning device of the type initially referred to is known from PCT/EP98/00417. 
     It is an object of the present invention to improve a cleaning device of the type initially referred to. 
     According to the invention this object is accomplished by a cleaning device of the type initially referred to with the features of claim  1 . 
     The cleaning device of the present invention has several advantages. One essential advantage of the invention is that, upon termination of a cleaning cycle, the cleaning liquid with contaminants therein in the cleaning bath is directed, as the result of the walls of the cleaning bath being suitably inclined, to the draining conduit for returning to the cleaning liquid container. The provided inclination of all the walls, particularly the bottom wall of the cleaning bath, in the direction of the draining conduit guarantees that the entire cleaning liquid with contaminants therein disengages from the walls of the cleaning bath and flows off into the cleaning liquid container. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention all the walls of the cleaning bath have an angle of inclination to a horizontal plane that guarantees that the downward drive force of the cleaning liquid, with or without contaminants, to the draining conduit exceeds the force of adhesion between the cleaning liquid and the walls. A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that all the walls of the cleaning bath have an angle of inclination to a horizontal plane that guarantees that the downward drive force of the cleaning liquid to the draining conduit exceeds the surface tension of the cleaning liquid. Each of these provisions of the invention ensures that no cleaning liquid remains in the cleaning bath to evaporate. Consequently, a higher number of cleaning cycles can be performed with the cleaning liquid present in a cleaning liquid container. Completely draining the cleaning liquid out of the cleaning bath prevents the user of the cleaning device from being disturbed by the evaporation of alcohol components that are to be found in the cleaning liquid. The provided inclination of the cleaning bath causes an increase in the speed at which the cleaning liquid flows out of the cleaning bath to the extent that the cleaning liquid and the contaminants are unable to segregate. The result is a clean cleaning bath after the cleaning cycle has ended and the cleaning liquid with contaminants has drained off. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the cleaning bath is arranged at an angle of inclination α and β to the horizontal plane in the housing. An essential advantage of this arrangement, which facilitates the manufacture of a cleaning device, is that the object to be cleaned is also accordingly set at an incline when the cleaning bath is set at an incline, thus promoting the draining of cleaning liquid from and out of said object, e.g., from the shaving head of a shaving apparatus that is to be cleaned. 
     According to a further embodiment of the invention, cleaning liquid is guaranteed to flow out of the cleaning bath by aligning the bottom of the cleaning bath in the direction of the draining conduit at an angle of inclination α to the horizontal plane. 
     This arrangement can be provided for an already inclined cleaning bath in order to increase the flow velocity of the cleaning liquid to the draining conduit, and guarantees particularly with a non-inclined cleaning bath that the cleaning liquid flows to the draining conduit. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the invention provision is made for the junction between a side wall and a bottom wall of the cleaning bath to be constructed in arcuate shape in order to promote the flow velocity of draining cleaning liquid and to prevent contaminant deposits from the liquid. 
     On account of the numerous influencing variables needing to be taken into account, e.g., the surface tension and/or adhesive force and the composition of the cleaning liquid such as its content of, in particular, alcohol, lubricant, water and tensides, the magnitude of the angle of inclination of a cleaning bath set at an incline to a horizontal plane or of a bath bottom aligned at an angle to a horizontal plane, e.g., a non-inclined cleaning bath, has to be determined and specified for the respective embodiment by means of practical tests. Hence according to one embodiment of the invention the angle of inclination α and β is variable by varying the surface tension of the cleaning liquid. According to a further embodiment the angle of inclination α and β is variable by varying the adhesive force of the cleaning liquid. According to yet another embodiment of the invention an angle of inclination ensuring a sufficient flow velocity is variable by providing for the surface tension of the cleaning liquid to be variable chemically. Flow velocity and angle of inclination are also variable by providing for the adhesive force of the cleaning liquid to be variable chemically. In one embodiment of the invention provision is made to reduce the surface tension and/or adhesive force of the cleaning liquid by adding tensides to the cleaning liquid. In yet another embodiment of the invention provision is made to reduce the surface tension and/or adhesive force of the cleaning liquid by adding lubricants. Further advantages and details of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     In the drawings, 
     FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a cleaning device, comprising a cleaning liquid container with integrated filter beneath a cleaning bath, a liquid impelling assembly, a supply conduit to the cleaning bath in which a shaving head of a shaving apparatus is carried, and a draining conduit; 
     FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lower part of a cleaning device, in particular of a cleaning bath and a cleaning liquid container with integrated filter and a fan wheel for drying an object to be cleaned; and 
     FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the lower part of the cleaning device of FIG. 2, with a section through the cleaning bath in the area of the draining conduit. 
    
    
     FIG. 1 shows a cleaning device RV for cleaning a shaving head S of a shaving apparatus TR, comprising a housing  1 , a holding device  2 , a cleaning liquid container  3 , a filter element  4 , a liquid impelling assembly  6  adapted to be driven by a motor  5  and having a supply conduit  7  leading to a cleaning bath  8  and a draining conduit  9  leading from the cleaning bath  8  to the cleaning liquid container  3 . The cleaning liquid container  3  is arranged with an integrated filter element  4  underneath the cleaning bath  8  and above a wall  12  of the housing  1 . The liquid impelling assembly  6  is arranged so that it can be removed from the interior  10  of the cleaning liquid container  3 , meaning from the filter housing  40 . Arranged between the filter housing  40  and the pump housing  50  is a sealing element  51  to prevent cleaning liquid  11  from flowing out of the cleaning liquid container  3 . 
     The inner curvature of the cleaning bath  8  is shaped to conform approximately to the outer contour of the object to be cleaned, for example, the outer contour of a shaving head S of a shaving apparatus TR. The cleaning bath  8  receives only as much cleaning liquid  11  as is required for the respective cleaning operation. Two support elements  16  made of an elastic material, for example, can be provided to support the shaving head S at the bottom of the cleaning bath  8 . The cleaning bath  8  has an overflow device  17  to prevent the cleaning liquid  11  in the cleaning bath from exceeding a defined level. The overflow device  17  guarantees that, when the cleaning device RV is in operation, the shaving head S or a part of the shaving head S is immersed in cleaning liquid  11 , and prevents cleaning liquid  11  from flowing over the brim of the cleaning bath  8 . In this embodiment the draining of the cleaning liquid  11  from the cleaning bath  8  to the cleaning liquid container  3  is guaranteed by the outlet port  18  in the draining conduit  9  in the bottom  19  of the cleaning bath  8 , the drain cross section of which can also be used to control the level of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning bath, and by an inlet port  15  constructed, for example, as a funnel in the cleaning liquid container  3 . To be able to move the replaceable cleaning liquid container  3 , the inlet port  15  and the outlet port  30  in the cleaning liquid container  3  can be closed as by means of a closure—not shown. 
     The shaving apparatus TR is held in the cleaning bath  8  by an adjustably arranged holding device  2 . The holding device  2  is essentially formed by a wall  23 , which extends parallel to one broadside of the shaving apparatus TR, and by a wall  22  facing the base wall of the shaving apparatus TR. A retaining element  24  constructed as an appliance connector is provided on the wall  22 . The wall  23  of the holding device  2 , which is coupled to the wall  22 , is slidably mounted in the housing  1 , being movable for example, in a direction parallel to the housing broadside of the shaving apparatus TR, such that moving the holding device  2  in the direction of the cleaning bath  8  invariably results in the retaining element  24 , which is constructed as an appliance connector, being coupled to the appliance socket  28  of the shaving apparatus TR, and moving the holding device  2  in the opposite direction invariably results in the holding device  2  being uncoupled from the shaving apparatus TR. Coupling the appliance connector of the retaining element  24  to the appliance socket  28  effects, via connection to the electric circuit provided in the cleaning device RV for operating the liquid impelling assembly  6  and/or the fan  29 , the supply of an electric voltage for a variety of purposes including, for example, a manually operated or automatically controlled actuation of the electric drive of the shaving apparatus TR when the cleaning device RV is switched on, and/or a recharging of a shaving apparatus TR, which is equipped with a rechargeable storage cell, after the cleaning device RV is switched off. Putting the shaving apparatus TR into operation during the cleaning cycle promotes, as a result of the oscillating movement of a cutting element provided in the shaving head S of the shaving apparatus TR and the ensuing agitation of the cleaning liquid  11  in the shaving head S, the cleaning effect of the cleaning liquid  11 . 
     Provided in the cleaning device RV is a fan  29  that supplies air to dry the shaving head S, shown by way of example, after cleaning is completed, i.e., after the cleaning liquid  11  is drained from the cleaning bath  8 . Activation and deactivation of the fan  29  can be controlled as part of an operating program of a programmable switching device—not shown—and/or separately by hand. 
     FIG. 2 shows a side view of the cleaning device RV with a section through the chassis  20  of the housing  1  at a cleaning liquid container  3  arranged on the chassis  20  and at a cleaning bath  8  arranged at an angle to a horizontal plane H on the chassis  20 . The angle of inclination of the cleaning bath  8  as well as of the bottom  19  of the cleaning bath  8  to the horizontal plane H is identified with α. The outlet port  18  of the draining conduit  9  in the bath bottom  19  lies at the point where the horizontal plane H intersects with a line of inclination of the angle of inclination α. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 the draining conduit  9  is divided by a wall  25  of the overflow device  17  into two opening areas, with the opening in the bath bottom  19  in front of the wall  25  of the overflow device  17  being dimensioned such that the cleaning liquid, which contains contaminants, can be drained unobstructed into the cleaning liquid container  3  without clogging said opening. The section through the cleaning bath  8  clearly reveals that, like the inclined bath bottom  19 , the two end walls  26 ,  27  of the cleaning bath  8  also extend at an angle to the horizontal plane H, hence guaranteeing that cleaning liquid is also drained from these end walls  26 ,  27  of the cleaning bath  8 . Provided behind the illustrated longitudinal side wall  32  of the cleaning bath  8  of the cleaning device RV is a fan  29  for drying an object to be cleaned. 
     FIG. 3 shows a section through the components of the cleaning device RV where said components are illustrated in FIG.  2 . The section extends transversely through the chassis  20  of the housing  1  of the cleaning liquid container  3  as well as transversely through the cleaning bath  8 , which is arranged at an angle to a horizontal plane H on the chassis  20 , and through the fan  29  mounted on the chassis  20  behind the cleaning bath  8 . Provided in the bottom  19  of the cleaning bath  8  is an opening  35  through which the cleaning liquid  11  is supplied to the cleaning bath  8  via the supply conduit  7  (see FIG.  1 ). 
     The bath bottom,  19 , the rear longitudinal side wall  32  and the front longitudinal side wall  33 , as well as an end wall  26  joining both, are made visible by the cross section through the cleaning bath  8 . The junctions between the longitudinal side wall  32 , the longitudinal side wall  33 , the end walls  25 ,  26  and the bath basin  19  are constructed in arcuate shape so that, on termination of the cleaning cycle, the cleaning liquid  11  with contaminants therein is allowed to flow unobstructed to the draining conduit  9  to be drained into the cleaning liquid container  3 . All the walls of the cleaning bath  8 , particularly the bath bottom  19 , extend at an angle to a horizontal plane H, with the angle of inclination of the bath bottom  19  to the horizontal plane H being defined by the angle of inclination β. 
     The cleaning liquid  11  can be made to flow at a sufficient velocity to the outlet port  18  by setting the bottom  19  of the bath at an incline with an angle of inclination α of over 5°, preferably 10° to 20°. The angle of inclination α required in the specific case is dependent on various influencing variables such as the angle of inclination β of the bath bottom  19 , which, as shown by way of example, has a planar component—see FIG.  3 —or else can be totally constructed in arcuate shape—not illustrated. The angle of inclination β lies preferably in a range from 5° to 20° as well. On account of the bath shape the longitudinal side walls  32 ,  33  and the end walls  26 ,  27  merging into the bath bottom  19  have an angle of inclination of over 20°, thus ensuring that the cleaning liquid  11  flows off said walls, provided that the downward drive force of the cleaning liquid  11  exceeds the surface tension and/or adhesive force of the cleaning liquid on the walls of the cleaning bath  8 . 
     The adhesive force of the cleaning liquid  11  on the walls of the cleaning bath  8  can be reduced by giving the inner wall surface of the cleaning bath a suitable consistency, meaning that said surface is made to be preferably smooth or highly polished. 
     The surface tension of the cleaning liquid  11  should be relatively low in order to encourage the cleaning liquid  11  with contaminants therein to disengage from the inner walls of the cleaning bath  8 . A low density of the cleaning liquid will prevent contaminants from floating to the surface while the cleaning liquid  11  drains into the cleaning liquid container  3  and, given the provided flow velocity of the cleaning liquid  11 , it will also prevent dirt from leaving marks particularly on the inner walls of the cleaning bath, and contaminants, such as hairs removed from the shaving head S of the shaving apparatus TR, from sinking to the bottom. 
     The surface tension and/or the adhesive force of the cleaning liquid  11  can be influenced via the chemical composition of the cleaning liquid as well as by increasing or decreasing one or several constituents such as the content of alcohol, tensides, lubricants and odorants.