Patent Publication Number: US-2009217473-A1

Title: Cleaning stick with replaceable cleaning tips

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to cleaning sticks for cleaning electronic devices and more particularly, to a cleaning stick with replaceable cleaning tips. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A regular cleaning tip, for example, clean room tip or wipe fiber stick generally comprises a stick body and a cleaning tip provided at one end of the stick body. The cleaning tip can be a wipe fiber tip bonded to one end of the stick body with ah adhesive. Alternatively, the cleaning tip can be a cap member capped on one end of the stick body and then affixed thereto with an adhesive or by means of ultrasonic welding. A cleaning stick of either of the aforesaid two mounting methods is disposable for one single service only. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a cleaning stick, which has a replaceable cleaning tip provided at each end. According to the invention, the cleaning stick comprises a stick that has a bulb-like mounting portion at each end and barbed portions adjacent to the bulb-like mounting portion, and a cap-like cleaning tip detachably capped on each bulb-like mounting portion. The cap-like cleaning tip has mounting grooves located on the rear neck thereof and respectively forced into engagement with the corresponding barbed portions at the stick. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a cleaning stick in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional assembly view of the cleaning stick in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an elevational assembly view of the cleaning stick in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a cleaning stick in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a cleaning stick in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention is shown comprising a stick  1  and two cap-like cleaning tips  13 . 
     The stick  1  has two bulb-like mounting portions  11  respectively and axially extending from the two opposite ends thereof in reversed directions, and a plurality of barbed portions  12  protruded from the periphery and respectively disposed adjacent to the bulb-like mounting portions  11 . Each cap-like cleaning tip  13  has a plurality of mounting grooves  132  on the rear neck  131  thereof corresponding to the barbed portions  12  adjacent to the bulb-like mounting portion  11  at each end of the stick  1 . 
     The cap-like cleaning tips  13  are respectively capped on the bulb-like mounting portions  11  of the stick  1 , keeping the respective mounting grooves  132  in engagement with the barbed portions  12  of the stick  1 . After the user of the cleaning stick, the user can pull each cap-like cleaning tip  13  outwards from the stick  1 . At this time, the rear neck  131  of the cap-like cleaning tip  13  will be broken by the corresponding barbed portions  12  of the stick  1 . Therefore, the user can conveniently remove each cap-like cleaning tip  13  from the stick  1  for a replacement after the service. 
       FIG. 4  shows a cleaning stick in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. This second embodiment is substantially similar to the aforesaid first embodiment with the exception that only one barbed portion  12  at each of the two opposite ends of the stick  1 . 
     Further, the aforesaid cleaning tip can be prepared from sponge, fabric, or PVA (polyvinyl acetate). 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.