Patent Publication Number: US-2012042470-A1

Title: Device for Removing Excess Fluid from a Sponge

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to devices for removing excess liquid from cleaning apparatus and more particularly to a device for cleaning and wringing a sponge board for use in grouting tiles. 
     BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
     Laying tiles involves firstly laying the tiles onto a layer of adhesive. Once the adhesive has set, a grouting compound is applied to the tiles to fill the spaces formed between adjacent tiles to provide the tiles with an unbroken surface and to strengthen the bond between the tiles. Excess grout must be removed from the upper surface of the tiles before the grout hardens. In order to remove such excess grout, a dampened sponge board or tiler&#39;s sponge is wiped across the surface of the tiles to remove excess grout there from. 
     Typically, a first wipe of the surface of the tiles with the sponge will remove a considerable amount of grout. This grout must be substantially removed from the sponge board by immersing the sponge in clean water to wash away the excess grout from the sponge. Once the sponge has been immersed in water the sponge must be squeezed or wrung to remove excess water from the sponge before the removal of excess grout can be resumed. 
     The constant need to wash the sponge to enable removal of excess grout significantly adds to the time taken to complete a tiling project. It would therefore be desirable to provide a device which simplifies the process of cleaning the sponge board used for removing excess grout and thereby reduces the time required to complete a tiling project. 
     Moreover existing devices to assist in the sponge cleaning process such as wash boy buckets require the operator to push down vertically on the sponge board whilst moving the sponge board horizontally across a series of rollers spaced horizontally across a low profile bucket. This requires the operator to bend over and push against the rollers whilst at the same time moving the sponge horizontally in a stretching action. It would therefore be desirable to provide a device which simplifies the process of cleaning the sponge board used for removing excess grout and requires less physical effort on the part of the operator. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for removing excess fluid from a sponge board comprising a substantially planar surface with a layer of absorbent material applied to one side, the device including: 
     an elongate roller having a first substantially horizontal rotational axis; 
     a pair of guide rollers arranged along a second rotational axis which is substantially parallel to the first rotational axis and spaced apart from the elongate roller; 
     a pair of brackets arranged in opposed relation to support the elongate roller and guide rollers there between; 
     wherein the device is configured to be mounted on the rim of a bucket. 
     The sponge board preferably has a handle attached to the side of the substantially planar surface which opposes the side with the layer of absorbent material applied thereto. The absorbent material is most preferably sponge-like in nature. In one particular form of the invention, the sponge board is of the variety used by a tiler to clean grout from tiles and the device of the present invention is particularly suited to cleaning a sponge board for use in grouting tiles and more particularly for wringing excess fluid or water from the absorbent material provided on the sponge board. 
     Whilst the elongate roller and the guide rollers may be arranged in any suitable configuration provided that the rotational axes of the rollers are substantially parallel, in a preferred embodiment, the elongate roller and guide rollers are positioned on the same substantially horizontal plane. 
     Moreover the guide rollers are preferably arranged such that a handle provided on the sponge board and a human hand grasping the same can readily pass between the guide rollers in operating the device. 
     In one particular form of the invention, in use the sponge board is urged against the elongate horizontal roller by placing the sponge board in a space formed between the elongate roller and the pair of guide rollers such that the sponge board pivots about the guide rollers to compress the layer of absorbent material against the elongate roller thereby removing excess fluid there from. 
     This action is particularly effective at removing excess fluid from the sponge board without requiring the person holding the sponge board to exert any particular pressure upon the absorbent material to wring excess fluid there from. 
     In yet another embodiment, each guide roller is horizontally spaced from the elongate roller by a distance that is less than the total thickness of the sponge board. This allows the optimal amount of pressure to be applied to the absorbent material as the sponge board pivots about the guide rollers to compress the layer of absorbent material against the elongate roller. 
     In still another embodiment, each bracket includes a channel configured to receive the rim of a bucket. In a particular embodiment a width of the channel is adjustable to fit the rim of the bucket to which the device is to be mounted. In one particular form, the width of the channel is adjustable by means of a threaded member inserted through a side of the channel such that the threaded member can be screwed into the channel to adjust width thereof. 
     In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the brackets are configured to be mounted on the rim of a circular bucket. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described in further detail by reference to the attached drawings illustrating example forms of the invention. It is to be understood that the particularity of the drawings does not supersede the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the device for removing excess fluid from a sponge board according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the device of  FIG. 1  mounted on the rim of a bucket. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the device of  FIG. 2  in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring firstly to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a device for removing excess fluid from a sponge board comprising a substantially planar surface with a layer of absorbent material applied to one side. An example of such a sponge board which does not form part of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The device of the present invention is particularly adapted for cleaning grout from tiles and in particular for cleaning a sponge board for use in grouting tiles and wringing excess fluid or water from the absorbent material provided on the sponge broad, also referred to as a “tiler&#39;s sponge”. It is to be understood however, that whilst the device has been described herein in this particular context, that it&#39;s suitability need not be limited to this particular use. 
     The device  100  of the present invention includes an elongate roller  105  which rotates about an axis  110  which runs substantially through the centre of the elongate roller. The roller  105  is in the form of an elongate cylinder. The device further includes a pair of guide rollers  115 A and  115 B which rotate about an axis  120  which runs substantially through the centre of the guide rollers. That is, the guide rollers  115 A,  115 B are arranged along the same rotational axis  120  which is substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the axis  110  about which the elongate roller  105  rotates. 
     The elongate roller  105  and the guide rollers  115 A and  115 B may be arranged in any spaced apart configuration provided that the rotational axes  110 ,  120  are substantially parallel; however, optimally the elongate roller and guide rollers are positioned on the same substantially horizontal plane as shown in the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 3 . 
     The spacing  130  between the elongate roller  105  and the guide rollers  115 A and  115 B is preferably a distance that is a little less than the total thickness of the sponge board. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the device further includes a pair of brackets  125 A,  125 B which are arranged in spaced apart relation to support the elongate roller  105  and the guide rollers  115 A,  115 B there between. The brackets  125 A,  125 B are configured to support the device  100  on the rim  201  of a bucket  200 . 
     It is to be understood that the device could also be provided permanently fixed to a bucket, although in this form many of the advantages of the removable form such as easy to clean and transport etc, may be lost. 
     Now referring back to  FIG. 1 , each bracket  125 A and  125 B includes a web portion  135 A,  135 B each between two perpendicular flanges  140 A,  140 B and  140 C,  140 D respectively, a first flange  140 B and  140 C for supporting one end of the elongate roller  105  and one guide roller  115 A and a second flange  140 A and  140 D to hook over the rim of a bucket  200  (as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The second flange  140 A,  140 D may form part of a channel configured to receive the rim of a bucket. The width of the channel may be adjustable by means of a threaded member  150 A,  150 B inserted through a side of the second flange  140 A,  140 D such that the threaded member can be screwed into the channel to adjust its width. This secures the device  100  to the rim of a bucket during use. 
     For ease of manufacture, each bracket  125 A,  125 B may have a substantially “U” shaped cross section, although for a device  100  configured to fit a circular bucket, the flanges  140 A,  140 B and  140 C,  140 D will not be parallel as can be seen in  FIG. 1 . It will be understood that the device  100  could also be adapted to fit a non-circular bucket such as square or rectangular shaped bucket and that in such cases the particular configuration of the brackets may differ to suit. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the sponge board or tiler&#39;s sponge  300  preferably has a handle  310  attached to one side of the substantially planar surface  320 . The handle  310  is attached to the side of the planar surface  320  which does not have the layer of absorbent material  330  applied thereto to for ease of use. For ease of use, the guide rollers  115 A and  115 B should be arranged such that the handle  310  can readily pass between the guide rollers whilst grasped by a human hand  340  operating the device as shown. 
     In use, the sponge board  300  is positioned in the space between the elongate roller  105  and the guide rollers  115 A and  115 B and pivoted about the guide rollers by the action of the human hand  340  to urge the layer of absorbent material  330  on the sponge board  300  against the elongate roller thereby compressing the layer of absorbent material against the elongate roller to remove excess fluid or water from the material. This simple action allows excess fluid to be removed from the sponge board without requiring the person holding the sponge board to exert any substantial pressure thereon. 
     It is an advantage of the present invention that the device is easily removed from the rim of the bucket to enable thorough cleaning of both the bucket and the device after use. Moreover the brackets are largely adjustable so that a single device can be adapted to fit different size buckets. In one particular embodiment the device is intended to fit a typical adhesive bucket, i.e. in which tiling adhesive is supplied to avoid the need to purchase a specialised bucket and to make use of a bucket that the tiler or handyman will have at his disposal in any case. It is another advantage of the present invention that the device is small, compact and relatively light weight and can simply be placed inside the bucket when not in used and/or in transit. 
     It is a particular advantage of the device of the present invention, the use of the device enables excess fluid to be removed from a sponge board in a single upward stroke. The rollers are arrange to provide optimal compression to the layer of absorbent material on the sponge board, thereby avoiding the need to the operator to generate a compressing force on the sponge by applying significant pressure to achieve the desired result. Accordingly, use of the device of the present invention avoids operator fatigue and speeds up the tiling process. 
     It is to be understood that various additions, alterations and/or modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the ambit of the invention.