Patent Abstract:
A device is disclosed for cleaning a surface. In one embodiment, the device includes a sheet having at least one tacky surface and a plurality of rollers in contact with said sheet, said plurality of rollers, in an operative embodiment, maintaining contact between said tacky surface and the surface to be cleaned.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/553,234, filed Apr. 19, 2000, and issuing as U.S. patent Ser. No. 6,233,776 on May 22, 2001, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/553,234 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/418,752, filed Oct. 15, 1999 and now abandoned U.S. application Ser. No. 09/418,752 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/304,051, filed May 4, 1999, and issuing as U.S. patent Ser. No. 6,219,876 on Apr. 24, 2001. Each of the foregoing applications is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of cleaning, and, more particularly, to a device, method, and system for cleaning various surfaces. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be more readily understood through the following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  100  of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 2A-2D are side views of an exemplary selection of surfaces that can be cleaned using certain embodiments of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  300  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  400  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  500  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  600  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  700  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  800  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  900  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 10 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1000  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1100  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 12 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1200  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 13 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1300  of the present invention; 
     FIG. 14A is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1400  of the present invention moving in a first direction; 
     FIG. 14B is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1400  of the present invention reversing direction; and 
     FIG. 14C is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1400  of the present invention moving in a second direction. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention relates to cleaning various surfaces by employing a tacky surface or sheet on a series of rollers. Some known devices for cleaning surfaces, such as floors, utilize a single roll of perforated sheets having a tacky surface. One problem that arises with these devices is the repeated need for tearing or cutting away the tacky sheets once those sheets become soiled. Furthermore, removing the soiled sheets requires that the user&#39;s hands come in contact with the dirt and/or other debris attached to the tacky surface. Also, known tacky roll devices can not work effectively on many surfaces, such as thickly piled carpet, grooved wood floors, grout-separated tile floors, mortar-jointed brick floors, etc., because the known tacky roll devices have little, if any ability to penetrate cracks, crevasses, and deeper layers of carpet, etc. 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  100  of the present invention. Rolling cleaning system  100  can include two large internal rollers  105 ,  110  for storing and/or dispensing a continuous long sheet  115  having at least one tacky surface. Tacky sheet  115  can be, by way of example only, plastic or paper coated with an acrylic based adhesive with sufficient tack as to be useful in removing dirt and/or debris from a variety of surfaces. The tack can range between any two integer values in the numerical range of 50 to 500 g/25 mm, with a preferred range of tack between 200 to 300 g/25 mm. 
     Tacky sheet  115  can be rolled across the floor or surface via four contact rollers  120 ,  125 ,  130 ,  135 . These contact rollers can be constructed from, for example, plastic, rubber, foam rubber, and/or metal, etc. A take-up roller  140  can be used to create a space for the introduction of a brush  145 , and/or to remove slack from tacky sheet  115 . Brush  145  can have stiff bristles, which can be constructed from, for example, nylon, plastic, natural fiber, animal hair, and/or metal, etc. The height of brush  145  can be adjusted by raising or lowering handle  150 , which can be attached to shaft  155 , which can connect brush  145  to a housing  170 . 
     A large handle  160  can be used to push rolling cleaning system  100  across the floor or whatever surface is to be cleaned. Handle  160  can be pivotably, rotatably, and/or swivelably mounted on a pivot or pin  165 , in a manner well known in the art, to allow rolling cleaning system  100  to be pushed from either direction. By allowing rolling cleaning system  100  to be rolled in either direction, tacky sheet  115  can be dispensed or wound on either internal roller  105 ,  110  depending upon the direction rolling cleaning system  100  is being pushed or pulled across the floor. Rolling cleaning system  100  can be at least partially surrounded by enclosure  170 , which can be constructed of, for example, plastic and/or metal. 
     Internal rollers  105 ,  110  can be constructed of, for example, plastic and/or metal, and can be rotationally spring-loaded and/or clutched, e.g., akin to a window blind, to maintain tension in tacky sheet  115  and/or to facilitate the retrieval and/or advancement thereof. Tacky sheet  115  can be provided on, for example, one or two rollers sleeves (not shown) that can be placed onto or over one or both of internal rollers  105 ,  110 . A roller sleeve can be constructed of, for example, cardboard, plastic, and/or metal. To avoid rotational slippage between the sleeve and the roller, the sleeves could be, for example, wider than the tacky sheet and secured to the roller with end caps, clamps or rubber bands. 
     After several uses, tacky sheet  115  can be completely wound back onto a roller sleeve and discarded. This can be accomplished by rolling the rolling cleaning system  100  in the same direction until tacky sheet  115  has completely spooled onto one roller sleeve. Also, this can be accomplished by way of a spring loaded auto advance (not shown) that can be manually activated. The auto-advance can be accomplished pushing a button on the handle or the base of the cleaning system that locks the roller with the sleeve that has the unused portion of the tacky sheet, at the same time this button would release the clamping force on the sleeve on this roller, allowing the sleeve to slip and rotate or slip around the roller (much like a roll of paper towels on a fixed post), as the spring forces in the opposing roller advances the tacky sheet forward and onto the unlocked roller. Further, advancing the adhesive sheet onto the roller sleeve can be accomplished by using an electric motor (not shown). The motor could be attached to one of the roller, preferable the roller without the unused reserve portion of tacky sheet. Again by pushing a button the roller with the tacky sheet would be locked, the clamp that holds the sleeve onto this roller would be released, allowing the sleeve to rotate or slip about the roller. The motor on the opposing roller would then turn this roller and advance the tacky sheet forward and onto the motorized roller. The roller sleeve could advance when the user, for example, pushes a button, turns a knob, and/or squeezes a lever, etc. The electric motor can receive power by either plugging the rolling cleaning system  100  into a power outlet, or by charging a battery to be used by the rolling cleaning system  100 . 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of an exemplary selection of surfaces that can be cleaned using certain embodiments of the present invention. Surface  200  represents a very smooth and/or flat surface, such as tightly-joined hardwood or marble flooring, certain types of vinyl flooring, smoothly painted drywall, or even smooth concrete. Such surfaces would most likely not require the brush  145  illustrated in FIG.  1 . 
     Surface  210  represents a much rougher surface, such as worn concrete, black top, or a heavily textured fabric. Such surfaces would likely be cleaned more effectively with the brush illustrated in FIG. 1 in the down position. 
     Surface  220  represents a grouted tile or brick flooring surface, or a grooved fabric such as corduroy, that would benefit from use of the brush to removed dirt and debris from the grooves or grout lines. 
     Surface  230  represents a carpeted or heavily napped surface that would also be cleaned more effectively with the brush in FIG. 1 in the down position. While these examples illustrate a wide range of surfaces, other surfaces may also be cleaned with the present invention, including, for example, any or nearly any type of flooring, wall, and/or ceiling surface, and/or any or nearly any type of fabric. 
     In situations where the fabric is part of a garment or small item of furniture, an embodiment of the present invention could be rather small, perhaps less than a few inches wide. In the case of cleaning floors, an embodiment of the present invention could be twelve or more inches wide. In industrial applications, an embodiment of the present invention can be several feet wide. For use outdoors, such as on concrete, asphalt, or artificial surfaces, e.g., Astroturf, an embodiment of the present invention can be up to many yards wide. 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  300  of the present invention. Instead of the brush shown in FIG. 1, a sponge  305  can be placed between internal rollers  310 ,  315 . Shaft  320  can connect sponge  305  to the rest of the assembly and/or to the housing  307 , and can contain a tube  320  that feeds cleaning solution from a reservoir  325  into the sponge  305 . The action of sliding sponge  305  across the floor can draw the cleaning solution down tube  320 . Reservoir  325  can be attached to handle  330  and/or to the housing and can contain a cap  335  that can be removed to add cleaning solution and/or water to reservoir  325 . 
     Tacky sheet  340  can be coated with a tacky adhesive that is effective when wet, such as, for example, an adhesive selected from a group consisting of: natural rubber in the presence of a plasticizer mixed with a hydrocolloid gum, synthetic rubber in the presence of a plasticizer mixed with a hydrocolloid gum, or polymeric adhesives consisting of co-polymers of 2-amino ethyl ethacrylate, and n-butyl methacrylate. 
     Another possible adhesive system would include a single blended adhesive with wet and dry properties. One class of materials, for example, could include the blending of certain hydrocolloid gums (e.g., gaur gum, locust bean gum, etc.) with certain pressure sensitive adhesive systems to improve tack of the moistened adhesive. Since these materials have a large capacity for absorbing moisture, they should provide good wet adhesive or tackiness. Possible pressure sensitive adhesives include many synthetic and natural rubbers in the presence of plasticizers, such as, polyisobutylenes, natural rubber, silicone rubbers, acrylonitrile rubbers, polyurathane rubbers, butyl rubber elastomer, etc. Such mixtures can be further enhanced by the introduction of natural and artificial fibrous materials, such as wood cellulose, cotton, or Dacrun. The introduction of these fibrous materials helps to improve the cohesive forces of the adhesive system. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  400  of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIG.  1  and FIG. 3, except that neither a brush nor a sponge is provided. Instead, in this exemplary embodiment, rolling cleaning system  400  can have a center roller  410  that serves as a means of removing slack in tacky sheet  420  as tacky sheet  420  slides across the surface or floor being cleaned. Such a device could be particularly useful on smooth surfaces. Further, rolling cleaning system  400  could be useful on non-smooth surfaces if rollers  430 ,  440 ,  450 ,  460  are coated and/or constructed from a compressible foam rubber or other substance that would allow tacky sheet  420  to be pushed into crevices of an uneven surface, such as shown in element  210  of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 5 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  500  of the present invention. In this embodiment, cleaning device  500  has a set of contact rollers  510 ,  520 ,  530 ,  540  that allows the tacky sheet  550  to be rolled across the surface rather than slid across the surface as in the earlier embodiments. In some embodiments, contact rollers  510 ,  520 ,  530 , and/or  540  can be rotationally fixed, thereby serving as guides for tacky sheet  550 . In other embodiments, contact rollers  510 ,  520 ,  530 , and/or  540  can freely rotate. Such a roller action may improve the effectiveness of the tacky surface in its ability to lift dirt and/or debris from a surface. Brushes  560 ,  570 ,  580  are located between contact rollers  510 ,  520 ,  530 ,  540  to loosen and/or remove debris that is on the surface and/or in cracks or crevices. 
     FIG. 6 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  600  of the present invention. In this embodiment, instead of the brush shown in FIG. 5, a sponge  605  is placed between rollers  610 ,  615 . The shaft  620  that connects sponge  605  to the rest of the assembly and/or to the housing  607  contains a tube and/or channel (not shown) that feeds and/or wicks cleaning solution from a reservoir  625  into sponge  605 . Alternatively, the action of sliding sponge  605  across the floor can draw the cleaning solution down the tube. Reservoir  625  is attached to the handle  630  and contains a cap  635  that can be removed to add cleaning solution and/or water to the reservoir. In this embodiment, tacky sheet  640  will be coated on at least its cleaning side with a tacky adhesive that is effective when wet, and possibly on the non-cleaning side with a waterproof or water resistant coating. 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  700  of the present invention. Rolling cleaning system  700  is similar in certain respects to rolling cleaning systems  500  and  600  of FIGS. 5 and 6 respectively, except that rolling cleaning system  700  does not include a brush or a sponge. Rolling cleaning system  700  has a set of contact rollers  710 ,  720 ,  730 ,  740  that can assist in keeping tacky sheet  780  in contact with the surface to be cleaned, and can help with advancing tacky sheet  780  as rolling cleaning system  700  is moved across that surface. Several take-up rollers  750 ,  760 ,  770 , which can be spring-loaded in the up-down direction (as determined by the operation of system  700  on a floor), can provide a means of removing any slack that arises in tacky sheet  780 . 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  800  of the present invention. In this embodiment, contact rollers  810 ,  820   850 , and  860  assist with keeping tacky sheet  830  in contact with the surface to be cleaned. External contact rollers  810 ,  820  are smaller than internal contact rollers  850 ,  860 , so that rolling cleaning system  800  can reach under counters and other places that would be hard to reach if all four contact rollers were the same size. Also, adjustable brush  840  can be located between internal contact rollers  850 ,  860 . 
     FIG. 9 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  900  of the present invention. In this cleaning device, a sponge  905  is placed between the two internal contact rollers  910 ,  915  instead of the brush shown in FIG.  8 . Shaft  920  can connect sponge  905  to the rest of rolling cleaning system  900 . Cleaning solution can flow from reservoir  925  into sponge  905  via a fluidly-coupled channel or tube (not shown) in shaft  920 . The action of sliding sponge  905  across the surface to be cleaned can draw the cleaning solution down the tube. Reservoir  925  is attached to handle  930  and contains a cap  935  that can be removed to add cleaning solution or water to reservoir  925 . 
     FIG. 10 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1000  of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to those described in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this embodiment, cleaning device  1000  has smaller external contact rollers  1010 ,  1020  on either end, but does not contain a brush or a sponge. 
     Although the embodiments described in FIGS. 1 through 10 contain multiple rollers in contact with the surface to be cleaned, fewer rollers are possible, in fact only one roller could be used in the simplest device. Thus, although not every possible combination of rollers, brushes, and sponges is illustrated herein, the general scope of the present invention includes such variations of the embodiments described herein. 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1100  of the present invention. In this embodiment, the cleaning device  1100  contains a tacky sheet  1105  that can be advanced or dispensed from one of two sheet rollers  1110 ,  1115  depending upon the direction in which the device is rolled across the surface. Tacky sheet  1105  can be held in contact with the surface to be cleaned by two external contact rollers  1120 ,  1125 . Two brush rollers  1130 ,  1135  are also attached to the base of the rolling cleaning device  1100  on either side of a collection pan  1140 . Brush rollers  1130 ,  1135  can pick up dirt and/or debris from the surface. That dirt and/or debris can then attach itself to the tacky surface of sheet  1105 . Alternatively, or in combination, brush rollers  1130 ,  1135  can drop the dirt and/or debris into collection pan  1140 . 
     Tacky sheet  1105  can be guided along a flat planar guide  1155  inside device  1100  by two small guide rollers  1145 ,  1150 . As tacky sheet  1105  slides across guide  1155 , tacky sheet  1105  can come in contact with a sheet brush  1160  that can remove any large pieces of loosely attached debris, whereby that debris can be deposited on collection pan  1140 . 
     Device  1100  can have a handle  1165 , as in previous embodiments, which can be flipped about a pivot or pin  1170  to change the direction of the device. As in previously-described embodiments, certain components of device  1100 , such as rollers  1110 ,  1115 ,  1120 ,  1125 ,  1130 ,  1135 ,  1145 , and/or  1150 , tacky sheet  1105 , collection pan  1140 , and/or brush  1160 , can also be at least partially enclosed in a case, chassis, or housing  1175  made from, by way of example only, plastic or metal. External contact rollers  1120 ,  1125 , and brush rollers  1130 ,  1135 , can be constructed of plastic, rubber, or other suitable material. 
     FIG. 12 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1200  of the present invention, which is similar in certain respects to the embodiment illustrated in FIG.  11 . In this embodiment, however, device  1200  has two additional external contact rollers  1210 ,  1220  instead of two brush rollers. External contact rollers  1210 ,  1220  can allow more surface area of tacky sheet  1230  to come in contact with the surface to be cleaned at any given instant. 
     FIG. 13 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a rolling cleaning system  1300  of the present invention. Device  1300  has two external contact rollers  1305 ,  1310  that can help move tacky sheet  1315  across the surface to be cleaned. Tacky sheet  1315  can be advanced onto or removed from one of the two larger sheet rollers  1320 ,  1325  inside device  1300 , depending on the direction device  1300  is moving across the surface. 
     When device  1300  is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 13, friction between tacky sheet  1315  and the surface to be cleaned causes tacky sheet  1315  to move opposite to the direction of the arrow. Friction between tacky sheet  1315  and drive roller  1330  causes drive roller  1330  to rotate in the clockwise direction. By virtue of the contact between drive roller  1330  and driven roller  1335 , driven roller  1335  rotates in the counter-clockwise direction. Since driven roller  1335  is in contact with sheet roller  1320 , this contact causes sheet roller  1320  to rotate in the clockwise direction which has the effect of pulling tacky sheet  1315  onto sheet roller  1320 . As the diameter of sheet roller  1320  increases due to the accumulation of tacky sheet  1315  therearound, driven roller  1335  stays in contact with sheet roller  1320  by pivoting further up into the housing. The continuous tacky sheet can be spooled onto sheet roller  1325  and off of sheet roller  1320  by reversing the direction device  1300  is moving across the floor. This is done by moving handle  1340  to the right and swiveling handle  1340  about a linkage  1345  that causes the drive roller  1330  and driven roller  1335  to pivot about a pivot point  1350 . When this happens the whole process is reversed and tacky sheet  1315  is now wound onto sheet roller  1325 . 
     FIGS. 14A, B, and C illustrate the advancement of material from one roller to the other. 
     In FIG. 14A, the rolling cleaning device  1400  is shown with most of the tacky sheet  1440  spooled up and onto the front roller  1420 , with very little tacky sheet spooled onto the rear roller  1430 . The handle  1410  is tilted to the left and the device is pushed across the surface to the right. 
     In FIG. 14B, the rolling cleaning device is shown after the device as been roller predominately to the right, and as a result most of the material has been advanced from the front roller  1420  to the rear roller  1430 . At this point the handle  1410  would be pivoted in the direction of the arrow in FIG.  14 B. 
     FIG. 14C now illustrates the rolling cleaning device with handle  1410  tilted to the right and the device ready to be rolled predominately in the opposite direction with what was the rear roller  1430 , now being the front roller, with most of the tacky sheet spooled up and onto it, and with what once was the front roller  1420 , now being the rear roller, with little if any tacky sheet spooled there upon. 
     Still other advantages and embodiments of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the above-recited detailed description and provided drawings. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6