Abstract:
A hand-operated, small washing machine with an improved lid is disclosed. The lid has a seal-creating (and seal-breaking) mechanism as part of a locking handle. When the locking handle is in a locked position, a seal-creating bulb portion of the locking handle is pressed against a seal plate center, thereby driving air out from the barrel of the washing machine.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    None. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    This invention was not federally sponsored. 
       INVENTOR 
       [0003]    Corey Tournet, citizen of USA and resident of USA. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Field of the invention: This invention relates to the general field of small, portable washing machines with container tops, and more specifically toward a container top suitable for a portable washing machine, such as the Wonder Wash®. To this end, a container top is provided that creates a very strong, waterproof seal quickly and easily, and just as easily allows the user to break and seal and open the machine to remove clothes after they have been washed. 
         [0005]    There are a number of electric and gas washing machines generally designed for large quantities of clothes. However, there are some groups of people who require a portable, smaller washing machine that does not require electricity to operate. For example, people on camping trips may wish to wash clothes but not have access to electricity. Single people may not have the need for a full size washing machine. Environmentally conscious people may not want to use a full size machine in all washing situations because of the waste of water occasioned by using a full sized washing machine to wash less than a full load. In other situations, a user may want to “hand wash” a delicate item but either not trust the “delicate” setting on the regular washing machine, or not want to use a full tank of water on one item. Thus, there has been a recognized need for a small, portable, hand-operated washing machine. 
         [0006]    That need has been filled by the Wonder Wash® machine. Wonder Wash® is a small, portable washing machine that contains a sealable barrel suspended from two support arms with a handle for turning. To use the machine, a user puts dirty clothes, water, and detergent into the barrel, and then seals the barrel with a top. The user then rotates the barrel using the handle for several minutes, and then drains the water from the barrel. The user then adds fresh water to the barrel, re-seals the lid, and rotates the barrel again before draining the barrel again. The Wonder Wash® uses 90% less water than a traditional washing machine, has no motor or internal parts, and because of its simple construction, outlasts traditional washing machines. 
         [0007]    For the Wonder Wash® to work effectively, it is obviously very important that the lid or top create a waterproof seal, but also have the ability to break the seal quickly and easily when adding or removing clothes, and adding or draining water. Should the top leak, the user&#39;s floor could be flooded with dirty, soapy water. At the same time, if the lid is difficult to open because it is sealed very strongly to the drum containing the clothes, water and detergent, the user will become discouraged at how difficult the machine is to operate. 
         [0008]    Thus there has existed a long-felt need for a hand-operated, small washing machine with a top or lid that creates a waterproof seal, and yet has the capacity to have the seal broken quickly and easily when the user desires access to the barrel or drum portion of the washing machine. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The current invention provides just such a solution by having a waterproof container into which clothes, water and detergent can be placed, and a lid device that forms a waterproof seal over the opening to the drum such that the washing machine can be rotated without danger of the water/detergent mixture spilling out on the floor. 
         [0010]    It is a principal object of the invention to provide a container lid that forms a waterproof seal such that the contents of the container do not spill as the container is being rotated. 
         [0011]    It is another object of the invention to provide a container lid that has a mechanism of breaking the seal when the user desires to open the lid. 
         [0012]    There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. The features listed herein and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0013]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the container lid and part of the barrel, or drum, over which the lid fits. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the container lid attached to the drum. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is two perspective views of the container lid in “open” and “locked” position while attached to the drum. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is two cross sectional views of the container lid in “open” and “locked” position while attached to the drum, emphasizing the role that the handle plays in creating a seal. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a cut-away view of the invention in its “closed” position, where the handle has been rotated to a “closed” position, the excess air expelled, and the seal created. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with the references made to the drawings below. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating the components of the present invention. Moreover, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through the several views in the drawings. 
       REFERENCE NUMBERS USED 
       [0020]      10 . locking handle (generally) 
         [0021]      11 . locking handle tip 
         [0022]      12 . seal-creating bulb 
         [0023]      13 . locking handle projectors 
         [0024]      14 . locking handle cavity 
         [0025]      15 . locking handle receptors 
         [0026]      16 . locking handle snap 
         [0027]      20 . lid (generally) 
         [0028]      21 . lid side 
         [0029]      22 . lid bevel 
         [0030]      23 . lid top 
         [0031]      30 . seal plate (generally) 
         [0032]      31 . seal plate top 
         [0033]      32 . ridges 
         [0034]      33 . seal plate edge 
         [0035]      34 . seal plate center 
         [0036]      40 . seal (generally) 
         [0037]      41 . seal top 
         [0038]      42 . seal side 
         [0039]      43 . seal opening 
         [0040]      50 . drum (generally) 
         [0041]      51 . drum side 
         [0042]      52 . drum bevel 
         [0043]      53 . drum top 
         [0044]      54 . drum tab 
         [0045]      55 . drum neck 
         [0046]      56 . drum lip 
         [0047]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the container lid and part of the barrel, or drum, over which the lid fits. A drum portion  50  has a round drum side portion  51 , a drum bevel  52 , a drum top  53 , a drum neck  55  culminating in a drum lip  56 , drum tabs  54  and a central drum opening  57 . The drum tabs  54  mate with corresponding lid tabs on the inner surface of the lid  20  (lid tabs are not shown in this figure). Resting on top of the drum tabs  54  is a seal  40 . The seal  40  has a seal edge  42 , a seal top  41 , and a central seal opening  43 . Above the seal  40  is a seal plate  30 . The seal plate  30  has a seal plate edge  33 , a seal plate top  31 , ridges  32 , and a seal plate center  34 . Above the seal plate  30  is the lid  20 . The lid has a round lid side  21 , a lid bevel  22 , a lid top  23 , a locking handle cavity  14 , locking handle receptors  15 , and a locking handle snap  16 . Fitting into the locking handle cavity  14  is a locking handle  10 . The locking handle  10  has a locking handle tip  11 , a seal-creating bulb  12 , locking handle projectors  13  and a locking handle clip (not shown in this portion). 
         [0048]    The invention works as follows. The lid portion is inserted over the drum portion of a Wonder Wash® machine, and secured in place by drum tabs. Once the seal between the drum  50  and the lid  20  has been made, the locking handle  10  is pushed down, forcing air out and creating a tight seal as the seal-creating bulb  12  is pushed against the seal plate center  34 . The seal  40  and seal plate  30  work together to prevent water from leaking out. After the wash is done, the user pulls up on the locking handle  10 , thereby breaking the seal created by the seal-creating bulb  12 . With the seal broken, the user can push down on the lid, twist the lid to the side, and disengage the drum tabs from the tabs on the barrel, making it easy to remove the lid from the barrel. 
         [0049]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the container lid attached to the drum. The drum  50  is the container into which the dirty clothes, water, and detergent is added. The lid  20  fits over the upper portion of the drum  50 , and is secured through mating tabs on both the inner surface of the lid (not shown in this figure) and the upper portion of the drum (also not shown in this figure). 
         [0050]      FIG. 3  is two perspective views of the container lid in “open” and “locked” position while attached to the drum. In the “open” position, the locking handle  10  is in an upright position, and there is no seal established between the lid and the drum. This allows the user to easily and quickly remove the lid and add items to the drum, or remove items from the drum. In the “locked” or “closed” position, the locking handle  10  has been rotated down, so it sits in the locking handle cavity  14 . In the “locked” position, a seal is created that prevents water from escaping the drum during the manual rotation of the washing machine. 
         [0051]      FIG. 4  is two cross sectional views of the container lid in “open” and “locked” position while attached to the drum, emphasizing the role that the handle plays in creating a seal. In the “open” position, the locking handle  10  is upright, and the seal-creating bulb  12  is oriented horizontally, and is not pressing down on the seal plate center  34 . Without a seal being created, it is very easy for the user to remove the lid. When the locking handle  10  is in a “locked” position, it fits into the locking handle cavity of the lid  20 . By rotating the locking handle to a horizontal position, the seal-creating bulb  12  is pressed down upon the seal plate center  34 , creating a strong seal between the lid and the drum, thereby preventing water from escaping from the drum during the time is a manually turned to wash the clothes. 
         [0052]      FIG. 5  is a cut-away view of the invention in its “closed” position, where the handle has been rotated to a “closed” position, the excess air expelled, and the seal created. This illustration has cut away one entire side of the lid to show how the seal plate  30  has been bent at the seal plate center  34  by the seal-creating bulb  12  of the locking handle  10 . The bend in the seal plate center  34  creates the pressure necessary to expel excess air and create the seal necessary for the lid and the barrel to remain “waterproof” while the water and detergent are rotated with the dirty clothes 
         [0053]    It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims I regard as my invention. 
         [0054]    All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all other copyright rights whatsoever are reserved.