Abstract:
Cleaning apparatus including a squeegee including a blade held in a spine, wherein the spine and the blade are shortenable in length.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to squeegees for mopping floors and other surfaces, and particularly to a squeegee with a blade and spine that may be shortened in length.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Squeegees are well known instruments used for moving water over floor surfaces, or for cleaning glass windows and the like. A wash cloth may be draped over the squeegee blade for washing floors, for example.  
         [0003]     In general, squeegees have a tubular handle portion at one end of which is a squeegee blade affixed to a stiff or generally rigid spine. The squeegee blade generally has a flexible floor contacting component made of rubber or neoprene. The width and rigidity of the squeegee blade and spine may make it difficult to reach tight corners of floors or windows. Although the prior art shows hinged squeegee blades, the blade and spine remain straight with the same width at all times.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention seeks to provide a novel squeegee with a blade that may be shortened in length, as is described more in detail hereinbelow.  
         [0005]     There is provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention cleaning apparatus including a squeegee including a blade held in a spine, wherein the spine and the blade are shortenable in length. For example, the squeegee may include a flexible blade held in a spine, the spine and the blade each being foldable along a fold line. The spine may be hinged along its fold line.  
         [0006]     In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention the squeegee includes a handle and a folding actuator mounted on the handle, the folding actuator being connected to the spine and/or the blade and having at least two operative positions, a first operative position in which the spine and the blade are generally straight and a second operative position in which the spine and the blade are bent along the fold lines into a folded position. The folding actuator may include a lever connected by a linkage to at least one of the spine and the blade, wherein pivoting the lever about a pivot moves the spine and the blade between the at least two operative positions. Alternatively, sliding the lever along the handle may move the spine and the blade between the at least two operative positions.  
         [0007]     Further in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention the spine and the blade may be foldable about more than one fold line. The folding actuator may bend the spine and the blade simultaneously along the fold lines. Alternatively the folding actuator may bend the spine and the blade along one of the fold lines independently of the other fold lines.  
         [0008]     In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention the squeegee may include a main spine and a main blade, and at least one auxiliary spine and at least one blade that modularly attach to the main spine and the main blade. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:  
         [0010]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are simplified illustrations of a squeegee constructed and operative in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, respectively in straight and folded positions;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a simplified illustration of a squeegee constructed and operative in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, with a different folding actuator for folding the spine and blade of the squeegee; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a simplified illustration of a squeegee constructed and operative in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, with a modularly constructed spine and blade. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]     Reference is now made to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , which illustrate a squeegee  10 , constructed and operative in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]     Squeegee  10  may include a flexible blade  12  held in a spine  14 . Blade  12  may be made of an elastomeric material, such as but not limited to, rubber or neoprene, for example. The spine  14  may be made of a rigid material, such as but not limited to, metal, plastic or wood. Spine  14  and blade  12  are each foldable along a fold line  16 . Spine  14  may be hinged along its fold line  16  by means of a hinge  18 , or may simply be made of sufficiently resilient materials (plastics or flexible metals, like spring steel) to permit folding about fold line  16 .  
         [0015]     Squeegee  10  may include a handle  20  made of a rigid material, such as but not limited to, metal, plastic or wood. Squeegee  10  may also include a folding actuator  22  mounted on the handle  20 . Folding actuator  22  is connected to the spine  14  and/or the blade  12  by a linkage  24 .  FIG. 1  illustrates squeegee  10  in a first operative position in which spine  14  and blade  12  are generally straight.  FIG. 2  illustrates squeegee  10  in a second operative position in which spine  14  and blade  12  are bent along fold lines  16  into a folded position.  
         [0016]     In the non-limiting, illustrated embodiment, spine  14  and blade  12  may be foldable about more than one fold-line  16 . Fold lines  16  may or may not be symmetrical about handle  20 . Folding actuator  22  may include a lever  26  connected by linkage  24  (e.g., cords/wires and pulleys) to spine  14  and/or blade  12 . In this example there are two levers  26 , each connected to one of the foldable portions of blade  12 . Each lever  26  may be pivoted about a pivot  28 . Pivoting the lever  26  about pivot  28  moves spine  14  and blade  12  from one operative position to the other.  
         [0017]     Alternatively, as shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , sliding a lever  30  along handle  20  may move spine  14  and blade  16  between the operative positions.  
         [0018]     In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the folding actuator  22  may bend spine  14  and blade  12  along one of the fold lines  16  independently of the other fold lines  16 . Alternatively, in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the folding actuator  22  may bend spine  14  and blade  12  simultaneously along the fold lines  16 .  
         [0019]     Reference is now made to  FIG. 4 , which illustrates a squeegee  40 , constructed and operative in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. Instead of the squeegee being shortened by folding as in the previous embodiments, in this embodiment squeegee  40  may include a modularly constructed spine and blade. For example, squeegee  40  may include a main spine  42  and a main blade  44  and one or more auxiliary spines  46  and blades  48  that modularly attach to the main spine  42  and blade  44  (e.g., by means of, but not limited to, tenon-and-groove joints as shown). The auxiliary spines  46  and blades  48  may be moved in and out of place by means of an actuator  50  that may include a stiff bent wire attached to the spines  46  and moves along handle  20 .  
         [0020]     It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinations of the features described hereinabove as well as modifications and variations thereof which would occur to a person of skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not in the prior art.