GB2253337A

GB2253337A - Refuse pick-up implement

Info

Publication number: GB2253337A
Application number: GB9103603A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Michael Borrell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-02-21
Filing date: 1991-02-21
Publication date: 1992-09-09
Also published as: GB9103603D0; WO1992014395A1; AU1245592A

Abstract

A pick-up implement for picking up debris, usable for picking up rubbish or items for forensic examination comprises a base plate (11) to which a handle (14) is either attached or attachable, e.g. via a swivel joint (13). A pad or stack (12) of individually separable adhesive sheets are attached to the base plate (11). The end face of the pad or stack (12) remote from the handle attachment face of the base plate (11) is tackily adhesive.

Description

REFUSE PICK-UP IMPLEMENT This invention concerns a refuse pick-up implement. More particularly, the invention relates to an implement which makes use of an adhesive surface which is to be applied to an item of refuse, debris or the like to be picked up and removed.

Hand implements utilising the tackiness of an adhesive surface are known and commercially available. Thus a so-called lint roller is known in which a freely rotatable cylinder is carried in a U-shaped supporting bracket which extends axially parallel with but spaced from the axis of the cylinder. The cylinder carries a 'refillable' roll of adhesive tape. A handle is attached to the bracket. Another known device, which is essentially constructionally identical with the lint roller, is intended for rolling on the playing surface of a gramophone disc to remove dirt and 'static'.

These known implements suffer from a number of disadvantages and inconveniences. Firstly, they provide a very restricted contact area between the part of the cylindrical adhesive tape roll and the area to be cleaned. Secondly, once the contact area loses its tack through being covered by refuse/debris, the removal of this contact section and the exposure of the adjacent tacky section of the roll is messy and cumbersome: the dirty section has to be unpicked, separated and cut off, e.g. with scissors. Thirdly, if the piece of captured refuse or debris is large, the limited clearance between the roll and the bracket causes it to be knocked off the adhesive tape. Finally, such implements cannot be used conveniently for cleaning large floor areas or less accessible locations such as higher parts of walls and ceilings.

The present invention seeks to overcome the said disadvantages and inonveniences.

According to the present invention, there is provided a refuse pick-up implement comprising a base plate to which a handle is attached or attachable and which carries a stack of individual flat sheets, the face of each sheet remote from said base plate being covered with or including a tacky adhesive in such a manner that the sheets are held together in the stack but are individually readily removable from each other, the face most remote from said base plate serving as surface for contact ith refuse to be picked up.

Preferably, the handle is connected to the base plate by a swivel joint.

In an expedient embodiment, the handle is one of a set of handles of varying lengths each of which is readily echangeably attached or attachable to the base plate.

It will be seen therefore that in the last-men.ioned embodiment the invention provides, in effect, not merely a simple tool but rather an entire cleaning system, enabling the implement to be used by a user in a standing position to clean floors, curtains, walls, ceilings; or on clothes, desks, cupboards, drawers. Also, by suitably shaping the stack, awkward corners and edges can be reached and curved surfaces, mouldings etc. can be cleaned.

Apart from uses around domestic residences, cars, caravans, boats; offices; and industrial and commercial premises, the implement could be used for collecting forensic evidence where the use of stacks in pad form could be used to determine the location from which a specimen has been picked up; and also for handling e.g. medically contaminated or toxic waste The words 'refuse' and 'debris' should therefore be interpreted throughout herein in the widest sense as referring to any target object to be picked up and not merely undesirable objects as would normally be implied by the words 'refuse' and 'debris'.

The nature and adhesive power of the adhesive may vary within wide limits, depending on the intended application.

The stack size and shape, and number of adhesive sheets it contains, may vary as convenient. The base plate may have a short stub tube for connection to a solid cylindrical or tubular handle, with or without the intermediation of a swivel joint, as is well-known from commercially available carpet sweepers and vacuum cleaners.

The invention is described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refuse pick-up implement according to the invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the implement according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the implement according to Figs. 1 and 2, on an enlarged scale, showing the manner of attaching a securing clip; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a stack of adhesive sheets forming part of the invention and illustrating the start of a peeling-off operation from an adhesive-free edge area of the stack.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a refuse pick-up implement 10 destined for use by a standing user to pick up debris or refuse from e.g. a floor by a replated dabbing motion.

The implement 10 has a base plate 11 one face of which carries in a detachable manner (not shown in detail in Fig. 1) a parallelepipedal pad or stack 12 of adhesive sheets. The opposite face of the base plate has a pipe stub or socket 13 for receiving a handle 14.

The manner of interconnection between socket 13 and handle 14 is not shown in detail but it may be a rigid one or a detachable one; and it may or may not be associated with a swivel joint enabling the angle between the plane of the base plate 11 and the axis of the handle 14 to be varied.

As shown in Fig. 2, it may be preferred for the axis of the socket 13 to make an acute angle, e.g. 750, with the plane of the base plate 11. The handle 14 has a free end section 15 which itself may be angled at e.g. 1450 to the remainder of the handle 14.

The or each narrow side face 16 of the base plate 11 is formed with a groove 17 to receive a flange 18 of a cover clip 19 having a web 20 connecting the flange 18 to a longer flange 21 destined to locate below the lowermost face of the stack 12.

The stack 12 comprises a set of rectangular adhesive sheets which are individually separable (peelable-off) from the stack; if desired, release paper may be interleaved with the adhesive sheets. Commercially, the stack 12 is intended to be sold as a 'refill'.

In use, once the lowermost adhesive sheet has been exposed and multiply used such that it is no longer effective, the sheet is simply peeled off and thrown away. No cutting is involved. To facilitate further the peeling-off procedure and to minimise manual contact with the contaminated sheet, a marginal area 20 (Fig. 4) of the stack 12 may be adhesive-free and/or be provided with a tab, this area being known as a fingerlift area.

The connection between the pad/stack 12 and base plate 11 has not been shown in detail, but any convenient readily releasable securing means may be used so as easily and rapidly to replace a used-up pad 12 with a new one.

Claims

1. A refuse pick-up implement comprising a base plate to which a handle is attached or attachable and which carries a stack of individual flat sheets, the face of each sheet remote from said base plate being covered with or including a tacky adhesive in such a manner that the sheets are held together in the stack but are individually readily removable from each other, the face most remote from said base plate serving as surface for contact with refuse to be picked up.

2. An implement according to claim 1, wherein each said sheet has a non-adhesive backing paper and said most remote face is optionally provided with a protective covering removable before using on a given occasion.

3. An implement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an edge area of each said sheet is adhesive-free and/or is provided with a tab to facilitate its separation from the remainder of the stack.

4. An implement according to any preceding claim, wherein the stack is parallelepipedal.

5. An implement according to any preceding claim, wherein the stack is covered when not in use by means of a securing clip engaging with the base plate and extending over the said most remote face.

6. An implement according to any preceding claim, wherein the handle is connected to the base plate by a swivel joint.

7. An implement according to any preceding claim, wherein the handle is one of a set of handles of varying lengths each of which is readily exchangeably attached or attachable to the base plate.

8. An implement according to any preceding claim, wherein the attachment of the stack to the base plate is such as to permit a stack of given face dimensions and configuration to be replaced by another stack of different face dimensions and configuration.

9. An implement according to claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.