AU3132900A

AU3132900A - Combined scraper and brush

Info

Publication number: AU3132900A
Application number: AU31329/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Edwin Chan; David L French; William Scott Hughes; Kevin Lozeau; Davin Stowell
Original assignee: General Housewares Corp
Current assignee: General Housewares Corp
Priority date: 1999-05-07
Filing date: 2000-05-03
Publication date: 2000-11-23
Also published as: EP1050237A2; CA2307701A1; EP1050237A3

Description

S&FRef: 506509

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

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Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: General Housewares Corporation 1536 Beech Street P.O. Box 4066 Terre Haute Indiana 47804 United States of America Kevin Lozeau, Edwin Chan, William Scott Hughes, Davin Stowell, David L French Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 Combined Scraper and Brush

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55 5 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5845c 43850-031 COMBINED SCRAPER AND BRUSH FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to hand tools, and in particular, to a scraper combined with a brush.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Scrapers have long been used to quickly break up ice and snow from vehicle windshields.

S One problem with removing ice and snow from a windshield using a conventional ice scraper is the inability of and ice scraper to provide an easy means for removing the loosened ice and snow from the windshield once it is broken up by the scraper. Depending on the amount of ice and snow on the windshield and depending on the density of the ice and snow, the removal of the ice 10 and snow using the vehicle's windshield wipers may be inadvisable. The windshield wipers are typically constructed for the removal of rain, and therefore they may break under the weight of the snow and ice or the wiper motor may not be able to provide sufficient force to move the snow and ice.

Consequently, a need exists for a tool that combines an ice scraper with a brush that can be used to remove the loosened ice and snow from vehicle windshields, vehicle exteriors, or other surfaces. The tool should include a brush that is adjustable to a variety of locked positions with respect to the shaft in order to facilitate the removal of ice and snow or other debris from the surface. The tool should also be easy to adjust and operate.

2 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a tool that combines an ice scraper with a brush that can be used to remove the loosened ice and snow. The present invention achieves this result by providing a tool that includes a brush that is adjustable to a variety of locked positions with respect to the shaft in order to facilitate the removal of ice and snow or other debris from the surface.

The present invention advantageously provides a tool including a shaft having a handle, a scraper attached to the shaft, a brush attached to the shaft, and an adjustment mechanism provided between the brush and the shaft for adjusting an angular position of the brush with respect to the 10 shaft. In the exemplary embodiment the handle is located at one end of the shaft, while the *o

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scraper and the brush are located at the opposite end of the shaft. The scraper and the brush are preferably oriented in opposite directions, facing away from each other to allow the user to simply rotate the shaft one hundred and eighty degrees about an axis of the shaft in order to engage an object or surface with the scraper or the brush.

oooo The adjustment mechanism includes a spring that biases the brush towards the shaft ":thereby engaging complementary and opposing protrusions and recesses located on the brush and the shaft. The adjustment mechanism further includes an actuator that is configured to have a S locked position, in which the protrusions and recesses are engaged, and an unlocked position, in which the actuator forces the protrusions and the recesses to disengage by moving the brush away from the shaft. The operator of the tool pushes against the actuator in order to overcome the force of the spring and move the actuator into the unlocked position. Once in the unlocked position, the operator can rotate the brush freely with respect to the shaft until the desired angular relationship is reached and then release the actuator to allow the spring to force the protrusions and the recesses to engage, thereby fixing the angular relationship of the brush and the shaft.

Additional advantages and other features of the invention will be set fortIr in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 1 Figure 1 is a top, right perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a scraper combined with a brush according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom, left perspective view of the exemplary embodiment of a scraper combined with a brush according to the present invention, depicted in an inverted orientation with respect to Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front view of the exemplary embodiment of a scraper combined with a brush according to the present invention, depicted in an inverted orientation with respect to Figure 1 and depicted with the brush in an alternative orientation.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the exemplary embodiment of a scraper combined with a brush according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a top view of the exemplary embodiment of a scraper combined with a brush according to the present invention.

Figure 6 is a right side view of the exemplary embodiment of a scraper combined with a brush according to the present invention.

Figure 7 is a front view of the exemplary embodiment of a scraper combined with a brush according to the present invention.

Figure 8 is a rear view of the exemplary embodiment of a scraper combined with a brush according to the present invention.

Figure 9 is an exploded view of the exemplary embodiment depicted in Figure 1.

Figure 10 is a top view of the brush of the exemplary embodiment.

Figure 11 A is a bottom view of the shaft of the exemplary embodiment.

Figure 11 B is a right side view of the shaft of the exemplary embodiment.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the bottom of the scraper of the exemplary .i10 embodiment.

Figure 13 is a top view of the shaft of the exemplary embodiment.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the rod of the exemplary embodiment.

Figure 15 is a partial bottom view of the exemplary embodiment of a scraper combined with a brush depicted with the rod removed.

15 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The tool 10 of the present invention provides a scraper combined with a brush. The exemplary embodiment of the tool 10 is depicted in Figures 1-15.

The exemplary embodiment of the tool 10 includes a shaft 20 having a handle 24, a scraper 24 attached to the shaft 20, a brush 26 attached to the shaft 20, and an adjustment mechanism provided between the brush 26 and the shaft 20 for adjusting an angular position of the brush 26 with respect to the shaft 20. In the exemplary embodiment the handle 22 is located at one end of the shaft 20, while the scraper 24 and the brush 26 are located at the opposite end of the shaft 20. The scraper 24 and the brush 26 are preferably oriented in opposite directions, facing away from each other to allow the user to simply rotate the shaft 20 one hundred and eighty degrees about an axis of the shaft in order to engage an object or surface with the scraper 24 or the brush 26.

The handle 22 includes an outer coating 30 that is preferably made of an elastomeric material that is pliant, such as, without limitation, SANTOPRENETM. The coating 30 on the exemplary embodiment of the handle may be overmolded onto the end of the shaft 20. The handle 22 preferably includes a hole 32 that can be used to hang the tool 10 from a hook or can be used to thread a loop of rope like material therethrough. The handle 22 can be constructed with 10 various types of contours to better conform to the hand of a user of the tool 10. For example, the handle 22 can be formed to include a concave depression on opposing sides of the handle 22, S* wherein the concave depressions include a plurality of highly flexible fins therein, as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,974,286.

The shaft 20 has an elongated neck 40 that extends from the handle 22 to a head 42. The o*o• shaft 20 is preferably constructed of a solid, rigid, lightweight, plastic material. Alternatively, the shaft 20 can be made of a wide variety of rigid materials, such as, without limitation, woods, metals, plastics, ceramics, composite materials, etc., and can be made of hollow pieces of material *o or can have a core material of one material and an outer material of a different material. The head 42 is the portion of the shaft 20 in the exemplary embodiment to which the scraper 24 and the brush 26 are attached. The head 42 includes a slightly concave surface 44 that is shaped to sit flush with an upper slightly convex surface 74 on the brush 26. The head 42 includes a bore 46 that extends through one end of the concave surface 44 and into a cavity 54 within the head 42.

The cavity 54 includes a generally rectangular slot 56 that extends out one side of the head 42.

6 The slot 56 preferably has a countersunk portion 57 that is oval in shape in the exemplary embodiment. In the exemplary embodiment the bore 46 is adjacent four recesses 48 that extend along radial lines about an axis of the bore 46 and are evenly distributed about the axis of the bore 46. Alternatively, various numbers of recesses can be used in the present invention, ranging from a single recess to any number of recesses, and various configurations of recesses can be used that are either in a random configuration or arranged in symmetrical or other specific patterns. Note that the recesses 48 and the corresponding protrusions 78 on the brush 26 are preferably configured such that when the protrusions 78 are positioned within the recesses 48, then the brush 24 is oriented in desired position with respect to the shaft 20, for example, perpendicular to the 1. 10 shaft 20 or parallel with the shaft 20. In the position where the brush 24 is parallel to the shaft oa a S. the brush 24 can be used for brushing light snow or debris in a side-to-side manner. However, in snow that is an inch or more deep the side-to-side motion is not efficient and becomes labored and tiring. Therefore, when the snow is deep or heavy the brush 24 can be quickly and conveniently rotated such that it is perpendicular to the shaft 20, thereby allowing the user to use oaao 15 a pushing or pulling motion to remove the snow or debris from the windshield or vehicle body.

aThe brush 26 includes a brush head 70 having a plurality of bristles 72 extending therefrom. The bristles 72 are thick to provide strength to pull or push snow and ice and have terminal ends 73 that are advantageously frayed or exploded in order to soften the ends of the bristles 72 so that the bristles 72 do not scratch or mar the surface being brushed, for example the paint on a car. The convex surface 74 of the brush 26 is located generally on a side of the brush head 70 that is opposite to the bristles 72. The convex surface of the brush 26 includes a generally cylindrical mating structure 76 having protrusions 78. The mating structure 76 is configured to fit within bore 46. In the exemplary embodiment the mating structure 76 is adjacent four protrusions 78 that extend along radial lines about an axis of the mating structure 76 and are evenly distributed about the axis of the mating structure 76. Alternatively, various numbers of protrusions can be used in the present invention, ranging from a single protrusion to any number of protrusions, and various configurations of protrusions can be used that are either in a random configuration or arranged in symmetrical or other specific patterns. Note that the protrusions and recesses can be formed in a variety of different mating shapes. The brush head has an aperture 80 extending from the bristled side of the brush head 70 to an upper surface of the mating structure 76 along the axis of the mating structure 76. The end of the aperture 80 that terminates at the bristled side of the brush head 70 has a countersunk portion 82.

10 The scraper 24 includes a rigid body portion 90 having a scraping edge 92 at a terminal end thereof. The scraper 24 can be formed in a variety of shapes and can be rmanufactured from a variety of tough, rigid materials, such as, without limitation, woods, metals, plastics, ceramics, composite materials, etc. The exemplary embodiment of the scraper 24 is made of a rigid, transparent, plastic material having a series of ridges 94 that extend longitudinally along a bottom surface of the body 90. The exemplary embodiment of the scraper 24 includes a cylindrical 0 mounting structure 98 that includes a receiving portion 96 with a threaded bore rigidly mounted therein. The end of the scraper 24 opposite the scraping edge 92 has a cylindrical mounting structure 104 on the bottom surface of the body 90, and an oval recess 106 on a top surface of the body 90. A hole 100 extends through the body 90 from the bottom center of the oval recess 106 to the bottom of the cylindrical mounting structure 104. A portion of the hole 100 at the bottom of the oval recess 106 includes a countersunk portion (not depicted) that is preferably hexagonal.

The oval recess 106 has narrow ends that each have an aperture 108 that extend through the body of the scraper 24. An oval cover 150 that can be used for inscribing a logo or other 8 representation is configured to sit within oval recess 106. The cover 150 includes a body portion 152 that preferably has a hollow construction, and a pair of projections 154 that extend downwardly from the narrow ends of the cover 150. The projections 154 have enlarged terminal ends that allow them to snap within the apertures 108 in the scraper 24, thereby holding the cover 150 within the recess 106.

The head 42 of the shaft 20 further includes a recessed portion 58 that provides a seat for one end of the scraper 24. The bottom surface of the scraper 24 sits flush with the surface of the recessed portion 58. For example, the recessed portion 58 includes a cylindrical recess 60 within which sits the cylindrical mounting structure 104, a cylindrical recess 66 within which sits the cylindrical mounting structure 98, and a series of channels 64 within which sit the series of ridges S• 94. A hole 62 extending through the head 42 and into cavity 54 is positioned at the center of the cylindrical recess 60 and aligned with hole 100, and a hole 68 extending through the head 42 is positioned at the center of the cylindrical recess 66 and aligned with the threaded bore of the S receiving portion 96. The scraper 24 is mounted to the shaft 20 by a screw 160 and by bolt 140 that has a head portion 144 and a threaded shaft portion 142. The screw 160 extends through hole 4 68 and mates with the threaded bore in receiving portion 96. The bolt 140 extends through hole *00 62 and mates with a threaded bore 116 with a rod 110.

oThe adjustment mechanism of the exemplary embodiment includes a rod 110, a spring 118, an engagement member 120, an actuator 130, and a bolt 140, which interact with various 0 parts of the head 42 of the shaft 20, the scraper 24, and the brush 26 that have been described above. In the preferred embodiment, the rod, the bolt, and the spring are made of metal and the engagement member and actuator are made of plastic.

9 The rod 110 includes a shaft portion 112 and a head portion 114 with a slot or other standard configuration for manipulation with a screwdriver or similar tool. The shaft portion 112 has a threaded bore 116 that is configured to receive the threaded shaft 142 of bolt 140. The rod 110 is positioned to have the shaft portion 112 extend through the center of spring 118, through aperture 80, through an aperture 124 in engagement member 120, through a slot 136 in the actuator 130, and into cavity 54. The head portion 114 is of the rod 110 and the spring 118, which is preferably a helical spring, are positioned within the countersunk portion 82 of the brush head The engagement member 120 has a cylindrical body 122, an aperture 124 extending through the body 122, an inclined surface 126, a base surface 127, and a pair of keys 128 that extend along opposing sides of the body 122. The rod 110 extends through aperture 124 such that the engagement member 120 is slidably received on the rod 110. The base surface 127 abuts the S. upper surface of the cylindrical mating structure 76 and the inclined surface 126 abuts an inclined surface 138 on the actuator 130. The body 122 of the engagement member 120 is received within bore 46 in the head 42 and keys 128 are received within grooves 50. The interaction between the keys 128 and the grooves 50 provides the engagement member 120 with the ability to slide within oooo the bore 46 in a direction parallel to the axis of the rod 110, while preventing the engagement member 120 from rotating within the bore 46 about the axis of the rod 110.

The actuator 130 has a button portion 132 that is preferably oval in shape and is received S 20 within the countersunk portion 57 in the head 42. The actuator 130 also includes a body 134 that extends from the button portion and has a slot 136 therethrough that is adapted to receive the rod 110 and allow the rod to slide therein in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the rod 110. The actuator 130 further includes an inclined surface 138 at a terminal end of the body 134 that is configured to abut the inclined surface of the engagement member 120. The body 134 of the actuator 130 is located within the slot 56 that extends into the cavity 54 in the head 42. The actuator 130 is slidably received within the slot 56 such that the actuator 130 can slide in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the rod 110.

The exemplary embodiment described above is configured such that the spring 118 is in compression and pushes against the head 114 of rod 110 and against the brush head 70, thereby forcing them apart. As the rod 110 is connected to the head 42 of the shaft 20, the spring 118 has the effect of biasing the head 42 towards the brush head 70. In this state the inclined surface 126 of the engagement member 120 acts against the inclined surface 138 of the actuator 130 and forces the actuator outward from the slot 56 until the end of the slot 136 comes into contact with rod 110. The force of the spring 118 in this state is selected by preselecting the proper size and strength spring to be set at a predetermined force such that the forces is strong enough to maintain the protrusions 78 within recesses 48 under the tools own weight and during normal operation of S the tool 10 during removal ice and snow. In this locked state the interaction between the protrusions 78 and the recesses 48 prevent the brush 26 from rotating about the rod 110 with respect to the shaft 20. The selection of a spring capable of acting in this manner is known to one skilled in the art. Note that the inclined surfaces 126 and 138 can be constructed to have any oblique angle, however an angle of about forty-five degrees is sufficient to provide the proper interaction therebetween. Also note that the inclined surfaces 126 and 138 of the engagement member 120 and actuator 130, respectively, should be constructed of materials that have a low friction when slid on top of one another.

In order to unlock the brush 26 from the shaft 20 and thereby allow the brush to freely rotate about the rod 110 with respect the shaft 20, the operator simply needs to push the actuator 11 130 into the cavity 54. As the actuator 130 is pushed within the cavity 54 along slot 56, the inclined surface 138 will push against the inclined surface 126, thereby forcing the base surface 127 of the engagement member 120 downwards against the mating structure 76 and forcing the protrusions 78 out of recesses 48 thereby disengaging the protrusions 78 and the recesses 48. The actuator 130 will continue inward along the slot 56 and continue forcing the brush 26 away from the head 42 until an end of slot 136 comes into contact with the rod 110. In the unlocked state the brush 26 is free to rotate about the rod 110, which allows angular adjustment of the brush 26 with respect to the shaft 20. The tool will remain in the unlocked position or state until such time as the operator releases the actuator 130 and the spring 118 is allowed to force the protrusions 78 back within the recesses 48. Based on the configuration of recesses 48 and protrusions 78 (as discussed in detail above), the brush 26 can be positioned in a variety of locked positions. In the exemplary embodiment, the brush 26 can be placed into four locked positions that include two

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positions in which the brush head 70 is parallel to the shaft 20 and two positions in which the S" brush head 70 is perpendicular to the shaft 20. Note that the spring 118 should be selected such that the operator does not need to exert an excessive amount of force in order to push the actuator 130 within the cavity 54.

Note that the protrusions 78 that are described above can be located on the head 42 rather than on the brush head 70, and the recesses 48 described above can be located on the brush head rather than on the head 42.

In the previous descriptions, numerous specific details are set forth, such as specific materials, structures, processes, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, as one having ordinary skill in the art would recognize, the present invention can be practiced without resorting to the details specifically set forth. In other instances, well known 12 processing structures have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.

Only the preferred embodiment of the invention and an example of its versatility are shown and described in the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein.

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Claims

1. A tool comprising: a shaft having a handle; a scraper attached to said shaft; a brush attached to said shaft; and an adjustment mechanism provided between said brush and said shaft for adjusting an angular position of said brush with respect to said shaft, said adjustment mechanism having an actuator configured to allow said brush to freely rotate with respect to said shaft, said adjustment mechanism providing said brush with a plurality of selective locked positions.

2. The tool according to claim 1, wherein said adjustment mechanism comprises: a protruding member located on said brush at a position between said brush and said shaft; and 9 recess located on said shaft at a position between said brush and said shaft, said recess S 9 5 being configured to receive said protruding member.

3. The tool according to claim 2, wherein said adjustment mechanism further comprises a plurality of recesses located on said shaft at a position between said brush and said shaft, said *.0o plurality of recesses being configured to receive said protruding member. 0

4. The tool according to claim 2, wherein said adjustment mechanism further comprises: a plurality of protruding members located on said brush at a position between said brush

9. 9 and said shaft; and a plurality of recesses located on said shaft at a position between said brush and said shaft, said plurality of recesses being configured to receive said plurality of protruding members. 14 The tool according to claim 2, wherein said adjustment mechanism further comprises: a rod mounted to said shaft, said brush having an aperture with said rod extending therethrough such that said brush is thereby slidably mounted to said shaft; a spring biasing said brush towards and into contact with said shaft; and said actuator positioned between said shaft and said brush to force said brush away from said shaft. 6. The tool according to claim 5, wherein said adjustment mechanism is configured to have a first position wherein said spring forces said protruding member of said brush to engage said recess of said shaft and a second position wherein said actuator forces said protruding member of said brush to disengage said recess of said shaft. 7. The tool according to claim 5, wherein said adjustment mechanism further comprises: an engagement member having an aperture with said rod extending therethrough such that said engagement member is slidably received on said rod, said engagement member having an S" inclined surface; and said actuator having a slot having said rod extending therethrough and an inclined surface, said inclined surface of said actuator being engaged with said inclined surface of said engagement member, said actuator being slidably received within a portion of said shaft such that said actuator is slidable in a direction perpendicular to an axis of said rod. *9o9 8. The tool according to claim 7, wherein: said engagement member has a key; and said shaft has a groove configured to receive said key, said groove extending parallel to an axis of said rod. 9. The tool according to claim 1, wherein said adjustment mechanism comprises: a protruding member located on said shaft at a position between said brush and said shaft; and a recess located on said brush at a position between said brush and said shaft, said recess being configured to receive said protruding member. The tool according to claim 1, wherein said adjustment mechanism comprises a plurality of recesses positioned at predetermined angles about an axis such that when said protruding member is located within one of said plurality of recesses said brush will be positioned in a predetermined angular relationship with said shaft.

11. The tool according to claim 1, wherein said shaft has a first end and a second end, said handle being located at said first end, and said scraper and said brush being located at said second end.

12. A tool comprising a shaft having a scraper and a brush thereon, said brush being adjustably mounted to said shaft, said shaft having an adjustment mechanism for adjusting an angular position of said brush with respect to said shaft, said adjustment mechanism having a first position wherein said brush is locked to said shaft to prevent adjustment of said brush and a second position wherein said brush is allowed to freely rotate with respect to said shaft. 00 0 .9 9°

13. The tool according to claim 12, wherein said adjustment mechanism comprises: 9a protruding member located on said brush at a position between said brush and said shaft; and 90 a recess located on said shaft at a position between said brush and said shaft, said recess being configured to receive said protruding member.

14. The tool according to claim 13, wherein said adjustment mechanism further comprises a plurality of recesses located on said shaft at a position between said brush and said shaft, said plurality of recesses being configured to receive said protruding member. The tool according to claim 13, wherein said adjustment mechanism further comprises: a plurality of protruding members located on said brush at a position between said brush and said shaft; and a plurality of recesses located on said shaft at a position between said brush and said shaft, said plurality of recesses being configured to receive said plurality of protruding members.

16. The tool according to claim 13, wherein said adjustment mechanism further comprises: a rod mounted to said shaft, said brush having an aperture with said rod extending therethrough such that said brush is thereby slidably mounted to said shaft; a spring biasing said brush towards and into contact with said shaft; and an actuator positioned between said shaft and said brush to force said brush away from said shaft.

17. The tool according to claim 16, wherein when said adjustment mechanism is in said first position said spring forces said protruding member of said brush to engage said recess of said shaft, and when said adjustment mechanism in said second position said actuator forces said protruding member of said brush to disengage said recess of said shaft.

18. The tool according to claim 16, wherein said adjustment mechanism further comprises: an engagement member having an aperture with said rod extending therethrough such that said engagement member is slidably received on said rod, said engagement member having an inclined surface; and said actuator having a slot having said rod extending therethrough and an inclined surface, said inclined surface of said actuator being engaged with said inclined surface of said engagement member, said actuator being slidably received within a portion of said shaft such that said actuator is slidable in a direction perpendicular to an axis of said rod.

19. The tool according to claim 18, wherein: said engagement member has a key; and said shaft has a groove configured to receive said key, said groove extending parallel to an axis of said rod. The tool according to claim 12, wherein said adjustment mechanism comprises: a protruding member located on said shaft at a position between said brush and said shaft; 17 a recess located on said brush at a position between said brush and said shaft, said recess being configured to receive said protruding member.

21. The tool according to claim 12, wherein said brush includes a plurality of bristles each having a frayed terminal end.

22. A tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 2 May, 2000 General Housewares Corporation Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON e* e .c. o o0 o f t [R'\LIBLL]09556.docMFF