EP2907444A1

EP2907444A1 - Adhesive cleaner

Info

Publication number: EP2907444A1
Application number: EP12886233.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yoshihiro Hashizume
Original assignee: Nitoms Inc
Current assignee: Nitoms Inc
Priority date: 2012-10-10
Filing date: 2012-12-26
Publication date: 2015-08-19
Anticipated expiration: 2032-12-26
Also published as: US20150250376A1; KR20150065716A; TW201414548A; KR101798094B1; WO2014057523A1; ES2645265T3; TWI548466B; EP2907444A4; JP6050646B2; CN104684451A; CN104684451B; EP2907444B1; JP2014076149A

Abstract

Provided is a portable adhesive cleaner with superior portability, and which is small and easy to manage. In order to prevent shaking of an adhesive tape roll (R) in a protective case (3) when attaching the protective case (3) to a cleaning tool main unit (2), a disc-shaped stopper (4) of larger diameter than the maximum outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll (R) is provided at the tip of a supporting shaft (21), and a positioning means is provided between the stopper (4) and the bottom lid (36) of the protective case (3).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an adhesive cleaner including an adhesive tape roll which is formed by winding an adhesive tape with an adhesive surface thereof facing outward and which is rolled on a cleaning target surface thereby to collect dust adhering to the cleaning target surface on the adhesive surface, and more particularly to a small portable adhesive cleaner.

BACKGROUND ART

One of cleaners removing dust adhering to clothes or the like includes a portable adhesive cleaner using an adhesive tape. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a portable adhesive cleaning tool including a cleaning tool main unit having a supporting shaft rotatably holding an adhesive tape roll wound so as to have an adhesive surface of an adhesive tape thereon facing outward; and a protective case attached to the cleaning tool main unit so as to cover an outer peripheral surface of the adhesive tape roll.
The adhesive cleaning tool includes a grip portion foldably connected to one end side of the supporting shaft. The grip portion is held by the hand when used. The grip portion serves as means of locking the protective case when folded. Accordingly, the adhesive cleaning tool can be used by expanding the grip in the folded state so as to be coaxial with the supporting shaft and then removing the protective case. The user can collect dust on the adhesive surface by rolling the surface of the adhesive tape roll on the clothes with the grip held in the hand.
However, the adhesive cleaner disclosed in Patent Literature 1 has encountered the following problems. Specifically, the grip is folded with respect to the supporting shaft, and thus the grip has a large outer diameter in the folded state. This increases the overall size of the cleaner, resulting that the cleaner is too bulky to carry around in a small bag, thereby causing inconvenience to the user.
In addition, the grip portion is folded and further serves as locking means, which means that the use needs to expand the grip before use, thereby preventing one-touch simple operation.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-219575

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable adhesive cleaner having more portability, smaller in size, and easier to handle.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

To solve the above problems, the present invention has some features described below. Specifically, an adhesive cleaner according to the present invention includes: an adhesive tape roll having an adhesive tape with a dust collecting adhesive surface formed on one surface of a base material, the adhesive tape roll formed by winding the adhesive tape into a cylindrical shape with the adhesive surface facing outward; a cleaning tool main unit rotatably supporting the adhesive tape roll; and a protective case detachably attached to the cleaning tool main unit so as to cover the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape roll, wherein the cleaning tool main unit includes a supporting shaft rotatably supporting the adhesive tape roll and a grip portion disposed on one end of the supporting shaft, a stopper for retaining the adhesive tape roll is detachably attached to the other end of the supporting shaft, the protective case includes an opening portion at one end side, into which the adhesive tape roll supported on the supporting shaft is inserted, and a bottom lid at the other end on a bottom portion side, having a tapered barrel shape with an inner diameter thereof progressively increasing from the opening portion to the bottom portion, and a positioning means for positioning the supporting shaft coaxially with the protective case is disposed between the stopper and the bottom lid.
As a more preferred embodiment, the stopper is formed so as to have a larger diameter than at least a maximum outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll.
As a more preferred embodiment, the stopper is disk-shaped or polygonal.
As a more preferred embodiment, the positioning means includes: a hemispherical projecting portion formed on either one of the stopper and the bottom lid; and a hemispherical recessed portion formed on the other thereof, and the positioning means is centered such that when the projecting portion and the recessed portion are aligned with each other, an axial line of the supporting shaft is coaxial with an axial line of the protective case.
In addition, an inner peripheral surface of the protective case includes a plurality of ribs disposed along an axial direction of the adhesive tape roll.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

Accordingly, the cleaning tool main unit is formed in a stick shape with the supporting shaft and the grip disposed coaxially. The protective case can be inserted thereinto from a distal end of the supporting shaft, thereby providing a compact adhesive cleaner with good portability like a lip stick.
The cleaner further includes a projection and a recess as a positioning means disposed between the stopper and the bottom lid. The protective case and the supporting shaft can be easily centered simply by aligning the projection with the recess, which can prevent the adhesive tape roll from rattling inside the protective case when the cleaner is carried.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[Figure 1] Figure 1 (a) is a front view of an adhesive cleaner of the present invention, (b) is a plan view thereof, (c) is a bottom view thereof, and (d) is a sectional view taken along line A-A.
[Figure 2] Figure 2 (a) is a front view of a cleaning tool main unit of the adhesive cleaner, (b) is a central longitudinal cross-sectional view thereof, and (c) is an enlarged partial sectional view thereof.
[Figure 3] Figure 3 (a) is a front view of a stopper of the cleaning tool main unit and (b) is a central longitudinal cross-sectional view thereof.
[Figure 4] Figure 4 (a) is a central longitudinal cross-sectional view of a protective case of the adhesive cleaner and (b) is a bottom view thereof.
[Figure 5] Figure 5 (a) is a front view of a bottom lid of the protective case, (b) is a central longitudinal cross-sectional view thereof, and (c) is a plan view thereof.
[Figure 6] Figure 6 is an explanatory drawing describing a method of attaching an adhesive tape roll to the cleaning tool main unit.
[Figure 7] Figure 7 is an explanatory drawing describing a method of attaching the protective case to the cleaning tool main unit.
[Figure 8] Figure 8 is an explanatory drawing describing an alignment mechanism for aligning the bottom lid of the protective case with the stopper of the cleaning tool main unit.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this. As illustrated in Figure 1, an adhesive cleaner 1 includes: a cleaning tool main unit 2 rotatably supporting an adhesive tape roll R; and a protective case 3 detachably attached to the cleaning tool main unit 2.
The adhesive tape roll R is formed by winding an adhesive tape, an adhesive surface of which is formed by applying an adhesive layer to one surface of a sheet-like base material, in multiple into a cylindrical shape so that the adhesive surface faces outward. In this example, the adhesive tape roll R is formed by winding a sheet having a width of 75 mm and a length of 1.5 m around a cylindrical body having an inner diameter of φ10 mm by 25 rotations (with a maximum outer diameter of 17 mm).
Note that the adhesive tape roll R according to the present invention may be substantially any cleaning adhesive tape roll with the adhesive surface facing outward, and the specific shape and specifications thereof may be arbitrarily selected.
Referring also to Figure 2, the cleaning tool main unit 2 is a molded article made of a synthetic resin. A supporting shaft 21 supporting the adhesive tape roll R is disposed on one end side (a lower end side in Figure 2 (a)) thereof. A grip portion 22 for gripping the cleaning tool main unit 2 in the hand is disposed on the other end side (an upper end side in Figure 2 (a)) of the supporting shaft 21.
The supporting shaft 21 exhibits a cylindrical shape insertable along an inner peripheral surface of the adhesive tape roll R. A stopper 4 for retaining the adhesive tape roll R is attached to a distal end thereof. An alignment portion 211 for guiding an insertion direction for attaching the stopper 4 is disposed on the distal end of the supporting shaft 21.
A hook claw 212 is disposed in a distal end of an inner peripheral surface of the supporting shaft 21. When the stopper 4 is attached to the supporting shaft 21, the hook claw 212 is engaged into a locking groove disposed on a side of the stopper 4. As illustrated in Figure 2 (c), the hook claw 212 is disposed so as to protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the supporting shaft 21 toward the center, while the alignment portion 211 is disposed so as to face in a radial direction.
With reference to Figures 3 (a) and (b), the stopper 4 includes an end plate 41 supporting one end side of the adhesive tape roll R and a locking shaft 42 protruding from the center of the end plate 41. The end plate 41 is disk-shaped and has a larger diameter than a maximum outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll R. The bottom portion thereof (the bottom surface in Figure 3 (a)) includes a recessed portion 43 engaged with a projecting portion 361 for alignment disposed on a bottom portion of the protective case 3.
The locking shaft 42 is a cylindrical shaft erected vertically from the center of an upper surface (upper surface in Figure 3 (a)) of the end plate 41. The locking shaft 42 has an outer diameter insertable along an inner peripheral surface of the supporting shaft 21. A locking groove 44 for guiding the hook claw 212 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the locking shaft 42.
The locking groove 44 is formed into an L-shape including an introducing portion 44a extending vertically along an axial direction from an upper end of the locking shaft 42 and a locking portion 44b formed substantially horizontal along a circumferential direction of the locking shaft 42 from one end of the introducing portion 44a. The locking portion 44b is formed so that the opening width (length in an axial direction) is smaller on the inlet side and becomes larger toward the inside.
The locking shaft 42 of the stopper 4 is inserted into the supporting shaft 21 by pushing the hook claw 212 into the introducing portion 44a of the locking groove 44. Further, in this example, the locking shaft 42 is rotated clockwise about 90°, and then the stopper 42 is slightly pulled out in the axial direction. Thus, the hook claw 212 is entered and locked into the locking portion 44b, whereby the stopper 4 is attached to the distal end of the supporting shaft 21.
According to the present embodiment, the stopper 4 is formed in a disk-shape so as to have a larger diameter than a maximum outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll R, but in order to function to retain the adhesive tape roll R, the diameter of the stopper 4 may be larger than at least the inner diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the adhesive tape roll R. In addition, the shape of the stopper 4 is not limited to a disk-shape, but may be a polygon such as a square or a hexagon.
Further, the stopper 4 may be a so-called claw-shaped, and the recessed portion 43 for alignment may be formed in the bottom portion of the stopper 4. Furthermore, the recessed portion 43 may be a hole.
Referring back to Figure 2, the grip portion 22 is integrally formed on the upper end of the supporting shaft 21 so as to be easily grasped by the hand. In view of the design of the protective case 3, the outer diameter thereof is formed into a cylindrical shape gradually reduced from the upper end to the lower end. A cover plate 221 is fitted into the upper end of the grip portion 22, but the cover plate 221 may be integrally formed.
The lower end side (lower end in Figure 2) of the grip portion 22 includes a locking surface 23 for locking the cleaning tool main unit 2 and the protective case 3 when the cleaning tool main unit 2 is inserted into the protective case 3. The locking surface 23 is formed to be one step smaller than the outer diameter of the grip portion 22.
The locking surface 23 is formed to be gradually reduced in outer diameter from the upper end side (side engaging with the grip portion 22) to the lower end side (side engaging with the supporting shaft 21) and the outer diameter on the upper end side is slightly smaller than the opening diameter of the protective case 3.
The outer peripheral surface of the locking surface 23 includes a locking projecting portion 231 engaged into a recessed groove 35 disposed on a side of the protective case 3. In this example, the locking projecting portion 231 includes projecting ribs protruding outside from the outer peripheral surface of the locking surface. In this example, three ribs are provided at intervals of 120°.
The number of the locking projecting portions 231 and the shape thereof may be arbitrarily changed in accordance with the specifications. In addition, the locking projecting portion 231 may be replaced with an annular rib, and the rib may have any shape allowing the rib to be entered and engaged into the recessed groove 35.
With reference to Figure 4, the protective case 3 exhibits a hollow cylindrical shape with an opening portion 31 disposed on an upper portion thereof and is formed in a tapered barrel shape with an outer diameter thereof progressively increasing from the upper end (upper end in Figure 4 (a)) to the lower end (lower end in Figure 4 (a)).
An inner peripheral surface 32 of the protective case 3 is formed with the inner diameter thereof progressively increasing from the upper end to the lower end in the same manner as the outer diameter. In this example, an insertion surface 34 receiving the above described locking surface 23 is formed for a predetermined length from the opening portion 31 of the protective case 3.
The axial length of the insertion surface 34 is substantially the same axial length of the locking surface 23, and the inner diameter of the insertion surface 34 is substantially the same outer diameter of the locking surface 23. The insertion surface 34 includes a recessed groove 35 engaged with the above described locking projecting portion 231. In this example, the recessed groove 35 is made of an annular groove one step recessed along the inner diameter of the insertion surface 34. Note that the position and the shape of the recessed groove 35 may be arbitrarily selected according to specifications.
The inner peripheral surface 32 includes ribs 33 to prevent the adhesive surface from sticking to the inner peripheral surface 32 when the adhesive tape roll R is inserted in a state of being skewed relative to the axial line.
The ribs 33 are formed along the axial direction from the lower end of the insertion surface 34 on the inner peripheral surface of the protective case 3 to the bottom portion. In this example, 12 ribs are provided radially at a predetermined interval. The shape and the number of ribs 33 may be arbitrarily selected.
Referring also to Figure 5, a bottom lid 36 is attached to the bottom portion of the protective case 3. The bottom lid 36 is made of a lid body fittable along an opening of the bottom portion of the protective case 3 so as to be inserted along the inner peripheral surface 32 of the protective case 3. Note that the shape and installation mode of the bottom lid 36 may be arbitrarily selected.
The upper surface (upper surface in Figure 5 (b)) of the bottom lid 36 includes the projecting portion 361 receiving the recessed portion 43 disposed in the bottom portion of the stopper 4 of the cleaning tool main unit 2. In this example, the projecting portion 361 is formed by arranging two semicircular shaped projecting ribs in a cross shape. When the projecting portion 361 is engaged into the recessed portion 43, the central axis of the supporting shaft 21 is aligned with the central axis of the protective case 3.
Referring also to Figures 6 to 8, an example of a procedure for using the adhesive cleaner 1 will be described. For attaching the adhesive tape roll R to the cleaning tool main unit 2, the distal end of the supporting shaft 21 of the cleaning tool main unit 2 is inserted until it hits the end along the inner diameter of the adhesive tape roll R.
Then, the stopper 4 is attached to the distal end of the supporting shaft 21. Thus, the adhesive tape roll R is rotatably held by the supporting shaft 21. For using the cleaning tool main unit 2, a protective seal provided on the outer periphery of the adhesive tape roll R is peeled off and then the adhesive surface (not shown) exposed on the surface is rolled on clothes or the like, thereby allowing dust adhering to the clothes to be collected on the adhesive surface.
After use, as illustrated in Figure 7, the cleaning tool main unit 2 is inserted from the distal end (from the side of the stopper 4) of the supporting shaft 21 into the opening portion 31 of the protective case 3. According to the present invention, the outer diameter of the stopper 4 is larger than the maximum outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll R. Thus, even if the cleaning tool main unit 2 is inserted into the opening portion 31 in a state in which the cleaning tool main unit 2 is skewed, the stopper 4 abuts the periphery of the opening portion 31 before the adhesive surface adheres to the periphery of the opening portion 31. Thus, the present invention can prevent the adhesive tape roll R from contacting the opening portion 31.
Even if the cleaning tool main unit 2 is skewed when the cleaning tool main unit 2 is inserted until it reaches the end, the present invention can allow the rib 33 to contact the outer periphery of the stopper 4, preventing the adhesive surface from contacting the periphery of the opening portion 31 and thereby preventing the adhesive surface from being contaminated or peeled off.
When the cleaning tool main unit 2 is further deeply inserted into the protective case 3 to the bottom, the recessed portion 43 of the stopper 4 is guided to the projecting portion 361 provided on the bottom lid 36 of the protective case 3, and at the same time the insertion surface 23 of the cleaning tool main unit 2 is locked with the locking surface 34 of the protective case 3.
Thus, the supporting shaft 21 is supported by two points: one at the distal end side (side of the stopper 4) and one at the proximal end side (side of the grip portion 22). The adhesive tape roll R is held coaxially along the central axis of the protective case 3, which can securely prevent the adhesive surface from sticking to the inner peripheral surface of the protective case 3. Particularly when the cleaning tool main unit 2 is portably carried, the adhesive tape roll R can be prevented from rattling in the protective case 3.
In this example, the outer shape of the protective case 3 is conically formed to fit the inner diameter so as to be stable when the protective case 3 is set at a stationary state, but the protective case 3 may be formed simply with cylindrical inner peripheral surface and outer peripheral surface, or at least the inner peripheral surface that can store the adhesive tape roll R, and the outer shape may be quadrangle or the like.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

1: adhesive cleaner
2: cleaning tool main unit
21: supporting shaft
22: grip portion
23: insertion surface
3: protective case
31: opening portion
32: inner peripheral surface
33: rib
36: bottom lid
361: projecting portion
4: stopper
43: recessed portion
R: adhesive tape roll

Claims

An adhesive cleaner comprising: an adhesive tape roll having an adhesive tape with a dust collecting adhesive surface formed on one surface of a base material, the adhesive tape roll formed by winding the adhesive tape into a cylindrical shape with the adhesive surface facing outward; a cleaning tool main unit rotatably supporting the adhesive tape roll; and a protective case detachably attached to the cleaning tool main unit so as to cover the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape roll, wherein
the cleaning tool main unit includes a supporting shaft rotatably supporting the adhesive tape roll and a grip portion disposed on one end of the supporting shaft, a stopper for retaining the adhesive tape roll is detachably attached to the other end of the supporting shaft, the protective case includes an opening portion at one end side, into which the adhesive tape roll supported on the supporting shaft is inserted, and a bottom lid at the other end on a bottom portion side, having a tapered barrel shape with an inner diameter thereof progressively increasing from the opening portion to the bottom portion, and a positioning means for positioning the supporting shaft coaxially with the protective case is disposed between the stopper and the bottom lid.
The adhesive cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is formed so as to have a larger diameter than at least a maximum outer diameter of the adhesive tape roll.
The adhesive cleaner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stopper is disk-shaped or polygonal.
The adhesive cleaner according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, wherein the positioning means comprises: a hemispherical projecting portion formed on either one of the stopper and the bottom lid; and a hemispherical recessed portion formed on the other thereof, and the positioning means is centered such that when the projecting portion and the recessed portion are aligned with each other, an axial line of the supporting shaft is coaxial with an axial line of the protective case.
The adhesive cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the protective case includes a plurality of ribs disposed along an axial direction of the adhesive tape roll.