EP2941164B1

EP2941164B1 - Method for cleaning a surface and cleaning implement

Info

Publication number: EP2941164B1
Application number: EP13868186.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Petri Rekola
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-12-31
Filing date: 2013-12-31
Publication date: 2021-08-04
Anticipated expiration: 2033-12-31
Also published as: EP2941164A1; WO2014102448A1; EP2941164A4

Description

The object of the invention is a method for cleaning a surface with the help of a cleaning implement and a cleaning cloth attached thereto, according to which method the surface to be cleaned is wiped with the cleaning cloth such that the cleaning cloth is simultaneously pressed against the surface to be cleaned with a squeegee, which is attached to the frame of the cleaning implement and which consists of elastic material.
The cleaning cloth can be attached to the frame of the cleaning implement in many ways, such as, for example, using various clamps. However, fastening the cleaning cloth has often proved problematic, as the use of clamps is not very practical in most cases. It should be possible to easily and quickly fasten and release the cleaning cloth. At the same time the cloth should remain firmly and reliably in place during use, such as, for example, when wiping a floor. The dirty cleaning cloth that has become dirty through use can be replaced by a new, clean cloth as easily as possible. It is not pleasant to have to grab hold of a dirty cleaning cloth with one's hands.
Publication EP-1529480B1 presents a solution in which the edge of the cleaning cloth is attached to the frame of the cleaning implement with the help of separate holders. In publication WO2011/131820A1 , a thick edge of the cleaning cloth is threaded into the groove located in the frame of the cleaning implement. Publication GB-175,267 presents a solution in which both opposite edges of the cleaning cloth have thickenings which are threaded into the corresponding grooves located in the frame of the cleaning implement, after which the cleaning cloth is spread out and stretched into a straight plane. In this case, the surface of the cleaning cloth corresponds to the even cleaning surface of a flat mop. The problem with a flat mop, however, is that its entire surface is in contact with the surface to be cleaned, which means that it becomes immediately dirty throughout. On the other hand, as the surface area of a flat mop is relatively large, the surface pressure applied to the surface to be cleaned remains small. This means that it is impossible to remove, with a flat mop, such dirt from the surface to be cleaned which requires a higher pressure to be applied to the surface to be cleaned. Also documents DE4321596A1 , US2008/172817A1 and WO2011/154752 A1 present known solutions.
According to the invention, more-difficult-to-remove dirt can also be cleaned from the surface to be cleaned, because the cleaning cloth can be pressed against the surface to be cleaned with a squeegee which is attached to the frame of the cleaning implement and which consists of elastic material. The squeegee then creates a linear load which is applied to the surface to be cleaned. As, in a linear loading situation, the force affects a very small surface area, the surface pressure applied per surface area unit is large. This means that the large surface pressure between the cleaning cloth and the surface to be cleaned substantially facilitates the removal of more-difficult-to-remove dirt from the surface to be cleaned.
According to the invention, the surface to be cleaned is cleaned such that the cleaning cloth is attached, at least at two of its edges, to the frame of the cleaning implement such that the cleaning cloth forms a loosely hanging loop or bag, inside which remains the squeegee, attached to the frame of the cleaning implement and consisting of elastic material. The cleaning cloth is pressed, with the squeegee, from inside the loosely hanging loop or bag, against the surface to be cleaned, and the surface to be cleaned is wiped with the cleaning cloth, whereby the dirt comes off the surface to be cleaned and clings to the cleaning cloth, in a narrow linear area at the squeegee.
According to the invention, when cleaning a surface to be cleaned, a first spot of the cleaning cloth is pressed, with the squeegee, from inside the loosely hanging loop or bag, against the surface to be cleaned, and the surface to be cleaned is wiped with the cleaning cloth, whereby the dirt comes off the surface to be cleaned and clings to the first spot of the cleaning cloth, in a narrow linear area at the squeegee. After that, the squeegee is moved to a second spot of the cleaning cloth inside its loosely hanging loop or bag and the second spot of the cleaning cloth is pressed with the squeegee against the surface to be cleaned, and the surface to be cleaned is wiped with the cleaning cloth, whereby the dirt comes off the surface to be cleaned and clings to the second spot of the cleaning cloth, in a narrow linear area at the squeegee. This can be continued as long as a clean spot can be found on the cleaning cloth. Following this, the cleaning cloth is rinsed or replaced.
According to the invention, a cleaning implement, which includes a frame and a squeegee attached to the frame and consisting of elastic material, is used. A cleaning cloth can be attached to the frame of the cleaning implement to wipe and clean a surface. According to the invention, the cleaning cloth can be attached to the frame of the cleaning implement at two of its edges such that the cleaning cloth forms a loosely hanging loop or bag around a squeegee that consists of elastic material. While the surface to be cleaned is wiped with the cleaning cloth, the cleaning cloth can be pressed, with the squeegee consisting of elastic material, from inside the loosely hanging loop or bag formed by it, against the surface to be cleaned, whereby the dirt comes off the surface to be cleaned and clings to the cleaning cloth, in a narrow linear area at the squeegee.
According to the invention, the loosely hanging loop or bag formed by the cleaning cloth attached to the cleaning implement is so loose that the squeegee located inside it can be moved to another position in relation to the cleaning cloth. Moving the squeegee to a new position in relation to the cleaning cloth provides the clinging of the dirt coming off the surface to be cleaned onto a new spot on the cleaning cloth in the narrow linear area at the squeegee. Thereby a first spot is pressed with the squeegee from inside the loosely hanging loop or bag against the surface to be cleaned, and the surface to be cleaned is wiped with the cleaning cloth, whereby the dirt comes off the surface to be cleaned and clings onto the first spot of the cleaning cloth. Following this, the squeegee is moved to a second spot of the cleaning cloth inside its loosely hanging loop or bag and the second spot of the cleaning cloth is pressed with the squeegee against the surface to be cleaned, and the surface to be cleaned is wiped with the cleaning cloth, whereby the dirt comes off the surface to be cleaned and clings to the second spot of the cleaning cloth.
One or alternately several cleaning cloths can be fastened in conjunction with the squeegee using two alternative fastening methods, whereby in the first fastening method the cleaning cloth has been fastened in connection with the squeegee at only one of its edges, and in the second fastening method, the cleaning cloth has been fastened in connection with the squeegee at both of its edges such that the cleaning cloth forms a loose loop or bag. In both methods, the surface pressure of the linear contact created by the narrow squeegee is large, which creates an efficient cleaning effect and the dirt comes efficiently off the surface to be cleaned and clings to the cleaning cloth in its narrow linear area. The surface area of known flat mops is large, which also means that the surface pressure is small and the cleaning effect is poor. Only a small amount of dirt clings to the entire area of the flat mop.
According to the invention, the position of the squeegee can be varied and moved numerous times on the cleaning cloth fastened in conjunction with the squeegee or inside a loose loop fastened at both of its edges in connection with the squeegee. The surface pressure created by the narrow squeegee is applied to the surface to be cleaned by means of a cleaning cloth, which makes it possible to always apply, several times, to the surface to be cleaned, a new clean spot of the cleaning cloth to which the dirt clings, forming a new narrow and linear dirty area. This way, the same cleaning cloth can be used for a long time and the cleaning cloth only needs to be rinsed or replaced by a new clean cleaning cloth once the surface of the cleaning cloth has so many linear dirty areas that no clean spot that could be applied to the surface to be cleaned can be found on the surface of the cleaning cloth.
The loop or eyelet according to the invention, formed by the cleaning cloth, is, in addition to floors, particularly advantageous in cleaning vertical surfaces, such as windows or a ceiling. When cleaning a window, it is advantageous to use two exchangeable cleaning cloths or two different devices such that the window is washed with the first cleaning cloth or the first cleaning implement and dried with the second cleaning cloth or the second cleaning implement.
According to the invention, a swiveling part onto which a longer extension shaft can be mounted with a thread has been attached to the frame of the cleaning implement by means of a joint. Without the shaft, the swiveling part serves as a handle that is easy to hold when the cleaning implement is a hand-held tool, for example for cleaning a window or a ceiling. When a longer shaft is needed, an extension shaft can be attached to the swiveling part attached by means of a joint for holding the device with both hands.
According to the invention, the edge of the cleaning cloth to be attached to the frame of the cleaning implement has an edge thickening, with the help of which said edge of the cleaning cloth can be attached to the frame of the cleaning implement such that the thickening of the edge of the cleaning cloth is threaded into the groove located on the side of the frame of the cleaning implement. The opposite edge of the cleaning cloth can also be attached to the frame of the cleaning implement such that corresponding sections of the opposite edge of the cleaning cloth are threaded into the grooves located at the ends of the frame of the cleaning implement.
The cleaning cloth remains firmly in place for several of the most common work steps when the thickening at the edge of the cleaning cloth is in the groove located on the side of the frame of the cleaning implement. The groove has an inner, wide portion for the thickening at the edge of the cleaning cloth, and an outer, narrow portion or slit where the rest of the cleaning cloth comes out of the groove. Thus the groove forms a tunnel-like space with a narrow slit at its outer edge. The narrow slit prevents the thickening of the cloth from coming out of this tunnel-like space, whereby the cleaning cloth stays firmly in place. The thickening at the edge of the cleaning cloth is placed into the groove located on the side of the frame of the cleaning implement by threading it through its end. Similarly, the cleaning cloth is removed from the groove by pulling the edge thickening of the cleaning cloth out of the groove end. The tunnel-like space formed by the groove can be open either at one end or at both ends.
The groove located on the side of the frame of the cleaning implement can also be formed such that the groove includes a fixed portion and a mobile portion which jointly form a tunnel-like space with an internal wide portion for the thickening at the edge of the cleaning cloth and an outer narrow portion or slit where the rest of the cleaning cloth comes out of the groove. The cleaning cloth can easily be released from the frame of the cleaning implement such that the mobile portion of the groove is moved so that the groove becomes wider and the slit at the edge of the groove becomes larger. When the frame of the cleaning implement is then turned into the vertical position, the cleaning cloth edge thickening comes out of the groove and the entire cloth falls out of the frame of the cleaning implement without having to touch the cloth with one's hands.
However, the thickening at the edge of the cleaning cloth can be locked even more efficiently in place in the groove located on the side of the frame of the cleaning implement. In this case, it is possible to use a separate locking element located in conjunction with the groove to lock the cleaning cloth in place such that the locking member presses the thickening at the edge of the cleaning cloth against the wall of the groove located on the side of the frame of the cleaning implement.
The cleaning cloth can also be fastened onto the frame of the cleaning implement such that the cleaning cloth is fastened, at least partially, at two opposite edges. In this case, the edge provided with the cleaning cloth thickening is first fastened to the frame of the cleaning implement in the manner described above. Following this, at least parts of the opposite edge of the cleaning cloth are threaded into the grooves located at the ends of the frame of the cleaning implement, whereby also this edge of the cleaning cloth is locked into the frame of the cleaning implement.
When both of the opposite edges of the cleaning cloth are locked into the frame of the cleaning implement, the cleaning cloth remains firmly in place in conjunction with the cleaning implement, no matter which position the cleaning implement is turned into. When the cleaning cloth is in this way attached to the frame of the cleaning implement, it is easy to clean, in addition to floors, surfaces of all directions, such as, for example, furniture, walls, windows or a ceiling without the cleaning cloth in any way coming off the frame of the cleaning implement.
Cleaning cloths meant for different surfaces can be similar or different such that the cleaning cloths differ, for example, in terms of the coarseness of the surface material or water absorption capacity. Cleaning cloths used for different purposes can also be of different colours, in which case a set of cloths formed by several cleaning cloths can easily make up a system in which a cleaning implement can be found for all of the cleaning operations needed in a household, for example.
When using the cleaning implement according to the invention to clean a floor, the cleaning cloth can be alternatively used either such that both of the opposite edges of the cleaning cloth are locked into the frame of the cleaning implement or that only one edge, i.e. the edge with the thickening, is attached to the frame of the cleaning implement. If only one of the edges of the cleaning cloth is attached to the frame of the cleaning implement, it is possible at the same time to use the squeegee included in the frame of the cleaning implement and made from elastic material for sweeping debris or for collecting water from the floor.
The cleaning implement includes a swivel joint at the connection point of the frame of the cleaning implement and the shaft. This way the cleaning implement is easy to move and and can even be used to clean confined spaces. The shaft can be released from the frame of the cleaning implement if needed.
When using the cleaning implement described above, removal and replacement of the dirty cleaning cloth is easy. When both edges of the cleaning cloth are locked into the frame of the cleaning implement as described above, the portions of the cleaning clots locked into the grooves located at the ends of the frame of the cleaning implement do not get dirty. This means that the cleaning cloth can be easily and hygienically removed such that the cleaning cloth is grasped at the clean spots locked into the grooves located at the ends of the frame of the cleaning implement. Once the edge portions of the cleaning cloth have been removed from the grooves located at the ends of the frame, the edge of the cleaning cloth with the thickening can easily be pulled out of the groove located on the side of the frame of the cleaning implement, whereby the cleaning cloth is completely separate from the cleaning implement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the following, the invention is described by an example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: shows a side view of the cleaning implement according to the invention.
Figure 2: shows the cloth used in the cleaning implement.
Figure 3: shows the cleaning implement of Figure 1 seen from the end.
Figure 4: shows the cleaning implement seen from the top and the cleaning cloth attached to the frame of the cleaning implement.
Figure 5: shows schematically the cleaning of a horizontal surface.
Figure 6: shows schematically the cleaning of a vertical surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 shows, seen from the side, the cleaning implement 10 according to the invention, where the frame 40 and the shaft 11 have been attached to one another by means of a swiveling joint 20. In conjunction with the joint 20 is a short part 21 which swivels in relation to the frame 40. The shaft 11 has been attached to this swiveling part 21 with an openable thread 12 such that the shaft 11 can be released if needed. The frame 40 includes a squeegee 30 made from elastic material for collecting debris or water from the floor. The slit located at the edge of the squeegee 30 makes the collecting more efficient. This way the cleaning implement 10 can also be used without the cleaning cloth 60 shown in Figure 2, if needed.
In Figure 1, on the side of the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10, a slit 52 can be seen, which serves as the fastening member of the other edge of the cleaning cloth 60. The slit 52 extends from one end to the other of the frame 40. At the slit 52, inside the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10, is the groove 51 shown in Figure 3, into which the edge thickening 61 at the edge of the cleaning cloth 60 shown in Figure 2 is inserted such that the other edge of the cleaning cloth 60 can be attached to the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10.
It can also be seen from Figure 1 that both ends of the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10 have shorter slits 53 and 54. They form other fastening points, to which the spots 62 and 63 of the opposite edge of the edge thickening 61 of the cleaning cloth 60 can be attached when the cleaning cloth 60 is meant to be fastened in place to the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10 at two opposite edges, as shown in Figures 3 to 6. In this case, the cleaning cloth 60 forms a loose loop inside which the position of the squeegee 30 can be changed. This way, a new clean spot of the cleaning cloth 60 can always be exposed so that, by using it, cleaning can be continued.
Figure 2 shows the cleaning cloth 60 to be attached to the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10. When the cleaning cloth 60 is attached to the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10 only at one of its edges, the edge thickening 61 of the cleaning cloth 60 is threaded into the groove 51 located at the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 shows a situation in which the cleaning cloth 60 has been attached to the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10 at two opposite edges. The first edge of the cleaning cloth 60 has been attached to the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10 such that the edge thickening 61 at the edge of the cleaning cloth 60 has been threaded into the groove 51 of the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10.
Figure 3 also shows a separate locking member 45, which can be added to the groove 51, if needed, and which can be used to lock the edge thickening 61 at the edge of the cleaning cloth 60 in place even more efficiently. The locking member 45 presses the edge thickening 61 at the edge of the cleaning cloth 60 against the wall of the groove 51 located on the side of the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10, in which case the cleaning cloth 60 remains firmly in place.
In the situation shown in Figure 3, the other edge of the cleaning cloth 60 has also been attached to the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10 such that the edge portions 62 and 63 of the cleaning cloth 60 shown in Figure 2 have been threaded into the slits 53 and 54 located on the ends of the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10. When the cleaning cloth 60 has been fastened this way, the cleaning cloth 60 remains securely in place and the cleaning implement 10 can be used in any position, for example, for cleaning or wiping furniture, walls, windows or a ceiling. Used this way, the cleaning implement 10 is particularly advantageous for washing windows. The cleaning cloth 60 shown in Figure 3 is relatively small, which means that the loop formed by the cleaning cloth 60 is also relatively small. The cleaning cloth 60 can, however, be significantly larger, in which case it forms a larger loose loop as shown in Figures 5 to 6. In this case, the position of the squeegee 30 inside the loop formed by the cleaning cloth 60 can be easily changed, whereby a new clean spot of the cleaning cloth 60 can always be exposed for wiping the surface to be cleaned. An essential aspect of this kind of a cleaning method is that, by means of the squeegee 30, the cleaning cloth 60 can be pressed strongly against the surface to be cleaned 70, which also enhances the removal of dirt from the surface 70.
Figure 4 shows the cleaning implement 10 seen from the top and the cleaning cloth 60 attached to the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10 at both of its edges, as shown in Figure 3. It can be seen from the figure that the edge thickening 61 of the cleaning cloth 60 is inside groove 51 located inside the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10, locking in place this edge of the cleaning cloth 60. Following this, the cleaning cloth 60 has been turned under the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10 and the squeegee 30 made from elastic material, to the opposite side, and the spots 62 and 63 of the opposite edge 60 of the cleaning cloth have been locked in place by threading them into the slits 53 and 54 located at the ends of the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10.
Figure 5 shows schematically the cleaning of a horizontal surface 70 with the cleaning implement 10, to which a relatively large cleaning cloth 60 has been attached. When both opposite edges of the cleaning cloth 60 have been locked in place into the frame 40 of the cleaning implement 10, the cleaning cloth 60 forms a relatively large loose loop around the squeegee 30. In this case, the position of the squeegee 30 on the cleaning cloth 60 can be easily changed, whereby a new clean spot of the cleaning cloth 60 can always be exposed for wiping the surface 70. Figure 5 shows, with dotted lines, examples of alternative positions of the cleaning implement 10. However, the cleaning implement 10 can be steplessly moved to any spot inside the loop formed by the cleaning cloth 60. When using the squeegee 30 and the cleaning cloth 60 in this way, a large surface pressure can be applied by means of the squeegee to the surface 70 to be cleaned, whereby the dirt is efficiently removed from the surface 70 to be cleaned. Due to the squeegee 30, the shape of the cleaning surface is narrow, for which reason dirt also clings to the cleaning cloth 60 only in this narrow area. By changing the position of the squeegee 30 and thus the cleaning area, a new clean spot of the cleaning cloth 60 can always be easily taken into use.
Figure 6 shows schematically the cleaning of a vertical surface 70. In this case, it can involve washing a window, for example. If needed, the drying of the window can be carried out by replacing the used wet cleaning cloth 60 by another dry cleaning cloth or the drying can be performed using only the squeegee 30 with no cleaning cloth 60. A ceiling, for example, can also be cleaned in a way similar to that shown in Figures 5 or 6. The size, shape and material of the cleaning cloth 60 can vary greatly according to the situation.
It can be seen from Figures 5 and 6 that the cleaning implement is in them without the shaft 11 shown in Figures 1 and 3. In this case, the user of the cleaning implement 10 can use the short, swiveling part 21, attached to the joint 20, as a handle that is easy to hold on to when washing a window, for example. If the washing of the window requires a greater height to be reached, a longer shaft 11 can be attached to the swiveling point 21 with a thread 12, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10: Cleaning implement
11: Shaft
12: Thread
20: Joint
21: Swiveling part
30: Squeegee
40: Frame
45: Locking member
51: Groove
52: Slit
53: Slit
54: Slit
60: Cleaning cloth
61: Edge thickening
62: Edge portion of the cleaning cloth
63: Edge portion of the cleaning cloth
70: Surface to be cleaned

Claims

A cleaning implement (10), which includes a frame (40) and a squeegee (30) attached to the frame and consisting of elastic material, and to the frame of which cleaning implement a cleaning cloth (60) can be attached to wipe and clean a surface (70), where the cleaning cloth is attached, at least at two of its edges, to the frame of the cleaning implement such that the cleaning cloth forms a loosely hanging loop, characterized in that the cleaning cloth (60) can be attached to the frame (40) of the cleaning implement (10) at only one edge, which is the first edge of the cleaning cloth, so that the frame (40) of the cleaning implement (10) is provided with a groove (51) located on the side of the frame and the first edge of the cleaning cloth (60) to be attached to the frame (40) of the cleaning implement (10) has an edge thickening (61), with the help of which first edge of the cleaning cloth can be attached to the frame of the cleaning implement such that the thickening of the edge of the cleaning cloth is threaded into the groove (51) located on the side of the frame of the cleaning implement, and that the frame (40) of the cleaning implement (10) is provided with the slits (53, 53) located at the ends of the frame so that the edge portions (62, 63) of the cleaning cloth (60) or the opposite edge of the cleaning cloth can also be attached to the frame (40) of the cleaning implement (10) such that corresponding spots (62, 63) of the opposite edge of the cleaning cloth are threaded into the slits (53, 53) located at the ends of the frame of the cleaning implement so that the the cleaning cloth fastened in connection with the squeegee at both of its opposite edges forms a loop or bag around a squeegee (30) that consists of elastic material.
A cleaning implement (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the groove (51) is located on the side of the frame (40) of the cleaning implement (10) or formed such that the groove includes a fixed portion and a mobile portion which jointly form a tunnel-like space with an internal wide portion for the thickening (61) at the edge of the cleaning cloth (60) and an outer narrow portion or slit (52) where the rest of the cleaning cloth comes out of the groove.
A cleaning implement (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a separate locking element (45) is located in conjunction with the groove (51) to lock the cleaning cloth (60) in place such that the locking member presses the thickening (61) at the edge of the cleaning cloth against the wall of the groove located on the side of the frame (40) of the cleaning implement (10).