EP3102081B1 - Window cleaning tool - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a window wiper which is essentially T-shaped, comprising a wiper head and a wiper handle, wherein the wiper head is arranged relatively cranked to the wiper handle and wherein the wiper head and the wiper handle limit a crank angle, the wiper head and the wiper handle by a joint are connected to one another and wherein the wiper head and the wiper handle can be moved from an initial crank angle against the spring force of the flexible joint into a maximum end crank angle.

State of the art

Such a window wiper is from the WO 2004/103141 A1 known. The wiper head is provided with a pull-off lip made of a rubber-elastic material, the pull-off lip extending parallel to the window to be wiped during normal use of the window wiper.

The crank angle between the wiper head and the wiper handle is always constant during the intended use of the window wiper, so it cannot be changed.

Nevertheless, the wiper head and the wiper handle are connected to one another by a hinge-like joint. This hinge-like joint can be locked by a separately generated clamping device which acts on the joint. The clamping device is formed by a screw and a nut.
Before the actual wiping process, the offset angle can be adapted to the conditions of the application. It is practically impossible to change the crank angle during the wiping process; the crank angle is constant during the wiping process.

Presentation of the invention

The invention is based on the object of developing a window wiper of the type mentioned in such a way that the lower area of windows can be cleaned without problems even if a window sill is arranged under the window and / or the wiper handle of the window wiper is long without the relative assignment of the wiper head to the window, in particular the angle of the pull-off lip to the window, changing significantly. In addition, the window wiper should be easy to handle and easy and inexpensive to manufacture during its intended use.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a window wiper having the features of claim 1. The subclaims refer to advantageous configurations.

To solve the problem, it is provided that the window wiper is designed as a window vacuum cleaner, that the wiper head comprises a suction nozzle, that a suction device and a dirty water tank are arranged in the wiper handle and that the joint is designed as a flexible and automatically adjustable joint during normal use.

Due to the flexible joint that connects the wiper head and the wiper handle with one another in an elastically flexible manner, the lower area of windows can also be cleaned without problems if a window sill is arranged under the window and / or the window wiper has a longer wiper handle. A longer squeegee handle in the context of the invention is to be understood as meaning squeegee handles from about 20 cm in length.
For a thorough cleaning of windows and a streak-free removal of the cleaning liquid, it is important that the pulling lip of the wiper head is assigned to the window consistently during the entire pulling process, in particular that the angle at which the pulling lip is guided over the window, remains essentially constant.
In conventional window wipers, in which the wiper head and the wiper handle are cranked but rigidly connected to one another, this angle, which is favorable for a good wiping result, can no longer be maintained, especially when the window wiper is used in the lower area of the window, especially when under a window sill is arranged in the window. If the favorable angle between the wiper head and the window were also retained in the lower area of the window, the squeegee handle would then strike the window sill and could not be moved further down if the lower area of the window had not yet been wiped.

Mainly for this reason, when cleaning the entire window, it is important that the squeegee handle can be moved past the window sill without significantly changing the angle at which the squeegee lip of the wiper head touches the window. The flexible joint is intended for this.
Shortly before the squeegee handle touches the window sill, the crank angle can be increased up to a maximum end crank angle, so that the straighter shape of the window wiper makes it possible to wipe the window up to its lower edge without the squeegee handle touching the window sill and without the angle between the pull-off lip and the window changing disadvantageously.

The offset angle refers to the angle between the main axis of the puller lip and the main axis of the squeegee handle.

The crank angle is preferably continuously variable from an initial crank angle to the maximum end crank angle against the spring force of the flexible joint.

The handling of the window wiper according to the invention is very simple. Because the crank angle can be changed against the spring force of the flexible joint, the crank angle adapts itself automatically and automatically during the wiping process. There is therefore no need to adjust the offset angle separately. That is a crucial advantage.

The initial crank angle preferably corresponds to the minimum crank angle between the wiper head and the wiper handle. Such a configuration makes handling of the window wiper simple and clear. The window squeegee is at the top with its initial crank angle wiping windows created and then moved down. During the movement of the window squeegee down the window, the position of the wiper head relative to the window can be kept largely constant, even if the squeegee handle is comfortably moved towards the end crank angle for the user and, if necessary, moved past the window sill under the window. As soon as the window squeegee is lifted from it at the bottom of the window, the wiper head and squeegee handle move back to their starting position with the minimum crank angle, i.e. the initial crank angle. The initial crank angle is set automatically, without any action on the part of the user, solely by the flexible joint itself.

The claimed window wiper is particularly advantageous if it is designed as a window vacuum cleaner. The window wiper comprises a wiper head with a suction nozzle, a suction device and a dirty water tank being arranged in the wiper handle. The suction device can be formed, for example, by a suction pump that conveys the cleaning liquid from the window through the suction nozzle into the dirty water tank. Because the suction device and the dirty water tank are arranged inside the squeegee handle, each of which requires sufficient space to apply the suction power and to be able to absorb the dirty water, the squeegee handle cannot necessarily be made as compact as with simple window wipers without a suction device and without a dirty water tank . In the case of window vacs, it is therefore particularly useful to provide a flexible joint between the wiper head and the wiper head in order to be able to guide the voluminous wiper handle of the vacuum cleaner past the window sill when the lower area of the windows is being wiped.

The maximum end crank angle can be 120 ° to 175 ° and the initial crank angle 95 ° to 150 °, with the The initial crank angle is always smaller than the end crank angle. The angles mentioned depend on the particular application, for example on the height of the window to be wiped and / or on the length of the window wiper overall, in particular on the length of the wiper handle. For most applications in the household sector, the aforementioned angles have proven to be advantageous.

The wiper head can have at least one pull-off lip on its side facing away from the wiper handle, the pull-off lip preferably consisting of a rubber-elastic material. Such pull-off lips have proven useful for pulling off cleaning fluid from windows. On the one hand, the cleaning liquid is drawn off the window essentially without leaving any residue, and on the other hand, the material protects the surface of the window panes.

The wiper head can have two pull-off lips which are assigned to one another at a distance and which extend parallel to one another. The pull-off lips are arranged in a functional series connection

The pull-off lip that is front in the wiping direction can be designed as a sealing lip and delimit a storage space with the pull-off lip at the rear in the wiping direction, the storage space being connected in a flow-conducting manner to the suction device.
The following is carried out for the function:
To wipe a window, the window wiper, designed as a suction wiper, is moved from top to bottom along the surface to be wiped. The cleaning fluid that is on the window and is to be wiped off is in contact with the in the wiping direction front sealing lip accumulated, whereby the accumulated cleaning liquid passes through openings in the sealing lip into the storage space. The openings can be semicircular and open into the sealing edge of the sealing lip.
The storage space is limited by the front sealing lip and the rear pull-off lip. Because the suction nozzle is connected to the storage space in a flow-conducting manner, the cleaning liquid located in the storage space is conveyed through the suction nozzle into the dirty water tank and held there.

The ratio of the overall length of the window wiper in cm to the maximum end crank angle in ° is preferably 0.2 to 0.4. Such a ratio has proven to be advantageous in practice. If, for example, a window squeegee is used that has an overall length of around 40 cm, the crank angle is roughly in the range mentioned above.
The longer the squeegee handle, the more important it is that the maximum end offset angle is as large as possible in order to avoid the squeegee handle sitting on the window sill under the window before the lower area of the window is also wiped when the window is pulled down from top to bottom is.

Common household window wipers preferably have an overall length that is at least 30 cm, the wiper handle in such a case having a length of at least 20 cm. Due to the dimensions mentioned above, the window wiper is compact enough to be sufficiently handy in common household applications. Both a suction pump with sufficient suction power and a dirty water tank, the volume of which is sufficient to be able to wipe at least one window in one operation, can easily be accommodated in a window wiper / wiper handle with the aforementioned dimensions.

The wiper head and / or the wiper handle and / or the joint can consist of a polymer material. Polymer materials are particularly advantageous in connection with window wipers. Such a window wiper is corrosion-resistant and easy to use due to its low weight.

The wiper head and the joint or the wiper handle and the joint can each be designed as a preassembled unit. The assembly of such a window wiper is simple and the risk of assembly errors is limited to a minimum. The wiper head and the joint are preferably combined to form a preassembled unit. In the case of a window vacuum, the waste water tank in the squeegee handle is then particularly easily accessible.

On its side facing away from the wiper head, the squeegee handle can have an essentially flat standing surface which, rounded in an arc or beveled, merges into the underside of the squeegee handle. Such a configuration also contributes well to solving the problem. The curved, rounded or beveled transition from the base to the underside of the squeegee handle makes it particularly easy to maneuver past the window sill under the window to be wiped, so that such a transition in connection with the flexible joint and a particularly large end crank angle has excellent properties even a long window squeegee.

Brief description of the drawing

An embodiment of the window wiper according to the invention is shown in Figures 1 to 4 and is described in more detail below.

Fig. 1

die perspektivische Ansicht eines Fensterwischers, wobei der Wischerkopf und der Wischergriff den Anfangskröpfungswinkel begrenzen,

Fig. 2

den Fensterwischer aus Fig. 1, wobei der maximale Endkröpfungswinkel zwischen dem Wischerkopf und dem Wischergriff gezeigt ist,

Fig. 3

einen Ausschnitt aus dem vorderen Teil des Wischerkopfs, mit der in Wischrichtung vorderen Abdichtlippe und der in Wischrichtung hinteren Abziehlippe, die den Stauraum begrenzen,

Fig. 4

eine Seitenansicht eines als Fenstersauger ausgebildeten Fensterwischers, in die der Kröpfungswinkel eingezeichnet ist.

Show it:

Fig. 1

the perspective view of a window wiper, wherein the wiper head and the wiper handle limit the initial crank angle,

Fig. 2

the squeegee off Fig. 1 , showing the maximum end offset angle between the wiper head and the wiper handle,

Fig. 3

a section from the front part of the wiper head, with the sealing lip at the front in the wiping direction and the pull-off lip at the rear in the wiping direction, which delimit the storage space,

Fig. 4

a side view of a window wiper designed as a window vacuum, in which the crank angle is shown.

Implementation of the invention

In the Fig. 1 and 2 an embodiment of a window wiper according to the invention is shown, wherein the window wiper is designed as a window vacuum cleaner.

The window wiper is essentially T-shaped and comprises a wiper head 1 and a wiper handle 2. On its side facing away from the wiper handle 2, the wiper head 1 has two pull-off lips 7, 8, which extend essentially over the entire width of the wiper head 1 and consist of a rubber elastic material. The wiper head 1 and the pull-off lips 7, 8 extend parallel to an imaginary plane which corresponds to the window surface to be wiped.

The wiper head 1 is arranged so as to be cranked relative to the wiper handle 2, the wiper head 1 and the wiper handle 2 delimiting a crank angle 3. The wiper head 1 and the wiper handle 2 are connected to one another by a flexible joint 4. The flexible joint 4 has the effect that the wiper head 1 and the wiper handle 2 can be moved relative to one another from an initial crank angle 5 against the spring force of the flexible joint 4 into a maximum end crank angle 6.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the wiper head 1 comprises the suction nozzle 9, with a suction device 10 in the form of a suction pump and a dirty water tank 11 for receiving the cleaning liquid drawn from the window pane being arranged within the wiper handle 2.

The storage space 18 is delimited by the front sealing lip 7 and the rear pull-off lip 8. Because the suction nozzle 9 is connected in a flow-conducting manner to the storage space 18, the cleaning liquid located in the storage space 18 is conveyed through the suction nozzle 9 into the dirty water tank 11 and held there.

In the embodiment shown here, the ratio of the length 12 of the window wiper overall to the maximum end crank angle 6 is approximately 0.25, the length 12 of the window wiper over all in cm and the maximum end crank angle 6 in °.
Specifically, the length 12 of the window wiper is about 35 cm over all in the exemplary embodiment shown, of which about 30 cm are allotted to the length 13 of the wiper handle 2.

Such dimensions result in a compact, easy-to-use window wiper, which has good properties for normal household applications.

The window wiper is largely made of the same material from a polymer material.
The preassemblable unit 14 denotes the combination of the wiper head 1 with the joint 4, the preassemblable unit 15 on the other hand the combination of the wiper handle 2 and the joint 4, the provision of one or the other solution depends on the particular circumstances of the application.

In Fig. 1 the window wiper is shown in its manufacturing state or when the window wiper is placed at the top of the window to be wiped. The crank angle 3 is minimal in this case and corresponds to the initial crank angle 5 between the wiper head 1 and the wiper handle 2. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the initial crank angle 5 is approximately 135 °.

If the window wiper shown is moved downwards on the window to be cleaned in order to draw off the cleaning fluid from the window pane, the initial crank angle 5 becomes continuously and automatically increasingly larger until the maximum end crank angle 6 is reached.

In Fig. 2 limit the wiper head 1 and the wiper handle 2 the maximum end crank angle 6, which is about 165 ° in the embodiment shown.
The maximum end offset angle 6 is limited by the wiper head 1 and the wiper handle 2 when the lower area of the window is wiped. By increasing the crank angle, the squeegee handle can be guided past a window sill which is arranged below the window to be wiped.

It is also advantageous that, due to the flexible joint 4 and the mobility of the wiper head 1 to the wiper handle 2 relative to the flexible joint 4, the window wiper lies comfortably in the hand even when the lower area of the window is wiped; the wrist does not need to be twisted uncomfortably.

The squeegee handle of the window wiper can then be guided around a window sill even better if the squeegee handle 2 has an essentially flat standing surface 16 on its side facing away from the wiper head 1, as shown in the exemplary embodiment, which is rounded in an arc into the underside 17 of the squeegee handle 2 transforms. Due to the rounded shape, an undesirably early placement of the squeegee handle 2 on the window sill when wiping the lower area of the window can be prevented even better.

Figure 3 shows a section from the front part of the wiper head 1, with the sealing lip 7, which is front in the wiping direction, and the pull-off lip 8, which is rear in the wiping direction, and delimits the storage space 18 is designed as a sealing lip, are assigned to one another in a functional series connection. To wipe a window, the window wiper, designed as a suction wiper, is moved from top to bottom along the surface to be wiped. The cleaning liquid, which is located on the window and is to be wiped off, is accumulated through contact with the sealing lip 7 which is at the front in the wiping direction, the accumulated cleaning liquid through openings 21 in the sealing lip 7 located, reaches the storage space 18 and is held in this by the pull-off lip 8 at the rear in the wiping direction. The openings 21 are arranged adjacent to one another at a distance along the sealing lip, are semicircular and open into the sealing edge of the sealing lip 7.

In Fig. 4 is a side view of the window wiper designed as a window vacuum, in which the offset angle 3 is shown.
The crank angle 3 denotes the angle between the main axis 19 of the pull-off lip 8 and the main axis 20 of the squeegee handle 2.

Claims (13)

1. Window wiper which is substantially T-shaped, comprising a wiper head (1) and a wiper handle (2), wherein the wiper head (1) is arranged relatively bent with respect to the wiper handle (2), and wherein the wiper head (1) and the wiper handle (2) delimit a bending angle (3), wherein the wiper head (1) and the wiper handle (2) are connected to each other by a joint (4), and wherein the wiper head (1) and the wiper handle (2) are movable from an initial bending angle (5) to a maximum final bending angle (6) counter to the spring force of the flexible joint (4), characterized in that the window wiper is in the form of a window vacuum cleaner, in that the wiper head (1) comprises a suction nozzle (9), in that a suction device (10) and a dirty water tank (11) are arranged in the wiper handle (2), and in that the joint (4) is in the form of a joint (4) which is flexible and is automatically adjustable during the use as intended.
2. Window wiper according to Claim 1, characterized in that the initial bending angle (5) corresponds to the minimum bending angle (3) between the wiper head (1) and the wiper handle (2).
3. Window wiper according to one of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the maximum final bending angle (6) is 120° to 175° and the initial bending angle (5) is 95° to 150°, and in that the initial bending angle (5) is always smaller than the final bending angle (6).
4. Window wiper according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the wiper head (1) has at least one squeegee lip (7, 8) on its side facing away from the wiper handle (2).
5. Window wiper according to Claim 4, characterized in that the squeegee lip (7, 8) is composed of a rubber-elastic material.
6. Window wiper according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the wiper head (1) has two squeegee lips (7, 8) which are assigned adjacent to each other at a distance and extend parallel to each other.
7. Window wiper according to Claim 6, characterized in that the front squeegee lip (7) in the wiping direction is in the form of a sealing lip and, together with the rear squeegee lip (8) in the wiping direction, bounds a storage compartment (18) which is connected in a flow-conducting manner to the suction device (10).
8. Window wiper according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the ratio of the overall length (12) of the window wiper in cm to the maximum final bending angle (6) in ° is 0.2 to 0.4.
9. Window wiper according to Claim 8, characterized in that the overall length (12) of the window wiper is at least 25 cm.
10. Window wiper according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the wiper handle (2) has a length (13) of at least 20 cm.
11. Window wiper according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the wiper head (1) and/or the wiper handle (2) and/or the joint (4) is/are composed of a polymeric material.
12. Window wiper according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the wiper head (1) and the joint (4) or the wiper handle (2) and the joint (4) are each in the form of a preassemblable unit (14, 15).
13. Window wiper according to one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the wiper handle (2), on its side facing away from the wiper head (1), has a substantially flat standing surface (16) which merges in an arcuately rounded or bevelled manner into the lower side (17) of the wiper handle (2).

Images