EP4643756A1

EP4643756A1 - Handle for sweeping tool with vertical stabilisation

Info

Publication number: EP4643756A1
Application number: EP23911025.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jonatan Francisco DE ABAJO GONZALEZ
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2022-12-27
Filing date: 2023-12-20
Publication date: 2025-11-05
Also published as: ES2942994A1; WO2024141688A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a handle for a sweeping tool with vertical stabilisation, configured with a central pole or tube with a grip at the upper end and a screw thread at the lower end, comprising a vertical stabilisation system formed by a tube partially surrounding the central pole or tube with a second grip at the upper end and a stabilisation element at the lower end, formed by a central element and respective hinged panels at the ends. The functioning mechanism of the stabilisation system is created by a twist of the wrist at the second grip, which causes the panels of the stabilisation system to hinge downwards, where they are supported on the ground and thereby support the cleaning tool.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is comprised in the field of components that are part of tools intended mainly for floor cleaning tasks.
More specifically with respect to the related field, the disclosed invention is comprised in the mentioned field and the cleaning task of which, carried out using the tool, is by means of sweeping action.

STATE OF THE ART

At present, there are different types of tools used in floor cleaning task by means of sweeping action.
Strip mop, a tool formed by a pole with handle functions and a head with absorbent strips, which is used for cleaning floors by means of a mopping action, is known. Although said tool has such function, it is also often used with sweeping functions while mopping the floor at the same time.
Flat mop, a tool also used in cleaning floors and which is formed by a pole or tube with handle functions and a flat head with threads the function of which is to polish the floor, is also known. Like the strip mop, this tool is often also used to sweep the floor.
Lastly, sweeping brush, also known as broom, which is formed by a pole or tube with handle functions and a brush with vertical bristles, is known. This tool is the only one intended exclusively for sweeping action.
As far as complementary functions that help the use or handling of such tools are concerned, mop buckets which help in wringing by means of incorporated mechanical systems, mops the heads of which are hinged in order to replace the cleaning accessory in an easier manner, and in the case of brushes or brooms, tools which have hinged parts in the sweeping element in order to expand the sweeping area or in order to sweep areas where a normal brush does with difficulty, are known.
At the date of drafting of the present specification, there is no known invention with technical and constitutive features similar to those of the invention proposed and claimed herein, the field or sector of which comprises those set forth above.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The tools mentioned in the state of the art are generally configured in a similar manner, i.e., they are made up a pole or tube with handle functions and a head configured based on the task to be performed.
Considering the brushes or brooms, like the other tools, such configuration has the drawback of fixing or holding same when, due to unforeseen circumstances or temporarily, the user has to leave the brush in the place where he/she was sweeping at the time. For such circumstances, and if the place allows it, the most common action carried out by the user is to support the tool vertically on the wall or on an object, or, in its absence, to lay it on the floor or drop it on the floor. Such action may cause the brush to become unstable and cause some damage as it falls, as well as the drawback of having to bend down to pick it up from the floor.
The invention proposed herein provides a handle for the sweeping brush which solves the mentioned drawback by providing comfort and peace of mind to the user by means of a built-in vertical stabilisation mechanism that is completely novel and presents inventive step, as described and claimed below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In that sense, the handle for a sweeping tool with vertical stabilisation proposed by the invention is configured as an outstanding novelty within its field of application, the characterising details which make it possible and which distinguish it from what is already known today being suitably included in the indications accompanying the present description.
More specifically, as indicated in its title and as introduced in the object thereof, the invention proposes a handle which prevents having to support the sweeping tool either on the wall or on the floor, with said tool keeping itself in a stable vertical position when a circumstance arises which compels the user to require such action.
To that end, the handle proposed by the invention, provided with a configuration common to existing handles in terms of the existence of a longitudinal pole or tube preferably fitted with a grip at the upper end and a male screw thread at the lower end, has a vertical stabilisation mechanism which, by means of a twist of the wrist in the area thereof in which sweeping force is applied, allows positioning, parallel to the handle and in a downward direction, panels present at the lower end, the tips of which will be supported on the floor in order to generate four support points in the tool for vertical support: two points formed by the ends of the brush itself, which will be arranged at the lower end of the handle, and the other two points formed by the tips of the panels in a vertical position perpendicular to the brush, one on each side thereof.
In a standby position of the panels, they are horizontal and supported on the ends of the brush, with the vertical positioning of said panels being caused by means of the twist of the wrist as a result of the mentioned mechanism, which is made up of an outer tube longitudinally and partially surrounding the handle, with a grip present in the upper part and respective panels in the lower part, such that, by means of rotating the outer tube in a specific direction through the grip, it performs a twisting action on the panels and these are automatically positioned in a vertical and downward manner.
By performing a twisting action of the outer tube in an opposite direction through the grip, the panels return to the horizontal standby position facing and supported on the brush by means of the vertical pushing action. To achieve such positioning, when twisting the tube through the grip in the opposite direction, the panels move up as they contact the brush during twisting, forcing the upward movement of the panels and positioning them on the upper part of the brush.
Such horizontal or automatic downward vertical positioning action of the panels is due to the configuration of said panels, being attached by spring hinges to a central element that is fixed at the lower end of the outer tube, and with there being arranged inside said element a second spring with functions of cushioning the tube by means of the spring itself being supported on the brush.
The fixing of the central element with the outer tube is carried out by means of a neck present in the element itself, the fixing of which to the tube is carried out either by means of a pressure clamp present in the neck or by means of constricting the neck by screwing. Such configuration of said fixing allows the height adjustment of the panels in a vertical downward position with respect to the length of the bristles present in the brush. In this way, and depending the height of the bristles, the height of the tips of the panels is adjusted in order to be able to maintain the stability of the tool in the vertical position.
To ensure that the surrounding tube remains in position when it is twisted and does not allow the spring to push it upwards when the user releases the tool to position it vertically, a locking bushing with a protuberance in correspondence with a guide rail present in the grip of the surrounding tube is arranged inside the grip of the surrounding tube and fixed to the handle. In this way, when the surrounding tube is twisted through the grip for vertically positioning the brush, the panels remain in a vertical position due to the stopping effect of the protuberance with the guide rail.
In another embodiment with respect to the grip arranged at the upper end of the pole or tube, and in order to provide the tool with vertical stability when it is supported on a vertical surface through the grip itself, said grip is coated with a material with anti-slip properties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So as to not limit said invention in its variety of embodiments, one embodiment is illustrated below in a simple manner.

Figure 1 depicts a perspective view of the invention.
Figure 2 depicts an exploded view of the invention.
Figure 3 depicts a view of the invention in use.
Figure 4 depicts a view of the invention in another use.
Figure 5 depicts a detailed view of a component (5) of the invention.
Figure 6 depicts a detailed view of another component (6) of the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In reference to the attached figures, considering the numbering shown therein, and in a preferred but non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the handle for a sweeping tool with vertical stabilisation is configured from a central pole or tube (1), preferably with a grip (2) at the upper end and a male screw thread (3) at the lower end, said central pole or tube (1) being partially surrounded by a surrounding tube (4) which comprises, at the upper end of which and fixed to the central pole or tube (1) by a fixing bushing (5), a second grip (6), the lower end of the surrounding tube (4) having a stabilisation element (7) formed by a central element (71)with respective hinged panels (72) at the ends.
The hinging of the hinged panels (72) with the central element (71) is carried out by means of a spring or rubber-type spring element (73).
The arrangement of the stabilisation element (7) with the surrounding tube (4) is carried out by means of passing the surrounding tube through a neck (711) present in the middle part of the central element (71) and fixed to same by means of a pressure clamp (712) present in the neck (711). The lower inner part of the neck (711), which has the surrounding tube (4) going through same and abuts with the brush, comprises a cushioning spring (8).
In another embodiment, the fixing of the surrounding tube (4) with the neck (711) is performed by means of the constriction thereof with the tube (4) through a screwing system (not shown in the figures).
The fixing bushing (5) for fixing the second grip (6) present at the upper end of the surrounding tube (4) has a protuberance (51) which is in correspondence with a guide rail (61) present in the second grip (6).
In another embodiment, the grip (2) arranged at the upper end of the central pole or tube (1) is coated with a material with anti-slip properties.

Claims

A handle for a sweeping tool with vertical stabilisation, configured with a central pole or tube (1), with a grip (2) at the upper end and a male screw thread (3) at the lower end, characterised in that it has a surrounding tube (4) partially surrounding the central pole or tube (1) with a second grip (6) at the upper end fixed to the central pole or tube (1) by a fixing bushing (5), and wherein the lower end of the surrounding tube (4) has a stabilisation element (7) formed by a central element (71) with respective hinged panels (72) at the ends, the panels (72) being hinged with the central element (71) by means of a spring or rubber-type spring element (73), wherein the arrangement of the stabilisation element (7) with the surrounding tube (4) is carried out by means of passing the surrounding tube through a neck (711) present in the middle part of the central element (71) and fixed to same by means of a pressure clamp (712) present in the neck (711), the fixing bushing (5) for fixing the second grip (6) to the surrounding tube (4) comprising a protuberance (51) in correspondence with a guide rail (61) present in the second grip (6), causing, by means of the rotation of the surrounding tube (4), through the action of the spring (73), an automatic positioning of the panels (72) either in a vertical position or in a horizontal position.
The handle for a sweeping tool with vertical stabilisation according to claim 1, characterised in that the protuberance (51) present in the fixing bushing (5) locks and stops the hinged panels (72) by being locked in the guide rail (61) when the surrounding tube (4) is twisted by means of the second grip (6).