GB2291791A - Power driven toilet bowl cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

A powered cleaning device for toilet bowls has a speed control and a further control means for instantaneously increasing speed eg if the brush is impeded. The motor may have a field coil assembly comprising a primary coil and a secondary coil connected in series through the armature windings of said motor(s); an electrical power and control circuit for said motor(s); a first multi-speed switch connected in said circuit and having a plurality of contacts each of which is connected to a separate tap of said secondary coil; a second switch connected in said circuit and adapted to cut out a portion of said primary coil on actuation of said second switch in one direction, whereby to increase the speed of said motor(s) instantaneously when the first switch is in any one of its speed positions means permanently biasing said second switch in a direction opposite to said one direction; and a pair of manually operable means for respectively actuating said first and second switches independently of each other. <IMAGE>

Description

ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN WC BRUSH CLEANER Brush cleaners which are electrically driven are well known and widely used home appliances. These varies in its application regarding what it is to be used for, the most common being toothbrushes.

devices utilise either a rotary electric drive or a form of reciprocating, vibratory drive. The working element (i.e the brush ) typically is driven to reciprocate either linearly or through a limited rotary motion. In either case, the working element executes a back and forth motion over the material to he cleaned. In accordance with modern trends, the working element may also execute an oscillating and/or orbital motion, such that the primary working stroke of the brush over the material to be cleaned is effectively unidirectional. Nursing the return motion of the brush, its orbital path tends to retract it away from the material to be cleaned, or at least lessen the pressure during the return stroke.

This invention relates to a system utilising various means as discussed above and elsewhere as part of tis invention to provide an adequate method and technique of performing an effective cleaning operation on the WC utilising various electrically driven brush means, Before this invention, cleaning operation of the WC as far as the inventor is aware, has been done manually using a brush which is 'specially reinforced' for such a purpose. I use 'specially reinforced' here to refer to hardened brittled brushes. This brush so mentioned does the iob but the emphasis is mainly on cleaning the dirty visible part of the wc and not an overall detailed cleaning process as this is a human performed task.With the shape of the wC itself, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to clean underneath the rim beneath the seatina part with such brushes and at the present time, as far as the inventor is aware, only cleaning liquid manufacturers have been able to device a container that can dispence cleaning liquid to reach such difficult areas te stop the multiplication of micro-organisms.

In describing the basis of the cleaning creation of this invention; it maybe necessary, for simplicity sake at this point, to divide the cleaning operation on the basis of the part of the Wc to be cleaned even thouah it is expected that such processes form part of a single product. The inventor has divided the WC into two parts (a) TFE FtERD and (b) THE J?.OPY.

The HEAD of the WC as used anywhere as part of this invention refers to those region encompassing the area beneath the seating portion and area lust below it. The BODY as used anywhere as part of this invention, on the other hand refers to the areas just below the portion described above to the furthest visible point horizontally in the WC make-up.

In the cleaning operation of the head, by ways which forms the basis of this invention, three methods are proposed. In one version, it is proposed that the head be cleaned by a plurality of stationary electrically driven brushes, each with a stem extending handle, each possessing a brushhead at one end of the stem, the rotary motion of each brushing action of the brushhead of each electrical]y driven brush being produced by means of a motor. Such plurality of stationary electric brushes connected to one another within a suitable housing in such a way that the brushheads protruding from the stem of each individual brush, are visible and uninhibited from its proposed mode of action, form a spherical array of brushing part capable of effectively performing the operation which its set out to do i.e clean underneath the seat portion of the WC.It is also proposed that a number of oscillating brushhead connected as discussed above to form a spherical array of brushing part each driven by a slotted roller and an eccentric pin on a shaft within the stem would do the same job. Each electrically driven brush possesing a brushhead similar to being a miniature of a brushhead used as a toothbrush as described in BRITISH PATENT GB 2,089,201 issued to Frank Mitchell Hunter on 23 June 1982 but with variations in brushhead and parts enclosed in casing as this will be done centrally. The above obiective can also be achieved by a collection of brushheads forming a spherical brushing part as described above but with each individual electrically driven brush exhibiting an orbital brushing action similar to that in US 4,175,299 issued to Walter D.Teague, Jnr of Nov. 27, 1979. Another important feature of this patent although it's not peculiar to this present invention, is the provision for periodic discharge of rinse water through the brushhead. If used in conduction with what we propose, it will further enhance the cleaning efficiency and make up for the irregular distribution of water especially in the underneath portion of the seatmg part of the WC, that presently exist as part of flushing mechanism.

In another preferred version of the proposed method of cleaning the head, it is advocated that a spherical array of brushing parts as put together by methods described above or otherwise consisting of a number of brushheads be transported in a chain-llnk, this made to revolve around static or mobile structure ensuring that it be driven in a spherical manner and cleaning the underneath portion of the seat part of the WC. It is proposed that such structure witl be powered by a motor.Tt may be that in order to achieve the desired oal with respect to effectively cleaning the underneath portion of seat part of the WC, that the brushheads be located at an sliaht anale fcr this to be done effectively, this relates to both versions proposed for cleaning the HEAD.The base of the case enclosing such a cleaning apparatus being one which has a smaller diameter and therefore can fit into a WC easily before the brushes find their base. It may also be that there are portions of the spherical brushing art as described as part of this invention that will have to be done away witch inorder to achieve such a goal but still achieve maximum cleaning efficiency or a mechanism that allows for increases and decreases in the diameter of the spherical brushing part such that each brushhead can be systematically folded on entering journey into the WC and then unfolded once in to form the spherical brushing part it is meant to, inorder to perform its said funtions. It may be that a connection be made between the brush head and its rotating means or below its rotating means for this purpose to be carried out.

In another version proposed for cleaning the head, even though this is expected to form a separate part of a complete cleaning apparatus i.e one comprising means for cleaning both the head and body simultaneously, it is proposed that the head be cleaned by a brushhead which is driven in an orbital path, such orbital path similar in dimensions to that of the spherical portion of the seatina part of the WC, by an electric motor drive. In relation to the above, an output shaft eminating from the electric motor carries a displacement arm Drovided with a notch in its outer end. The lower end of the wobble shaft is received in this notch. Accordingly, when the motor shaft is rotated, the lower end of the wobble shaft is driven through an orbital path as a funtion of the effective radius and rotation of the dispIacement arm. This orbital motion cf the wobble shaft is translated directly to the brushhead to achieve the desired orbital motion of the bristles. It may also be that the brushhead be displaced at an angle for this funtion to be effectively carried out.

In the cleaning operation of the BODY, by ways which forms part of this invention, a way is proposed that takes the shape of the BODY into consideration. In the description of the body, starting from the anterior end of the seating position downwards, the body slopes downward gradually until a point is reached where there is a break in curvature and then the body slopes downward outward till it reaches the furthest part visible in the water retaining region. And from the posterior end of the seating part of the WC, this does not show much changes as the body slopes downward gradually. A system desianed to clean the body must there ore take this into consideration.

By ways which forms part of this present invention, it is advocated that the body be cleaned by a pair of brush carrying means; one longer than the other, the shorter one anticipated to clean the part clever to the anterior end as mentioned previously and the longer one to clean the parts nearer to the posterior end. Such brush carrying means modified to take account of the body into consideration. It is advocated that the smaller brush carrying means might be a bit bigger horizontally than the longer one as this has more potential area to clean than the other. It is anticipated that a universal electric motor present in a housing comprising other parts described as part of this invention, is drivenly connected to rotate these two brush carryina means.These two brush carrying means similar in shape to a pair of enlarged modified whippers i.e instrument for 'whipping/whiskina, eggs or cream tut made to carry in its mode of action inter-twined brittle brush similar or not to that employed for use as brushheads described for head cleaning. It may also be that the bottom part of the longer whipper-like brush means also carrv an additional ring brush suitable for cleaning parts cutside the rotary brushing stroke zone of such means. This would be useful for cleaning around water retaining areas around the part connecting a wC to its plumbing network.

In a different proposal capable of simultaneously cleaning both the head and the body, it is proposed that the ejectable whipper-liE.e brush carrying means, each also carry at some point near the top end of such means, a different brush carrying means capable of cleaning under."eath and outside the rim of the WC when such whipper-like means are rotated by means of a motor as explained as part of thic invention.It may also be that other means are present to make up for those part not cleaned due to the spherical nature of the seat portion or the WC, such means also rotated by similar mechanism but suspended between or somewhere along said whipper-like brush carrying means In the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention utilising means for cleaning both 'he head and the body simultanesuslv, this invention relates to an electric WC cleaner having a speed control.Electric WC cleaner as used herein refers to a system comprising brushing means for both hea and or body cleaning and means for drivin such means as described as part of this invention and WC cleaning means refers to the brush part(s) employed for such systems.

Viewed from one aspect, the invention provides a WC cleaner with speed control comprising a housing, electric motor(s) mounted in said housing and adapted for driving WC cleaning means mountable in said housing, an electrical power and control circuit for said motor(s); first speed control means for said motor(s) connected in said circuit and having a plurality of speed positions, second speed control means connected in said circuit and adapted when actuated to instantaneously increase the speed of said motor(s) when said first control means is in any one of said speed control means into a non-actuated conditions, and manually operable means for actuating said second speed control means against the action of said biasing means.

Viewed from another aspect the invention provides an electric WC cleaner with speed control comprising a housing; universal motor(s) mounted in said housing and adapted for driving WC cleansing means mountable in said housing, said motor(s) having a field coil assembly comprising a primary coil and a secondary coil connected in series through the armature winding of said motor; an electrical power and control circuit for said motor(s); a first, multispeed switch connected in said circuit and having a plurality of contacts each of which is connected to a separate tap of said secondary coil; a second switch connected in said circuit and adapted to cut out a portion of said primary coil on actuation of said second switch in one direction, whereby to increase the speed of said motors instantaneously when the first switch is in any one of its speed positions; means permanently biasing said second switch in a direction opposite to said one direction; and a pair of manually operable means for respectivel actuating said first and second switches independently of each other.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a WC cleaner with speed control comprises a housing and formed integrally with a vertica! post provided on the upper portion of the housing. A universal electric motor(s) in the housing is dlrivincrls connected to rotate a pair of brush-carrying whipper-like structure as-descrjbed as part of this invention especially relating, to the cleaning mode of the head and means for ejecting the whipper-like structure for cleaning, storage and/or replacement is also provlded.The speed control comprises a first, rotary switch having a pluralitv of steed positions with a control lever thereof extending upwardly through the top of the vertical post portion of the housing, the control lever being pivotally actuated in a direction forwardly and rearwardly in the handle, and a second, slide switch which is connected in the niotor(s) circuit by means of a tap connected to the motor(s) field coil assembly. A switch lever for the slide switch is pivotally mounted on the forward end of the vertical post of the housing whereby downward pressure thereon actuates the slide switch through a switch link which is connected at its lower end to an actuating button of the slide switch and which extends upwardly through the top of the vertical post and into abutting engagement with the underside of the switch lever.The switch lever for the slide switch has a slot formed therin which accomodates the control lever of the rotary switch, with this motor(s) speed control, actuation of the slide switch lever provides an instantaneous increase in speed and power of the cleaner motor in any position in which the rorarv switch is set. Preferably, the power increases vary from approximately 80% at the lowest speed setting to approxlrnately 20a: at the highest speed setting.

With the WC cleaner of the present invention, a person using this cleaner is provided with the ability to instantaneously increase the speed and power of the same should the brush get caught in any part of the WC, tending to slow down the cleaner. Momentarily changes of speed during cleaning operation have also been found to provide a more effective cleaning operation.

In the preferred embodiment, the second speed control means can be actuated ver simply and quickly manually through pressure by the thumb on the switch lever and the speed can be reduced nust as quickly should there he sone unexpected splashing of the water in the WC. The switch lever of the second speed control means can be actuated much more quickly than switching back and forth the lever of the rotary switch.

In the accompanying drawings which are more or less diagramatic, Fig. 1 is a view of a WC showing parts taken into account for cleaning purposes.

Fig. 2 is a view of a system comprising both head and body cleaning means.

Fig. 3 is a different form of equipment :described in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a WC cleaner showing few means for head cleaning.

Claims (19)

1. A WC cleaner with speed control comprising a housing, electric motor(s) mounted in said housing and adapted for driving wC cleaning means mountable in said housing, an electrical power and control circuit for said motor(s) first speed control means for said motor(s) connected in said circuit and having a p]norality of speed positions, second speed control means connected in said circuit and adapted when actuated to instantaneously increase the speed of said motor(s) when said first control means is in any one of said speed positions, means biasing said second speed control means into a nonactuated condition, and manually operable means for actuating said second speed control means against the said biasing means.

2. A WC cleaner as claimed in claim 1, wherein said motor(s) is/are universalS motor(s) including a field coil assembly.

3. A WC cleaner as claimed in claim 2 wherein actuation of said second control means cuts out a portion of said field coil assembly.

4. A WC cleaner as claimed in claim 3 wherein said field coil assembly of said motor(s) includes a primary coil and a secondary coil connected in series through the armature windrngs and wherein actuation of said second speed control means cuts out a portion of said primary coil whereby to increase the speed of said motor(s).

5. A WC cleaner as claimed in any preceeding claim wherein said first speed control means comprises a multi-speed rotary switch.

6. A WC cleaner as claimed in claims 2 and 5 wherein said rotary switch has a plurality of contacts each of which is connected to a separate tap of said field coil assembly.

7. A WC cleaner as claimed in any preceeding claims wherein said second speed control means comprises a sliding switch.

e. A WC cleaner as claimed in any preceeding claim wherein said housing is provided with a handle portion and said manually operable means, and means for actuating said first speed control means, are positioned adjacent said handle portion of said housing.

9. A WC cleaner as claimed in claim 8 wherein said manually operable means comprises a switch lever pivotally mounted on said handle portion for downwardly actuating movement relative to said handle portion, vertically aligned lonvitudinally extending slots are formed in the top surface of said handle portion and in said switch lever, and a pivotally mounted control lever for actuating said first sPeed control means projects upwardly through said aligned slots for movement forwardly and rearwardly therein.

10. A WC cleaner as claimed in claim 9 wherein a foam pad is disposed between the upper surface of said handle portion and the underside of the said switch lever whereby to cushion operation of said switch lever.

11. A WC cleaner as claimed in claim 10 wherein said foam pad is slotted to accommodate said control lever.

12. A WC cleaner as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein said switch lever overlies the forward end of the said handle portion and is pivotally connected at its forward end to said handle portion.

13. A WC cleaner as claimed in claim 12 wherein said switch lever has a top wall portion, depending side wall portions, and a depending front wail portion, upward pivoting movement of said switch lever being limited by engagement of said depending front wall portion with a forward end surface of said handle portion.

14. A WC cleaner as claimed in claim 12 or 13 including a switch link having its lower end connected to an actuating button of said second speed control means and its upper end projecting upwardly through an opening provided in the upper surface of said handle portion into abutting engagement with the underside of said switch lever towards the rear end thereof with said rear end of said switch lever being biased by y said second speed control means through said switch link intro a slightly raised position above the upper surface of said handle portion.

15. A WC cleaner as claimed in any preceeding claim wherein an angular bracket is mounted in said housing, and wherein both said first and second speed control means are mounted on said bracket.

16. A wC cleaner as claimed in claim 15 wherein a switch link is provided for actuation of said second speed control means, and auide means are provided on said bracket and on said first speed control means for said switch link.

17. A WC cleaner with the speed control comprising a housing , universal motor(s) mounted in said housing and adapted for driving WC cleaning means mountable in said housing , said motor(s) having a field coil assembly comprising a primary coil and a secondary coil connected in series through the armature windings of said motor(s); an electrical power and control circuit for said motor(s); a first multi-speed switch connected in said circuit and having a plurality of contacts each of which is connected to a separate tap of said secondary coil: a second switch connected in said circuit and adapted to cut out a portion of said primary coil on actuation of said second switch in one direction, whereby to increase the speed of said motor(s) instantaneously when the first switch is in any one of its speed positions; means permanently biasing said second switch in a direction opposite to said one direction opposite to said one direction; and a pair of manually operable means for respectively actuating said first and second switches independently of each other.

18. An electric WO cleaner as claimed in claim 17, wherein said first, multispeed switch is a rotary switch having a pivotally mounted actuator.

19. A WC cleaner substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.