GB2368271A

GB2368271A - Cleaning utensil with integral liquid reservoir and dispensing valve

Info

Publication number: GB2368271A
Application number: GB0026305A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Duncan Spelman; Carl Stone
Original assignee: Vale Mill Rochdale Ltd
Current assignee: Vale Mill Rochdale Ltd
Priority date: 2000-10-27
Filing date: 2000-10-27
Publication date: 2002-05-01
Also published as: GB0114576D0; GB0026305D0

Abstract

A cleaning utensil comprises a hollow, liquid-receiving handle 10 with reservoir 18, having an outlet 38, a cleaning head 12 in registry with the outlet and a slidable actuator 42 provided on the handle for opening and closing the outlet, the actuator including a valve member 46 which is slidable across the outlet to effect opening and closing. The valve member is provided with an integral projection 54 for co-operation with the outlet 38. The outlet may be provided in a surface which interfaces with a detachable shoe 24 provided with a cleaning or scouring element or element(s) 34/36, the shoe having an aperture 32 which registers with the outlet so as to allow liquid flow to the cleaning/scouring element(s)

Description

CLEANING UTENSILS This invention relates to cleaning utensils.

Cleaning utensils of the type comprising a handle provided with a cleaning head are in widespread use and are typically used in conjunction with a cleaning liquid. Such utensils for example are used in the kitchen for cleaning dishes and pots, pans and the like. The cleaning head is typically in the form of a brush or scouring pad.

It is already known to produce the handle in such a way that it can be filled with cleaning liquid so that the liquid can be fed to the cleaning head during use. It is also known to produce the cleaning head as a detachable unit.

The present invention seeks to provide improvements in control of liquid supply from the liquid containing handle to the cleaning head.

According to the present invention there is provided a cleaning utensil comprising a hollow, liquid-receiving handle having an outlet, a cleaning head in registry with the outlet and a slidable actuator provided on the handle for opening and closing the outlet, the actuator including a valve member which is slidable across the outlet to effect opening and closing.

The actuator may be a one-piece moulding incorporating the valve member.

The valve member may be so arranged that, in one position of the actuator it closes the outlet and, in a second position, it acts as a detent to hold the actuator in the second position.

In one embodiment of the invention the slidable actuator comprises a first part located on one side of the handle and accessible to the user while holding the handle, a second part which extends through the handle and a third part which extends alongside the opposite side of the handle and is provided with the valve member.

The third part of the actuator may be in the form of a flexible tongue which biases the valve member inwardly with respect to the outlet. To this end, the outlet may be provided at the base of a recess for receiving a projection on the tongue which forms the valve member.

The valve member may be located at or adjacent one end of the flexible tongue and the arrangement may be such that sliding of the actuator relative to the handle moves the valve member from the outlet closing position into a recess and the tongue biases the valve member into the recess to provide a detect action to retain the actuator in the liquid dispensing position.

The cleaning head is preferably detachable from the handle, for instance so that more than one type of cleaning head can be used with the handle.

The handle may for example have at one end a surface which interfaces with a shoe portion of the cleaning head and the shoe portion may be designed to clip on to that end of the handle.

The shoe may include an aperture for registry with the outlet of the handle so that liquid flow from the handle passes through the shoe into the cleaning feature or features of the cleaning head, e. g. brush bristles or a sponge which may be provided with a scouring pad.

The tongue of the actuator may be located and movable between the shoe and an adjacent surface of the handle.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the utensil ; Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the utensil with the actuator shown in its liquid dispensing position; and Figure 3 is a similar view to that of Figure 2 but showing the actuator in the outlet closure position.

Referring now to the drawings, a kitchen cleaning utensil comprises a hollow handle 10 and a cleaning head 12 fitted to one end of the handle. At its opposite end, the handle is provided with a removable sealing cap 14 which is screw-threadedly engaged with an inlet 16 of the handle. The interior of the handle forms a liquidreceiving reservoir 18 which extends from the rear end of the handle to its forward end.

The interior of the handle is filled with liquid, such as a liquid detergent, via the inlet 16.

The cleaning head 12 includes a shoe 20 having a base 22 which fits against a lower surface of the handle, the base 22 being formed with a lip 24 forming with the base a pocket for reception of the adjacent end portion 26 of the handle.

Attachment of the base 22 to the handle is completed by a clip arrangement 28 comprising a projection 30 on the handle received in an aperture 32 at the rear end of the base. The base is made, e. g. as a single piece plastics moulding, of a resiliently deformable material so that the cleaning head 12 can be detached from the handle by flexing the base sufficiently to disengage the projection 30 and aperture 32. In the illustrated embodiment, the cleaning head 12 comprises a layer 34 of sponge type material and a layer 36 of material suitable for scouring pots, pans and such like.

An alternative cleaning head may be in the form of other scouring or cleaning elements/materials such as a brush with bristles extending from the base 22. In practice, the same handle may be used with the different types of cleaning head simply by detaching one and substituting another, according to the particular task to be carried out. The forward end of the shoe is upturned to form a scraper 25.

Liquid is dispensed from the interior of the handle into the cleaning head through an outlet 38 in the lower surface of the handle, the outlet 38 being in registry with an aperture 40 in the base 22 when the cleaning head is fitted to the handle. The outlet 38 comprises a small opening at the base of a recess 39 in the wall of the handle.

Opening and closing of the outlet 38 is accomplished by means of an actuator 42 mounted for sliding movement on the handle between the positions shown in Figures 2 and 3. The actuator 42 comprises a finger or thumb portion 44 located on the upper side of the handle, a tongue 46 extending along the lower side of the handle and a bridging portion 48 which extends through a slot 50 in the handle, the slot 50 being elongatd in the longitudinal direction relative to the handle. The tongue 46 is slidable to and fro in a space located between the lower surface of the handle and the upper surface of the shoe base 22. The upper side of the handle is formed with a channel 52 which seats the finger/thumb portion 44 for sliding movement longitudinally of the handle.

The actuator 42 is produced as a one-piece plastics moulding and the tongue 46 is made sufficiently thin as to be flexibly deformable. Adjacent its free end, the tongue 46 is provided with an integral projection 54 forming a valve head for co-operation with the outlet 38. In the closed position of the actuator, the projection 54 seats in the recess 39 and seals the outlet. In this position, it also acts as a detent in that rearward sliding of the actuator is resisted by the flexible tongue which biases the projection 54 into the recess 39.

Application of modest effort however is sufficent to overcome the resistance afforded by the flexible tongue and appropriate operation of the actuator 42 withdraws the projection 54 rearwardly to open the outlet 38 and allow liquid flow into the cleaning head. In the fully open position (see Figure 2), the projection 54 seats in a second recess 56 located on the lower surface of the handle to the rear of the recess 39.

Again the projection 54 together with the recess 56 provides a detent action which, by virtue of the resilient nature of the tongue, serves to resist movement of the actuator from the open position to the closed position.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance, it should be understood that the Applicant seeks protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features disclosed herein and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed on such feature or features.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A cleaning utensil comprising a hollow, liquid-receiving handle having an outlet, a cleaning head in registry with the outlet and a slidable actuator provided on the handle for opening and closing the outlet, the actuator including a valve member which is slidable across the outlet to effect opening and closing.
2. A utensil as claimed in Claim 1 in which the actuator is a one-piece moulding incorporating the valve member.
3. A utensil as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 in which the valve member is so arranged that, in one position of the actuator it closes the outlet and, in a second position, it acts as a detent to hold the actuator in the second position.
4. A utensil as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3 in which the slidable actuator comprises a first part located on one side of the handle and accessible to the user while holding the handle, a second part which extends through the handle and a third part which extends alongside the opposite side of the handle and is provided with the valve member.
5. A utensil as claimed in Claim 4 in which the third part of the actuator is in the form of a flexible tongue which biases the valve member inwardly with respect to the outlet
6. A utensil as claimed in Claim 5 in which the outlet is provided at the base of a recess for receiving a projection on the tongue which forms the valve member.
7. A utensil as claimed in Claim 5 or 6 in which the valve member is located at or adjacent one end of the flexible tongue and the arrangement is such that sliding of the actuator relative to the handle moves the valve member from the outlet closing position into a recess and the tongue biases the valve member into the recess to provide a detect action to retain the actuator in the liquid dispensing position.
8. A utensil as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7 in which the cleaning head is detachable from the handle.
9. A utensil as claimed in Claim 8 in which the handle has at one end a surface which interfaces with a shoe portion of the cleaning head and the shoe portion is designed to clip on to that end of the handle.
10. A utensil as claimed in Claim 9 in which the shoe includes an aperture for registry with the outlet of the handle so that liquid flow from the handle passes through the shoe into the cleaning feature or features of the cleaning head.
11. A utensil as claimed in Claim 10 when dependent on any one of Claims 5 to 7 in which the tongue of the actuator is located and movable between the shoe and an adjacent surface of the handle.
12. A cleaning utensil substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.