GB2436790A

GB2436790A - Cleaning device for window glass

Info

Publication number: GB2436790A
Application number: GB0701511A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Stephen James; David Frederick Polley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-07
Filing date: 2007-01-26
Publication date: 2007-10-10
Also published as: GB2436788A; GB0701511D0; GB0607033D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device 1 for washing glass windows, and in particular a portable device having a wheeled container 2 for holding a quantity of window cleaning liquid 50 and a hand-held cleaning implement 4 including a cleaning head 6 supplied through a powered pump with the cleaning liquid when used to clean glass windows. The device comprises a housing 12, at least one wheel 14 connected to the housing 12 for transporting the housing across the ground, a divider 44 dividing the housing into an upper portion 40 and a lower portion 42. The upper portion 40 of the housing forms a liquid container 41, 41' for holding a quantity of cleaning liquid. The device 1 also has an electrically driven pump 52 for pumping cleaning liquid from the liquid container 41, 41', a battery power source 49 for powering the pump 52, a hand-held cleaning implement (4, fig 1) including a cleaning head (6, fig 1) for cleaning engagement with window glass, and a liquid conduit 10, 70 leading from the pump 52 to the cleaning implement (4, fig 1) by which cleaning liquid pumped from the liquid container 41, 41' reaches the cleaning head (6, fig 1) for cleaning window glass. The lower portion 42 of the housing houses beneath the liquid container 41, 41' both the battery power source 49 and the pump 52.

Description

2436790

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Cleaning Device for Window Glass

BACKGROUND

5 a. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device for washing glass windows, and in particular a portable device having a wheeled container for holding a quantity of window cleaning liquid, for example purified water, and a hand-held cleaning 10 implement including a cleaning head supplied through a powered pump with the cleaning liquid when used to clean glass windows.

b. Related Art

15 Cleaning windows properly requires a good supply of cleaning liquid, for example clean water to which a soap solution or other cleaning additives have been added. When cleaning just a few windows a bucket of water may suffice, but when cleaning a larger number of windows it is inconvenient to have to re-fill a bucket or to carry around a heavier container holding a greater amount of cleaning liquid.

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A number of devices for cleaning window glass have therefore been proposed having a wheeled container for holding cleaning liquid connected via a hose to a brush, squeegee or other such cleaning head, to which the cleaning liquid is supplied as needed. Examples of such prior art cleaning devices having a 25 powered pump to deliver the cleaning liquid include those shown in patent documents, GB 1 203 790 A, GB 1 577 611 A and US 4 170 805. While a powered pump is in many ways more convenient than a manually pumped arrangement, such as that disclosed in GB 2 017 488 A, the weight of the pump motor and power unit, when added to the weight of the cleaning liquid, has meant that such 30 powered pump window cleaning devices have generally been heavy, bulky and difficult to manoeuvre. This is particularly a problem when cleaning windows in a domestic, as opposed to commercial, environment, as then it is often necessary to

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move the cleaning device through confined spaces or across uneven or soft surfaces such as gravel or grass.

A related problem arises in that it in all cases necessary to maintain the balance of 5 any wheeled cleaning device. Prior art wheeled cleaning devices have therefore tended to be relatively large or wide. This has limited the appeal of such devices, particularly for the cleaning of window glass in a domestic environment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a more convenient device for 10 washing window glass.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

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According to the invention, there is provided a cleaning device for cleaning window glass, comprising:

a housing;

at least one wheel connected to the housing for transporting the housing 20 across the ground;

a divider dividing the housing into an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion of the housing forming a liquid container for holding a quantity of cleaning liquid;

an electrically driven pump for pumping cleaning liquid from the liquid 25 container;

a battery power source for powering the pump;

a hand-held cleaning implement including a cleaning head for cleaning engagement with window glass;

a liquid conduit leading from the pump to the cleaning implement by which 30 cleaning liquid pumped from the liquid container reaches the cleaning head for cleaning window glass;

wherein the lower portion of the housing houses beneath the liquid

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container both the battery power source and the pump.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cleaning liquid is purified water.

5 The hand-held cleaning implement will normally include an extension pole at one end of which is provided the cleaning head.

The battery power source will most conveniently include a rechargeable battery, with means being provided by which the battery can be replaced when discharged 10 or alternatively, recharged in situ.

Compared with other arrangements, having a housing with upper and lower portions together with the placement both the battery power source and the pump beneath the liquid container provides a number of benefits. Batteries, particularly 15 lead-acid batteries, can be quite heavy owing to the metal inside the battery casing. This will lower the centre of gravity of the device, particularly when the container is low on cleaning liquid. Another benefit is that the lateral extent of the device can be minimised, with the container being essentially stacked on the pump and battery power supply. This helps with the manual manoeuvrability of the 20 device. A further benefit is that the pump and battery power source in this location are relatively protected from knocks and bumps.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the divider forms a floor to the liquid chamber, so that the pump and battery are located beneath the floor. The floor 25 may be flat, but in a preferred embodiment of the invention the floor has a step, with the battery being beneath a raised section of the floor on one side of the step and the pump being beneath a lowered section of the floor on the other side of the step.

30 The upper and lower portions of the housing are preferably defined by common external walls that extend in opposite directions respectively upwards and downwards from the divider. This helps to maintain a compact arrangement.

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ln a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is a pair of generally parallel wheels on opposite sides of the housing for running the device over the ground. The housing then has a lower-most section spaced away from an axis between 5 the wheels to form a tripod support for the device when stationary.

The hand-held cleaning implement may conveniently include a manual control for controlling the flow of cleaning liquid to the cleaning head. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the manual control being in-line with the liquid 10 conduit and including a flow control valve.

The device may conveniently comprise a handle for helping a user to wheel the device across the ground, the handle extending across an external surface of the housing. In this case, one or more features, such as clips, may be provided 15 adjacent the handle so that the pole may be secured to the housing adjacent the handle when not in use.

20 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

25 Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front and one side of a cleaning device for window glass according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, comprising a wheeled trolley and a glass cleaning brush at one end of an extension pole;

30 Figure 2 is another perspective view of the cleaning device of Figure 1,

showing a rear side of the device to which is affixed a push handle;

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Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, showing how the push handle may be raised to expose a battery compartment at the rear base of the trolley;

5 Figure 4 is a horizontal cross-section view through the trolley, through the plane indicated by IV-IV in Figure 2, showing in dashed outline the location of the wheels, battery and a liquid pump; and

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-section view through the trolley, along the 10 separate planes indicated by V-V and V'-V' in Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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Figure 1 shows a cleaning device 1 for cleaning window glass, comprising a wheeled trolley 2, and a hand-held cleaning implement 4 including a glass cleaning brush 6 at one end of an extension pole 8. A flexible plastic pipe 10 connects the trolley 2 to the brush.

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As shown in Figures 1-3, the trolley 2 is formed from a housing 12 having a generally square cross-section, a pair of wheels 14 on opposite sides 16,17 of the housing, and a tubular push handle 15 that extends vertically from a rear side 18 of the housing. The wheels 14 are joined by an axle 20 beneath the housing that 25 runs parallel with the rear side 18 and which is closer to the rear side than an opposite front side 19. In use, the handle 15 helps a user to wheel the device 1 across the ground.

In this example, the housing is formed from a sheet plastic material for example 30 polypropylene, bonded together at seams by an adhesive or by heat welding.

The handle 15 is retained to the rear side of the housing 12 by means of two

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horizontal strips of material 22, 23 which extend across the width of the rear side and which may be the same plastic material as the remainder of the housing 12. Each strip 22, 23 is curved around the handle 15 to hold the handle 15 against the rear surface 18, but with some clearance so that the handle may be slid up and 5 down within limits, as explained below.

A bottom end of the handle 15 is securely seated in a cup-shaped recess 24 in a movable plate 26 which, as shown in Figure 2, normally extends parallel with and external to the rear surface 19 along a lowermost portion of the housing 12.

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The plate 26 can be lifted by lifting the handle in a vertical direction, as shown in Figure 3, to expose a compartment 28 at the bottom of the housing 12. The plate is guided in its movement and held close to the rear surface by means of a pair of elongate vertical slats 30 which are bonded or otherwise secured to the housing 15 12 at upper and lower ends thereof, to form a slot 32 between each slat 30 and the housing 12. The plate 26 runs vertically in the slots 32 as the handle 15 is raised and lowered. This provides access to the compartment 28 as needed.

The degree of travel of the plate 26 in the downwards direction is limited by an end 20 stop 34 which projects horizontally from a rear lower edge 35 of the housing 12.

Reference is now made to Figures 4 and 5 which show various cross sections through the trolley 2 and housing 12. The housing is sub-divided into an upper portion 40 forming a liquid container 41 for holding window washing liquid, which 25 preferably consists solely of purified water 50, and a lower portion 42 by means of a water-tight stepped divider 44. The divider 44 is generally horizontal, but includes an upper section 45 and a lower section 46 separated by a vertical step 47, so that the liquid container 41 has a lowermost region 41'. Beneath the divider is a rearwards battery compartment 48 housing a rechargeable lead-acid battery 30 49 battery and a forwards pump compartment 51 housing a pump 52 electrically driven by the battery 49. In this example the sub-divided lower compartments 48, 51 are separated by an optional dividing wall 54, but these could be combined into

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one compartment. The pump compartment 51 is generally below the level of the battery compartment 48.

The housing lower-most section 51 is nearly as low as the bottom of the wheels 5 14, and is spaced away from an axis defined by the axle 20 between the wheels to form a tripod support for the device 1 when stationary. The wheels 14 are joined by the axle 20 which extends beneath a lower surface 74 of the housing 12 generally above the level of the lower-most section 51 of the housing 12. The arrangement is such that when the liquid chamber 41, 41' is empty or filled with

10 cleaning liquid, which is here purified water 50, both wheels 14 and the lower surface 76 of the lower-most section 51 can rest on the ground with the centre of gravity of the device 1 lying within an area defined by the contract with the ground of the wheels 14 and the lower-most section 51 of the housing 12.

15 A liquid-free triangular cross-section conduit or channel 56 leads upwards from the battery compartment 48 to an upper side or surface 60 of the housing 12 for conveying wires 62 to a user-control in the form of an on/off switch 64 for switching the pump 52 on and off.

20 The divider 44 is perforated by a liquid inlet 66 leading from the liquid chamber 41, 41' to the pump 51 and by an extension 70 of the pipe 10, which passes upwards through the liquid chamber 41', 41' and through an aperture 72 in the housing 12 upper side 60.

25 The sliding door 26 of the housing 12 provides access to the battery power source 49 when this is to be replaced or recharged.

A manual control 80 is provided in-line with the liquid conduit 10 and includes a flow control valve (not shown) operated by a trigger 82. Cleaning liquid in the

30 downstream portion of the conduit is pressurised when the on/off switch is on. The pump is operated to maintain pressure and deliver a flow of liquid along the conduit 10 when the trigger 82 is pulled.

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In use, a user wheels the trolley 2 into position brings, switches on the switch 64, beings the cleaning head 6 up against window glass (not shown), pulls the trigger 64 to operate the pump and apply sufficient cleaning liquid to the cleaning head 6.

The low centre of gravity and compact arrangement of the components forming the trolley 2 speed up and generally facilitate the use of the device 1 in a wide range of window cleaning environments. The present invention therefore provides a convenient device for washing window glass.

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Claims

1. A cleaning device for cleaning window glass, comprising:

a housing;

5 at least one wheel connected to the housing for transporting the housing across the ground;

10 an electrically driven pump for pumping cleaning liquid from the liquid container;

a battery power source for powering the pump;

15 a liquid conduit leading from the pump to the cleaning implement by which cleaning liquid pumped from the liquid container reaches the cleaning head for cleaning window glass;

wherein the lower portion of the housing houses beneath the liquid container both the battery power source and the pump.

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2. A cleaning device as claimed in Claim 1, in which the divider forms a floor to the liquid chamber.

3. A cleaning device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the divider is 25 perforated by a liquid inlet leading from the liquid chamber to the pump and by the liquid conduit, said conduit passing upwards through the liquid chamber.

4. A cleaning device as claimed in Claim 3, in which the liquid conduit exits the liquid chamber through an upper surface of the housing.

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5. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the upper and lower portions of the housing are defined by common external walls that

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extend in opposite directions respectively upwards and downwards from the divider.

6. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the lower 5 portion of the housing is sub-divided into a pump chamber holding the pump and a battery chamber holding the battery power source.

7. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the lower portion of the housing has a single chamber holding both the pump and the battery

10 power source.

8. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim in which the housing has a sliding door for providing access to the battery power source.

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9. A cleaning device as claimed in Claim 8, in which the sliding door is arranged to slide along an external surface of the housing.

10. A cleaning device as claimed in Claim 8 or 9, comprising a handle for helping a user to wheel the device across the ground, in which the sliding door is

20 joined to the handle such that the door may be opened and closed by moving the handle.

11. A cleaning device as claimed in Claim 9, in which the handle is slideably held to a side of the housing.

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12. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which a liquid-free conduit extends from the lower portion of the housing to an upper surface of the housing, wiring being provided along said conduit to a user control on said upper surface for controlling operation of the electrically driven pump.

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13. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which there is a pair of generally parallel wheels on opposite sides of the housing for running the

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device over the ground, and the housing has a lower-most section spaced away from an axis between said wheels to form a tripod support for the device when stationary.

14. A cleaning device as claimed in Claim 13, in which said wheels are joined by an axle which extends beneath a lower surface of the housing above the level of the lower-most section of the housing.

15. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the lower portion of the housing has a lower section holding the pump and an upper section holding the battery.

16. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the handheld cleaning implement includes a manual control for controlling the flow of cleaning liquid to the cleaning head, said manual control being in-line with the liquid conduit and including a flow control valve.

17. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the handheld cleaning implement includes an extension pole at one end of which is provided the cleaning head, wherein the device comprises:

a handle for helping a user to wheel the device across the ground, the handle extending across an external surface of the housing; and one or more features adjacent the handle so that the pole may be secured to the housing adjacent the handle when not in use.

18. A cleaning device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the liquid container holds a quantity of cleaning liquid, said cleaning liquid consisting of purified water.

19. A cleaning device for window glass, substantially as herein described, with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings.