GB2584070A

GB2584070A - A squeegee for use with a vacuum pole system

Info

Publication number: GB2584070A
Application number: GB1904301.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ivan Lucian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-03-28
Filing date: 2019-03-28
Publication date: 2020-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-28
Also published as: GB2584070B; GB2580724B; GB201904301D0; GB201908173D0; GB2580724A

Abstract

A squeegee for use with a vacuum pole system (2, fig 1) comprises a squeegee connector 3 to mechanically connect the squeegee to a corresponding pole connector on the end of a pole element of a pole system, a clutch (6, fig 7.1) to clutch a resiliently deformable squeegee blade 7, a housing 8 arranged to connect said clutch to said connector, wherein said housing defines a fluid passage which connects a vacuum nozzle (9, fig 7.1) disposed proximate to the blade to a conduit connecting the fluid passage to a connector port in the connector, the connector port being arranged to allow fluid communication with a bore of a pole element. An articulated joint (fig 6) is preferably provided by the parts (25, 26, fig 6.1) of a toothed rotary clutch which can be loosened to facilitate relative rotary movement of the parts of the joint and tightened to secure the joint in a selected angular orientation, whereby the relative angular orientation of the squeegee can be adjusted.

Description

A SQUEEGEE FOR USE WITH A VACUUM POLE SYSTEM

Technical field

foov The present invention relates to a squeegee capable of attachment to a pole system for use in cleaning surfaces, particularly, smooth surfaces such as glass. The pole system allows surfaces beyond the arm's reach of a user to be cleaned. In particular the squeegee is adapted for use with a pole system such as that disclosed in the applicant's patent GB2547623.

Background art

[002] As is generally well known a squeegee comprises a handle supporting a clutch. The clutch extends perpendicular to the axis of the handle to clutch an elongate blade. The blade projects from the clutch in a manner to facilitate scraping a surface, such as the surface of a window. The blade is shaped and formed from material to resiliently deform when manually applied to scrape the surface.

LOON In a usual window cleaning process liquid cleaning agent, commonly a solution of detergent, is applied to wet the window. In scraping the window surface the cleaning agent and dissolved and suspended fouling runs down the window to collect in gutters, on the ground or floor. Imperfect application of cleaning agent and subsequent scraping is liable to result in streaks on the surface and fouling of the window frame floor or ground, requiring laborious preventative measures to be applied, or a further laborious clean-up process.

[004] To address the problem presented above vacuum assisted squeegees have been developed as exemplified in W02017/108088, WO 2015/161876, WO 2015/007328, WO 2014/032945. In each case a vacuum is generated by an electrically powered pump contained in a housing adapted to be handheld. A squeegee blade is mounted in a clutch forming a part of the housing. The vacuum is generated via a motor and pump within the housing, and applied via ducts to a nozzle adjacent to the squeegee blade. This induces a stream of air over the blade and any adjacent surface. Cleaning agent and any fouling is scraped from the window by the blade and entrained in the stream of air and drawn into the nozzle. Fouled cleaning agent is transferred through a duct to a reservoir contained in the housing where it is captured for later disposal.

LOON The reach of these integrated vacuum enhanced squeegees is little if any more than arms reach for the operator. In order to extend the reach of integrated vacuum squeegees a pole mounting system is known whereby the whole integrated squeegee is attached to a stiff pole. However, this means the entire mass of the integrated squeegee is located at the pole end. This imparts a large moment arm to the pole squeegee assembly and making it difficult to control. The size of the integrated reservoir is necessarily limited and when filled will require emptying. If applied to clean large surfaces the reservoir will fill quickly and require frequent laborious emptying. Increasing the reservoir size and squeegee size will exacerbate the moment arm problem, especially as the reservoir fills up adding mass to the pole end.

[006] Multi-section window cleaning pole systems such as that disclosed in GB2547623 effectively extend the reach of a manual operator to enable the cleaning of windows up to five stories above the operator. Conventionally the pole system mounts a brush at the end remote from the operator and a hose is attached to the assembled pole to deliver a cleaning agent to the brush. Such systems are relatively profligate in their use of cleaning agent. This is a notable issue where the cleaning agent is carried to the site in a tank, which when exhausted will require refilling.

Summary of the invention

[007] Accordingly the present invention provides a squeegee for use with a pole system comprising: a squeegee connector to mechanically connect the squeegee to a corresponding pole connector on the end of a pole element of a pole system; a clutch to clutch a resiliently deformable squeegee blade; a housing arranged to connect said clutch to said connector; wherein said housing defines a fluid passage which connects a vacuum nozzle disposed proximate to the blade to a conduit connecting the fluid passage to a connector port in the connector, the connector port being arranged to allow fluid communication with a bore of a pole element.

[OM Preferably the squeegee connector is a male connector of a bayonet connection having radially projecting elements extending radially outwards from the external surface. The connectable pole end supports a corresponding female bayonet connector including a collar assembly adapted to engage with the radial projections to prevent unwanted longitudinal movement in either longitudinal direction. The collar assembly surrounds an elongate tapering spigot part of the pole which sleeves closely into a correspondingly tapered socket formed within the squeegee connector to achieve a much more rigid and airtight connection than the simple bayonet coupling. The bayonet coupling ensures the tapered socket and spigot coupling does not so tightly engage as to become jammed and difficult to disassemble.

[9] It is contemplated that in a variant of the squeegee the squeegee connector part is a female bayonet fitting compatible with a male bayonet fitting formed on the end of the pole section.

[10] The fluid passage may be provided by a confluence chamber formed in the head and communicating with the vacuum nozzle and the conduit.

[11] The conduit may be provided by a vacuum hose communicating with the confluence chamber and a manifold chamber formed in the squeegee connector and communicating with the spigot receiving socket and thereby the open bore of any connected pole.

[12] The head may advantageously be mounted onto the squeegee connector by means of an articulated joint.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[13] An embodiment of a squeegee for use with a vacuum pole system will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the squeegee assembled with a pole of a pole system; Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the squeegee pole assembly of figure 1; Figure 2.1 is an enlarged fragmental view from figure 2; Figure 2.2 is an enlarged fragmental view from figure 2; Figure 3 is an enlarged left side elevation of the squeegee; Figure 4 is an enlarged isometric south east view of the squeegee showing hidden detail; Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevation of a squeegee connector; Figure 5.1 is a sectional view on the line 5.1-5.1 in figure 5; Figure 6 is a sectional left side elevation of an articulated joint of the squeegee at the scale of figure 5; Figure 6.1 is an isometric south east view of the articulated joint in figure 6; Figure 7 is an enlarged left side elevation of the squeegee head; Figure 7.1 is a left side sectional elevation of the squeegee head in figure 7; Figure 8.1 is a SE isometric view of a variant of the squeegee in which a spigot is formed on the connector to socket into the bore of the pole element in a female bayonet coupling; and Figure 8.2 is an enlarged SE isometric view of the connector of figure 8.1.

Detailed Description of figures

1014] A squeegee 1 for use with a vacuum pole system 2 has a squeegee connector 3 to mechanically connect the squeegee to a corresponding pole connector 4 on the end of a pole element 5 of the pole system. The squeegee 1 has a clutch 6 to clutch a resiliently deformable squeegee blade 7. The clutch 6 is formed as a part of a housing assembly 8 which connects the clutch to the connector 3. A fluid passage connects a vacuum nozzle 9 disposed proximate to the blade to a conduit connecting the fluid passage to a connector port 10 in the connector 3. The connector port 10 is arranged to allow fluid communication with a bore 11 of the pole element 5. In use a remote end of the pole system 2 is communicated with a vacuum pump which evacuates the bore 11.

to 15] The pole system 2 will comprise at least one and usually several (eg seven) pole elements coupled together.

Lois/ The connector 3 comprises a cylindrical tubular part 12 including diametrically opposed bayonet projections 13 which project radially out from the outer surface of the tubular part to engage with a female bayonet coupling collar 14 secured to the end of the pole element 5. Bayonet coupling collar 14 is secured below a tapering spigot part 15 of the pole element 5. The spigot part 15 is closely received into a correspondingly tapered socket 16 formed in the connector until the bayonet coupling collar 14 engages the projections 13.

[017] A manifold chamber 18 is defined between the end of the spigot part 15 which communicates with the open bore 11 and the two diametrically opposed connector ports 10. Each connector port 10 receives a tubular hose coupling spigot 19. A flexible hose 20 is sleeved, one each on to each hose coupling spigot 19.

The connector 3 provides an elongate axially extending tubular coupling member 21 having a threaded end 22.

[o. my An articulated joint is shown in figures 6 and 6.1 and has an internally threaded socket 23 which screws onto the threaded end 22. A shaft 24 extends axially from the socket 23 and supports a first half 25 of a rotary toothed clutch assembly at the end remote from the socket 23. The second half 26 of the rotary toothed clutch is clamped to the first half by means of a screw 27 which may be tightened or loosened to facilitate adjustment of the relative angular orientation of the clutch halves. A hollow shaft 28 extends radially from the second clutch half 26.

[19] The head assembly 8 is formed from a top part 29 secured by means of screws to a bottom part 30. The top part 29 includes an integral socket 31 adapted to tightly receive the shaft 28 and secure thereby to secure the head 8 to the connector 3. The top and bottom parts 29, 30 of the head 8 cooperate to form a confluence chamber 32. The confluence chamber 32 is in communication with each of a pair of head coupling spigots 33. The confluence chamber is also in communication with a vacuum nozzle 9 formed to extend laterally under the blade 7. The blade 9 is clutched between the top and bottom parts 29, 30 by means of spaced ribs 34. Screws 34 may also act to retain the blade. A flexible hose 35 extends, one each between each hose coupling spigot 19 and each head coupling spigot 33 thus providing a fluid passage from the nozzle 9 to the connector port 10 and via the connector manifold chamber 18 to the bore 11 of the pole system 3.

[20] In use the end of the pole system assembly 3 is connected to a vacuum pump to evacuate the bore and thereby the confluence chamber 32. When the blade 7 is scraped across a wet surface air and water are sucked into the confluence chamber and down into the bore of the pole system assembly 3 for discharge to or before the vacuum pump.

[021] The connector of figures 8.1 and 8.2 is generally similar to the connector of the first variant and similar elements are similarly enumerated. However the squeegee has a connector with an elongate hollow bored spigot 33 projecting from the cylindrical tubular part 12. The end of the pole section is provided with a female part of a bayonet coupling 14.1 mounted at the end of the pole section so that the spigot 33 can slide closely into the bore of the pole element and through the female bayonet coupling 14.1 to provide a fluid tight wobble free joint. The exterior surface of the spigot 33 may be frusto conical to mate with a correspondingly frusto conical surface formed in the bore of the pole element.

Claims

Claims 1. A squeegee for use with a vacuum pole system comprising: a squeegee connector to mechanically connect the squeegee to a corresponding pole connector on the end of a pole element of a pole system; a clutch to clutch a resiliently deformable squeegee blade; a housing arranged to connect said clutch to said connector; wherein said housing defines a fluid passage which connects a vacuum nozzle disposed proximate to the blade to a conduit connecting the fluid passage to a connector port in the connector, the connector port being arranged to allow fluid communication with a bore of a pole element.
2. A squeegee according to claim 1 wherein the squeegee connector is a male connector of a bayonet connection having radially projecting elements extending radially outwards from the external surface to engage in a female bayonet collar mounted on an end of a pole element.
3. According to claim 1 wherein the squeegee connector is a female connector of a bayonet connection having a collar to receive radially outwardly projecting elements mounted on an end of a pole element and extending radially outwards from the external surface.
4. A squeegee according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the conduit is provided by a manifold chamber formed in the connector.
5. A squeegee according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the conduit is provided by a confluence chamber provided in the head and communicating between the nozzle and the manifold chamber.
6. A squeegee according to claim 5 wherein the confluence chamber communicates with the manifold chamber via at least one flexible hose.
7. A squeegee according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the head is mounted on the pole element by an articulated joint.
8. A squeegee according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the connector provides an elongate coupling member and the articulated joint is secured onto the coupling member.
9. A squeegee according to claim 8 wherein the articulated joint is provided by the parts of a toothed rotary clutch which can be loosened to facilitate relative rotary movement of the parts of the joint and tightened to secure the joint in a selected angular orientation, whereby the relative angular orientation of the head and the connector can be adjusted.
10. A squeegee according to any one of claim 5 to 9 wherein the confluence chamber is formed by securing together cooperating top and bottom head parts such that the parts can be separated for maintenance.
11. A squeegee according to claim 10 wherein the top and bottom head parts are provided with ribs which cooperate to form the nozzle and to clutch the blade when the parts are secured together.