SE2030118A1 - Toilet brush with telescoping members defining a pump for cleaning liquid and a check valve - Google Patents

Abstract

A toilet brush comprising an enclosable hollow body (10) for containing a cleaning liquid to be dispensed into a toilet bowl through a dispensing opening (50) in the hollow body, the hollow body (10) including a proximal handle portion (12) and a distal rod portion (20) to be connected to a scrubbing head (70) at an end thereof. According to the invention the rod portion (20) comprises a pair of telescoping members (30, 40) defining a compressible and expansible pump chamber (32) having the dispensing opening (50), a spring (38) for keeping the pump chamber (32) in an expanded state, and a check valve (60) for allowing a flow of the cleaning liquid into the pump chamber (32) when expanded and preventing a return flow of the cleaning liquid from the pump chamber (32) on compression thereof by a user pushing the connected scrubbing head (70) against an inner surface of the toilet bowl for dispensing the cleaning liquid.

Description

Toilet brush Field of the invention 1. 1. id="p-1" id="p-1"

[001] This invention relates to a toilet brush comprising an enclosablehollow body for containing a cleaning liquid to be dispensed into a toilet bowlthrough a dispensing opening in the hollow body, the hollow body including aproximal handle portion and a distal rod portion to be connected to a scrubbing head at an end thereof.

Background 2. 2. id="p-2" id="p-2"

[002] ln a prior art toilet brush disclosed in DE202018004355U1 thecleaning liquid is drawn into a pumping device comprising an elastic pumpchamber from a reservoir and the cleaning liquid is ejected by manuallycompressing the elastic pump chamber. This document also only mentionsthat the pumping device may be a piston pump, where the piston may bereturned by a spring and be connected to a lever and/or a handle to facilitate manual operation of the piston.

Disclosure of the invention 3. 3. id="p-3" id="p-3"

[003] An object of the invention is to provide an improved toilet brushofthe above identified kind that is easy to use and has a simplified design. 4. 4. id="p-4" id="p-4"

[004] ln an aspect of the invention the rod portion further comprises: a pair of telescoping members defining a compressible and expansible pumpchamber having the dispensing opening; a spring for keeping the pump chamber in an expanded state; and a check valve for allowing a flow ofthe cleaning liquid into the pump chamber when expanded and preventing a return flow ofthe cleaning liquid from the pump chamber on compression thereof by a user pushing the connected scrubbing head against an inner surface ofthe toilet bowl for dispensing the cleaning liquid. . . id="p-5" id="p-5"

[005] By the rod portion comprising a pair of telescoping members,there is no need for parts, such as an elastic pump chamber or a lever, thatmust be operated separately and complicate the design ofthe toilet brush.lnstead, a user only has to hold the brush and push it downward when thereis need for dispensing the cleaning liquid. 6. 6. id="p-6" id="p-6"

[006] ln one embodiment there may be a releasable connectionbetween the scrubbing head and a distal member of said telescopingmembers. Thereby, the toilet brush may be easily renewed by low costscrubbing/brush heads available on the market. 7. 7. id="p-7" id="p-7"

[007] The toilet brush may further comprise a widened cleaning liquidcontainer portion between the handle and rod portions. Thereby, the brushmay not only contain more cleaning liquid, but the widened container portionmay also serve as a cover for hygienically enclosing the functional parts of thebrush in a storage receptacle when not in use. 8. 8. id="p-8" id="p-8"

[008] Specifically, the container portion may comprise a peripheral rimfor supporting the toilet brush at an upper end of a tube-shaped receptaclewhen inserted therein. 9. 9. id="p-9" id="p-9"

[009] The check valve may be a ball valve. . . id="p-10" id="p-10"

[010] The check valve may also be a low-cost, elastic material, one-piece duckbill valve. Such valve is self- closing and may prevent leakage ofcleaning fluid into the pump chamber when the filled toilet brush is insertedin the receptacle. 11. 11. id="p-11" id="p-11"

[011] The dispense opening may have a flow restriction. While suchflow restriction mayjust be a narrowed dispense opening, in one embodimentthe flow restriction is a spray nozzle, and in another embodiment a duckbillvalve. 12. 12. id="p-12" id="p-12"

[012] Other features and advantages ofthe invention may be apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawing 13. 13. id="p-13" id="p-13"

[013] FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a toilet brush according to the invention;[014] FIG. 2 is a lateral view, mostly in section, of a toilet brush shownin FIG. 1; . . id="p-15" id="p-15"

[015] FIG. 3 is large scale cut-out sectional view of the area 3 of FIG. 2;[016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative check valve that may be used in the invention; 17. 17. id="p-17" id="p-17"

[017] FIG. 5 is a cut-out sectional view showing a pump chamber,having an alternative check valve, near the end of an expansion stroke;[018] FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 showing the pump chamber at the end of a compression stroke; and 19. 19. id="p-19" id="p-19"

[019] FIG. 7 is a lateral view of a toilet brush according to the inventionduring use.[020] In the drawing, parts having similar functions are denoted by same reference numerals.

Detailed description of embodiments 21. 21. id="p-21" id="p-21"

[021] The toilet brush shown in FIG. 1 has a hollow body 10 composedof a proximal handle portion 12, an intermediate container portion 14 for acleaning liquid and a distal rod portion 20. A scrubbing or brush head 70 isattached to a bottom end of the rod portion 20 and a top end ofthe handleportion 12 is enclosed by a cap 22 to be removed when filling the hollow bodywith cleaning liquid. As shown in phantom in FIG. 1, when not in use, thetoilet brush may be kept inserted vertically in a tube-shaped receptacle 80standing on a floor surface 120. 22. 22. id="p-22" id="p-22"

[022] As shown in FIG. 2, the rod portion 20 is in turn composed of apair of telescoping or reciprocally sliding members 30, 40 adapted to enclosea compressible pump chamber 32 yet to be described in more detail. 23. 23. id="p-23" id="p-23"

[023] The brush head 70 is mounted to the lower telescoping member40 through a releasable connection 74, in the shown example comprising a screw joint. 24. 24. id="p-24" id="p-24"

[024] A top section of the container portion 14 forms a bottleneck-shaped widening ofthe handle portion 12, and an adjoining bottom sectionthereof forms an upward widening ofthe rod portion 20. In the shownexemplary embodiment these sections of the container portion 14 areinterconnected by a peripheral joint 32 (shown in the encircled enlarged areaof FIG. 2) that may be a snap (as shown), glue or other suitable joint. . . id="p-25" id="p-25"

[025] As further shown in FIG. 2, the receptacle 80 is composed of atube section 82 and a cup-shaped base 84 having a cylindrical external face 86adapted to slidingly receive the internal face oftube section 82. A frictionmaterial bottom member, such as an O-ring 89, will prevent the receptacle 80from slipping on the floor surface 120. 26. 26. id="p-26" id="p-26"

[026] When the toilet brush is inserted into the receptacle 80, aperipheral rim 16 (shown in the encircled enlarged area of FIG. 2) of thecontainer portion 14 it is supported by the top end of the tube section 82,preferably in a manner that the brush head 70 is kept at a distance from aninternal bottom face 88 of the cup-shaped base 84, whereby remaining liquidin the brush head may be collected below the brush head, allowing it to drybetween uses. 27. 27. id="p-27" id="p-27"

[027] FIG. 3 shows the telescoping /axially reciprocable members 30and 40 defining the pump chamber 32. The lower telescoping member 40 isshaped as a plunger and is slidingly supported for limited axial movement inthe upper telescoping member 30. An O-ring 36 functions as a sealingbetween members 30 and 40. The axial movement or pump stroke ofmembers 30 and 40 is limited outward by sloping annular abutment surfaces32 and 42 ofthe respective members 30 and 40 and limited inward by annularabutment surfaces 34 and 44 ofthe respective members 30 and 40. Thetelescoping members 30 and 40 are made of a suitable synthetic resilientresin so that they may be assembled and disassembled by axial forces thatpush the sloping abutment surfaces 32 and 42 radially apart elastically duringa disassembly operation and also push opposite sloping surfaces radially apart (such as 32') elastically during an assembly operation. 28. 28. id="p-28" id="p-28"

[028] The lower telescoping member 40 has an axial bore 46communicating the pump chamber 32 with a transverse bore 48 exiting onopposite sides from member 40 at a respective dispensing opening 50. lfdesired or needed, for example depending on the viscosity of the cleaningliquid used, each dispensing opening 50 may have a flow restriction 52. Whilethe flow restriction may comprise a narrowed dispense opening (not shown),in one embodiment, a spray nozzle 52 be securely inserted as shown in theenlarged encircled area of FIG. 3. A spray nozzle 52 or other restricteddispense opening may also be used if a check valve to be later described isnot of the self-closing type, so that cleaning liquid is prevented to escapethrough the dispense openings by gravity when the toilet brush is resting inthe receptacle. 29. 29. id="p-29" id="p-29"

[029] A helical compression spring 38 acting between members 30 and40 keeps the pump chamber 32 in an expanded state. . . id="p-30" id="p-30"

[030] ln the upper telescoping member 30 there is a check or one-wayvalve 60 located in a partition wall 39 separating the pump chamber 32 from acleaning liquid volume 18 defined by the above internal spaces of the handle,reservoir and rod portions 12, 14, 30. 31. 31. id="p-31" id="p-31"

[031] ln the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the check valve 60 is of theball type comprising a ball 62 capable of respectively closing and opening avalve port 64 when the pump chamber is compressed and expanded. The ball62 is contained in a valve seat recess 66 by a washer 68 that may be held inplace by the spring 38. 32. 32. id="p-32" id="p-32"

[032] ln the example shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the check valve 60 is ofthe well-known duckbill type comprising of a self-closing, elastic material,one-piece valve. Such self-closing valve may effectively prevent leakageespecially of low-viscosity cleaning liquid from the toilet brush when not inuse and stored in the receptacle. Notably, in FIG. 5 valve 60 is still open nearthe end of an expansion stroke, and will automatically close when theexpansion stroke is completed (not shown). Duckbill valves 52 may also beinserted in the dispense openings instead ofthe spray nozzles, as illustrated in phantom in the left dispense opening 50 in FIG. 3. 33. 33. id="p-33" id="p-33"

[033] As apparent from FIG. 7, to dispense a cleaning fluid, contained inthe handle, reservoir and rod portions of the hollow body 10, into a toiletbowl110, a user pushes the brush head 70 against an inner surface 112 ofthebowl 100 for compressing the pump chamber, thereby closing the check valveand forcing cleaning liquid 90 out ofthe dispensing openings 50. lf needed,for example in dependence ofthe compressible volume ofthe pumpchamber, the user may perform repeated up and down pumping movementsto dispense a sufficient amount of cleaning liquid/agent into the toilet bowl110. 34. 34. id="p-34" id="p-34"

[034] As illustrated in the encircled enlarged area of FIG. 4, the toiletbrush may have an arresting implement 100 to lock the telescoping members30, 40 in a compressed state, for example when the toilet brush is empty ofcleaning liquid or when there is no need to use the liquid dispensing function.[035] ln the example shown, the arresting implement 100 comprises agenerally T-shaped cutout 102 in the upper hollow telescoping member 30and a radial projection or pin 104 ofthe lower telescoping member 40protruding into the cutout 102. lt should be understood that the telescopingmembers 30, 40 may be locked or unlocked by the user gripping the handleand exerting a combined compressing and turning action on the mutuallyrelatively moveable telescoping members 30, 40. 36. 36. id="p-36" id="p-36"

[036] The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearnessof understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understoodtherefrom. Modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the art uponreading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention or the scope ofthe appended claims. For example, thedispensing openings 50 may be located at other positions ofthe toilet brush including the brush head 70.

Claims (9)

Claims

1. A toilet brush comprising an enclosable hollow body (10) for containing acleaning liquid (90) to be dispensed into a toilet bowl (110) through adispensing opening (50) in the hollow body, the hollow body (10) including aproximal handle portion (12) and a distal rod portion (20) to be connected to a scrubbing head (70) at an end thereof; characterized by the rod portion (20) comprising: a pair of telescoping members (30, 40) defining a compressible and expansible pump chamber (32) having the dispensing opening (50); a spring (38) for keeping the pump chamber (32) in an expanded state; and a check valve (60) for allowing a flow of the cleaning liquid into the pumpchamber (32) when expanded and preventing a return flow ofthe cleaningliquid from the pump chamber (32) on compression thereof by a user pushingthe connected scrubbing head (70) against an inner surface (112) of the toilet bowl (110) for dispensing the cleaning liquid (90).

2. The toilet brush of claim 1, comprising a releasable connection (74) betweenthe scrubbing head (70) and a distal member (40) of said telescopingmembers (30, 40).

3. The toilet brush of claim 1 or 2, comprising a widened cleaning liquid container portion (14) between the handle and rod portions (12, 20).

4. The toilet brush of claim 3, wherein the container portion (14) comprises aperipheral rim (16) for supporting the toilet brush at an upper end of a tube- shaped receptacle (80) when inserted therein.

5. The toilet brush of any ofthe preceding claims, wherein the check valve (60) is a ball valve.

6. The toilet brush of any of claims 1-4, wherein the check valve (60) is a duckbill valve.

7. The toilet brush of any ofthe preceding claims, comprising a flow restriction (52) in the dispense opening (50).

8. The toilet brush of claim 7, wherein the flow restriction (52) is a spray nozzle.

9. The toilet brush of claim 7, wherein the flow restriction (52) is a duckbill valve.