TWM680872U - Replaceable brush cloth, hands-free multi-angle cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention discloses a hands-free, multi-angle cleaning device with replaceable cleaning cloth, comprising a rod and a flat force-applying surface on one side; a clamping mechanism is provided at the front end, consisting of a fixed clamping arm fixedly connected to the rod and a movable clamping arm that can open and close around a pivot, at least one end of which has an angled end. A release button is provided in the middle section of the rod to activate the opening and closing of the movable clamping arm. The cleaning cloth is a double-layered sheet, one end of which is ultrasonically bonded. When the bonded end is clamped, the two free ends unfold into a Y-shape to increase the coverage area; a space is formed between the clamping end and the folded part to temporarily place the cleaning agent and slow its release during wiping and squeezing. During use, the fixed clamping arm bears the lateral pressure, and the angled end facilitates reaching into crevices; after use, the brush cloth can be discarded by pressing the button, avoiding hand contact with dirt. Suitable for cleaning toilets, tiles, and various curved surfaces.

Description

Replaceable brush cloth, hands-free, multi-angle cleaning device.

This invention relates to cleaning tools, and more particularly to a clamping mechanism with a single movable and single fixed side at the front end of the rod, which, together with a double-layered cleaning cloth with one end ultrasonically bonded, automatically unfolds in a Y shape during clamping to expand the wipeable area, and forms a receiving space at the clamping end to facilitate the slow release of cleaning agent, making it a multi-angle cleaning device.

Existing cleaning tools can be roughly divided into two categories: bristle-type and replaceable brush heads. Bristle-type brush heads usually have fixed heads, which makes it difficult for the bristles to adhere fully to the inner edge of the toilet bowl, corners, and narrow crevices, leaving dirt residue. Furthermore, the brush head is prone to bacterial growth due to prolonged immersion in water, and it is also difficult to clean after use. Replaceable brush heads are mostly made of a single layer of non-woven fabric or foam, and are usually held by movable clamping arms on both sides. In practice, in order to obtain sufficient pressure, users often push the handle from the side, causing the two arms to rotate simultaneously, resulting in uneven force on the clamping head. Over time, this can lead to loosening or fatigue damage, and the single-layer cloth covers a small area, requiring multiple cleaning passes. Some designs incorporate detergent cartridges or multi-joint grippers within the clamps, but these are costly, bulky, and prone to creating cleaning dead zones at corners. Changing the dirty cloth often requires close-range snapping or manual pulling, easily leading to direct contact with dirt and dripping contamination. In summary, previous technologies still lack a cleaning device that is structurally stable under lateral force, can expand the effective wiping area, can release detergent in a controlled manner, and allows for quick and hygienic disposal of the brush cloth. In view of this, there is an urgent need for a clamp that: (1) is movable at one end and fixed at the other end and can withstand lateral forces; (2) allows the brush cloth to unfold on its own and cover a larger area; (3) has a one-button release to avoid hand contact; and (4) has a structure that can release detergent while wiping.

This invention provides a replaceable brush cloth for a hands-free, multi-angle cleaning device. It features a single movable and a single fixed clamp, paired with a double-layered, ultrasonically bonded cleaning cloth. When clamped, the cloth unfolds in a Y-shape to increase the effective wiping area and creates a storage space at the clamp end to hold the cleaning agent. Combined with the flat force-applying surface on one side of the rod and the angled end of the clamp arm, it can generate stable and directional lateral pressure cleaning at corners and gaps. The dirty cloth can be discarded immediately via the release button in the middle section, making it hygienic and convenient.

Solution: This device includes: a rod body 10; a flat force-applying surface 11 formed on one side of the rod body; a clamping mechanism 20 fixed to the front end of the rod body, the clamping mechanism including a fixed clamping arm 21 fixedly connected to the rod body and a movable clamping arm 22 that can open and close around a pivot, at least one clamping arm having an angled end 23 at its leading edge; a release button 30 is provided in the middle section of the rod body to actuate the movable clamping arm 22; the cleaning cloth 40 consists of two sheets, one end of which is joined by an ultrasonic bonding section 41, and when the bonded end is clamped, its free end naturally opens into a Y shape; the receiving space 42 defined by the clamping end and the folded part can temporarily hold the cleaning agent, which is released onto the cloth surface when wiped and squeezed.

Industrial applications: It can be used to clean curved surfaces and narrow gaps such as toilets, bathroom tile grout, and kitchen countertop edges. It has the advantages of simple structure, low cost, and high hygiene.

Please refer to Figures 1, 2, and 3. The rod body 10 is a long, strip-shaped grip, preferably injection molded from PP, ABS, or fiberglass-reinforced PP. One side forms a flat force-applying surface 11, with a length approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the grip area. The surface can be slightly roughened to increase friction. When the user holds the rod body 10, the force-applying surface 11 can directly contact the surface to be cleaned, and the lateral pressure torque of the rod body is transmitted to the clamp, achieving stable and controllable pressure.

The front end of the rod 10 is fixed with a clamping mechanism 20. The fixed clamping arm 21 is fixed to the rod body or the front end seat by means of studs, riveting, or integral molding. Its force path is directly transmitted back to the rod body and can withstand lateral pressure during use. The movable clamping arm 22 is connected to the front end seat via a pivot. The pivot can be a metal pin or a POM-formed cylinder and is equipped with a return spring (such as a torsion spring or leaf spring, not indicated) to keep the clamping arm closed when not in operation. At least one clamping arm has a clamping arm tilting end 23 formed at the leading edge, which is at an angle of 5° to 20° relative to the long axis of the clamping arm. The tilting end has a chamfered arc to facilitate the insertion of narrow gaps. Because only the movable clamping arm 22 opens and closes while the fixed clamping arm 21 remains rigid, when the user applies lateral pressure along the force application surface 11, the reaction force is mainly borne by the fixed clamping arm 21, thus avoiding fatigue or breakage of the clamping head caused by the simultaneous swinging of both arms, and solving the problem that existing double-sided movable clamping heads are easily damaged under lateral pressure.

The release button 30 is located in the middle of the rod and is an elliptical button. The button 30 is connected to the movable clamping arm 22 via a linkage mechanism (such as a slender linkage or flexible band). When the button 30 is pressed, the movable clamping arm 22 opens around the pivot to facilitate loading and unloading; when released, it closes and clamps under the action of the return spring. The button travel can be set to 1 to 3 mm to balance accidental activation protection and easy operation. To avoid excessive opening, a stop shoulder can be provided at the pivot or the end of the clamping arm to limit the opening angle. The release button (30) is made of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

The cleaning cloth 40 is composed of two flexible and water-permeable sheets, or it can be formed by folding a single sheet in half. The material can be PET, PA mesh non-woven fabric, or open-cell PU foam, with a single layer thickness of about 2 to 6 mm. The two sheets are partially fused together at one end by an ultrasonic bonding section 41. The bonding band is 1 to 3 mm wide and can be linear or dotted. The bonding end (41) is the clamping area; when it is clamped by the clamping mechanism 20, the free ends of the two sheets are elastically restored and open outward, forming a Y-shaped double-wing geometry. Because the two wings can simultaneously cover two adjacent surfaces (such as the curved surface and corner of a toilet bowl), the effective wiping area is more than doubled compared to a single-layer cloth, reducing the number of passes and time required. The leading edge 43 of the cleaning cloth can be made into special shapes such as slanted, right angle, or rounded corners to accommodate different cleaning angles. The cleaning cloth 40 can be unfolded in different lengths.

As shown in Figure 3, the cleaning cloths 40 define a receiving space 42. Before installation, 1-3 mL of liquid detergent or a small solid detergent block can be added. During cleaning, the user applies lateral pressure along the flat application surface 11 and wipes back and forth. The clamping arms 21/22 periodically squeeze the cleaning cloth 40, causing the detergent in the receiving space 42 to seep out along the fiber channels to the outer surface of the wings, achieving the effect of "drying while wiping," resulting in high detergent utilization and less leakage. The receiving space 42 can also be a cleaning cloth soaked in the aforementioned detergent, combined with its ultrasonic system.

The installation steps are as follows: Press button 30 to open the movable clamp 22 → Place the adhesive section 41 of the cleaning cloth 40 between the fixed clamp 21 and the movable clamp 22 → Release button 30 to close the clamp and complete the clamping. If you need to add detergent, you can drip it into the receiving space 42 at the clamp end. When cleaning, if you encounter narrow gaps or corners, guide the angled end 23 towards the gap and apply pressure on one side; if you need to wipe a large area, use the Y-shaped double wings to cover both sides at the same time. After use, align the clamp end with the trash can and press button 30. The cleaning cloth 40 will immediately fall off, and the user does not need to touch the dirt with their hands.

The dimensions used in this embodiment are as follows: total length of the rod body 450–600 mm; length of the force-applying surface 11 120–220 mm; clamp width 18–28 mm, closing gap 1.0–3.0 mm; cleaning cloth 40 single wing width 25–45 mm, length 60–100 mm; Y-shaped opening angle 60°–100°. Material recommendations: rod body 10 made of PP/ABS; fixed clamping arm 21 and movable clamping arm 22 made of POM (polyoxymethylene) or PA66 (nylon 66); adhesive section 41 ultrasonically welded into a strip shape at 20–40 kHz; elastic element made of stainless steel torsion spring or POM (polyoxymethylene) leaf spring.

This embodiment can be modified in various ways: for example, the angled end 23 of the clamping arm can be located on the fixed side, the movable side, or both; the length ratio of the force-applying surface 11 can be adjusted; and the shape of the accommodating space 42 can be changed to a cavity or a groove. As long as it has the core idea of "single-sided fixed + single-sided movable" and "double-layer fabric adhesive end clamping to form a Y-shaped unfolding", it is considered equivalent to this new invention.

10: Rod body 11: Flat force application surface 20: Clamping mechanism 21: Fixed clamping arm 22: Movable clamping arm 23: Inclined end of clamping arm 30: Release button 40: Cleaning cloth 41: Ultrasonic bonding section 42: Accommodating space 43: Leading edge of cleaning cloth

Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the device. Figure 2: Side view of the device. Figure 3: Close-up of the cleaning cloth.

10: Bar Body

20: Clamping Mechanism

30: Release button

40: Cleaning cloths

Claims (10)

A multi-angle cleaning device includes: a rod with a flat force-applying surface on one side; a clamping mechanism disposed at the front end of the rod, the clamping mechanism including a fixed clamping arm fixedly connected to the rod and a movable clamping arm movable relative to it; a release button disposed in the middle section of the rod and linked to the movable clamping arm; and a cleaning cloth, the cleaning cloth being composed of two sheets and having an ultrasonic bonding section at one end, wherein when the bonding end is clamped by the clamping mechanism, the two free ends of the cleaning cloth open outward to form a Y-shape. The cleaning device as described in claim 1, wherein a movable clamping arm rotates about a pivot relative to the rod body and is biased to a closed position by a return spring; a release button drives the movable clamping arm to open via a linkage mechanism. The cleaning device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the fixed clamp arm is integrally formed or fixed to the front end of the rod body by fitting/riveting, and its leading edge is a force-bearing surface for bearing the lateral pressure transmitted from the force-bearing surface. The cleaning device as described in claim 1, wherein at least one clamping arm has an angled end at its leading edge, which forms an angle of 5° to 20° relative to the long axis of the clamping arm, so as to facilitate cleaning by reaching into narrow gaps and applying force to one side. The cleaning device as described in claim 1, wherein the two sheets of the cleaning cloth are made of PET or PA non-woven fabric or open-cell PU foam, have ultrasonic bonding sections, or can be formed by folding a single sheet in half. The cleaning device as described in claim 1, wherein the cleaning cloth has a receiving space for containing liquid or solid cleaning agent, which causes the cleaning agent to seep out along the cleaning cloth when the device is pressure-wiping; the receiving space may also be a cleaning cloth soaked in the aforementioned cleaning agent. The cleaning device as described in claim 1, wherein the rod body is elongated in shape, the length of the flat force application surface is at least one-third of the grip length of the rod body, and may be provided with anti-slip texture. The cleaning device as described in claim 2, wherein the travel of the release button is 1 to 3 mm, and the clamping mechanism is provided with a limit structure to limit the maximum opening angle of the movable clamping arm. The cleaning device as described in claim 1, wherein the Y-shaped unfolding angle of the cleaning cloth when it is clamped is in the range of 40° to 120°, the left and right brushes of the cleaning cloth can be of different lengths when the cleaning cloth is unfolded in the Y shape, and the leading edge of the brush can be made into a special shape such as inclined, right angle, or rounded corner to facilitate the application of different cleaning angles. The cleaning device as described in claim 1, wherein the rod body is made of PP or ABS; the clamp arm is made of POM or PA66; and the release button is made of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).