US20170340099A1

US20170340099A1 - Cleaning brush

Info

Publication number: US20170340099A1
Application number: US15/605,931
Authority: US
Inventors: Ofra Irit Lemay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-05-26
Filing date: 2017-05-25
Publication date: 2017-11-30

Abstract

The improved cleaning brush is made of a durable plastic material which is basically tubular in shape, measures approximately eighteen inches (18″) in length and three inches (3″) in circumference. Located at the top of the elongated handle would be a screw-on lid, which would serve to cover the hollowed interior of the tube where a cleaning liquid would be housed. Liquid cleaner contained within this receptacle would be channeled through the brush and dispensed through a small spray nozzle located directly above the brush head while in use. A finger activated trigger would be positioned on the promixal end of the handle, thus enabling the user to easily control the amount of spray dispensed. The improved cleaning brush is also packaged with a practical caddy receptacle to provide sanitary housing for the brush between cleanings.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is related to and claims priority from prior provisional application Ser. No. 62/342,181, filed May 26, 2016 which application is incorporated herein by reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of toilet brushes and more specifically relates to a toilet brush that dispenses liquid cleaner from the brush head with the push of a button while in use.

2. Description of the Related Art

For most people, household chores are a fact of life. Vacuuming debris from carpeting, polishing furniture, waxing floors and cleaning windows are necessary tasks which must be done regularly to ensure a healthy and clean household. In particular, keeping a clean bathroom is of utmost concern for many consumers. The bathroom is the one room in the home where people shower or bathe, brush their teeth, shave, apply make-up, and undergo other personal grooming tasks. Perhaps most importantly, the bathroom houses the most necessary of all items: the toilet. Because of its very function, the toilet must be regularly cleaned and disinfected in order to maintain a sanitary bathroom environment. The tool used to accomplish this endeavor is the ubiquitous toilet brush. An elongated handle with an attached, bristled brush at the head, this device is designed to sufficiently scrub away hard water stains and waste matter from the surface of the bowl's interior, including the hard-to-reach crevice underneath the toilet's rim. As practical and efficient as the toilet brush can be at ridding the bowl of stains and germs, it is long overdue for a more practical update. The toilet is the most challenging household fixture of all to clean. A solution is needed.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,720 to Alan Brian Stanley Moss; U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,555 to Vicar Samad; and U.S. Patent No. D367174 to Karen R. Matossian. This art is representative of toilet brushes. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a toilet brush should provide a long-lasting brush and a mechanism for dispensing a liquid cleaning agent, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable improved cleaning brush to avoid the above-mentioned problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known toilet brush art, the present invention provides a novel improved cleaning brush. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail is to provide a toilet brush and discrete stand, featuring an assembly within the brush handle that is able to house, and, by the push of a button, dispense cleanser directly from the brush head.
An improved cleaning brush is disclosed herein having a length of 18 inches and a circumference of 3 inches, and comprises a main body formed as an elongated tube having a hollow interior, a proximal end, and a distal end. A handle member with a releasable cap member has a hollow interior forming an interior volume, which is on the proximal end of the main body, such that the interior volume is able to contain liquid cleaner. The cap member is attached to the handle member via interdigitating threads and encloses the interior volume, with a button member connected to an outer surface of the main body and mechanically connected to a pump member such that when pressed, forces liquid cleaner to flow from the interior volume and through the hollow interior of the main body.
A brush member including a body portion having a conical shape and a hollow interior forms an interior volume which is connected to the distal end of the main body such that the interior volume is connected to the interior volume of the main body for liquid cleaner to flow therethrough. The main body and body portion are formed from a plastic material for longevity of use. The elongated tube of the main body forms a main axis, and the body portion of the brush member forms a brush axis. The brush member is attached to the main body such that the brush axis is at a 90 degree angle to the main body axis. At least one aperture formed as a spray nozzle is adapted to allow liquid cleaner to flow outwardly from the hollow interior of the body portion when the button member is pressed.
A plurality of bristle members formed from a material chosen from a list of materials consisting of fiber, nylon, and synthetic are attached to the outer surface of the body portion in a zig-zag pattern and extend outwardly. A supply of liquid cleaner is adapted to be placed within and flow through the handle member, main body, brush member, and through the at least one aperture to discharge liquid cleaner while in use cleaning a toilet bowl. The brush member includes a flexible extension portion extending outwardly from the body portion which has a plurality of bristle members thereon. The improved cleaning brush has a cover member formed from a plastic material which includes a flat surface on an outer surface adapted to allow the cover member to be placed upon a floor surface and hold the improved cleaning brush in an upright and stored position when not in use.
The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as an improved cleaning brush. For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, improved cleaning brush constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view illustrating an improved cleaning brush according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the improved cleaning brush with the cap member removed to fill the interior volume of the main body according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing a an improved cleaning brush stored within the cover member, with the cover member in closed position and open position respectively according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a toilet brush and more particularly to an improved cleaning brush as used to improve the ability of a user to dispense a liquid cleaner through the brush head while in use with the push of a button.
Generally speaking, the improved cleaning brush is made of a durable plastic material which is basically tubular in shape, measures approximately eighteen inches (18″) in length and three inches (3″) in circumference. Located at the top of the elongated handle would be a screw-on lid, which would serve to cover the hollowed interior of the tube where a cleaning liquid would be housed. Liquid cleaner contained within this receptacle would be channeled through the brush and dispensed through a small spray nozzle located directly above the brush head while in use. A finger activated trigger would be positioned on the promixal end of the handle, thus enabling the user to easily control the amount of spray dispensed. Conical in shape and featuring a series of durable fiber, nylon, or synthetic bristles extending outward in a zigzag design, the angled brush head would also contain several circular openings, which would dispense the toilet cleaning solution into the bowl while the unit is in use. The improved cleaning brush is also packaged with a practical caddy receptacle to provide sanitary housing for the brush between cleanings.
Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference there is shown in FIG. 1, a perspective view illustrating an improved cleaning brush 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Improved cleaning brush 100 is disclosed herein having a length of 18 inches and a circumference of 3 inches, and comprises main body 106 formed as elongated tube 108 having hollow interior 146, proximal end 120, and distal end 130. Handle member 140 with a releasable cap member 142 has hollow interior 146 forming interior volume 150, which is on proximal end 120 of main body 106, such that interior volume 150 is able to contain liquid cleaner 152. Cap member 142 is attached to handle member 140 via interdigitating threads 144 and encloses interior volume 150, and button member 160 connected to outer surface 112 of main body 106 is mechanically connected to pump member 164 such that when pressed, forces liquid cleaner 152 to flow from interior volume 150 and through hollow interior 110 of main body 106.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a side view of the improved cleaning brush 100 with the cap member 142 removed to fill interior volume 150 of the main body 106 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Brush member 170 including body portion 172 having a conical shape and hollow interior 174 forms interior volume 176 which is connected to distal end 130 of main body 106 such that interior volume 176 is connected to interior volume 150 of main body 106 for liquid cleaner 152 to flow therethrough. Main body 106 and body portion 172 are formed from a plastic material for longevity of use. Elongated tube 108 of main body 106 forms main axis 114, and body portion 172 of brush member 170 forms brush axis 178. Brush member 170 is attached to main body 106 such that brush axis 178 is at a 90 degree angle to main body 106 main axis 114. At least one aperture 186 formed as spray nozzle 188 is adapted to allow liquid cleaner 152 to flow outwardly from hollow interior 174 of body portion 172 when button member 160 is pressed.
Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, showing a perspective view illustrating an improved cleaning brush 100 stored within the cover member 194 with the cover member 194 in closed position 102 and open position 104 respectively according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Plurality of bristle members 180 formed from a material chosen from a list of materials consisting of fiber, nylon, and synthetic are attached to outer surface 182 of body portion 172 in zig-zag pattern 184 and extend outwardly. A supply of liquid cleaner 152 is adapted to be placed within and flow through handle member 140, main body 106, brush member 170, and through the at least one aperture 186 to discharge liquid cleaner 152 while in use cleaning a toilet bowl. Brush member 170 includes flexible extension portion 190 extending outwardly from body portion 172 which has a plurality of bristle members 180 thereon. The improved cleaning brush 100 has cover member 194 formed from a plastic material which includes flat surface 196 on outer surface 198 adapted to allow cover member 194 to be placed upon a floor surface and hold improved cleaning brush 100 in an upright and stored position when not in use.
Improved cleaning brush 100 may be manufactured and provided for sale in a wide variety of sizes and shapes for a wide assortment of applications. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., such as, for example, including more or less components, customized parts, different color combinations, parts may be sold separately, etc., may be sufficient.
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.

Claims

What is claimed is new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. An improved cleaning brush comprising:

a main body;

wherein said main body is formed as an elongated tube having a hollow interior, a proximal end, and a distal end;

a handle member including:

a releasable cap member;

wherein said handle member includes a hollow interior forming an interior volume and is connected to said proximal end of said main body, such that said interior volume is connected to said interior volume of said main body for liquid cleaner to flow therethrough;

wherein said cap member removably covers and encloses said interior volume; and

a button member;

wherein said button member is connected to an outer surface thereof and is adapted to force said liquid cleaner to flow from said interior volume and through said hollow interior of said main body;

a brush member including:

a body portion including:

a hollow interior forming an interior volume;

wherein said body portion is connected to said distal end of said main body, such that said interior volume is connected to said interior volume of said main body for said liquid cleaner to flow therethrough; and

at least one aperture;

wherein said at least one aperture is adapted to allow said liquid cleaner to flow from said hollow interior outwardly therefrom; and

a plurality of bristle members extending outwardly from an outer surface of said body portion; and

a supply of liquid cleaner;

wherein said supply of liquid cleaner is adapted to be placed within and flow through said interior volumes of said handle member, said main body, said brush member, and through said at least one aperture;

wherein said cleaning brush is adapted to discharge said liquid cleaner through said at least one aperture while in use cleaning a toilet bowl.

2. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said at least one aperture includes a spray nozzle adapted to spray said liquid cleaner therefrom outwardly from said at least one aperture.

3. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said button member is formed as a pivotable trigger member, such that a user can pull said trigger member with one finger to force said liquid cleaner to flow from said interior volume and through said hollow interior of said main body.

4. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said brush member further includes an extension portion extending outwardly from said body portion and includes a plurality of bristle members thereon.

5. The improved cleaning brush of claim 4, wherein said extension portion is flexible.

6. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, further comprising a pump member placed within said hollow interior of said main body, is mechanically connected to said button member, and is adapted to force said liquid cleaner to flow through said at least one aperture member when said button member is pressed.

7. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, further comprising a cover member adapted to releasably hold and cover said brush member when not in use.

8. The improved cleaning brush of claim 7, wherein said cover member includes a flat surface on an outer surface thereof adapted to allow said cover member to be placed upon a floor surface and hold said improved cleaning brush in an upright and stored position when not in use.

9. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said main body and said body portion of said brush member are formed from a plastic material.

10. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said body portion of said brush member is formed having a conical shape.

11. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said plurality of bristle members are formed from a material chosen from a list of materials consisting of fiber, nylon, and synthetic.

12. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said plurality of bristle members are attached to said outer surface of said body portion in a zig-zag pattern.

13. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said releasable cap member is releasably attached to said handle member via interdigitating threads between said cap member and said handle member.

14. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said elongated tube of said main body forms a main axis; and wherein said body portion of said brush member forms a brush axis; and wherein said brush member is attached to said main body such that said brush axis is at an angle to said main axis.

15. The improved cleaning brush of claim 14, wherein said angle between said brush axis and said main axis is 90 degrees.

16. The improved cleaning brush of claim 1, wherein said improved cleaning brush is formed having a length of 18 inches.

17. The improved cleaning brush of claim 16, wherein said brush member is formed having a circumference of 3 inches.

18. The improved cleaning brush of claim 8, wherein said cover member is formed from a plastic material.