WO1999067033A1

WO1999067033A1 - Ventilator cleaning device

Info

Publication number: WO1999067033A1
Application number: PCT/NO1998/000177
Authority: WO
Inventors: Øyvind LØLAND
Original assignee: Loeland Oeyvind
Priority date: 1998-06-12
Filing date: 1998-06-12
Publication date: 1999-12-29
Also published as: AU9191498A; EP1097006A1

Abstract

A special device for cleaning of air vent screws (2) is constituted by a holder (8) with a head part (9), and a mop (11), where the mop is tailored to the head part, the head part (9) and mop (11) are especially designed for complementary adaptation to the shape of an air vent screw (2). The shape of head part (9) and mop (11) is also so that a section (12, 13) extends into the conically shaped opening (4) of the air vent screw, on the inside/outside of the adjustable air flow controller (6) of the vent. Washing is performed by fitting the device against a vent (2), and a rotary motion to absorb dirt from the surfaces (7, 4, 10) of the vent with the mop (11).

Description

VENTILATOR CLEANING DEVICE.

The present invention concerns a device for cleaning or washing of vents, especially air vent screws. Such air vent screws easily get dirty, and are also difficult to clean. Earlier it has not been possible to get hold of cleaning equipment which in an easy way can wash an entire vent in one single operation, both on ceilings and walls. One has been referred to use a hand held cloth, vacuum cleaner or other ordinary cleaning equipment, and it has not been easy to get at it easily for cleaning, both because of the vent geometry and the often high mounting of such vents. Therefore, it is an obvious need for a device which gives an opportunity for simple and fast execution of cleaning of vents. The present invention provides just such a device.

According to the invention it is therefore provided a device for cleaning of air vent screws of the type mounted on ceilings or wails and having a circular adjustable air flow controller mounted centrally in a conically shaped vent opening within an outer edge ring. The device is characterizied in that it comprises

- a holder with a head part, which head part is designed for during use to lie mainly complementary against the air flow controller's outer surface, against the edge ring of the vent and against the conically shaped vent opening, and - a tailored mop which is adapted to the shape of the head part so that also the mop during use lie mainly complementary against the air flow controller's outer surface, against the edge ring of the vent and against the conically shaped vent opening,

- the cleaning operation is carried out by rotary motion about the cone axis. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the head part has an approximate plate shape, with an outer edge having dimensions adapted to bear tightly against the edge ring of the vent with a mop section therebetween, a central area giving support for the central area of the mop for bearing against the air flow controller's outer surface, but in addition a circular shaped projecting intermediate area of elastic material supporting a to that tailored intermediate area of the mop for inducting and bearing of this in the conically shaped vent opening. Preferably, then the projecting intermediate area comprises a series of slanting projecting tongues of flexible material accommodated with small and even spacings in a circle on the head part. To give an operator an opportunity to reach a mounted vent, the holder may comprise a pole part to which the head part is connected. The coupling is preferably constituted by a turnable joint.

The mop can be provided with a tightening device for keeping it fixed on the s head part. This tightening device can be arranged along the edge area of the mop to be accommodated on that side of the head part which during use turns away from the vent, then having the form of an edge rubber band, velcroue or hook device, the edge area of the mop being folded around the edge of the head part when the mop is fitted on. 0 Preferably, the head part and the mop of a size which is mutually adapted to each other, may be colour coded with the same colour. Also, a vent with a size fitting to this head part mop pair may then be colour coded with the same colour giving an easy and fast choice of correct size on head part and mop.

However, in its most extensive form the invention comprises a device for is cleaning of air vent screws, being characterized in that it comprises a holder with a head part adapted mainly complementary to the shape of the air vent screw, and a mop being tailored to the head part.

In the following the invention shall be illustrated further by going through examples of embodiments of the cleaning device, and in this connection it is 20 referred to the attached drawings, where fig. 1 shows a cross section through an ordinary air vent screw mounted on walls or ceilings, fig. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of a head part, viewed from a side elevation, 25 fig. 3 shows the same head part as in fig. 1 , but viewed from ahead, fig. 4 shows the same head part in a side elevation view, but from another side and with an edge part of a mop drawn in, and fig. 5 shows a part of a mop cut through.

The cleaning device according to the invention consists basically in two 3o parts, namely a holder and a mop tailored to the holder. The holder and thereby the mop, can be manufactured in different dimensions adapted to the dimensions of those vents which shall be washed/cleaned. Mop and holder of the same dimension can with advantage be marked with the same colour, so that the cleaning operator easily can assemble the device, and if the air vent screws also are given a colour coding correspondingly, the operator will simply be able to see which holder/mop pair to be used.

In fig. 1 it is shown an axial cross section through a wall or ceiling mounted air vent screw of the general type which the cleaning device according to the invention is made to wash or clean. Reference numeral 1 denotes the wall board or roofing sheet to which the vent 2 is mounted in a manner not shown. The vent is axial symmetrically shaped, and exhibits mainly a conically shaped opening 4 with a centrally placed air flow controller 6 which can be adjusted, e.g. as indicated by turning it inwards/outwards on a centre pin, to adjust the amount of air through the vent. (Generally the vent shape is conic, but in the drawing it is shown a "bisected" conical form with a shoulder section. This rear shape is only shown as an example.) The front/outer surface of the controller has reference numeral 10. Those surfaces which above all are of interest to clean are the outer surface 10 of the controller, the conically shaped opening surface 4 and the outer edge ring 7. From figures 2, 3 and 4 it appears a special and favourable embodiment of a holder 8 which constitutes a part of the device according to the invention. The central part of the holder 8 is a head part 9 which in the embodiment shown has an approximate plate shape, and is coupled to a pole part 14 which is shown in the drawing only by a top part. The platelike head part 9 has a shape which is adapted so that the outer "basin" with an outer edge A fits well around the outer edge ring 7 on the vent which shall be washed, especially in such a way that the adaptation is good when a mop 11 (see fig. 5) is fitted on the head part 9.

More centrally in the platelike head part 9 a series of tongues 3 of elastic material are inclining, at the starting point they are shaped in such a way that they slant inwards to be adapted to the conical form 4 along the vent which shall be washed. Here it is also so that the mop 11 drawn on gives better accommodation. As it appears from fig. 5, the mop 11 however extends further inwards in the central area within the projecting tongues 3, and this central section of the mop will during use bear against the outer surface 10 of the adjustable air flow controller 6 of the air vent screw, supported by the central area of the head part 16, which in the example shown is constituted by a cross shaped structure. Generally, the head part 9 may have another number of projecting tongues 3 than shown, and the projecting portion 10 may also consist in e.g. a more or less continuos area which still is flexible, either because of the characteristics of the material itself, or by means of e.g. an overlapping blade structure, The design and the dimensions of the projecting portion 12, see e.g. edge reference B, must be in such a way that with the mop 11 fitted on the head part, and especially with the tailored, projecting mop area 13 on the outside of the portion 12, the projecting portion runs on the outside of the adjustable airflow controller 6 in the centre of the vent 2. The mop 11 must have a consistency/surface which enables it to wash/clean in the conically shaped area 4 of the vent, behind the adjustable air flow controller 6, independent of how the controller is adjusted.

In use, when the adjustable air flow controller 6 is in a front position, this will first meet the central area of the mop 11. The pressure against this central area will tighten the whole mop in such a way that the outer part 7 of the vent obtains good contact with the outer part of the mop.

When in another aspect the adjustable air flow controller 6 is in a rear position, the outer edge ring 7 of the vent will first be pressed against the outer area of the mop, and thereby tighten the whole mop 11 in such a way that it obtains good contact with the surface 10 on the adjustable air flow controller even though this is in a rear position.

It appears from fig. 4 that the very outermost edge area of the mop can be folded around the edge on the head part 9 in such a way that the mop 11 is fixed, either by a rubber edge band 5, by velcroue or by a device with hooks. From fig. 2 and fig.4 it appears, as mentioned earlier, that the head part can be fixed to a pole part 14 giving the operator an opportunity to reach up to e.g. highly mounted vents. A joint 15 between the pole part 14 and the head part 9 gives an opportunity for simpler performance of the washing operation itself, which consists in getting the head part 9 in place in against the vent 2 with some pressure, and then rotating the head part 9 to get the dirt on the visible parts of the vent and in the conical opening 4 to fasten on the mop. Such an operation is performed very fast compared to conventional washing of vents.

Claims

1. Device for cleaning of air vent screws (2) of the type mounted on ceilings or walls (1) and having a circular adjustable air flow controller (6) mounted centrally in a conically shaped vent opening (4) within an outer edge ring (7), characterizied in that it comprises

- a holder (8) with a head part (9), which head part is designed for during use to lie mainly complementary against the air flow controller's outer surface (10), against the edge ring (7) of the vent and against the conically shaped vent opening (4), and

- a tailored mop (11) which is adapted to the shape of the head part (9) so that also the mop (11) during use lie mainly complementary against the air flow controller's outer surface (10), against the edge ring (7) of the vent and against the conically shaped vent opening (4), s - the cleaning operation is carried out by rotary motion about the cone axis.

2. Device according to claim 1 , characterizied in that the head part (9) has an approximate plate shape, with an outer edge (A) having dimensions adapted to bear tightly against the edge o ring (7) of the vent with a mop section therebetween, a central area (16) giving support for the central area of the mop for bearing against the air flow controller's outer surface (10), but in addition a circular shaped projecting intermediate area (12) of elastic material supporting a to that tailored intermediate area (13) of the mop for inducting and bearing of this in the conically shaped vent opening (4). 5

3. Device according to claim 2, characterizied in that the projecting intermediate area (12) comprises a series of slanting projecting tongues (3) of flexible material, accommodated with small and even spacings in a circle on the head part (9). 0

4. Device according to claim 1 , characterizied in that the holder (8) also comprises a pole part (14) to which the head part (9) is connected, possibly by a turnable joint (15), giving an operator an opportunity e.g. to reach a highly mounted vent.

5. Device according to claim 1 , characterizied in that the mop (11 ) is provided with a tightening device (5) keeping the mop (11) fixed on the head part.

6. Device according to claim 5, characterizied in that the tightening device (5) is arranged along the edge area of the mop to be placed on that side of the head part (9) which during use turns away from the vent (2), and having the form of an edge rubber band, velcroue or hook device, the edge area of the mop is folded around the outer s edge (A) of the head part when the mop is fitted on.

7. Device according to claim 1 , characterizied in that the head part (9) and the mop (11) with mutually o adapted size is colour coded with the same colour.

8. Device for cleaning of air vent screws, characterizied in that it comprises a holder (8) with a head part (9) adapted mainly complementary to the shape of the air vent screw (2), and a 5 mop (11) tailored to the head part (9).