WO2000067957A1

WO2000067957A1 - Broom with double handle

Info

Publication number: WO2000067957A1
Application number: PCT/IT2000/000177
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roberto Manganelli
Original assignee: Roberto Manganelli
Priority date: 1999-05-07
Filing date: 2000-05-08
Publication date: 2000-11-16
Also published as: ITGR990005A1

Abstract

Articulate broom provided with auxiliary handle (5) for working the brush rotation and provided with automatic system (4-7) for loading the broom weight on the bristles support, rather than on the bristles, when the broom leans against a wall.

Description

BROOM WITH DOUBLE HANDLE

TECHNICAL FIELD

Sweeping-broom of the type compounded, as gross scrubbing brush, by bristles set in a small board provided with a long handle; more particularly the broom having the joint brush-handle articulate, so that the brush can rotate solely in 5 the direction which drives the brush length nearer to, or farther from, the handle length. BACKGROUND ART

It is appeared and soon disappeared on the market a type of articulate broom as above described where the brush can rotate free without brake or stop devices. It 10 remains on the market a broom with articulate joint provided with three or four stop-positions to which it corresponds same number of inclinations between brush and handle; in each inclination the broom is utilized as a commonplace broom not articulate, that is with rigid joint. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

15 The loose articulation permits some manoeuvres, as for example removing and approaching the broom to operator body, which alter radically and very advantageously the sweeping technique.

The problem is given from some other manoeuvres, which, on the contrary, require that the joint brush-handle is rigid.

20 The invention resolves the problem by a system by which the operator can in every instant, alternatively, brake, loose, arrest the brush motion. The operator obtains this three different situations very easily and in a way imperceptible from who looks, that is by tightening or relaxing the hand hold around the handle. By this the operator obtains this advantages: he can keep 25 straight and erect the body, with all imaginable advantages; he can perform more large manoeuvres, thus saving work time.

By the same system the operator can also in every instant obtain particular inclinations of the handle on the brush. By this the operator obtains this advantages: he can sweep corners and places inaccessible by the usual brooms; he can sweep or wash on different planes inclined and vertical, more down or more high then the floor

The system functions by means of an auxiliary handle, which we name the auxiliary The auxiliary departs from an articulate joint, it couples then with

5 the handle by a device which wee name the collar and by a device which we name the grip

The collar serves to keep the coupling, the grip serves to work the auxiliary

The grip, the collar and the upper extremity of auxiliary can run up and down along the handle, while the inclination of handle on brush augments or

10 diminishes

The operator embraces together grip and handle by left hand (or by right hand, as he wiches)

He can so by left hand 1 °, drive the brush towards right to sweeping, 2°, raise the brush from floor to bring it back, 3 °, slightly raise the brush to approach or

15 remove it to or from his body

During the 1 ° manoeuvre the articulation is to be completely loose, during the

2°, strongly braked or stopped, during the 3 °, slightly braked The operator obtains this different situations with extreme simplicity and extreme immediateness by tightening and releasing the hand hold

20 N proper form of the auxiliary grip permits 1 °, holding together grip and handle to perform the before described manoeuvres, 2°, quiting the hold from the handle keeping the hold solely on the grip

By holding solely the grip the operator can drive it up and down along the handle obtaining so any inclination between handle and brush, that is the more

25 proper inclination for the particular manoeuvre he wishes performing

The system permits also, without particular devices, saving the brush bristles from the bad folds which the bristles acquire when the broom remains leaning against a wall with the bristles on the floor

To explain this service we give a conventional nomenclature to any parts of the

30 brush We name support the small board which holds the bristles together The brush-handle joint divides the support length in two parts: left part and right part; to these they correspond the left extremity of the support length and the right extremity.

The save-bristles system functions in the following way.

5 The operator removes the left hand from the handle and from the auxiliary grip; by right hand he holds solely the handle (without touching the grip); keeping vertical the broom, he raises it somewhat from floor. While the broom is raised, the brush left part falls towards floor till the support left extremity is turned towards the floor. The operator lets down the broom till the left support

10 extremity or the bristles more down touch the floor; he drives then horizontally the broom, so that the brush finishes the rotation when the support right extremity strikes against the handle.

In this situation the broom can be leaning against a wall, supporting its weight by the support, and not by the bristles.

15 To obtain the fall of the brush left part, the system foresees this part more heavy that the right part.

To obtain the brush rotation till the described final position, the system foresees that the axis of rotation of the joint brush-handle is placed in one of the various positions which permit the said rotation.

20 To obtain a very good working of all system the invention foresees that the axis of rotation of the brush-handle joint is more down that possible.

The purpose is obtained by a brush-handle joint in form of fork having two parallel prongs. The longer sides of the support enter amid the extremities of the prongs. The axis of rotation goes from the extremity of one prong to other

25 crossing the support from one side to other.

To simplify the works and to have a simple and rapid system of joining and separating brush and handle, each prong extremity have a protuberance in form of little disc which enters in a correspondent cavity formed in each support longer side. This system permits: 1 °, to eliminate the independent pivot and its keeping devices; 2°, to insert and to extract the brush in and out of the fork by simply enlarging the fork.

To extract easily and rapidly the brush from the fork the invention foresees two

5 cuneiform protuberances, each formed in each prong or in each longer support side. This protuberances are placed in a way that they divaricate the prongs at the end of a dextrorse rotation of the brush.

The system is completed by a special grip for the hand holding the handle upper part (right hand in our exemplification system). This grip is placed in upper

10 extremity of the handle; its function is to permit that the right hand holds the handle with the palm perpendicularly opposite to handle length. In this way the operator can rotate his wrist for almost 1 80°, from the point where his arm is parallel and near the handle, till the point where the same arm is ranged along the handle length.

15 Considering that our broom permits very large manoeuvres, which consequently require a too long handle, the said possibility gived by this handle grip permits to keep the usual length of the handle, and also to reduce the said length.

The grip can have form of a cylinder perpendicular to handle length, or other

20 form as, for example, a half spheroid.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

Figures 1 , 2, 3 show the type of broom to which the invention is related. Figure

1 : 1 , bristles; 2, support; 3 , handle; A, axis of rotation of the joint; Ps, left part;

Pd, right part; Fs, left extremity; r, rotation direction. Figure 2 shows rotation

25 axis A parallel with brush basis b and the handle perpendicular to rotation axis A and to basis b. Figure 3 shows rotation axis A perpendicular to brush length.

Figure 4 shows the auxiliary handle 4 and the rotation axis B of its joint, which is placed on the brush left part, little distant from handle joint. Figure 5 shows

30 the coupling of the two handles. Auxiliary 4 is very short (in this example); it leans against the handle 3. The auxiliary grip 5 is extended on handle length and covers solely a face of this (section figure 7). By means of a small rod 7 (which can be replaced by a longer auxiliary 4) the auxiliary grip is connected with a collar 6; this collar, embracing the handle, keeps near it the grip and the upper

5 extremity of auxiliary. The collar 6 is connected with auxiliary 4 by means of a articulate joint C.

Figure 6 shows the section of the collar (round in our example).

Figure 7 shows, in section, the coupling of axiliary grip 5 with handle 3.

Figures 8 and 9 show two ways to realize the function of the grip placed up the

10 upper extremity of handle 3 : a cylinder 8 and a half spheroid 8bis.

Figure 10 shows as the brush left part falls and shows towards floor T the left extremity Fs, when the broom is raised from floor.

Figure 11 shows the broom which leans against a wall M: the support left extremity Fs brings the weight of the broom, saving the bristles.

15 Figure 12 shows the brush-handle joint 9 in form of fork; the prongs 10 are parallel, so that they never meet the support 2 when the brush rotates; a pivot 1 1 goes from a prong extremity to other crossing the support 2.

Figure 13 shows the prongs 10 bended towards the brush right part to realize the geometrical intercourses that permit to the brush right extremity to strike on the

20 handle at the end of a left rotation of the brush.

Figure 14 shows as a pair of small discs 12 replaces the pivot 1 1 .

Figures 15, 16, 17 show as the prongs are divaricated by the cuneiform protuberances 13 of support 2 at the end of a right rotation of the brush.

Figure 18, 19 show the cuneiform protuberance 13 jutting out of the prongs

25 rather than out of the support sides.

Figure 20 shows an example of the best mode for carrying out the invention as following described. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A good example of carrying out the invention is showed in Figure 20. In this example we obtain a big loss of balance of brush at the left part by loading on the left part Ps the weight of auxiliary 4 with connected devices 5-6-7, by 5 shifting towards right the rotation axis A and bringing it more down that possible (by help of the fork joint) till the sides of the support 2 The handle 3 is a metallic cylinder, its grip 8bis is a half spheroid The auxiliary 4 is a small rod a little curved, its grip 5 is a half pipe The collar 6 is a short pipe INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

10 All elements, except the handle, can be made whit plastic material inj ected in moulds The handle is to be made as a metallic pipe

Claims

1) Articulate broom of the type described at the title "Technical Field", characterized by an auxiliary handle which the operator can work for braking, loosing, stopping and determining the rotations of the brush

2) Auxiliary handle as claimed at claim 1 characterized by

5 a) it couples with the handle by a collar which embraces the handle and run up and down along the handle, b) the collar is connected with a grip extended on a face of the handle, c) by the grip the operator can work the auxiliary handle to brake, to loose, to stop and to determine the rotations of the brush

10 3) Grip for handle of broom characterized by a) it is placed up the upper extremity of the handle, b) It permits to the holding hand to keep the palm plane perpendicular to the handle length

4) Articulate joint which connects the handle with the brush in the type of 15 broom described at the title "Technical Field" characterized by a) it has form of a fork with two parallel prongs, b) its axis of rotation goes from the extremity of one prong to extremity of the other prong crossing the support of the bristles

5) Articulate joint as claimed at claim 4 characterized by

20 a) the extremity of each prong is provided with a protuberance in form of a small disc which enters in a correspondent cavity formed in the support, b) the coupling of the small dises with the correspondent cavity replaces the pivot necessary for the rotation

6) Articulate broom provided with the joint claimed at the claim 5 characterized 25 by a) two cuneiform protuberances formed in the prongs or in the longer sides of support divaricate the prongs at the end of a dextrorse rotation of the brush

7) Articulate broom of the type described at the title "Technical Field", characterized by a) The left part of the broom is more haevy than the right part so that, raising the broom from floor, the left part of the brush falls till showing to the floor the left extremity of the support; b) the axis of rotation is placed in one of the various places which permit 5 that the brush rotates in left direction till the right part of support strikes on the handle; c) it can be leaned against a wall with the weight loaded on the left extremity of the support.

8) Articulate broom of the type described at the title "Technical Field" characte- 10 rized by all characteristics claimed at the claims 1 ,2,3 ,4,5,6,7.