WO2005118943A1

WO2005118943A1 - Apparatus for squeezing a wet cloth

Info

Publication number: WO2005118943A1
Application number: PCT/DK2005/000363
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henrik Bartholin
Original assignee: Henrik Bartholin
Priority date: 2004-06-01
Filing date: 2005-06-01
Publication date: 2005-12-15
Also published as: EP1756348A1

Abstract

An apparatus comprising a receiver containing a channel for receiving a piston and a piston in one end provided with means for engagement by hand by the user is provided. In use, a wet cloth, which has been lifted and is held in one edge or in one of its corners and shaped into an elongated rod-like rather stable object, is lowered into the receiver; and the piston is pushed down on the wet cloth, squeezing liquid out of the cloth, which liquid leaves the receiver via means for outflow of liquid. The apparatus is particularly useful for squeezing water out of cloths by persons with reduced strength or flexibility in the hand due to e.g. rheumatic diseases.

Description

APPARATUS FOR SQUEEZING A WET CLOTH

The present invention relates to an apparatus for squeezing a cloth, preferably a wet cloth, in or- der to squeeze liquid out of the cloth. In particular, the invention relates to tools for people with weak hands, which tools facilitate squeezing liquids out of cloths of various -kinds used in common household activities.

Background of the Invention

During common household activities there are many situations where a wet cloth is wringed in order to squeeze a liquid, usually water, out of a cloth.

Such activities are normally used in e.g. washing of clothes, cleaning operations, dish washing, etc. The wringing operations of cloths are performed in industrial activities, such as cleaning, and dur- ing common private household operations. Many people experience difficulties in wringing these cloths with sufficient strength to squeeze the desired amount of water out of the cloth. In particular, weak elderly people and patients suffering from rheumatic diseases or muscle or connective tissue diseases experience problems in wringing cloth in order to squeeze liquid out of the cloth. This has several disadvantages in the private household, such as insufficient wringed dishcloths leading to damp or wet surfaces on kitchen table, or an excessive use of paper towels. The problem has been addressed mainly for cloths used for washing of floors. GB 2 036 549 discloses a device for wringing a floor cloth. The device comprises a traditional bucket and two parallel rollers, between which the cloth can pass, whereby the liquid is squeezed out of the cloth. In operation the device is operated via a foot control lever. DE 196 33 304 disclose a corresponding device comprising a container for water, two rollers and a handle or a pedal for moving the two rollers towards each other and thereby exerting the necessary strength to squeeze water out of the cloth. EP 755 649 discloses a wringer for wet wiping cloth comprising two parallel rollers adapted to roll in opposite directions with the cloth between the rollers . For laundry uses DE 32 28 512 Al and GB 2 158 466 A disclose apparatuses for draining washed laundry articles by mechanical force followed by applica- tion of compressed air. The devices for wringing a wet cloth according to the prior art all have the disadvantage in being rather large devices that require firm securing to^' a bucket or similar. Further these known devices are adapted for particular uses, and accordingly, do not seem to have the flexibility desired for domestic uses, allowing the use of the devises in various common household activities, such as cleaning, laundry and personal hygiene. Therefore, these devices have not been widely used in private households. Therefore, there still exists a need for a more flexible apparatus for squeezing a wet cloth, that does not need firm securing before use, but which can readily be used and thereafter readily be removed in order to allow the space previously occupied to be used for a different purpose, which apparatus is easy to use, especially by weak elderly people and pa- tients suffering from rheumatic diseases or muscle or connective tissue diseases.

Short description of the Invention

The present inventor has solved the problems mentioned by providing an apparatus suitable for squeezing a wet cloth by a person with weak hands, comprising a piston having one end adapted to engage- ment by hand of the user, and a receiver having a wall surrounding a central channel being adapted to receive the piston, the receiver being provided with means for allowing outflow of liquid, where the end of the piston opposite to the end adapted to engage- ment by hand is capable of entering and gliding into the channel of the receiver and thereby squeeze a cloth, which is present in the receiver. In the present description and claims the term "a person with weak hands" is intended to mean any person having reduced strength and/or motility of the hands or fingers compared to normal healthy individuals. The weakening of the hands may be caused by a number of reasons, including age, disabling diseases such as rheumatic diseases, diseases affecting the locomotion of the limbs or injuries. The term also includes peoples suffering from mental conditions affecting the control of the limbs, in particular the hands, such as epileptic diseases, Alzheimer's disease or Parkinsons disease. The invention takes advantage of the surprising finding that a through wet cloth when lifted in one edge of one of its corners can easily be shaped into an elongated, rod-like rather stable object, which can easily be placed in the receiver of the apparatus . The apparatus according to the invention pro- vides a readily usable device for squeezing water out of cloths, requiring a minimum of time and strength in the process of placing the wet cloth in the receiver, squeezing it as desired, and removing it from the apparatus, ready for the intended use. Further, the apparatus has the advantage of a high flexibility, which can readily be operated without any need for securing to a table, bucket or similar. Additionally, because of the simple design, the apparatus can be produced at low costs . For use of the apparatus, the piston is at first removed from the receiver, and then the receiver is placed in a position where the channel for receiving the piston is in a practically vertical position. The wet cloth is placed in the receiver, and, subsequently, the piston is entered into the receiver; and by pressing the piston down on the cloth present in the receiver, liquid is squeezed out of the cloth and leaves the apparatus via the means for allowing outflow of the receiver. Due to the simple design of the apparatus, it can readily be placed in a suitable position for use, e.g. in a kitchen sink, and can be removed after use allowing the sink to be used for other purposes. Fur- ther, the simple design of the apparatus according to the invention allows the use thereof by persons with reduced control of their hands, who are therefore, incapable of performing accurate assembly or opera- tion of complicated devices.

Short description of the drawings Fig 1 depicts an apparatus according to the invention, showing a receiver (10) having slits (11) in the lower part for outflow of liquid, and a piston (20) having a contact surface (21) and a handle (22) . Detailed description of the invention

The apparatus according to the invention comprising of a receiver and a piston is used for squeezing a wet cloth and have several applications in common household activities. Due to the simplicity of the apparatus and the ease of operation, it can readily be operated even by persons with reduced strength and/or flexibility in the joints and/or re-

- duced control over their hands due to e.g. age, dis- eases such as rheumatic diseases, other diseases affecting the locomotion of the limbs or injuries. The cloth that may be treated in the apparatus may, in principle, be any cloth that is regularly found in a wet state under common domestic household activities. According to the invention, the cloth may, for example, be a cloth used for personal hygienic purposes such as a face cloth, a washcloth or even a sponge; or it may be a cloth used for cleaning purposes, such as a floor cloth or a dish cloth. The apparatus may also be used in laundry for squeezing water out of clothes. The skilled person will appre- ciate which wet clothes may suitably be treated using the apparatus and methods according to the invention. In the present application, the expression "the cloth being shaped into an elongated rod-like rather stable object" and grammatically equivalent expres- sions are intended to mean that the cloth is in a conformation having a geometry enabling it to enter into the receiver, and that the conformation is sufficiently stable for handling thereof by hand by the user . The liquid to be squeezed out of the cloth may, in principle, be any liquid that is regularly used in private households. In practice, the liquid will almost always be water, usually containing soap, etc., such as for cleaning, washing of dishes, clothes, etc., or for personal hygiene. Generally, the piston is shaped as a rod having one end adapted to engagement by hand, usually formed as a handle, in one end. The end of the piston opposite the handle is the part of the piston, which is in direct contact with the cloth. The surface of the piston in the end opposite the handle is also called the contact surface . Usually, the contact surface is plane and essentially perpendicular to the length axis of the piston, even though the contact surface may form an angle with the axis of the piston different from approximately 90 ' . Usually, the contact surface is essentially plane, even though other shapes, such as e.g. parabolic, may also be contemplated. The contact surface may be essentially smooth or it may have a certain pattern, such as serrated, grooved, etc., e.g. in or- der to improve the effluence of the liquid. In one embodiment, the cross section of the piston perpendicular to the length axis of the piston is uniform along the complete length of the piston. In another embodiment, the cross section of the piston perpendicular to the length axis of the piston is smaller than the area of the contact surface. In this embodiment, it is preferred that means be provided to guide the piston in order to increase the stability of the apparatus according to the invention when the piston is pushed down to squeeze a cloth. The receiver may, in principle, have any form that is capable of receiving the piston and let the piston glide into the channel of the receiver. In the lower part of the receiver means are provided for al- lowing outflow of liquid being squeezed out of a cloth. The means for allowing outflow of liquid may, in principle, be any such means as the skilled person will appreciate. As preferred examples of such means can be mentioned one or more holes in the receiver, one or more slits, an increase of the cross section in the lower part of the receiver or a particular bulge in the receiver. In one embodiment, the receiver is provided with means for stabilizing the receiver in upright standing position, such as a foot. It is within the skills of the average practitioner to provide suitable means for stabilizing the receiver in upright position. In another embodiment, the receiver is provided with means for guiding the wet cloth into the receiver. These guidance means may e.g. be formed as a funnel on a receiver having a circular cross section. The skilled person will appreciate other suitable guidance means for use according to the present invention. Additionally, the means of guidance have the advantage that it will be easier to fit the piston into the receiver, which may be advantageous for at least one group of users with reduced control of ^• their hands . The piston and the receiver may, in principle, be made of any suitable hard solid materials having sufficient strength. It is within the skills of the average practitioner to select suitable material for the piston and receiver. As examples of suitable materials can be mentioned: metals such as iron, steel or aluminium, plastic materials, polymeric materials such as polycarbonate, polystyrene, acrylic materials; ceramics and wood. Preferably, the piston and the receiver are made of polymeric materials. The piston and the receiver may be made of the same material, or they can be of different materials. The cross section of the piston and the receiver may, in principle, be of any shape. However, as the skilled person will appreciate, is it mandatory that the shape of the receiver is adapted to the shape of the piston in order to allow the piston to glide into the channel of the receiver. Preferably, the shape of the cross section of the piston and the receiver is a regular simple geometric shape, such as a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, a square, a penta- gon, hexagon, or an octagon. Most preferably, the cross section of the piston and the receiver is essentially circular. The area of the cross section is suitably adapted to the size of the cloth intended to be squeezed in the apparatus, a large cross section is selected for larger cloths, and smaller cross sections are selected for smaller cloths. Further it will be easier to place a cloth to be squeezed in an apparatus according to the invention having a larger cross section of the channel for the piston compared to a similar apparatus having a smaller cross section. However, a larger area of the cross section leads to a lower pressure applied to cloths placed in the receiver for the same force applied to the handle of the piston, leading to less water being squeezed out of the cloth. Thus, the skilled person will appreciate that the area of the cross section should be selected balancing the regards to the size of the cloth intended to be treated, the ease of placing the cloth in the receiver and the intended pressure to be applied to the cloth in order to squeeze the cloth and obtain a cloth having the desired residual moisture content . Usually, a suitable diameter of a piston for an essentially circular cross section is selected in the range of 3-20 cm, preferably in the range of 4-15 cm. For apparatuses according to the invention comprising of a piston having an other geometric form of the cross section, the dimensions are suitably selected so that the area is in the same area as indicated for essentially circular cross sections. The handle may even be adapted to engagement by the foot of the user. This may be advantageous for apparatuses according to the invention having a large area of the cross section of the piston, and where, accordingly a larger force is needed to obtain a de- sired dryness of the cloth compared to smaller cross sections . According to the invention, the expression "adapted to engagement by hand" is intended to mean that the end of the piston in question is formed in a way that allows the user to exert the necessary force on the end using the hands or even the lower parts of the arms. In the simplest embodiment, the expression adapted to engagement by hand may mean that the surface in question is flat or smooth without any struc- tures that may tear or puncture the skin. In another embodiment, the expression adapted to engagement by hand means that the end in question is provided with a handle. The expression should even be understood as also comprising pistons having ends that may be en- gaged by foot by the user. The handle may in principle be any device capable of being engaged by the limbs of the user. Preferably, the handle is shaped in order to facilitate the grip, as it will be appreciated within the area. In a preferred embodiment, the handle is formed as a knob or a ball having a larger diameter than the piston. This will allow a firm grip of the handle even for the user having joints with reduced flexibility due to e.g. rheumatic diseases. The handle may, in principle, be made of the same materials as the piston, or it may be of a different material having an adequate strength and structure . In a preferred embodiment, the handle is made of a resilient materiel in order to allow the user to exert a substantial force on the handle without experiencing pain in the hand due to the stress exerted by the handle. Further, a resilient handle will allow the user to lean on the handle and use the body weight the exert the desired pressure in order to squeeze liquid out of the cloth, with reduced risk of hurting the user due to hard objects, etc. In one embodiment, the handle is made completely of resilient material. In another embodiment, the handle is made integrally in one piece with the piston, and in an even further embodiment, the handle is made in one piece with the piston and is coated or covered with a resilient material at the end adapted to engagement by hand by the user . It is also within the skills of the average practitioner to select suitable materials for the handle. Rubber is an example of a suitable resilient material for use as handle according to the invention. In use, the receiver is placed in upright position, i.e. a position where the channel for receiving the piston is essentially vertical. Next, the wet cloth, which has been lifted and held in one edge or in one of its corners and shaped into a rod-like rather stable object, is lowered into the receiver and the piston is entered into the receiver and pushed down, squeezing the liquid out of the cloth. The liquid leaves the receiver via the means for outflow of liquid. Subsequently, the squeezed cloth is removed from the receiver, for example, the receiver may be removed and the cloth left behind, now containing less liquid than before the operation. The receiver may be placed at any stable sur- face for use. It may conveniently be placed in e.g. a sink where water squeezed out of the cloth can leave via the drain. The behaviour of wet cloths being held in one edge or corner to fold or collapse into an elongated form eases the placing of a wet cloth in the receiver. Thus, it will be appreciated that a wet cloth can readily be placed in a receiver, whereas the same cloth in a dry condition is more difficult to place in the receiver. In the present description the invention has mainly been described in connection with domestic uses. However, there may be industrial situations where the apparatus according to the inventions may suitably be used, e.g. where smaller amounts of cloths has to be drained of a liquid, where a high degree of flexibility is desired or in situations where it is desirable to avoid contact with the liquid being squeezed out of the cloth. The skilled person may readily identify such situations.

The invention is now illustrated further with the following example, which is provided for illustrative purposes and not intended to be limiting in any way. Example

An apparatus according to the invention, shown in fig 1, was provided as follows.

The receiver (10) was made of a hard plastic pipe having a length of 15 cm and an inner diameter of 4.5 cm. In the lower end of the receiver 2 slits

(11) were cut in the receiver (10) , to allow water being squeezed out of a cloth present in the receiver to flow out .

The piston (20) was made of a hollow hard plastic rod having an outer diameter of approximately 4.3 cm. The handle (22) was made of rubber attached to the piston.

The apparatus was tested using a cloth having a size of approximately 25x25 cm of a type usually used in kitchens for e.g. sweeping tables.

The cloth was wetted by immersion in water. The receiver was placed in a sink and the wet cloth, which was lifted and held in one edge or in one of its corners and was shaped into an elongated rod-like rather stable object, was lowered into the receiver and the piston was pushed down on the cloth, squeezing water out of the cloth. Subsequently, the receiver with the piston was removed, and the cloth re- mained in the sink. After this treatment, the cloth had a suitable dryness for sweeping kitchen tables.

Claims

P A T E N T C L A I M S 1. An apparatus suitable for squeezing a wet cloth by a person with weak hands, comprising a piston having one end adapted to engagement by hand by the user, and a receiver having a wall surrounding a central channel being adapted to receive the piston, the receiver being provided with means for allowing outflow of liquid, where the end of the piston opposite the end adapted to engagement by hand is capable of entering and gliding into the channel of the receiver and thereby squeeze a cloth being present in the receiver.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the end of the piston adapted to engagement by hand by the user is provided with a handle.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the handle is made of a resilient material.

4. The apparatus according to any of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the cross section of the channel for receiving the piston and the piston is essentially circular.

5. The apparatus according to any of the claims 1-4, wherein the receiver is provided with holes or slits in the wall, allowing outflow of liquid.

6. The apparatus according to any of the claims 1-5, wherein the receiver is further provided with means for stabilizing the receiver in upright position.

7. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, where the receiver is provided with means for facilitating entering a cloth into the channel for the piston, such as a funnel.

8 Use by a person with weak hands of an apparatus according to any of the claims 1-7 for squeezing a liquid out of a cloth.