WO2010010368A1

WO2010010368A1 - Cleaning device

Info

Publication number: WO2010010368A1
Application number: PCT/GB2009/050582
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gregor Aikman
Original assignee: Meso Limited
Priority date: 2008-07-24
Filing date: 2009-05-28
Publication date: 2010-01-28
Also published as: GB0813557D0

Abstract

There is herein described a device (100) and a method for cleaning and/or removing debris from a contaminated surface. More particularly,there is description of a device (100) and a method for cleaning and/or removing debris (e.g. visible marks) from a contaminated surface on electronic devices including display screens such as computer and television screens.

Description

CLEANING DEVICE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device and a method for cleaning and/or removing debris from a contaminated surface. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device and a method for cleaning and/or removing debris (e.g. visible marks) from a contaminated surface on, for example, electronic devices including display screens such as computer and television screens.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In recent years there have been major advances in screen technology for the television and computer industry. These include high definition television screens offering high quality pictures. There have also been significant advances in gaming technology providing improved graphics for game players. Although significant advances have been made in screen technologies, there has been little if any advance in devices and methods to care for and clean these technologically advanced screens.

The majority of electronic display screens such as new computer and television screens are based on LCD/TFT/plasma technology. Compared to their traditional CRT counterparts, these types of electronic display screens are far more delicate and therefore require more careful cleaning. Moreover, due to a charge created by these screens they attract greater amounts of dust than an ordinary surface therefore require more regular intensive cleaning. This dust can lead to decreased viewing quality and the inconvenience of repetitive cleaning. A further problem is that even the thinnest coating of dust can raise the temperature of internal electronic components. The build up of dirt can therefore cause overheating and permanent hardware failure. Laptop computers are also increasingly being used in more diverse environments where keeping them clean is essential to their operation.

The majority of cleaning products currently on the market such as impregnated wipes are alcohol or ammonia based systems. A significant problem with alcohol and ammonia based systems are that alcohol and ammonia are known to damage screen surfaces. Moreover, alcohol based systems have waste disposal problems, have flight regulations attached to them and also have associated health and safety issues.

Alcohol and ammonia based cleaning systems such as impregnated wipes also have the significant disadvantage in that they have to be manually wiped across the surface to be cleaned. This causes problems as a user will wipe the surface being cleaned with a completely inconsistent level of pressure during the wiping process. This not only leads to inconsistent and inefficient cleaning but also where too much pressure is applied may lead to the cleaned surface being damaged. Any form of damage to the surface will reduce the quality of the image being observed (e.g. a computer or television screen).

Further alternative cleaning products on the market remove contamination by means of a brush or a blower. However, these types of cleaning products are inefficient as they tend to simply move the dirt around rather than capturing and removing the contaminating debris.

It is an object of at least one aspect of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one or more of the aforementioned problems.

It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide a device and a method for cleaning surfaces which minimises any form of damage and/or degradation to a screen surface and/or internal components of a computer or television.

It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide a device and a method for cleaning surfaces which collects and removes all or substantially all dust particles on computer or television screens.

It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide a device and a method for cleaning surfaces which removes or substantially removes greasy marks and/or fingerprint contamination on computer or television screens.

It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide a device and a method for cleaning surfaces which is liquid free.

It is a further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide a device and a method for cleaning surfaces which is reusable.

It is further object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide a device and a method for cleaning surfaces which minimises the amount of pressure being applied to a surface and which also provides for a substantially constant pressure to be applied during the cleaning process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface, said cleaning device comprising: a rotatable cleaning surface intended to contact the contaminated surface whereupon on contact with the contaminated surface, contaminants are capable of being transferred from the contaminated surface to the rotatable cleaning surface; a rotatable adhesive which is capable of removing contaminants collected on the rotatable cleaning surface by engaging with the rotatable cleaning surface; and wherein the rotatable cleaning surface on contacting the rotatable cleaning adhesive and being moved across the contaminated surface is capable of adopting a non-perpendicular or offset arrangement with respect to the contaminated surface being cleaned. The cleaning device is intended to clean contaminated surfaces by removing debris (e.g. visible marks) from electronic devices including display screens such as computer and television screens. The cleaning device may therefore completely remove or substantially remove dust and/or fingerprints from display screens using preferably a single pass. The cleaning device of the present invention has a particular advantage in that the cleaning process is a dry process with no alcohol or ammonia required.

The rotatable cleaning surface on contacting the rotatable adhesive and being moved across the contaminated surface is capable of adopting a non-perpendicular arrangement to the contaminated surface being cleaned by using any suitable mechanical arrangement. In particular embodiments, the rotatable cleaning surface adopts a non-perpendicular arrangement using a pivoting mechanism. For example, a pivot mechanism may be attached to an axis such as a spindle around which the rotatable cleaning surface may be connected. The rotatable cleaning surface may be freely rotatable about this axis.

On engaging the rotatable cleaning surface with the contaminated surface to be cleaned and moving the cleaning device across the surface being cleaned, the mechanical arrangement (e.g. the pivoting mechanism) allows the rotatable cleaning surface to move into a non- perpendicular arrangement (i.e. a sideways arrangement) and is therefore offset to the surface being cleaned. By a non-perpendicular arrangement is meant that the rotatable cleaning surface is not perpendicular to a longitudinal vertical axis extending directly down through the device during use and a horizontal plane formed by the surface being cleaned. During use, a vertical plane extending through a centre of the rotatable cleaning surface may therefore no longer be perpendicular to a surface being cleaned. The rotatable cleaning surface may therefore be moved into a sideways (or offset) arrangement during use. Typically, the rotatable cleaning surface may move about 10 - 80 degrees, about 20 - 70 degrees or about 30 - 60 degrees away from a perpendicular arrangement during use. Alternatively, the rotatable cleaning surface may move about 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 or 80 degrees away from a perpendicular arrangement during use. By adopting a non-perpendicular arrangement, means that when downward pressure is applied by a user during the cleaning process, the pressure applied by the rotatable cleaning surface occurs in a non-perpendicular manner. This arrangement is surprisingly advantageous as this allows the amount of pressure being applied to a surface being cleaned to be minimised which has the advantageous effect of minimising any damage occurring on the cleaned surface. This also provides the advantageous feature of allowing a substantially constant pressure to be applied during the cleaning process.

On removal of the rotatable cleaning surface from the surface being cleaned, the rotatable cleaning surface may spring back (e.g. automatically via actuation means) to its original substantially perpendicular position wherein the rotatable cleaning surface and the rotatable adhesive may be maintained a small distance apart from one another. The rotatable cleaning surface may be an elastomer roller which may be substantially cylindrical in shape with, for example, an opening extending substantially centrally therethrough around which free rotation may occur. The outer surface of the rotatable cleaning surface may therefore comprise elastomer material which is capable of removing contaminants and/or debris and/or fingerprints from the contaminated surface.

The rotatable adhesive may be substantially cylindrical in shape and may comprise a plurality of wound adhesive sheets. The rotatable adhesive may therefore be pre-sheeted meaning that when the adhesive needs to be renewed, a used sheet may be quickly and easily removed exposing a new sheet underneath. The rotatable adhesive may comprise about 50 - 100 removable sheets. Moreover, the rotatable adhesive may itself be removed via, for example, an opening in a compartment surrounding the rotatable adhesive.

The cleaning device may also comprise a cover (i.e. a lid) which may be used to cover the rotatable cleaning surface when not in use. When in use, the cover may be attached to a reverse side of the cleaning device thereby creating a handle for a user. The cover may also comprise an additional cleaning means such as a fingerprint removal strip comprising, for example, a soft microfibre pad or a soft synthetic such as a chamois leather pad which can be used initially to polish off any stubborn marks.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of cleaning a contaminated surface, said method comprising: providing a rotatable cleaning surface intended to contact the contaminated surface whereupon on contact contaminants are capable of being transferred from the contaminated surface to the rotatable cleaning surface; providing a rotatable adhesive which is capable of removing contaminants collected on the rotatable cleaning surface by engaging with the rotatable cleaning surface; wherein the rotatable cleaning surface on contacting the rotatable adhesive and being moved across the contaminated surface is capable of adopting a non-perpendicular or off-set arrangement with respect to the contaminated surface being cleaned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a representation of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of component parts making up the cleaning device shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a view of a chassis making up part of the cleaning device shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figures 4a - 4d show the cleaning device as shown in Figures 1 to 3 in use; Figure 5 is a magnified view of a pivoting system in the cleaning device shown in Figures 1 to 4d;

Figures 6a - 6c are representations showing replacement of an adhesive roller in a cleaning device as shown in Figures 1 to 5; and

Figures 7a - 7b compare the movement of cleaning a surface using prior art techniques and that of the present invention which uses a pivoting system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION Referring to Figure 1 there is a representation of a cleaning device according to the present invention, generally designated 100. The cleaning device 100 comprises two main parts: a first part comprising a cover 110; and a second part comprising an elastomer cleaning roller 112. The cleaning device 100 can, for example, be used to clean electronic display screens such as computer and television screens. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the cleaning device 100. The elastomer roller 112 as shown in Figure 2 is intended to be mounted on a spindle 114. The elastomer roller 112 is a completely dry cleaning system and does not rely on alcohol or ammonia based solutions which can degrade a computer or television screen over time. The elastomer roller 112 is substantially cylindrical in shape with a central opening extending therethrough. The elastomer roller 112 has an outer surface made from an elastomeric compound which has the function of picking up contaminating particles on, for example, a screen surface. The outer surface of the elastomer roller 112 is substantially smooth and is capable of picking up debris from a surface down to, for example, a few microns in size. Although not wishing to be bound by theory, the elastomeric material on the outer surface of the elastomer roller 112 picks up contaminated material such as debris due to greater surface energy.

The elastomer roller 112 is capable of freely rotating on the spindle 114 which is made from, for example, a plastics material which minimises friction between the inner surface of the elastomer roller 112 and the spindle 114. Once inserted into the elastomer roller 112, the spindle 114 is held in place with two spigots 116,118 and two pivot arms 120,122. The pivot arms 120,122 are discussed in more detail below as they are an important component in the cleaning device 100.

Figure 2 also shows a chassis 124 of the cleaning device 100 into which the elastomer roller 122 and adhesive roller 126 may fit into via a snap-fit arrangement. The adhesive roller 126 is held in place with two spigots 128,130. The adhesive roller 126 has about 50 adhesive sheets wound around the outer circumference of the adhesive roller 122. Any contamination collected by the elastomer roller 112 is transferred to the adhesive sheets on the adhesive roller 126 which permanently trap the particles as the outer exposed surface of the adhesive sheets is sticky/tacky. Once the exposed adhesive sheet is saturated with debris or at a point where its effectiveness at collecting debris has been reduced the exposed adhesive sheet may be peeled and/or stripped off revealing a fresh adhesive strip underneath. This process may be repeated as many times as necessary and until all adhesive sheets on the adhesive roller 126 have been used.

The adhesive roller 126 is contained within an adhesive compartment 132. The adhesive compartment 132 clips onto the chassis 124 to position the adhesive roller 126 in the correct orientation for the elastomer roller 112 to pivot and purge contaminants during use. The elastomer roller 112 and the adhesive roller 126 are therefore designed to engage and roll against one another during use thereby transferring debris from the elastomer roller 112 to the adhesive roller 126. The adhesive compartment 132 may be made out a transparent material to allow a user to see when the adhesive roller 126 needs a top adhesive sheet removed (i.e. this allows a user to view how much debris has been collected on the adhesive sheet). The adhesive compartment 132 contains a rotation axis for the adhesive roller 126 to freely rotate around. When all adhesive sheets on the adhesive roller 126 are used, the adhesive roller 126 can be simply removed and a new adhesive roller 126 can be inserted. The adhesive compartment 132 is attached to the chassis 124 via a snap fit mechanism which requires the adhesive compartment to be made from a plastics material with a degree of durability and a limited degree of flex. To open, a user squeezes a respective part of the adhesive compartment 132 and rotates the adhesive compartment 132 open.

As shown in Figure 2, the cleaning device 100 also comprises a cover 110. The cover 110 acts as a housing to both isolate the elastomer roller 122 when not in use and to mount a grease removal strip 136 which fits into a small insert 134. The grease removal strip 136 can be used in a first cleaning step before using the elastomer roller 122. Figure 3 is a further view of the chassis 124. The chassis 124 is a key component of the cleaning device 100 as it is the base to which all the other components attach. The chassis 124 has pegs 138,139,140,141 . Pegs 140,141 are used to click onto the adhesive compartment 132 and the elastomer roller 122 assembly. The pegs 138,139,140,141 not only hold these sub- assemblies in place but provide the axis to which they both rotate around. The chassis 124 also has centering pegs 138,139 for the elastomer roller 112 and a snap fit locator to keep the adhesive compartment 132 closed. The cover 110 can fit onto the chassis 124 in two configurations. In the first configuration, the cover 110 clips around the elastomer roller 122 when the product is not in use. In the second configuration, the cover 110 clips onto the adhesive compartment 132 to provide a larger handle for a user to hold when cleaning. Figures 4a - 4d show the cleaning device 100 in use. To use the cleaning device 100, a user first chooses whether they want to tackle dust specs or fingerprints. The fingerprint removal strip 136 comprises, for example, a soft microfibre pad which can be used initially to polish off any stubborn marks. To remove dry marks and dust, a user removes the cover 110 housing the elastomer roller 112. The cover 110 may be clicked onto the reverse side of the cleaning device 100 (i.e. the adhesive compartment 132), thereby creating a handle for a user. A user may then simply swipe the cleaning device 100 and hence the elastomer roller 112 roller along a surface to be cleaned. This motion allows the elastomer roller 112 to roll across a surface attracting contaminants, whilst automatically engaging with the adhesive roller 126, purging the surface of the elastomer roller 112 almost instantaneously. The motion does not encourage direct pressure to be applied to the cleaning device 100. In turn, direct pressure is also not applied to a surface being cleaned. It is important to note that to engage the elastomer roller 112 and the adhesive roller 126 a substantially sideways movement is encouraged. The elastomer roller 112 and the adhesive roller 126 cannot be in continuous contact when not in use due to the bond between them being so great they would become inseparable. This is overcome by pivot arms 120,122 which force the elastomer roller 112 to separate from the adhesive roller 126 and return to a more central position. When not in use the elastomer roller 112 and adhesive roller 126 are held apart from each other by the casing locking the elastomer roller 112 in a central position - in isolation of the adhesive roller 126.

Figure 4a shows the elastomer roller 112 fully forced into the cleaning device 100 with a substantially downward force. In Figure 4b, the cleaning device 100 is lifted fully off a surface to be cleaned with the result that the elastomer roller 112 moves back to an extended position using the pivot arms 120,122 . Figure 4c shows the situation where the elastomer roller 112 has just been lowered onto a surface with no downward pressure being applied. In Figure 4d, the cleaning device 100 is shown in cleaning mode. In cleaning mode, the elastomer roller 112 is moved to one side using the pivot arms 120,122. The elastomer roller 112 may move off center by about 20 - 70 degrees. The offset of the elastomer roller 112 is shown by line A - A. This has been found to be surprisingly highly advantageous as the sideways movement of the elastomer roller 112 means that direct downward pressure is not applied to the surface being cleaned. This reduces the possibility of any form of damage occurring on the surface being cleaned due to excessive force being applied. The sideways movement of the elastomer roller 112 therefore also allows a much more constant and reduced pressure to be applied by a user during the cleaning process.

Figure 5 is a magnified view of the arrangement of the pivot arm 120 in Figure 4d showing the sideways movement. The pivot arm 120 is designed so as to provide the rotation needed to engage the elastomer roller 112 and the adhesive roller 126 when the adhesive roller 126 is fresh and when it is on its last sheet. A slightly sprung interface with the chassis 124 is created to marginally separate the elastomer roller 112 and the adhesive roller 126. The pivot arms 120,122 are crucial to how the elastomer roller 112 and adhesive roller 126 engage. When the cleaning device 100 is swiped from side to side, the pivot arms 120,122 must allow rotation of the elastomer roller 112 to engage with the adhesive roller 126. To provide a slight degree of spring to marginally separate the elastomer roller 112 and the adhesive roller 126 when the elastomer roller 112 is not in contact with a surface to be cleaned, a side of the pivot arms 120, 122 have a built in plastic spring which engages with a peg on the chassis. This encourages the elastomer roller 112 and the adhesive roller 126 to separate when the small amount of pressure needed to engage the elastomer roller 112 and the adhesive roller 112 is released.

As discussed above, the adhesive roller 126 is pre-sheeted so that when it becomes saturated showing a decrease in cleaning capability, the top sheet can be quickly and easily removed. The adhesive roller 126 can be accessed via a swing out compartment 142 at the top of the cleaning device 100. As shown in Figures 6a - 6c the compartment 142 allows for easy replacement of the entire adhesive roller 126 automatically repositioning it when the compartment 142 is closed. The cleaning device 100 of the present invention is therefore reusable.

Figures 7a and 7b summarise and compare the movement of cleaning a surface using prior art techniques and the present invention. As clearly shown in Figure 6a prior art techniques involve applying a force directly down onto a spring mechanism with the device then being swiped across a surface. The surface being cleaned may therefore be damaged due to excessive force being applied. Figure 6b represents the sideways movement of the elastomer roller of the present invention which avoids a direct downward pressure being applied to the surface being cleaned. As discussed above this has significant advantages. Whilst specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that departures from the described embodiments may still fall within the scope of the present invention. For example, any suitable type of mechanical arrangement may be provided to accommodate a substantially sideways movement of the elastomer roller. For example, any suitable pivoting action may be used. The elastomer roller may also be made from any suitable material as may the adhesive sheets. Moreover, the cleaning device may contain additional cleaning surfaces such as any suitable form of grease removal strips.

Claims

1. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface, said cleaning device comprising: a rotatable cleaning surface intended to contact the contaminated surface whereupon on contact with the contaminated surface, contaminants are capable of being transferred from the contaminated surface to the rotatable cleaning surface; a rotatable adhesive which is capable of removing contaminants collected on the rotatable cleaning surface by engaging with the rotatable cleaning surface; and wherein the rotatable cleaning surface on contacting the rotatable cleaning adhesive and being moved across the contaminated surface is capable of adopting a non-perpendicular or offset arrangement with respect to the contaminated surface being cleaned.

2. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to claim 1 , wherein the rotatable cleaning surface adopts a non-perpendicular arrangement using a pivoting mechanism.

3. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the pivoting mechanism is attached to a spindle around which the rotatable cleaning surface is attached.

4. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotatable cleaning surface is capable of moving about 10 - 80 degrees, about 20 - 70 degrees or about 30 - 60 degrees away from a perpendicular arrangement during use.

5. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotatable cleaning surface is capable of moving about 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 or 80 degrees away from a perpendicular arrangement during use.

6. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotatable cleaning surface springs back to its original substantially perpendicular position wherein the rotatable cleaning surface and the rotatable adhesive are maintained a small distance apart from one another.

7. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotatable cleaning surface is an elastomer roller which is substantially cylindrical in shape.

8. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to any preceding claim, wherein the rotatable adhesive is substantially cylindrical in shape and comprises a plurality of wound adhesive sheets which are individually removable.

9. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to any preceding claim, wherein the cleaning device comprises a cover which is used to cover the rotatable cleaning surface when not in use.

10. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to claim 9, wherein the cover is used to create a handle for a user.

11. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to any preceding claim, wherein there are additional cleaning means including a fingerprint removal strip.

12. A cleaning device capable of cleaning a contaminated surface according to claim 11 , wherein the additional cleaning means is a soft microfibre pad or a soft synthetic material including a chamois leather pad.

13. A method of cleaning a contaminated surface, said method comprising: providing a rotatable cleaning surface intended to contact the contaminated surface whereupon on contact contaminants are capable of being transferred from the contaminated surface to the rotatable cleaning surface; providing a rotatable adhesive which is capable of removing contaminants collected on the rotatable cleaning surface by engaging with the rotatable cleaning surface; wherein the rotatable cleaning surface on contacting the rotatable adhesive and being moved across the contaminated surface is capable of adopting a non-perpendicular or off-set arrangement with respect to the contaminated surface being cleaned.

14. Use of a cleaning device according to any of claims 1 to 12 for cleaning contaminated surfaces by removing debris (e.g. visible marks) from electronic devices including display screens such as computer and television screens.