Cleaning device

Oct. 20,1959 _G. p. beck 2,908,930

CLEANING DEVICE Filed Dec. 8, 1955

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United States Patent Office 2,908,930

Patented Oct. 20, 1959

2,908,930

CLEANING DEVICE 5

Gasper Paul Beck, Highland Park, NJ, assignor to Personal Products Corporation, a corporation of New Jersey

Application December 8,1955, Serial No. 551,808 10

Claims. (Cl. 15—210) _ The present invention relates to cleaning devices hav- 15 ing disposable cleaning elements and more particularly to devices suitable for cleaning toilet bowls and the like.

Ope object of the present invention is to provide a new and unproved holder for a cleaning device of the type described designed to retain a swab thereon securely 20 against removal during normal use and operable to rupture the swab when removal of the used swab is desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hew and improved cleaning device including a cleaning'swab and a holder therefor, constructed to permit the swab to 25 be readjjy applied thereto and to cause the swab to be firmly retained thereon during a normal period of use; designed to give shape and bulk to the swab when in use and to afford an effective backing therefor in the cleaning operation; and provided with a swab-retaining head 30 of simple construction having relatively movable parts easily operable to rupture the swab when removal of the swab is desired. .........

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,'the 'cleaning swab comprises a composite pad 35 having a filler sheet of soft preferably absorbent material, wliich is easily disintegrable when wet and a thin flexible wrap sheet therefor disintegrable when wet but having a wet strength sufficient to prevent disintegration of said filler sheet in use. The filler sheet gives the neces- 40 sary l?ody to tie pad for effective cleaning and the wrap sheet is arranged with respect to said filler sheet to serve as'a padded wiper or scrubber.' The composite pad so. constructed is rolled into the form of a tube or sleeve and in this form is slipped over the head for cleaning use.' ₄₅

As a feature of the present invention, the head of the holder for the swab described has annular projecting conformations' desirably of helical shape to effect a more Positive connection between said head and the soft, flexible, conforming walls‘of the tubular swab. ‘ The holder ₆₀hpad comprises two parts relatively movable into closed position to receive and retain the swab thereon during use, and relatively movable into open expanded position to rupture the swab when removal of said swab from the head is desired. 55

In accordance with the more specific aspects of the present invention, the holder comprises a main body with a head, aitd a handle or shank therefor, and a swab rupturing element in the form of a blade pivotally connected tp the toe or forward end of said head and extending along 60 substantially the full length of said main body. This swab rupturing blade nests in a recess extending along the head of the main body of the holder during cleaning use and is shaped at 'its forward end to conform to the general contour bf said head when extending in the recess 65 of said head, so that said blade can be considered to be part of the holder in closed position.' The swab rupturing blade is manipulable from its outer free end into open position to rupture the swab on the holder head.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the ⁷⁰present invention are apparent from the following particular description and from the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a perspective of an embodiment of the swab holder of the present invention, shown in fully open expanded position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the swab holder in closed position to hold a swab thereon for cleaning;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail showing the connection between the two parts of the swab holder, while said parts are in open expanded position, said parts being shown separated prior to assembly;

Fig. 4 is a section of the closed holder taken on lines 4—4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective showing the closed head of the holder and the swab thereon in position for cleaning, parts of the swab being shown broken away and in section to reveal the structure of the swab; and

Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the swab shown in full lines, the dot and dash lines showing the flat pad from which the swab is made.

The cleaner swab is constructed from a flat composite pad 10 made up of a filler 11 in the form of a flat flexible mat or sheet and a flexible paper wrap sheet 12 therefor. The filler mat 11 serves as the padding for the swab and is desirably of soft material to yield info conformance with irregularities in the surface being cleaned and into recesses formed between projections in the head of the holder, to secure said swab to said head against axial withdrawal, as will be more fully described, and must have sufficient body to permit sustained effective cleaning. Moreover, the filler mat 11 should be made of a material which is at least readily flushable in a toilet bowl, so that it will not clog the plumbing. For that reason, the filler mat 11 is made of an absorbent material readily disintegrable when wet and consists essentially of a relatively thick sheet or layer of fluffy particulate material which is desirably macerated cellulose, such as wood pulp, molded or pressed in flat rectangular form. In a specific form, the filler sheet 11 may be 10 inches long, 2% inches wide and about inch thick.

As far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, instead of wood pulp, the filler 11 may consist of a number of thin facial tissues arranged in a stack to form a padding mat for the swab.

The' wrap sheet 12 is desirably of thin flexible paper easily flushable in a toilet bowl but nevertheless rugged and strong enough to withstand cleaning or scrubbing pressure during use. To that end, the wrap sheet 12 has a wet strength high enough to permit it to withstand disintegration during a normal period of use but low enough to cause it to decompose and reduce to fragments for ready drainage after that period. The filler 11 has a tendency to disintegrate much faster, but its disintegration is retarded by the protective enveloping action of the more resistant wrap sheet 12.

The filler mat 11 is in flat rectangular· form and the wrap sheet 12 is rectangular and wide enough to permit the longitudinal margins of the sheet to be folded over the mat and brought together iit overlapping relationship. The wrap sheet 12 is longer than the filler mat 11, so that the ends 13 of said sheet extend beyond the ends of the filler mat.

In an intermediate stage of manufacture, the filler mat 11 is placed centrally on the flat wrap sheet 12, and the longitudinal margins of the wrap sheet are folded over the filler mat to bring these margins in overlapping relationshipand to form a lap seam thereby. These overlapping sections, of the wrap sheet 12 are secured together by water, disintegrable means in' the form of water soluble adhesive to form the composite pad. The adhesive may, for example, be cornstarch but' any other adhesive, weakening as the result of the action of water thereon may be

2,908,930 employed, as for instance, methyl cellulose, carboxyethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, casein, glue and any other water-soluble agglutinant.

The flat composite pad 10 formed as described and as shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 6, is rolled with the longitudinal seam of the wrap sheet 12 on the inside, and the opposed projecting ends 13 of the pad are secured together to produce a cleaning swab 16 in the form of a substantially cylindrical tube or sleeve, as shown in full lines in Fig. 6. The ends of the pad may be secured together in any suitable manner. For example, the ends 13 of the wrap sheet 12 projecting beyond the corresponding ends of the filler mat 11 may be folded radially inwardly and secured together face to face by water soluble or disintegrable adhesive of the type referred to in the making of the longitudinal seam on the wrap sheet 12, to form the sleeve swab shown in Fig. 6. The extent of inward radial projection of the ends 13 of the wrap sheet 12 where they are joined together is too small to interfere with the entry of the head of the holder into the sleeve.

The wrap sheet 12 of the cleaning swab in the construction shown may be impregnated with an appropriate detergent, coated with a suitable foaming agent and treated with a water soluble bluing dye similar to that used for laundry purposes, to whiten the surfaces cleaned by the swab of the present invention. The wrap sheet 12 may also contain a suitable disinfectant, a scouring agent such as pumice, and a perfume.

The swab 16 in the form of the rolled sleeve as described, will have its wrap sheet 12 on the outside to define a scrub sheet and the filler mat 11 will be on the inside to form a lining or backing for the scrub sheet. With the swab construction described, the filler mat 11 is entirely enclosed and protected against separation from the wrap sheet, as well as against disintegration.

The swab 16 is designed to be used in conjunction with a holder 20. This holder has a head 21 adapted to be slipped into the swab 16 for cleaning use, and a handle 22 terminating in a grip portion 23.

The holder head 21 is formed with a series of spaced annular projecting convolutions to bend and fold parts of the swab walls radially inwardly between successive convolutions and into catch engagement therewith, when said head is slipped into a tight swab. In the specific form shown, the holder head 21 is in the form of a screw which is. shown of the single thread type, although as far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned, this screw may be of the double thread type. The head 21 has a helical thread with the convolutions of said thread rounded off in a general direction parallel to the axis of the head to facilitate entry of said head into the swab and to permit the molding of the flexible or yieldable wall of the swab more easily into engaging conformance with said convolutions. The holder head 21 is thus adapted to fit tightly into the hollow of the sleeve swab 16 and to hold the swab firmly thereon, until it is ready to be discarded, as shown in Fig. 5.

The holder 20 and the swab 16 attached thereto form a cleaning device which can be conveniently handled. For example, in cleaning a toilet bowl, the swab 16 is dipped into the water in said bowl to render the detergents on the wrap sheet 12 active and to dissolve the bluing thereon. The cleaning can then be effected by rubbing the swab 16 over the surfaces to be cleaned. Under these conditions, the outer wrap sheet 12 presents an effective rubbing or scrubbing surface and the filler mat 11 supplies the necessary body to the swab 16 and also permits it to be deformed to conform with irregularities in the surfaces being cleaned. The wrap sheet 12 being able ?₀to withstand disintegration during a normal period of use, protects the filler mat 11 against disintegration during that period.

The holder head 21 constitutes the bulk of the cleaning for the thin-walled swab 16, so that substantial pressure can be supplied to the swab through the holder, while the swab retains its general form..

Since the swab 16 is retained firmly on the holder 20 5 against easy removal during cleaning operations, the removal of the swab after cleaning may not be easy. Moreover, if the swab is removed from the holder head in unruptured condition, it may be difficult to flush it in the toilet bowl, unless the swab undergoes disintegration 10 from the action of water for a prolonged period.

To avoid the conditions described, the holder 20 is made of a main body part 24 and a swab rupturing . part 25 mating therewith to form said holder and movable relative thereto from a closed position, in which the 15 holder retains the swab 16 for cleaning to an expanded position in which the swab is ruptured. The main body 24 of the holder 20 constitutes the bulk of the holder and has a radial recess 26 extending along its full length from the toe of its head to the top of its grip portion, 2o to nest the swab rupturing member 25 therein during use. The swab rupturing member 25 is somewhat in the form of a comparatively thin blade substantially of rectangular cross-section, and the recess 26 in the main body 24 of the holder 20 is of croresponding cross-section, 25 to receive said swab rupturing member conformably and snugly therein.

The swab rupturing blade 25 is pivotally connected at one end to the toe or forward end of the main body 24 of the holder 20 by means of a pivot pin 27. The 30 pivotal connection for this purpose is constructed for easy assembly by providing notches 28 on the tips of the toe of the main body of the holder head 21 flanking the recess 26 therein, as shown in Fig. 3, inserting the end of the swab rupturing blade 25 into the recess, so that 35 the pivot pin 27 on said blade extends cross-wise into the open notches 28 and peening the wings 36 of said tips over said pin to close the notches and thereby permanently to retain the pivot pin in said notches. The pivot pin 27 may be press-fitted into a hole in the end of the swab rupturing blade 25 before the assembly operation described and the ends of the pin may be upset after assembly to assure against accidental axial withdrawal of said pin.

It should be noted that the head of the main body 24 of the holder 20 has a helical thread 32 projecting from a shank running centrally therethrough and the head of the swab rupturing blade 25 has a series of teeth projections 33 spaced therealong and conforming with the contours of the successive projections defined by said 5θ thread, so that these teeth projections and these thread projections in closed nested position of the swab rupturing blade 25 shown in Fig. 2, present a continuous helical surface when said blade is seated on the base of the recess 26 along the length thereof. The outer end of 55 the head of the swab rupturing blade 25 where said head is pivoted to the head of the main body 25 of the holder 20 is formed with a protuberance 34 curved to conform with a bulbous formation 35 at the end of the head of said main body. These projections 34 and

35 on the holder parts 25 and 24 respectively where they are pivoted together, permit these parts to move angularly and freely from closed position in which the two parts extend longitudinally along each other in nested position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, to fully opened posi65 tion, in which the two parts lie opposite each other in longitudinally aligned position, as shown in Fig. 1.

Beyond its teeth projections 33, the swab rupturing blade 25 is formed with a shank 36 adapted to extend along the recessed handle of the main body 24 of the holder 20 and at its rear, the blade is formed with an enlargement 37 having a tapering edge 38 to conform with the concave axial curvature of the main body of the grip portion 23 of the holder 20. The rear end 40 of the swab rupturing blade 25 projects beyond the main element and affords the necessary backing and support 75 body of the grip portion 23 of the holder 20, to permit th}

2,908,930 blade to be manipulated from closed position shown in Figs. 2 and 5, to open expanded swab rupturing position shown in Fig. 1.

The main body 24 of the holder 20 may be of plastic material, such as polystyrene. The swab rupturing blade 25 may also be made of plastic material, or may be made of metal.

In the operation of the cleaning device of the present invention, with the swab rupturing blade 25 nested into the recess 26 of the main body of the holder 20, the swab 16 is slipped over the head 21 of said holder into the position shown in Fig. 5. This operation can be effected by merely pushing the swab 16 and the holder 20 axially towards each other, or by turning these elements relatively, while pushing them axially towards each other. During these operations, the swab 16 may be grasped circumferentially by one hand, to aid in folding inwardly the sections of the swab between successive thread convolutions of the holder head 21 into the spaces defined between these convolutions. This manipulation will serve to intermesh the holder head 21 and swab 16 and thereby to lock the swab onto the holder head 20. As the wet swab 16 on the holder 21 is rubbed over the surface of the toilet bowl, bath tub or other fixtures to be cleaned, the pressing action of the swab against said surface, causes the sections of the swab between successive thread convolutions to be pressed more definitely between successive thread convolutions.

After the cleaning operation has been completed, the swab rupturing blade 25 and the main body 24 of the holder 20 are moved relatively and angularly apart about their pivotal connection towards open position, this operation serving to rupture and open up the swab and at the same time to push the swab off the head of said main body. This opening operation of the two holder parts 24 and 25 may be continued, until these parts are fully opened into opposed longitudinal alignment, as shown in Fig. 1. This causes the ruptured swab 16 to fall off the holder 20 or if the swab still adheres to the holder after this operation, it may easily be stripped off said holder by shouldering it against the rim of the toilet bowl, while pulling the holder away from said swab.

The discarded swab 16 in the ruptured condition described, will flush and drain away easily in the toilet bowl without clogging the pipes. The rupturing of the swab 16 serves not only to assist in stripping off the swab from the holder 20, but also serves to open up the swab to the distintegrating action of the water, so that it will flush and drain away more readily. This action of the water on the swab 16 dissolves the adhesive along the seams thereof, thereby opening said seams and exposing the filler 11 more thoroughly to the disintegrating effect of water.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to a specific embodiment, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited thereto but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended claims.