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Cleaning tool

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1. A46B 11 00 2006 01 57 ABSTRACT A47L 13 26 2006 01 With respect to a cleaning tool having a sheetlike cleaning A47L 13 46 2006 01 member for mopping a surface to be cleaned it is intended to A47L 13 20 2006 01 provide a technology effective for enhancing of cleaning A47L 13 22 2006 01 effect There is provided cleaning tool 10 comprising clean A47L 13 42 2006 01 ing sheet 100 for mopping a surface to be cleaned and 52 U S Cl injection nozzle 252 for jetting a cleaning liguid toward the CPC nemen A47L 13 26 2013 01 A47L 13 46 2013 01 A47L 13 20 2013 01 A47L 13 22 2013 01 A47L 13 42 2013 01 401 140 401 139 surface to be cleaned at its region under the cleaning sheet 100 18 Claims 12 Drawing Sheets 251 Depress 232 JU A J 250 230 210 US 8 876 421 B2 Page 2 56 References Cited JP 2004305473 A 11 2004 JP 2005 533567 A 11 2005 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS JP 2005533567 11 2005 WO WO 2004 008931 A1 1 2004 6 742 951 B2 6 2004 Schultz et al Aue 401139 WO WO2005 113386 A2 10 2006 2004 0018038 Al 1 2004 Schultz et al OTHER PUBLICATIONS 2006 0171767 Al 8 2006 Hoadley et al 401 136 2006 0171768 Al 8 2006 Hoadley et al English translation of Office Action from corresponding Japanese application No 2005 356867 dated Aug 23 2010 21 pages FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS European Search Report from corresponding European application No 06834243 5 dated Jan 14 2014 3
2. the grip and the connecting part are integrally molded 5 20 25 30 24
3. through a throttle hole 253 provided within the injection nozzle 252 The throttle hole 253 ofthe injection nozzle 252 is directed obliquely forward As described above the storage tank 212 the pump mecha nism 240 the injection nozzle 252 and other component parts which are housed or mounted in the tank housing 210 the pump housing 230 or the discharge housing 250 form the cleaning liquid supply part according to this invention Now the construction ofthe first structure 100 is explained in detail with reference to FIGS 4 and 5 FIG 4 is a perspec tive view showing the construction ofthe first structure 100 in this embodiment and FIG 5 is a perspective view showing the cleaning sheet holder 120 in FIG 4 which is shown separated into a holder body 130 and a handle 140 As shown in FIG 4 the first structure 100 includes the cleaning sheet 110 and the cleaning sheet holder 120 The cleaning sheet 110 includes a cleaning sheet body 111 and a joining sheet 112 overlaid on and joined to the upper face ofthe cleaning sheet body 111 The cleaning sheet 110 is preferably designed as a sheet type cleaning element having a function of absorbing liquids including a cleaning liquid and a function of removing dirt on a face S to be cleaned by wiping The cleaning sheet body 111 and the joining sheet 112 which form the cleaning sheet 110 can typically be formed of nonwoven fabric comprising thermal melting fibers As the thermal melting fiber
4. 113 extends in the center of the cleaning element 110 in its longitudinal direction and the side mount ing lines 114 extend parallel to the central fusion bonding line 113 with a spacing W1 on its opposite sides of the central fusion bonding line 113 Thus a pair of holding spaces 115 extending in the longitudinal direction are defined between the central fusion bonding line 113 and the side mounting lines 114 Each of the holding spaces 115 has a rear open end US 8 876 421 B2 13 115a and a front open end 115 A holding plate 132 of a holder body 130 which will be described below can be inserted into the holding space 115 Further the cleaning sheet body 111 and the joining sheet 112 are fusion bonded together at narrowing fusion bonding lines 116 provided between the central fusion bonding line 113 and the side mounting lines 114 Thus each of the holding spaces 115 has a narrow part 117 having a width W2 lt W1 in the central region in the longitudinal direction and wide parts 118 having the width W1 on the front and rear sides of the narrow part 117 Preferably the cleaning sheet 110 is replaced with an appropriate one according to whether cleaning is performed with cleaning liguid or on a liguid existing or wet area or cleaning is performed without using cleaning liguid or on a dry area For cleaning with cleaning liguid or on a liguid existing or wet area a wet type cleaning sheet can be used as the cleaning sheet 110 which s
5. 141 and the connecting part 141a are separately molded of resin material and thereafter integrally connected together With this construction the entire cleaning tool can be reduced in weight and the costs of manufacturing the cleaning tool can be reduced Instead of this construction the holder body 130 and the handle 140 the handle body 141 and the connecting part 141a may be integrally molded ortwo of the holder body 130 the handle body 141 and the connecting part 141a may be integrally molded or all of them may be separately molded and thereafter fixedly connected together Further the connecting part 141a is curved such that its end on the holder body 130 side is located at a lowest level In this embodiment the housing 200a of the second structure 200 is shaped to conform to the curve of the connecting part 141a Specifically the discharge housing 250 ofthe housing 200a is curved such that its end on the injection nozzle 252 side is located at a lowest level see FIG 1 According to this inven tion by forming the housing 200a having a curved shape that conforms to the curve of the connecting part 141a unneces sary space can be prevented from being created in the outer shape of the cleaning tool 10 Thus the overall size of the cleaning tool 10 can be effectively reduced Further the con necting part 141a is convexly curved upward above the clean ing sheet 110 In other words the connecting part 141a is curved such that a c
6. With this construction when the cleaning element is in contact with the face to be cleaned the supply nozzle can be prevented from interfering with the face to be cleaned Fur ther the supply nozzle can be located as close as possible to the face to be cleaned so that the cleaning liquid can be reliably and promptly supplied onto a desired region on the face to be cleaned Preferably the cleaning liquid supply part of this cleaning tool may be configured to supply the cleaning liquid from the supply nozzle obliquely downward and forward toward a region located below the cleaning element With this construction subsequently to supply ofthe clean ing liquid from the supply nozzle in the as is state the clean ing element can be moved downward and used for a wiping operation Thus a series of operations from a cleaning liquid supply operation to a subsequent wiping operation with the cleaning element can be more smoothly performed In the cleaning tool preferably the orientation of the sup ply nozzle of the cleaning liquid supply part may conform to an extending direction of the connecting part The extending direction of the connecting part represents the direction in which the connecting part extends from the grip to the holding part and if the connecting part is curved a tangent to the curve of the connecting part at a predetermined point can be defined as the extending direction of the connecting part With the construction in wh
7. a cleaning liquid supply assembly wherein the cleaning tool comprises a holding part for holding a sheet type cleaning element a grip for holding the cleaning tool said grip having an upper surface and a bottom surface and a connecting part connecting the holding part to the grip and the cleaning liquid supply assembly comprises a tank housing a pump housing anda discharge housing asupply nozzle for supplying cleaning liquid toward the face to be cleaned is disposed on the discharge hous ing an operation button disposed on an underside the dis charge housing which when depressed toward the grip causes cleaning liquid to be dispensed from the sup ply nozzle and first and second locking parts that are spaced apart from one another along the discharge housing and pump housing wherein the first locking part comprises a first locking hook and the second locking part comprises a second locking 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 22 hook with the operation button being positioned between the first and second locking hooks the grip includes an elongate hole that extends through said upper and bottom surfaces of said grip and the first and second locking parts extend through said elongate hole when the grip is coupled to the cleaning supply assembly so that the first and second locking hooks extend through and engage the upper surface of the grip at opposite end portions of the elongated hole with a contact
8. after use of the cleaning tool 10 and it can be locked or retained at a predetermined angle by the locking mechanism during use of the cleaning tool 10 DESCRIPTION OF NUMERALS 10 cleaning tool 100 first structure 110 cleaning sheet 111 cleaning sheet body 112 joining sheet 113 central fusion bonding line 114 side mounting line 115 holding space 115a rear open end 1156 front open end 116 narrowing fusion bonding line 117 narrow part 118 wide part 120 cleaning sheet holder 130 holder body 131 base 131a engagement plate US 8 876 421 B2 21 131b recess 132 holding plate 133 projection 134 retaining plate 140 handle 141 handle body 141a connection 142 elongate hole 142a front end 142b rear end 143 first engaging plate 144 second engaging plate 145 engagement space 200 second structure 200a housing 201 first locking hook 201a front end 202 second locking hook 202a rear end 210 tank housing 212 tank 214 supply tube 216 tank cap 217 air hole 220 valve mechanism 221 communication hole 222 valve disc 230 pump housing 232 operation button 240 pump mechanism 241 inlet port 242 flow passage 243 pressurizing member 244 outlet port 245 first ball 246 second ball 247 248 249 coil spring 250 discharge housing 251 guide tube 252 injection nozzle 253 throttle hole S face to be cleaned S1 injection region The invention claimed is 1 The combination of a cleaning tool and
9. and can be engaged with a recess 1315 of the engagement plate 131a Thus when the engagement plate 131a is inserted into the engagement space 145 the engagement plate 131a is sandwiched between the first engaging plate 143 and the second engaging plate 144 Further the projection of the engagement space 145 is engaged with the recess 1315 of the engagement plate 131a Thus the holder body 130 and the handle 140 are joined together by a joining force acting therebetween In this state the holder body 130 and the handle 140 can be disengaged from each other by pulling the holder body 130 and the handle 140 apart from each other by a pulling force larger than the joining force As for materials of component parts ofthe cleaning tool 10 in consideration of users ease of operation preferably light resin materials may be mainly used For example the clean ing sheet holder 120 the tank housing 210 the pump housing 230 the operation button 232 the discharge housing 250 and the injection nozzle 252 may be formed of polypropylene US 8 876 421 B2 15 resin PP polyethylene resin PE acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin ABS polyacetal resin POM polyamide resin PA polycarbonate resin PC etc Operation of the second structure 200 of the cleaning tool 10 is now described with reference to FIGS 6 to 8 FIG 6 is a side view of the cleaning tool 10 in this embodiment show ing together the internal structure of the second st
10. attached to the grip and serve as a supplementary grip that is supplemen tary to the grip With this construction the grip and the supplementary grip attached to the grip can provide a wider region which can be held by the user Preferably the elongate housing of the cleaning tool may be removable from the grip Further preferably in user s cleaning operation the cleaning tool offers first use mode and second use mode The first use mode is defined as a use mode in which the user holds and uses the supplementary grip of the elongate housing attached to the grip In this first use mode the cleaning tool has a function of supplying cleaning liquid US 8 876 421 B2 7 Once the face to be cleaned onto which the cleaning liguid has been supplied is wiped with the cleaning element the clean ing element can be used as a wet type cleaning element with a damp sheet surface On the other hand the second use mode is defined as a use mode in which the user holds and uses the grip to which the elongate housing is not attached In this second use mode the cleaning tool does not have a function of supplying cleaning liquid the cleaning element is used as a dry type cleaning element with a dry sheet surface With this construction the user can use the two separate use modes depending on the kind of dirt on the face to be cleaned or other similar conditions Thus the cleaning tool having higher usability can be provided Further if the clea
11. for a wiping operation Thus a series ofoperations from a cleaning liquid supply operation to a subsequent wiping operation with the cleaning sheet 110 can be more smoothly performed Further with the construc tion in which the orientation of the injection nozzle 252 conforms to the extending direction of the connecting part 141a the operation of supplying cleaning liquid to the face S to be cleaned and the operation of wiping with the cleaning sheet 110 can be facilitated Further according to this embodiment the pump mecha nism 240 can be used as a means for supplying a cleaning liquid to the injection nozzle 252 Further the pump mecha nism 240 can be actuated by the user s operation of depress ing the operation button 232 with the finger By using the depressing operation with the user s finger to actuate the pump mechanism 240 the application of force to the opera tion button 232 can be easily achieved Further the action of holding the housing 200a of the second structure 200 is an extension of the depressing operation with the finger There fore the user can hold the housing 200a and smoothly per form the depressing operation with the finger Further this construction is preferably configured such that the operation button 232 is located in the position of the ball ofthe forefin ger of the user when the housing 200a is held by the user Further according to this embodiment the cleaning tool offers first use mode for use u
12. hand or finger may be caught in or enter and interfere with the user s operation is not created Thus such a construction can prevent occurrence of such a trouble that may interfere with the user s operation The operation button 232 here is a feature that corresponds to the operation part and operation button according to this invention Further in consideration of users ease of manual operation it is preferably designed such that the operation button 232 is actuated by the application of force of about 10 N This construction can be realized by appropriately adjust ing the elastic biasing force of the coil spring 248 which elastically biases the pressuring member 243 in the direction that releases the operation button 232 In the state in which the cleaning liquid is pressurized by the pressurizing member 243 the pressure in the flow passage 242becomes higher than the pressures in the storage tank 212 and the guide tube 251 As a result the first ball 245 closes the inlet port 241 by the elastic biasing force of the coil spring 247 Further as for the valve mechanism 220 when the opera tion button 232 is pressed the valve disc 222 closes the communication hole 221 The valve mechanism 220 can sup ply air into the storage tank 212 and has a function of pre venting cleaning liquid from leaking out of the storage tank 212 Thus the valve mechanism 220 is also referred to as a nonreturn valve structure or back flow check va
13. hole and by this relative movement the first locking hook is locked to the elongate hole The first locking hook can be moved in the longitudinal direction ofthe elongate hole with respect to the elongate hole 0 jak 5 40 45 50 65 8 in order to be locked to the elongate hole Therefore the elongate housing can be positioned with respect to the grip in a simple and reliable manner In the cleaning tool preferably the first locking hook may be locked on an edge of one end of the one locking part in the form of the elongate hole and the second locking hook is locked on an edge of the other end of the elongate hole Specifically the other locking part that locks the second lock ing hook is preferably configured by using the edge of the single elongate hole which also serves as the one locking part With this construction the edge ofthe single elongate hole can be rationally used as the two locking parts Inthe cleaning tool the connecting part may be curved and the elongate housing may be curved to conform to the curve of the connecting part and such that an end of the elongate housing on the side of the supply nozzle is located at a lowest level Particularly preferably the connecting part may be convexly curved upward above the cleaning element In other words the connecting part may preferably be curved such that a concave space is created underneath the connecting part This construction rationally allow
14. in a simple and reliable manner Further the first locking hook 201 can be moved in the longitudinal direction ofthe elongate hole 142 with respect to the elongate hole 142 in order to be locked to the front end 142a ofthe elongate hole 142 There fore the housing 200a can be positioned in a simple and reliable manner Further the edge of the single elongate hole 142canbe rationally used as a locking part for both ofthe first and second locking hooks 201 202 Further according to this embodiment advantageously burdensome work in a cleaning operation using a damp rag or cloth and fear of having rough dry hands can be eliminated Further according to this embodiment advantageously the disposable cleaning sheet 110 can always be used in a sanitary condition by throwing it away after use Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above embodi ment but rather may be added to changed replaced with alternatives or otherwise modified For example the follow ing provisions can be made in application of this embodi ment In the above embodiment the mechanical pump mecha nism 240 is described as pressurizing cleaning liquid and discharging the pressurized cleaning liquid to the injection nozzle 252 In this invention however in place of this con struction for example the first construction using an electric pump which is actuated by the driving force of an electric motor the second construction of aerosol
15. pgs JP 2004242799 A 9 2004 JP 2004305473 11 2004 cited by examiner US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 1 of 12 Nov 4 2014 U S Patent OL oez 0GZ PRVE Ve c CL gm 75 a X 00Z d 006 gz0Z zoz cv Hl I Old US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 2 of 12 Nov 4 2014 U S Patent Old US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 3 of 12 Nov 4 2014 U S Patent OLZ oez 086 ggg IT 2 Z TRE Ll 2 za i lili T He 91Z IOZ SH U S Patent Nov 4 2014 Sheet 4 of 12 US 8 876 421 B2 U S Patent Nov 4 2014 Sheet 5 of 12 US 8 876 421 B2 120 FIG 5 US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 6 of 12 Nov 4 2014 U S Patent 012 082 osz SS SSald 19Z 292 u GCG Y 7 1Z AU 981e yoSIT OZL N oll A 1 hy orl 001 STITT ETA cd osa e N e lt cN lt rr 9 Old Z 0 ES 002 qzrl 0l e N US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 7 of 12 Nov 4 2014 U S Patent L Oli OLL US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 8 of 12 Nov 4 2014 U S Patent 01 06 09Z 0cl oel fn eN EI N zez ssesdaq LG ZGZ T era erz 066 CCSaan p lt ponu KO DA M4 BS NA UE d 8 l US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 9 of 12 Nov 4 2014 U S Patent dz e lhl ezhl 656 US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 10 of 12 Nov 4 201
16. shell ofthe second structure 200 or with the tank housing 210 as an assembly Further in this embodiment preferably the outer periph eral surface ofthe tank housing 210 is contiguous to the outer peripheral surface of the storage tank 212 and the tank hous ing 210 has a circular or elliptical section that substantially conforms to the sectional shape of the storage tank 212 Further in this embodiment preferably the outer surface of the tank housing 210 is similar in color to the outer surface of the storage tank 212 The similar color here includes not only the same color but colors of the same kind For example a combination of warm colors a combination of cold colors a combination of white and milky white a combination of a transparent color and a semitransparent color can be defined as a combination of similar colors here With such a prefer able construction the unity between the tank housing 210 and the storage tank 212 can be enhanced The tank cap 216 is threadably mounted on the housing body of the tank housing 210 The tank cap 216 can be mounted on the housing body by screwing the tank cap 216 whilethetank cap 216 can be removed from the housing body by unscrewing the tank cap 216 Further preferably an O ring not shown for preventing leakage of cleaning liquid may be mounted on the threaded portion of the tank cap 216 and connecting portions in the areas of the pump mechanism 240 the injection nozzle 252 etc t
17. 4 U S Patent qgb Zbl lhl ezyl OT Old US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 11 of 12 Nov 4 2014 U S Patent II Old US 8 876 421 B2 Sheet 12 of 12 2014 Nov 4 U S Patent l Old US 8 876 421 B2 1 CLEANING TOOL CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION This is a U S National Phase Application under 35 U S C 371 of International Patent Application No PCT JP2006 324488 filed Dec 7 2006 and claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No 2005 356867 filed Dec 9 2005 both of them are incorporated by reference herein The Interna tional Application was published in Japanese on Jun 14 2007 as WO 2007 066739 A1 under PCT Article 21 2 FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a cleaning tool and more particularly to a cleaning tool having a sheet type cleaning element for wiping a region to be cleaned inside a room or a vehicle and so on BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various types of cleaning tools having a sheet type clean ing element for wiping a region to be cleaned are known For example Japanese non examined laid open Patent Publica tion No 2004 242799 discloses a cleaning tool in which an agent permeating bottom part is provided on the bottom of a cleaning frame and the cleaning sheet is wrapped around the agent permeating bottom part In this known cleaning tool in use for wiping the cleaning sheet is dampened with a clean ing agent which is s
18. IG 5 is a perspective view showing a cleaning sheet holder 120 in FIG 4 which is shown separated into a holder body 130 and a handle 140 FIG 6is aside view ofthe cleaning tool 10 in this embodi ment showing together the internal structure of the second structure 200 when an operation button 232 1s pressed FIG 7 is a plan view of the cleaning tool 10 in this embodi ment showing together the internal structure of the second structure 200 when the operation button 232 is pressed FIG 8 is a side view of the cleaning tool 10 in this embodi ment showing together the internal structure of the second structure 200 immediately after release of the operation but ton 232 FIG 9 shows the state in which the second structure 200 is removed from the first structure 100 as viewed from the side US 8 876 421 B2 9 FIG 10 shows the process ofattaching the second structure 200 to the first structure 100 as viewed from the side FIG 11 shows the process ofattaching the second structure 200 to the first structure 100 as viewed from the side FIG 12 shows the process ofattaching the second structure 200 to the first structure 100 as viewed from the side BEST MODES FOR PERFORMING THE INVENTION A representative embodiment of the present invention is now described with reference to the drawings First the struc ture of a cleaning tool 10 according to this embodiment is explained with reference to FIGS 1 to 5 FIG 1 is a side vi
19. az United States Patent US008876421B2 10 Patent No US 8 876 421 B2 Suda 45 Date of Patent Nov 4 2014 54 CLEANING TOOL 58 Field of Classification Search USPC E s 401 139 140 251 24 593 1 598 5 75 Inventor Tomokazu Suda Kagawa ken JP 24 594 1 403 375 See application file for complete search history 73 Assignee Uni Charm Corporation Ehime JP 56 References Cited Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS U S C 154 b by 1096 days 2 990 979 A 7 1961 Harrison et al 222 482 4 013 369 A 3 1977 Turek s 401 139 21 Appl No 12 096 477 4 954 001 A 9 1990 Billat 6 698 700 B2 3 2004 Moerke et al 248 220 31 22 PCTFiled Dec 7 2006 Continued 86 PCT No PCT JP2006 324488 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 8 371 c 1 EP 1602311 A2 12 2005 2 4 Date Sep 16 2009 JP 2004242799 9 2004 87 PCT Pub No WO2007 066739 Continued PCT Pub Date Jun 14 2007 OTHER PUBLICATIONS N u Ak English translation of First Office Action from corresponding Chi 65 Prior Publication Data nese application No 2006800459482 dated Jan 8 2010 19 pages US 2010 0028072 A1 Feb 4 2010 Continued 30 Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner David Walczak Dec 9 2005 JP 2005 356867 Assistant Examiner Bradley Oliver 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Brinks Gilson amp Lione 51 Int CI
20. e grip the state of attachment of the elongate housing to the grip can be stabilized The cleaning tool may preferably include a first locking hook which is locked to one of the two locking parts and a second locking hook which is locked to the other locking part Further preferably the first locking hook may be locked to the one locking part with the second locking hook held dis engaged from the other locking part and subsequently while keeping the locked state the elongate housing is rotated in a direction in which the second locking hook moves toward the other locking part By this rotation the second locking hook is locked to the other locking part In order to attach the elongate housing to the grip the first locking hook is locked to the one locking part so that the elongate housing is positioned with respect to the grip and then while keeping this locked state the elongate housing is rotated so that the second locking hook can be locked to the other locking part Therefore the elongate housing can be attached to the grip in a simple and reliable manner In the cleaning tool preferably the one locking part may comprise an elongate hole extending along the length direc tion of the grip and the first locking hook has a front end projecting along the longitudinal direction of the elongate hole Further preferably the first locking hook may be moved with respect to the elongate hole in the longitudinal direction of the elongate
21. e grip to be held by the user or the handle body 141 may form the grip to be held by the user Further in the above embodiment the first and second locking hooks 201 202 are described as being locked to a locking part in the form ofthe single elongate hole 142 In this invention however the numbers of locking parts and locking hooks the locking manner and the locking structure can be appropriately changed In this invention two holes may be formed in place ofthe elongate hole 142 one hole for engage ment with the first locking hook 201 and the other for engage ment with the second locking hook 202 Further as for the locking manner manners of locking for example by hooking one on the other or fitting one in or on the other can be appropriately used Further as for the structure of the locking part a hole a groove a slit etc can be appropriately used Further in the above embodiment the cleaning sheet holder 120 is molded in one piece including the holder body 130 and the handle 140 which cannot move with respect to each other at the connection therebetween In this invention however a movable structure may also be used in which relative movement at the connection is temporarily enabled Specifically a hinge mechanism and a locking mechanism are provided at the connection between the holder body 130 and the handle 140 The angle between the holder body 130 and the handle 140 can be adjusted via the hinge mechanism before and
22. e to be cleaned The sheet type cleaning element here widely includes those having a plate like form in the state in which it is attached to or detached from the holding part which plate like form is considerably longer and wider than is thick The surface of the cleaning element may be either flat or curved 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 uneven or stepped The cleaning element may be of dispos able type designed for single use or reusable type which can be reused by washing The cleaning element is typically formed of plastic nonwoven fabric or a laminate thereof or resin foam The faces to be cleaned may be either flat or curved uneven or stepped The holding part in this invention is configured to be attached to the cleaning element and designed to detachably hold the cleaning sheet Thus the cleaning element can be removed from the holding part and replaced with new one as necessary depending on the degree of dirt of the cleaning element The grip in this invention is configured as an elongate part to be held by a user The user can hold the grip and perform a wiping operation by the cleaning element Further prefer ably the cleaning element may have a rectangular shape and the long side of the rectangular cleaning element is designed to extend along the length direction ofthe elongate grip With this construction the efficiency of user s wiping operation can be easily improved The connecti
23. eaning liquid supply part supplies the cleaning liquid from the supply nozzle obliquely downward and forward toward a region located below the cleaning element 6 The combination as defined in claim 5 wherein the orientation of the supply nozzle of the cleaning liquid supply part conforms to an extending direction of the connecting part 7 The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the cleaning liquid supply assembly includes a pump mechanism that pressurizes cleaning liquid by user s manual operation of operation button and then discharges the pressurized cleaning liquid to the supply nozzle 8 The combination as defined in claim 7 wherein the operation button is disposed on the underside of the grip and the pump mechanism is actuated by user s operation of depressing the operation button with a finger while holding the grip with the hand 9 The combination as defined in claim 8 wherein the operation button is configured to be touched by the user s finger and a finger entry preventing region for preventing entry of the user s finger is provided between the operation button and the grip 10 The combination as defined in claim 7 wherein the pump mechanism discharges a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid to the supply nozzle in one manual operation of the operation button 11 The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the cleaning liquid supply assembly includes an adjusting US 8 876 421 B2 23 mechanism f
24. eet 110 and in a height region in which an extension line L3 of the holder body 130 inter sects with an extension line L4 of the connecting part 141a Further in this embodiment the orientation of the injection 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 nozzle 252 conforms to the extension line L4 ofthe connect ing part 141a the extending direction of the connecting part according to this invention In this invention the number installation position and orientation of the injection nozzle 252 can be appropriately changed as necessary For example the supply nozzle in the form of the injection nozzle 252 may be located forward of the connecting part 141a or it may be disposed on the front or rear end of the holder body 130 Further a first locking hook 201 and a second locking hook 202 are formed on the top of the housing of the second structure 200 and arranged on a straight line in the longitudi nal direction The first locking hook 201 and the second locking hook 202 can engage with a longitudinally elongate hole engagement hole 142 formed through the cleaning sheet holder 120 of the first structure 100 With this construc tion the first locking hook 201 and the second locking hook 202 are engaged and locked in the single elongate hole 142 so that the cleaning sheet holder 120 of the first structure 100 is retained on the second structure 200 side Specifically the first locking hook 201 and the second loc
25. ew of the cleaning tool 10 according to this embodiment and FIG 2 is a plan view of the cleaning tool 10 in FIG 1 As shown in FIGS 1 and 2 the cleaning tool 10 consists ofa first structure 100 and a second structure 200 The first structure 100 includes the cleaning sheet holder 120 and the cleaning sheet 110 attached to the cleaning sheet holder 120 which will be described below in more detail A housing 200a of the second structure 200 is generally cylindrical and includes from rear to front a tank housing 210 a pump housing 230 and a discharge housing 250 The housing 200a forms an outer shell of the second structure 200 and is designed as an operation part handle part which is held by the user for cleaning operation using the cleaning tool 10 Although it will be described below in more detail a pump mechanism is disposed in the pump housing 230 and when an operation button 232 disposed on the underside ofthe housing is manually operated the pump mechanism sucks in cleaning liquid which is stored in a storage tank within the tank hous ing 210 pressurizes it and then discharges the pressurized cleaning liquid The cleaning liquid discharged from the pump mechanism is injected from an injection nozzle 252 through a discharge path formed in the discharge housing 250 The injection nozzle 252 here is a feature that corre sponds to the supply nozzle according to this invention As the cleaning liquid to be injected from the inject
26. heet is useful to effectively remove dirt under wet conditions in which cleaning liguid or other liguids exist on the face S to be cleaned On the other hand for cleaning without using cleaning liguid or on a dry area a dry type cleaning sheet can be used as the cleaning sheet 110 which sheet is useful to effectively remove dirt under dry conditions in which any liguid hardly exists on the face S to be cleaned The faces S to be cleaned which can be wiped with the cleaning sheet 110 include faces to be cleaned floors walls ceilings external walls furniture clothes cur tains bedding home electric appliances etc inside and out side of houses apartments buildings factories vehicles etc or faces of human body parts to be cleaned The face S to be cleaned here is a feature that corresponds to the face to be cleaned according to this invention The cleaning sheet holder 120 includes the holder body 130 and the handle 140 The handle 140 includes the longi tudinally extending handle body 141 and the connecting part 141a disposed between the handle body 141 and the holder body 130 The above described elongate hole 142 is provided in the handle body 141 The handle body 141 and the holder body 130 are fixedly connected at the connecting part 141a The connecting part 141a is a feature that corresponds to the connecting part according to this invention In this embodi ment the holder body 130 and the handle 140 the handle body
27. hrough which cleaning liquid runs The material of the O ring can be appropriately selected based on its resistance to cleaning liquid to be used and typically a rubber material or a resin material can be used The valve mechanism 220 includes a communication hole 221 that communicates with the air hole 217 of the tank cap 216 and a valve disc 222 that can open and close the communication hole 221 The valve disc 222 is typically molded of a silicon material or a rubber material Further as shown in FIG 3 the pump mechanism 240 in the pump housing 230 includes at least an inlet port 241 a flow passage 242 a pressurizing member 243 an outlet port 244 metal or resin first ball 245 and second ball 246 and metal or resin coil springs 247 248 249 The pump mecha nism 240 is mechanically actuated by the force applied to the operation button 232 when the operation button 232 is manu ally operated The pump mechanism 240 is also referred to as the manual pump or mechanical pump The pump mechanism 240 is a feature that corresponds to the pump mechanism according to this invention The cleaning liquid supplied through the supply tube 214 is sucked into the flow passage 242 via the inlet port 241 The cleaning liquid sucked into the flow passage 242 via the inlet port 241 passes through the flow passage 242 The pressuriz ing member 243 pressurizes or compresses the cleaning liquid in the flow passage 242 when the operation butto
28. ich the orientation ofthe supply nozzle conforms to the extending direction of the connecting part the operation of supplying a cleaning liquid to the face to be cleaned and the operation of wiping with the cleaning sheet can be facilitated In the cleaning tool preferably the cleaning liquid supply part may include a pump mechanism that pressurizes clean ing liquid by user s manual operation of an operation part and then discharges the pressurized cleaning liquid to the supply nozzle As the pump mechanism a mechanical pump mecha nism which is actuated by using a pressing force applied in the user s manual operation of the operation part or an electric pump mechanism which is actuated by a driving force of an electric motor which electric motor is driven in conjunction with the user s manual operation of the operation part can be appropriately used Further the manual operation of the operation part includes the operation of pressing or depress ing the operation part in the form of a push button and the operation of sliding the operation part in the form of a slide switch With the construction the pump mechanism can be used as a means for supplying cleaning liquid to the supply nozzle In the cleaning tool preferably the operation part may be disposed on the underside of the grip and the pump mecha nism is actuated by user s operation of depressing the opera tion part with a finger while holding the grip with the hand B
29. ing area between the first locking hook and the upper surface of the grip being longer than a contacting area between the second locking hook and the upper surface of the grip the cleaning liquid supply assembly and the grip are attached together and the discharge housing and the pump housing but not the tank housing overlap the grip and wherein in a first mode a user grips the grip of the cleaning tool to clean a surface and in a second mode a user couples the grip of the cleaning tool to the first and second locking parts of the cleaning liquid supply assembly and grips the elongate housing of the cleaning liquid supply assembly to clean a surface that is sprayed with cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply assembly 2 The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the supply nozzle of the cleaning liquid supply part is located below the grip and rearward of the connecting part 3 The combination as defined in claim 2 wherein a region of connection between the holding part and the connecting part generally coincides with a rear end of the cleaning ele ment 4 The combination as defined in claim 2 wherein further in terms ofa direction of installation height the supply nozzle is located above a sheet lower surface of the cleaning element and in a height region in which an extension line of the holding part intersects with an extension line of the connect ing part 5 The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the cl
30. ing liquid is not enough Thereafter the user wipes the injection region S1 on which the cleaning liquid has been injected and its surroundings with the cleaning sheet 110 Thus a cleaning operation of removing dirt and dust from the face S to be cleaned can be performed The cleaning tool 10 having the above described construc tion offers first use mode in which the second structure 200 is attached connected to the first structure 100 and second use mode in which the second structure 200 is removed sepa rated from the first structure 100 Now the first and second use modes ofthe cleaning tool 100 according to this embodi ment is explained with reference to FIGS 9 to 12 FIG 9 shows the state in which the second structure 200 is removed from the first structure 100 as viewed from the side FIGS 10 to 12 show the process of attaching the second structure 200 to the first structure 100 as viewed from the side The cleaning tool 10 in this embodiment offers the first use mode which is described above with reference to FIGS 1 to 8 and the second use mode as shown in FIG 9 In the first use mode in use the second structure 200 is attached to the first structure 100 and the user holds the housing 200a of the second structure 200 attached to the handle body 141 and performs the cleaning operation Particularly the handle body 141 and the housing 200a of the second structure 200 attached to the handle body 141 can provide a wider regi
31. ion nozzle 252 a cleaner for cleaning floor a polishing wax containing cleaner a fragrance containing cleaning liquid a deodorant containing cleaning liquid or dilution of any of those liquids with water or water itself can be used In this embodiment an extension line L1 in the length direction of a handle body 141 intersects with a normal L2 to a sheet plane of the cleaning sheet 110 at a predetermined angle In the representative example shown in FIG 1 this angle is about 90 Further in this embodiment a region of connection between a holder body 130 of the cleaning sheet holder 120 and a connecting part 1414 the handle body 141 generally coincides with the rear end right end as viewed in FIG 1 of the cleaning sheet 110 In addition the holder body 130 the connecting part 141a and the handle body 141 are integrally fixed to each other Therefore the cleaning tool 10 in this embodiment is designed specifically as a hand held cleaning tool of which length from the handle body 141 to the holder body 130 via the connecting part 141a is limited within a predetermined range so that a user can hold and use the cleaning tool with one hand for cleaning operation Further in this embodiment the injection nozzle 252 is located below the handle body 141 and rearward of the con necting part 141a Further in terms of the direction of instal lation height the injection nozzle 252 is located above the lower surface ofthe cleaning sh
32. is arrangement supply of the cleaning liquid from the injection nozzle 252 to the face S to be cleaned is not easily interfered with by the long handle body 141 and the connecting part 141a Further the user can easily check the cleaning liquid supplied area from behind so that the opera tion of supplying the cleaning liquid can be smoothly and reliably performed Further according to this embodiment the region of connection between the holder body 130 and the connecting part 141a the handle body 141 generally coin cides with the rear end of the cleaning sheet 110 With this construction supply ofthe cleaning liquid from the injection nozzle 252 to the face S to be cleaned is not easily interfered with by the cleaning sheet 110 Further when the cleaning sheet 110 is in contact with the face S to be cleaned the injection nozzle 252 can be prevented from interfering with the face S to be cleaned Further the injection nozzle 252 can be located as close as possible to the face S to be cleaned so that the cleaning liquid can be reliably and promptly supplied onto a desired region on the face S to be cleaned Further with the construction in which the cleaning liquid is injected from the injection nozzle 252 obliquely downward and forward toward a region located below the cleaning sheet 110 subse quently to supply of the cleaning liquid from the injection nozzle 252 in the as is state the cleaning sheet 110 can be moved downward and used
33. king hook 201 are both formed of an elastic material such as rubber and resin and the first locking hook 201 projects forward to a front end 201a while the second locking hook 202 projects rearward to a rear end 202a Further the distance between the front ofthe base ofthe first locking hook 201 and the rear of the base ofthe second locking hook 202 distance d2 in FIG 1 is substantially equal to or slightly longer than the length of the elongate hole 142 in the longitudinal direc tion distance d1 in FIG 2 Further the distance between the front end 201a of the first locking hook 201 and the rear end 202a of the second locking hook 202 distance d3 in FIG 1 is longer than the length of the elongate hole 142 in the longitudinal direction distance d1 in FIG 2 Therefore in order to attach the cleaning sheet holder 120 of the first structure 100 to the second structure 200 the first locking hook 201 is locked to a front end 142a ofthe elongate hole 142 and the second locking hook 202 is locked to a rear end 142b of the elongate hole 142 As a result the elastic biasing forces of the first locking hook 201 and the second locking hook 202 act upon the cleaning sheet holder 120 in its longitudinal direction and in the downward direction By this elastically pressing action of the hooks the cleaning sheet holder 120 can be securely retained on the second structure 200 side The first locking hook 201 here is a feature that corre sponds
34. leaning liquid from the supply nozzle to the face to be cleaned is not easily interfered with by the long grip and the connecting part Further the user can readily check the cleaning liquid sup plied area from behind so that the operation of supplying the cleaning liquid can be smoothly and reliably performed In the above described cleaning tool preferably a region of connection between the holding part and the connecting part may generally coincide with a rear end of the cleaning element In other words the supply nozzle may be located rearward of the connecting part and preferably rearward of the rear end of the cleaning element With this construction supply of the cleaning liquid from the supply nozzle to the face to be cleaned is not easily interfered with by the cleaning element 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 Preferably further in terms of the direction of installation height the supply nozzle of this cleaning tool may be located above a sheet lower surface of the cleaning element and in a height region in which an extension line of the holding part intersects with an extension line of the connecting part In other words preferably the supply nozzle may be located below the grip and rearward ofthe connecting part and above a sheet lower surface of the cleaning element and in a height region in which an extension line ofthe holding part intersects with an extension line of the connecting part
35. lve struc ture Therefore the cleaning liquid pressurized in the flow passage 242 is discharged into the guide tube 251 via the outlet port 244 and then led to the injection nozzle 252 through the guide tube 251 Then the cleaning liquid is injected from the throttle hole 253 toward the face S to be cleaned In this case cleaning liquid is injected by a substan tially constant amount in one manual operation with one push of the operation button 232 Preferably the amount of injection ofthe cleaning liquid is determined according to one wiping operation using the cleaning sheet 110 For example 20 40 45 50 55 60 16 using the injection of about 1 0 cc as a guide the amount of injection can be appropriately set As shown in FIGS 6 and 7 the cleaning liquid is injected from the throttle hole 253 obliquely downward and forward toward an injection region spray region S1 on the face S to be cleaned which is located below the cleaning sheet 110 attached on the front end side ofthe cleaning sheet holder 120 Thereafter when the user releases the operation button 232 the pressurizing member 243 moves by the elastic bias ing force ofthe coil spring 248 As a result the pressure in the flow passage 242 is reduced In this state the pressure in the flow passage 242 becomes lower than the pressures in the storage tank 212 and the guide tube 251 As a result as shown in FIG 8 the first ball 245 moves in the direction tha
36. ly larger than a top of the operation button and such that the outer edge portion of the base of the operation button extends substantially straight toward the outer edge portion ofthe top of the operation button Particu larly in the case of a hand held cleaning tool the position of the hand or finger of the user holding the grip and the grip force applied to the hand or finger vary depending on the kind of the face to be cleaned or other similar factors Therefore with a construction having an unnecessary space between the operation button and the grip the user s hand or finger may be caught on the operation button or enter the space which may interfere with the user s operation It is therefore preferred to provide the finger entry preventing region between the opera tion button and the grip This construction can prevent occurrence of such a trouble that may interfere with the operation Preferably the pump mechanism in the cleaning tool may discharge a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid to the supply nozzle in one manual operation of the operation part With this construction the user can supply a predetermined amount of cleaning liquid from the supply nozzle to the face to be cleaned in one manual operation of the operation part Preferably the amount of discharge of the cleaning liquid in one manual operation of the operation part is set to the mini mum so that the amount of supply ofthe cleaning liquid to the face to be clea
37. n ing tool for use in the second use mode with the elongate housing removed from the grip is designed and manufac tured as a final product advantageously the cleaning tool can be converted into a product with the cleaning liquid supply mechanism for use in the first use mode Preferably the grip of the cleaning tool may have two locking parts formed along the length direction of the grip while the elongate housing has two locking hooks that are disposed in the length direction of the housing and can be locked to the associated locking parts In this case preferably the two locking hooks can be locked to the associated locking parts so that the elongate housing is attached to the grip The manner of locking the locking hooks to the associated locking parts here widely includes the manner of fixedly connecting each other for example by hooking one on the other or fitting one in or on the other Therefore specifically each of the locking parts to which the locking hooks are locked comprises a hole a groove or a slit Further the two locking parts may be independently configured as separate holes or the edge ofa single hole may serve as the two locking parts Further as long as the cleaning tool is configured to have at least the two locking parts and at least the two locking hooks another locking part or locking hook may be addition ally provided With provision of the two locking parts formed along the length direction of th
38. n 232 is pressed The cleaning liquid pressurized by the pressuriz ing member 243 is discharged from the flow passage 242 via the outlet port 244 The coil spring 247 elastically biases the first ball 245 in the direction that closes the inlet port 241 to the right as viewed in FIG 3 The coil spring 248 elastically biases the pressurizing member 243 in the direction that releases the operation button 232 downward as viewed in FIG 3 The coil spring 249 elastically biases the second ball 246 in the direction that closes the outlet port 244 to the right as viewed in FIG 3 Therefore in the initial state in which the operation button 232 is not pressed the first ball 245 closes the inlet port 241 by the biasing force of the coil spring 247 and the second ball 246 closes the outlet port 244 by the biasing force of the coil spring 249 yas 5 40 45 55 60 12 Further as shown in FIG 3 a guide tube 251 is disposed within the discharge housing 250 and through the guide tube 251 the cleaning liquid discharged from the outlet port 244 is guided to the injection nozzle 252 mounted on the housing front end This guide tube 251 and the above mentioned supply tube 214 are preferably formed by using flexible mate rials or typically silicon resin polyurethane resin PU polyethylene resin PE etc The cleaning liquid led to the injection nozzle 252 through the guide tube 251 is injected onto a desired region to be cleaned
39. nd the area of supply of the cleaning liquid can be adjusted With provision of such a construction the conditions for supplying the cleaning liquid can be adjusted depending on the degree of dirt of the face S to be cleaned Thus the cleaning tool having higher usability can be provided 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 20 Further in the above embodiment the storage tank 212 is described as being fixedly provided for exclusive use within the housing 200a of the second structure 200 In this inven tion however a cartridge type tank may also be used which can be replaced with new one when it runs out of cleaning liquid As for the specific construction of this cartridge type tank for example it may typically include a storage container molded of hard resin and also include a pouch type bottle formed of pouch sheet material and a storage container formed of transparent or semitransparent resin material through which the remaining amount of cleaning liquid can be visually checked Further in the above embodiment the housing 200a attached to the handle body 141 is described as forming the grip to be held by the user in the first use mode in which the second structure 200 is attached to the first structure 100 In this invention however it may also be designed such that the housing 200a is attached to a place other than the handle body 141 in the first use mode In this case the housing 200a may still form th
40. nder wet conditions in which the second structure 200 is attached to the first structure 100 and second use mode for use under dry conditions in which the first structure 100 itself is used independently Therefore the user can use the two separate use modes depending on the kind of dirt on the face S to be cleaned or other similar conditions Thus the cleaning tool having higher usability can be provided Further if the cleaning tool for use in the second use mode on which the housing 200a is not attached to the handle body 141 is designed and manufactured as a final product advantageously the cleaning tool can be con verted into a product with the cleaning liquid supply mecha nism for use in the first use mode Further according to this embodiment by using the two locking hooks 201 202 formed along the length direction of the handle body 141 the state of attachment of the housing US 8 876 421 B2 19 200a of the second structure 200 to the handle body 141 can be stabilized Further in order to attach the housing 200a to the handle body 141 the first locking hook 201 is locked to the front end 142a ofthe elongate hole 142 so that the housing 200a is positioned with respect to the handle body 141 and then while keeping this locked state the housing 200a is rotated so that the second locking hook 202 can be locked to the rear end 1425 of the elongate hole 142 Therefore the housing 200a can be attached to the handle body 141
41. necting part can be adjusted via the hinge mechanism before and after use ofthe cleaning tool and it can be locked or retained at a predeter mined angle by the locking mechanism during use of the cleaning tool The cleaning liquid supply part in this invention has a supply nozzle for supplying cleaning liquid toward the face to be cleaned and is disposed on at least one ofthe holding part the grip and the connecting part The cleaning liquid here widely includes liquids which can be used for cleaning opera tion of removing dirt Typically a cleaner for cleaning floor a polishing wax containing cleaner a fragrance containing cleaning liquid a deodorant containing cleaning liquid or dilution of any of those liquids with water or water itself can be used as the cleaning liquid Further as the manner of supplying cleaning liquid a supply manner of injecting or jetting cleaning liquid or spraying it in an atomized state or a supply manner of dropping cleaning liquid can be used pro vided that the cleaning liquid is supplied not via the cleaning element but directly onto the face to be cleaned Further in this invention the cleaning liquid supply part may be mounted on any one of the holding part the grip and the connecting part or it may be mounted to extend on more than US 8 876 421 B2 3 oneofthe holding part the grip and the connecting part Once the face to be cleaned onto which the cleaning liguid has been supplied i
42. ned can be adjusted in fine increments With this construction excessive supply of the cleaning liquid to the face to be cleaned can be prevented by repeating the manual operation until a desired amount of cleaning liquid is supplied to the face to be cleaned Preferably the cleaning liquid supply part in the cleaning tool may further include an adjusting mechanism Particu larly preferably the adjusting mechanism may have a func tion of adjusting the conditions for supplying the cleaning liquid from the supply nozzle to the face to be cleaned The conditions for supplying the cleaning liquid include the amount the range angle the distance and the area of supply ofthe cleaning liquid For example ina construction in which the cleaning liquid is injected jetted from the supply nozzle it represents the amount the range angle the distance and the area of injection jet of the cleaning liquid As for the specific construction of the adjusting mechanism it may be constructed such that the sectional area of the throttle hole within the supply nozzle can be adjusted by using a switch or other similar switching device so that the conditions for supplying the cleaning liquid can be adjusted With provision of the adjusting mechanism the conditions for supplying the cleaning liquid can be adjusted depending 35 40 45 55 65 6 on the degree of dirt of the face to be cleaned Thus the cleaning tool having higher usabilit
43. ng part in this invention is disposed between the holding part and the grip and designed to fixedly connect the holding part and the grip Specifically the holding part and the connecting part are fixedly connected together and the grip and the connecting part are fixedly connected together Thus as a whole the holding part the connecting part and the grip are integrally fixed to each other In this case two or all ofthe holding part the connecting part and the grip may be integrally molded or all of them may be separately molded and thereafter fixedly connected together The struc ture of fixedly connecting the holding part and the grip in this invention only requires that the holding part and the grip are integrally fixed or retained at least during use of the cleaning tool Therefore it includes not only a structure in which relative movement at the connection between the hold ing part and the connecting part or at the connection between the grip and the connecting part is disabled but also widely includes a movable structure in which relative movement at these connections is temporarily enabled With regard to this movable structure specifically a hinge mechanism and a locking mechanism can be provided at the connection between the holding part and the connecting part or at the connection between the grip and the connecting part The angle between the holding part and the connecting part or the angle between the grip and the con
44. of the holding plate 132 which has the projection 133 is equal to the width W1 of the wide part 118 of the holding space 115 The width ofthe other portions of the holding plate 132 which do not have the projection 133 is equal to the width W2 of the narrow portion 117 of the holding space 115 In the inserted state the holding plate 132 is fitted in the associated holding space 115 by close sliding contact so that the cleaning sheet 110 is securely attached to the holding plate 132 Further in the inserted state the retaining plate 134 presses the cleaning sheet 110 from above and the locking projection formed on the underside ofthe retaining plate 134 serves as a stopper for preventing the cleaning sheet 110 from coming off Thus in the inserted state in which the holding plate 132 is inserted into the holding space 115 the cleaning sheet 110 is reliably retained by the holder body 130 Further as shown in FIG 5 the holder body 130 and the handle 140 are separately resin molded and thereafter disen gageably connected together The holder body 130 has an engagement plate 131a on the rear end of the base 131 The handle 140 has a first engaging plate 143 and a second engag ing plate 144 on the front end of the handle body 141 An engagement space 145 is defined between the first engaging plate 143 and the second engaging plate 144 and can receive the engagement plate 131a A projection not shown is pro vided in the engagement space 145
45. oked on the front end 142a ofthe elongate hole 142 from behind By this relative movement the first locking hook 201 is locked to the edge of the front end 142a of the elongate hole 142 Subsequently while maintaining this locked state the sec ond structure 200 is rotated in a direction in which the second locking hook 202 moves toward the rear end 1424 of the elongate hole 142 in the direction of the arrow in FIG 11 step 3 When the second locking hook 202 comes very close to the rear end 1424 of the elongate hole 142 the second structure 200 is pressed from behind such that the first locking hook 201 is further pressed against the front end 142a of the elongate hole 142 In this state while the rear end 202a of the second locking hook 202 is pushed down forward against its elastic biasing force the second locking hook 202 is engaged on the rear end 1424 of the elongate hole 142 step 4 At this time as shown in FIG 12 the top ofthe second locking hook 202 is engaged on the rear end 142b of the elongate hole 142 Therefore by further rotating the second structure 200 in the direction of the arrow in FIG 12 as shown in FIG 1 the first locking hook 201 is locked on the edge ofthe front end 142a of the elongate hole 142 and the second locking hook 202 is locked on the edge of the rear end 1425 of the elongate hole 142 step 5 In this manner the second structure 200 can be attached to the first structure 100 On the other hand
46. on which can be held by the user In the second use mode the first structure 100 is independently used The user holds the handle body 141 to which the housing 200a of the second structure 200 is not attached and performs the cleaning US 8 876 421 B2 17 operation In this cleaning operation a dry type cleaning sheet is preferably used as the cleaning sheet 110 The handle body 141 here is a feature that corresponds to the grip according to this invention The housing 200a of the second structure 200 forms a grip region which is supple mentary to the handle body 141 and corresponds to the supplementary grip according to this invention In order to attach the second structure 200 to the first structure 100 first as shown in FIG 10 the second structure 200 is placed below the first structure 100 Then the second structure 200 is moved obliquely upward and forward such that the first locking hook 201 and the second locking hook 202 come close to the elongate hole 142 of the first structure 100 step 1 Then as shown in FIG 11 the first locking hook 201 is locked on the edge ofthe front end 142a of the elongate hole 142 with the second locking hook 202 held disengaged from the rear end 142 of the elongate hole 142 step 2 For this locking movement the first structure 100 and the second structure 200 are moved relative to each other such that the forward projecting front end 201a of the first locking hook 201 can be ho
47. oncave space is created underneath the a 5 25 35 40 45 50 65 14 connecting part 141a This construction advantageously allows easy placement of the injection nozzle 252 when the cleaning liquid supply part is placed under the connecting part 141a The holder body 130 has a function of detachably holding the cleaning sheet 110 and is a feature that corresponds to the holding part in this invention The holder body 130 includes a base 131 on the handle 140 side a pair of holding plates 132 and a retaining plate 134 The holding plates 132 extend forward in the longitudinal direction from the base 131 and parallel with a predetermined spacing therebetween In other words the holder body 130 has a bifurcated form Each of the holding plates 132 may have a constant width in the longitu dinal direction or be tapered Further two projections 133 are formed on the front and rear portions of the outer edge of each of the holding plates 132 Each of the projections 133 projects outward from the holding plate 132 and has a convexly curved projecting surface The retaining plate 134 extends forward between the pair holding plates 132 and is convexly curved downward The retaining plate 134 further has a locking projection not shown on the underside The holding plate 132 can be inserted into the associated holding space 115 and has a function of holding the cleaning sheet 110 in the inserted state The width of a portion
48. or adjusting the conditions for supplying the cleaning liguid from the supply nozzle to the face to be cleaned 12 The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the tank housing forms an outer shell of the cleaning liguid supply assembly and a storage tank that stores cleaning liguid the tank housing and the storage tank being integrally configured as an assembly 13 The combination as defined in claim 12 wherein the cleaning liguid supply assembly is configured such that an outer peripheral surface of the tank housing is contiguous to an outer peripheral surface of the storage tank 14 The combination as defined in claim 12 wherein the cleaning liguid supply assembly is configured such that the sectional shape of the tank housing substantially conforms to the sectional shape of the storage tank 15 The combination as defined in claim 12 wherein in the cleaning liguid supply assembly an outer surface of the tank housing is similar in color to an outer surface of the storage tank 16 The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the connecting part is curved and the elongate housing is curved to conform to the curve ofthe connecting part and such that an end of the elongate housing on the side ofthe supply nozzle is located at a lowest level 17 The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the holding part the grip and the connecting part are resin molded 18 The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the holding part
49. prayed from above the agent permeating bottom part during cleaning operation Such a cleaning tool is capable of wiping off tough dirt on a floor surface which is difficult to remove with a dry cleaning sheet However in designing a cleaning tool of this type having a sheet type cleaning element a technique for further enhancing the clean ing effect is desired DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an effective technique for enhancing the cleaning effect in a cleaning tool having a sheet type cleaning element for wiping a face to be cleaned Means for Solving the Problems The above described problem can be solved by the features ofthe claimed invention This invention can be applied to the construction of cleaning tools having a sheet type cleaning element for wiping faces to be cleaned floors walls ceilings external walls furniture clothes curtains bedding home electric appliances etc inside and outside of houses apart ments buildings factories vehicles etc or faces of human body parts to be cleaned The above described problem can be solved with the clean ing tool according to this invention The cleaning tool includes at least a cleaning element a holding part a grip a connecting part and a cleaning liquid supply part The cleaning element of this invention is designed as a sheet type cleaning element for wiping a fac
50. removal of the second structure 200 from the first structure 100 can be achieved by reversing the above described procedure step 1 to step 5 for attaching the second structure 200 to the first structure 100 As described above according to this embodiment dirt and dust which are stuck to the face and difficult to wipe off with a dry type cleaning element can be easily wiped off by sup plying cleaning liquid from the injection nozzle 252 onto the face S to be cleaned and then wiping this injection region S1 with the cleaning sheet 110 Particularly in this embodiment the cleaning liquid is supplied directly onto the face S to be cleaned so that the cleaning effect ofthe cleaning liquid itself can be maximized Therefore this construction is advanta geous and effective in improving the cleaning effect com pared with a cleaning tool in which cleaning liquid is supplied not onto the face S to be cleaned but to the cleaning element Further according to this embodiment the injection nozzle 252 is located below the handle body 141 and rearward of the connecting part 141a and further in terms of the direction of installation height the injection nozzle 252 is located above the lower surface of the cleaning sheet 110 and in the height 0 key 5 25 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 18 region in which the extension line L3 ofthe holder body 130 intersects with the extension line L4 of the connecting part 141a With th
51. rsects with a normal to a sheet plane of the cleaning element at a predetermined angle With this construction and with the construction in which the holding part the connecting part and the grip are integrally fixed to each other the cleaning tool of this invention is designed specifically as a hand held cleaning tool of which length from the grip to the holding part via the connecting part is limited within a predetermined range so that a user can hold and use the cleaning tool with one hand for cleaning operation With this construction dirt and dust which are stuck to the face and difficult to wipe off with a dry type cleaning element can be easily wiped off by supplying cleaning liguid from the supply nozzle ofthe cleaning liquid supply part onto the face to be cleaned and then wiping this cleaning liquid supplied area with the cleaning element Particularly in this invention the cleaning liquid is supplied directly onto the face to be cleaned so that the cleaning effect ofthe cleaning liquid itself can be maximized Therefore compared with a cleaning tool in which cleaning liquid is supplied not onto the face to be cleaned but to the cleaning element this construction is advantageous and effective in improving the cleaning effect Inthe above described cleaning tool preferably the supply nozzle of the cleaning liquid supply part may be located below the grip and rearward of the connecting part With this construction supply of the c
52. ructure 200 when the operation button 232 is pressed FIG 7 is a plan view of the cleaning tool 10 in this embodiment showing together the internal structure of the second structure 200 when the operation button 232 is pressed FIG 8 is a side view ofthe cleaning tool 10 in this embodiment showing together the internal structure ofthe second structure 200 immediately after release of the operation button 232 As shown in FIG 6 when the user manually operates presses or depresses with the finger the pressurizing mem ber 243 moves against the elastic biasing force of the coil spring 248 and pressurizes cleaning liquid in the flow passage 242 The operation button 232 is designed to be touched by the user s finger A finger entry preventing region for prevent ing entry of the user s finger is provided between the opera tion button 232 and the pump housing 230 the housing 200a This provision of the finger entry preventing region is typically realized by the construction configured such that a baseoftheoperation button 232 which is located on the pump housing 230 side is as large as or slightly larger than a top of the operation button 232 and such that the outer edge portion ofthe base of the operation button 232 extends substantially straight toward the outer edge portion ofthe top ofthe opera tion button 232 With this construction between the top and the base of the operation button 232 an unnecessary hollow or space which the user s
53. s polyethylene polypro pylene polyethylene terephthalate or other similar materials can be used The nonwoven fabric may be manufactured by through air bonding spunbonding spun lacing or other simi lar processes Further as a liquid absorbing sheet that forms the cleaning sheet 110 typically pulp rayon cotton or other cellulosic fibers which have a property of swelling by con taining water can be used In this case ifthe sheet needs to be fusion bonded to the cleaning sheet body 111 for example non woven fabric which is formed by laminating pulp fibers and thermal melting fibers by an air laid method can be used Further as a dirt removing sheet that forms the cleaning sheet 110 typically a fiber bundle formed by opening a tow or non woven fabric formed of split fibers can be used Further the kinds and numbers of the component parts of the cleaning sheet 110 are not limited to those described in the above described example and can be selected as necessary The cleaning sheet 110 is rectangular and is arranged such that its longer side extends along the length direction of the handle body 141 the housing 200a The cleaning sheet 110 is a feature that corresponds to the sheet like cleaning element according to this invention Further the cleaning sheet body 111 and the joining sheet 112 are fusion bonded together at a central fusion bonding line 113 and a pair of side mounting lines 114 The central fusion bonding line
54. s easy placement of the supply nozzle when the cleaning liquid supply part is disposed under the connecting part Further by forming the elongate housing having a curved shape that conforms to the curve of the connecting part unnecessary space can be prevented from being created in the outer shape of the cleaning tool Thus the overall size of the cleaning tool can be effectively reduced In the cleaning tool preferably the holding part the grip and the connecting part may be resin molded With this con struction the entire cleaning tool can be reduced in weight In the cleaning tool preferably the holding part the grip and the connecting part are integrally molded With this con struction the costs of manufacturing the cleaning tool can be reduced According to this invention in a cleaning tool having a sheet type cleaning element for wiping a face to be cleaned the cleaning effect can be enhanced particularly by attach ment of a cleaning liquid supply part having a supply nozzle that can supply cleaning liquid directly onto a face to be cleaned BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a side view ofa cleaning tool 10 according to this embodiment of the invention FIG 2 is a plan view of the cleaning tool 10 in FIG 1 FIG 3 schematically shows the internal structure of a sec ond structure 200 in this embodiment FIG 4 is a perspective view showing the construction of a first structure 100 in this embodiment F
55. s wiped with the cleaning element the cleaning element can be used as a wet type cleaning element with a damp sheet surface In a cleaning operation using the cleaning element without supplying the cleaning liguid on the face to be cleaned naturally the cleaning element can also be used as a dry type cleaning element with a normally dry sheet sur face Further as for the specific construction of the cleaning liguid supply part for example the construction which uses a pump mechanism to pressurize cleaning liguid and discharge the pressurized cleaning liguid to the supply nozzle the con struction of aerosol type which supplies pressurized cleaning liguid to the supply nozzle by using gas pressure the con struction which causes cleaning liguid to drop from the sup ply nozzle under its ovn weight and the construction which supplies cleaning liguid to the supply nozzle after the clean ing liguid is pressurized in a cleaning liguid supply source outside the cleaning liguid supply part can be appropriately used Further the cleaning liguid supply part may be config ured to include a region which stores cleaning liguid and a path through which the cleaning liguid flows or to include only a region through which cleaning liguid flows after the cleaning liguid is supplied from the cleaning liguid supply source located outside the cleaning liguid supply part Further in this invention an extension line in a length direction of the grip inte
56. sing to the outer peripheral sur face of the storage tank the unity between the housing and the storage tank can be enhanced The cleaning liquid supply part in the cleaning tool may preferably be configured such that the sectional shape of the housing substantially conforms to the sectional shape of the storage tank With such a configuration in which the sectional shape of the housing substantially conforms to the sectional shape of the storage tank the unity between the housing and the stor age tank can be enhanced In the cleaning liquid supply part of the cleaning tool preferably an outer surface of the tank housing may be simi lar in color to an outer surface of the storage tank The simi lar color in this invention includes not only the same color but colors of the same kind For example a combination of warm colors a combination of cold colors a combination of white and milky white a combination of a transparent color and a semitransparent color can be defined as a combination of similar colors With such a construction in which the outer surface of the tank housing is similar in color to the outer surface of the storage tank the unity between the housing and the storage tank can be enhanced The cleaning liquid supply part of the cleaning tool may preferably include an elongate housing that forms an outer shell of the cleaning liquid supply part Particularly prefer ably the elongate housing may be configured to be
57. t opens the inlet port 241 to the left as viewed in FIG 8 against the elastic biasing force ofthe coil spring 247 and opens the inlet port 241 Meanwhile the second ball 246 moves in the direc tion that closes the outlet port 244 to the right as viewed in FIG 8 by the elastic biasing force ofthe coil spring 247 and closes the outlet port 244 Further as for the valve mechanism 220 immediately after release of the operation button 232 the valve disc 222 opens the communication hole 221 so that outside air is introduced into the storage tank 212 through the air hole 217 of the tank cap 216 and the communication hole 221 As a result the cleaning liquid in the storage tank 212 is introduced into the flow passage 242 by the amount corre sponding to the injected amount At this time a space is created within the storage tank 212 by the air introduced from the outside Then when the operation button 232 returns to the initial position shown in FIG 3 the pressure in the flow passage 242 becomes substantially equal to the pressures in the storage tank 212 and the guide tube 251 The valve disc 222 then closes the communication hole 221 again Thus a desired amount of cleaning liquid is injected onto the injection region S1 ofthe face S to be cleaned Further by repeating the pressing and releasing operations of the opera tion button 232 additional cleaning liquid can be injected for example when the amount of injection of the clean
58. to the locking hook and the first locking hook and the second locking hook 202 here is a feature that corresponds to the locking hook and the second locking hook accord ing to this invention Further the elongate hole 142 is a feature that corresponds to the elongate hole the front end 142a of the elongate hole 142 is a feature that corresponds to the locking part and the one locking part and the rear end 142b of the elongate hole 142 is a feature that corresponds to the locking part and the other locking part according to this invention The internal structure of the second structure 200 is now explained with reference to FIG 3 FIG 3 schematically shows the internal structure ofthe second structure 200 in this embodiment FIG 3 shows the initial state in which the opera tion button 232 is not pressed As shown in FIG 3 the tank housing 210 contains a stor age tank 212 for storing cleaning liquid a supply tube 214 for supplying the cleaning liquid from the storage tank 212 to the pump mechanism 240 disposed in the pump housing 230 a tank cap 216 that hermetically closes the storage tank 212 and has an air hole 217 on its rear end and a valve mechanism 220 mounted to the tank cap 216 The storage tank 212 is a feature US 8 876 421 B2 11 that corresponds to the storage tank according to this inven tion The storage tank 212 is integrally configured with the housing 200a that forms the outer
59. type which supplies pressurized cleaning liquid to the supply nozzle by using gas pressure the third construction which causes cleaning liquid to drop from the supply nozzle under its own weight and the fourth construction which supplies cleaning liquid to the sup ply nozzle after the cleaning liquid is pressurized in a cleaning liquid supply source outside the cleaning tool can be appro priately used In the fourth construction the cleaning tool does not have a pressurizing mechanism and a storing mecha nism for the cleaning liquid within the housing Further in the above embodiment the operation button 232 in the form of a push button is used as an operation part for actuating the pump mechanism 240 In this invention how ever a sliding operation part can also be used Further the operation button 232 may be disposed on other than the underside of the pump housing 230 such as on the top or side of the pump housing 230 Further in the above embodiment an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the conditions for supplying the cleaning liquid from the injection nozzle 252 to the face S to be cleaned may be additionally provided Specifically the adjusting mecha nism may be constructed such that the sectional area of the throttle hole within the supply nozzle can be adjusted by using a switch or other similar switching device so that the condi tions for supplying the cleaning liquid such as the amount the range angle the distance a
60. y using the depressing operation with the user s finger to actu ate the pump mechanism the application of force to the operation part can be easily achieved Further the action of holding the grip is an extension of the depressing operation with the finger Therefore the user can hold the grip and smoothly perform the depressing operation with the finger US 8 876 421 B2 5 Further this construction is preferably configured such that the operation part is located in the position of the ball of the user s forefinger when the grip is held by the user With this construction actuation of the pump mechanism can be effected by the user s operation of depressing the operation part with the finger Preferably the operation part in the cleaning tool may be configured as an operation button to be touched by the user s finger and a finger entry preventing region for preventing entry of the user s finger is provided between the operation button and the grip The finger entry preventing region here is defined as a region which is configured such that an unnec essary hollow or space into which the user s hand or finger may be caught in or enter and thus interfere with user s operation is not created between the operation button and the grip This provision of the finger entry preventing region is typically realized by the construction configured such that a base ofthe operation button which is located on the grip side is as large as or slight
61. y can be provided The cleaning liquid supply part in the cleaning tool may preferably include a housing that forms an outer shell of the cleaning liquid supply part and a storage tank that stores cleaning liquid and the housing and the storage tank are integrally configured as an assembly The storage tank may be designed as a tank of the type which is fixedly provided for exclusive use within the housing and refilled with cleaning liquid as needed Alternatively it may be designed as a car tridge type tank which can be replaced with new one when it runs out of cleaning liquid As for the specific construction of this cartridge type tank for example it may typically include a storage container molded of hard resin and also include a pouch type bottle formed of pouch sheet material and a stor age container formed of transparent or semitransparent resin material through which the remaining amount of cleaning liquid can be visually checked With this construction the cleaning tool can be provided in which the housing that forms the outer shell of the cleaning liquid supply part and the storage tank that stores the cleaning liquid are integrally configured The cleaning liquid supply part in the cleaning tool may preferably be configured such that an outer peripheral surface ofthe housing is contiguous to an outer peripheral surface of the storage tank With such a configuration that is contiguous from the outer peripheral surface of the hou

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