All-in-one squeezable scrubbing tool

• US 10,136,789 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clorox Company
• Original Assignee: Clorox Company
• Inventors: Zohar, Hagar, Azelton, Kerry D., Gonzalez, German R., Jamieson, John E., Ma, Benjamin, Murphy, Jennifer A., Sieverding, George S.
• Primary Examiner(s): WALCZAK, DAVID J
• Application Number:
  US15/097,077
• Publication Number:
  US 20160220088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 401188 R
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 3/281 Accessories for showers or bathing douches, e.g. cleaning devices for walls or floors of showers A47K3/30, A47K3/38, A47K3/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/17 containing cleaning agents A47L13/19 takes precedence ; chemical compositions C11D17/049
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/041 Compositions releasably affixed on a substrate or incorporated into a dispensing means
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/049 Cleaning or scouring pads; Wipes

Abstract

An all-in-one cleaning device, e.g., such as may be used in cleaning the inside of a shower. The device may provide the ability to dispense a cleaning composition carried within the device itself, and scrub the cleaning composition onto or into the surfaces to be cleaned (e.g., shower walls, floors, corners, mirrors, etc.). The device may include a squeezable container housing holding the cleaning composition in a reservoir defined therein, with a dispensing valve configured to dispense the cleaning composition from the reservoir, through the valve when a user squeezes the container housing. A sled may be provided, e.g., snap-fit to a bottom wall of the container housing, with a substrate configured as a scrubbing pad attached to the bottom of the sled.

Claims

1. A cleaning device comprising:

(a) a squeezable container housing comprising a bottom wall and a fluid reservoir and an outlet for dispensing, wherein the fluid reservoir is configured such that a lateral depth of the fluid reservoir is at a maximum between upper and lower ends of the reservoir, and the lateral depth of the fluid reservoir gradually decreases from the maximum to the upper end of the fluid reservoir, and the lateral depth of the fluid reservoir gradually decreases from the maximum to the lower end of the fluid reservoir;

(b) a volume of a cleaning composition disposed within the fluid reservoir, wherein the cleaning composition comprises a hypochlorite;

(c) a dispensing valve disposed at or near the outlet, and in fluid communication with the reservoir, the dispensing valve being configured to dispense a cleaning composition from the reservoir through the dispensing valve when the cleaning composition is present in the reservoir and a user squeezes the container housing which subsequently opens the dispensing valve in response to a pressure increase in the reservoir;

(d) a sled having a generally planar configuration and located downstream of the dispensing valve; and

(e) a substrate attached to the sled, the substrate being disposed over or about a dispensing orifice of the dispensing valve so that upon squeezing the squeezable container housing, the cleaning composition, when present in the reservoir, is dispensed from the reservoir, through the dispensing orifice.

2. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the sled caps an opening in the squeezable container housing at the location of the dispensing valve.

3. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the sled comprises a surface to which the substrate is attached.

4. The cleaning device of claim 3, wherein the substrate is attached by a hook and loop attachment structure.

5. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the dispensing valve is disposed in an angled front nose of the cleaning device.

6. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the dispensing value is a one-way valve configured to prevent backflow into the reservoir.

7. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the dispensing valve is disposed in the opening defined by the sled.

8. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises abrasive.

9. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein part of the substrate is absorbent.

10. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein a shape of the reservoir is asymmetric with respect to an axis defined by, and extending through, the outlet.

11. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the dispensing value is located proximate the upper end of the reservoir.

12. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a nonwoven substrate.

13. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises bristles.

14. The cleaning device of claim 13, wherein the bristles are disposed at an angle relative to a vertical axis defined by the reservoir.