Ultrasonic implement

• US 20020179124A1
• Filed: 05/16/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Bodet, Jean-Francois, Scheper, William Michael, Deketele, Lieven Richard, Thoen, Christiaan Arthur Jacques Kamiel, Wevers, Jean, Van Hauwermeiren, Tim Maria Joris
• Application Number:
  US10/147,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20020179124A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/34
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/00 Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings brushes, their handles or fastenings A46B, B25G; scrapers for finishing work on buildings E04F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/12 Implements with several different treating devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/26 Other cleaning devices with liquid supply arrangements such arrangements on floor-polishing machines A47L11/00, on scrapers A47L13/03, on mops A47L13/22; cloths, pads, or the like containing cleaning agents A47L13/17, A47L13/19
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 17/00 Apparatus or implements used in manual washing or cleaning of crockery, table-ware, cooking-ware or the like foam-making devices A47K5/14
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 17/04 Pan or pot cleaning utensils
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 25/00 Domestic cleaning devices not provided for in other groups of this subclass for cleaning spectacles G02C13/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 25/08 Pads or the like for cleaning clothes using adhesive surfaces A47L25/005
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/12 by sonic or ultrasonic vibrations washing or rinsing machines for crockery or tableware using sonic or ultrasonic waves A47L15/13; of natural teeth, of prostheses using ultrasonic techniques similar to those used for natural teeth A61C17/20; application of ultrasonic vibrations to chemical, physical or physico-chemical processes in general B01J19/10
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/041 Compositions releasably affixed on a substrate or incorporated into a dispensing means
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/46 applying energy, e.g. irradiation

Abstract

The invention relates to a hand-held having an active part vibrating at a frequency of at least 20 kHz with an amplitude of at least 10 μm and up to 100 μm, characterised in that the implement has at least two configurations, a first configuration where the active part is hard, and a second configuration where the active part is not hard.

Claims

1. A hand-held implement having an active part vibrating at a frequency of at least 20 kHz with an amplitude of at least 10 ttm and up to 100 im, characterised in that the implement has at least two configurations, a first configuration where the active part is hard, and a second configuration where the active part is not hard.

2. The implement according to claim 1, whereby the second configuration is obtained by adding an extra element to the implement in the first configuration.

3. The implement according to claim 2, whereby the extra element is sleeved around the active part of the first configuration.

4. The implement according to claim 1, whereby the active part of the second configuration comprises a porous material.

5. The implement according to claim 1, whereby the implement further comprises a reservoir containing a cleaning solution.

6. The implement according to claim 5, whereby the reservoir is removable.

7. The implement according to claim 5, whereby the cleaning solution comprises a surfactant and a builder.

8. A process of cleaning a substrate, the process comprising a first step of providing a cleaning solution and a hand-held implement according to claim 1, the process further comprising a second step of applying the solution onto the substrate with the implement, whereby the substrate is fibrous and the implement is in the first configuration.

9. A process of cleaning a substrate, the process comprising a first step of providing a cleaning solution and a hand-held implement according to claim 1, the process further comprising a second step of applying the solution onto the substrate with the implement, whereby the substrate is a hard domestic surface and the implement is in the second configuration.