BOLD BRUSH

• US 20120233800A1
• Filed: 11/25/2010
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Betula BVBA
• Original Assignee: Betula BVBA
• Inventors: Smets, Hilde, Smets, Stefan
• Application Number:
  US13/513,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20120233800A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/207.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 11/10 Hand tools for cleaning the toilet bowl , seat or cover, e.g. toilet brushes cleaning devices without flushing A47K17/00; mechanical devices for cleaning toilet bowls E03D

Abstract

The present invention relates to a new and useful cleaning device particularly adapted for cleaning a toilet bowl and rim and for removing human waste there from. The cleaning device of the present invention generally consists of a cleaning head and a handle characterized in that the cleaning head consists of a compressible inner core and surrounds a flexible tip of said handle, and wherein said inner core is surrounded by a non-porous outer membrane.

Claims

1. A cleaning device having a handle and a cleaning head, said cleaning device characterized in that the cleaning head consists of a compressible inner core and surrounds a flexible tip of said handle, and wherein said inner core has an non-porous outer membrane, said outer membrane being free of bristles.

2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning head is ovoid or drop-shaped.

3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the non-porous outer membrane comprises a plurality of integrally formed resilient deformable protrusions.

4. The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of integrally formed resilient deformable protrusions are each and independently selected from cones;

cylinders;

or from dots having a convex top surface.

5. The cleaning device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of integrally formed resilient deformable protrusions are spaced from one another from about 0.5 to 3.0 units/cm².

6. The cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the upper hemisphere of said ovoid or drop-shaped cleaning head has at most five integrally formed resilient deformable protrusions.

7. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the non-porous outer membrane consists of a water-repellent material.

8. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible tip consists of one or more flexible extensions at one end of the handle.

9. The cleaning device according to claim 8, wherein the one or more flexible extensions are spoon shaped.

10. The cleaning device according to claim 8, wherein the one or more flexible extensions are an integral part of the handle.

11. The cleaning device according to claim 8, wherein the flexible tip extends into the lower half of the handle.

12. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the handle is formed from a first rigid thermosetting plastic backbone, the flexible tip additionally being formed at least partially from a resilient elastomer.

13. The cleaning device according to claim 12, wherein the elastomer is a polyolefin selected from the group consisting of styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-isoprenestyrene, styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene, polypropylene and related copolymers.

14. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein said compressible inner core is formed of resilient or semi-resilient porous, non-porous or partially porous materials and/or combinations thereof.

15. The cleaning device according to claim 14, wherein the compressible inner core is composed of resilient foam material, or a similar material.

16. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the compressible inner core consist of an open structure with a plurality of ribs and edges from a resilient or semi-resilient material.

17. The cleaning device according to claim 16, further characterized in that a plurality of said edges or ribs engage with the flexible extensions of the tip of the handle, to connect the cleaning head to the handle.

18. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the non-porous outer membrane and the compressible inner core are made of the same material.