Grooming/cleaning apparatus

• US 7,364,380 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hartz Mountain Corporation (Unicharm Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hartz Mountain Corporation (Unicharm Corporation)
• Inventors: McKay, William D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Khoa D.
• Application Number:
  US10/851,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20050066464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 401/39, 401/129, 401/138, 401/139, 151/69, 152/46, 151/60, 151/87, 151/040.02, 132/119
• US Class Current: 401/138
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 13/002 Curry-combs; Brushes shearing sheep B26B19/24
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 17/06 Devices for cleaning brushes after use
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1093 Brush for use on animal A46B2200/1086 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 5/04 shaped as gloves or finger-stalls or other special holding ways, e.g. by the tongue

Abstract

A cleaning apparatus includes a substrate with outward projecting bristles extending through a sheet or scrim impaled over the bristles. The substrate may be mounted on a support which may carry a handle. The sheets may be single sheets arranged in a stack over the bristles on one or more surfaces of the substrate or a roll of separable sheets disposed over the bristles.

Claims

1. A cleaning apparatus comprising:

a support having a first end, an opposite second end, a longitudinal axis and an outer surface having an oval cross-sectional shape and being fixed to an extended handle at said first end;

a removable flexible mat mounted peripherally on and wrapped around the circumference of said outer surface, said flexible mat having a first surface and an opposite second surface, the mat has one end with a notch or offset portion disposed on said opposite second surface, wherein said notch or offset portion allows overlapping of the other end of the flexible mat when the flexible mat is bent to conform to the shape of said support, and wherein the mat is formed with a border or edge with corresponding apertures formed at one end of the border or edge and projections formed at an opposite end of said border or edge;

a plurality of bristles being disposed on and extending from said first surface of the flexible mat;

a plurality of sheets or wipes disposed over said extending bristles and in a form selected from the group consisting of a stack of separable wipes and a roll of separable sheets or wipes, sheets or wipes being wrapped around said flexible mat starting from an outermost edge disposed in parallel to said longitudinal axis;

wherein the support has a plurality of projecting resilient fingers attached to said opposite second end thereof for slidably facilitating mounting said flexible mat on said support;

wherein each sheet or wipe is formed with a pull tab to enable separation of one sheet or wipe from the other, said pull tab being disposed on and extending transversally from said outermost edge; and

wherein said support is formed with a plurality of apertures to enable dripping or oozing of cleaning fluid retained in said support and to said plurality of sheets or wipes.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the outermost edges of said sheets or wipes are superimposed on top of each other.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said oval cross section has two opposed apex and said outermost edges are disposed at one of said apexes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said mat has an interior defined within a border or edge and formed with a lattice network of short length segments.

5. The cleaning apparatus of claim 1;

wherein said extending handle has an end cap having an opening for hanging said apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sheets or wipes is selected from the group consulting of a stack of sheets or wipes and a continuous wound roll of separate sheets or wipes.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wipes or sheets are formed of a water insoluble substrate having fibers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said fibers are selected from the group consisting of randomly aligned fibers, directionally oriented fibers and a mixture thereof.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each said sheet or wipe is formed of two or more layers, with each layer of said sheet or wipe being made from a different combination of materials or by a different manufacturing process or a combination thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each sheet or wipe has a plurality of apertures through which at least some of said bristles are disposed therethrough.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each said wipe or sheet is loosely woven for defining a plurality of apertures through which at least some of said bristles are disposed therethrough.