Pivoting snowbrush

• US 9,145,112 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation (Hoppy Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation (Hoppy Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ihde, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Guidotti, Laura C
• Application Number:
  US14/025,036
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 151/72, 152/296, 151/11, 151/14, 151/17, 151/21, 151/441
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0081 Brushes with a scraper, e.g. tongue scraper
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/3046 Brushes for cleaning cars or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 5/0054 designed to allow relative positioning of the head to body
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 7/02 in an expanding or articulating manner
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/12 Implements with several different treating devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 3/045 Other hand-held cleaning arrangements, e.g. with sponges, brushes, scrapers or the like brushes per se A46B

Abstract

A pivoting snowbrush for removing snow, ice, or debris from a surface, the pivoting snowbrush including an elongated handle, a brush, and a brush mount fixed to the handle and pivotally connected to the brush. The brush may be shiftable about the brush mount between a first orientation in which the brush extends generally parallel to the handle and a second orientation in which the brush extends generally perpendicular to the handle. The brush may include a brush body and a debris removal component attached to the brush body. The brush body may have a primary portion, a pivot extending from the primary portion, and an actuatable detent device integrally molded to the primary portion. The brush mount may rotatably connect to the pivot and may have features for selectively engaging with the detent device, thus selectively fixing the brush in the first orientation and/or the second orientation.

Claims

1. A pivoting snowbrush for removing snow, ice, or other debris from a surface, the pivoting snowbrush comprising:

an elongated handle having opposing first and second ends;

a head comprising a body and a debris removal component fixedly attached to the body, wherein the body comprises;

a primary portion to which the debris removal component is fixed,

a pivot fixed to and extending from the primary portion, and

a detent device integrally molded with the primary portion; and

a head mount configured for connecting the body to the first end of the handle so that the head is shiftable about the head mount between a first orientation in which the head extends generally parallel to the handle and a second orientation in which the head extends generally perpendicular to the handle, the head mount comprising;

an outer mount rotatably attached to the pivot of the body, fixedly attachable to the elongated handle, and configured to selectively engage with the detent device to selectively fix the brush in the first orientation and the second orientation,

wherein the detent device is configured to be flexed by a user to selectively disengage the outer mount,

wherein the elongated handle has openings formed at the first and second ends,

wherein the outer mount is U-shaped and comprises an arcuate portion wrapping around the pivot and two end portions sized to slide into one of the openings of the handle, to be affixed thereto.

2. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 1, wherein the head mount further comprises an inner mount fixable within the outer mount and configured to retain the pivot between the outer mount and the inner mount, such that the pivot is rotatable relative to the outer mount and the inner mount.

3. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 2, wherein the inner mount is a component of the handle.

4. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 1, wherein the detent device comprises:

a resilient member integrally formed with the primary portion of the body and configured to flex under force toward the primary portion, and

a protrusion integrally formed with the resilient member and extending therefrom,

wherein the outer mount has a plurality of grooves formed therein,

wherein the resilient member is naturally biased in a first position in which the protrusion selectively engages any one of the plurality of grooves, thereby preventing rotation of the outer mount relative to the head body,

wherein the resilient member is configured to be flexed under force toward the primary portion of the body to a second position, thereby retracting the protrusion from the one of the plurality of grooves and allowing rotation of the outer mount relative to the body.

5. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 1, wherein the handle has a grip attachment with a slip-resistant surface.

6. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 1, wherein the debris removal component is at least one of a plurality of bristles, a squeegee, an ice scraper, and a foam head.

7. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 1, wherein a squeegee or an ice scraper is attached to the second end of the handle.

8. A pivoting snowbrush for removing snow, ice, or other debris from a surface, the pivoting snowbrush comprising:

an elongated handle having opposed first and second ends, wherein an opening or cavity is formed in at least one of the first end or the second end of the handle;

a head comprising a body and a debris removal component fixedly attached to the body, wherein the body comprises;

a primary portion to which the debris removal component is fixed,

a pivot fixed to and extending from the primary portion,

a resilient member integrally formed with the primary portion and configured to flex from a naturally-biased first position to a second position, and

a protrusion integrally formed with the resilient member and extending therefrom; and

a head mount configured for connecting the body to the first end of the handle so that the head is shiftable about the head mount between a first orientation in which the head extends generally parallel to the handle and a second orientation in which the head extends generally perpendicular to the handle, the head mount comprising;

an outer mount placed around the pivot, rotatable about the pivot, and fixedly attached to the first end of the handle, wherein the outer mount has a plurality of grooves formed therein configured to selectively engage the protrusion of the body when the resilient member is in the naturally-biased first position, thereby preventing rotation of the body relative to the outer mount, and configured to disengage from the protrusion when the resilient member is flexed to the second position, thereby allowing the head to rotatably shift between the first and second orientations, and

an inner mount fixed within the outer mount and configured to retain the pivot between the outer mount and the inner mount, such that the pivot is rotatable relative to the outer mount and the inner mount,

wherein the outer mount is U-shaped and comprises an arcuate portion wrapping around the pivot and two end portions sized to slide into the opening or cavity of the handle to be affixed thereto.

9. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 8, wherein the head mount further comprises a locking device integrally formed with at least one of the inner mount and the outer mount and configured to hold the inner mount between the two end portions of the outer mount and to limit an amount by which the inner mount can slide away from the arcuate portion of the outer mount.

10. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 8, wherein the handle has a grip attachment with a slip-resistant surface.

11. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 8, wherein the inner mount is a component of the handle and forms a snap-fit connection between the head mount and the handle.

12. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 8, wherein the debris removal component is at least one of a plurality of bristles, a squeegee, an ice scraper, and a foam head.

13. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 8, wherein at least one of a squeegee and an ice scraper is attached to the second end of the handle.

14. A pivoting snowbrush for removing snow, ice, or other debris from a surface, the pivoting snowbrush comprising:

an elongated handle having openings at opposed first and second ends;

a head comprising a body and a debris removal component fixedly attached to the body, wherein the body comprises;

a primary portion to which the debris removal component is fixed,

a pivot fixed to and extending from the primary portion,

a detent device; and

a head mount configured for connecting the body to the first end of the handle so that the head is shiftable about the head mount between a first orientation in which the head extends generally parallel to the handle and a second orientation in which the head extends generally perpendicular to the handle, the head mount comprising;

an U-shaped outer mount comprising an arcuate portion wrapping around the pivot and two end portions slid into the opening at the first end of the handle and affixed to the handle, wherein the outer mount is rotatable about the pivot, wherein the outer mount has a plurality of grooves formed therein configured to selectively engage the detent device, thereby selectively preventing rotation of the body relative to the outer mount and allowing the head to rotatably shift between the first and second orientations,

an inner mount fixed within the outer mount and configured to retain the pivot between the outer mount and the inner mount, such that the pivot is rotatable relative to the outer mount and the inner mount, and

a locking device integrally formed with at least one of the inner mount and the outer mount and configured to hold the inner mount between the two end portions of the outer mount and to limit an amount by which the inner mount can slide in a direction away from the arcuate portion of the outer mount.

15. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 14, wherein the handle has a grip attachment with a slip-resistant surface.

16. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 14, wherein the inner mount is a component of the handle and forms a snap-fit connection between the head mount and the handle.

17. The pivoting snowbrush of claim 14, further comprising at least one of an ice scraper and a squeegee attached to the second end of the handle.