Broom with reservoir and means for regulating the outflow of cleaning and floors treatment products

Abstract

 This patent is about an improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the tank applied on the brooms. The driving of the aforesaid controlling system is carried out by means of a lever hand (16) which is like those lever hands for the brakes control applied on the bicycles' handlebar. In comparison with the already existing controlling system, the present one is characterized by the fact that it is placed on an intermediary step of the broom's handle (2) instead of being placed at the top.

Description

[0001] Brooms provided of tanks along their handle and with small boards on the foot place are well known in the market; all this is properly shaped. The outflow regulation of the products, such as (liquids, waxes or others) inside the tank to be poured out and spread on the floor which is going to be treated, is carried out in different ways according to the different connections from the tank downwards.

[0002] As a matter of fact, a split opening tap placed between the tank's lower end and the lower end of the connection small pipe going down towards the floor can be chosen.. Other accepted solutions are those regarding the regulation of the pressing of the small and flexible pipe going down from the tank on an intermediary step. The total closing or the total or partial opening of the outflow of the product going down from the tank can be carried out depending on the small pipe's pressing.

[0003] A further solution accepted is that regarding the intervention by means of a stopping cap (or a pin) placed at the outflow small pipe's lower or higher end.

[0004] In the numerous cases of the brooms with the tank for the pouring out or spreading of products for the floors treatment, the control system for the regulation of the products outflow from the tank towards the floor is placed at the handle's top. The control system usually consists of a knob which is lifted up, lowered, turned or tilted etc..

[0005] The moving of the knob by means of the operator is transmitted to a tie rod or a strut placed inside the handle. Both the tie rod and the strut contrast the action of a spring which, being at rest, drives the closing devices the broom is equipped with.

[0006] The aforesaid devices can be some nibs keeping the small flexible pipe pressed in an intermediary area between the higher or the lower end; on the other side, these devices can be constituted of stopping pins or caps inserted or pushed in correspondence of the higher or lower end of the pipe leading off the tank.

[0007] The placing of the outflow regulation controlling system of the products inside the tank in correspondence to the top of the brooms' handle presents serious practical and functional problems.

[0008] When using the broom, clasps the operator both his or her hands on the handle and for the regulation he or she must stop during the moving so as to operate on the knob placed on the handle's top.

[0009] If the knob is placed in its block position the total overflow opening is carried out without the possibility to choke the quantity of flow desired.

[0010] The effort the operator has to carry out on the knob (here it must be taken into account that the operator consists for the most part of a female staff) is rather significant since she or he has to contrast a spring whose pre-charge has to be sufficient to assure the overflow closing both during its activity and to avoid possible spilling caused by bumps during the brooms placing or taking away from their storerooms.

[0011] In the end, it is not possible to provide the broom of telescoped handles since the connection from the controlling knob till the point where the regulation devices are placed (the closing and the opening are included) consists of rods or of struts involving the whole size of the handle.

[0012] The cability to be able to lengthen the handle enables to reach certain areas which are going to be treated by means of the broom's lower end; these areas would otherwise be unapproachable.

[0013] The controlling system of the present patent solves all the problems described above.

[0014] The invention is about a hand lever placed on the handle's intermediary area in correspondence to the natural position of one of the operator's hand.

[0015] The aforesaid hand lever is like the brakes' lever on the bicycles' handlebar.

[0016] The advantages obtained by means of the present patent's controlling system are listed as follows.

[0017] By means of a moderate effort, the operator succeeds in contrasting the action of hardly pre-charged springs, which, being at rest, assure the safe stopping of the products outflow coming from the tank.

[0018] For the regulation of the products overflow from the tank, the operator does not need to stop during the moving of the broom.

[0019] Having one of his or her hands always placed on the hand lever the operator determines the overflow of the products inside the tank going down towards the floor according to the need.

[0020] By placing the controlling system along the handle's lower fixed step of this patent, it is possible to provide this broom of a telescopically extension handle.

[0021] When one has to carry out continuous and abundant products pouring out for the floor treatment or when the control system's hand lever is no longer easily reachable because of the extension of the telescoped handle, it is possible to place the hand lever in advance in the block position. Indeed, inside the structure, enclosing the handle, where the hand lever is hinged, there is a device the operator can insert in order to block the hand lever in the pressed position.

[0022] Having kept in consideration the peculiar carrying out of this patent's controlling system whose driving is carried out by means of a hand lever with very uneven arms, so that significant forces on the opposed arms can be transmitted by means of moderate pressing of the operator's hand on the lever hand. This hand lever can be linked at the end of the aforesaid smaller arm provided with kinematic mechanisms (for example with sheathing and flexible inner wire) which are able to transmit movements to some elements placed in the distance both inside and in combination with the small board of the broom placed on the floor level (for example scraping metal sheets, etc.)

[0023] Other advantages come out from the description of a preferred carrying out it is being described.

Brief description of the drawings

[0024] 

Fig. 1 shows by way of an example a well known broom provided of a tank and of a controlling knob placed at the handle's top for the regulation of the overflow of the product inside the tank.

Fig. 2 shows the enlarged section of the lower structure of the broom's handle of fig. 1 passed through by a little pipe going down towards the small board.

Fig. 3 shows the enlarged section of the higher structure of the broom's handle of fig. 1 pointing out the controlling knob for the regulation of the overflow of the product inside the tank.

Fig. 4 shows the knob out of work and fig. 5 shows the bush interposed between the handle and the knob.

Fig. 6 shows the knob of fig. 4 partially sectioned and

Fig. 7 shows the bush of fig. 5 partially sectioned.

Fig. 8 shows a broom equipped with a controlling system for the regulation of the going out of the products inside the tank according to the present patent.

Fig. 9 shows the section of the regulation controlling system assembled on a step of the broom's handle according to the patent.

Fig. 10 is an axonometric view of the regulation controlling system set out of work.

Fig. 11 is an axonometric view of the out of work support of the regulation controlling system without hand lever.

Fig. 12 is an axonometric view of the hand lever of the regulation controlling system which is not combined to its support.

Fig. 13 is the section of the regulation controlling system related to fig. 10

Fig. 14 is the section of the regulation controlling system's support related to fig. 11.

Fig. 15 is the section of the regulation controlling system's hand lever related to fig. 12.

Fig. 16 is the side view of the regulation controlling system's out of work support without the hand lever.

Fig. 17 is the front view of the regulation controlling system's out of work support.

Fig. 18 is the view from the top of the regulation controlling system's out of work support.

Fig. 19 is the section of the support according to the median line A-A of the fig. 17.

Fig. 20 is the cross-section of the support according to the line B-B of fig. 17.

Fig. 21 in the enlargement related to the top section of fig. 19.

Detailed description of the drawings

[0025] With reference to the pictures from 1 to 7.

[0026] It is shown a market broom provided with a handle 2, at whose lower end a small board 1 is placed on the floor to be treated by means of the products inside the reservoir 3, provided at the top of a cover 13, which is coaxial and in an intermediate position as regard the handle 2.

[0027] A small flexible tube 4 is connected to the lower part of the reservoir 3 and then it goes down towards the floor after having passed through the lower structure of the handle 2 within which there is the closing kinematic mechanism of the small flexible tube 4.

[0028] The closing of the small flexible tube 4 is carried out by driving a control knob 5 placed at the top of the handle 14 applied on the higher end of the handle 2; such knob 5 when it is pressed, it pushes downward the rod 9, which is inside the handle 2, in this way it contrasts the action of a spring 10 acting on a small piston (connected to the final end of the rod 9) which supports in turn the closing nib 11 of the small flexible tube 4, which is integral with the end of the rod 9 opposed to the one on which the knob 5 acts.

[0029] By means of this action on the knob 5 the flattening action of the small flexible tube 4 exerted by the nib 11 is reduced or eliminated.

[0030] Inserted on the higher end of the handle 2, there is a button 6 with an external head; within such button 6 the tubular element 29 slides; it is internally coaxial and integral with the knob 5 through which the knob 5 is connected and acts on the higher end of the manoeuvre rod 9.

[0031] On such tubular element 29 there is a hollow 27, within which it is engaged the small key 8 of the button 6; the longitudinal sliding of the small key 8 along the hollow 7 guarantees that the movement of the rod is longitudinal according to the axle of the rod 9; the final higher part of the hollow 7 ends with an enlargement 30 within which, upon rotation of the knob 5, can get in the small key 8 to keep the knob 5 in the lowered reached position.

With reference to pictures from 8 to 21.

[0032] It is shown a market broom provided with a handle 2, at whose lower end a small board 1 is placed on the floor to be treated by means of the products inside the reservoir 3, provided at the top of a cover 13, which is coaxial and in an intermediate position as regard the handle 2.

[0033] A small flexible tube 4 is connected to the lower part of the reservoir 3 and then it goes down towards the floor after having passed through in the lower part of the handle 2, an element within which there is the closing kinematic mechanism of the small flexible tube 4.

[0034] The closing of the small flexible tube 4 is carried out by driving the driving device which is the subject of this patent.

[0035] The driving device consists of a tubular part 15 coaxial to the handle 2 which is joint and supports the structure 23 of the adjusting control.

[0036] Such structure presents in its lower part an hinge pivot 24 on which the handle lever 16 is hinged in its own seat 18.

[0037] Such handle 16 consists of two 2 arms having an orthogonal placing between them.

[0038] On the external surface of the greater arm 16 a possible operator's hand goes to act with the strength directed towards the handle 2, while the aforesaid operator goes on to keep the hold on the aforesaid handle 2.

[0039] The second lever arm in correspondence to its end 26 acts on the clamp 20 fixed on the driving rod 9 of the closing kinematic mechanisms of the small flexible tube 4.

[0040] Such second lever arm acts on the rod 9, placed inside the handle, with a direction which is coincident with the axle of the rod 9.

[0041] Such second arm, extending itself from the hinge point 18 to its driving end in correspondence to the rod 9, passes through the window 19 on the tubular part 15 of the support 23 and the window 28, practised on the handle 2 in contiguity to the window 19

[0042] On the end opposed to that one of the hinge 18 of the lever hand 16 there is a rim 25.

[0043] On this rim 25, in order to keep the lever hand 16 blocked in closing position you make the retention device act assembled with the possibility of a limited sliding in the higher part of the structure 23.

[0044] The retention device for the locking of the lever hand 16, you form a hollow button 17, which is integral with the stem 21 provided at the lower free end of an enlarged head 27 having the function of a head.

[0045] In order to keep the retention device lifted up in the rest position, not restraining the rim 25 of the hand lever 16, before the assembly of the hollow button 17 on the narrow end of the stem 21 (already assembled in the structure 23), it is inserted in the annular cavity between the hollow button 17 and the stem 21 an helical return spring (not drawn in the various pictures)

[0046] It has to be reminded that the regulation controlling system for the going out of cleaning or floors treatment products which is applied on an intermediary step of the brooms' own handle has been previously considered in the description only by way of example. The patent's controlling system can be applied on any kind of broom provided of a tank (or case) made in any way or provided of devices working for the opening, closing or the regulation on the pipe used for the outflow of the products inside the aforesaid tank.

[0047] One does not get off this patent for every even ameliorative carrying out that any expert in his or her field could carry out if he or she makes use of this patent's teachings.

Claims

1. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the reservoir applied on the brooms characterized by the fact to be constituted of a control device applied on the handle (2) arranged, preferably in an intermediate area of the handle (2), so as to be driven by the same hand of the operator which is in hold with the handle (2) during the cleaning, in this way, by having the continuous contact of the hand during the cleaning, it is possible the continuous regulation of the liquid flow from the operator, that is the opening or the closing of the regulation control device (15, 23), or if necessary its chocking, with the spreading of the liquid at the same time with the cleaning of the floor

2. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the tank applied on the brooms according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the controlling system (15,23) consists of a driving hand lever (16).

3. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the tank applied on the brooms according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the controlling system (15,23) consists a driving hand lever (16) and a retention device (17, 21, 27) to keep the hand lever (16) in the blocking position.

4. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the tank applied on the brooms according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the controlling system(15,23) to be driven is applied on the lower fix step of the broom's handle (2). This fact enables the application on the lower part of a second piece of a handle which is telescoped with the lower one in order to get the handle extension both for the operator's easiness and when some inaccessible areas of the floor need to be reached.

5. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the tank applied on the brooms according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that it consists of a driving hand lever (16) and that the aforesaid controlling system's (15,23) hand lever (16) is hold in the pressed position without the presence of the operator's hand by means of the lowering of a button (17) on the support (23) of the hand lever (16). The aforesaid button's (21,17) inside lower end (27) engages itself in the outside higher beading (25) the hand lever is equipped with (16).

6. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the tank applied on the brooms according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the ratio of the hand lever's (16) lever arm, that is to say, the ratio between the arm (16), which the effort is applied on by means of the operator's hand and the arm (26), on which the resistance related to the spring (10) of the opening and closing device to be contrasted, is such that the operator's effort is all but the least, while the force to be contrasted can be significant.

7. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the tank applied on the brooms according to claim 1 characterized by the structural easiness of its single parts, being constituted of a lever hand with two uneven arms (16,26) and of a monobloc consisting of a tubular step (15) to be inserted on the handle (2) of the broom supporting the structure (23) which sustains the hinge (18,24) of the lever hand (16).

8. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the tank applied on the brooms according to claim 1 characterized by the easiness of its application which consists in involving the broom's handle by means of the tubular step 15 supporting the structure (23) sustaining the lever's hand (16) by means of the hinge (18,24). A properly enlarged opening (28) for the passing through of the lever hand's (16) arm (26) has been carried out in advance.

9. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the tank applied on the brooms according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that it consists of a driving hand lever (16) that has arms (16,26) very uneven, so that the same lever hand is a force multiplier; it can be connected to its shorter arm's (26) end, to kinematic mechanisms able to transmit moving to some elements placed in the distance, inside or even in combination with the small board (1) of the broom placed on the floor level.

10. Improved controlling system for the regulation of the going out of cleaning and floors treatment products from the reservoir applied on the brooms according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the aforesaid control device (15, 23) can be applied on the handle (2) with a hinge point (18, 24) of the hand lever (16) downwards or turned of 180° upwards so that, when the hand lever is pressed (16), the second lever arm, in correspondence to its end 26, exerts a thrust force on a rod (9) behaving as a rafter or as a wires force in traction respectively (if necessary flexible wires sliding within a sheathing).

Drawing