Patent Application
20220346604
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The disclosure relates to cleaner devices and more particularly pertains to a new cleaner device for automatically cleaning a bathtub. The device includes a plurality of scrubbers that rotate for scrubbing the bathtub and the device includes a plurality of rollers for moving the device back and forth in the bathtub. Additionally, the device includes a spray unit for spraying a liquid cleaning solution onto the bathtub to enhance scrubbing the bathtub.
The prior art relates to cleaner devices including a variety of bathtub scrubbers that have a powered scrubber for scrubbing a bathtub. The prior art discloses a variety of floor cleaners that are self propelled and which include scrubbers for scrubbing a floor. In no instance does the prior art disclose a self propelled cleaner that includes a scrubber for scrubbing a floor and a pair of scrubbers that alternatively travel up and down for scrubbing walls.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a cleaner that has a handle portion extending upwardly from a reservoir portion that contains a fluid cleaning solution. A first scrubbing unit is coupled to the reservoir portion of the cleaner to engage a basal wall of the bathtub when the cleaner is positioned in the bathtub. The first scrubbing unit rotates when the first scrubbing unit is turned on to scrub the basal wall of the bathtub. A pair of second scrubbing units is each movably integrated into the reservoir portion of the cleaner to scrub a respective lateral wall of the bathtub when the cleaner is positioned in the bathtub. A spray unit is integrated into the cleaner to spray the fluid cleaning solution onto the first scrubbing unit and the second scrubbing units.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The reservoir portion 16 has a bottom wall 26, a top wall 28 and an outer wall 30 extending therebetween, and a fill spout 31 might be integrated into the outer wall 30 for filling the reservoir portion 16 with the fluid cleaning solution 18. The reservoir portion 16 has a dividing wall 32 that is positioned between the bottom wall 26 and the top wall 28 to define a lower section 34 of the reservoir portion 16 that is fluidly discrete from an upper section 36 of the reservoir portion 16, and the upper section 36 contains the fluid cleaning solution 18. The fluid cleaning solution 18 may be a cleaning solution that is approved for cleaning plumbing fixtures, such as a bathtub 21, in a bathroom. The outer wall 30 has a front side 38, a first lateral side 40 and a second lateral side 42, and the front side 38 has a pair of mounts 44 each extending forwardly therefrom. The mounts 44 are spaced apart from each other on the front side 38, and each of the mounts 44 is positioned adjacent to the bottom wall 26 of the reservoir portion 16.
A control circuit 46 is provided and the control circuit 46 is integrated into the cleaner 12. A first scrubbing unit 48 is coupled to the reservoir portion 16 of the cleaner 12 and the first scrubbing unit 48 engages a basal wall 50 of a bathtub 21 when the cleaner 12 is positioned in the bathtub 21. The first scrubbing unit 48 rotates when the first scrubbing unit 48 is turned on thereby facilitating the first scrubbing unit 48 to scrub the basal wall 50 of the bathtub 21.
The first scrubbing unit 48 comprises a first brush 54 that has a first end 56 and a second end 58. Each of the first end 56 and the second end 58 is rotatably coupled to a respective one of the mounts 44 on the front side 38 of the outer wall 30 of the reservoir portion 16. In this way the first brush 54 can frictionally engage the basal wall 50 of the bathtub 21. The first brush 54 may include a plurality of bristles or the first brush 54 may be comprised of an abrasive material. The first scrubbing unit 48 includes a first brush motor 60 that is coupled to the reservoir portion 16 of the cleaner 12, and the first brush motor 60 is in mechanical communication with the first scrubber. The first brush motor 60 rotates in a first direction when the first brush motor 60 is turned on, the first brush motor 60 rotates the first scrubber when the first brush motor 60 is turned on, and the first brush motor 60 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 46. The first brush motor 60 may comprise an electric motor or the like.
A pair of second scrubbing units 62 is each movably integrated into the reservoir portion 16 of the cleaner 12. Each of the second scrubbing units 62 is positioned on opposite sides of the cleaner 12 with respect to each other. Moreover, each of the second scrubbing units 62 moves continuously between a lowered position and a raised position when the second scrubbing units 62 are turned on. In this way each of the second scrubbing units 62 can scrub a respective lateral wall 64 of the bathtub 21 when the cleaner 12 is positioned in the bathtub 21.
Each of the second scrubbing units 62 comprises an arm 66 that has a first end 68 and a second end 70, and the first end 68 of the arm 66 is pivotally coupled to the outer wall 30 of the reservoir portion 16 of the cleaner 12. Each of the second scrubbing units 62 includes a motor housing 72 that is coupled to the second end of the arm 66. As is most clearly shown in
Each of the second scrubbing units 62 includes an arm motor 76 that is positioned within the arm 66, the arm motor 76 is positioned at the first end of the arm 66 and the arm motor 76 engages the outer wall 30 of the reservoir portion 16 at a pivot point between the first end and the outer wall 30. The arm motor 76 alternatively rotates in a first direction and a second direction when the arm motor 76 is turned on. The arm 66 is lifted upwardly when the arm motor 76 rotates in the first direction and the arm 66 is lowered when the arm motor 76 rotates in the second direction. The arm motor 76 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 46 and the arm motor 76 may comprise an electric motor or the like.
Each of the second scrubbing units 62 includes a second brush 78 that is rotatably coupled between the pair of panels 74 of the motor housing 72. In this way the second brush 78 can to frictionally engage the respective lateral wall 64 of the bathtub 21. The second brush 78 may include a plurality of bristles or the second brush 78 may be comprised of an abrasive material. Each of the second scrubbing units 62 includes a second brush motor 80 that is positioned in the motor housing 72, and he second brush motor 80 rotates in a first direction when the second brush motor 80 is turned on. The second brush motor 80 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 46 and the second brush motor 80 may comprise an electric motor or the like. Each of the second scrubbing units 62 includes a pulley 82 that is coupled to a respective end of the second brush 78. Each of the second scrubbing units 62 includes a belt 84 that extends between the second brush motor 80 and the pulley 82 such that the second brush motor 80 rotates the second brush 78 when the second brush motor 80 is turned on.
A plurality of rollers 86 is each integrated into the bottom wall 26 of the reservoir portion 16 of the cleaner 12 such that each of the rollers 86 rolls along the basal wall 50 of the bathtub 21 when the cleaner 12 is positioned in the bathtub 21. A plurality of roller motors 88 is each positioned in the reservoir portion 16 of the cleaner 12 and each of the roller motors 88 is coupled to a respective one of the rollers 86. Each of the roller motors 88 rotates in a first direction or a second direction when the roller motors 88 are turned on. Moreover, the cleaner 12 moves forward when the roller motors 88 rotate in the first direction and the cleaner 12 moves rearwardly when the roller motors 88 rotate in the second direction. In this way the rollers 86 move the cleaner 12 back and forth along the basal wall 50 of the bathtub 21. A guidance system 85 may be integrated into the cleaner 12 that might include a plurality of optical sensors 87 for sensing the dimensions of the bathtub 21. The guidance system 85 might be electrically coupled to the control circuit 46 to facilitate the rollers 86 to reverse direction when the cleaner 12 approaches either end of the bathtub 21 while the cleaner 12 is moving forward or rearward.
A spray unit 90 is integrated into the cleaner 12 and the spray unit 90 has a plurality of outputs 92 each being aligned with a respective one of the first scrubbing unit 48 and the second scrubbing units 62. The spray unit 90 has an input 94 that is positioned within the reservoir portion 16 of the cleaner 12. Moreover, the spray unit 90 sprays the fluid cleaning solution 18 outwardly through each of the outputs 92 for enhancing cleaning the bathtub 21. The spray unit 90 comprises a pump 96 that has an intake 98 and a plurality of exhausts 100, and the pump 96 defines the input 94 of the spray unit 90. The pump 96 is positioned within the reservoir portion 16 to facilitate the pump 96 to urge the fluid cleaning solution 18 inwardly through the intake 98 and outwardly through each of the exhausts 100 when the pump 96 is turned on. The pump 96 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 46 and the pump 96 may comprise an electric fluid pump or the like.
The spray unit 90 includes a plurality of conduits 102 that each has a primary end 104 and a secondary end 106. The primary end 104 of each of the conduits 102 is fluidly coupled to a respective one of the exhausts 100 of the pump 96 such that each of the conduits 102 receives the fluid cleaning solution 18 from the pump 96. Each of the conduits 102 is routed in the cleaner 12 such that the secondary end 106 of each of the conduits 102 is aligned with a respective one of the first brush 54 and the second brush 78 associated with each of the second scrubbing units 62. In this way each of the conduits 102 can spray the fluid cleaning solution 18 into the first brush 54 and the second brush 78. The secondary end 106 of each of the conduits 102 defines a respective one of the outputs 92 of the spray unit 90.
A power switch 108 is movably integrated into the handle portion 14 of the cleaner 12 and the power switch 108 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 46 for turning the control circuit 46 on and off. A power supply 110 is positioned in the handle portion 14 of the cleaner 12 and the power supply 110 is electrically coupled to the power switch 108. The power supply 110 comprises at least one battery 112 and the at least one battery 112 is positioned in the storage section 20 of the handle portion 14. A battery cover 114 is removably integrated into the outside wall 22 of the storage section 20 and the at least one battery 112 is positioned behind the battery cover 114.
In use, the cleaner 12 is positioned in the bathtub 21 and the power switch 108 is turned on. The cleaner 12 travels back and forth in the bathtub 21 while the first scrubbing unit 48 scrubs the basal wall 50 of the bathtub 21 and each of the second scrubbing units 62 scrubs up and down along the respective lateral wall 64 of the bathtub 21. In this way the bathtub 21 can be automatically cleaned without requiring manual labor. The power switch 108 is turned off when the cleaner 12 has traveled back and forth in the bathtub 21 a sufficient number of times to clean the bathtub 21.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
