Patent Application
20250120567
The invention relates to a device for cleaning drinking containers, such as glassware. Containers for wine and cocktails tend to be made of delicate glass and are thus more expensive. The thin delicate nature of these containers is better for the aromatics of the wine or cocktails but not for the durability of the glass itself. Thus, much of this glassware needs to be polished and cannot be placed in a conventional dishwasher and must be handwashed. Dishwashers often leave soap residue or worse applies too much pressure and vibration ultimately breaking the glass. Commonly known hand washing cleaning devices usually comprise paper towels, household rags, sponge, a cleaning glove, rigid structures with inner and outer cleaning aids usually a sponge or bristles, or cleaning aids attached to rigid handles. Such cleaning devices are used in e.g. kitchens, bars and restaurants to clean the inside and outside of a glass in a manual operation. In a cleaning operation, the glass is pressed against the cleaning apparatus, and is moved up and down while being rotated.
In operation these devices suffer from poor coverage as it might take multiple sweeps of the device to clean hard to reach spots. In particular, regular sponges, rags, and paper towels have to be bent into shape for cleaning and often cannot reach the bottom of the container and require several passes that could lead to wear or even damage of the container. Additionally, none of these devices provide adequate cushioning between the user's finger and the container to be cleaned, and if cushioning is there, such as a thick sponge, it imparts a complete lack of dexterity and feel needed. Thus, leading to the user exerting too much pressure on a container leading to possible chipping or shattering due to the thin glassware.
Purpose built devices for cleaning glassware also suffer from similar setbacks. For example, UP U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,448 discloses a device with rigid structures supporting inner and outer cleaning sponges. This device is limited though. Despite providing simultaneous cleaning on the inside and outside the glass, the device requires a particular type of glass to operate effectively and cannot adapt readily to other sizes. Furthermore, the rigid structures found therein may form pressure points that could lead to inadvertent chipping or shattering of the glassware. Thus, a device is needed imparting higher adaptability to different types of glassware while allowing the user to vary the pressure applied thereto.
Additionally, devices with sponges or cleaning aids at the end of handles or sticks as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,515 while may help when reaching hard to clean spots within the container. Unfortunately, the risk is increased that the user may inadvertently apply too much pressure to the handle or grip damaging the container it set out to clean, since the user loses all dexterity and feel during the cleaning process. Thus, the cleaning device of this application aims at providing a device for cleaning drinking glasses that is of simple design and operation, yet with which more persistent stains and dirt may be removed reliably with less pressure maintaining the structural integrity of the container to be cleaned.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of container cleaning devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved cleaning device for cleaning the inside and outside of a container simultaneously. The containers are usually made of glass and are often prone to shattering. Therefore, the cleaning device was designed to conform to the container while also providing enhanced feel for the user to prevent breaking and improving the cleaning coverage of the walls of the container.
In the preferred embodiment, the cleaning device includes a generally oval shaped body. The body is made from a compressible sponge-like material such as an open cell polyurethane or the like. Polyurethane foam is especially advantageous due to its resistance to abrasion and tearing. The cleaning device can be manufactured using a die cutting process with CNC machining for rounding the edges. Additionally, 3-D printing and injection molding manufacturing may be employed due to the high detail found in these processes, and easy repeatability that produces low waste.
The body of the cleaning device includes an upper section and a lower section. At the lower section the body diverges into two opposing jaws separated by an angle. The upper section includes a first and a second slot which extends into the interior of the body, and into the first and the second jaw respectively. These slots allow the user to place their fingers into the device providing for additional control when undergoing the cleaning process. The slots may include a surface treatment including lining the inside surface of the slots with a water repellent coating to increase rigidity and durability of the slots during repeated use; for example, vinyl and silicone coatings have performed well for this purpose. The outside edges of the body are rounded, thus providing for a smooth surface to move across the interior and exterior of the container preventing bunching and increasing the coverage the device can reach within the container to be cleaned.
In operation the user first wets the body, soaking up water and adding soap therein. The user then puts two fingers into the slots on the top end of the cleaning device, usually the thumb and index finger, and holds a glass or container with the other free hand. The user then inserts one of the two jaws into the inside of the container and one on the outside of the container until the rim of the glass meets the intersection of the two jaws. Once fully inserted the user applies gentle pressure within the finger slots ensuring good contact between the compressible body and the container. Then the user wipes around the glass simultaneously cleaning the inside and outside of the container.
Thus, the device according to the present invention is easy to use and the danger of damaging the container is minimized. The risk of the user being injured is also minimized accordingly, and the efficiency of the cleaning work is improved. Further, the cleaning device according to the present invention is simple and easily manufactured with little cost.
The following drawings are submitted with this utility patent application.
The invention, as shown in
The perimeter surface 5 of the body extends around the body between an upper section 3 and a lower section 4 as seen in
As seen in
In operation the user first wets the body 2, soaking up water and adding soap therein. The user then puts two fingers into the first slot 16 and the second slot 17 on the top end of the cleaning device, usually the thumb and index finger, and holds a container typically made of glass with the other free hand. The user then inserts one of the first jaw 10 and the second jaw 11 into the inside of the container and the other of the first jaw 10 and the second jaw 11 on the outside of the container until the rim of the glass meets at the intersection 12 of the two jaws. Once fully inserted the user using her fingers pinches with gentle pressure from within the first slot 16 and the second slot 17 ensuring good contact between the compressible body 2 and the container. Then the user wipes around the container simultaneously cleaning the inside and outside of the container. Once the user has finished cleaning, the cleaning device is rinsed off for use with another container or for storage.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, 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 the present invention. For example, although the body is depicted as an oval-like shape, other shapes may be implemented including but not limited to circular, angular, triangular, etc. If the shape converges into a lower section including two jaw-like features for forming around the rim of a container, the shape may be implemented.
While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
