The present invention relates to a cleaning head for removing dusts and dirt on a surface to be cleaned and a cleaning tool with the cleaning head.
Conventionally, there have been known cleaning tools which remove dusts and dirt on the surface to be cleaned by wiping of the surface to be cleaned such as a floor with a head part which is connected to a stick to be gripped by a user and onto which a cleaning sheet is attached to catch the dusts and dirt.
Such cleaning tools preferably have a head part with a plane bottom surface so that the contact area between the cleaning sheet and the surface to be cleaned is larger. However, the planar shape of the bottom surface of the head part makes it difficult to remove dirt stuck to the surface to be cleaned.
Against that problem, there have been known cleaning tools which have an elastically deformable head part with a bottom surface, the center part of which curves to protrude downward (to the side of the surface to be cleaned) and forms a plane surface when being pressed to the side of the surface to be cleaned (ex. see Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Publication No. 2013-034766
However, in above-referenced Patent Document 1, as the cleaning tool is moved on the surface to be cleaned like a mop in a predetermined direction in the state where pressure is added to the cleaning tool so that the bottom surface of the head part is made plane, the edge of the bottom surface in the moving direction of the head part is mainly used for removing dusts and dirt on the surface to be cleaned. Accordingly, the inward (closer to the center) part of the bottom surface of the head part, which is not the peripheral part, does not contribute to removal of dusts and dirt and the efficiency in cleaning of the surface to be cleaned may be decreased.
An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning head and a cleaning tool which enable efficient cleaning of the surface to be cleaned even when pressed to the side of the surface to be cleaned.
In order to solve the above problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, a cleaning head is provided onto which a cleaning sheet for wiping a surface to be cleaned is attached and which is moved on the surface to be cleaned in a predetermined direction for wiping the surface to be cleaned, the cleaning head including:
a first member arranged on a side facing the surface to be cleaned; and
a second member arranged to abut on the first member at least partially on an opposite side of the surface to be cleaned,
wherein the second member is a member relatively more rigid than the first member,
wherein the second member has a protrusion part on an upstream side of an edge of a part abutting on the first member in a moving direction of the cleaning head, the protrusion part protruding toward the side of the first member more than the edge in the moving direction of the cleaning head,
wherein a surface of the first member on the side facing the surface to be cleaned is formed in a plane shape, and
wherein the first member has a recess part which fits the protrusion part on an upstream side of an edge of a part abutting on the second member in the moving direction of the cleaning head.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the cleaning head is moved to and fro in one direction and in an other direction opposite to the one direction on the surface to be cleaned for wiping the surface to be cleaned,
(a part of) the second member protrudes toward the side of the first member more than both edges of the part abutting on the first member to form the protrusion part between the both edges in a to-and-fro moving direction, and
the first member has the recess part formed between the both edges in the to-and-fro moving direction at the part abutting on the second member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the cleaning head is moved in a direction almost the same as a shorter direction which is almost perpendicular to a longer direction of the cleaning head for wiping the surface to be cleaned,
the second member has the protrusion part between both edges of the part abutting on the first member in the shorter direction, and
the first member has the recess part between the both edges of the part abutting on the second member in the shorter direction.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the cleaning head is moved in the direction almost the same as the longer direction for wiping the surface to be cleaned,
the second member has the protrusion part between both edges of the part abutting on the first member in the longer direction, and
the second member has the recess part between the both edges of the part abutting on the first member in the longer direction.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the first member is configured to be detachably attached to the second member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a length by which the protrusion part protrudes is configured to be adjustable.
And according to another aspect of the present invention, a cleaning tool is provided which includes the above-described cleaning head and a stick connected to the cleaning head on an opposite side of the surface to be cleaned.
The present invention enables efficient cleaning of the surface to be cleaned even when the cleaning tool is pressed to the side of the surface to be cleaned.
Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the drawings. The scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.
The cleaning tool 100 is used for cleaning to remove dusts and dirt on a surface F to be cleaned (see
<Cleaning Head>
The cleaning head 1 is described in detail with reference to
In the following explanation, the side of the surface F to be cleaned is the lower side and the opposite side of the surface F to be cleaned is the upper side. The side of one edge of the cleaning head 1 in the longer direction is the left side and the side of the other edge in the longer direction is the right side. The side of one edge in the shorter direction almost perpendicular to the longer direction of the cleaning head 1 is the front side and the side of the other edge in the shorter direction is the back side.
The cleaning head 1 is formed in an almost rectangular shape in a plane view with a predetermined thickness (see
The case body 14 fully opens at the bottom end, and contains the first member 11 and the second member 12 therein, covering them from the upper side. A step part 141 which is formed in a shape of steps is formed at the front and back edges and the left and right edges of the case body 14, and the attachment member 13 in an almost flat shape is fixed inside the step part 141.
The case body 14 has a stick connection unit 143 at almost the center part of the top surface 142 which is on the opposite side of the side facing the surface F to be cleaned. Being attached onto the stick connection unit 143, the stick 2 is rotatable about the axes in the front-back and left-right directions of the cleaning head 1.
The sheet fixing units 144, . . . are arranged at the four respective corners of the top surface 142. The cleaning sheet S may be attached to the cleaning head 1 with the sections around the edges of the cleaning sheet S being fixed on the sheet fixing units 144, . . . . Specifically, the cleaning sheet S is applied to the lower surface 113 (described later) of the first member 11 of the cleaning head 1, and the sections of the cleaning sheet S not covered with the lower surface 113 are folded to the side of the top surface 142 of the case body 14 and tucked to the sheet fixing units 144, . . . to be set up (see
Hereinafter, the cleaning sheet S is described.
The cleaning sheet S is formed in a rectangular shape with a long side in the longer direction of the cleaning head 1, suitable for the shape of the cleaning head 1, for example. Specifically, the size of the cleaning sheet S is, for example, 30 cm×20 cm, which is a common size.
The cleaning sheet S is a nonwoven fabric of a predetermined fiber material manufactured with a known technique such as spunlace, air through, airlaid, point bond, spunbond, and needle punch, for example. The predetermined fiber material may be, for example, cellulose fibers such as rayon, lyocell, tencel, and cotton, polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl alcohol, polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, and polyamide fibers such as nylon. They may be used alone or in combination of two or more of them.
The second member 12 is fixed such that the whole upper surface of the second member 12 abuts on the lower surface of the attachment member 13.
Here, the second member 12 is fixed with a known predetermined adhesive agent or with screws. However, it is merely a non-limitative example and may be suitably changed accordingly.
The second member 12 is formed in an almost rectangular shape viewed from the side of the bottom surface of the cleaning head 1, for example. Specifically, the second member 12 has almost the same lengths in the front-back and left-right directions as the attachment member 13.
The lower surface 121 of the second member 12 forms a part abutting on the first member 11, and a protrusion part 122 which protrudes toward the side of the first member 11 is arranged on the lower surface 121. Specifically, the protrusion part 122 is formed such that the center part which is between the front and back edges in the front-back direction (shorter direction) and yet between the left and right edges in the left-right direction (longer direction), on the lower surface 121 of the second member 12, protrudes from the level of the front and back edges and the left and right edges to the side of the first member 11 (see
In
Here, the cleaning head 1 is used to wipe the surface F to be cleaned by moving in a predetermined direction (ex. to the front, etc.) on the surface F to be cleaned. More specifically, the cleaning head 1 is used to wipe the surface F to be cleaned by moving to and fro in one direction (ex. to the front, to the left, etc.) and in the other direction opposite to that direction (ex. to the back, to the right, etc.) on the surface F to be cleaned. That is, the cleaning head 1 may be used to wipe the surface F to be cleaned by moving to and fro in almost the same direction as the shorter direction (front-back direction) or in the longer direction (left-right direction).
The protrusion part 122 is formed on the upstream side of the edge of the lower surface 121 of the second member 12 in the moving direction of the cleaning head 1 (ex. in a case where the moving direction is to the front, on the back side compared to the front edge) and protrudes toward the side of the first member 11 more than the edge in the moving direction. That is, the protrusion part 122 is formed by the center part of the lower surface 121 of the second member 12 between the both edges (ex. front and back edges or left and right edges) in the to-and-fro moving direction.
The second member 12 is a member relatively more rigid than the first member 11 (described later). Specifically, the second member 12 is formed with thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene (PP), for example, while the first member 11 is formed with styrene or olefin thermoplastic elastomer, polyurethane resin, ethylene vinyl acetate polymer (EVA), etc., for example.
The materials which the first member 11 and the second member 12 are made of are preferably selected in consideration of the extent of deformation of the first member 11 in a state where the cleaning head 1 is pressed to the side of the surface F to be cleaned, as described later. For example, there may be multiple first members 11 which are formed with compositions different from each other and which are replaceable according to the purpose of cleaning.
The first member 11 is formed in an almost rectangular shape viewed from the side of the bottom surface of the cleaning head 1, for example. Specifically, the first member 11 has lengths in the front-back and left-right directions almost equal to those of the second member 12. Accordingly, the first member 11 and the second member 12 are layered in the up-down direction and contained inside the case body 14.
The upper surface 111 of the first member 11 forms a part abutting on the second member, and a recess part 112 which fits the protrusion part 122 of the second member 12 is arranged on the upper surface 111. Specifically, the recess part 112 is formed such that the upper surface 111 hollows to the side facing the surface F to be cleaned between the front and back edges in the front-back direction (shorter direction) and yet between the left and right edges in the left-right direction (longer direction) of the upper surface 111 of the first member 11.
Accordingly, the recess part 112 is formed in a recessed shape which has a predetermined width in the front-back direction, a longer side in the left-right direction, and almost equal depths in the front-back and left-right directions. Specifically, the width of the recess part 112 in the front-back direction is almost equal to or slightly larger than that of the protrusion part 122 in the front-back direction. The width of the recess part 112 in the left-right direction is almost equal to or slightly larger than that of the protrusion part 122 in the left-right direction. The depth of the recess part 112 is almost equal to or slightly larger than the length by which the protrusion part 122 protrudes.
Here, in a case where the cleaning head 1 is moved to and fro in almost the same direction as the shorter direction (front-back direction) or the longer direction (left-right direction) for wiping the surface F to be cleaned, the recess part 112 which fits the protrusion part 122 of the second member 12 is arranged on the upstream side of the edge of the upper surface 111 of the first member 11 in the moving direction of the cleaning head 1 (ex. in a case where the moving direction is to the front, on the back side compared to the front edge). That is, the recess part 112 is formed between the both edges (ex. front and back edges or left and right edges) in the to-and-fro moving direction on the upper surface 111 of the first member 11.
The first member 11 and the second member 12 are fixed together with a known predetermined adhesive agent on the surfaces which abut on each other (the upper surface 111 of the first member 11 and the lower surface 121 of the second member 12, and the upper surface of the recess part 112 and the lower surface of the protrusion part 122) in a state where the protrusion part 122 of the second member 12 fits in the recess part 112 of the first member 11, for example. However, it is merely a non-limitative example and may be suitably changed accordingly.
The lower surface 113 of the first member 11 facing the surface F to be cleaned is formed in a plane shape. Thus, in a state where the cleaning head 1 touches the surface F to be cleaned with the cleaning sheet S in between but is not pressed to the side of the surface F to be cleaned (see
On the other hand, in a state where the cleaning head 1 is pressed to the side of the surface F to be cleaned (see
<Usage of the Cleaning Tool>
Next, the usage of the cleaning tool 100 is described.
The user does the cleaning by moving the cleaning head 1 to and fro in almost the same direction as the shorter direction (front-back direction) in the following description.
First, the user attaches the cleaning sheet S onto the cleaning head 1. When attached, the cleaning sheet S is inserted into the sheet fixing unit 144 preferably such that there is no space between the lower surface 113 of the first member 11 and the area of the cleaning head 1 where touching the lower surface 113 and such that the area of the cleaning sheet S sticking out of the lower surface 113 and folded back is not remaining.
After that, as the user grips the stick 2 of the cleaning tool 100 onto which the cleaning sheet S is attached and moves the cleaning head 1 in one direction (ex. to the front) on the surface F to be cleaned like a mop (see
As the cleaning head 1 is moved in the one direction on the surface F to be cleaned, dusts and dirt on the surface F to be cleaned get into the interspace between the cleaning sheet S and the surface F to be cleaned and are caught by the cleaning sheet S to be removed.
In a state where the cleaning head 1 is pressed to the surface F to be cleaned, interspace is generated between the cleaning sheet S and the surface F to be cleaned also on the side of the left and right edges in the left-right direction on the lower surface 113 of the first member 11, but the interspace is not actively used for removal of dusts and dirt on the surface F to be cleaned as it is in the direction almost perpendicular to the moving direction of the cleaning head 1.
Though not shown in the drawings, in a case where the cleaning head 1 is moved in the other direction (ex. to the back) which is opposite to the one direction on the surface F to be cleaned in the to-and-fro movement of the cleaning head 1, pressure is added to the cleaning head 1 diagonally downward in the moving direction and the cleaning head 1 is pressed to the surface F to be cleaned, in the same way. The lower surface 113 of the first member 11 is more separate from the surface F to be cleaned at the back edge to which the moving direction is directed and interspace develops between the cleaning sheet S and the surface F to be cleaned.
As the cleaning head 1 is moved in the other direction on the surface F to be cleaned, dusts and dirt on the surface F to be cleaned get into the interspace between the cleaning sheet S and the surface F to be cleaned and are caught by the cleaning sheet S to be removed.
As described above, the cleaning tool 100 according to the present embodiment is as follows. The first member 11 is arranged on the side facing the surface F to be cleaned. The second member 12 which is arranged to abut on the first member 11 on the opposite side of the side facing the surface F to be cleaned is a member relatively more rigid than the first member 11. The second member 12 has the protrusion part 122 on the upstream side of the edge of a part (lower surface 121) abutting on the first member 11 in the moving direction of the cleaning head 1. The protrusion part 122 protrudes toward the side of the first member 11 more than the edge in the moving direction. As the surface on the side facing the surface F to be cleaned of the first member 11 is formed in a plane shape and the first member 11 has the recess part 112 which fits the protrusion part 122 on the upstream side of a part (upper surface 111) abutting on the second member 12 in the moving direction of the cleaning head. Thus, in a state where the cleaning head 1 is pressed to the side of the surface F to be cleaned when the cleaning head 1 is moved in a predetermined direction on the surface F to be cleaned for wiping the surface F to be cleaned, the lower surface 113 of the first member 11 is more separate from the surface F to be cleaned at the edge to which the moving direction is directed and interspace is generated between the cleaning sheet S and the surface F to be cleaned. Dusts and dirt on the surface F to be cleaned get into the interspace and are caught to be removed by the cleaning sheet S.
As described above, in a state where the cleaning head 1 is pressed to the side of the surface F to be cleaned, the area on the upstream side of the edge of the lower surface 113 of the first member 11 in the moving direction (closer to the center) may contribute to removal of dusts and dirt, which enables efficient cleaning of the surface F to be cleaned.
Specifically, an area of the second member 12 between the both edges of the part (lower surface 121) abutting on the first member 11 in the to-and-fro moving direction protrudes toward the side of the first member 11 more than the both edges to form the protrusion part 122. The first member 11 has the recess part 112 between the both edges of the part (upper surface 111) abutting on the second member 12 in the to-and-fro moving direction. Thus, in a state where the cleaning head is pressed to the side of the surface F to be cleaned, the area between the both edges in the to-and-fro moving direction (closer to the center) on the lower surface 113 of the first member 11 may contribute to removal of dusts and dirt, which enables efficient cleaning of the surface F to be cleaned.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various kinds of improvement or modifications of the structure may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
Hereinafter, modification examples of the cleaning tool 100 are described. The cleaning tool 100 in the modification examples have the same configuration and function as the above embodiment except for the features described below, and the detailed descriptions of the common features are omitted.
Hereinafter, the cleaning head 1A in the modification example 1 is described with reference to
The cleaning head 1A in the modification example 1 is configured such that the first member 11A may be detachably attached to the second member 12A, as shown in
In the modification example 1, the cleaning head 1A is supposed to be used in the cleaning by moving to and fro in almost the same direction as the shorter direction (front-back direction). However, it is merely a non-limitative example, and the shape or such of the first member 11A and the second member 12A may be suitably changed according to the moving direction of the cleaning head 1A.
For example, a flanged catch 123 with a predetermined thickness is formed along the left-right direction at each of the front and back edges of the second member 12A in the front-back direction. A protrusion part 122A is formed over the left and right edges of the second member 12A in the left-right direction.
On the other hand, a hook-shaped latch 114 corresponding to the shape of the catch 123 is formed along the left-right direction at each of the front and back edges of the first member 11A along the front-back direction, for example. The cross-sectional shape viewed from the right at the front edge of the latch 114 is angular U tilted 90 degrees to the right, and the cross-sectional shape viewed from the right at the back edge of the latch 114 is angular U tilted 90 degrees to the left, for example. A recess part 112A is formed over the left and right edges of the first member 11A in the left-right direction.
An opening 145 is formed on the right lateral surface of the case body 14 and movable space for the first member 11A which is attached and detached to and from the second member 12A is kept.
According to the modification example 1, the first member 11A may be attached and detached to and from the second member 12A more easily, when the first member 11 is changed to a desirable one among multiple prepared ones according to the usage of cleaning or changed from a used one to a new one, for example.
The first member 11A is configured to be detachably attached to the second member 12A in the above description, but it is merely a non-limitative example. For example, instead of the configuration with the catch 123 and the latch 114 described above or the adhesion in the above embodiment, the inner size of the recess part is slightly smaller than or almost equal to the outer size of the protrusion part so that the first member may be attached to the second member by the friction between the outer surface of the protrusion part and the inner surface of the recess part.
Hereinafter, the cleaning head 1B in the modification example 2 is described with reference to
The cleaning head 1B of the modification example 2 is configured such that the length by which the protrusion part 122B of the second member 12B protrudes may be suitably adjusted, as shown in
That is, the second member 12B is formed by a main body 124 and the protrusion part 122B which are separate, and the position for attaching the protrusion part 122B on the main body 124 may be adjusted in the up-down direction.
Specifically, an opening 125 is formed at almost the center part of the main body 124, and a wavy part 125A is formed on the inner peripheral of the opening 125. The protrusion part 122B has an outer shape almost the same as the inner shape of the opening 125, and the wavy part 122C is formed on the outer peripheral of the protrusion part 122B.
The wavy part 125A of the opening 125 of the main body 124 and the wavy part 122C of the protrusion part 122B are formed in shapes which mesh with each other, and the position for engagement may be suitably adjusted (see
The state where the protrusion part 122B is moved upward relative to the main body 124 is schematically shown by a dash-dot-dot line in
In a case where the first member 11B is detached from the second member 12B or the second member 12B from the attachment member 13, it is preferred that each unit be attached again with adhesion or such. Alternatively, with an operation unit (not shown in the drawings) to adjust the position of the protrusion part 122B in the up-down direction from the outer side of the case body 14, it is unnecessary for the first member 11B and the second member 12B to be detached or to be attached again as described above.
An opening 13A is formed at the position corresponding to the protrusion part 122B of the attachment member 13 or the opening 125 of the main body 124 and movable space for the protrusion part 122B to move upward relative to the main body 124 is kept.
According to the modification example 2, the length by which the protrusion part 122B protrudes may be adjusted according to the usage in cleaning, for example. Thus, it is possible to adjust the interspace generated between the cleaning sheet S and the surface F to be cleaned as the edge of the lower surface 113 of the first member 11B in the moving direction is separated from the surface F to be cleaned in the state where the cleaning head 1B is pressed to the side of the surface F to be cleaned. Accordingly, the extent to which dusts and dirt on the surface F to be cleaned easily gets in the interspace between the cleaning sheet S and the surface F to be cleaned may be adjusted, and the cleaning sheet S may efficiently catch the dusts and dirt to be removed.
The shapes and positions of the protrusion part 122 and the recess part 112 exemplified in the embodiment and modification examples above are merely non-limitative examples and may be suitably changed accordingly.
For example, the protrusion part 122 may be formed in an arc shape protruding downward, and the recess part 112 may be formed in a recessed shape corresponding to the shape of that protrusion part 122 (see
There may be multiple (ex. three) protrusion parts 122 in a diamond shape in a plan view formed along the left-right direction of the second member 12 (see
The configuration of the cleaning head 1, 1A, or 1B is merely a non-limitative example. For example, the attachment member 13 is not necessarily installed and the second member 12, 12A, or 12B may be directly attached inside the case body 14.
In the embodiment and modification examples described above, the cleaning head 1 is employed in the cleaning where it is moved to and fro on the surface F to be cleaned for wiping the surface F to be cleaned, but it is merely a non-limitative example. For example, the cleaning head 1 may be configured to move in one predetermined direction on the surface F to be cleaned for wiping the surface F to be cleaned.
The present invention is suitably applicable for the manufacturing field of a cleaning head and a cleaning tool.
100 Cleaning Tool
1, 1A, 1B Cleaning Head
11, 11A, 11B First Member
11 Upper Surface (Abutting Part)
112, 112A Recess Part
12, 12A, 12B Second Member
121 Lower Surface (Abutting Part)
122, 122A, 122B Protrusion Part
1 Stick
S Cleaning Sheet
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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JP2016-192647 | Sep 2016 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2017/019109 | 5/23/2017 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2018/061305 | 4/5/2018 | WO | A |
Number | Date | Country |
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02119152 | Sep 1990 | JP |
H06311954 | Nov 1994 | JP |
H0713633 | Apr 1995 | JP |
2013034766 | Feb 2013 | JP |
2013074962 | Apr 2013 | JP |
20090005930 | Jun 2019 | KR |
Entry |
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Chinese Office Action (and English language translation thereof) dated Aug. 28, 2020 issued in Chinese Application No. 201780057537.3. |
International Preliminary Report on Patentability (IPRP) dated Apr. 2, 2019 (and English translation thereof) in counterpart International Application No. PCT/JP2017/019109. |
Japanese Office Action dated Jun. 20, 2017 (and English translation thereof) issued in Japanese Application No. 2016-192647. |
International Search Report (ISR) dated Jul. 11, 2017 issued in International Application No. PCT/JP2017/019109. |
Written Opinion dated Jul. 11, 2017 issued in International Application No. PCT/JP2017/019109. |
Chinese Office Action (and English language translation thereof) dated Mar. 19, 2021 issued in Chinese Application No. 201780057537.3. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20200029776 A1 | Jan 2020 | US |