Patent Application
20090108029
This invention relates to spray containers and more particularly to microwave-safe, heat-resistant spray containers.
Heated liquids are known to cut grease and make cleaning of many types of dirt and grime easier than cooler liquids. Automatic dishwashers and steam carpet cleaners both use heat, along with cleaning agents, to clean surfaces, but there is currently no easy or portable way to apply heated water or cleaning agents directly to surfaces throughout the house, automobile or boat, such as countertops, glass, and non-carpeted floors in order to clean and/or disinfect them. Traditional steam cleaning machines are limited in their portability by an electrical cord. Instead, consumers must often use harsh, toxic or environmentally unfriendly cleaners to clean these surfaces.
Currently, if consumers want to heat cleaning liquids, there is no easy way to do it. Current spray containers for cleaning products have parts that will spark in the microwave oven, and most are too tall to fit in a conventional microwave. Additionally, they are made of plastics which will deform if heated to too high a temperature and the spray heads also will likely deform when heated liquids are sprayed through them.
This invention gives users a practical way to easily apply heated liquids to dirty surfaces in order to clean them. Consumers will be able to use heat to clean without or with limited use of harsh cleansers, and could possibly do the cleaning completely with non-toxic, environmentally safe cleaners, such as heated solutions of white vinegar or washing soda. These heated solutions would penetrate sticky or stubborn residue and make cleaning easier.
An object of the present invention is to provide a spray container which will be microwave-safe in a standard microwave oven, and which container with spray apparatus will also be heat-resistant, and which can be filled with water or cleaning fluids or other liquids and the container, with the liquid in it, can be heated in a microwave oven. Alternatively, the container can be filled with pre-heated water or cleaning fluids or other liquids.
In accordance with this invention, the container, including spray apparatus, is made completely of materials that are microwave-safe, and the outside of the container remains cool to the touch when microwaved or filled with heated liquid. The container can either be filled with liquid and heated in a microwave, or filled with heated water, such as water heated in a coffeepot or other heated liquids. The container can be made either with inner and outer walls and a space in between, which can be filled with some insulating material, or of a solid material which is microwave-safe and, possibly, insulating. The spray apparatus is removable from the container for filling, but is microwave-safe and will not deform on repeated exposure to heat or heated liquids.
The spray container can be used to spray heated water or cleaning liquids on surfaces to easily clean and disinfect them.
A pressure-relief mechanism 22 extends from the exterior of the outer wall through to the interior of the inner wall, allowing the release of vapor or liquid from the container if pressure within the container builds up to a level higher than a pre-set limit. This pressure-relief mechanism can be shaped such that a whistling or other easily audible noise is emitted when vapor escapes through it, thus enabling users to be alerted that the liquid has reached its boiling point. This pressure-relief mechanism can alternatively be located in the spray apparatus or its attached housing.
The spray apparatus 12 is designed to be operable with one hand. It has a suction tube 24 which extends to or nearly to the bottom of the cavity in the container. When the trigger 26 of the spray apparatus is activated, liquid is drawn up through the suction tube into the spray apparatus, and exits the nozzle side 28 of the spray apparatus.
The housing of the spray apparatus can be of solid material or can have an inner and outer shell with or without a space in between, or it can be of some other construction. It is attachable to the container, either with threads 30 or by some other means, and the attachment is completely or nearly liquid-tight.
All of the components of both the container and the spray apparatus with its housing are of materials that are microwave-safe or are appropriately shielded so that they will not spark in the microwave. Those components that are exposed to the heated liquids are of materials that will not deform on repeated exposure to heat generated by boiling liquids. These materials can be polycarbonates, heat-resistant silicon or any other materials that meet the above criteria.
The different configurations of handles and walls in the above-described figures are not meant to represent the only combinations possible, as any handle or spray apparatus style can be used with any wall and/or insulation configuration.
The spray apparatus and its housing are removable from the container. Once removed, the container can then be filled with water or a liquid cleaning solution. The liquid can be pre-heated prior to being put into the container. Ideally, if a cleaning solution is used, it will be non-toxic and environmentally friendly, although any cleaning solution that can be heated can be used. The heated liquid will allow the use of smaller amounts of cleaning solutions, or milder cleaning solutions. If the liquid has not been preheated, the container, with the liquid inside, is placed in a microwave oven, either with or without the spray apparatus attached, and heated. As there is a pressure relief mechanism, the liquid inside the container can be heated to boiling without fear or boiling over or explosion. The outside of the container will remain cool to the touch, while the liquid inside remains hot. If a stone, ceramic or other heat absorbing layer is located between all or a portion of the inner and outer walls of the container, it will absorb some heat and release it back to the liquid later, thus keeping the liquid warmer for a longer period of time. If the pressure relief mechanism is configured so that it produces a whistle or other easily audible sound, the container with the spray apparatus in place can be heated until the whistle is heard, thus alerting the user that the contents have reached the boiling point.
The spray apparatus has a hand-operable trigger, in general usable with one hand, which allows the spraying of the liquid from the interior of the container onto surfaces to more easily clean and disinfect them. Once sprayed, the heated liquids will cut through many types of grease and grime more easily than cooler liquids, and enable faster and less arduous cleaning.
While a preferred form of this invention has been described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that applicant does not intend to be limited to the particular details described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but intends to be limited only to the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. In this regard, the term “means for” as used in the claims is intended to include not only the designs illustrated in the drawings of this application and the equivalent designs discussed in the text, but it is also intended to cover other equivalents now known to those skilled in the art, or those equivalents which may become known to those skilled in the art in the future.
