BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to containers, and more particularly, to snap-on containers adapted for attachment to cleaning tools.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Cleaning tools and cleaning products comprise two major consumer products industries in the United States and throughout the world. In fact, some of the most well-known and heavily advertised products today fall into one or another of these categories. This is largely due to the fact that housekeeping, i.e., the physical maintenance and cleaning of a house, is a regular part of most people's daily lives. Furthermore, there is a multitude of residential and commercial cleaning businesses worldwide which require such products to effectively and efficiently continue doing business. Maid services are also becoming increasingly more common in many developed cultures, at least partly because of the rise in two-income families.
Given the varied array of cleaning products and tools currently available in the marketplace, it is apparent that the most successful products and tools are often those that allow cleaning to be completed more effectively and efficiently. For example, tools and products are often combined together to more easily accomplish a specific cleaning task. Furthermore, additional brackets, supports, and other like parts are often utilized to secure various products/tools to one another or to some larger transport device (e.g., tray, cart, etc.) for transport or during cleaning. Such additional hardware can increase manufacturing and retail costs and, concurrently, complicate an otherwise simple endeavor.
SUMMARY
In an embodiment of the invention, a container is provided comprising a neck defining an opening and configured to removeably engage an attachable spray nozzle assembly. A shoulder is disposed adjacent to the neck. A hollow main body having a wall extends between the shoulder and a closed base to define an internal space for receiving and storing a fluid. The wall defines two hollow arm portions forming a substantially U-shaped longitudinal groove extending between the shoulder and the base. The groove is configured to receive and grip a handle of a cleaning tool. A section of material is disposed within the groove and has a higher coefficient of friction than the wall.
In another embodiment of the invention, the container is provided in a kit with a cleaning tool having a handle.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the container is provided in combination with the cleaning tool, the handle of the cleaning tool being gripped by the longitudinal groove.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Examples for some embodiments of the invention will be described with respect to the following drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like features throughout the figures, and in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the container shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the container shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the container shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a top view of the container shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the container shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the container shown in FIG. 5 taken along lines 7-7 and without a spray nozzle assembly;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional top view of the container shown in FIG. 3 taken along lines 8-8; and
FIG. 9 is a rear view of the container of FIG. 1 shown in combination with a handle of a cleaning tool.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In describing the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. It is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
In the following description of some of the embodiments of the invention, directional words such as “top,” “bottom,” “upwardly,” and “downwardly” are employed by way of description and not limitation with respect to the orientation of the container and its various components as illustrated in the drawings. Similarly, directional words such as “axial” and “radial” are also employed by way of description and not limitation.
FIGS. 1-9 provide various views of a container 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIGS. 1-6, for example, the container 10 includes a hollow main body 12 extending between a shoulder 16 and a closed base 14. Together, the hollow main body 12, shoulder 16, and base 14 define an internal space 13 (see FIGS. 7 & 8) for receiving and storing a fluid such as, for example, water or a cleaning product. In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1-9, the container 10 is a substantially cylindrical container having rounded edges in transition between the hollow main body 12 and the shoulder 16 and base 14. One of ordinary skill will recognize, however, that the container 10, particularly the hollow main body 12, can be formed in any variety of cross-sectional shapes including, for example, rectangular, triangular, oval, or any other smooth or multi-sided shape. The container 10 may also have a constant cross-sectional area along its longitudinal axis or it may taper or change shapes from the base 14 to the shoulder 16, or vice versa. The container 10 may be made from any plastic material suitable for receiving and storing fluids such as water or various cleaning products. Such materials include plastics such as, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and low density polyethylene (LDPE). The container 10 may be blow molded by various methods such as, for example, injection blow molding or extrusion blow molding.
A substantially U-shaped longitudinal channel or groove 20 is formed in the hollow main body 12 and is configured to receive and grip a handle of a cleaning tool (see FIG. 9). FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 depict rear, top, and bottom views, respectively, of the container 10 shown in FIG. 1. The longitudinal channel or groove 20 is shown as an integral portion of the hollow main body 12 extending between the shoulder 16 and the base 14. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8, a wall 11 of the hollow main body 12 which defines the internal space 13 also forms two hollow arm portions 26a, 26b spaced from one another to define the longitudinal groove 20. In the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1-9, the longitudinal groove 20 is shown as having a substantially circular cross-section, ostensibly for receiving cylindrical cleaning tool handles. As will be apparent to one of skill in the art, however, the longitudinal groove 20 could have any of various cross-sectional shapes such as, for example, rectangular, triangular, oval, or any other smooth or multi-sided shape depending on the cross-sectional shape of the cleaning tool handle to be received therein.
A spray nozzle assembly 18 is shown in FIGS. 1-6 attached to the container 10. The spray nozzle assembly 18 includes a spray nozzle 28, a trigger 30, and an attachment portion 32 configured to removeably secure the spray nozzle assembly 18 to the container 10. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, the spray nozzle assembly 18 may also include a siphon tube (not shown) configured to draw fluid from the bottom of the container 10 in response to actuation of the trigger 30. Furthermore, the spray nozzle 28 may be adjustable to select between squirting a stream, aerosolizing a mist, or dispensing a spray. Referring to FIG. 7, the container 10 includes a neck 34 defining an opening into the internal space 13 of the container 10, the neck 34 being offset from a center of the container 10 to prevent the spray nozzle assembly 18 from interfering with any cleaning tool handles received in the groove 20. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 7, the neck 34 includes external threads 36 for removeably securing the attachment portion 32 of the spray nozzle assembly 18 to the neck 34 of the container 10. As will be appreciated by one having skill in the art, however, the neck 34 and attachment portion 32 may include other similar features that allow removeable attachment such as, for example, cooperating snap-on features instead of a threaded screw-on engagement.
Referring generally to the views shown in FIGS. 2-4 and 7, for example, the cylindrical hollow main body 12 of the container 10 includes an annular recess 24 circumscribing an outer surface thereof. The recess 24 extends around the entire hollow main body 12, including within the longitudinal groove 20, and is configured to receive a gripping member 22 which substantially conforms to the shape of the recess 24 about the hollow main body 12 and is also disposed within the groove 20 and about arm portions 26a, 26b as shown by tips 22a, 22b (FIG. 3). The gripping member 22 is preferably made of a material having a higher coefficient of friction than the wall 11 of the container 10 to more effectively grip the handle of any cleaning tool inserted into the groove 20. The gripping member 22 may be made of materials such as, for example, a soft rubber, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), Thermal Plastic Rubber TPR, or Silicone. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the hollow main body 12 may not have an annular recess 24. In still another embodiment (not shown), the gripping member 22 may be secured to the hollow main body 12 by adhesive. In still another embodiment (not shown), the gripping member 22 may not completely surround the hollow main body 12 but may, instead, be disposed only within the longitudinal groove 20.
FIG. 9 depicts a rear view of an embodiment of the container 10 shown in combination with a handle 100 of a cleaning tool. In use, the handle 100 is inserted into the longitudinal groove 20. The handle 100 may be inserted into the groove 20, for example, by aligning the longitudinal axes of the groove 20 and the handle 100 and then pressing the handle 100 into the groove 20 such that the hollow arm portions 26a, 26b and gripping member tips 22a, 22b flex outward to allow the handle 100 to pass into the groove 20. Once the handle is within groove 20, the hollow arm portions 26a, 26b and tips 22a, 22b return to a normal position to grip the handle 100.
While certain embodiments of the invention have been described, modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Patent Application
20090050640
