This invention relates to a multi-sided cleaning brush. More particularly, it relates to a multi-sided cleaning brush designed for efficient cleaning of outdoor fixtures having difficult-to-clean surface shapes, for example, rain gutters, gutter guards, crevices, edges and so forth.
To clean off the top surface of a rain gutter guard, homeowners or contractors would typically climb a ladder, get on the roof and use a powered blower for blowing debris off the gutter guard (and roof). It is a dangerous task, as the effort to climb a tall ladder with a blower in tow can be challenging, the roof can be slippery, and the blower can be awkward to handle while standing on the roof. Further, the blower cannot effectively remove organic matter (e.g., moss) or roof shingle particles that can attach to the gutter guard surface.
Accordingly, there has been a long-standing need in the industry for a cleaning apparatus suitable for cleaning gutter guards as well as other difficult to reach surfaces in an effective and non-dangerous manner. As detailed below, a new brush design and system is presented that addresses the deficiencies of the prior art.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the claimed subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
In one aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a brush for removing debris from gutter guards is provided, comprising: a bristle retaining head with a rectangular shape having a top and bottom face and lateral front, rear, left and right faces with rounded edges, wherein the bottom and top faces are substantially larger than the other faces; bristles disposed on and extending outwardly from the top, bottom, left, right and rear faces, wherein a central portion of the bottom face, reserved for attachment to a pole, is un-bristled and the un-bristled central portion extends towards the rear face; an angled mounting fixture disposed in the un-bristled central portion and midway between the left and right faces, an axis of the mounting fixture being oriented at an acute angle relative to the bottom face, and enabling attachment to an elongate pole in a reverse direction (bottom-to-top) at the acute angle to the bottom face, the angle being directed to towards the rear face; and wherein, when the prospective pole is attached, the prospective pole is below the bottom face and the brush is operated with the pole below the bottom face.
In another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, the above brush is provided, further comprising, outwardly extending bristles disposed on at least one of the left, right, and rear faces; and/or further comprising, outwardly extending bristles disposed on at least one of a forward and rearward portion of the top face; and/or wherein the head has a rectangular block shape; and/or further comprising an extension pole mounted to the mounting mechanism; and/or wherein the angle for attaching a pole is approximately 30 degrees; and/or wherein the angle is angled towards the front face; and/or wherein the mounting fixture is a threaded hole in the head and is disposed mid-way between the left and right faces; and/or wherein the threaded hole forms a channel through the entire head; and/or wherein channel is multi-width; and/or wherein the head is approximately 8.75 inches in length, 1 inch in height and 2.38 inches deep; and/or wherein the bristles form a row of bristles; and/or wherein the row of bristles is formed from circular groups of bristles arranged in a line; and/or wherein the reserved central portion extends partially or completely to at least one of the front and rear faces, to form a substantially V-like void in the bottom bristle arrangement; and/or wherein at least one of the bristles of the bottom, top, left, right, top, are of a uniform length; and/or wherein at least one of the left, right, rear, top and bottom bristles is at a length different from the bristles of the other faces; and/or wherein at least one of the left, right, rear, top and bottom bristles is at an angle from its respective face.
In yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a method for cleaning a surface of a gutter guard is provided, comprising: placing a brush, with a bristle arrangement in a direction of an attached pole, onto a top surface of a gutter guard disposed on a gutter, wherein a gripping section of the pole is positioned below the gutter, the brush comprising: a bristle retaining head, the head having at least a predominately front, rear, left, right, top and bottom face, wherein the bottom and top faces are substantially larger than the other faces; bristles disposed on a majority of the bottom face, wherein the bristles are outwardly extending from the bottom face, and wherein a central portion of the bottom face, reserved for attachment to the pole, is un-bristled; and a mounting fixture attached to the pole at an acute angle to the bottom face, disposed in the un-bristled central portion of the bottom face; and moving the brush via the pole forward and back over the surface of the gutter guard, to dislodge debris from the gutter guard.
In yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a the above method is provided, wherein the bristle head further comprises, outwardly extending bristles disposed on at least one of the left, right, top and rear faces, and moving the brush via the pole over a side or edge of the gutter guard or gutter.
In yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a method for cleaning an exterior surface is provided, comprising: placing a cleaning brush, with a reverse bristle arrangement, attached to an extension pole, onto an exterior surface, wherein the brush comprises: a bristle retaining head, the head having at least a predominately front, rear, left, right, top and bottom face, wherein the bottom and top faces are substantially larger than the other faces; bristles disposed on a majority of the bottom face, wherein the bristles are outwardly extending from the bottom face, and wherein a central portion of the bottom face, reserved for attachment to the pole, is un-bristled; outwardly extending bristles disposed on at least one of the left, right, top and rear faces; and a mounting fixture for attaching the pole at an acute angle to the bottom face, disposed in the un-bristled central portion of the bottom face; and moving a bristled face of the head over the exterior surface to clean the exterior surface.
In yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a gutter guard brush for removing debris from gutter guards, is provided, comprising: a bristle retaining head, the head having at least a predominately front, rear, left, right, top and bottom face, wherein the bottom and top faces are substantially larger than the other faces; bristles disposed on a majority of the bottom face, wherein the bristles are outwardly extending from the bottom face, and wherein a central portion of the bottom face, reserved for attachment to a pole, is un-bristled; and a mounting fixture for attaching a pole at an acute angle to the bottom face, disposed in the un-bristled central portion of the bottom face.
A gutter guard is a cover that is attached on top of a rain gutter mounted to a roof for keeping leaves, pine needles and other unwanted debris from entering into the rain gutter. In many instances, where a gutter guard is fastened to the gutter on a home or any building structure, there is an abundance of trees around the home and, often leaves and pine needles will sit on top of the gutter guard interfering with the performance of the guard. Conventionally, a blower directed at the overlain surface of the gutter guard is sufficient to remove the debris. However, organic growth as moss, for example, shingle particles and other small debris can attach or embed themselves to the gutter guard surface, rendering the blower ineffective. Some mechanism of physically cleaning the gutter guard surface is required, one that does not necessitate the cleaner to put themselves in harm's way by climbing a ladder and maneuvering on a roof.
As described in the following figures, a brush for cleaning multiple types of surfaces or crevices is presented, using a design wherein outwardly directed bristles are attached to a multi-sided mounting head, and specifically in a reverse direction from a mounting position of a pole (extension or long enough to reach a roof gutter from ground level). In a tested design, five sides of a multi-shaped head are incorporated with bristles; and the head is in the form of a block or rectangle (having six sides). However, other multi-sided shapes can be used, as well as oblong, cylindrical and other shapes, understanding the rectangular shape is the easiest shape for demonstrating the concepts described herein. A tested block was dimensioned to be approximately 8.75 inches in length, 1 inch in height and 2.38 inches deep. Of course, these are only one of many possible dimensions and, therefore the shape and size can be modified, as desired.
Additionally, while the Figures below show the bristles as being cut to form a single uniform front, it is understood that the bristles may be non-uniformly cut, if so desired. Further, the grouping of the bristle bodies may be varied according to design preference. Therefore, modifications and changes to the bristle shape, arrangement and so forth may be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.
As non-limiting examples, the bristles need not be directed perpendicularly from the head face, but can be outwardly directed at an acute angle. Further, the bristles in a specific face need not be identically arranged or identically directed. That is, some bristles may point in different directions, or be sized differently, or grouped in different patters so as to provide a varying “resistance” when applied to a surface. Also, in some embodiments, the bristles need not cover an entire section of a given face, but only a portion, as desired.
In principal, the exemplary brush is designed to clean any gutter guard type that is manufactured today, including metal and plastic gutter guards, and even reverse curve type gutter guards (for example, LeafGuard® manufactured by Englert Incorporated).
The exemplary brush is also designed so that a pole can be attached to the bottom of the brush (or in some embodiments, to either the bottom or top), or operated without a pole (e.g., handheld), if so desired. It is notable that other brushes in the cleaning industry are designed so their bristles point in a direction that is opposite from the pole (e.g., a push broom). The exemplary brush's main body of bristles are oriented in a reverse direction (bottom-side) and form a brushing surface that is in the same side as the pole, which is completely opposite from any brush known in the cleaning industry.
When the exemplary brush is attached onto the end of an extension pole (with the brush bottom facing down—oriented to be “sitting” on top of the gutter guard surface), the brush can be pulled “down” and moved forward and back to dislodge any unwanted debris. The natural “scrubbing” motion operates to release debris from the gutter guard and the debris can be brushed off to fall to the ground. The use of the pole (preferably long enough to reach the top of the gutter) removes the risk of a person having to be on the roof, attempting to clean the gutter and/or gutter guard.
A brush of a tested embodiment has bristles on a bottom/reverse side with optional bristles disposed in other sides of the brush block (understanding that all or lesser sides may be affixed with bristles), allowing for easy brushing of the top of the gutter guard as well as any debris adhering to the front side of the rain gutter. Most particularly for a rain gutter with an attached gutter guard, it is evident the distribution of the bristles on multiple sides of the block provides multiple cleaning interfaces for a given cleaning stroke. Further, by simply reorienting the brush block or tilting it, allows different types of cleaning strokes to be used (e.g., pulling vs. pushing, forward and backward vs. sideways, etc.) As one example, debris stuck to the underside of the rain gutter can be brushed off by tilting the brush block to have the forward or lateral bristles contact the gutter's underside. As another example, the back side of the gutter (under the roof eaves) can be easily reached with the lateral bristles. As will be apparent in the below figures, the exemplary brush provides a “single” tool that can serves multiple functions and easily addresses the confines and shapes found in roof-mounted gutters and guards. The ability to use a single brush to clean different surfaces and shapes, in the context of a roof rain gutter and gutter guard, for example, is a significant improvement over the prior art.
Further, because of the unique design of the exemplary brush, it can be used to clean other surfaces, non-limiting examples being: windows, soffits, grout surfaces between decorative block, ground surfaces and interior or exterior lights. The exemplary brush can also remove spider webs on windows, under eaves, in garages or other places where cob webs form.
Optional “left” side bristles 130, optional “rear” side bristles 140, and optional “right” side bristles 160 are on the lateral sides/faces 193, 194, and 196, respectively, of the block 105, having one or more rows or arrangement of bristles extending outwardly from the block surfaces. “Bottom” side bristles 150, covering a majority of the bottom face 195 of the block 105 round out the arrangement of the bristles on the block 105. In this embodiment, no bristles are provided on the “front” side/face 197. In other embodiments, there may be bristles on the front side/face 197.
Additionally, it is expressly understood that more or less bristles (or shorter or longer) may be present in the left, right, rear, front, etc. sides. That is, as one example, optional left side bristles 130 may be composed of several sections of bristles while optional right side bristles 160 may be composed of a single section of bristles. And the orientation of the bristles may be at an angle that is not perpendicular to the block's faces. Further, in some embodiments, different bristle material types may be used for different sides.
The terms top, bottom, rear/back, front, left, and right are understood to be relative and provided for reference purposes, understanding that depending on the orientation presented, the terminology may accordingly differ.
The block 105 can be made out of various materials, for example, metal, plastic, wood, rubber nylon, etc. The bristles 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 can be made out of a variety of materials including nylon, plastic or animal hair, and so forth. Attachment of an extension pole (not shown) is provided via screw hole 110 somewhere near the middle of the block 105. Screw hole 110 threads can penetrate the block 105 either partially or through its entirety, depending on design preference.
It is understood that the screw hole 110 is only one possible “mounting” mechanism or fixture for joining to an extension pole. Other forms of mounting/joining can be a plate, bolting, welding, gluing, friction, etc., therefore, the exemplary block 105 can be provided with any other alternative mounting mechanism or attachment-enabling fixture without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Moreover, in some embodiments, the block 105 can be configured without a mounting mechanism, but be designed for hand use only.
Optionally, there is shown an approximate 0.125″ recession 180 on the top face 190 of the block 105, where a marketing image or other label can be affixed. Alternatively, a stamped logo or other imprint may be utilized in this area 180. The un-bristled portion of the top surface 190 can be used for placing additional information, or as stated earlier, for other embodiments, more bristles may be placed therein.
It should also be noted that screw hole 110 may be directed in an opposite direction from what is shown in
Screw hole 110 can be composed of one or more channel widths with screw threads at least partially therein, for engagement with a threaded end of a pole (not shown). In this embodiment, two widths 112, 114 are provided, the smaller channel width 114 being on the “bottom” side 195 for the pole entrance. Of course, in some embodiments, a single channel width may be used, or a plurality, if so desired. Also, it is not necessary for the plurality of channels to be axially coincident, so offset channels may be used, if so desired.
In view of the above illustrated embodiments, it is understood the exemplary brush's configuration of bristles provides multiple-uses, is well-suited for cleaning the top, bottom, sides, gaps of gutter guards, and can be used for other exterior surfaces found on homes or buildings. Furthermore, the exemplary brush eliminates the need for a gutter cleaning person to risk injury working on the roof.
Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/088,516, filed Nov. 3, 2022, issuing as U.S. Pat. No. 11,388,983 on Jul. 17, 2022 which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/837,767 filed Dec. 11, 2017, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,827,821 on Nov. 10, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/431,981, filed Dec. 9, 2016, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62431981 | Dec 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 17088516 | Nov 2020 | US |
Child | 17810281 | US | |
Parent | 15837767 | Dec 2017 | US |
Child | 17088516 | US |