not Applicable
not Applicable
This invention relates to squeegee holsters for professional window cleaners specifically those designed to carry one or two squeegees.
This invention relates to holsters for squeegees. Holsters for squeegees are commonly worn on a window cleaners belt attached to the waist. Holsters are usually made of leather because of its flexible, durable and water resistant qualities.
Squeegee holsters are designed to hold the squeegee by the handle with the squeegee blade running horizontally or to hold the side of the squeegee handle and blade vertically with the end of the blade pointing almost vertically to the ground squeegees need to be extracted quickly as water on the glass to be cleaned can evaporate if the squeegee is not used to take the water off the glass. A further reason for quickly holstering and extraction is that other tools of cleaning such as cloth cleaning rags need to be used quickly after squeegeeing. It is extremely important therefore that a squeegee can be extracted and holstered quickly. As the squeegee needs to be extracted and holstered quickly often the squeegee if not being secured either because the holster is too loose or too tight can fall out of the holster, either when doing other work without the squeegee in the case of a loose holster, or quickly trying to extract a tight or awkwardly angled holstered squeegee resulting in dropping of the squeegee. If a squeegee falls out of a holster the squeegee can be damaged when hitting a hard surface. If a squeegee falls out of the holster when working at heights a safety issue arises as the squeegee can fall on people or objects damaging them.
Plastic holsters are also available these are designed as a small hard plastic tube attached to a window cleaners belt this plastic attachment is called a bucket on a belt. The bucket on a belt is a rectangular box made of hard plastic that holds water. Commonly the rectangular bucket box has a very small linear long rectangular tube of plastic moulded into it in which to fit a squeegee. The invention features as described can be used for any tool that can be holstered but the specific design in my preferred embodiment is focused on holstering squeegees. Current squeegee holsters have a number of reasons for improvement and redesign.
Leather holsters currently on the market are made for inserting the squeegee or squeegees either with the main channel or long edge pointing on a vertical angle to the ground or with the handle in the holster and the channel or long edge of the squeegee running on a straight horizontal angle.
Holstering a squeegee with the channel running on a vertical angle results in a slow retrieval and re-insertion of the squeegee due to the angle of retrieval being difficult and uncomfortable for the window cleaners arms to reach quickly to retrieve. A further problem with holstering a squeegee with the channel running on a vertical angle is when holstering more than one squeegee they are holstered one on top of the other. This commonly results in squeegees becoming jammed in the holster tightly, making retrieval hard and often resulting in the squeegee not being retrieved and falling to the ground. Another problem with holstering a squeegee the channel running on a vertical angle is that the larger squeegees move around when holstered like this, causing discomfort to the window cleaner as the squeegee rubs against them making contact with the waist or legs. A further problem with holstering a squeegee with the channel running on a vertical angle is water from the squeegee drips onto the window cleaners shoes or clothing due to the angle of holstering.
The leather holsters with Channel or long edge of the squeegee running on a straight horizontal angle the handle only being holstered have similar problems to those that hold the squeegee vertically. Holsters having the channel or long edge of the squeegee running on a straight horizontal angle the handle only being Holstered have the result of a slow retrieval and re-insertion of the squeegee due to the angle of retrieval being difficult and uncomfortable for the window cleaners' arms to reach quickly to get out. Holsters with channel—the long edge of the squeegee—running on a straight horizontal angle the handle only being holstered also cause discomfort to the window cleaner as the squeegee rubs against the body making contact with waist or legs. These also are limited in the length of squeegees they can holster to smaller size squeegees as large squeegees become longer than the wearers waistline, the wearers movement resulting in them becoming loose in the holster.
The market also has thin floppy vertical side hanging holsters, A holster which is angled made of a leather strap to hold the squeegee. The problems with these holsters are they hang very loosely which results in the squeegee resting against the window cleaner pants wetting them. The angle the squeegee is holstered on in these vertical hanging holsters is uncomfortable for the user to retrieve and re-insert the squeegee as they hang low off the window cleaner's waist, below comfortable arm length. These loose hanging holsters also wear out very quickly resulting in warping of the leather which ends up causing the squeegee to fall out of the holster. These loose hanging holsters have a tight lower end which holds the squeegee channel, this damages and wears the rubber held in the squeegee channel, also as the holsters leather warps with age in causes the squeegee to become stuck in the holster. The loose hanging holsters are very hard to use when the window cleaner is on his knees as the squeegee is held loosely and falls out. These loose hanging holsters come only in a model that is designed to be worn on the right side of the body so that left handed window cleaners or those that prefer to holster on the left side of the body can't use these type of holsters. These loose hanging holsters do not have a firm connection with the wearers belt resulting in excess movement at the top of the holster at the connection point twisting and flipping the holster. These loose holsters do not have a resting point or backing for the inside of the handle of the squeegee when its holstered, resulting in instability of the holster and the squeegee handle resting or hanging in the holster like a child in a swing making it harder to retrieve.
Bucket style holsters hang on a vertical angle as they hold water, and have a number of disadvantages. Bucket holsters have a bucket for carrying water usually around 20-24 ounces (500-700 ml) and are also used to holster squeegees the main hard plastic bucket having a small hard plastic tube attached. Bucket style holsters have the same problems as all vertical type holsters additionally they usually only have the capacity to hold one squeegee. Bucket style holsters are uncomfortable for the wearer to retrieve and re-insert squeegees out of as they sit further out from the waistline and can only be inserted on a vertical angle. Bucket style holsters because they are made of hard plastic inserting the squeegee has to be done perfectly in line with the angle of the bucket at the time as there is no flexibility in the hard plastic. Bucket style holsters also pose a risk of water damage to the interior of a property as when a window cleaner wears one inside a property the risk of spillage when working is increased, when a window cleaner is working on his knees the bucket easily spills leading to a damage to interior of property. The plastic tube area for holding squeegee channels in these holsters also is brand specific and doesn't fit multiple brands channel sizes.
Bag type holsters are a type of holster designed to hold one or two full size squeegees horizontal to one another, a floppy piece of synthetic material like a synthetic bag are used to holster the squeegee. The idea is the loop of material will be able to be flexible to hold a squeegee either horizontally or vertically; because of the looseness of the fit in loop of material designed to be able to allow either position it fails and achieves neither position comfortably or firmly but rather the squeegee sits loose in position easily bumping around in the holster causing the discomfort of a squeegee rubbing against the wearers leg and also dripping water onto the leg of the wearer.
Existing window cleaning holsters have a loose fit at the point of attachment causing the holster to move and slide around the belt from the original position. Existing holsters also have a weak and flexible point of attachment which results in holsters moving side to side or up and down or flipping backwards when being used. Existing holsters only allow the user to insert the squeegee on a specific direction or angle, facing the handle and channel forward or backwards or straight down into the holster only. Having a limited way window cleaners can holster the squeegee results in a slowdown for the window cleaner to holster the squeegee the specific direction or angle needed resulting in a greater possibility of dropping the squeegee while trying to get the direction and angle.
On holsters that hold squeegees stacked side on side (double holsters) the distance between the two squeegee handles is very short resulting in squeegees becoming jammed in the holsters or the window cleaner spending prolonged time to retrieve the squeegee.
The placement of the squeegee handle into holsters—holstering a squeegee with the channel running on a vertical angle is loose or too tight due to the dimensions of the area of the holster that cradles the handle of the squeegee being too tight or too loose. This results in the squeegee either moving around and falling out of the holster or if too tight making it difficult to remove the squeegee from the holster. The cradle area for holding squeegee handles in these holsters also is brand specific and doesn't fit multiple brands handle sizes. Current holsters, holstering a squeegee with the channel running on a vertical angle, do not secure either the channel which swings in the holster against the window cleaners' leg or the entire unit of the holster holding the squeegee to swing into the window cleaners leg causing wetness and discomfort.
There are a number of advantages to my present invention, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
In accordance with the present invention a squeegee holster comprising of universal firm insertion points for squeegees, dimensions in distance and height drop between these points create faster withdrawal and insertion of squeegees.
The following is the preferred embodiment of holster.
Parts in
The subject matter of selected embodiment's of the invention is described with specificity herein to meet requirements. But the description itself is not intended to necessarily limit the scope of the claims. Rather, the claimed subject matter might be embodied in other ways to include different components, steps, or combinations thereof similar to the ones described in the document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed.
The preferred embodiment of the holster of the present invention is illustrated in
The holster has a back layer of firm but flexible material that can be cut or shaped or set into the required shape. In my preferred embodiment The shape and positioning of all angles and holes on the back layer in relation to the wearer and in relation to the ground are to provide excellent stability, The angles have been chosen to be the most comfortable distance from the hip of the wearer to the insertion points, and the best angle for comfortable holstering and extraction of the squeegees 4 In the preferred embodiment the back layer is made of vegetable tanned leather which is flexible and strong enough to retain its shape stopping movement of squeegees in the holster and the holster itself from flipping forward—backward or flipping inside out. The width of this back layer at its widest point is 2.3 times the size of the total length of the back layer. The vegetable tanned leather is also water resistant making it more durable and with a longer lifespan than artificial materials. The leather can be cut into shape by hand with a knife and cutting board. The holster also has six 0.118 inch (3 mm) wide holes 5 which are drilled through the material and made to join the front layer these are at a distance far enough from the edge to stop the connections wearing through the edge of the layers 16. The point of connection with the belt is wide enough to provide stability for the entire holster 3 so that the top part of the holster remains firm stopping lateral movement and provides comfort for the wearer. Two vertical linear holes in the holster 2 are spaced with a 1.181 inch (30 mm) gap of rigid material separating them, these stop the holster from moving along the belt and out of the wearers preferred and safest position. 25 The belt slots horizontally through the two holes 2. Each side of the linear holes has an angled area for belt support the 0.59 inch (15 mm) or more of rigid material from the edge of the hole to the end of the holster material stabilising the holster and stopping it from turning over 1 The width of the back is wide enough to have two multiple different size squeegee handles sitting side by side resting against this back layer 4, this backing behind the squeegee handles stops the squeegee from getting caught on the window cleaner pants or clothing, it stops liquid from wetting the window cleaners pants and provides stability and rigidness throughout the entire construction. The bottom edge of the base layer is angled at 45° when the short side 7 and long side 9 of the base are at 90° 13 supporting and providing backing and stability for the top layer 16. Two short ledge cuts are made to the base on the short side and long side 6 these create mounting points for attachment to the upper layer using extra material but allowing for the optimal dimensions for the insertion points and providing strength against tearing and wear at the connection points. Along the short side after the ledge is a 8 short angled cut that ends at the bottom of the layer it runs at the same angle as the long side cut 9 The dimensions for this area are listed under the additional details and dimensions heading. However, the back layer can consist of any other material or more than one piece of material that is strong enough and flexible enough to hold a squeegee tightly. Other materials that could be used are hard plastic, nano-spun material, PTFE Materials, flexible plastic, nylon, cotton, hemp, vinyl, paper or any other material that can be repeatedly moved in shape without fracturing. The width of the back layer could be thinner, The connection point with the belt could be different with a different hole arrangement for the belt using a similar slotting system or with hook and loop, a zipper, sewn material or glue, press studs could also be used as could holes be drilled into the belt and screws could join both belt and holster together. Any material capable of bonding the two materials could be used. The back layer is attached to a front layer 16 made of the same or different material as the back layer. In the preferred embodiment it is made of vegetable tanned leather which is flexible and strong enough to hold a squeegee firmly it also keeps its shape once positioned. The leather is cut into shape by hand with a knife and cutting board the angle of both the top 14 and bottom 13 being 29° when the cuts on the short sides being at 90° 19. The upper layer 16 also has six 0.118 inch (3 mm) wide holes 18 which are drilled through the material and made to join the Back layer at the optimal dimensions for the insertion points and providing strength against tearing and wear at the connection points. The dimensions for this area are listed under the additional details and dimensions heading. The upper layer can consist of any other material that is strong enough and flexible enough to hold a squeegee tightly. Other materials that could be used are hard plastic, flexible plastic, nylon, cotton, hemp, vinyl, paper or any other material that can be repeatedly moved in shape without fracturing. However, the upper layer could be made of a hard, inflexible material shaped specifically for the holding of multiple squeegee types like plastic rubber, carbon fibre steel or wood, or any material that can be permanently shaped. This upper layer could alternatively be sealed at the bottom catching drips from the squeegee.
The size of the upper layer material is of specific dimensions to hold multiple brands of squeegees firmly when shaped. The size of the piece of material is large enough to be shaped for holding squeegee handles and stopping movement of squeegee channels while in the holster 16. In my preferred embodiment the shape of the cut of the front layer has an angle of 29° when the short sides are at 90° which allows two squeegee handles to be held across the top face of the holster side by side in an optimal position without jamming when withdrawing but allowing easy insertion and extraction. The dimensions for this area are listed under the additional details and dimensions heading. The bottom cut is made so that the material is long enough to stop movement of the squeegee channel and short enough to use the minimum required material to hold the squeegee solidly in place. In the preferred embodiment the shape is a continuous diagonal cut from one side to the other at 29° ending in two flat vertical sides when seen from the front. The cut across the bottom is also a continuous cut in my embodiment at 29°. The length, width wise of the front layer is longer than the back layer it is attached to and it needs to be shaped and attached to the flat lying back layer. The dimensions for this area are listed under the additional details and dimensions heading. However, the size of the front layer could be different. The number of pieces of material could be increased to two or more. The angle of the cut could be tighter under 29° or larger over 40°, the cut could also be made as a flat 0° when the short sides are 90°, shaped into a step with one flat cut insertion point then a vertical drop to a second flat cut insertion point. A step with two angled pieces could also be made achieving the same drop vertically and the same distance between the two insertion points. The size of the front layer could also be made larger creating bigger folds for insertion points when it is attached to the back layer, this would result in larger insertion voids. The layout of the belt could also be different with the back layer being longer and folded up to serve as the front layer, also adding holes in the bottom fold area. In my preferred embodiment The front layer is attached at six specific points to the back layer 10,12. these points create the tightness needed to hold the handle of the squeegee in place on the edges of the shape and the curve in shape in the centre of these insertion points being large enough to hold the larger part of the handle resulting in a comfortable fit, but not so tight a fit that the rubber on the squeegee channel rubs and becomes damaged from its contact with the internal of the holster. The dimensions for the preferred embodiment of this area are listed under the additional details and dimensions heading. Three points are located across the top of the angled cut at the top of the insertion point of the squeegee. These are located one in the centre of the piece of material and one on either side of the folds or pockets created by the folding and shaping of the upper layer material, to the left and right of the centre 10,12. To attach the upper layer to these six points of connection copper rivets 15,23 are used for fastening. The width of the rivets are 0.118 inches (3 mm) the length of said rivets being 0.27 inches (7 mm), head size of said rivets is 0.35 inches (9 mm) and rivet tail size is 9 mm these are strong and create a solid and tight bond with the material these are also long lasting and waterproof. To shape the material, you must begin 15 on the left side or right side of the back layer and front layer together 16. Before shaping the upper layer 16 the two holes on both the front layer and back layer need to be lined up, the back layer 4 with the corresponding holes in the front layer either starting with the left two holes lined up if working from the left, or the right two holes lined up if working from the right. Then the head side of a 15 rivet is put in each of the two holes to hold in place, then these need to be set with a rivet setter. A rivet setter hammers the 23 tail and head of the rivet together to create a permanent bond between the front and back layer. However, a different number of rivets or a different source of bonding could be made to connect the back and the front layer together, various types of adhesive, screws, press studs, plastic rivets, hinges, a wide variety of other methods that create a permanent or temporary strong bond could be used for bonding the back and front layer together.
In the preferred embodiment the shaping and bonding of the base layer and the upper layer is done by first bonding the left or right side of the base and the upper level together. Following this the middle section of both the upper and base layer have to be bonded together. To do this the wider upper layer of leather is shaped into in an arc 11 between the two points of attachment on the left or right edges of the holster that are now attached and the middle of the both front and back pieces for a few minutes till it can hold its shape so it is flexible enough to line up the holes with the middle drilled holes 18 When this is done the top hole rivet is set first, then the bottom drilled hole of the middle area of the material is lined up and set with a rivet. To set the final rivets the leather of the front layer is again shaped into an arc 11 between the point of attachment in the middle of the holster for a few minutes till it can hold its shape so it is flexible enough for the last side to line up the corresponding drilled holes in in the front layer 18,17 and to line up with the last side drilled holes in the back layer 5. A specific and distinctive shaped cavity 11 which is similar to the shape of the letter C is created in the holster using this bonding technique. This optimally shaped cavity acclivity and dimensions are able to fit multiple brands of squeegee securely and safely holding squeegees, not so loose they fall out of the holster, or so tight they cannot be extracted easily or quickly. In the preferred embodiment the drop of front layer material from across the back layer across each individual insertion point to the other is 1.77 inches (45 mm) at a 45° angle of descent across the top layer 14. The front layer when flat before being shaped has a cut across the top and bottom of the long sides at 29° 14,20 when the short sides are at 90°, but once shaped to create voids the front layer has an angle across the face of the insertion points of 45°. The total drop in height across both insertion points from edge to edge across the base is 3.54 inches (90 mm) at 45° angle of descent of the top layer 14. The bottom of the back layer and the bottom of the front layer both end at an angle of 45° both end at the same point at the base of the holster. However, the technique used to create the shape that holds multiple brands of squeegees could be done differently, method for attaching rivets could be done in a different order resulting in a different shape. A separate flexible piece of material either flexible or rigid such as hard plastic, flexible plastic, nylon, cotton, hemp, vinyl, paper or any other material that can be made into a shape with the desired squeegee holding capabilities could be attached separately,
In the preferred embodiment three pieces of square hard wearing rubber are attached to the rear of the back layer as a support 22 after bonding of the back and front layers in a position in line with the bottom third of the part of the back layer that is fronted by the front layer. These rubber pieces serve to hold the holster off the body of the wearer, increase stability of the holster resulting in increased comfort and avoids squeegees from dripping liquid onto the window cleaner pants or shoes. The rubber pieces are attached with adhesive after turning the holster onto its front finding the marked correct positions and applying adhesive to the rubber and rear of holster.
However, a different position could be used for positioning these supports on the backing where it can make contact with the body, the shape and size of the supports could be straight from one side of the rear of the holster to the other, circular, or any other shape that stabilises the holster or holds the holster off the body. It could also run diagonally across the length of the rear of the holster. The material used for the support could be plastic, foam, cotton, hemp, rubber or any other material capable of being rigid enough to act as a support. The attachment of the folded leather could be made with various other types of adhesive, screws, press studs, plastic rivets, hinges, a wide variety of other methods that create a permanent or temporary strong bond could be used. In the preferred embodiment the distance between the hip of the holster wearer is optimised for the most comfortable distance for extraction and re-insertion, measured from the top of the holsters belt insertion holes. The voids created by the back layer and front layer being attached are 0.944 inches (24 mm) at the widest point the length of the void space created being 2.95 inches (75 mm). 2 and insertion point of the squeegee 11 is 7.323 inches (186 mm) (
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from standard deviation in measurements.
Many other variations are possible due to many reasons, some being the comfort of the angle of the holster and the distance between the holsters insertion point and the wearers hip,
The holster can be used as a single or double holster. It can be used as a holster for a handled blade, the construction of the entire holster can also be reversed. Alternatively a single holster of the invention could be combined into a double holster with one of the present style holster such as a bucket holster or a horizontally mounted holster.
The parts composing the holster could be duplicated or, changed in size, made of different materials, made in a different shape, connected or associated with its adjacent elements in a different manner or made integrally or in sections.
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application, Application number: 62/963,475 filed 2020 Jan. 20 by the present inventor.