Wiping sheet

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6202250
  • Patent Number
    6,202,250
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, January 19, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, March 20, 2001
    23 years ago
Abstract
A rectangular wiping sheet adapted to be attached to a plate-like head of a cleaner device used to clean a surface of house floor or the similar surfaces is provided adjacent a pair of sides thereof extending in parallel to each other with a plurality of slits extending through a thickness of the sheet, and each of these slits has a length of 5˜30 mm as measured in a direction along the parallel sides.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates generally to a wiping sheet adapted to be attached to a device used to clean house floors or walls.




As a convenient measure to clean a surface of house floor or the similar surfaces, it is well known to use a wiping sheet, for example, made of a nonwoven fabric adapted to be detachably attached to a cleaner device comprising a rectangular plate-like head and a stick pivotally mounted on a top surface of the plate-like head. The wiping sheet is put against a bottom surface of the plate-like head and front and rear or right and left marginal regions of the wiping sheet are folded back onto the top surface of the plate-like head so as to be fastened by clip means or the other fastening means provided on the top surface of the plate-like head.




The known wiping sheet has been available in various types, for example, those which are relatively thin, relatively thick, of relatively low rigidity and relatively high rigidity. The cleaner device, on the other hand, has generally been designed so that any one of these different sheets can be attached thereto. However, the means to fasten the wiping sheet has usually been of simple construction because it is essential to such cleaner device that the wiping sheet can be easily attached to the cleaner device. In consequence, it has been sometimes difficult for such conventional cleaner device to attach a wiping sheet of extremely high rigidity to the cleaner device even if it is possible to attach a relatively soft wiping sheet of relatively low rigidity to the cleaner device. Furthermore, the conventional cleaner devices has sometimes had a problem that a wiping sheet impregnated with plenty of oily agent is apt to slip and to be unintentionally detached from the cleaner device even after the wiping sheet has been held by clip means.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In view of the problems as have been described above, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved wiping sheet well-adapted for the various existing cleaner device.




According to the invention, there is provided a rectangular wiping sheet adapted to be attached to a rectangular plate-like head which is, in turn, combined with a stick mounted on a top surface of the plate-like head to form a cleaner device used to clean a surface of floor or the similar surfaces, wherein the wiping sheet is provided adjacent a pair of sides thereof extending in parallel to each other with a plurality of slits extending through a thickness of the wiping sheet and each of the slits has a length of 5˜30 mm as measured in a direction along the pair of sides.




In a further embodiment of the invention, the slits are linearly formed.




In a further embodiment of the invention, the slits are formed in a generally V-shape.




In a further embodiment of the invention, the wiping sheet is made of a nonwoven fabric.




With the inventive wiping sheet formed with the slits, marginal regions of the wiping sheet can be easily and reliably head by crip means provided on a top surface of the plate-like head even when the wiping sheet is of a relatively high rigidity, since the marginal regions of the wiping sheet defined by the slits have their rigidity appropriately lowered. When the cleaner device employs anchoring projections instead of the clip means, these projections may be inserted into the slits to hold the wiping sheet.




Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a cleaner device with a wiping sheet according to the invention attached thereto;





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of an embodiment of the wiping sheet according to the invention; and





FIG. 3

is a view similar to

FIG. 2

but showing an alternative embodiment of the wiping sheet according to the invention.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a cleaner device


1


with a wiping sheet


2


attached thereto as the wiping sheet being partially broken away. The cleaner device


1


comprises a rectangular plate-like head


3


and a stick


4


pivotally mounted on a top surface


3


A of the plate-like head


3


at the middle thereof. The wiping sheet


2


is put against a bottom surface


3


B of the plate-like head


3


and folded along front and rear marginal regions


7


,


8


onto the top surface


3


A of the plate-like head


3


so as to be fastened by clip means


11


provided on the top surface


3


A. Each of the clip means


11


comprises a rectangular recess


11


A formed in the top surface


3


A and a plug-in knob


11


B so that the wiping sheet


2


can be held between the plug-in knob


11


B and the recess


11


A. These clip means


11


are provided at four corners of the top surface


3


A, respectively.





FIG. 2

is a perspective view of the wiping sheet


2


. The wiping sheet


2


may be made of various materials such as a nonwoven fabric, a woven fabric, a laminated paper or plastic film, which is rectangular in its plane figure and formed in parallel to its front and rear edges with a plurality lines of slits


13


each extending through a thickness of the wiping sheet


2


. The wiping sheet


2


shown by

FIG. 2

is formed at each corner with a group of such slits


13


so that the associated recess


11


A and a region around it may be covered by this group of slits


13


when the front and rear marginal regions


7


,


8


are folded back onto the top surface


3


A.




With the wiping sheet


2


formed with the slits


13


, the marginal regions


7


,


8


can be easily and reliably held by the clip means


11


even when the wiping sheet


2


is of a relatively high rigidity, since the marginal regions of the wiping sheet


2


defined by the slits


13


have their rigidity appropriately lowered. When the cleaner device


1


employs anchoring projections instead of the clip means


11


, these projections may be inserted into the respective slits


13


to hold the wiping sheet


2


.





FIG. 3

is a perspective view showing an alternative embodiment of the wiping sheet


2


which differs from the wiping sheet


2


shown by

FIG. 2

in that the linear slits


13


adopted in the previous embodiment are replaced by generally V-shaped slits


13


. Each V-shaped slit


13


has a width of 5˜30 mm and a height of 2˜20 mm. While the shape of each slit


13


is selective depending on the type as well as the size of the cleaner device


1


, it is preferable that each slit


13


has a length of 5˜30 mm along the front and rear marginal regions


7


,


8


of the wiping sheet


2


and is opened as the front and rear marginal regions


7


,


8


are pulled in a direction orthogonal to the marginal regions


7


,


8


. The slits


13


adapted to be opened in this manner facilitate the anchoring projections on the top surface


3


A of the plate-like head


3


to be inserted into the respective slits


13


. The wiping sheet


2


of the invention is not limited to the flat sheet which is typical in the case of nonwoven fabric, and may have a plurality of long piles contributing to an improvement of wiping effect for dust and dirt.




Having described the invention as related to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is our intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.



Claims
  • 1. The combination of a cleaner device, clip means, and a wiping sheet securable to the cleaner by the clip meansthe cleaner device comprising a rectangular plate head, the clip means being configured for securing the wiping sheet at each corner of a top surface of the plate head, and the wiping sheet comprising a rectangular sheet having corners and discrete groups comprising a plurality of slits at each of the corners which cooperate with the clip means so that the clip means can displace or pass through and engage the discrete groups of slits to thereby secure the wiping sheet to the plate head.
  • 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said wiping sheet is made of a nonwoven fabric.
  • 3. The combination of claim 1, wherein the cleaner device further includes a handle.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Number Name Date Kind
T990006 Williams Jan 1980
1167603 Swift Jan 1916
1384515 Conradson Jul 1921
2306944 Gray Dec 1942
3655501 Tesch Apr 1972
3877103 Nash Apr 1975
4225998 Thielen Oct 1980
4303714 Mercer Dec 1981
4323605 Rush Apr 1982
4469734 Minto Sep 1984
4481242 Fletcher Nov 1984
4852210 Krajicek Aug 1989
5536555 Zelazoski Jul 1996
5744212 Meeks Apr 1998
6058552 Hanan May 2000
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
1915523 Oct 1969 DE
0550539 Mar 1993 JP