DE20100665U1 - Device for cleaning plate-shaped objects - Google Patents

Description

SCHAüMBÜRg"· THOe"n*ES "* THURN

EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS

Hans-Rudolf Holtmann

KARL-HEINZ SCHAUMBURG, Dipl.-Ing.*

UnterkirChen 23 DIETER THOENES, Dipl.-Phys., Dr. rer. nat.

42349 Wuppertal GERHARD THURN, Dip,,,ng.. Dr.-Ing.

Germany * ^{up to 6/200} °

15 January 2001 H9100DE-THce

Device for cleaning plate-shaped objects

The invention relates to a device for cleaning plate-shaped objects, in particular sponge boards intended for wiping tiles, comprising a bucket for receiving a cleaning liquid and two scraper rollers which are rotatably mounted with their ends in the region of the bucket edge parallel to one another in such a way that they form a gap for the passage of a plate-shaped object.

Sponge boards of the type mentioned above are used to wipe off excess grout from tiles after grouting. The sponge boards then have to be repeatedly freed of the grout residue and cleaned. To do this, the sponge boards are washed in the bucket and then squeezed between the scraper rollers. The washed-off grout collects at the bottom of the bucket.

The invention is based on the object of designing a cleaning device of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that, on the one hand, the cleaning of the essentially rectangular sponge boards and, on the other hand, the cleaning of the bucket is facilitated.

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This object is achieved according to the invention in that the bucket has an at least approximately rectangular plan and a substantially flat front wall at at least one longitudinal end and in that the bucket bottom is inclined downwards towards the first front wall.

The rectangular shape of the bucket has several advantages. Firstly, the rectangular sponge board can be completely submerged in the bucket and thus washed off more quickly and completely. Secondly, the bucket can be tilted for subsequent cleaning so that the first end wall rests on the floor and stands stable, so that the operator can easily scrape out the grout collected in the bucket without leaving any residue, for example with a spatula or a trowel. The quick and complete scraping out of the bucket is made easier by the fact that the washed-off grout has already collected at the foot of the first end wall due to the bucket bottom sloping towards the first end wall.

Preferably, the first end wall merges at its lower end into an at least approximately partially cylindrical curved surface, the axis of curvature of which runs parallel to the intersection line of the surfaces forming the base and the first end wall. This tilting surface makes it easier to tilt the bucket and carefully pour out the cleaning liquid without the risk of the bucket slipping away. At the same time, the curved surface on the inside of the bucket makes it easier to remove the accumulated grout without leaving any residue and to wipe the bucket clean.

In order to ensure that the bucket is not damaged at the tipping surface during frequent tipping, the tipping surface is preferably provided on its outside with ribs bent around its axis of curvature and parallel to each other in order to stabilize it.

The bucket can have a semicircular outline at its longitudinal end opposite the first end wall and a circularly curved second end wall, whereby the diameter of the semicircularly curved outline section can be equal to the mutual distance between the bucket side walls at the bucket bottom and the diameter of the second end wall can increase from the bucket bottom upwards to the bucket edge. This makes the

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The bucket's immersion opening is slightly wider in this area than in the rest of the bucket.

The side walls of the bucket, which are parallel to each other, preferably form an angle with the bottom that is at least approximately rectangular, so that the bottom of the bucket can be cleanly scraped out along the side walls up to the edge.

Preferably, the stripping rollers are arranged within the area surrounded by the second end wall in a circular arc along a diameter of this area that is perpendicular to the bucket side walls. This offers the possibility of supporting the stripping rollers on the edge of the bucket in such a way that the length of the cleaning gap of the stripping rollers is at least equal to the opening width of the bucket, i.e. is not shortened by the roller bearings. The rollers can be supported, for example, by arranging webs on the inside of the curved second end wall that are parallel to the bucket side walls and have cuts that are open at the top for supporting the stripping rollers. These webs can be manufactured as one piece with the bucket during manufacture, so that the support of the stripping rollers can be implemented in a very simple manner.

To make the bucket easier to carry, it has a handle, as is well known, which is arranged on the bucket so that it can pivot around an axis that is parallel to the bucket's length. Due to the bucket's rectangular shape and the handle pivot axis that is parallel to the bucket's length, the bucket can be carried close to the body and therefore comfortably.

In order to prevent the handle from causing interference when the bucket is placed on the first end wall, the bucket has an outwardly projecting edge flange on its upper edge, the pivot bearings for the handle being arranged below the edge flange and the handle being axially adjustable in the pivot bearings between a carrying position in which the handle end sections are directed upwards past the edge flange and an emptying position in which the handle lies below the bucket edge and the handle section adjacent to the first end wall lies between the first end wall and a plane touching the tipping surface and the edge flange parallel to it. The handle end section adjacent to the first end surface is therefore

When the bucket is tilted around the axis of the tipping surface in the direction of the first front surface, it is pressed under the edge flange so that the stability of the bucket in its tilted emptying position is not impaired by the handle.

Further features and advantages of the solution according to the invention emerge from the following description, which, in conjunction with the attached drawings, explains the invention using an exemplary embodiment. They show:

Figure 1 is a partially schematic side view of a

cleaning device according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a partially schematic plan view of the

cleaning device according to the invention,

Figure 3 is a side view of the bucket according to the invention in its

tilted position,

Figure 4 shows the section marked A on an enlarged scale

and

Figure 5 shows a partial section through the bucket shown in Figure 1

along the line V-V with the handle folded to the side.

The cleaning device shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a bucket, generally designated 10, with a base 12, side walls 14, a first end wall 16 and a second end wall 18. The bucket 10 has an approximately rectangular plan, with the first end wall 16 forming approximately a right angle with the side walls 14. The side walls 14 are not strictly parallel but diverge slightly from the end wall 16 to the second end wall 18. The second end wall 18 is curved in the shape of an arc of a circle when viewed from above in Figure 2. Since all walls 14, 16 and 18 of the bucket 10 diverge slightly upwards, the second end wall 18 is part of a truncated cone surface.

The base 12 of the bucket 10 rests on a foot part 20 and slopes down from the second end wall 18 to the first end wall 16, as can be clearly seen in Figure 1. The foot part 20 can be formed by a circumferential web and ensures that the bucket 10 stands upright despite the inclined base 12. The base 12 and the first end wall 16 are connected to one another by a partially cylindrical tilting surface 22, the axis of curvature of which (not shown) is parallel to the cutting edge of the planes running through the first end wall 16 and the base 12. On its outside, the tilting surface 22 is reinforced by mutually parallel ribs 24, on the outer edges of which the bucket 10 rolls when it changes from the basic position shown in Figure 1 to the tilting position shown in Figure 3.

The upper edge of the bucket, i.e. the upper edges of the walls 14, 16 and 18, is designed in the form of an outwardly curved edge flange 26. On the respective outside of the first end wall 16 and the second end wall 18 there is a bearing 28 or 30 for a handle 32 which is pivotably mounted on the bucket 10 about the longitudinal center axis 34 (Figure 2). As can be seen in Figure 1, the bearings 28 and 30 are located below the edge flange 26. Figure 5 shows these bearings in detail. The bearing 28 consists of a bearing web 36 which is arranged on the underside of the edge flange 26 and is additionally connected to the edge flange 26 and the end wall 16 of the bucket 10 by two struts 38 so that it has the required stability. The bearing web 36 has a bearing bore 40 for receiving a bearing pin 42, which is arranged on the inside of one leg 44 of the U-shaped handle 32. The bearing pin 42 has a head part 46 which is larger in diameter than the bearing bore 40 and which prevents the bearing pin 42 from being pulled out of the bearing bore 40. To mount the handle 32, the bearing pin 42 has an axial slot 48 at its free end so that the head part 46 can be pressed together to push the bearing pin 42 through the bearing bore 40.

The bearing 30 on the outside of the second end wall 18 is constructed in the same way as the bearing 28, whereby the same parts are again provided with the same reference numerals. In contrast to the bearing 28, however, the bearing web 36 in the bearing 30 is designed as a continuation of the lower edge of the edge flange 26, while the bearing web 36 in the bearing 28 is located approximately in the middle between the first end wall 16 and the outer edge of the

edge flange 26. As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, the length of the handle 32, i.e. the distance between its two end sections or legs 44, is equal to the total length of the bucket 10, measured at the edge flange 26, so that the handle 32 can be pivoted between the carrying position shown in Figure 1 and the folded-down position shown in Figure 2. The mutual distance between the bearing webs 36 of the bearings 28 and 30, however, is less than the total length of the bucket 10. In conjunction with the relatively long bearing pins 42, this makes it possible to axially displace the handle 32 after pivoting down from the position shown in Figure 1 into the position shown in Figure 2 until the leg 44 of the handle 32 adjacent to the first end wall 16 lies under the edge flange 26, as shown in solid lines in Figure 5. This allows the bucket to be tilted into the emptying position shown in Figure 3, in which it rests stably on the ribs 24 of the tilting surface 22 on the one hand and the outer edge of the edge flange section parallel to the first end wall on the base, without the handle or its bearing causing interference. In order to pivot the handle 32 into its carrying position, however, the handle is axially displaced into the position shown by dashed lines in Figure 5, so that it can be folded upwards without striking the edge flange 26.

In Figure 2 one can also see a pair of stripping rollers 50 which are arranged parallel to one another and essentially perpendicular to the side walls 14 within the area surrounded by the circularly curved second end wall 18, forming a roller gap 52. The stripping rollers are expediently made of plastic and serve to press the water out of the sponge board after it has been rinsed out in the bucket.

Figure 4 shows the bearings of the stripping rollers 50. On the inside of the circularly curved second end wall 18, in each case in extension of a side wall 14, a bearing web 54 is arranged, which has upwardly open indentations 56 for receiving a shaft end 58 of the respective stripping roller 50. The stripping rollers 50 can be easily replaced in this way or removed to clean the bucket.

When using the cleaning device described above, the sponge board to be cleaned is immersed in the bucket 10 and the

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The joint mortar adhering to the sponge board is rinsed off. The rinsed-off joint mortar residues collect near the first end wall 16 due to the slanted floor 12. The sponge board is then squeezed between the scraper rollers 50 and used again for mopping. After completion of the work, the cleaning liquid, i.e. usually water, is poured out of the bucket and the bucket 10 is tipped into the position shown in Figure 3. The bucket is stable in this position and can be easily scraped out with a scraper or a trowel, whereby the rounded tipping surface 22 enables the bucket to be emptied without leaving any residue.

Claims (10)

1. Device for cleaning plate-shaped objects, in particular sponge boards intended for wiping tiles, comprising a bucket (10) for holding a cleaning liquid and two scraper rollers (50) which are rotatably mounted with their ends in the region of the bucket edge parallel to one another so that they form a gap (52) for the passage of a plate-shaped object, characterized in that the bucket (10) has an at least approximately rectangular outline and a substantially flat first end wall (16) at at least one longitudinal end and that the bucket base (12) is inclined downwards towards the first end wall (16). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first end wall (16) merges at its lower end into an at least approximately partially cylindrically curved tilting surface (22), the axis of curvature of which runs parallel to the line of intersection of the surfaces forming the base (12) and the first end wall (16). 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the tilting surface (22) is provided on its outer side with ribs (24) bent about its axis of curvature and parallel to one another. 4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bucket (10) has a semicircular outline at its longitudinal end opposite the first end wall (16) and a circularly curved second end wall (18). 5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the diameter of the semicircular curved plan section is equal to the mutual distance between the bucket side walls (14) at the bucket bottom (12) and that the diameter of the second end wall (18) increases from the bucket bottom (12) upwards to the bucket edge. 6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the side walls (14) form at least an approximately right angle with the base (12). 7. Device according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the stripping rollers (50) are arranged within the region surrounded by the second end wall (18) in a circular arc along a diameter of this region perpendicular to the bucket side walls (14). 8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that on the inside of the curved second end wall (18) there are arranged webs (54) parallel to the bucket side walls (14), which have upwardly open indentations (56) for mounting the stripping rollers (50). 9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the bucket (10) has a handle (32) which is arranged on the bucket (10) so as to be pivotable about an axis (34) directed parallel to the longitudinal direction. 10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the bucket (10) has an outwardly projecting edge flange (26) on its upper edge, that the pivot bearings (28, 30) for the handle (32) are arranged below the edge flange (26) and that the handle (32) is axially adjustable in the pivot bearings (28, 30) between a carrying position in which the handle end sections (44) are directed upwards past the edge flange (26) and an emptying position in which the handle (32) lies below the bucket edge and the handle end section (44) adjacent to the first end wall (16) lies between the first end wall (16) and a plane touching the tilting surface (22) and the edge flange (26) parallel to it.