GB1574049A - Venetian blind cleaners - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO VENETIAN BLIND CLEANERS (71) I, RAYMOND JOHNSON, of 8, Chadderton Drive, Chapel House Estate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 1EL, a British Subject, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - This invention relates to venetian blind cleaners.

Heretofore such cleaners have commonly incorporated one or more pairs of pads of foam rubber or the like mounted on a tongs-like implement such that one or more slats can be gripped one between each pair of pads and be wiped clean thereby.

Cleaners of this nature have a number of disadvantages not the least of which are that they cannot effectively clean the portion of the slats at and adjacent the ladder cords of the blind, and they must be used wet and cannot therefore be used merely to dust a blind.

According to the present invention there is provided a venetian blind cleaner comprising a plate-like finger guard, a mop head consisting of a plurality of strand of bleached, non-static cotton being attached to one side of said finger guard, and a handle projecting from the other side of said finger guard, the handle including a first portion extending substantially normally from said finger guard and a second portion making an obtuse angle with said first portion.

Preferably the cleaner includes a spigot extending normally from the one side of the finger guard, the cotton strands being secured, for example by stapling, to said spigot.

The finger guard may comprise a disc of plastic material, it being preferred that the spigot, finger guard and handle comprise a one-piece moulding of said plastics material.

Conveniently the angle between the first and second portions of the handle lies within the range 115 to 1500 and is preferably about 125 , while it is preferred that opposed sides of the second portion of the handle are each provided with a longitudinal recess therein.

By way of examply only an embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a venetian blind cleaner according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the cleaner of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated cleaner comprises a fiat, circular finger guard 2 from one side of which extends a spigot 4 of circular cross section. A pair of longitudinally spaced holes 6 extend diametrically through said spigot.

A mop head indicated generally at 8 comprises a plurality of individual strands of bleached, non-static cotton, said strands being secured to the spigot 4 by a metal staple 10 extending through the holes 6.

A handle to the cleaner is indicated generally at 12 and comprises a first portion 14 extending normally from the other side of the finger guard 2 and a second portion 16 integral with said first portion and making an obtuse angle of about 125 therewith.

It is preferred that the finger guard 2, spigot 4 and handle 12 comprise a onepiece moulding of a plastics material, preferably polypropylene, although said components may be formed in wood.

As is best seen in Fig. 3, the second portion 16 of the handle 12 is of generally elliptical transverse section with a pair of opposed, longitudinal, generally channelsection recesses 18 being formed one in each major side of said portion 16, while the first portion 14 of the handle 12 has a pair of opposed dimples 20 formed one in each side thereof.

When using the cleaner, a user grips the handle 12, the ends of the thumb and the index finger being located one in each of the dimples 20 and the ends of the other fingers being located in one of the recesses 18. It has been found that such an arrangement provides a firm and comfortable grip even with wet hands, the rounded nature of the edges of the portion 16 adding to said comfort.

The cleaner can be used for dusting a venetian blind, the procedure being first of all to close the blind and wipe the mop head 8 along the top slat. The blind is then opened, the top slat is lifted slightly and the mop head is wiped along the second slat. Each next lowermost slot is then cleaned in the same manner and so on.

The non-static (as opposed to anti-static) nature of the cotton strands, which are each of spun cotton wool, results in dust on the slats being absorbed by the mop head and completely removed from the blind. Further the provision of a cleaning head comprising a plurality of individual strands enables the extents of the slats within the ladder cords, as well as the main extents of the slats between the ladder cords, to be celaned by the cleaner.

When drawing the cleaner along a slat, the provision of the guard 2, in conjunction with the angled nature of the handle 12, ensures that the users fingers are protected from the sharp edges of the slats. The fingers immediately adjacent the blind i.e. the thumb, index finger and middle finger-are in fact directly behind the guard and are therefore protected thereby, while the remaining fingers are displaced outwardly from the blind because of the sloping nature of the handle 12.

It has been found that an angle of about 125 between the portions 14 and 16 of the handle 12 provides the most comfortable positions for a user's wrist, particularly for use at high and medium levels, while a user's hand and the cleaner can readily be rotated about an axis extending longitudinally through the spigot 4 and portion 14 when cleaning low level slats. How ever the angle between the portions 14 and 16 may fall within the range of 115 to 1500 without adversely affecting the comfort and manoeuvrability of the cleaner.

The cleaner can also be used to wash a venetian blind using a suitable cleaning liquid such as car or carpet shampoo, washing-up liquid or the like. The mop head 8 is soaked in said liquid, surplus liquid is squeezed out from the head, the strands are shaken loose and the procedure described above in relation to dusting is then followed. Again it is found that the head 8 removes all particles of dirt from the slots and leaves a streak-free finish to said slots even within the ladder cords.

As mentioned above, the spigot 4, finger guard 2 and handle 12 are preferably integrally moulded from polypropylene, this material being non-toxic, having a warm feel and not being hard enough to damage furniture or the like when dropped thereon.

Although the recesses 18 in the portion 16 of the handle are shown as being closed at the ends remote from the portion 14, said ends could be open to prevent any build-up of liquid within the recesses when using the cleaner to wash a blind.

In the preferred cleaner, the circular finger guard 2 is 2+ inches in diameter, the spigot 4 is 2+ inches in length, the holes 6 are one inch apart, the portion 16 of the handle 12 is 4+ inches long and the mop head 8 comprises one ounce of non-static, bleached, spun cotton wool strands.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: - 1. A venetian blind cleaner comprising a plate-like finger guard, a mop head consisting of a plurality of strands of bleached, non-static cotton being secured to one side of said finger guard, and a handle projecting from the other side of said finger guard, and a handle including a first portion extending substantially normally from said finger guard and a second portion making an obtuse angle with said first portion.

2. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in claim 1 and comprising a spigot extending substantially normally from the one side of the finger guard, the cotton strands being secured to said spigot.

3. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in claim 2 in which said strands are stapled to said spigot.

4. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the finger guard comprises a flat, circular disc.

5. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the angle between the first and second portions of the handle falls within the range 115 to 1500.

6. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the first portion of the handle is of generally elliptical shape in transverse section, a pair of dimples being formed one in each of the opposed sides of said portion.

7. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 in which the

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (11)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. opposed, longitudinal, generally channelsection recesses 18 being formed one in each major side of said portion 16, while the first portion 14 of the handle 12 has a pair of opposed dimples 20 formed one in each side thereof. When using the cleaner, a user grips the handle 12, the ends of the thumb and the index finger being located one in each of the dimples 20 and the ends of the other fingers being located in one of the recesses 18. It has been found that such an arrangement provides a firm and comfortable grip even with wet hands, the rounded nature of the edges of the portion 16 adding to said comfort. The cleaner can be used for dusting a venetian blind, the procedure being first of all to close the blind and wipe the mop head 8 along the top slat. The blind is then opened, the top slat is lifted slightly and the mop head is wiped along the second slat. Each next lowermost slot is then cleaned in the same manner and so on. The non-static (as opposed to anti-static) nature of the cotton strands, which are each of spun cotton wool, results in dust on the slats being absorbed by the mop head and completely removed from the blind. Further the provision of a cleaning head comprising a plurality of individual strands enables the extents of the slats within the ladder cords, as well as the main extents of the slats between the ladder cords, to be celaned by the cleaner. When drawing the cleaner along a slat, the provision of the guard 2, in conjunction with the angled nature of the handle 12, ensures that the users fingers are protected from the sharp edges of the slats. The fingers immediately adjacent the blind i.e. the thumb, index finger and middle finger-are in fact directly behind the guard and are therefore protected thereby, while the remaining fingers are displaced outwardly from the blind because of the sloping nature of the handle 12. It has been found that an angle of about 125 between the portions 14 and 16 of the handle 12 provides the most comfortable positions for a user's wrist, particularly for use at high and medium levels, while a user's hand and the cleaner can readily be rotated about an axis extending longitudinally through the spigot 4 and portion 14 when cleaning low level slats. How ever the angle between the portions 14 and 16 may fall within the range of 115 to 1500 without adversely affecting the comfort and manoeuvrability of the cleaner. The cleaner can also be used to wash a venetian blind using a suitable cleaning liquid such as car or carpet shampoo, washing-up liquid or the like. The mop head 8 is soaked in said liquid, surplus liquid is squeezed out from the head, the strands are shaken loose and the procedure described above in relation to dusting is then followed. Again it is found that the head 8 removes all particles of dirt from the slots and leaves a streak-free finish to said slots even within the ladder cords. As mentioned above, the spigot 4, finger guard 2 and handle 12 are preferably integrally moulded from polypropylene, this material being non-toxic, having a warm feel and not being hard enough to damage furniture or the like when dropped thereon. Although the recesses 18 in the portion 16 of the handle are shown as being closed at the ends remote from the portion 14, said ends could be open to prevent any build-up of liquid within the recesses when using the cleaner to wash a blind. In the preferred cleaner, the circular finger guard 2 is 2+ inches in diameter, the spigot 4 is 2+ inches in length, the holes 6 are one inch apart, the portion 16 of the handle 12 is 4+ inches long and the mop head 8 comprises one ounce of non-static, bleached, spun cotton wool strands. WHAT I CLAIM IS: -

1. A venetian blind cleaner comprising a plate-like finger guard, a mop head consisting of a plurality of strands of bleached, non-static cotton being secured to one side of said finger guard, and a handle projecting from the other side of said finger guard, and a handle including a first portion extending substantially normally from said finger guard and a second portion making an obtuse angle with said first portion.

2. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in claim 1 and comprising a spigot extending substantially normally from the one side of the finger guard, the cotton strands being secured to said spigot.

3. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in claim 2 in which said strands are stapled to said spigot.

4. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the finger guard comprises a flat, circular disc.

5. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the angle between the first and second portions of the handle falls within the range 115 to 1500.

6. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the first portion of the handle is of generally elliptical shape in transverse section, a pair of dimples being formed one in each of the opposed sides of said portion.

7. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 in which the

second portion of the handle is of generally elliptical shape in transverse section, a pair of longitudinal recesses each of substantially channel shape being formed one in each of the opposed sides of said portion.

8. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7 in which the finger guard and handle comprise a onepiece moulding of a plastics material.

9. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in claim 8 together with claim 2 in which the finger guard, handle and spigot comprise a one-piece moulding of a plastics material.

10. A venetian blind cleaner as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9 in which the plastics material is polypropylene.

11. A venetian blind cleaner substantially as described with referenc to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.