DE8712309U1 - Device for manual cleaning of strips - Google Patents

Description

iÖ Device for manual cleaning of strips

• ■ ».

The invention relates to a device for manually cleaning strips with exposed edges, e.g. windscreen wiper blades, sealing strips, whereby the cleaning device comprises at least one groove which accommodates the exposed edge of the strip during cleaning and is provided with padded cleaning surfaces in the area of the groove.

Removing moisture from windows with the help of

of wiper blades only provides a clear and streak-free view if the wiper blades themselves are not dirty. Oil residues, tar deposits, dirt particles, exhaust condensate and abrasion residues on the wiper blades lead to smearing and streaking on the windows to be cleaned, as the substances on the wiper blades, which are often sticky and lipophilic, are finely distributed on the window and then stick to it, so that the window is covered with a fine film that obstructs visibility.

To remove dirt from the wiper blades, it is usual to clean the wiper blade lips on one side at a time using a damp sponge or cloth by wiping along the blade's longitudinal axis. However, if both wiper surfaces of the wiper blade are cleaned at the same time,

If the wiper blades are to be cleaned, a different method is required. Then a lapping must be folded in such a way that the lapping surface lies flat against one another due to the shape and also forms a roughly V-shaped notch through which the wiper blade can be pulled. The fingers of the operating personnel must support the edges of this temporarily formed groove in order to generate the pressure of the lapping against the wiper blade surface necessary for cleaning.

The disadvantage of this type of cleaning is that the effective cleaning surface is very small, and the shape of the cloth is also very inconvenient. It is difficult to create folds and thus a groove by supporting it with your fingers. The thumb on one side is opposite the four remaining fingers of the hand on the other, which results in very different sized cleaning surfaces on both sides. It is also difficult to keep the force used within certain limits, as on the one hand, gripping too tightly leads to a blockage of the movement, and on the other hand, gripping too heavily leads to no cleaning. Since a single wiping movement is not enough for normally dirty windshield wiper blades, it is necessary to perform this movement several times in succession, which quickly fatigues the muscles, as the unusual movement is quickly performed in a cramped position. It should also be remembered that this cleaning movement always makes the hands damp and wet, which is perceived as unpleasant. Since this form of cleaning involves the hands coming into direct contact with the cleaning fluid, it is problematic to work with fat-soluble cleaning agents, which are particularly advantageous for cleaning wiper blades.

1 1 The task is to produce a device that allows easy cleaning of strips without the need for the operating personnel

is forced to create the groove required for cleaning 5 each time with the , fingers, which is laborious and requires a lot of effort. The work should be ergonomic

principles and the groove should be specially tailored to the cleaning of strips. Furthermore, direct contact between the hand and the surface to be cleaned should be avoided so that cleaning liquids that are unfriendly to the skin, e.g. grease-dissolving agents, can be used.

This object is achieved by a device

• 15 of the type mentioned above, which at least in the

I area of the groove(s) made of flexible plastic

I and has a handle area that is arranged at a sufficient distance from the cleaning surfaces,

f so that when used as intended, it does not

I 20 Contaminated. Such a device ensures

I that the groove required for cleaning is not

&iacgr; must of course be formed again each time with the fingers

i must. Furthermore, the preformed groove has the advantage of

I the corresponding wiper blade shape is individually

I 25 is to be able to be. Also the required

I Pressure force sufficient to ensure effective cleaning

i. When handling the device,

i tion is always the cleaning surface of the handle area

; separated in such a way, äsJL· wetting and moistening

I 30 the finger is no longer used. This makes it possible

I to use liquids that the skin surface

C would be affected, but especially for the

I Removal of grease and oil residues particularly well

\ are suitable. Manufacturing the device from plastic has the advantage that this is a material ..-n-

1 delt, which is easy to clean with the cleaning fluid

, and which due to its elastic properties

over a sufficiently large area a relatively J

uniform force on the wiper blade surface L

can exercise. |

Suitable plastics include, for example, foamed soft plastic |

Polyvinyl chloride or soft rubber. In addition, I

proposed that the cleaning device essentially ■

from a plastic block, the grooved surface of which is exposed. Such a solid construction is particularly inexpensive to manufacture and the weight is not increased significantly, as it is a plastic with a low density [ .

5 In a further embodiment of the cleaning device, the handle area is formed as the bottom of a container that can be closed with a lid and in which a plastic block is located. This means that the handle area and the cleaning surface are strictly separated from one another.

Another advantage is that the handle area, which is designed as a lid, fits securely in the hand and its rigid construction provides the necessary support and the desired grip. Since the handle area can be closed with a lid, the plastic block can be soaked with cleaning fluid for a long period of time, because the closed container prevents the fluid from evaporating. This advantage is particularly evident when the wiper blades need to be cleaned again after several days.

where a plastic S soaked with cleaning fluid

material block should be available. The lid | also prevents the staff from |

can no longer get dirty, as the cleaning surface | is shielded by the lid. This also means that

The cleaning device can be easily stowed away, e.g. in the storage compartment or in the glove compartment, without the risk of other objects falling out of the cleaner.

In addition, the plastic block can be connected to the bottom of the container in a replaceable manner. This has the advantage that after a long period of use, the plastic block, which is partially damaged by normal wear, can easily be replaced with a new block. This also reduces costs, as only the plastic block needs to be replaced, not the container and block.

The plastic block is preferably held in place by the container using barbs that are attached to the container or an adhesive surface that works like a Velcro fastener. This reversibly connects the plastic block to the base or side walls of the container.

In addition, it is proposed that the base of the container be equipped with a double wall, which creates a chamber, which is provided with an outlet opening. This makes it possible for the plastic block to be soaked with cleaning fluid over a longer period of time. By turning the container over so that the outlet opening points downwards in relation to the chamber, the cleaning fluid passes into the plastic block and is transported towards the groove by capillary forces. This depot effect ensures that the plastic block is always kept moist even after repeated use.

In a further embodiment, the cleaning device can be designed in such a way that there is at least one groove with a wide cross-section and another groove with a narrow cross-section. This makes it possible to deal with strips of different thicknesses. This device can therefore be used to clean dirt from both windscreen wiper blades and door strips.

I ( * I I !■III

4 f » Ml

be freed. Different cleaning processes can therefore be carried out using one and the same device.

In order to enable the windows to be cleared of ice and snow in addition to cleaning the wiper blades, a fixed scraping edge for scraping ice can be attached to the cleaning device, preferably to an outer wall of the container. This allows the cleaning device to be expanded to include the function of an ice scraper without great effort. Furthermore, an elastic squeegee lip can be attached to the cleaning device, preferably to an outer wall of the container, to remove moisture from the windows. This makes it possible to use it as a useful addition to cleaning the windows in addition to cleaning the wiper blades. In order to also remove dirt from notches, it is also proposed that the plastic block be provided with a notched wiping finger on its outer cone. This is particularly advantageous when cleaning door strips, since these strips always have angles and notches that can be effectively cleaned and cleaned with such a wiping finger.

In order to remove dust or snow, a brush or broom can be attached to the cleaning device, preferably to an external wall of the container.

In order to be able to effectively clean wiper blades that are not uniformly wedge-shaped, but rather have a bead-shaped cross-section on the part facing the wiper blade suspension and a tapered section facing the window, the groove can consist of two different parts, with the upper outer groove area having a wide cross-section and the lower, inner groove area having a narrow cross-section.

it is possible to accommodate wiper blades in one and the same groove that have a very narrow cross-section at the tip, i.e. facing the windscreen, and a wider cross-section on the side facing the wiper arm.

Seven embodiments of the invention are explained using the attached drawings. They show:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning device, consisting of a plastic block with a gripping area.

Figure 2 a section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis3 through a cleaning device consisting of a plastic block, handle area and lid,

Figure 3 shows a section through a cleaning device with barbs on the inside of the handle area,

Figure 4 shows a section through a cleaning device with a chamber formed by a double wall,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a cleaning device with two grooves running perpendicular to each other,

Figure 6 shows a section through a cleaning device according to Figure 2 with a scraping edge on the handle area and

Figure 7 shows a section through a cleaning device with handle and plastic block including a notched wiping finger. 35

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a cleaning device 100, which consists of a flexible brush

Il * I Il · · i · « <

sfco£i>Rioek 1 made of foam plastic with a grip area 2 consists*

The foamed plastic block 1 is a cuboid whose transitions from the side surfaces 3, ³¹ to the surface 4 are rounded. Set into the surface 4 is a wedge-shaped groove 5 which has a depth of about one fifth of the cuboid height. The groove 5 forms an abutting edge 7 at the transition to the side surface 3, which has the task of preventing adhering coarse-grained contaminants from getting into the groove. It is advantageous if this abutting edge 7 is made of a stronger plastic material than the rest of the foamed plastic block 1.

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At the lower part of the foam plastic block 1 is

the handle area 2, which covers the base area and about one f third of the height of the side surfaces 3, 3 ^1. In this case |

the handle area 2 has a round j

s running indentation 8, which is used for placing an i,

cover 9 is provided, as can be seen from Figure 2.

The operation of the cleaning device is 1

very simple. The foam plastic block 1 is wetted with a cleaning fluid using the easy-to-grip handle area 2. The spatial separation between the handle area 2 and the cleaning fluid prevents

&idigr; tion in the essentially provided upper area of the foam plastic block 1, that the fingers of the operating personnel come into contact with the cleaning fluid. A wiper blade 10 to be cleaned is introduced into the groove 5 of the cleaning device 100 until, with light pressure, the V-shaped flanks of the groove 5 rest against the conically tapered surfaces of the wiper blade 10 over a large area. By moving the cleaning device 100 along the longitudinal axis of the wiper blade 10,

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the surfaces of the blade are cleaned intensively. Grease, oil, dirt, insects and abrasion are removed by cleaning. The impact edge 7 has proven to be particularly effective in scraping off large dirt particles such as insects before they come into contact with the inner surface of the groove.

In Figure 2, a cleaning device 100 including the lid 9 can be seen, which is placed on the floors

iö 6 is placed on the handle area 2, whereby the edge of the lid 9 comes to lie in the recess 8 of the handle area 2. The attached lid 9 should be designed in such a way that it does not touch the foam plastic block 1. , Furthermore, it should be ensured that the transition between the handle area 2 and the lid 9 is almost airtight, so that the evaporation of the cleaning liquid is kept to a minimum. Furthermore, it can be seen in Figure 2 that the foam plastic block 1 is attached to the handle area 2 by adhesive 11.

In Figure 3, the foam plastic block 1 is held within the grip area 2 by barbs 12. Since the foam plastic block 1 is an elastomer, the barbs 12 press the block 1 in.

These barbs 12 ensure that the foam plastic block 1 is held securely against the grip area 2, but it is also possible to remove the foam plastic block 1, so that the block 1 can easily be replaced after normal wear. The groove 5 has a two-part structure, namely a semicircular groove outer area 13 and an adjoining slot-shaped groove inner area 14. The transition between the groove outer area 13 and the groove inner area 14 occurs at the lowest point of the semicircular groove outer area. A cleaning device formed in this way has the advantage that strips, e.g. wiper blades

ter, which have a very different cross-section can be cleaned. Wiper blades with a very wide base area and a very narrow wiper lip can be cleaned easily using a groove divided into two parts in this way.

In order to keep the foam plastic block 1 permanently wetted, a cleaning device is advantageous which has a double IG wall 15 parallel to the base 6 of the handle area 2. The base 6, the double walls 15 and part of the side surfaces 3, ³¹ form a chamber 16 into which liquid can be filled. So that the liquid can pass from the chamber 16 to the foam plastic block 1, the double wall 15 has an opening 17. As a fastening option for the foam plastic block 1 to the handle area 2, an adhesive connection 18 has been selected which holds the foam plastic block in place in the form of a Velcro fastener.

2Ö In a further embodiment, the cover surface 4 has two grooves 5 and 5 ^' which are perpendicular to one another (see Figure 5). It is advantageous if the two grooves have different cross-sections so that different strips can be accommodated without any problem. With such a device, in addition to the abutting edges 7, there are also further abutting edges 7' in the center of the cover surface 4. This further increases the removal of large dirt particles.

Figure 6 shows an embodiment which is constructed as in Figure 2, but has a scraping edge 19 on the handle area 2 which projects beyond the base area 6 of the handle area 2 as a continuation of the side surface ^31. With the help of this scraping edge it is possible to easily remove ice or icy deposits from windows.

11

1 Sometimes the task arises not only to cut strips but also to cut notches on the edges of

Therefore, the embodiment in Figure 7 has a notched wiper finger 20, which is designed as a transition 5 between a side surface 3' and the cover surface 4. The surfaces of the notched wiper finger 20 have

i- each in an approximately 150° angle to the top surface and the side surface outwards. In order to ensure a problem-free spatial

To enable the design of the groove, the groove is

In this example, not in the center of the Ohfir era&mdash;

1 15

4 arranged in a continuous manner, but mounted eccentrically.

I25

30

35

12 List of reference symbols:

1 foam plastic block

2 Grip area 3 _r 3 ¹ Side surface 4 Surface 5 ₅ 5 ¹ Groove

6 Floor 10 7 Edge 8th Booking 9 Lid 10 wiper blade 15 11 adhesive 12 Barbs 13 Groove area 14 Groove inner area 15 Double wall 20 16 chamber 17 opening 18 Adhesive bond 19 Scraping edge 25 20 Notched wiper finger

100 Cleaning device

Claims (1)

M
Protection claims t 1. Device for manually cleaning strips with open edges, e.g. windscreen wiper blades, sealing strips, whereby the cleaning device comprises at least one groove that accommodates the open edge of the strip during cleaning and is provided with padded cleaning surfaces in the area of the groove, characterized in that the cleaning device (100) is formed from flexible plastic at least in the region of the groove(s) (5, ⁵¹ ) and has a handle region (2) which is arranged at a sufficient distance from the cleaning surfaces so that it does not become dirty itself when used as intended. 2. Cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the plastic is foamed soft polyvinyl chloride, 3. Cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the plastic is soft rubber.
25 4. Cleaning device according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the cleaning device (100) is essentially formed from a plastic block (1), the surface (4) of which is provided with grooves (5, 5') is exposed. 5. Cleaning device according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the handle area (2) is formed as the base (6) of a container which can be closed with a lid (9) and in which a plastic block (U) is located. ti fill I * * I * i I It * . I I * t t i &igr; * I 411 ■ * «4 &bull;&bull;&bull;&bull;«It&diams; A2 16. Cleaning device according to claim 5, characterized in that the plastic block (1) with the Bottom (6) of the container can be replaced if necessary &Idigr; is connected. 7. Cleaning device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the bottom (6) of the container is equipped with a double wall (15) which forms a chamber (16), which is provided with an outlet opening (17). 8. Cleaning device according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least one groove (5 ¹ ) with a wide cross-section and a further groove (5) with a narrow cross-section are present. 9. Cleaning device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a fixed scraping edge (19) for scraping ice is attached to the cleaning device (100), preferably to an outer wall of the container. 10. Cleaning device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an elastic peeling lip is attached to the cleaning device, preferably to an outer wall of the container. 11. Cleaning device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic block (1) is provided on its outer contour with a notched wiping finger (20). 12. Cleaning device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cleaning ■| guhgsvorrichtung, preferably on an external wall dfes container, a brush or broom is attached. to IfII Il A3 Cleaning device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the groove (5) consists of two different parts, whereby the upper groove outer region (13) has a wide cross-section and the lower groove inner region (14) located after them has a narrow cross-section.