It is known to remove excrement from pathways, public parks, etc by scooping up the excrement and placing the excrement in a suitable container for disposal. There are a number of well-known devices for removing excrement in such a manner.

A disadvantage of clearing excrement by such a method is that places in which the excrement can be disposed of are not always available locally.

For example in some districts, dog owners are forbidden from placing excrement in bins provided for other rubbish. Therefore, a person removing excrement may have to carry the excrement for some time before finding a place in which he can dispose of the excrement. This can be very unpleasant. Furthermore, shovelling of the excrement into a container for disposal may not remove all of the excrement. Excrement left on the pathway, park etc poses a potential risk of infection.

The object of the present invention is to overcome or at least mitigate the aforementioned disadvantages.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a device suitable for clearing waste material from a surface comprising cutting means for breaking up waste material on a surface and dispensing means for releasing fluid onto the waste material.

As used herein the term"waste material"includes excrement and other waste material that may need to be cleared from a surface such as discarded food and vomit. For convenience, the invention will be described hereinafter for the removal of excrement, but it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to such use and can be used to clear other waste material.

In one embodiment, the device clears excrement in situ on a surface by breaking up the excrement on the surface and dispensing fluid to flush the excrement from the surface into nearby drains, soil, etc. In this way, there is no need to scoop up and carry the excrement to a place in which the excrement can be disposed of.

In another embodiment, the device clears excrement from a surface by breaking up the excrement on the surface, liquidising the excrement and transferring and storing the liquidised excrement in the device. In this way, the excrement is removed from the surface and can be transferred in the device to a suitable place for disposal, for example a drain.

The dispensing means may release fluid to soften the excrement prior to or during breaking up of the excrement by the cutting means. In this way, breaking up of the excrement may be facilitated. Additionally or alternatively, the dispensing means may release the fluid after the excrement has been broken up to wash the excrement away.

The fluid may be water. Preferably, the fluid contains disinfectant. In this way, use of the device to clear excrement from a surface, decontaminates the excrement and surface reducing any potential risk of infection.

The cutting means may comprise a working head having one or more cutting elements, for example stringers or blades. The working head may be fixed but more preferably is moveable, for example rotatable.

Preferably, the device includes a motor for driving rotation of the working head.

The motor may be electrically connected to a battery retained within the device. The battery may be rechargeable. The battery may be detachably connected to the motor and removable from the device. Alternatively, the rechargeable battery may be retained within the device and the device may comprise a socket for connecting the battery to an external source of power for recharging the battery, for example mains.

The working head may comprise a spinner including the cutting element (s). Preferably, the spinner is resiliently biased, for example by a spring, towards an inoperative position in which the spinner is disconnected from the motor and is moveable against the resilient biasing to an operative position in which the spinner is connected to the motor.

In this way, rotation of the spinner only occurs when the spinner is in the operative position. As a result, the device can be carried around safely with the spinner in the inoperative position. The spinner may be moved from the inoperative position to the operative position by contact with a surface to be cleaned.

The dispensing means may comprise a fluid chamber containing the fluid to be dispensed and valve means for controlling the flow of fluid from the fluid chamber to one or more outlets. The dispensing means may include a pump operable to boost the flow of fluid from the fluid chamber to the outlet (s). Preferably, the same motor is employed to operate the pump and the working head.

The pump may be reversible to draw fluid into the chamber. In this way, the chamber can be filled with fluid by placing the working head in a source of the fluid, for example a bucket of water.

The pump may be reversed to transfer liquidised waste material from the surface to the chamber for storage. In this way, the waste material can be removed from the surface and taken to a suitable disposal point. The device may include a chamber separate from the fluid chamber into which liquidised waste material can be transferred from the surface. In this way more than one cleaning operation can be carried out and the waste material collected and stored for disposal.

The dispensing means may be operable to release fluid onto the excrement via the spinner. For example, the cutting element (s) may be hollow providing an outlet for fluid to be dispensed through the cutting element (s). In this way, the hollow cutting element (s) can be used both for breaking up the excrement and for dispensing the fluid. Alternatively or additionally, the dispensing means may release the fluid through an outlet separate from the spinner.

The device may comprise a guard for the working head that surrounds the working head and closes off an area around the excrement. In this way, the excrement is confined within the guard during operation of the working head to break up and liquidise the excrement. An outlet may be provided in the guard for releasing disinfectant into the area enclosed by the guard to assist in removal of the excrement and/or cleaning of the guard.

An outlet may be provided for releasing fluid externally of the guard.

The outlet may be connected to a nozzle moveable from an inoperative

position in which the outlet is closed to an operative position in which the outlet is open to release fluid through the nozzle. The nozzle may be used to assist in removing liquidised excrement from the surface.

In a preferred arrangement, the device may be a hand held/portable device comprising a handle, a stem defining the chamber for holding the fluid with the working head mounted on the bottom of the stem and releasably connectable to the motor for rotating the working head, in use.

The motor and battery may be housed within the handle. A trigger may be located on the handle for actuating the motor. The device may be in the form of a walking stick.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a portable, hand held device for clearing waste material from a surface comprising a rotatable working head for breaking up the waste material and dispense means operable to dispense fluid onto the waste material.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of clearing waste material from a surface comprising the steps of providing a device according to the first aspect of the invention and operating the device to break up the waste material and release fluid onto the waste material to wash the broken up waste material from the surface.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows a cross-section of a device for clearing excrement from a surface according to an embodiment of the invention with the working head in an inoperative position; Figure 2 shows a side view of the device shown in Figure 1 in use;

Figure 3 shows a cross-section of a lower portion of the device shown in Figures 1 and 2 with the working head in the inoperative position; and Figure 4 shows a cross-section similar to Figure 3 with the working head in an operative position.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a device 1 is shown for clearing excrement from a surface. The device 1 has an L-shaped body 2 comprising a handle 3, a hollow stem 4 defining a cylindrical fluid chamber 10, a centrifugal pump 14 and a rotary working head 5.

Housed within the handle 3 is a motor 7 and a power source 6 for supplying power to the motor 7. In this embodiment the power source 6 is a rechargeable battery detachably connected to the motor 7 and removable from the handle 3. In this way, the battery 6 can be removed from device 1 for recharging.

The supply of power to the motor 7 is controlled by a trigger 8 located on the handle 3. This allows the motor 7 to be actuated by a user with the hand used to grip the handle 3.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, the pump 14 is located at the bottom of the fluid chamber 10 above the working head 5. The pump 14 has an impeller 17 with radial blades 17a mounted in a pumping chamber 18.

The impeller 17 is connected intermediate the ends of a drive shaft 9 that extends axially through the fluid chamber 10 and is coupled at the upper end to the motor 7. The lower end of the drive shaft 9 is releasably connectable to the working head 5 below the pump 14.

At the bottom of the stem 4 there is a guard 19 integral therewith. The guard 19 consists of a flared skirt that surrounds the working head 5.

The guard 19 confines the excrement and prevents the user contacting the rotary head 5 in use of the device as described later herein.

In this embodiment, the stem 4 including the guard 19 is formed in one piece of a strong thermoplastic resin, for example an ABS type plastic. It will be understood however that other materials may be employed and/or that the parts may be formed separately from the same or different materials. For example the stem 4 may be made of plastics with the guard 19 being made separately of stainless steel and attached to the stem 4.

The working head 5 consists of a conical shaped spinner 20 and hollow stringers 22 (flexible tubes) that are attached to the spinner 20. The spinner 20 has a recess 21 that defines with the stem 4 an outlet chamber 23 below the pump 14. The hollow stringers 22 open into the recess 21 and are in fluid communication with the outlet chamber 23.

The spinner 20 has a hollow neck 24 that extends axially from the recess 21 to define a cavity 24a in which the lower end of the shaft 9 is received. The spinner 20 is axially moveable on the end of the shaft 9 between an inoperative position shown in Figure 3 and an operative position shown in Figure 4.

The spinner 20 is resiliently biased to the inoperative position by a compression spring 28 encircling the shaft 9 between the pump casing and the bottom of the recess 21. The spinner 20 is axially movable from the inoperative position to the operative position against the biasing of the spring 28 by pressing a steel cap 37 at the lower end of the neck 24 against a rigid abutment surface such as the ground. In this embodiment,

the spinner 20 and stringers 22 are made of plastics materials but it will be understood that other materials may be used for one or both parts.

The shaft 9 has a key 25 attached thereto that is engageable with axial splines 26 in the hollow neck 24 to couple the drive shaft 9 to the spinner 20 in the operative position whereby the spinner 20 is rotatable when the motor 7 is actuated. In the inoperative position, the key 25 is disengaged from the axial splines 26 to uncouple the drive shaft 9 from the spinner 20 so that rotation of the drive shaft 9 is not transmitted to the spinner 20.

The pump 14 has an axial inlet 14a that communicates with fluid chamber 10 and opposed radial outlets 14b, 14c that communicate with internal passageways 29,30, 31 in the stem 4 and guard 19. The impeller 17 is rotatable with the drive shaft 9 in one direction to pump fluid from the chamber 10 to the passageways 29,30, 31.

The passageway 29 leads to an external spray nozzle 32 that is movable between an inoperative raised position shown in Figure 3 and a lowered operative position shown in Figure 4 by means of a ball joint 40. In the inoperative position, the passageway 29 is isolated from the nozzle 32 to prevent discharge of fluid from the nozzle 32. In the operative lowered position, the passageway 29 is connected to the nozzle 32 to allow fluid to be discharged from the nozzle 32.

The passageway 30 leads from the passageway 29 and opens to the outlet chamber 23 in the inoperative position of the working head 5 shown in Figure 3. In the operative position of the working head 5 shown in Figure 4, the outlet chamber 23 is isolated from the passageway 30 by the spinner 20. Flow of fluid through the passageway 30 is controlled by

adjusting a screw 35 that acts as a regulator and is movable to adjust the flow between fully closed and fully open positions.

The passageway 31 leads to an internal spray nozzle 33 in the wall of the guard 19 that discharges fluid within the area enclosed by the guard.

Flow of fluid through the passageway 31 is controlled by adjusting a screw 34 that acts as a regulator and is movable to adjust the flow between fully closed and fully open positions.

When the device 1 is not in use, the spinner 20 is biased to the inoperative position to uncouple the spinner 20 from the drive shaft 9.

The external spray nozzle 32 is in the raised inoperative position and screws 34,35 are adjusted to the fully closed positions to prevent discharge of fluid from the device 1.

When the device 1 is to be used to clear excrement from a surface, for example a pathway, the device 1 is placed above the excrement and screw 35 adjusted to open the passageway 31. Fluid flows from the chamber 10 through the pump 14 into the outlet chamber 23 from where it is discharged onto the excrement via the stringers 22.

The working head 5 is then moved to the operative position by pressing the cap 37 against the ground to lower the guard 19 to enclose the excrement. At the same time, the spinner 20 closes off the passageway 31 to prevent or restrict flow of fluid from the supply chamber 10 to the outlet chamber 23. The motor 7 is then actuated to. rotate the spinner 20 causing the stringers 22 to break up and liquidise the excrement. The guard 19 forms an enclosed area around the excrement to confine the excrement and protect the user from any excrement thrown sideways from beneath the device 1.

When the excrement has been liquidised, the motor 7 is switched off and the device 1 is raised. The working head 5 is biased to the inoperative position to uncouple the spinner 20 from the drive shaft 9 and connect the outlet chamber 23 to the passageway 31. Actuation of the motor 7 then causes fluid to be pumped under pressure from the supply chamber 10 through passageway 31 into outlet chamber 23 from where it is discharged via stringers 22 to wash the liquidised excrement from the surface.

Alternatively, screw 35 may be tightened to close passageway 31 and screw 34 adjusted to open passageway 30. Actuation of motor 7 then causes fluid to be pumped under pressure from the supply chamber 10 through passageway 30 to nozzle 33 to wash the liquidised excrement from the surface and clean the working head 5 and inner surface of the guard 19.

If desired, further cleaning of the surface may be effected by tightening screws 34 and 35 to close passageways 30 and 31 and rotating the external spray nozzle 32 to the operative position. Actuation of the motor 7 then causes fluid to be pumped under pressure from the supply chamber 10 through nozzle 32 to provide a directional jet that can be used to wash the surface clear of liquidised excrement.

As will be appreciated, the present invention provides a portable, hand held device that is operable to break up and remove excrement from a surface in situ. In this way, the excrement does not have to be picked up and transported to a suitable point of disposal. By using disinfectant the surface and the working head 5 are cleaned and disinfected thereby reducing the potential risk of infection.

The screw regulators 34 and 35 can be adjusted to control the amount of fluid released as desired. In this way, a means to control maceration of

the excrement is provided. If discharge from the stringers 22 or nozzle 33 is not required, then the associated screw regulator 34 or 35 respectively can be turned to completely close-off the passageway 31 or 30 to fluid flow.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the above- described embodiment. The pump 14 may be of any suitable type arranged to provide a source of high pressure fluid to selected outlets 22, 32,33 for washing excrement from the surface and/or washing the device 1. The external nozzle 32 could be omitted and the internal nozzle 33 used both to wash excrement from the surface and to clean the device.

The stringers 22 could be replaced by any other suitable means for breaking up the excrement, for example blades attached to the spinner 20.

The stringers 22 or other means may be arranged to dispense fluid onto the excrement. Alternatively, fluid may be dispensed onto the excrement from the nozzles 32 and/or 33 only.

In the embodiment described above, the fluid chamber 10 contains sufficient fluid for 2 or 3 clearances. The chamber 10 may have an inlet for adding fluid when it is desired to fill the chamber 10. Alternatively, the trigger 8 may be operable to reverse the direction of rotation of the impeller 17 such that fluid can be sucked up into the supply chamber 10 through one or more of the stringers 22, nozzle 32 or nozzle 33 by immersing the working head 5 in a reservoir of the fluid. In a modification (not shown), the centrifugal pump 14 is replaced by a progressive cavity pump which can be operated to pump fluid in both directions. Progressive cavity pumps are self-priming and this may facilitate operation to draw fluid up into the reservoir.

In some situations, it may desirable to provide a larger number of clearances. For example, the fluid chamber may be connectable to a reservoir providing a source of fluid for the device. The reservoir may be provided in a vehicle. The device may be connected to the reservoir in use via a flexible line allowing several clearances to be carried out without returning the vehicle to re-fill the chamber. In another arrangement, the reservoir may be portable, for example the reservoir may comprise a back pack that the user can carry around with the fluid chamber connected to the reservoir via a flexible line.

In the embodiments described above, the liquidised waste material is dispersed by washing with fluid dispensed from the reservoir to remove the waste material in situ. In an alternative arrangement, the liquidised waste material may be drawn up into the device by reversing the pump.

The liquidised waste material may be drawn up into the fluid reservoir.

Alternatively, the liquidised waste material may be drawn up into a separate storage tank from where it can be transferred to a suitable place for disposal. In this arrangement, a suitable arrangement such as a valve device may be provided to connect selectively the pump to either the reservoir containing clean fluid or the storage tank for liquidised waste material. In this way, several cleaning operations can be carried out and the waste material stored separately from the cleaning fluid for disposal as desired.

Other modifications and improvements will be apparent to those skilled in the art.