ELONGATED SHAFT THEREFOR

Technical field

The present invention relates to cleaning brush for sanitary applications. More specifically, the invention relates to a cleaning brush for cleaning a toilet bowl or for other similar sanitary applications, having an elongated shaft and a disposable brush.

Background of the invention

There are many different types of cleaning brushes and also many different types of cleaning brushes for cleaning a toilet bowl or for similar sanitary applications.

Brushes for cleaning a toilet bowl or for similar sanitary applications have the drawback that the brush gets dirty and needs to be replaced. As this is wasteful since e.g. the shaft can be reused, there are disposable brushes for cleaning toilets available.

Some of these disposable brushes have a disposable part, which needs to the screwed onto the reusable shaft part.

However, in order to replace the disposable brush and reuse the shaft, the user will have to touch the disposable brush portion in order to unscrew it from the shaft.

Often the user is reluctant to touch the disposable brush part after use, e.g. after toilet cleaning.

Therefore, there may be a need for a cleaning brush, constructed in such a manner that the user do not have to touch the disposable part or any part that has been used in or touched the inside of the toilet bowl.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaning brush having a disposable or replaceable brush and a reusable shaft.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaning brush, having a disposable or replaceable part, which may be disposed or replaced without the user having to touch the disposable or replaceable part with the hand (e.g. when disposing or replacing the part).

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a more efficient cleaning brush.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cleaning brush, which removes dirt more efficiently.

An object of the present disclosure is to eliminate the need for a separate detergent/cleaner (e.g. when cleaning the toilet bowl).

In this disclosure, a solution to the problem outlined above is proposed. In the proposed solution, a cleaning brush for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl, is disclosed. The cleaning brush comprises an elongated shaft having an elongated length, having first and second ends, the first end comprising a handle portion; a disposable brush, having first and second ends, configured to be releasably attached to the second end of the elongated shaft; an attachment mechanism configured to releasably attach the disposable brush to the elongated shaft (110); and a locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the attachment mechanism.

According to an aspect, the attachment mechanism is configured to be in an attached position or a released position.

According to an aspect, the locking mechanism is configured to move the attachment mechanism from the attached position to the released position when activated.

According to an aspect, the locking mechanism is configured to move the attachment mechanism from the released position to the attached position when deactivated.

According to an aspect, the locking mechanism comprises an activating part, the activating part being configured to be activated by a user and configured to activate the locking mechanism.

According to an aspect, the activating part is positioned at a distance from the disposable brush such that the disposable brush can be released by a user without touching the disposable brush.

According to an aspect, the activating part comprises a button portion. According to an aspect, the elongated shaft comprises a through-hole.

According to an aspect, the button portion is connected to a rod configured to go through the through-hole.

According to an aspect, the locking mechanism comprises: a rod; a button portion; a handle portion; and a spring.

According to an aspect, the rod is fixedly connected to the button portion, the button portion connected to the handle portion via the spring and when the button portion is moved towards the handle portion and held in place, the attachment mechanism is moved from the attached position to the released position and when the button portion is released, the attachment mechanism is moved from the released position to the attached position by means of the spring.

According to an aspect, the attachment mechanism comprises: flukes or flaps; protrusions of the rod; springs for bringing the flaps in close proximity of the rod.

According to an aspect, the disposable brush comprises an inner hollow portion with a flat lower rim and the flaps are configured to be forced outwards from the rod by the protrusions when the locking mechanism moves the attachment mechanism from the released position to the attached position so as to grip and hold the flat lower rim and thereby the disposable brush and the springs are configured to force the flaps towards the rod, thereby releasing the gripping of the flat lower rim and enabling the flaps to pass through the inner hollow portion of the disposable brush when the locking mechanism moves the attachment mechanism from the attached position to the released position.

According to an aspect, the disposable brush comprises a porous material, such as foam, yarn, hairnet or winded thread, having pores or cavities.

According to an aspect, the pores of the porous material comprises, or is at least partly filled, with a toilet cleaner or an air freshener, such as bicarbonate or baking soda.

According to an aspect, the pores of the porous material comprises, or is at least partly filled with, an antimicrobial material, an antiviral material or an

antibacterial material. According to an aspect, the disposable brush is donut-shaped and comprises a central hollow portion at the first end of the disposable brush for receiving the elongated shaft.

According to an aspect, the handle portion and the button portion are located remotely from the disposable brush.

According to an aspect, the disposable brush is attachable to and/or releasable from the elongated shaft remotely or without touching the disposable brush by hand.

In this disclosure, a further solution to the problem outlined above is proposed. In the further proposed solution, an elongated shaft of a cleaning brush for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl, is disclosed. The elongated shaft has an elongated length, the elongated shaft has first and second ends, the first end comprises a handle portion and a button portion. The second end is configured for removably attaching a disposable brush of the cleaning brush thereto.

In this disclosure, yet a further solution to the problem outlined above is proposed. In the yet a further proposed solution, a disposable brush of a cleaning brush for cleaning a toilet bowl is disclosed. The disposable brush is configured for being removably attached to a second end of an elongated shaft of the cleaning brush.

In some embodiments, solutions or aspects, any of the above

aspects/solutions may additionally have features identical with or corresponding to any of the various features as explained above for any of the other aspects or solutions.

Brief description of the drawings

The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of the example embodiments and aspects, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the example embodiments and aspects. Figure 1 discloses a schematic view of a cleaning brush according to an aspect of the invention, the cleaning brush comprising an elongated shaft, and a disposable brush.

Figure 2 is a schematic view of a disposable brush according to an aspect of the invention, configured for being removably attached to an elongated shaft of a cleaning brush.

Figure 3 discloses a schematic view of a cleaning brush comprising an elongated shaft, of which the lower part is shown, and a disposable brush, the cleaning brush further comprising an attachment mechanism and a locking

mechanism, according to an aspect of the invention.

Figure 4 discloses a schematic view of an upper part of an elongated shaft of a cleaning brush.

Detailed description

Aspects of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures. The assembly disclosed herein can, however, be realized in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the aspects set forth herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects of the disclosure only, and is not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Embodiments and aspects of the present disclosure will be described and exemplified more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The solutions disclosed herein can, however, be realized in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments and aspects set forth herein.

Below, reference is made to the term“releasably attach”. This term is to be understood as“releasably fix”,“releasably secure” or“releasably lock”, i.e. an attachment, fixation, securement or lock, which can easily be released or unlocked non-destructively.

Furthermore, below reference is made to the term "configured”. This term is to be understood as“adapted”, and may in some embodiments be understood as “shaped for” or sized for”.

As mentioned above, a user may be reluctant to touch a disposable brush of a cleaning brush or any part that has been used in or touched the inside of the toilet bowl after use.

Thus, there may be a need for a cleaning brush, which has a mechanism for attaching and releasing the disposable part of a toilet brush from the reuseable part of the toilet brush without the user having to touch the disposable part or any part that has been used in or touched the inside of the toilet bowl.

The present invention relates to a cleaning brush for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl. Further, the present invention relates to an elongated shaft of a cleaning brush for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl. The present invention also relates to disposable brush of a cleaning brush for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl. Although below the sanitary application is described as cleaning a toilet bowl, the sanitary application may instead be any one or more of cleaning a washroom sink, a kitchen sink, a shower or a bathtub.

Figure 1 illustrates a cleaning brush 100. The cleaning brush comprises an elongated shaft 1 10 and a disposable brush 120.

The elongated shaft 1 10 has an elongated length. Furthermore, the elongated shaft 1 10 has first and second ends 1 12, 1 14. The first end 1 12 comprises a handle portion 1 16. Furthermore, the first end 1 12 comprises a button portion 1 18.

The disposable brush 120 has first and second ends 122, 124. Furthermore, the disposable brush 120 is configured to be releasably attached to the second end 1 14 of the elongated shaft 1 10. Moreover, the cleaning brush 100 comprises an attachment mechanism. The attachment mechanism is configured to releasably attach the disposable brush 120 to the elongated shaft 1 10. In an aspect, the attachment mechanism is configured to be in an attached position or a released position. The attachment position is for having the disposable brush 120 attached to and/or held by the elongated shaft 110. Furthermore, the released position is for releasing and/or attaching the disposable brush 120 from/to the elongated shaft 110.

Furthermore, the cleaning brush 100 comprises a locking mechanism for locking, such as locking in an attached position, and unlocking, such as setting in a released position, the attachment mechanism. In an aspect, the locking mechanism is configured to move the attachment mechanism from the attached position to the released position, when activated. Alternatively, or in addition, the locking mechanism is configured to move the attachment mechanism from the released position to the attached position when activated/deactivated.

In an aspect, the locking mechanism comprises an activating part. The activating part is configured to be activated by a user. Furthermore, the activating part is configured to activate the locking mechanism.

In an aspect, the activating part is positioned at a distance from the disposable brush 120. The activating part is positioned or located at a position so that the disposable brush can be released by a user without the user touching the disposable brush 120. One such position is at the top of the elongated shaft 110, i.e. at the first end 1 12 of the elongated shaft 110. Another such position is in proximity with the top of the elongated shaft 110, i.e. in proximity of the first end 112. Yet another such position is on the upper half of the elongated shaft 110, i.e. closer to the first end 112 than to the second end 114 of the elongated shaft 110.

In an aspect, the activating part comprises a button portion 118. As can be seen from fig. 1 , the button portion is located or positioned at the top of the elongated shaft. Alternatively, or in addition, the button portion is positioned in proximity with the top of the elongated shaft 110 or on the upper half of the elongated shaft 110. When the attachment mechanism is in the attached position and a disposable brush 120 is attached to the elongated shaft and the user presses the button portion 118 or otherwise moves the button portion 118 towards the handle portion 116, the locking mechanism is activated and moves the attachment mechanism from the attached position to the released position. The disposable brush 120 is then, e.g. with the help of gravity, released and removed from the elongated shaft 110. Thus, the disposable brush 120 can be removed and/or replaced without a user touching the disposable brush 120 (e.g. with the hand). Figure 2 is a schematic view of a disposable brush 120 for the cleaning brush 100. The disposable brush 120 is configured for being removably attached to an elongated shaft 110 of the cleaning brush 100. The disposable brush 120 comprises an inner hollow portion 202. The inner hollow portion is preferably centrally

positioned. Thus, the disposable brush 120 is donut-shaped. The inner hollow portion 202 is preferably cylindrical and has a lower rim 204. The lower rim 204 is preferably flat. The opening 210 of the inner hollow portion 202 is located at the first end 122 of the disposable brush 120. The opening 210 has an upper rim 216. Furthermore, the disposable brush 120 comprises a further hollow portion 206 and a bottom portion 208 at the second end of disposable brush 124. The disposable brush 120 is configured, such as shaped and sized, for receiving the elongated shaft 110 or a part, such as a rod, thereof though the opening 210. Thus, the elongated shaft 110 or a part, such as a rod, thereof may be inserted into the inner hollow portion 202 of the disposable brush 120 through the opening 210.

In an aspect, the main portion 212 or an outer layer 214 of the main portion 212 of the disposable brush 120 comprises a porous material. Examples of such porous materials are foam, yarn, hairnet and winded thread. The foam may be solid foam or open-cell solid foam. Further examples of porous materials are foamy material and spongy material. The porous material comprises pores or cavities. Thus, dirt may be efficiently removed, e.g. since the dirt may stick to the disposable brush 120, due to the pores or cavities. Alternatively or additionally, the disposable brush 120 comprises bristles, filament, fibers or a similar material. In an aspect, the bristles, filaments or fibers are fixedly attached to the main portion 212 of the disposable brush 120 and projecting from the main portion 212. The bristles, filaments or fibers are distributed, such as evenly distributed, around the main portion 212. Furthermore, the bristles, filaments or fibers are shaped and dimensioned for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl.

In an aspect, the pores or cavities of the porous material comprises a toilet cleaner or an air freshener, such as bicarbonate or baking soda. Alternatively, or additionally, the pores or cavities of the porous material comprises an antimicrobial material, an antiviral material and/or an antibacterial material. Thus, the need for a separate detergent/cleaner may be eliminated. Figure 3 discloses a schematic view of a lower portion 300, such as a lower half, of a cleaning brush 100, including the second end 124 of the disposable brush 120 and the second end 114 of the elongated shaft 110. The elongated shaft 110 comprises a through-hole 302. Furthermore, the elongated shaft 110 comprises a rod 304. The rod 304 is configured to go through the through-hole 302. The rod 304 is connected to the button portion 118 (shown in figs. 1 and 4) of the elongated shaft 110. The cleaning brush 100 further comprises an attachment mechanism. The attachment mechanism comprises flukes or flaps 306, protrusions 308 of the rod 304, and optionally springs 310. The flukes or flaps 306 will be referred to as flaps below.

In an aspect, the flaps 306 are attached, such as fixedly attached or connected, to the elongated shaft 110 at the second end 114 of the elongated shaft 110. The springs 310 are configured for bringing the flaps 306 towards and/or in close proximity of the rod 304 when the attachment mechanism is in the released position. Alternatively, the attachment mechanism has no springs and gravity may be used to bring the flaps 306 towards and/or in close proximity of the rod 304. Furthermore, when the locking mechanism is activated, e.g. by pressing the button portion 118 or otherwise move the button portion 118 towards the handle portion 116, the

attachment mechanism moves from the attached position to the released position. When the attachment mechanism is in the released position, the flaps 306 are not prevented by the protrusions 308 from moving towards (and in close proximity of) the rod 304, since the protrusions are moved or displaced with the rod 304 downwards to a position below (out of reach of) the flaps 306. Instead, the springs 310 or gravity will force the flaps 306 towards (and in close proximity of) the rod 304. As the flaps 306 are in close proximity of the rod 304, the elongated shaft 110 or the rod 304 may be pulled out of or pass through the disposable brush 120. Thus, a disposable brush 120 may be removed from the elongated shaft 110 simply by pointing the elongated shaft 110 downwards, due to gravity, when the attachment mechanism is in the released position. Furthermore, when the attachment mechanism is in the released position, the elongated shaft 110 or the rod 304 may be put through the opening 210 into the inner hollow portion 202 of a new unused disposable brush 120. Then, if the locking mechanism is deactivated, e.g. by releasing the button portion 118 or otherwise move the button portion 118 away from the handle portion 116, the attachment mechanism moves from the released position back to the attached position. When the attachment mechanism moves from the released position to the attached position, the flaps 306 are forced outwards or away from the rod 304 by the protrusions 308, since the rod 304 with the protrusions moves upwards relative the flaps 306 to a position where the protrusions 308 are in line with a lower end 312 of the flaps 306. As the flaps 306 move outwards from the rod 304, the flaps 306 will engage with the lower rim 204. At the same time, the second end 114 of the elongated shaft 110, having a larger diameter than a diameter of the opening 210 of the inner hollow portion 202 of the disposable brush 120, will engage with an upper rim 216 (shown in fig. 2) surrounding the opening 210. Thus, the disposable brush 120 will be sandwiched in-between the second end 114 of the elongated shaft and the flaps 306 and therefore the disposable brush 120 will be attached to the elongated shaft 110.

Figure 4 discloses a schematic view of an upper part of an elongated shaft 110 of a cleaning brush 100. More specifically, figure 4 discloses parts of a locking mechanism of a cleaning brush 100. The locking mechanism comprises a rod 304, a button portion 118, a handle portion 116 and a spring 502. The rod 304 is configured, such as shaped and/or sized, to go through a through-hole 302 of the elongated shaft 110. The through-hole is preferably cylindrical and central. Furthermore, the rod 304 is connected, such as fixedly attached, to the button portion 118. The handle portion 116 comprises a lower part 504 and an upper part 506. The lower part 504 has a diameter, which is larger than the diameter of the upper part 506. The lower part 506 is connected, such as fixedly attached, to the elongated shaft 110 and can thus be said to be a part of the elongated shaft 110. The upper part 506 is connected to the button portion 118 via a spring 502. Thus, in an aspect the elongated shaft comprises the spring 502 and the button portion 118. The spring is configured to move the button portion 118 away from handle portion 116, thereby moving the attachment mechanism from the released position to the attached position when the user stops pressing the button portion 118. The button portion has a diameter, which is larger than the diameter of the upper part 506. The button portion 118 surrounds the upper part 506 of the handle portion 116 and is slidable on top of the upper part 506. Thus, as a user presses (and holds) the button portion down, while holding the lower part 504 of the handle portion, the button portion will move towards the lower part 504 and force the rod 304 to move and move the attachment mechanism from the attached position to the released position. In an aspect, the handle portion 116 and the button portion 118 are located remotely from the disposable brush 120. Thus, the disposable brush 120 is

attachable to and/or releasable from the elongated shaft 110 remotely or without a user having to touch the disposable brush 120 by hand.

In an aspect, an elongated shaft 110 of a cleaning brush 100 for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl, is provided. The elongated shaft 110 has an elongated length. Furthermore, the elongated shaft 110 has first and second ends 112, 114. The first end 112 comprises a handle portion 116 and a button portion 118. The second end 114 is configured for removably attaching a disposable brush 120 of the cleaning brush 100 thereto/to the brush 100. Any of the aspects mentioned above and/or any features mentioned above in connection with figs. 1-4 regarding the elongated shaft 110 applies to the elongated shaft 110 in this aspect

In an aspect, a disposable brush 120 of a cleaning brush 100 for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl, configured for being removably attached to a second end 114 of an elongated shaft 110 of the cleaning brush 100 is provided. Any of the aspects mentioned above and/or any features mentioned above in connection with figs. 1-4 regarding the disposable brush 120 applies to the disposable brush 120 in this aspect.

The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the preferred embodiments and aspects described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

The description of the aspects of the disclosure provided herein has been presented for purposes of illustration. The description is not intended to be

exhaustive or to limit aspects of the disclosure to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various alternatives to the provided aspects of the

disclosure. The examples discussed herein were chosen and described in order to explain the principles and the nature of various aspects of the disclosure and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the aspects of the disclosure in various manners and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The features of the solutions, aspects and the

embodiments of the disclosure described herein may be combined in all possible combinations of methods, apparatuses and systems. It should be appreciated that the aspects of the disclosure presented herein may be practiced in any combination with each other.

It should be noted that the word“comprising” does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed. It should further be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims.

List of Examples

1. A cleaning brush (100) for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl, comprising:

an elongated shaft (110) having an elongated length, having first and second ends (112, 114), the first end (112) comprising a handle portion (116);

a disposable brush (120), having first and second ends (122, 124), configured to be releasably attached to the second end (114) of the elongated shaft (110);

an attachment mechanism configured to releasably attach the disposable brush (120) to the elongated shaft (110); and

a locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the attachment mechanism.

2. The cleaning brush of example 1 , wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to be in an attached position or a released position.

3. The cleaning brush of example 2, wherein the locking mechanism is

configured to move the attachment mechanism from the attached position to the released position when activated and/or from the released position to the attached position when deactivated.

4. The cleaning brush of example 3, wherein the locking mechanism comprises an activating part, the activating part being configured to be activated by a user and configured to activate the locking mechanism. 5. The cleaning brush of example 4, wherein the activating part is positioned at a distance from the disposable brush (120) such that the disposable brush can be released by a user without touching the disposable brush.

6. The cleaning brush of any of examples 4-5, wherein the activating part

comprises a button portion (118).

7. The cleaning brush of example 6, wherein the elongated shaft (110)

comprises a through-hole (302) and wherein the button portion (118) is connected to a rod (304) configured to go through the through-hole (302).

8. The cleaning brush of any of the preceding examples, wherein the locking mechanism comprises:

the rod (304);

the button portion (118);

the handle portion (116); and

a spring (502), and

wherein the rod (304) is fixedly connected to the button portion (118), the button portion is connected to the handle portion (116) via the spring (502) and wherein when the button portion (118) is moved towards the handle portion (116) and held in place, the attachment mechanism is moved from the attached position to the released position and when the button portion (118) is released, the attachment mechanism is moved from the released position to the attached position by means of the spring (502).

9. The cleaning brush of any of the preceding examples, wherein the

attachment mechanism comprises:

flaps (306);

protrusions (308) of the rod (304);

springs (310) for bringing the flaps (306) in close proximity of the rod (304); and

wherein the disposable brush (120) comprises an inner hollow portion (202) with a lower rim (204) and wherein the flaps (306) are configured to be forced outwards from the rod (304) by the protrusions (308) when the locking mechanism moves the attachment mechanism from the released position to the attached position so as to grip and hold the lower rim (204) and thereby the disposable brush (120) and wherein the springs (310) are configured to force the flaps (306) towards the rod (304), thereby releasing the gripping of the lower rim (204) and enabling the flaps (306) to pass through the inner hollow portion (202) of the disposable brush (120) when the locking mechanism moves the attachment mechanism from the attached position to the released position.

10. The cleaning brush of any of the preceding examples, wherein the

disposable brush (120) comprises a porous material, such as foam, yarn, hairnet or winded thread, having pores or cavities.

11. The cleaning brush of example 10, wherein the pores of the porous material comprises a toilet cleaner or an air freshener, such as bicarbonate or baking soda.

12. The cleaning brush of any of examples 10-11 , wherein the pores of the

porous material comprises an antimicrobial material, an antiviral material or an antibacterial material.

13. The cleaning brush of any of examples 10-12, wherein the disposable brush (120) is donut-shaped and comprises a central hollow portion at the first end (122) of disposable brush (120) for receiving the elongated shaft (110).

14. The cleaning brush of example 1 , wherein the handle portion (116) and the button portion (118) are located remotely from the disposable brush (120), and/or wherein the disposable brush (120) is attachable to and/or releasable from the elongated shaft (110) remotely or without touching the disposable brush (120) by hand.

15. An elongated shaft (110) of a cleaning brush (100) for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl, the elongated shaft (110) having an elongated length, the elongated shaft (110) having first and second ends (112, 114), the first end (112) comprising a handle portion (116) and a button portion (118) and the second end (114) being configured for removably attaching a disposable brush (120) of the cleaning brush (100) thereto. A disposable brush (120) of a cleaning brush (100) for sanitary applications, such as cleaning a toilet bowl, configured for being removably attached to a second end (114) of an elongated shaft (110) of the cleaning brush (100).

List of reference numerals:

100 cleaning brush

110 elongated shaft

112 first end of elongated shaft

114 second end of elongated shaft

116 handle portion of elongated shaft

118 button portion of elongated shaft

120 disposable brush

122 first end of disposable brush

124 second end of disposable brush

202 inner hollow portion of disposable brush

204 flat lower rim of inner hollow portion

206 further hollow portion of disposable brush

208 bottom portion of disposable brush

210 opening of the inner hollow portion

212 main portion of the disposable brush

214 outer layer of the main portion of the disposable brush

302 through-hole of elongated shaft

304 rod

306 flukes or flaps

308 protrusions of the rod

310 springs of attachment mechanism

312 lower end of flaps

502 spring of locking mechanism

504 lower part of handle portion

506 upper part of handle portion