CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED DOCUMENTS

The present application claims priority to provisional application S/N 62/503,741, and all disclosure of the prior application is incorporated herein at least by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the technical area of cleaning and collection systems, and pertains more particularly to a collection pan for separating and holding both solids and liquids collected, and for disposing of solids and liquids separately.

2. Description of Related Art

Broom and dustpan combinations are well-known in the art, and take many forms as commercially-available equipment. There are, however, unmet needs in this technology, particularly in the area of collecting effluent on a floor or other surface that may comprise both liquid and solid elements. Conventional dust pans are not suited for collecting liquid waste and separating liquid from solid waste.

What is clearly needed is a new type of collection pan that can effectively receive and separate the liquid and solid material, and that may facilitate disposal of the different materials separately. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A collection pan is provided, comprising an inside bottom surface, having a front edge, a back edge, and side edges, a front lip having a straight front edge of a first length, for lying along a floor surface, a back edge of the length of the straight front edge, and parallel to the straight front edge, a width at a right angle to the straight front edge, between the straight front edge and the back edge, and a planar top surface between the straight front edge and the back edge, a vertical shoulder wall of a shoulder height, extending from the front edge of the inside bottom surface to the back edge of the front lip, along the full length of the back edge of the front lip, a back wall having a back wall height extending across and joined to the full back edge of the inside bottom surface, and side walls joined seamlessly to the back wall at each extremity of the back wall, the side walls tapering in height from the back wall height at juncture with the back wal, to a substantially lesser height at each extremity of the front lip. The planar top surface of the front lip defines an angle with the inside bottom surface, from the straight front edge to the back edge at the top of the vertical shoulder wall, such that waste material urged across the front lip is constrained from escaping the collection plan by the vertical shoulder wall, and is retained in the collection plan.

In one embodiment the collection pan further comprises a handle extending from the back wall away from the side toward the inside bottom surface, providing a handgrip for a user to manipulate the collection pan. Also in one embodiment the handle is of a semi-circular shape, enabling the collection pan to be clipped to a round rod by the handle. In one embodiment the pan further comprises a plurality of right- triangular- shaped vertical webs spaced apart across the inside bottom surface, with one end of each web, less in height than the shoulder height, joined to the shoulder wall, and one edge joined along the inside bottom surface. And in one embodiment the pan further comprises short corner walls between the back wall and each side wall.

In one embodiment at least one of the corner walls comprises a pattern of openings through the corner wall, enabling a user to tilt the collection pan to drain liquid waste from the collection pan into a separate receptacle. In one embodiment the pan further comprises a pattern of openings through one of the back wall and the side walls, enabling a user to tilt the collection pan to drain liquid waste from the collection pan into a separate receptacle. In one embodiment the length of the straight front edge of the front lip is eighteen inches or more. And in one embodiment the back wall height is greater than 2 inches.

In another aspect of the invention a method for collecting and disposing of solid and liquid waste material is provided, comprising wiping liquid and solid waste material from a floor surface with a flexible wiper blade over a front lip of a collection pan, the front lip having a straight front edge of a first length, then across the front lip over a vertical shoulder at a back edge of the front lip, down onto an inside bottom surface of the collection pan, and constraining the liquid and solid waste material in the collection pan by back and side walls, and the vertical shoulder at the back edge of the front lip. In one embodiment the method further comprises holding the collection pan by a handle extending from the back wall of the collection pan.

In one embodiment the method further comprises draining liquid waste into a separate receptacle by tilting the collection pan, and draining liquid waste through a pattern of openings through one of the back wall or side walls. In one embodiment the method further comprises back corner walls in the collection pan, and the draining operation is through a pattern of openings through one of the corner walls. And in one embodiment the method further comprises supporting solid waste on a plurality of web structures extending along the inside bottom surface, and the shoulder wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 a perspective view of a floor blade and in one embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the blade end of the floor blade of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3A is an exploded view of the blade end of the floor blade of Fig. 2. Fig. 3B is an end view of the flexible blade of the floor blade of Fig. 3A.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view of a dual-purpose collection pan in an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4B is a partial section view of the collection pan of Fig. 4A.

Fig. 4C is a partial section view of the collection pan of Fig. 4A, showing a corner with drain openings and a cap, in an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5A is a perspective view of a portion of the collection pan of Fig. 4A.

Fig. 5B is a perspective view of a portion of the collection pan of Fig. 4A, from a new viewpoint.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a collection pan and a wiper blade in another aspect of the invention.

Fig. 7A is a perspective view of just the collection pan of Fig. 6.

Fig. 7B is a perspective view of the wiper blade of Fig. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention in different embodiments provides a floor blade and collection pan system that is useful for sweeping up combinations of solid waste along with liquid waste, such as metal chips and shavings from a metalworking process, that may well be mixed with coolant used in machining, and/or lubricant used in machining. This example is but one of many in which there may be a need to collect both solids and liquids together, and separate the solids and liquids for disposal, but should serve to fully illustrate utility of the invention, that is applicable in other circumstances not specifically described in this specification.

Fig. 1 is perspective view of a floor blade device 101 in an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a flexible blade 102 is held captured in a blade holder 103 having two parts, 104 and 105, joined by conventional fasteners capturing the flexible blade. Blade holder 103 has a female-threaded interface 106 to which a male- threaded handle 107 may be attached. Handle 107 in one embodiment has a slip-joint 108 by which the handle may be telescoped to longer or shorter length, to be comfortable for use by different persons.

By wielding the floor blade, a user may gather solid waste material such as metal shavings, for example, along with liquid waste matter, such as oil or lubricant, and may move both together to a unique collection pan described in enabling detail below.

In Fig. 1 blade holder 103 is of two-piece construction, as shown, and clamps over an upper portion of flexible blade 102, held together by fasteners, such as screws and nuts and bolts, in several places. Four places for fastening are shown in this example, but there may in other embodiments be more or fewer. The holder is substantially the same length as the blade in most embodiments.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a floor blade 102 in a holder 103, wherein the holder has a somewhat different shape than the holder in Fig. 1. There are a variety of shapes that may be implemented for holder 103.

Fig. 3A is an exploded view of the holder and blade of Fig. 2, showing the device in full height. This figure illustrates another preferable feature, which is that the blade and blade holder, when assembled to the handle, is not orthogonal to the axis of the handle, but forms an angle, in some embodiments of about ten to twenty degrees, fifteen degrees being common. This angular relationship makes the blade more efficient to manipulate in use for swiping material from a floor surface. The angle of the handle with the holder allows a user to present the blade at a distance from the user, but parallel to the floor surface, so the length of the floor blade may be fully employed.

Fig. 3B is a side elevation view of flexible blade 102 in one embodiment of the invention. Blade 102 is molded from rubber-like material, which may be silicone material, or other relatively soft and flexible polymer material. The blade has, in this implementation, a maximum thickness Tl at an upper extremity, and a minimum thickness T2 at a point more than halfway down the length Dl of the blade. The blade is symmetrical in this embodiment about a centerline 304, and the sides of the blade are curved inward from the upper part to the minimum thickness, then outward again to a somewhat V-shaped lip shown as region 303. The lip region has an extension to each side, such that the blade may be used to wipe in both directions by moving the handle. In some embodiments only a single-side lip may be used.

Near the upper extremity of the blade there are two grooves 301 into the blade from opposite sides. These grooves are formed for the full length of the blade, and are provided to engage edges of opposite parts 104 and 105 of blade holder 103. The assembly is made by engaging the grooves 301 with inner edges of parts 104 and 105, and then securing the parts into holder 103 by engaging fasteners through the opposite parts. The holder then constrains the blade.

Thickness Tl may vary in different embodiments, and in one embodiment is nominally .375 inches, with T2 nominally .125 inches, with Dl nominally 1.25 inches.

The full length of blade 103 along a floor surface may be as much as 18 inches, providing a wide-swath for cleaning a floor of liquid and solid material.

In use as shown in Fig. 1, the lip end makes contact with the floor or other surface to be cleaned, and the blade flexes as the blade is drawn across the surface, while the lip operates to be sure the blade does not pass over debris to be collected. The blade may be made of a variety of flexible materials, such as flexible polymers, synthetic rubber, and natural rubber.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view of a dual-purpose collection pan 401 for use in collecting solid and liquid waste together, from wiping a floor with a floor blade 101 as described above with reference to Fig. 1. Pan 401 has a front lip 402, an inside bottom surface 403, side walls 404, a back wall 405 and two back-corner walls 406. Pan 401 in some embodiments is as wide as eighteen inches, with sidewall depth of four inches. The pan, however, in other embodiments may have other dimensions for different purposes. There is a half -pipe handle 409 that enables the collection pan to be snapped to a handle, such as handle 106 of the floor blade described above with reference to Fig. 1.

In one embodiment of the dual-purpose collection pan, there are ribs 408 tapered from bottom surface 403 to a shoulder behind lip 402. These ribs provide a special purpose, which is to support solid waste brought into the collection plan, allowing liquid waste, such as oil or coolant, to collect in the bottom of the collection pan. In one embodiment there is a pattern 407 of drain holes in one of the corner walls 406, allowing a user to tilt the collection pan toward the corner wall with the openings, and to drain liquid collected in the pan into another container, leaving the solid material to be disposed of elsewhere. The collection pan thusly provides a method to separate solid and liquid material that has been collected into the same collection pan.

Fig. 4B is a partial section view of collection pan 401, taken at a right angle to the length of lip 402, illustrating further detail of the lip, the floor of the pan, and ribs 408. As seen in Fig. 4B, lip 402 has a front edge that may lie along a floor line, such that the floor blade described above may be used to wipe both solid and liquid waste material into the collection pan from a floor. As material is brought into the collection plan over the lip, that material will pass shoulder 410. Liquid material will fall to floor 403 between ribs 408, and ribs 408 will tend to hold solid material above the floor. Of course, the spacing of the ribs will have an effect, and some solid material may well fall to the floor as well. This effect may be controlled by controlling the spacing between the ribs.

Shoulder 410 is thus a very important feature of the dual-purpose collection pan in an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4C is a partial section view of the collection pan of Fig. 4A, showing a corner with the pattern 407 of drain openings and a removable cap 411, in an embodiment of the invention.

Referring now back to Fig. 4A, a user, having collected a quantity of solid and liquid waste material in the collection pan, may move the collection pan over another receptacle, such as a metal or plastic bucket, for example, and tilt the collection pan to pour the liquid material through holes in hole pattern 407. The collection plan in embodiments of the invention thusly provides a method to separate the solid and liquid waste material. In some embodiments of the invention the hole pattern may be implemented in either one of the corner walls, and in some embodiments, may be implemented in both corner walls. In some embodiments openings for pouring liquid waste from the collection pan may be implemented through the floor, or through other walls, and there may be a mechanism for closing and opening the openings.

Figs. 5A and 5B are partial, cut-away views of collection plan 401, in perspective views from two different viewpoints, showing lip 402, floor 403, ribs 408, shoulder 410 and side 404 in different viewpoints.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a collection plan 601 together with a hand-held wiper blade 602, with the wiper blade held in the pan by molded-in clips 603. The collection pan and floor blade described above with reference to Figs. 1 through 5B is intended for shop and industrial use, to collect waste material from the floor of, for example, a machine shop, where metal shavings and lubricant, as well as coolant used in machining may need to be removed. The collection pan and hand-held blade shown in Fig. 6 is much smaller, and is intended for home use. The width of collection pan 601, across the lip, is about ten inches in some embodiments.

Fig. 7A shows just collection pan 601, which has the two molded-in clips 603, as well as a lip 701, that may be placed against, for example, a counter surface in a user's kitchen. Referring back to Fig. 6, the user will first remove the hand-held wiper blade 602 from under the clips 603 that hold the wiper blade in the pan, and then position the collection pan, and use the hand-held wiper to collect solid and liquid waste, which may then be disposed of separately.

Referring again to Fig. 7 A, collection pan 601 has lip 702, inside bottom surface

703, sidewalls 704, a pattern of holes 707 through one sidewall, for draining liquid collected, ribs 708, connected to both the bottom surface 703 and to a shoulder 710, and also a half -pipe shaped handle, such that the collection pan may be clipped to a broomstick, for example. Handle 709 may in other embodiments be fully circular, or solid, as clipping to a broomstick is not entirely necessary.

Fig. 7B is an elevation, perspective view of hand-held wiper blade 602, which is, in one embodiment, a contiguous molding of a flexible polymer, using the materials described above for flexible floor blade 102. Blade 602 has a v-shaped wiper end shown as region 712, having a shape similar to that of floor blade 102. There are wiper edges to each side in one embodiment, but there may be only one in some embodiments. At the uppermost region of blade 602, the shape is a semi-round handle, to accommodate a user's hand. The width Tl may be about one-half to three-quarters of an inch, but may vary in different embodiments. There may also be indentions for a user's fingers, or specialty shaped for the hand. Width T2 is considerable smaller than Tl to provide for the needed flexibility of the blade. Below T2 the width again increases to the wiper end of the blade.

The skilled person will be aware that the embodiments in various aspects of the invention described herein are exemplary only. There are a wide variety of changes that may be made within the scope of the invention. There are, for example, other rubber-like materials that may be used for the flexible blades, other than those that are specifically mentioned in descriptions of the examples. There are a wide variety of sizes, as well, that may be employed in different embodiments. There are many other changes that may be made within the scope of the invention. The breadth of the invention is limited only by the claims below.