Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of kitchen implements. More particularly, the invention relates to a multi-purpose cleaning tool for the kitchen environment.

Background of the invention

The market today is full of various consumer products designed to clean the kitchen environment (in particular the kitchen sink and the countertop environment), such as kitchen cloths, squeegees, sink strainers and many more. Such products are directed to help in maintaining a clean and esthetic kitchen environment.

One popular kitchen implement is the squeegee (sometimes called squeegee wiper), which is a cleaning tool used for removing fluids from flat surfaces, such as the kitchen countertop, e.g., by drawing water from the countertop into the kitchen sink. This is usually done by applying the blade edge of the squeegee wiper to the wet surface (e.g., kitchen countertop) and drawing the blade under pressure along that surface, and the fluids along with it. In other case, the squeegee wiper can be used to wipe dry other surfaces such as window panes.

Another popular product that can be found in many kitchens is the sink strainer, which is a sort of a perforated rigid/flexible sieve used to strain or filter out solid debris in the piping system (i.e., blocking clog-causing solid particles from a drain). Accordingly, sink strainers must be capable of being cleaned of such particles, easily and frequently, as they tend to clog easily because of the solid debris they collect. However, in order to remove solid debris from the sink, one need to gather (usually by hand) the solid debris on top of the sink strainer, then to lift the sink strainer together with the collected solid debris in order to empty it into a trash can, and finally to return the sink strainer into its place in the sink. Accordingly, there has been a need for a multi-purpose kitchen implement that is capable of enabling a user to perform different cleaning tasks in a simple and an intuitive manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multi-purpose kitchen implement, comprising a flat shovel scoop with a flat and smooth blade attached to a first end thereof and a handle attached to a second end thereof, wherein said flat shovel scoop has an inner side adapted to collect waste, and wherein the flat shovel scoop is at least partially perforated.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flat shovel scoop comprises a concave section located adjacent to the second end, wherein at least said concave section is perforated.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the concave section is sunken with respect to the level of the flat and smooth blade at the first end.

According to an embodiment of the invention, at least the concave section is perforated.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flat shovel scoop, the blade and the handle are made of rigid and/or semi-rigid material.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flat shovel scoop, the blade and the handle are made of plastic, metal, rubber or any combination thereof.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flat and smooth blade is elastic. According to an embodiment of the invention, the flat and smooth blade adapted to facilitate the loading of waste and other debris into the inner side of perforated flat shovel scoop.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flat and smooth blade adapted to remove or control the flow of fluids on a flat surface.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the flat shovel scoop comprises side wings for maintaining collected waste within the inner side of the perforated flat shovel scoop.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the handle comprises hanging armament.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the multi-purpose kitchen implement further comprises a storage unit adapted to store the multi-purpose kitchen implement on wall or on a flat surface.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the handle is hollow.

According to an embodiment of the invention, at least part of the flat shovel scoop is detachable.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the detachable part is at least partially perforated.

According to an embodiment of the invention, overall dimensions of the multi purpose kitchen implement, including size, location and form of perforations of the perforated flat shovel scoop, may vary in accordance with different design requirements. Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a multi-purpose kitchen implement, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figs. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate the use of the multi-purpose kitchen implement of Fig. 1 for collecting waste, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2C schematically illustrates a side view of Fig. 2B; and

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates an example for the use of the multi-purpose kitchen implement of Fig. 1 to remove or control the flow of fluids on a flat surface, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

According to one embodiment, the present invention is a multi-purpose kitchen implement having a form of a squeegee combined with a perforated scoop sink waste collection, thus an inner side of the kitchen implement adapted to collect waste from different surfaces such as sinks, countertops, tables, floors, or any other suitable surface (e.g., without fluids - due to the perforations), and a flat, smooth rubber blade located at a distal edge of the kitchen implement can be used to remove or control the flow of fluids on a flat surface, as well as it may facilitate the loading of waste and other debris into the inner side of the kitchen implement. It should be noted, that throughout this description the term "multi-purpose kitchen implement" may imply any particular shape, construction material or geometry that can be applicable to any suitable sinks and countertops in order to perform the above tasks.

In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustrations specific embodiments or examples. These embodiments may be combined, other embodiments may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Moreover, it should be noted that from the following discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without departing from the principles of the claimed invention.

Reference will now be made to several embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures. Wherever practicable similar or like reference numbers may be used in the figures and may indicate similar or like functionality. In addition, the terms, "for example", "e.g.", "optionally", as used herein, are intended to be used to introduce non-limiting examples.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a multi-purpose kitchen implement 10, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Multi-purpose kitchen implement 10 comprises a perforated flat shovel scoop 11 with a flat and smooth blade 12 attached to a first end thereof and a handle IB attached to a second end thereof. According to an embodiment of the invention, the flat and smooth blade 12 is made of an elastic material, e.g., such as rubber.

The multi-purpose kitchen implement 10 can be made of rigid and/or semi-rigid materials, such as plastic, metal or rubber. The multi-purpose kitchen implement 10 can be made of a single material or as a combination of several materials. For example, the blade 12 can be made of rubber, the perforated flat shovel scoop 11 can be made of plastic and the handle 13 can be made of plastic that is covered with a rubber layer (e.g., for comfortable gripping).

According to an embodiment of the invention, the perforated flat shovel scoop 11 comprises side wings 16 for maintaining the collected waste and debris within the inner side of the perforated flat shovel scoop 11 (e.g., until emptying the multi purpose kitchen implement 10). The side wings 16 do not imply any particular shape, construction material or geometry, and they can be provided in any form suitable to keep the waste from unintentionally falling out of the multi-purpose kitchen implement 10.

According to an embodiment the blade 12 is adapted to facilitate the loading of waste and other debris into the inner side of scoop 11, when the kitchen implement 10 is used to collect waste, and to remove or control the flow of fluids on a flat surface, such as a kitchen's countertop when the kitchen implement 10 is used as a squeegee.

According to an embodiment of the invention, scoop 11 is at least partially perforated, as indicated by numeral 14, through which a liquid is passed for separation from solid matter collected by kitchen implement 10, e.g., from the kitchen's sink, as schematically demonstrated in Figs. 2A, 2B and 2C. Kitchen implement 10 is used to collect waste and other debris (e.g., food leftovers as indicated by numeral 23) from the bottom surface of a sink 21, by sliding kitchen implement 10 on the bottom surface of sink 21, as shown in Fig. 2A, in which at least the elastic blade 12 is in an abutting relation with the bottom surface of sink 21 (instead of performing the common task of directing the waste toward the sink strainer 22). Upon lifting kitchen implement 10 above the bottom surface of sink 21, the remaining fluids (as indicated by numeral 24) are filtered out through perforations 14, thus only the solid waste remains on scoop 11.

As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, the heights of the side wings 16 as well as the overall dimensions of the multi-purpose kitchen implement 10, including the size, location and form of perforations 14, may vary in accordance with different design requirements. According to an embodiment of the invention, scoop 11 comprises a concave section 15 located adjacent to the second end of scoop 11. The concave section 15 is sunken with respect to the level of blade 12 at the first end as can be seen in Fig. 2C. According to an embodiment of the invention, at least the concave section 15 is perforated as indicated by numeral 14.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates an example for the use of multi-purpose kitchen implement 10 to remove or control the flow of fluids 31 on a flat surface 30, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, flat surface 30 is a kitchen's countertop and fluids 31 are directed toward sink 21.

According to an embodiment of the invention, handle 13 comprises hanging armament, such as hanging hole 17 located at the proximate end on handle 13. According to some embodiments of the invention, handle 13 is hollow in order to allow collected liquid to pass through it out of multi-purpose kitchen implement 10.

According to an embodiment of the invention, multi-purpose kitchen implement 10 is provided with storage unit (not shown) adapted to store the multi-purpose kitchen implement 10 on a wall or on a flat surface, in particular when multi-purpose kitchen implement 10 is not in use.

According to an embodiment of the invention, at least part of the flat shovel scoop 11 is detachable for facilitating the cleaning of multi-purpose kitchen implement 10 after the use. In some embodiments, the detachable part can be at least partially perforated, thus the perforation part can be easily cleaned.

As will be appreciated by the skilled person the arrangement described in the figures results in a multi-purpose kitchen implement that is capable of enabling a user to perform different cleaning tasks in a simple and an intuitive manner, such as collecting solid waste and wipe dry a countertop or other flat surface. All the above description and examples have been given for the purpose of illustration and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. Many different designs that combine a perforated scoop with a flat and smooth elastic blade can be employed, all without exceeding the scope of the claimed invention.