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United States Patent 6,029,305
Lauer February 29, 2000
Cleaning tool for truck bed liners

Abstract

A tool for cleaning uneven or periodic corrugated surfaces has a head and a handle which is attached in a similar configuration as for a rake or push broom. The head has a cleaning edge which projects a varying distance, the distance varying according to a period configured to mate with the grooves and ridges of the corrugated surface. The cleaning edge may be solid, bristles or a combination of the two. The tool may have plural cleaning edges for cleaning different areas or types of material. The cleaning tool finds particular applicability in cleaning debris from the corrugated floor of a pickup truck bed liner.

Inventors: Lauer; Carl J. (30 San Marcos Trout Club, Santa Barbara, CA 93105)
Appl. No.: 985972
Filed: December 5, 1997

Intern'l Class: A47L 013/12
Field of Search: 15/236.08,160,111,DIG. 5,167.3,144.1,236.07

References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
1791710Feb., 1931Bullock15/236.
2824323Feb., 1958Tos et al.15/111.
3010420Nov., 1961Glynn15/111.
3366987Feb., 1968Giustino15/236.
4146943Apr., 1979Wertheimer et al.15/111.
5312197May., 1994Abramson15/167.
5373600Dec., 1994Stojanovski et al.15/111.
Foreign Patent Documents
2440229May., 1980FR15/160.
783355Sep., 1957GB15/160.

Primary Examiner: Warden, Sr.; Robert J.
Assistant Examiner: Olsen; Kaj K.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lauer; Mark
Claims


I claim:

1. A cleaning implement comprising.

a solid body having an elongated and substantially straight dimension and terminating in a plurality of cleaning edges extending along said elongated dimension, a first of said cleaning edges projecting a variable distance in a first direction transverse to said elongated dimension, said distance bounded by a generally periodic function such that said first cleaning edge fits a vehicle bed having a series of substantially parallel grooves and ridges and bordered by a wall oriented substantially perpendicular to said grooves and ridges, said first cleaning edge adjoining a surface extending along said elongated dimension and extending in said first direction, and a second of said cleaning edges projecting a substantially constant distance along said elongated dimension in a second direction transverse to said elongated dimension, wherein at least one of said cleaning edges is a plurality of bristles, and

an elongated handle attached to said body, extending in a forward direction toward said body and having a length that is substantially greater than said dimension, said length aligned substantially perpendicular to said first direction, such that said surface does not extend in said forward direction with said handle extending over said bed.

2. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein said first cleaning edge is a scalloped blade and said second cleaning edge has said plurality of bristles.

3. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein said generally periodic function is substantially sinusoidal and said second cleaning edge extends in a substantially opposite direction from said first cleaning edge.

4. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein said first cleaning edge is a multitude of bristles that terminate in accordance with said generally periodic function, said second cleaning edge is a multitude of bristles that terminate substantially in a plane.

5. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein said handle and said body are interconnected by a mechanism that locks in a plurality of positions, each of said positions providing access for at least one of said cleaning edges to reach said wall and pull immobile debris from adjacent said wall with said handle extending over said bed.

6. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein said cleaning edges include a third cleaning edge separated from said first and second cleaning edges.

7. The cleaning implement of claim 1, wherein said cleaning edges provide means for cleaning said vehicle bed.

8. A cleaning implement comprising:

a cleaning head having a long dimension and a short dimension and being adapted for cleaning a vehicle bed that has a corrugated surface, a front wall and a back opening, said cleaning head terminating in a first projection that ends in a first cleaning edge and a second projection that ends in a second cleaning edge, said first cleaning edge having a periodic variation in height, said variation having a period and amplitude substantially matching that of the corrugated surface, wherein at least one of said cleaning edges is a plurality of bristles and said second cleaning edge extends along substantially an entire length of said long dimension, and

a cleaning handle having an elongated dimension extending in a forward direction toward said head more than halfway between said front wall and said back opening, said handle being connected to said head such that each of said projections extends from said head in an angle that is substantially normal to said elongated dimension and does not project in said forward direction, whereby an operator disposed outside said bed adjacent said back opening and holding said handle can reach said front wall with said cleaning edges and pull immobile debris from said front wall to said back opening.

9. The cleaning implement of claim 8, wherein said first cleaning edge includes a blade.

10. The cleaning implement of claim 8, wherein said cleaning head has means for cleaning said vehicle bed.

11. The cleaning implement of claim 8, wherein said first cleaning edge includes a plurality of teeth.

12. The cleaning implement of claim 8, wherein said period is approximately 1.25 inches.

13. The cleaning implement of claim 8, wherein said first cleaning edge is a plurality of bristles and said second cleaning edge includes a blade.

14. The cleaning implement of claim 8, wherein the corrugated surface has a ridge-to-groove depth and said amplitude variation of said first cleaning edge exceeds said ridge-to-groove depth.

15. The cleaning implement of claim 8 wherein said handle is pivotable in a plane substantially perpendicular to said first and second edges.

16. A cleaning device for a vehicle comprising:

a cleaning head terminating in first and second working edges, with said second working edge facing away from said first working edge and at least one of said working edges being a plurality of bristles, said first working edge mating with a vehicle bed during removal of impacted dirt from said bed, said bed having a length and a width, and being corrugated with a plurality of ridges and grooves aligned substantially parallel to said length, said head connected to a handle extending a substantial portion of said length, said handle extending in a forward direction toward said head, said first working edge adjoining a surface extending in a substantially perpendicular direction from said handle such that said surface does not extend in said forward direction, said first working edge including a generally coplanar row of peaks disposed in an alternating sequence with a generally coplanar set of valleys, said peaks generally fitting into said grooves with said valleys generally fitting onto said ridges, such that said peaks and said valleys simultaneously remove debris from said ridges and said grooves during cleaning of an area of said bed accessed by said handle, wherein said first and second working edges are separated by a distance measured along said substantially perpendicular direction, and second working edge has an extent measured along a substantially orthogonal direction to said perpendicular direction, said extent exceeding said distance.

17. The cleaning device of claim 16, wherein said first working edge includes a blade with a generally sinusoidal edge.

18. The cleaning device of claim 16, wherein a peak-to-valley height of said one working edge exceeds a ridge-to-groove height of said vehicle bed.

19. The cleaning device of claim 16, wherein said cleaning head includes a second working edge disposed distally to said at least one working edge, said second working edge adapted to mate with said vehicle bed and having a substantially different resiliency than that of said at least one working edge.

20. A cleaning device for a vehicle comprising:

a cleaning head terminating in a plurality of working edges, at least one of said working edges mating with a vehicle bed during removal of impacted dirt from said bed, said bed having a length and a width, and being corrugated with a plurality of ridges and grooves aligned substantially parallel to said length, said head connected to a handle extending a substantial portion of said length, said working edge extending in a substantially perpendicular direction from said handle and including a generally coplanar row of peaks disposed in an alternating sequence with a generally coplanar set of valleys, said peaks generally fitting into said grooves with said valleys generally fitting onto said ridges, such that said peaks and said valleys simultaneously remove debris from said ridges and said grooves during cleaning of an area of said bed accessed by said handle, wherein said one working edge includes a plurality of bristles terminating in a substantially sinusoidal profile.
Description


TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to tools for cleaning uneven or corrugated surfaces.

BACKGROUND

Truck bed liners of plastic or rubber are often utilized to protect the surfaces of a pick-up truck cargo bed. These liners are typically designed to cover all five surfaces of the cargo bed, including the sides, front, tail-gate and floor. Corrugation of the bed liner surfaces is a popular design feature of many commercially available bed liners. Corrugated bed liners, however, can collect debris falling from trees or the remnants of hauling various materials. Refuse, dirt, sand, gravel and many other bulk materials such as fertilizer and grain can all be conveniently hauled in a truck, but leave behind evidence of their passage in the corrugated bed liners. Moreover, debris can be compacted in the corrugations of the bed liner floor from walking in the bed or from the weight of cargo pressing upon the debris.

Ordinary brooms and rakes are inefficient for removing debris lodged in the corrugated bed liner floor, so that cleaning of the bed liner floor after hauling bulk material can take an inordinate amount of time. Flat brooms do not easily reach far enough down into the grooves of the corrugations, and cannot quickly remove lodged debris. Rake tines do not have the correct shape or spacing to fit the bed liner corrugations. Application of pressurized water to remove debris is also inefficient as well as wasting of a natural resource, and pressurized water is not always available at a site where cleaning of the bed is desired.

Workers in the building trades often hang a tool box between the top rails of a pickup truck cargo bed. These tool boxes typically extend vertically upward from the top rails as well as downward into the enclosed area of the cargo bed, without touching the floor. Thus the floor of a bed liner, if it is also installed in the pickup trucks, is partially covered by the overhanging tool box, and an air space exists between the bottom of the tool box and the bed liner. When the bed liner is corrugated, as is popular, debris can collect within the grooves underneath the tool box, as well as collecting within the grooves of the bed liner away from the tool box. Sweeping or hosing with water the portion of the bed liner floor which is under the tool box is made difficult both by the corrugation of the bed liner floor and because the tool box restricts access.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves these problems by providing a cleaning tool that fits the grooves and ridges of a corrugated surface so that dirt, debris or other items can be removed from the surface. The tool has a head with a scalloped cleaning profile, including projections shaped to fit within the indentations of the corrugated floor surface of a truck bed liner, and recesses that mate with the upper reaches of the surface. The projections are shaped to closely conform to the bed liner corrugation, although individual projections may have a higher radius of curvature than the concave corrugation into which they fit, so that the rake can pass freely by any slight deformities in the corrugation. Deformities in the corrugation can exist from wear or from tolerance in the original manufacture.

The scalloped profile of the head may be formed of a solid blade, to provide a generally periodic scraping edge. Alternatively, the scalloped profile may be defined by the terminus of teeth, as with a rake, or bristles, as for a broom. Solid teeth or tines may be formed of plastic, metal, other synthetic materials or wood. Bristles may be formed of plastic, metal or natural fibers. One embodiment of the present invention has a cleaning head including a first cleaning edge having solid teeth and a second cleaning edge, which is disposed on an opposite side of the head, having bristle teeth. This combination rake and serrated broom allows the person cleaning the bed liner floor to first scrape out the bulk of the debris with the rake side, and then flip it over and brush out the remaining smaller debris with the broom side.

The head is attached to a handle for affording access to an entire truck bed surface, even in areas having an overhanging tool box. A long handle that can be used to reach under a tool box from behind the truck makes pressing a conventional broom into the grooves difficult due to the long moment arm of the handle. Due to the mating of the head with the corrugated surface, however, the need for pressing to fit into the grooves is drastically reduced, affording more thorough cleaning with less effort. Various means can be utilized for connecting the handle to the head, including threading the handle directly into the head or connecting the two with a forked mounting. The head can have a quick clamp that fits standard handles, to make storing and transporting the handle-free head easy. This head can be clamped, for example, to the handle of a conventional broom at an opposite end, since the broom may also be employed in cleaning a truck bed. Alternatively, a hinged handle mount may be employed which allows the handle to lock in different positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning tool of the present invention disposed on a corrugated pick-up truck bed liner, with the teeth of the cleaning tool mating with the grooves of the bed liner.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a head and handle of the cleaning tool of FIG. 1, the head having a solid, scalloped cleaning edge.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the head of the cleaning tool of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a second embodiment of the present invention, with a periodically varying cleaning edge formed of fiber or bristles.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a third embodiment of the present invention, with teeth made of solid material and overlaid with bristles.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, having dual, scalloped solid and fiber cleaning edges.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention, with a sinusoidal solid edge and a flat broom edge.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention, having cleaning edges on top, bottom and front sides of the head.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the cleaning tool of FIG. 8 with a hinged handle locked in position substantially normal to two of the cleaning edges.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the cleaning tool of FIG. 8 with a hinged handle locked in position substantially parallel to two of the cleaning edges.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a seventh embodiment of the present invention, having a head formed with a layer of solid material such as steel or plastic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a cleaning tool 20 of the present invention, as it is used on a corrugated liner 85 covering a floor 88 of a pickup truck bed or trailer 80. Referring additionally to FIG. 2, the cleaning tool 20 has a head 5 and a handle 15. A series of teeth 10 are made of a natural or synthetic solid to form a scalloped cleaning edge 7 disposed on an opposite portion of the head 5 from a flat cleaning edge 8. The shape of the teeth 10 and their spacing approximately correspond to grooves 78 of the corrugated liner 85. This particular tool 20 fits the corrugated bed liner 85 sold under the DURALINER trademark, although the head 5 may be configured to fit the pattern of other corrugated surfaces.

Interior surfaces of the truck bed 80 that may be covered by a bed liner include a head wall 82, a tail-gate 83, interior side walls 84. The bed liner 85 has a corrugated pattern over most of the floor 88, with a series of generally parallel ridges 79 and grooves 78 extending lengthwise along the truck bed 80. The corrugated liner 85 has a generally periodic height variation along a widthwise direction of the bed 80, with a substantially uniform period over the floor 88. A narrow gutter area 87 of the bed liner 85 is located near a perimeter of the floor 88, where the bed liner meets the head wall 82 side walls 84, the gutter area 87 being essentially flat and devoid of vertical corrugation. The corrugation pattern also disappears along a strip of the bed liner 88 adjacent to the tail-gate 83. A corrugated portion 81 of the bedliner 85 is most efficiently cleaned with the scalloped cleaning edge 7, whereas the smaller flat areas of the bedliner are most efficiently cleaned with the flat cleaning edge 8. The teeth 10 of the head 5 are somewhat thinner and higher than the grooves 78 into which they fit to allow for deformities and tolerances.

Dimensions and spacing of the cleaning edge 7 and teeth 10 are shown in FIG. 3, for a specific embodiment of the head 5 designed to clean bedliners manufactured under the DURALINER trademark. A replication period 22 or wavelength of the teeth 10 is approximately 1.25 inches. A width 25 of each tooth is approximately 0.5 inches. A height 26 of each tooth 10 is approximately 0.6 inches. A radius of curvature 27 of a recess between teeth 10 is approximately 0.38 inches. A radius of curvature 28 of a tooth 10 is approximately 0.12 inches. The number of teeth 10 may vary between few and many depending upon the particular surface being cleaned. For example, a cleaning tool 20 designed to clean pickup bed liners 85 which are approximately four feet wide and have a corrugation wavelength of 1.25 inches may have between five and twenty teeth 10. A tool 20 with a smaller number of teeth is less bulky to store and can reach into corners more easily, whereas a tool with a larger number of teeth can more quickly clean out a larger portion of the bed liner 85. Teeth of solid material 10 are stiff and more suitable to digging out material that is compacted or wedged in the grooves 78 of the bed liner floor 85.

In FIG. 4, a second embodiment of the cleaning tool 30 has teeth 32 that are made of bristle or fiber. Flexible teeth 32 of fiber are suitable for cleaning loose material and fine particles from the grooves 78 of the bed liner floor 85. While the dimensions of the bristle teeth approximately matches the dimensions of the grooves 78 of the bed liner, the optimal width and length of the teeth 32 is greater than that of the grooves, so that the bristle teeth are somewhat compressed into the grooves while in cleaning service. A slight compression of the bristle teeth 32 within the grooves 78 of the bed liner 85 can achieve better coverage of the grooves than can bristle teeth which are undersized compared with the groove dimensions.

FIG. 5 shows a third cleaning tool 34 embodiment, having a core 12 of each tooth 14 made of solid material, overlaid with a bristle, brush or fiber surface 13. The teeth 14 in this embodiment are made flexible through the outer covering of bristle 13. An advantage of the teeth 14 of this is that the basic shape of the corrugated tooth pattern is durably maintained by the solid core 12, while the bristles 13 can be relatively short and uniform in length. A similar and conveniently manufactured design utilizes a corrugated surface for a cleaning edge of the head, the corrugated surface perforated with holes that hold bristles. Alternatively, such a corrugated cleaning surface can have a brush-like cloth adhered. Also advantageous is a head having both stiff bristles and flexible fibers, similar to both FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of cleaning tool 36, having a pair of scalloped cleaning edges. Teeth 35 form a solid blade and teeth 37 are flexible yet resilient. Flexible teeth 37 can be of the embodiment of teeth 32 shown in FIG. 4 or through the embodiment of teeth 14 depicted in FIG. 5. This cleaning tool 36 allows efficient removal of compacted fine material such as dirt or sand by first raking or scraping the bulk of the material out of the bed liner 85 using the edge with solid teeth 35, and then brushing fine remnants out of the liner 85 using the edge with flexible teeth 37.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment cleaning tool 38 which has a second cleaning edge. As with the previous embodiment, teeth 35 are solid on a first cleaning edge. Bristles directed oppositely from the teeth terminate in a flat broom edge 39. This embodiment allows efficient removal of compacted material such as dirt or sand by first scraping free or raking the bulk of the material from the bed liner 85 with the solid teeth 35, and then brushing the fine remnants out using the flat broom edge 39. Brushing the fine remnants out of the grooved area of the bed liner 85 using the flat broom 39 edge requires greater downward force than does brushing with scalloped teeth 14 or 32. The edge with the flat broom 39 has the advantage, however, of being able to efficiently clean the flat potions of the bed liner floor 85, such as the gutters around the perimeter 87, and the tapered portion at the back which adjoins the tailgate 83.

Alternatively, the bristles or fibers of flat broom such as edge 39 may be grouped in bunches which are spaced according to the corrugation grooves 78. This allows the flat edge to better conform to the corrugated surface of the liner 85. Similarly, the bunches may have stiffer fibers for reaching into the grooves, while more flexible fibers are positioned for brushing the ridges of the liner 85. In other words, rather than (or in addition to) varying in height, bristles can vary across a cleaning edge periodically in stiffness or density, with stiffer or denser portions of the edge designed to fit into grooves 78 and more flexible or thinner portions matching the ridges of a corrugated surface 85.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the cleaning tool 60 with a handle 75 and three cleaning edges. A top cleaning edge has periodically varying, flexible teeth 63 formed of bristle or fiber. A bottom cleaning edge has a scalloped blade or solid teeth 62. A front cleaning edge has flat broom bristles 61. This cleaning tool 60 allows efficient removal of compacted fine material such as dirt or sand by first raking the bulk of the material out of the bed liner floor, using the edge with solid teeth 62, and then brushing the fine remnants out using the flexible bristle edge 61. Dirt or other remnants left in the flat gutters 87 near the perimeter of the liner 85 are then brushed out using the flat broom bristles 61.

As shown in FIGS. 2-8, the cleaning tool of the present invention has a head with an elongated and substantially straight dimension which can fit against the interior walls of a truck bed, to clean debris adjacent to those walls. The head also has a cleaning edge that extends along the elongated dimension and projects a variable distance in a direction transverse to the elongated dimension, the variable distance defined by a generally periodic fluctuation that fits a corrugated surface having a repetitive pattern of variations in height, so that the cleaning edge can clean the surface despite the variations.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show the cleaning tool 60 of FIG. 8 with the cleaning edges having scalloped solid teeth 62, scalloped bristle teeth 63, and flat broom bristles 61. Details of a hinged handle mount which allows the handle 75 to lock in different positions are also shown. Spring clips 65 and 67, which may be made of various metals including spring steel, allow the handle 75 to be locked generally at a right angle to the scalloped edges, as shown in FIG. 9, or locked generally at a right angle to the extending flat broom bristles 61, as shown in FIG. 10. A standoff 66 provides a mount for orienting spring clip 65 correctly to lock handle 75 at right angles to the back of the cleaning tool head, with a hinge 64 allowing the head to instead be locked to the handle by spring clip 67.

In FIG. 11, a cleaning tool 90 has a head 94 that was stamped out of sheet metal to form a scalloped blade 92. The head 94 is bent at close to a right angle and mounted with a handle 95. Instead of the hinged handle mount, a clamp can be attached to the head for quickly clamping or releasing a cylindrical handle such as that of a broom or rake. The clamp includes a pair of semicircular bales or the like which can grasp a handle, a lever for operating the clamp and a mechanism for locking the clamp. A tapered hole may be formed in the head for receiving an end of various handles to be held by the clamp.

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